and more:
• A Rosso Better Than Most Brunello and More!
• Rocche dei Manzoni di Valentino
• Passport: Monthly Wine Club

A Note from Sergio

I was sitting in my office yesterday, drinking a glass of the ’02 Masseto, when a friend stopped by. He’s a vintage broker who used to be a sommelier at one of Manhattan’s best restaurants. I poured him a taste and asked what he thought of it.

“This wine is disgusting,” he said.

“What’s disgusting about it?” I asked.

“It doesn’t have the fruit to match the tannins and acidity,” he said, pushing the glass away.

“And why is that bad?” I asked. The public’s lust for fruity wines has driven many vintners to ruin fantastic, delicate wines by forcing sweet, heavy flavors into them.

“The wine doesn’t have continuity,” he said. “The ’01 was much denser and very well-constructed.”

In fact, the ’01 was the finest vintage of Masseto ver produced: a rich, beautiful wine that doubled in value two months after it hit the market. In the eyes of my friend, who had loved the ’01, the ’02 was a terrible disappointment. He may have been drinking the ’02, but all he was thinking about was that grand ’01.

The ’02 is leaner, less developed, and less tannic than its forefather. Sure, it’s a little nervous out of the glass, but with a good wine, something indefinable attacks your palate; this wine has that something. Indeed, it can’t rival the ’01—in fact, no Masseto can—but does it have to? Should we pour out all bottles of Sassicaia made after the famed ’85? Should we smash up every post-1955 Biondi-Santi? The ‘47 Cheval Blanc is considered the greatest wine ever made; should we just give up on this whole wine thing altogether?

By demanding continuity, my friend was demanding standardization—the last thing we want in wine. Each quality winemaker has a best vintage and a worst, but even his worst vintage rivals a mediocre winemaker’s finest bottle. The ’02 Masseto is a medium vintage, and it has the Masseto breeding, class, and history; Masseto is still, in all its incarnations, Italy’s finest Merlot. The ‘02 may not last for decades, but in five or seven years, it will likely be glorious. If we require that it match last year’s wine exactly, we don’t give it a chance—and then we’re the ones who miss out on a great, albeit different, experience.

The wines we’re offering today span a range of vintages. The ’99 Brunello has received a tremendous amount of positive press; the ’00 Brunello has garnered many good reviews; most writers have overlooked the ’02 Super Tuscan entirely; and nearly every journalist has completely ignored the ’03 Chardonnay from Piemonte—they don’t even know it exists. But every bottle has one thing in common with the others: it’s from a quality producer who knows how to handle his land and his grapes. None of these wines should taste exactly like a wine that came before it; rather, it should taste exactly like itself.

My best,
Sergio Esposito

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Masseto: The Most Sought-After Super Tuscan

Along with Tenuta San Guido, Le Macchiole, and Grattamacco, Ornellaia is one of the four pillars of the great Bolgheri-Super Tuscan movement. You might say that the estate was destined for greatness. Lodovico Antinori, the estate’s founder, simply had wine in his blood, his cousin Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta started the Super Tuscan movement by producing his legendary Sassicaia; his brother Piero Antinori is responsible for bringing the Super Tuscans to the forefront of public consciousness with his Tignanello and marketing prowess. In the late seventies, Lodivico broke from the legendary family to form Tenuta dell’Ornellaia with a focus on delivering the best Cabernet and Merlot. Like the neighboring Marchese Mario Incisa, Lodovico believed that the steep, south facing coastal slopes of Bolgheri would yield a great claret-style wines. But, Lodovico did not just look to Bordeaux or Sassicaia for inspiration. He quickly acquainted himself with both Andre Tchelistcheff, one of the fathers of California Cabernet (responsible for the great 1968 and 1970 Cabs of Beaulieu Vineyards), as well as Bordeaux’s leading enologist at the time, Michel Rolland. With Andre's guidance and persistence, Lodovico established a plot dedicated to the noble Merlot. The unique spot contains a blend of three clays in the soil and its own distinct microclimate with similarities akin to Pomerol. His efforts and expertise paid off. His weighty Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend (with a splash of Cabernet Franc) was the breakout wine for the estate, but the Masseto remains its crowning achievement!

