and more:
• Vintage Sangiovese
• Merlot, Tuscan Style
• Summer Sampler Six-Pack

A Note from Sergio

My first trip to Toscana was unplanned. I was a teenager in the mid-80s, and my father had taken me and my older brother Salvatore on a trip to Italy. The trip started with a few days wandering around Milano, looking at crafts, figurines, and knick-knacks. I was nearly dead from the boredom, and overcome by the special brand of claustrophobia that plagues chaperoned adolescents everywhere.

The three of us planned to visit family in Napoli and, tickets in hand, headed to the train station. As we stood in the cavernous main room, I stared at the departure board.

“Babbo,” I said suddenly, “I’m going to Pisa.”

Perhaps because he could sense that I’d made up my mind, perhaps because he didn’t have time to argue, or perhaps because my mother was an ocean away, my father paused, frowned, and told me that I was required to call and tell him as soon as I’d found a room.

A half hour later, I was Pisa-bound and giddy with excitement.

It was mid-afternoon when I got off the train; I watched with mild envy as a group of Italian teens greeted each other with kisses and hugs. But I was soon distracted by my own, delicious freedom, and took off in search of a pensione, or hostel. I wandered the streets until I found a suitably old woman sitting on a milk crate outside a delicatessen. In the window behind her was a stuffed boar’s head. The smells of pungent cheese, dried blood, and cured fat emanated from the store.

“Buon giorno, Signora,” I said, and she pointed me in the right direction.

Once I’d settled into my rented room, I returned to the signora, who slowly rose from her makeshift seat and cut me a piece of hard, fatty salami mixed with garlic and fennel pollen. I ate near the Leaning Tower, spreading the meat out on mellow, saltless Tuscan bread and washing it all down with a cold orange Fanta.

I spent the hours until dinnertime wandering the city, sitting blissfully on the great lawn of the Piazza del Duomo, weaving through the ancient Camposanto cemetery. As night fell, my stomach rumbling, I stumbled upon a small, sparsely populated restaurant on a side street. I’d never sat alone in a restaurant, but the waiter standing at the door looked warm and familiar, and I was hungry. I went in.

I told the man I’d like bruschetta and lardo to start. And then garganelli—small, hand-rolled tubular pasta—with granchio, or crabmeat. And with it a Fanta, please.

There was a short, slightly uncomfortable pause.

“You’re not from here,” the waiter said.

“I’m from Napoli originally,” I said. “I moved to New York when I was a kid.”

“I see,” he said. “Now listen: Fanta won’t do here. If I let you have it, you’ll complain that our food is no good.”

“I would never—”

“We’ll start you with a half-glass of Sangiovese. Then, when the pasta comes, we’ll see.”

I nodded obediently and waited.

The bruschetta arrived without much fanfare—a thick slab of bread rubbed with garlic, grilled until scalding, and dressed in a thin blanket of finely-sliced sweet, white pork fat. I took the first crunchy bite and the melted fat coated my mouth. I reached for my Sangiovese.

The wine was so stern compared to the generous lard. They were made for each other—perfectly harmonious and complementary. Without each other, I recall thinking, neither of these honest things would be nearly as excellent.

When I was finished, I waited excitedly for my second course. It came steaming in its bowl—a rich, yellow pasta speckled with red pepperoncino; the crab and sauce were nearly invisible. As I picked up my fork, the waiter returned with a different bottle.

“This is Merlot,” he said. “It’s sweeter and softer than Sangiovese, and so better with pepper flakes.”

Again, the drink and the food were made for each other. The pasta was hard and fragrant, rich with crab-infused olive oil, basil, and parsley, and hot from the last-minute addition of the pepper. The wine was sweet and supple; its gentleness corralled the heat. I sat in that little room, taking each bite and sip slowly. I may have been there for several hours—I wasn’t really aware of the time.

Eventually the door opened, and the group of teenagers I had seen at the station came in. The waiter was friendly with them, and he introduced us.

