2018 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei Toscana IGT

2018 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei Toscana IGT

with No Comment $40-$50ItalyKevin VogtNapaProprietary Red

CAVALLI

TENUTA DEGLI DEI
TOSCANA IGT 2018

2018 Cavalli Tenuta Degli Dei Toscana IGT
The Cavalli family has been crafting fine wines in Tuscany since the 1970s. Their Tenuta Degli Dei estate is located near Panzano in Chianti, a region known for its rich marl soils and sunny southern exposure. Tommaso Cavalli, the current winemaker, is committed to sustainable farming practices and works with his father, Roberto, to produce wines that are both delicious and environmentally friendly.
 
The 2018 Cavalli is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. It is a full-bodied wine with a dense, robust structure and an underlying elegance. Antonio Galloni describes it as “wonderfully inviting…with exceptional balance and tons of character.” The wine will age gracefully, but it is also enjoyable to drink now. 
 
CAVALLI
TENUTA DEGLI DEI
TOSCANA IGT 2018
Retails at: $65
 
 
 
“The 2018 Tenuta Degli Dei is dense, juicy and wonderfully inviting. Silky tannins wrap around a core of inky dark fruit, chocolate, spice, lavender and new leather. In the glass, the 2018 is intensely aromatic and layered, with exceptional balance and tons of character. Here, too, the wine’s overall sense of harmony can only be described as exquisite.”
96 Points
2020 Capo Zafferano Rosso Appassimento Puglia IGT

2020 Capo Zafferano Rosso Appassimento Puglia IGT

with No Comment ItalyKevin VogtRosso

CAPO ZAFFERANO

ROSSO APPASSIMENTO
PUGLIA IGT 2020

2020 Capo Zafferano Rosso Appassimento Puglia IGT
Capo Zafferano is proud to represent the rich traditions of Apulia in the Salento region in the heel of Italy’s boot. The area’s ancient soils and long, warm growing seasons are the ideal environment for varietals such as Negroamaro and Primitivo, known for their deep, dark colors, intense flavors, and high tannin levels equally balanced with fresh, natural acidity.
 
Appassimento is the process of naturally, partially drying the grapes on the vine to give a greater concentration of colors, aromas, and flavors. The grapes for the 2020 Rosso Appassimento dried on the vine for 15 days, and the wine is a blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo, and Merlot to help soften the structure for a more approachable wine. 
 
CAPO ZAFFERANO
ROSSO APPASSIMENTO
PUGLIA IGT 2020
 
Your Price: $25
 
 
“The Capo Zafferano 2020 Rosso Appassimento opens with intense aromas of blackberry, black cherries, prune, gingerbread, dried thyme, and freshly ground coffee beans. On the palate, the wine has pronounced flavors of black plum, prune, cinnamon, mocha, and dark chocolate. The fine-grained tannins and ripe fruit flavors are beautifully balanced by high acidity and lead to a long, lush finish.”
95-96 Points Anne Sewell, WSET Diploma Candidate
2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy

2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy

with No Comment $50-$60ItalyKevin VogtProprietary RedTuscany

CAIAROSSA

2015 TOSCANA IGT
TUSCANY, ITALY

2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy
Caiarossa describes their flagship Super Tuscan as a liberation of the senses, achieved by artfully blending seven varieties, biodynamically farmed and woven into a luxurious tapestry, encapsulating the Estate’s dynamic terroir. Tuscany’s 2015 vintage embellished the wine’s already alluring qualities, naturally producing wines, “Ripe and opulent, with plenty of fruit,” as noted by the Wine Spectator, and with 96 points and priced less than $60, I highly recommend adding this Italian legend to your cellar. 
 
The Estate’s 16-hectare vineyard on the Tuscan coast was resurrected in 2004 by the late Eric Albada Jelgersma of Grand Cru Margaux houses Château Giscours and Château du Tertre. The winery’s deep ties to Bordeaux are present in their wines, telling an authentic tale of their origin. 
 