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Masseto
The 2002 again, proves to us that Masseto can compete with the great Merlots of the world. Though the 2002 vintage has been recognized as exceedingly difficult, we continue to be inspired by Masseto’s great winemaking (see our reviews on Sassicaia and Solaia). But it should also be noted that the coastal Bolgheri did not see the rain that inland Tuscany received. In addition, Merlot has the ability to fare better in wet vintages. Alex Heinz, the estate’s current enologist views the 2002 as more approachable. We think that the signature aromas, concentration, and rich, dark fruit flavors that make this wine a collector’s trophy.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia 2002 Masseto $216.71

*Contact Perry Porricelli to ask about 2001 Masseto and other back vintages from Tenuta dell'Ornellaia!

Click for more recommended Super Tuscans from IWM!

Where Sassicaia Left Off... Forte

Mondavi, Gaja, Torres...Every so often an individual of unrivalled ambition enters the world stage and teaches its onlookers something new. Pasquale Forte is one such individual. His $42 million investment on the hills outside of Montalcino, matched by his methodical and genuine approach to wine, has captured the eyes of the best producers in Montalcino and is now being whispered about in the leading houses of Bolgheri.

Pasquale’s modern day Xanadu, Podere Forte, is an estate and learning institution dedicated to the evolution of wine. The new gravitational flow winery is equipped with sophisticated research laboratories, stocked with soil samples from around the globe and is destined for greatness. Forte’s Super-Tuscan Guardiavigna, still in its infancy has received critical acclaim and has left its naysayers speechless. Those who know Pasquale say that his success is due to his relentless pursuit of perfection. Like Einstein, he is capable of thriving on four hours of sleep in pursuit of his dream. The wine below is the brainchild of a mad scientist and a passionate connoisseur. rows helped aerate the soil without the use of machines. Intense vineyard work during the rainy periods and careful management of the fruit yields allowed them to create a stunning product. Like the vintage before, the 2002 has completely sold out in Europe upon release. IWM is proud to offer this limited allocation.

Podere Forte Guardiavigna
Guardiavigna is the name of the small tower that sits at the highest point of the Podere Forte estate. Gigiotto di Rocca d’Orcia, home from the Napoleonic Wars, stood there with his Arquebus musket to guard over the vineyards. This full bodied wine is primarily Sangiovese, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes from the best south-southwestern vineyard locations in Toscana. The vines, which were farmed industrially until recently, are now farmed biodynamically—and they’re benefiting greatly from this change. Through intense vineyard work and careful management of the fruit yields, the estate has created a stunning product.

Like the Masseto, this wine delivers an unusual nose— it’s worth purchasing for the aromas alone. You’ll find that compared to the 2001, this wine is less acidic and tannic and more approachable. The extraordinary blend still provides a deep, powerful, and seductive experience. Flavors of black currant and dried berries mix with a luscious layered trip with repetitive sensations of spice.

Podere Forte 2002 Guardiavigna $111.65

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A Rosso Better Than Most Brunello and More!

Last year, we dubbed Piero Palmucci, at the helm of his Poggio di Sotto estate, a rising star. Now, we consider him a cult favorite. After we offer his Rosso di Montalcino, we have clients calling day and night. The good news got even better with the arrival of his 1999 Riserva and his 2000 normale. Palmucci also unexpectedly released his 2002 Rosso, one of the best values of 2005.

Piero employs the service of Giulio Gambelli, Italy’s most respected wine taster. The industry has given Gambelli the title of “Master Taster” (Maestro Assaggiatore). Gambelli's work has focused on the improvement of Tuscan Sangiovese wine. His methods emphasize the importance of ripe fruit and cleanliness in all phases of production. Gambelli’s wines look redder and less saturated than most; they smell brilliant, volatile, and fruity; they have high alcohol and acidity levels, and hard, persistent tannins.

