2015 Livio Sassetti Rosso Di Montalcino

2015 Livio Sassetti Rosso Di Montalcino Italy

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin VogtMontalcinoRossoTuscany

LIVIO SASSETTI 2015 Livio Sassetti Rosso Di Montalcino

2015 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY

 
Ever wonder why Rosso di Montalcino is so much less expensive than Brunello di Montalcino?  After all, they’re both produced from 100% Sangiovese Grosso grapes grown in the Italy’s iconic Montalcino region.  While legal requirements dictate that Brunello is aged for two years in oak and 4 months in bottle, they are typically aged for a total of 50 months total before release.  Rosso’s are only required to be aged for one year before release, often resulting in a fresher, more vibrant red that can be enjoyed young.  A gorgeous example is from Livio Sassetti and I always jump at the chance to taste any wine from an Iconic producer of Brunello.  Their Brunello is one of the best in the shop and scored 98 Points and is also a favorite of Robert Parker. Antonio Galloni wrote that Livio Sassetti is “One of Italy’s finest.”   At under thirty per bottle, their Rosso is an excellent value.
 
Absolutely hands-on in every way possible, each individual wine produced by Livio Sassetti is hand-tended by Livio and his two sons.  With attention to every detail, their 2015 Rosso is stacked with concentrated red cherries, black plum and intermixed are detailed notes of dried rose petals, violets and spice rack.  I strongly recommend securing your case… You’ll be seriously glad you did.
 
LIVIO SASSETTI
2015 ROSSO DI MONTALCINO
MONTALCINO, ITALY
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl 
 
Winery Notes: “Ruby red color with purple hues. Deep black plum, cassis, violet, fresh dark earth and herb flavors flow on a silky palate to a deliciously long, velvety finish.”
 
Customers who enjoy Livio Sassetti Rosso di Montalcino may also enjoy these two terrific Italian wines…
2013 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello Di Montalcino 2013 Salcheto Vino Nobile Di Montelpulciano
LIVIO SASSETTI
2013 PERTIMALI
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO
Retails at:  $80.00/btl
 
Your Price: $69.99/btl

Click to Order

 
From James Suckling: “This is intense and complex yet subtle with fantastic aromas of rose petal, plum, clove and fresh mushroom. Hints of stems. Full body, focused and polished with a linear line of tannins and fabulous length. A beauty. Better after 2021 but already a joy to taste.” 98 Points
SALCHETO
2013 RISERVA
VINO NOBILE DI MONTELPULCIANO
SANGIOVESE BLEND
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl

Click to Order

 
From Vinous: “... Powerful and ample, with tons of depth, the 2013 is impressive. Fresh dark cherry, spice, licorice and menthol notes abound in this vibrant, beautifully resonant Vino Nobile…. In a word: superb!”  94 Points
2013 Salcheto Riserva Vino Nobile di Montepulchino Sangiovese

2013 Salcheto Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano Riserva

with No Comment $30 and underItalyKevin VogtNobile di MontelpulcianoSangioveseTuscanyUncategorized

SALCHETO 2013 Salcheto Riserva Vino Nobile di Montepulchino Sangiovese

2013 RISERVA
VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO
TUSCANY, ITALY

 
Working with one of the top importers of boutique Italian wines in the US has its benefits… Massanois Imports supplies us with some of the highest-scoring and reputable Italian brands such as Aldo Conterno, Livio Sassetti and Parusso.  They’ve also introduced us to some stunning values from break-out boutique producers like Salcheto which launched in 2009.  Salcheto is already earning huge scores and obtaining this brand early in its life cycle offers an opportunity to stock-up while it’s still value priced.  The quality is so obviously high, that we struggled keeping the 2012 on the shelf.  The 2013 has even higher scores and a price that’s easy to swallow (pun, intended), you simply have to try this one…
 
Emerging from Tuscany’s Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, this stunning Riserva spends more than the required 2 full years in oak and a year in the bottle before release.  It’s 100% Sangiovese and the 2013 has a gorgeous perfume of sweet cherries, wild plum, leather and spices, and on the palate the wine is deep, seductive and velvety.  With the 93 and 94 Point scores on the 2013, you’ll want to secure yours before the rest of the world gets their chance.
 