CAIAROSSA
2015 TOSCANA IGT 
TUSCANY, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $58
 
 
“The nose immediately shows a fabulous contrast between riper mulberries and blackberry crumble and freshly ground herbs, citrus and incense. The palate shows much the same polish, carrying bright blue-fruit flavors across a bedrock of muscular tannins and driven acidity. This finishes long and very grainy yet succulent. A blend of merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, sangiovese, petit verdot and alicante.”
96 Points
2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy

2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy

with No Comment $50-$60ItalyKevin VogtSangioveseTuscany

CAIAROSSA

2015 TOSCANA IGT 
TUSCANY, ITALY

2015 Caiarossa Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy
Caiarossa describes their flagship Super Tuscan as a liberation of the senses, achieved by artfully blending seven varieties, biodynamically farmed and woven into a luxurious tapestry that encapsulates the estate’s dynamic terroir. Tuscany’s 2015 vintage embellished the wines already alluring qualities, naturally producing wines, “Ripe and opulent, with plenty of fruit,” as noted by the Wine Spectator, who rated the overall year as the best since 1997. With 96 points and priced less than $60, I highly recommend adding this Italian legend to your cellar. 
 
Located in Val di Cecina on the Tuscan coast, The Estate was resurrected in 2004 by the late Eric Albada Jelgersma of Grand Cru Margaux houses Château Giscours, and Château du Tertre. The winery’s deep ties to Bordeaux are present in their wines, which tell an authentic tale of their origin. 
 
Planted to 11 grape varieties, each selected based upon the most suitable soil type, Caiarossa’s 16-hectare vineyard is a work of art. Their land’s nobility and the winery’s commitment to producing the best wine from it is unmistakable in their 2015 release, which also happens to be drinking ridiculously good right now.
 
CAIAROSSA
2015 TOSCANA IGT 
TUSCANY, ITALY
Retails at: $65
 
Your Price: $58
 
 
“The nose immediately shows a fabulous contrast between riper mulberries and blackberry crumble and freshly ground herbs, citrus and incense. The palate shows much the same polish, carrying bright blue-fruit flavors across a bedrock of muscular tannins and driven acidity. This finishes long and very grainy yet succulent. A blend of merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, sangiovese, petit verdot and alicante.”
96 points
2017 San Leonino Governo All'uso Toscana Sangiovese IGT

2017 San Leonino Governo All’uso Toscana Sangiovese IGT

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin VogtSangioveseTuscany

SAN LEONINO

2017 GOVERNO
ALL’USO TOSCANA 
SANGIOVESE IGT

2017 San Leonino Governo All'uso Toscana Sangiovese IGT
Governo is a wine type favored by sommeliers looking for a value-priced Sangiovese with greater depth, richness, and X-factor. Producers make it using similar methods to Amarone, but instead of Valpolicella’s mix of grapes, they use Sangiovese. To make it, winemakers add partially dried grapes back into already fermented Sangiovese, igniting a secondary fermentation, which creates a more profound, more vibrant, and often smoother wine.  
 
Tuscany is where winemakers first developed Governo in the 14th century. It was often a method used by vineyard workers who got paid with the poorest quality grapes in the vineyard. They found that if they added partially raisinated grapes into the already fermented Sangiovese, they could make a deeper, richer Sangiovese that was easier to sell. 
 
San Leonino’s 2017 Governo is 100% Sangiovese and comes from the All’Uso Toscano region in Tuscany. It’s a classically styled wine, with penetrating cherry fruit intertwined with spices, and liquid floral.  
 
SAN LEONINO
2017 GOVERNO
ALL’USO TOSCANA 
SANGIOVESE IGT
 
Your Price: $19.99
 
 
“Intense notes of ripe cassis, cherry, licorice, cedar and spiced oak dominate on both the nose and palate. 100% Sangiovese.”