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Wine Review

Antinori With Jacopo Pandolfini - Tignanello And Barolo Bussia

By Anto Coates

The Antinori family has been making wine since 1385. But as Jacopo Pandolfini is points out, the wines today bear very little resemblance to wines made before the 1970s, and even less to those made before the 1930s. The key driver for Antinori was the planting of international (or 'French') grape varieties like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in Toscana (Tuscany) the earlier part of the twentieth century. This led to the crucial decision to abandon the restrictive DOC regulations that said Chianti must have 10-30% white grapes in it, and instead make a vino da tavola (table wine) that relied on the label's reputation to sell rather than DOC. Tignanello was the wine that kick-started the revolution and effectively invented the classification now known as IGT Toscana as distinct from VDT.

First wine of the night was Orvieto Campogrande 2009 (16.5/20), a white wine made from some fairly obscure grapes the best known of which is Verdello (Procanico, Grechetto, Drupeggio and Malvasia are the others). The wine itself has delicate honeysuckle, lemon and grapefruit on the nose with a soft palate showing slight hints of toast...think a riesling/semillon blend and you'd be somewhere near it. It's a nice food wine though for drinking now. Next up was the Santa Cristina Toscana 2009, which proved very popular with tasters. I was personally not quite as enthused but did note that it was an excellent table wine, showing notes of used coffee grounds, tobacco smoke and vinyl while showing quite firm tannins and good acid. Definitely a food wine (16.5/20).

Next up was the pairing of the Chianti Classico Peppoli 2008 (18.0/20) and the legendary Tignanello 2007 (95 from WA). The Peppoli has been very well regarded in NZ for a while, and it's easy to see why. Accessible, with playful berries and mint on the nose, with hints of curry powder and jet fuel. It's a smooth wine and very amenible to food at only 13% alcohol. The Tignanello 2007 was a revelation, with dark chocolate, espresso, sweet silage and rhubarb, fresh baked bread, liquorice and roast spice. It's not a fat wine, and the tannins are still firm but the concentration, length and layers are evident even at this early stage. 

Next up was a plum little pair, the acidic Prunotto Barbera d'Asti Fiulot 2010 and the outstanding Tormaresca Neprica 2010. The Prunotto Barbera d'Asti (16.5+/20) is quite a shock to the system, showing very high acidity and no obvious oak influence reminding me of a sort of tart garnacha. It's all about red berry, cherries and apple and while not my cup of tea particularly would make for some very interesting food matching with antipasto and fatty game dishes.

Tormaresca Neprica 2009 (18.5-/20) was the standout wine of the night in terms of value. Priced at an attractive $18.95, it's a blend of Negroamaro, Primitivo and Cabernet Sauvignon (NePriCa) the result is almost syrah like, with lovely florals, cassis, chocolate and liquorice. A silky wine in a medium-bodied style it's a serious drink for the money.

The final flight housed the three Nebbiolos: Prunotto Occhetti Nebbiolo d'Alba 2007, Prunotto Barolo Classico 2006 and Prunotto Barolo Bussia 2006.  The Occhetti (18.5/20) had a very notable colour, very brown and bricking, probably looking more like a 1997 than a 2007. Roasted spice and licorice were the key flavours. Lovely stuff without being too profound. The Barolo Classico had a lovely sweetness to the nose, making me think of the Jet A-1 I smell when playing golf at Miramar. The tannins were fairly astringent in keeping with most young Barolo and the palate was a touch hard to warrant anything more than 18.0/20. Could be a goer in a few years and perhaps worth a punt at the price. The Barolo Bussia was the standout of the flight, with notes of cola, pinot-esque red cherry and plum, along with a meatiness and marmite. The wine has concentration and length and looks to have an excellent future in the cellar.

Thanks to Richard Ellis from Negociants and Jacopo Pandolfini from Antinori for helping these excellent wines find their ways to our shelves and we hope our customers continue to support the great wines from Antinori.        

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Staff Recommendations

DAVID

Easter weekend I flew up to Auckland and had a great time visiting family. I made sure I went to Maison Vauron, a must if you enjoy French wines and also Galbraiths to try a few craft beers.

RICHARD

Roast Chicken for dinner evidently. Which Kumeu River Chardy shall I choose?
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