While a producer crafting mostly Sangiovese-dominant blends may be hardly called 'renegade', these wines hail from neither Tuscany nor Umbria as the literature distributed by the Japanese importer, Mottox, suggested. Rather, this sprightly set of wines is from the considerably less fashionable Emilia-Romagna, known for ham and dairy more than wine. Some of us may grin wryly at fond memories of Lambrusco, however. Indeed, good Lambrusco may be thin on the ground but it is not an oxymoron!
Anyway, back to the subject at hand-
Drei Donna 'Notturno' 2008 (JPY 2,300 retail constituting excellent value): quintessential Sangiovese. Red fruit notes, hint of sandalwood with firm grape tannins, no oak discernible and yet considerably layered and long due to tangy juicy acidity and mineral grip. This made me hungry-very-which is what good wine should do. As my brother Glen once quipped, good wine makes you salivate. Very easy-drinking style yet the level of complexity belies the price. 88
'Pruno' 2006: favourite wine of the group. Again, 100% Sangiovese and its sour red fruited aromas melded with some dried floral notes; greater concentration rather than over-extraction. Cascading layers with judicious use of high quality oak lending further complexity to a svelte texture echoed by savoury, moreish tannins and acidity. Nothing here is overdone and as I noted despite an aesthetically ominous bottle-heavier, broader-'not tannin manged to an inch of its life'. Very, very good wine. 92
'Magnificat' 2006: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon caused my eyes to roll back in anticipation-or dread-of the one wine (in what had been such a poised set thus far) portending to be the beast within! But you know what, the wine remains within the same tasteful, balanced parameters of its preceding brethren. Ripe currant yet attractive hint of leaf for lift, concentrated and firmer rather obdurate tannins-not at all negated by high tech winemaking-hint of coffee and bitter chocolate from well toasted oak yet harnessed tastefully to an overall package of relative restraint and superb thrust and length due to fine grained tannins and acidity. Very good. 91
Graf Noir `00: a field blend of Sangiovese, Uva Longanesi and Cab. Franc all co-fermented from small parcels within the same 0.85 ha. vineyard. Floral and sappy with attractive secondary notes of mulch emerging. Again, this producer's hallmark of finely grained tannins giving texture, focus and real line to a mid-weight, concentrated and compelling wine of poise and grace. Bravo! 90
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