At Teddington and Richmond Wine Societies we kicked off the new year with a tasting of wines from Tuscany.
Kicking off with a blend of Vermentino and Asonica, we found that this home of robust reds is capable of producing some really fabulous whites. The fresh, delicate first wine was followed by a Sauvignon Blanc made by the famous Chianti producer Fontodi, this was wonderfully rounded with complex citrus/grassy/gooseberry flavours that were beautifully restrained and a refreshing contrast to the more overblown New World styles that have become prevalent. Then a Trebbiano di Toscana, better known as Ugni Blanc in France, but not at all like the rather thin, tasteless wine I associate with that grape variety – low yields and 12 months in big old oak barrels delivered a beautifully mellow, wine with notes of apple crumble, smoke and vanilla.
We started our reds with a comparison of two wines made from ‘international’ grape varieties – ie in the Super Tuscan tradition, which as Tim explained came about as producers rebelled against onerous DOC rules and experimented with grape varieties and wine making approaches. A Cabernet Franc from Bolgheri and Merlot from Maremma both delivered great varietal character, and with the benefit of a few years’ bottle age were drinking beautifully. They weren’t cheap, but offered an awful lot of wine for what would be considered moderate prices for high qualitiy Right Bank Bordeaux!
Our two Chianti Classicos showed what wonderfully contrasting wines can be made from sites that are only a few km apart. The Isole e Olena 2021 was lighter in style though still beautifully flavoursome (red cherries and a hint of leather) with very food friendly tannins, while the Fontodi 2021 was more powerful and structured, with darker fruit, even more leather and very smooth tannins. In general more people preferred the Isole e Olena for how it was drinking now, but wouldn’t have minded a bottle of the Fontodi to enjoy in a few years!
The final wine of the evening was a Brunello di Montalcino from Conti Costanti, another family owned estate, this time in the renowned area to the south of Chianti Classico, where a specific clone of Sangiovese has adapted to warmth, some altitude and sea breezes. Stunningly good, if rather young, it divided the room into (a rather small group) who were prepared to pay three times as much as the Chianti Classicos cost for this iconic style, and the rest of us, though we were all agreed on what superb qualitly and value for money many of the night’s wines offered.
At Teddington we enjoyed a Cook lasagne and some fine cheses, while at the Britannia Richmond wine tasters partook of a customarily delicious Britannia dinner.
Details of what we drank are on our Wines we have tasted page.