“You must sit with them,” he said. “Have a little more to eat.”

I declined; I had to get going, I said. I didn’t want to impose, and I was shy. But they were Italian—I should have known that I didn’t have a chance. Three hours, four courses, and six bottles of wine later, we all left the restaurant with full bellies and plans to meet the next day for a trip through Toscana. I spent the whole week with them and saw all of the region’s jewels: Empoli, Siena, Florence, Greve in Chianti, Montalcino, Poggibonsi, San Gimignano. It was a crash course in Toscana, more complete and beautiful than any paid tour could ever be. When I met up with my father and brother in Napoli, I was inevitably, if imperceptibly, changed.

Of course, many writers better than I have stories better than this one about their first journies to Toscana. But the story of my first night in Pisa is the one I refer to whenever someone asks me why Americans have fallen so in love with the area.

Today, for those of you who are planning a trip to Toscana—or for those of you who aren’t and just want a taste of the place—I’m offering wines from that memory. Enjoy.

My best,
Sergio Esposito

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Sangiovese for Today

Poggio Scalette Il Carbonaione
Poggio Scalette takes its name from the stone walls supporting its vineyard terraces, resembling stairs climbing the hillsides. Situated in the medieval hilltop town of Greve, this estate lies in the northeastern sector of the Chianti district. The west/southwest slope of the Greve valley is indisputably one of Italy's most ideal locations for grape cultivation. The perfect combination of sun exposure and soil composition here contribute to the excellent quality of the wines. Poggio Scalette’s "Il Carbonaione" plot was the first in the area to be replanted after World War I. These old vines provide a rare opportunity to taste the original Sangiovese di Lamole, a low-yielding Sangiovese clone indigenous to the Chianti Classico zone. The wine created from this fruit was the first effort of famed enologist Vittorio Fiore, also known for his work at Tenuta Caparzo, Poggio Salvi, and Conti Costanti. When Il Carbonaione was first created in the 1992 vintage, 100% Sangiovese was prohibited for the Chianti Classico appellation, making this one of the first pure Sangiovese Super Tuscans. A generous bouquet, full body, rich character, and chewy texture. Fleshy, yet admirably balanced.

Poggio Scalette 2000 Il Carbonaione $59.00

Tenuta di Petrolo Torrione
The Tenuta di Petrolo proudly sits on the site of an ancient Etruscan settlement where foundations of Roman buildings can still be seen. From these foundations rises the Torre di Galatrona, a medieval tower that remains the physical and symbolic center of the winery that now lies here. Of the estate’s 272 hectares, 31 are planted with vines and fall in the Colli Aretini zone of Chianti. The Bazzocchi family, owners of Petrolo since the 1940s, stepped up their standards of production in the late ‘80s and now focus on just two bottlings, Galatrona (Merlot) and Torrione (Sangiovese), both featured here today. A decidedly modern wine and winery. This barrique-aged, 100% Sangiovese is plump, soft, and seamless. Great Value.

Tenuta di Petrolo 2000 Torrione $92.50 (1.5L)
Tenuta di Petrolo 2001 Torrione $42.50
Tenuta di Petrolo 2001 Torrione $92.50 (1.5L)
Tenuta di Petrolo 2003 Torrione $42.50*
*Indicates future arrival

Colle Santa Mustiola Poggio ai Chiari
Producing wine since 1992, Colle Santa Mustiola is a relative newcomer to Toscana. Owner Fabio Cenni has accomplished the unlikely feat of shaping a world-class wine in an unrecognized wine zone and gaining international renown. Enologist Attilio Pagli crafts the Poggio ai Chiari, aging it for 20 months in barrique and 6 months in bottle prior to release. With only 400 to 500 cases made each year, this is the epitome of artisanal wine. This muscular Sangiovese is opulent and drinking well now. The firm tannins give the wine enough structure to develop for several more years. Medium- to full-bodied, with superb balance.

