Tag Archives: Sangiovese

Let’s go for a little hoof

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Monte Antico, which means “ancient mountain,” is Neil and Maria Empson’s wholehearted tribute to Tuscany. Their forty years of passion and experience led them to create their own label along with their good friend Franco Bernabei, a master in Italian winemaking. Together, they have styled the quintessential Tuscan grape Sangiovese, highlighting all it has to offer and complementing it with just enough Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon to bring it all together.

This wine is 85% Sangiovese with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot. Grown in a balanced combination of geological diversity. Aged for a year in oak (80% Slavonian barrels, 20% barriques). All of the barriques are made of French Oak. 10-20% of the barriques are new and the remaining percent are 2nd year barriques.  Finally, the wine is aged in the bottle for 6.”

Dark ruby in colour, with a herby bouquet.and a medium- to full-bodied palate. Round, spicy, elegant, attractively fruity and extremely versatile – in other words food-friendly and pocketbook friendly!

The food friendly part was delivered by lamb shanks.

TOSCANA – MONTE ANTICO

12.5% Alcohol

$16.99 regularly $17.99

UPC: 00726452000152

Well Done Ladies!

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The Women of Wine in Umbria – The Lungarotti Family live the land, nurture the terroir, and produce lovely wines.

They are solid – like the wine.  Heady, chocolatey aromas. Full bodied and intense. Fresh acidity, well balanced with a slight mineral finish.

To put it simply – a really lovely wine that is VERY food friendly. it went extremely well with grilled lamb chops.

Rubesco” is derived from the Latin verb “rubescere,” to blush, and has a joyous significance. 


ROSSO DI TORGIANO – LUNGAROTTI RUBESCO 2018

23.97 regularly $25.99

14% alcohol

UPC: 08016044010501 

Simply harmonious

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Softer and more subtle.  Oak from Croatia for barrels.  Slavonian barrels tend to be large, and because of the ratio of the wine’s surface area to the inside of the barrel, larger barrels are said to impart more subtle flavours and softer tannins.

6 to 8 months aging for these Sangiovese di Montalcino grapes.

Huge aroma from this classic Rosso brilliant ruby-red colour.  Generously well rounded and well balanced.  Serve it sightly cooler than room temp. (around 16 C)

ROSSO DI MONTALCINO – ALTESINO 2018

$29.99

13.5% alcohol

UPC: 00662255300337

Get A Grip

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Medium ruby in colour, medium bodied, but well balanced and soft. And then, after the 3rd or 4th sip Ichanged my mind and decided that it’s somewhat bold.


Very nice on it’s own, and we certainly enjoyed it with Spaghetti one night and beef kefta the other.


You’re not going to drop this bottle, with its nobbly finger grips on the neck of the bottle.


It is always a highly rated vineyard, so look for other varietals from them when you go to pick up a second bottle of this.


PUGLIA SANGIOVESE – FARNESE FANTINI

$14.99

12.5% alcohol

UPC: 00653149111269

Easy on the Palate

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We never tire of a nice Chianti filling a glass.

Made with 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot and 5% Colorino, this juicy wine opens with aromas of flowers and berries.


This is one that will be enjoy over the next few years with it’s soft tannins and medium body. This wine will pair excellently with mature cheeses.


The grapes underwent soft- press and fermentation with selected yeasts in stainless steel tanks. After malolactic fermentation the wine goes through 3 months maturation until the optimal balance of fruitiness and freshness is achieved.


CHIANTI CLASSICO – GABBIANO CAVALIERE D’ORO 2019

$17.99 regularly $19.99

14% Alcoho

lUPC: 00089819502417

4 Thumbs Up

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For the region the wine and the vintner.  Emilia-Romagna – the home of parmigiano and prosciutto and Chiara Condello.  She crafts organic Sangiovese.


7 hectares of land, 4.8 of which are planted to Sangiovese; the rest are split between woods and olive trees.  

She works in her own way, with her own vineyards and own cellar.  Her first vintage was 2015, and in a short time she’s combined her bright-eyed enthusiasm with a clear vision of what her Sangiovese should be.


Annual production is just 12,000 bottles.  Hand harvested and 100% organically cultivated.


It has a  complex bouquet, lively acidity and a lovely long finish.


ROMAGNA SANGIOVESE PREDAPPIO – CHIARA CONDELLO 2018

14% Alcohol

$24.99 regularly $27.99

UPC: 08056737212898

What you get is better than what you see

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Owner Elisabetta Geppetti is known as the Lady of Morellino and the Ambassador of Maremma.
Simply put.  She makes great wines.


Indicative blend: Predominantly Sangiovese (85%) with the addition of Alicante (10%) and Ciliegiolo (5%) grapes.


I opened it to breath about an hour and a half before supper. It appreciated the opportunity for deep breathing.


This is a great, soft, and rustic Italian red. A nice wakeup call on the nose that becomes earthy on the first taste. Soft tannins. Great balance and structure which despite the hot vintage still very delicate, shows off the great craftsmanship. 


Even though we had a white chilling in the fridge, I chose this to go with our apricot/raisin stuffed Pork Tenderloin and sheet pan veggies.

MORELLINO DI SCANSANO – LE PUPILLE 2019

$21.99 regularly $24.99

13.5% Alcohol

UPC: 08030967017317

By another name

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A wonderful dinner of lamb chops. Asparagus. Boil Potatoes with mint in lemon water with a wonderful accompaniment. 


Perhaps the greatest wines in the Chianti area are the Brunello wines, which are also made from Sangiovese. These wines are much bolder, richer, and more similar to the best of California Cabs.

While the red wines in Chianti are the most recognizable in Central Italy, the “Super Tuscan” wines get the most attention from critics.

The wines of Central Italy are big in flavor and popularity. This area is known for blending the most famous Italian grape Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon, the most famous grape from France.

The cult-following “Super Tuscans” and the robust Brunello wines also come from this area, as well as the very fine Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Sangiovese is the most famous grape from Italy, and its home in Chianti is the focus of Central Italy. This classic style is much less fruity than the red wines of California and a little bit lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon.

The quality of Central Italy’s less expensive wines is getting better all the time and some especially great values can be found in the wines of Chianti Classico.


ROSSO DI TORGIANO – LUNGAROTTI RUBESCO 2017

$23.49 on sale from $25.99

14% alcohol

UPC: 08016044010501