Red Wine Fasoli Gino Alteo Amarone Valpolicella 2016. Decant for 2 hours before serving. Fasilo Gino has its roots in the family farm that Amadio Fasoli founded in 1925 in the lower Illasi valley of northeastern Italy. Amadio planted vines on the property and began to sell wine to local bars and taverns in nearby towns and cities. Today the estate is run by Amadi’s grandson, Matteo Fasoli, who practices organic and biodynamic viticulture on the family’s 20 hectares of vines. The Alteo Amarone is the Fasilo family’s flagship wine which offers a perfect balance between the power and richness of traditional Amarone and an elegant softness on the palate. Only the best bunches are selected to go into the Alteo and these grapes are left to dry in small wooden boxes for six months to concentrate the flavours and sugars. They are then fermented in stainless steel tanks and matured in oak barrels for at least three years.
2016
Red Wine Fasoli Gino Alteo Amarone Valpolicella 2016
Red Wine Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 2016. Decant 1 hour before serving. Altesino winery is set in the stunning 14th century Palazzo Altesi in the eastern hills of Montalcino. In 2002 the property was purchased by Elisabetta Gnudi Angelini who already owned the nearby Tenuta Caparzo. Today the winemaking team at Altesino is headed up by Simone Giunti and Alessandro Ciacci who work tirelessly to maintain the estate’s reputation as one of Montalcino’s top producers. Altesino is best known for being the first Montalcino winery to start making cru” wines made from specially selected single vineyards. This magnificent Brunello is crafted with grapes from the Altesino, Castelnuovo dell’Abate, Macina, and Pianezzine vineyards. The young wine is then aged in Slavonian oak casks for 30 months before bottling which adds polish and harmonises the finished wine. The result is a refined and elegant Brunello which boasts a medium body, fine tannins and a well-built structure which will help the wine age beautifully in the cellar over at least the next decade. On the nose there are notes of dried violets, ripe red cherries, crushed berries and dark chocolate while the first sip reveals a smooth texture and intense dark fruit flavours which linger long on the tongue. Try pairing with rich, complex dishes like osso bucco, game or roast beef.
2016
Red Wine Antinori Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino 2016. The Antinoris are one of Tuscany’s most famous winemaking families with a noble history stretching back 26 generations to 1385 when Giovanni di Piero Antinori became a member of the Florentine Winemakers’ Guild. In 1995 the family bought the 460 acre Pian Delle Vigne estate which sits 6 kilometres southwest of Montalcino. The estate’s philosophy centres around ageing their Brunello wines in large casks. These help showcase the character of the Sangiovese grapes and the property’s unique terroir. The vineyards mostly have a south-western exposure and are planted at 130 metres above sea level which helps to fully ripen the grapes while preserving aromatics and freshness. Once in the winery the grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks and the young wine is then aged for two years in a variety of large oak casks which range from 30 to 80 hectolitres. After bottling the wine spends more time ageing in the cellar before it’s finally deemed ready for release. The result is a complex and refined Brunello that’s bursting with ripe red plums and cherries along with hints of Mediterranean herbs, cedar, and spiced notes. Cellar for a few more years or serve now with hearty red meat or game dishes.
2016