Colle Santa Mustiola 1998 Poggio ai Chiari $49.86

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Sangiovese for Tomorrow

Montevertine Le Pergole Torte
A personal favorite of Sergio Esposito, this pure Sangiovese was boldly avant-garde when it was first produced. Sergio Manetti was thoroughly exasperated by the hype surrounding Super Tuscan blends; yet he was equally displeased with the DOC requirements that forbade aging in French barriques and continually added white grapes as well as “vitigni migliorativi,” or complementary grapes (e.g Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) in an attempt to produce a more "international" wine with broader appeal. Manetti believed this implied that stand-alone Sangiovese wasn't good enough for top cuvees. Declaring Sangiovese second to none, he vowed never to use white grapes in his red wines. So he produced his last Chianti Classico in 1981 and became a Sangiovese purist with his first release of Le Pergole Torte. Sadly, Sergio passed away several years ago. His legend, however, lives on in his wines. Le Pergole Torte was the first single-vineyard Super Tuscan to be made from 100% Sangiovese. This flagship proprietary red from Manetti's Sangioveto vineyard exhibits strong, dry tannins, high acidity, and medium weight. Extraordinarily elegant and complex, the wine displays exceptional purity of fruit. The power and structure of 1990 is showing well today, while the 2001 is capable of outlasting many Brunellos.

Montevertine 1990 Le Pergole Torte $219.00
Montevertine 2000 Le Pergole Torte $1,972.00 (12L)
Montevertine 2001 Le Pergole Torte $79.95
Montevertine 2001 Le Pergole Torte $795.00 (6.0L)
Montevertine 2001 Le Pergole Torte $1,790.00 (12L)

Tenuta Fontodi Flaccianello
This estate dates back to the 16th century, but her modern era started in 1968 when the Manettis, a Florentine family famous for more than three centuries for their terracotta production, purchased the estate. Resting near Panzano in the epicenter of Toscana's viticulture, Fontodi's vines enjoy optimum conditions that allow the grapes to ripen perfectly, therefore creating wines of great character and structure. The natural potential of the grapes combined with the leadership of Marco and Giovanni Manetti (cousins who are sons of the 1968 visionaries) makes for perfection in winemaking. They maintain tradition even when updating equipment; in fact, the new cantina works entirely on the gravity principle (no pumps) though it is fitted with the latest vinification technology. One of the first 100% Sangiovese Super Tuscans, this wine was originally a cru bottling from the vineyard of the same name, the "Flaccianello della Pieve." In 1981, no other Tuscan producer dared to bottle a cru separately, but Manetti put his faith in this site in the "Golden Basin" of vineyards that received more hours of sun than other sites and therefore gave a wine with more opulence and body. Now a cuvee adjusted to optimize the wine according to each vintage character, this big red is highly structured and full on the palate.

Fontodi 1990 Flaccianello $369.00 (1.5L)
Fontodi 2001 Flaccianello $99.95*
Fontodi 2001 Flaccianello $239.95 (1.5L)*
Fontodi 2001 Flaccianello $539.95 (3.0L)*
Fontodi 2001 Flaccianello $1,200.95 (6.0L)*
Fontodi 2001 Flaccianello $1,999.75 (12L)*
*Indicates future arrival

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Vintage Sangiovese

Isole e Olena Cepparello
Paolo de Marchi grew up in his native Piemonte, but some of his fondest memories and inspiration hark back to family trips to his father’s property in Toscana: he remembers a different world where farmers knew their grapes and wine instinctively. Paolo was just finishing enology school when his father decided to sell the Tuscan estate, so he salvaged the property and threw himself into the slow process of renovating the buildings and vineyards. After fifteen painstaking years of work, Isole e Olena began to produce the kind of quality wines that Paolo had envisioned, and with the help of enologist Donato Lanati it has continued to perform as one of the region’s top estates ever since. The flagship wine of the estate, Cepparello would have been a Chianti Classico Riserva if the DOC had allowed pure varietal Sangiovese when it was born in 1980; instead, it was a pioneer of the 100% Sangiovese movement. De Marchi sets himself apart not just by offering outstanding quality, but also by making one of the finest Chianti Classicos on the market as well as successfully taking on international varietals. This wine is a cuvee from the estate’s top vineyard sites, which overlook the valley for which it was named. Produced only in vintages that allow for a top quality wine, it is smooth and refined. Velvety and vibrant, with good extract.

