Tasting this wine brought back memories of that old quote from the movie, History of the World – Part I.
“Nice….nice….not THRILLING….but nice.
You just can’t like every wine. This bland red, the 2008 Tenuta di Castiglioni, from Frescobaldi (have I mentioned how this producer seems to be getting more and more disappointing) is 50% Cabernet, 30% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Sangiovese. Why use the 5% Sangiovese at all I’m wondering??….it certainly wasn’t noticeable.
The color is a nice dark violet red to purple and aromas are typical of cabernet: black fruits, slight licorice and some mint. Flavors follow the nose and add some plain vanilla oak touches, but nothing is very exciting about this. It’s medium bodied, with a medium finish and the intensity of the flavors and aromas were middling.
Toted to dinner at a casual trattoria, the wine didn’t live up to the food. This is pizza wine, and not much more. $20 and at that, about $8 overpriced for what you get. 85 points.
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| 2008 Tenuta di Castiglioni from Frescobaldi |
Bummer. At least it didn't set you back too much.
I used to buy Frescobaldi wines but then got into smaller producers. Mind you, my "cellar" isn't heavy on imports at the moment, but I have about 10-15, off the top of my head. Anyway, the macro Italian producers have been replaced by the littler guys.
John, you said: " the intensity of the flavors and aromas were middling."
Is my interpretation correct when I say I understand that to mean the richness of the flavors present are thin or just weak?
Seems to me I had to go back to the 2010 Prisoners red wine to see you this disappointed!
Thanks for the review.
Oh, I did put-in my first order for a wine to be shipped to me: 2006 Colle alle Macchie Sagrantino di Montefalco, among others.
Your influence must be great!
I hope others will dare to try these wines and comment.
This blog is a great resource, and input is always nice.
Why is it that some blogs, not nearly as interesting and as informative as this one get all kinds of comments?
Black fruit, licorice, vanilla, mint…..sounds like something I would enjoy.
Then again, if you paid $20 for it, it's probably closer to $25-27 here.
Hey,
Thanks for commenting. You know, obviously 85 isn't a "bad" wine but I just found nothing at all unique about this. I don't normally buy Italian cabs that are this similar to a Meritage. If I want that sort of blend, I get it from CA. This wine was non-distinctive in every way. And the flavors themselves were not very intense.
J
Dennis,
You read correctly. I was implying that the flavors were weak, i.e. not intense. They were there, but not very concentrated. Just blah…
As for the Tabarrini…oh boy. Well, if you email me offline and tell me what you bought, I'll give you a JFO guarantee on this winery. If you hate the wine, I'll buy everything you bought.
As for the comments…I don't know the answer to that – but I do appreciate that you take the time to give input, criticism, and feedback. Lots of times I think people are just "shy" about writing. I'm definitely getting plenty of unique page views, so I don't worry too much about the lack of comments.
Can't wait to hear what you think of the Sagrantino.
Definitely the geographic bias plays into things from now and again. But swings can be wild. Example: I can buy the 2007 Banfi Brunello (all locally) from $49.99-$75. WTF? Aren't these people all buying from the same distributor?
As for the wine in question…Frescobaldi is pretty widely distributed I'd think. So the price may stay down. 85 points is a "good" wine. But as I said to Dennis, it was just "blah", non-descript, and not intense. There are much better options at $20 – many of which you and I have both written about.
Oh, good God, yes…Frescobaldi is everywhere.