Rustic Tuscany Glimpses 2024

~ Trattoria la Torre in Castellina in Chianti ~

The 2024 Rustic Tuscany Tour has recently concluded with great success.  As always, the trip was memorable, with new friendships forged and older ones reinforced.  Food, sights, sounds and of course wine provided a myriad of incredible backdrops.

This article is an attempt to highlight a handful of the experiences from the Tour.   In the format of Tuscan Snips, it will feature several wineries and wine data points. Enjoy!

~ Siena provides gorgeous images, but “classy lady” is one of my more recent favorites ~

One of the early stops on the Tour is always a favorite of mine;  Tenuta Fanti.   We regularly enjoy a Tour, then a tasting of wines with lunch.  I always marvel, to an extent, at the excellence Tuscan wineries display in providing lunch for guests.  Most times, the meals are typical and crafted by locals, not by trained chefs.  Simple, honest food that pairs well with the wines.  You might not expect that at a winery but in Tuscany, its not at all uncommon.

~ Elisa Fanti discussing the wines, the harvest and the family oils during lunch ~

The family also craft 4 different extra virgin oils which are excellent.  The chile infused one is a favorite of many but be warned, it is hot!   We tasted a wide range of wines with lunch: Sangiovese Rosato, a brand new wine, a partially barrel fermented Trebbiano that was gorgeous, Rosso di Montalcino, Estate Brunello,  Vallochio Brunello and two vintages of Riserva (2015 and 2012).  There honestly was not a bad wine in the bunch – the 2019 Brunellos are excellent and the 2012 Riserva was very, very compelling and one of the best wines on the trip.  The 2019 Vallochio continues to impress for its quality and value. I’ve had that wine close to a dozen times now and will buy whatever I can get my hands on.

~ Simple Tuscan Pici with ragout ~

The lunch began with classic Tuscan bread (no salt!) to accompany the tasting of the oils.  Then platters of cold cuts, cheeses and various crostini emerged before the Pici above.  When you see Pici con ragout on a menu, it is almost always beef.  Cinghiale will always be specially noted.

~ The Capella at Campochiarenti dates from the 10th Century ~

No Tour is complete without a visit to Campochiarenti.  Daniele Rosti and his Mom were on hand to greet the group and before Daniele barely finished some welcoming remarks,  Vivi already had one of the guests in hand and was leading him to the garden to see the amazing view of San Gimignano.

Daniele was very busy with harvest, so there was no arranged tasting. However, we enjoyed a great tour and saw the newly bottled/labeled special 2023 Vernaccia. We also saw the new glass spheres that Daniele has purchased for a new Vernaccia project.  He is the only winery in Italy to own one of these spheres. (he has 2)

~ Winemaker Daniele Rosti ~

Despite not being able to taste, the visit to Campochiarenti served a dual purpose.  We had lunch scheduled at a private villa that afternoon. The grounds and chef there are spectacular but we need to bring our own wine.  We bought a mixed case from Daniele:  2021 Chianti Colli Senesi, 2019 soon to be released Chianti Colli Senesi (an advanced treat for the group) 2022 Vernaccia and 2013 Viti Storiche.

The Viti Storiche may well be the best 2013 I’ve had anywhere from the vintage.  It was a little awkward on release but the last 3 times I’ve had it, it’s been magical.  I’m a buyer.  The 2019 is, well, nothing short of delicious. In the vein of the 2019 Vivi, it drinks well on release but has the structure to age until it’s 10th birthday at least.  A Chianti Colli Senesi aged as long as a Brunello prior to release?  Try to find another producer doing that…..

~ Here is Daniele with the new glass spheres. Essentially, they are shaped like amphora but will be even more inert – exalting only that which Vernaccia provides ~                                   (Photo Courtesy of guest Tom Schott)

~ Here is a closer look. Daniele expects to get 400-500 bottles from this project. Tour guests were the first in the world to see these vessels ~                                                   (Photo courtesy of guest Cinzia Hayes)

~ Here’s the group having lunch in the garden at the family villa. Under large oaks providing shade, the setting was perfect ~

During the Tour, we try to expose the guests to as many different typical foods as possible.  Yet often times it’s the simplest of dishes that impress.  The purity of flavors that allows a single ingredient to shine is the Tuscan way.  And sometimes,  we run across an incredible new dish.  On this Tour, both instances were the case.