Isole e Olena 1990 Cepparello $179.00
Isole e Olena 1990 Cepparello $385.00 (1.5L)*
Isole e Olena 1999 Cepparello $330.00 (3.0L)
*Indicates future arrival

Fattoria di Fèlsina Fontalloro
Fattoria di Fèlsina is situated in the hills northeast of Siena in the commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, on the southern tip of the Chianti Classico DOCG production region. The estate maintains the majority of its 75 hectares inside the Classico borders with a small part resting outside in the Crete Senesi. How this estate came to be is a Tuscan love story: in 1976, Giuseppe Mazzocolin married Gloria Poggialli in the chapel on the Fèlsina estate. From that day on, the role of the dedicated Latin and Greek school teacher quickly changed from educator to agricultural artisan. Though the Poggialli family had purchased Fèlsina in 1964, it wasn’t until the early '80s that Mazzocolin took the helm of the estate and changed its course to focus on Sangiovese. With the arrival of talented wine consultant Franco Bernabei began a period of experimentation: Franco and Giuseppe tested new methods and vines, ultimately determining that the southern estate was a natural breeding ground for a unique, richer Sangiovese capable of producing more full-bodied wines that could retain the traditional elegance of the grape. Fontalloro is a cuvee of grapes from vineyards spread across three sites, two of which rest outside the delineated zone of Chianti Classico. Because parts lie outside of the Classico borders the Fontalloro will never be labeled Chianti Classico, but rather an IGT wine. Mazzocolin deliberately took the vineyard outside the zone because he felt that the mixture of soils provides the wine with a distinctive flavor.

Fattoria di Fèlsina 1986 Fontalloro $109.00*
*Indicates future arrival

San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo
Once a Cistercian nunnery and then converted into a fortress by the Florentines in 1204, San Giusto lies on the Arbia river in the Chianti Classico zone. The remaining parts of the old structure include wine cellars, which are fully equipped today for winemaking. The castle was owned for many centuries by the Ricasoli family (today’s proprietors of Castello di Brolio) and was inherited in 1957 by Enrico Martini di Cigala, who then passed it to his children in 1992. The estate property includes 30.5 hectares planted to vines, where the family practices organic agriculture. Elisabetta manages the business responsibilities while her brothers Francesco and Luca care for the vineyards and craft the wines with the guidance of enologist Attilio Pagli. Enrico's legacy includes the 1983 birth of the explosive Percarlo, a pure Sangiovese taken from the estate’s most prized vineyard sites. The grapes are harvested later than most to create a powerful, concentrated wine that can challenge world class Cabernets and the longevity of Brunello. The two vintages below are among the most renowned for Percarlo and are rare collector's finds.

San Giusto a Rentennano 1988 Percarlo $360.00 (1.5L)
San Giusto a Rentennano 1990 Percarlo $259.00

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Merlot, Tuscan Style

Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Masseto
You might say the estate was destined for greatness. Lodovico Antinori simply had wine in his bloodline, a 600-year legacy in winemaking from his family’s firm: brother to Piero Antinori and cousin to Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta of Sassicaia, he left his family in the seventies to start his own winery with an emphasis on Cabernet and Merlot. Like the neighboring Marchese, Lodovico believed that the steep, south facing coastal slopes in this zone were a calling card for great claret-style wines. However, Lodovico did not just look to Bordeaux or Sassicaia for inspiration. He quickly acquainted himself with Andre Tchelistcheff, one of the fathers of California Cabernet, as well as Bordeaux’s leading enologist, Michel Rolland. With Andre's guidance and persistance, Lodovico established a site dedicated to the noble Merlot. The spot contains a blend of three clays in the soil and its own unique microclimate. With the team and plantings in place it wasn’t long before a space-age facility was built to produce the highest quality wines of Italy. While Ornellaia was the breakout wine for the estate, the Masseto is its crowning achievement. A striking combination of power and finesse. This is Italy's most collected wine.