SALCHETO
2013 RISERVA
VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO
TUSCANY, ITALY
Retails at:  $36.00/btl
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl

Click to Order

YOU SAVE 16%
 
“This is beginning to hit its stride, with sweet cherry and berry, licorice, leather, tar and iron aromas and flavors. A good dose of tannins remains, but they are well-integrated into the whole. Fine length. Drink now through 2033.” 93 Points
“… Powerful and ample, with tons of depth, the 2013 is impressive. Fresh dark cherry, spice, licorice and menthol notes abound in this vibrant, beautifully resonant Vino Nobile…. In a word: superb!“  94 Points
Customers who enjoy Salcheto Riserva may also enjoy these two stunning Italian Reds…
2014 Giacomo Grimaldi Barolo 2013 La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino
GIACOMO GRIMALDI
2014 BAROLO
PIEDMONT, ITALY
 
Your Price: $42.99/btl

Click to Order

 
From The Wine Spectator: “Cherry and plum flavors resonate throughout this red, joined by notes of eucalyptus, tar, tobacco and spice. The fruit persists, with a firm grip of tannins as this fades on the finish...” 92 Points
LA RASINA
2013 BRUNELLO DIMONTALCINO
 
Your Price: $49.99/btl

Click to Order

 
From James Suckling: “A wealth of ripe fruit with spice, tobacco, cedar and plum aromas that follow through to a full body, chewy and dense tannins and a ripe and delicious finish. A solid and stoic young red. Give it three or four years to soften. Made from organic grapes.” 96 Points
2014 Bibbiano Riserva Chianti Classico

2014 Bibbiano Riserva Chianti Classico

with No Comment $30 and underChiantiChiantiItalyKevin VogtTuscany

BIBBIANO

2014 Bibbiano Riserva Chianti Classico2014 RISERVA
CHIANTI CLASSICO

As much as I love the innovative and forward styles of New World wines (wines from countries where Vitis Vinifera or wine grapes did NOT originate), there’s something to be said about a winery that’s been around in the Old World (think Europe) since 1865.  With trials and tribulations that span more than 150 years, many of the best wines in the Old World give you that feeling of antiquity and historical relevance when you taste them.  I gained that very impression when I tasted Bibbiano’s Chianti Classico Riserva.  With rock-solid poise, immense depth and precisely delineated flavors, the wine’s powerfully complex dark fruits, spices and subtle smoke are classic to the Old World style, and are intermixed with a newfound love and appreciation for a region that produces some of the best wines in the world.
 
Created from 100% Sangiovese and aged for the required 24 months before bottling, this wine has a lovely dense and satiny texture that comes lined with spices, dried flowers and cassis.  At under thirty per bottle this Riserva has everything that I look for in great Chianti Classico.  I wouldn’t wait for the scores to come out before securing your case, because there are few cases imported of this stunning wine.   
 
BIBBIANO
2014 RISERVA
CHIANTI CLASSICO
 
Your Price: $29.99/btl 
 
 
Winery Notes: “2014 Bibbiano Chianti Classico Riserva is a well-balanced, flavorful wine that is especially good for the vintage. It offers attractive red cherries and berries and spicy, garrique and lapsang suchong smoky tea notes on the nose and palate. It has a silky attack, a well-balanced palate and a persistent finish.”
 
Customers who enjoy Bibbiano’s Chianti Classico Riserva, may also enjoy these two terrific Italian wines…
2012 Salcheto Riserva Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano 2013 Bibbiano Gran Selezione Chianti Classico Vigna Del Capannino
SALCHETO
2012 RISERVA
VINO NOBILE di MONTELPULCIANO
Your Price: $34.99/btl 
From The Wine Spectator: “Dark notes of blackberry and plum are reinforced by molasses and licorice flavors. Dense and meaty, this red is surprisingly nimble given the power & concentration. What this needs is an aged, grilled steak. Drink now through 2025.”   93 Points
BIBBIANO
GRAN SELEZIONE
2013 CHIANTI CLASSICO
VIGNA DEL CAPANNINO
Your Price: $34.99/btl 

Click to Order

From The Wine Spectator, “A savory example, featuring tobacco, earth, wild herb and underbrush notes enveloping a core of fading cherry. Balanced and finishing dry, with tobacco and iron accents lingering. Settling in nicely, with a few years more to go…”    93 Points