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| ~ Picturesque Tenimenti Alessandro in Cortona ~ |
In 1967, the d’Alessandro family relocated from Rome to Tuscany and purchased the Manzano farm near Cortona. At the time, the vineyards in and around Cortona produced grapes mostly destined to be sold in bulk or blended with other wines.
However, Massimo d’Alessandro recognized the potential of the area, and in 1988 commissioned a study of the soils that ultimately revealed the microclimate was ideal for Syrah to thrive. From 1993 to 2002, the vineyards were replanted and the Tenimenti Luigi d’Alessandro estate was born.
Early on the estate produced only one wine; Il Bosco. But as younger vineyards came on line, having been planted between 1997 and 2002, the estate began producing a second wine that provides an earlier glimpse into the estate style. The Borgo Syrah was born.
What I love about this estate, is that stylistically it seems to blend both genres of Syrah – the ripeness and forwardness found in many of the Shiraz from Australia along with the cool, more earthy Syrahs produced in France’s Rhone Valley. The result? Uniquely Italian.
The 2010 Tenimenti Alessandro Borgo Syrah captures this well. The wine is a pretty violet color with purple reflections. The nose of the wine illustrates the perfection of Cortona and the marriage of the two genres. There is ample black fruit aromas that are noticeably accented with fresh leather, mushroom and pepper. On the palate, the wine is elegant and ripe with a medium bodied core of spicy, peppery black plum fruits that are framed nicely with leather and mushroom. The somewhat oily, viscous like nature of Syrah comes through in the tactile sense and the moderate tannins are velvety and powdery. This is very well balanced and rather interesting to enjoy at the price point. 90 points, about $14. Will be added to the ShoppingList shortly.
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| ~ This wine was better after sitting in a decanter for 90 minutes ~ |
Salute!
April 1, 2014
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