Tenuta dell’Ornellaia 1995 Masseto $275.00
Tenuta dell’Ornellaia 1997 Masseto $481.25*
Tenuta dell’Ornellaia 2002 Masseto $216.71
*Indicates future arrival

Tenuta di Petrolo Galatrona
Though her family had been making wine here for forty years already, Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust honed in on quality production in the 1980s and after another decade brought in expert Silvano Formigli to bring Tenuta di Petrolo’s wines to a new level of excellence. Rich, powerful, and dense, with a huge impact, plenty of sweet overtones, and very silky tannins. For more on Tenuta di Petrolo refer to the section on Sangiovese for today.

Tenuta di Petrolo 1997 Galatrona $195.00*
*Indicates future arrival

Tua Rita Redigaffi
Next to Ornellaia's Masseto, Redigaffi is perhaps Italy's greatest 100% Merlot. This ripe, succulent wine laced with tobacco-scented fruit is just one of the hedonistic reds produced from this small estate located in the medieval town of Suverto. The estate gained legendary status beginning in 1984, when Rita Tua and Virgilio Bisti purchased the estate. One of their major advances came in 1988 when they introduced Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to the land, which is rich in clay and silt. The first breakthrough for Tua Rita came with the spectacular 1992, 1993, and 1994 vintages of Giusto di Notri, their Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend. Their explosively rich, full-bodied red wines are made under the guidance of Stefano Chioccioli, whose resume also includes Allegrini, I Giusti e Zanza, and Fanti. Made entirely of the finest Merlot grapes, Redigaffi is completely unfined and unfiltered. A mere 400 cases are produced annually, placing it among Toscana’s most sought-after cult wines. Named after a small river near the estate, Redigaffi is aged in French barrels for sixteen months. Powerful aromas; succulent and elegant on the palate. With harmonious balance, this is a smooth, delicate wine with a long finish.

Tua Rita 2002 Redigaffi $249.00

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Summer Sampler Six-Pack

This assorted sampler provides six completely different looks at approachable Italian wine for the upcoming summer months. Ideal for grilling or drinking on their own.

With the hot-weather craze for rosés, IWM’s own Joe Bastianich delivers his debut take on Rosato from Friuli's native Refosco varietal, while Cantalupo’s Il Mimo displays a light, lively side to Piemonte's noble Nebbiolo.

The red Dolcetto, another indigenous varietal of Piemonte, provides a ripe, fruit forward wine that drinks easily on its own. When dinner is served, Amarone steps in: this unique dry red wine made from raisinated grapes provides a deeper, richer character that goes perfectly with grilled red meat or a cheese course.

Lastly we have two whites: Jermann delivers a Pinot Grigio that brillantly captures the light, easy character that makes this Friulian wine perfect for sipping, while Fiano comes from Campania at the opposite end of the Boot, providing a weightier experience with mineral and hazelnut notes.

White Wines:
Jermann 2004 Pinot Grigio $24.98
De Conciliis 2004 Fiano Donnaluna $16.50

Rosé Wines:
Bastianich 2005 Rosato $13.75
Cantalupo 2005 Rosato Il Mimo $13.20

Red Wines:
Clerico 2004 Dolcetto Visadi $18.95
Brunelli 2001 Amarone della Valpolicella $38.50

Summer Six-Pack (1 of each): $125.88

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