Last night's tasting

[Duane Meissner]

Hosted a successful tasting last night. Did a short tour of Southern Tuscany. The following are the wines that made a positive impression on the drinkers for one reason or another.

Bruni Poggio D'Elsa. 50/50 Cab and Sangiovese. 12.5% alcohol. As this was the first wine of the evening, and I was playing host for the first time, I wasn't paying too close attention to my palate. Nothing spectacular, but I remember this one being rather nice for the $10.95 price tag.

2006 Morellino Di Scansano "Marteto," again by Bruni. 85% Sang. 15% Merlot. 12.5% alcohol. This is more like it! I'm drinking the last left-over glass as I type. It has held up decently overnight. The merlot (at the 15% legal maximum) did a better job of taming the juice in this one. A nice buy at $17.20

2004 Rocca Di Frassinello Poggio Alla Guardia. 45% Merlot, 40% Cab, 15% Sang. Surprisingly no oak aging. This was the wine of the night, almost unanimously. Tasted like a right bank Bordeaux (and could rival many that I have had at double or triple the price). Mild spice, earthy, with nice tannins. It is a joint effort by Paolo Panerai and Eric de Rothschild. This one will drink excellent for a number of years. It's an absolute steal at only $20.50! Highly recommended.

Had three others, but they were either not impressive, or had a QPR that didn't make them worthwhile. What have I learned over the past week? 1. For me, Sangiovese needs to be tamed by some other grape. 2. I appreciate the presence of merlot more than I'd like to admit. 3. I can't wait for my Tuscan vacation in September!