They say that aroma can be the most powerful of all memory triggers. I cannot beg to differ. While
recently enjoying, and of course, smelling, the 1995 Castello Banfi Tavernelle Cabernet I couldn’t help but recall the sight of the vineyard that gives this wine it’s name. Instantly, the dusty road, the warm smell of the dirt, the grapes, sun-drenched in their glory, hanging majestically from the vines as they matured, it all came back to me. So vivid was the memory, that it felt as though I could brush them away with the swipe of the hand.
The wine is great: It’s 100% Cabernet from the single vineyard that bears the Tavernelle name. It’s showing wonderful color at this age; a deep, blackish purple. Definitely expressing some secondary aromas of leather, herbs, mineral and shale. There’s also a lovely trace of espresso, which I suppose is an attribute imparted by the oak. However, on this day, it seems almost a result of the warming of the earth from the Tuscan sun. On the palate the wine has lovely ripe plum and berry fruit that is wrapped in velvety tannins that assert themselves on the finish a bit more than one would expect at this age. There is a faint sweetness to the pope tobacco accents. This is juicy and delicious. 91 points.
We served this up with Gnocchi con pesto Geneovese and an aged Pecorino Toscana from Pienza. The wine worked very well with the pesto, picking up the herbal components in the Cabernet and the cheese brought the silky fruit of the wine to the fore.
Until the next, ci vediamo!
