Tuscany Blind by Alessio
Eight wines, seven Tuscan, one intruder. All blind.
Alessio showed up with seven bottles in paper bags and one question: which one isn't Tuscan?
The format was fully blind - no labels, no hints, just glasses. The lineup covered twenty years of Tuscan winemaking: from a 26-year-old Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva to a young Val delle Corti from 2020, with two Brunellos, a Maremma Super Tuscan, and a few producers most of us had never heard of. Hidden somewhere among them, one bottle from outside the region. A bonus Luce Brunello 2010 joined the table courtesy of one of the participants.
The group's favourites told their own story: Riparbella Sciamagna 2006 took the top spot (4.26 WAVG, lowest standard deviation of the night - near-unanimous), with Fontodi's 26-year-old Vigna del Sorbo right behind (4.25). For me, the real discovery was Pian di Meta Vecchia's TerraLuna - the most emotional wine of the evening, pure feeling in a glass. And I Sassi di San Giuseppe was the strangest bottle I've ever tasted. Some evenings are about the labels you recognise. This one was about everything you don't expect.
| Wine | WAVG | SD | Price | QPR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Val delle Corti | #8 | 3.97 | 0.08 | – | – | – |
 Podere Erica | #4 | 4.17 | 0.09 | – | – | – |
 Poggiarellino | #6 | 4.07 | 0.14 | – | 4,610 ₴ | 0.56 |
 Sciamagna2006 Riparbella | 🥇 | 4.26 | 0.09 | – | – | – |
 TerraLuna Rosso2020 Pian di Meta Vecchia | 🥉 | 4.21 | 0.21 | 2,790 ₴ | 0.95 | |
 Rosso Crudo2018 I Sassi di San Giuseppe | #7 | 4.01 | 0.19 | – | – | – |
 Fontodi | 🥈 | 4.25 | 0.10 | – | – | – |
 Tenuta Luce | #5 | 4.09 | 0.21 | – | – | – |
Val delle Corti Chianti Classico Riserva 2020
Val delle Corti is a small estate in Radda in Chianti - one of the highest and coolest sub-zones of Chianti Classico. The Riserva is only made in exceptional years from the estate's oldest Sangiovese vineyards. Vines 40-45 years old, east-facing at 450m on marly-limestone soils. Fermented 3 weeks in stainless steel or 2 weeks in open tonneaux, native yeasts, punchdowns by hand. 24 months in old barriques and tonneaux, 7 months bottle ageing. 13.5% alcohol. Bottled July 2023.
Podere Erica Il Picchio Sangiovese 2016
Il Picchio ("Woodpecker") is Podere Erica's riserva-level Sangiovese - essentially Chianti Classico in spirit, though the estate sits outside the appellation boundaries. Hand-selected grapes, spontaneous fermentation for 20 days, maceration with skins and some whole bunches for about 3 months. 24 months in 500-litre French oak, plus 2 years bottle ageing. Released 5 years after harvest. Unfiltered. 14.5% alcohol. Approximately 1,400 bottles produced. Awarded Top Wine by Slow Wine.
Poggiarellino Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016
Poggiarellino is a small, traditional estate in Montalcino. 100% Sangiovese, exclusively from their own vineyards, treated with traditional methods only. Green-harvested and further selected at picking. Natural fermentation, aged four and a half years in medium-tonnage oak barrels (max 3,000L). One year bottle ageing. Unfiltered. 14% alcohol. 2,500 bottles produced. Bottled August 2020.
Riparbella Sciamagna 2006
Podere Riparbella sits in the Maremma Grossetana, southern Tuscany - 46 hectares between forest and farmland, cultivated ecologically. 81% Sangiovese, 16% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc from two vineyards: "Canonico" (380m, clay-sand-limestone) and "Triangolo" (350m, clay-sand-river detritus). Fermented separately in steel, blended February 2007, aged in oak casks of various sizes. Bottled September 2009. 14% alcohol, 7,200 bottles. Released only in 2019 - a wine deliberately held back for over a decade.
Pian di Meta Vecchia TerraLuna Rosso 2020
A small Montalcino estate. TerraLuna Rosso is their Sangiovese from the southern slopes of the appellation - warmer, riper, more immediately expressive than the classic northern exposures.
I Sassi di San Giuseppe Rosso Crudo 2018
The evening's intruder - not Tuscan at all. I Sassi di San Giuseppe is a small estate in the Marche, and Rosso Crudo is their top wine. The name "crudo" (raw) signals the philosophy: minimal intervention, no filtration, no fining. This was Alessio's planted question - spot the non-Tuscan among seven Sangiovese-driven wines.
Fontodi Vigna del Sorbo Chianti Classico Riserva 2000
Fontodi is one of Chianti Classico's most celebrated estates, based in the Conca d'Oro amphitheatre in Panzano - a naturally warm, south-facing bowl of galestro and alberese soils. Giovanni Manetti has been at the helm since the 1980s, farming biodynamically and producing wines of remarkable consistency. Vigna del Sorbo is the single-vineyard Riserva, made only in the best years from the estate's finest Sangiovese.
Tenuta Luce Luce Brunello di Montalcino 2010
Tenuta Luce was born from a partnership between Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi in 1995 - two wine dynasties, Old and New World. The Brunello is 100% Sangiovese from Montalcino, fermented in temperature-controlled steel, macerated 4 weeks on skins, then aged 36 months in French barriques (90% once-used, 10% new) and Slavonian oak casks. 2010 was an excellent vintage with a challenging spring but ideal September conditions. 20,000 bottles, bottled July 2014.
Raw scores
Personal scores are available to event participants.
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