Poggio di Sotto Rosso di Montalcino
The famous Brunello di Montalcino is often out of reach for frequent enjoyment. But Piero has decided to declassify his 2002 Brunello. This means that he used the grapes usually intended for his Brunello for his Rosso instead—a move that gives the customer a high quality wine for an exceptional price. This Rosso di Montalcino is better than most Brunello, making it a must-buy.

Poggio di Sotto 2002 Rosso di Montalcino $39.96

Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
This is only the third vintage to include a Riserva from Palmucci. Piero only releases the limited production when he and Giulio Gambelli feel the grapes are capable of delivering something well beyond the normale and the 1999 represents this ambitious effort. In addition, IWM is the first to offer the release of the 2000. We recommend drinking the 2000 while you wait for the 1999 Riserva to come around.

Typical notes for Poggio di Sotto Brunello: Medium ruby/garnet in color. On the nose aromas of cherries, cinnamon, and vanilla exude and reappear on the palate with hints of blackberry and more sweet spice. These well disciplined Brunellos offer a balance of fruit and subtle oak, as well as soft tannins that are well integrated in this rich wine.

Poggio di Sotto 1999 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva $123.33
Poggio di Sotto 2000 Brunello di Montalcino $87.50

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Rocche dei Manzoni di Valentino

The Rocche dei Manzoni estate—nestled in the Manzoni Soprani area of Monforte d’Alba—was originally established in the 1700’s. The estate as we know it came to be in 1974 when Valentino and Jolanda Migliorini bought the old winery and its prize vineyards. The couple began cultivating the area’s traditional Dolcetto and Barbera along with their Barolo, and they quickly gained a reputation for their thoroughly unique wines. Their distinctive Barolos command respect from experts worldwide. Over the years, the Migliorinis have planted new varietals and expanded their production, which today spans the original Barolo, Dolcetto, and Barbera, as well as a Pinot Noir, a Chardonnay, several blends of local and international varietals, a late harvest wine, and two sparkling wines.

Rocche dei Manzoni Chardonnay l'Angelica
After the gentle pressing, this pure Chardonnay from the Santo Stefano di Perno and Manzoni vineyards, is placed in barriques for fermentation and about 14 months of aging. It is then aged in bottle for another year and released. This is a full and refined white-deep golden, smelling of flowers and earthy fruit, with nutty overtones. On a well-balanced palate, wood with a touch of spice shows through.

Rocche dei Manzoni 2003 Chardonnay l’Angelica $34.92

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Passport: Monthly Wine Club

We often feature IWM's monthly wine club, but no time is better than the holiday season. Many of our members were introduced to the club through holiday gifts and continued on through renewals! Whether you think the "Big Wines" Passport (see below) is just right or choose "Exploration" for the novice or "Sergio's Cellar" for the collector, this is a gift that is sure to delight your friends, family, and coworkers.

IWM’s most popular passport, "Big Wines" introduces many of Italy’s powerhouse wines and cult favorites. These impressive wines, which are drinkable now but may also improve with age, are first-class choices to share with friends. Recent selections include Barolos, the Veneto’s Amarone, classic Brunello di Montalcino, unique bottlings from outstanding producers in less known wine zones, and more. Many of these are favorites from IWM’s private tastings.

Includes:
- Three Wines per Month
- Prices Well Below Market Value
- Monthly Producer & Tasting Notes
- Vino Italiano (528 pages)
- Six Brunello Wine Glasses
- Free Delivery in Manhattan

Recent Selections:
- Gaja Sito Moresco
- Molettieri Taurasi Riserva
- Palari Faro Rosso
- Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco
- Aldo Conterno Barolo

Wine Club Fees:
3 Months: $534.00
6 Months: $984.00
12 Months: $1,884.00

Click to register a wine club gift!