Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023 - 107

Imported New Releases
with violet-scented flavors of fresh red plum
and red currant tinged with notes of black
pepper and a hint of smoked bacon. It's in
the structure and texture that you feel the
fleshy warmth of the Tuscan coast, the velvety
tannins rounding out those tangy red
fruit tones. -S.J. § Vintus, NY
94 | Brancaia
$75
2019 Toscana Ilatraia ^ This Maremma blend
shows excellent brightness and verve in the
2019 vintage. Scents of menthol and licorice
root enliven the wine's flavors of juicy plum
and blackberry, the flavors buoyed by nervy
acidity as hints of vanilla bean and anise
emerge. The blend is comprised of equal
parts cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot
with 20 percent of cabernet franc. -S.J. § Maze
Row Wine Merchant, Healdsburg, CA
93 | Brancaia
$120
2019 Toscana Il Blu ^ Flavors of warmed
plum and cassis are rich and mouthfilling,
amped up by dark spice notes in this blend
of merlot with ten percent each of sangiovese
and cabernet sauvignon. The wine rested in
French oak barriques (two-thirds new) for 20
months, gaining supple tannins and notes
rich dark chocolate that are balanced by hints
of graphite and iodine. A bold wine, this will
fit perfectly on a steakhouse list. -S.J. § Maze
Row Wine Merchant, Healdsburg, CA
d'Avola). It opens on flavors of ripe plum,
dark chocolate and nutmeg that deepen
into dark red-berry and dried-cherry notes.
The supple texture contrasts with the lively
red fruit as the wine lingers on notes of wild
herbs. -S.J. § Empson USA, Alexandria, VA
91 | Le Casematte
2021 Terre Siciliane Peloro Rosso ^ A blend
of nerello mascalese with 30 percent of nocera,
this wine offers flavors of sour plum and
tangy cherry accented with notes of nutmeg
and wildflowers. Fresh and saline, it's a lively
wine to lightly chill for summertime gatherings.
-S.J. § Empson USA, Alexandria, VA
90 | Brancaia
2020 Toscana Tre (BEST BUY) ^ This
$25
lively
blend of sangiovese, merlot and cabernet
sauvignon offers ample fruit flavors of raspberry
and cherry. It's balanced and bright,
with richness in a plush note of dark chocolate
that make this appealing on its own or
with anything off the grill. -S.J. § Maze Row
Wine Merchant, Healdsburg, CA
SICILY
94 | COS
$40
2021 Terre Siciliane Zibibbo in Pithos ^
This delicious orange wine's appeal will reach
beyond ardent natural wine fans. It starts
with zibibbo (muscat of Alexandria), the juice
of the grapes left in contact with the skins for
seven months in buried amphoras, developing
a chewy texture and an intense copper
hue. Decant the wine to let some funky aromas
blow off and you'll find vibrant, concentrated
flavors of apricot, lime blossom and
yellow plum, all of it tinged with salinity
and a hint of savory bone broth. The complex
flavors change hour by hour and will
seduce you over the course of an entire evening.
-S.J. § Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY
91 | Planeta
2020 Cerasuolo di Vittoria ^ Notes of smoke
and singed orange peel dissipate with time
in the glass, revealing scents of thyme and
lavender over tangy flavors of pomegranate,
plum and strawberry. Open an hour
in advance and serve at cellar temperature.
-S.J. § Taub Family Selections, Boca Raton, FL
91 | Planeta
2017 Sicilia Noto Controdanzo ^ A blend of
nero d'Avola with 15 percent merlot grown in
Sicily's torrid southeastern corner, this wine's
flavors of spiced plum, dried cherry and licorice
are buoyed by a blast of salinity that
freshens the finish. -S.J. § Taub Family Selections,
Boca Raton, FL
90 | Cos
$37
2021 Terre Siciliane Pithos Rosso ^ This
amphora-aged blend of nero d'Avola and
frappato takes its time to open, shaking off
some musky aromas to reveal tangy redberry
flavors edged with hints of green olive
and walnut skin. The intensely saline finish
would match up well with grilled seabass.
-S.J. § Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY
90 | COS
93 | San Polo
$70
2020 Toscana Amphora Vignamasso ^ The
Allegrini family of Veneto has owned this
Montalcino estate since 2007. Their Vignamasso
is sangiovese from a single vineyard,
fermented with whole bunches and left on
the skins in amphoras for four months. It's
a pure expression of sangiovese, the buoyant
red-cherry and raspberry flavors framed
by raspy tannins and edged in notes of iron,
baked clay and grilled game. -S.J. § Trinchero
Family Estates, St. Helena, CA
$40
2017 Terre Siciliane Maldafrica ^ Made with
equal parts cabernet sauvignon and merlot,
this saline-infused wine is a world away from
Bordeaux, expressing the sandy soils and
windswept terrain of southeastern Sicily.
Maldafrica's flavors of sour plum and black
currant are layered with notes of crunchy
herbs and carob, the flavors packed into a
lean frame. Pair its savory flavors with a beef
and black olive stew. -S.J. § Polaner Selections,
Mt. Kisco, NY
92 | Le Casematte
2021 Faro ^ Terraced vineyards overlooking
the Strait of Messina produced this delicious
blend of native Sicilian varieties (nerello mascalese,
nerello cappuccio, nocera and nero
90 | Donnafugata
$23
2021 Sicilia Nero d'Avola (BEST BUY) ^ With
its rich flavors of raspberry and plum laced
with notes of licorice, this wine's fresh acidity
makes you want a second glass. It's a versatile
Summ ER 2023
WINE & SPIR IT S
1 07
https://www.mazerow.com/Brancaia.html https://www.sanpolomontalcino.it/en https://lecasematte.it/en/wines/
Wine & Spirits - Summer 2023

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