~ Quintessential Tuscany – white beans with olive oil and sage. There is nothing better. I order these all the time ~

Another unique example….  I need to try and recreate.

~ This is a pasta we had during lunch at Poggio Stenti – it’s hand rolled Pici with sausage, zucchini & the estate saffron. It was one of the best things we ate this trip ~

Speaking of best things on the Tour…  One of the Brunello producers that has worked its way into permanent rotation is La Magia.  Gorgeous setting, great people, great wines, certified organic.  We had an amazing tasting there and frankly, the entire lineup impressed.  However, there was a stand out.

~ La Magia is doing great work and their entire portfolio is amazing. They make a wine called “Vispo” which is all of $10. If I had a home in Italy I’d be buying it by the case! ~

La Magia pulled out the stops for us.  We tried the current vintage of Vispo and Rosso di Montalcino and then a vertical of Brunello from 2017-2019.  We also tasted Ciliegio 2019, the single vineyard Cru.  That may have been the single best wine of the trip. It is utterly miraculous.  The two bottles in the boxes above are mine!  but I certainly wasn’t the only one who purchased.

The guests also enjoyed insight into the evolution of Brunello.  Quickly they came to understand the meaning of “AAD” when written on a wine barrel.  Yes, we often did some barrel tasting!

~ This is Matilde from Uccelliera drawing AAD Brunello 2022 for the guests to taste. We also tasted 2021 and 2023 from  cask ~

Tasting three successive future vintages of Brunello from cask is a sure fire way to witness what happens in botte as the wine progresses.  I thought the 2021 was delicious already, but you can clearly feel the still astringent tannins in 2022 and 2023.   We tasted an incredible breadth of wines at Uccelliera; both from Uccelliera and Voliero. We tasted the following wines:  Rosso di Montalcino 2022,  Brunello 2018 and 2019 and Rapace 2021.  The latter remains an excellent value in the Super Tuscan category and is delicious.  The Brunello are fantastic but for me, the edge goes to Uccelliera.

~ 2022 Rosso. Uccelliera left and Voliero right. You can also see on the map, the placement of each estate. While both were good, again I preferred the Uccelliera ~

During the Rustic Tuscany Tour over the last few years,  harvest was completed by the time we arrived.  This year, not so much.  In fact, almost no one had picked anything save maybe young Sangiovese to make Rosato.   This is the case in the picture below when we arrived at Boscarelli.  Although not for Rosato, this wine will be used for an entry level IGT.  The grapes in the cases have already been rejected by hand.  They will be used for fertilizer. Anything not removed by the women you say will also pass through an optical sorter. Even for a $10 bottle of wine, the scrutiny is that severe.  Bravo!

~ After watching these ladies diligently scrutinize the fruit, we went into the vineyard for a Masters Class with Alberto ~

Similar to tasting the three different vintages from cask at Uccelliera, tasting three different grape varieties off the vine is also eye opening.  We tried Sangiovese, Colorino and Malvasia Nera.  All were sweet, but you could tell that one was spicier than others, ones seeds were more astringent.  Like everyone else, Boscarelli was waiting.

~ This is Sangiovese at Boscarelli ~

~ Alberto knows his stuff! He is knowledgeable, frankly funny and interacts well with the guests. I hope he stays on at Boscarelli ~

That will wrap up this installment of the Rustic Tuscany chronicles.  Coming soon will be Part 2 of the 2019 Annual Brunello Report as well as Part 2 of the 2013 Retrospective.  I’ll also have some detailed reviews this month about new Vernaccias and a couple of “Gemelli” reviews…   So stay tuned!