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What We Say 2004 Taralula Toscana IGT
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Mission Codename: Goddess of Eternal Light
Operative: Agent White
Objective: Sure a delicious and exclusive 100% Sangiovese Toscana IGT for our operatives.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Oriel Wines
Wine Subject: 2004 Taralula Toscana IGT
Winemaker: Giuseppe Maria Sesti
Backgrounder:
In just the last decade, Tuscan IGT wines became the latest rage in Italian wine in the United States, however, their story goes back to the late 1940s when the famed Sassicaia wine was reportedly made by Incisa della Rochetta using Cabernet Sauvignon vines from Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, or so the legend goes.
Broadly, wines designated as Indicazione Geographica Tipica (IGT) could be considered vin de pays. Tack on the designation Rosso Toscana and you are talking about a broad category of wines often times called Super Tuscans. Most of these wines are Sangiovese based with the addition of other varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and all are unique blends that gives the winery much more flexibility with regard to the more stringent Goria DOC and DOCG designations.
Now ‘Super’ Tuscans are the ‘Bordeaux’ of West-Central Italy, expertly blended with Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and often Merlot, Colorino and other local grape varietals. Today’s selection is 100% Sangiovese from the hills just outside of the famed village of Montalcino.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Beautifully dark and dense purple with subtle brickish and ruby tints through its dark but clear core and along the edges. When swirled, medium thick tears are evenly spaced around the glass and slowly descend to the wine below.
Smell – Bright, rich and ripe jammy red and black cherry along with notes of plum and other dark fruit that blend with exotic spice and clove, mocha, subtle earthy aromas. Balanced toasted oak with vanilla hints frames the pleasant nose.
Feel – Soft and velvet smooth in its initial attack and at mid palate the round and finely grained tannins, mouth drying minerality and tangy acidity make their appearance and expand to the corners of the mouth.
Taste – Rich and ripe red and black cherry blend with soft and balanced mocha, clove and other exotic spices. Soft toasted vanilla and oak, sweet cigar box tobacco with just a slight hint of green herbs also adds depth.
Finish – Very clean and medium to long in length with the ripe fruit fading leaving behind this wine’s mouth drying minerality and supple round developed tannins.
Conclusion – The 2004 Oriel Wines Taralula Toscana IGT is a delicious Sangiovese, showing great varietal purity, with plenty of approachable character. Pleasant ripe red cherry with softly complex supporting aromas and flavors with a soft, round and plush mouth feel. A great wine to pair with simple pasta, aged dried meats or even pizza. Drinking very well now, this wine benefits tremendously from decanting or cellar for the next five years.
Mission Report:
Wine Spies Vineyard Check:
The approximate location of the Montalcino region can be seen in this satellite photo.
What the Winery Says
Oriel Wines
About This Wine:
Taralula is named for Tara, the ancient goddess of eternal light and unconditional love who governs the Earth and the moon.
Aroma: Ripe red plum with earthy overtones and hints of allspice. Taste: Black cherry and plum preserves supported by deep tannins with an elegant, velvety finish.
Vineyards & Winemaking: Limestone and galestro soils on Montalcino’s favored southern hills. Careful pruning and minimal intervention winemaking tied to the phases of the moon. Aged for 20 months in French oak (100% new).
About The Winery:
Oriel is a completely new kind of wine company—on a mission to help you enjoy handmade wines from around the globe!
Unbeatable Value: By cutting out the middlemen and never owning vineyards, Oriel can offer a $25 wine for $15, or a $45 wine for $25. This is because wine prices are actually driven by overheads and marketing more than by the costs of grapes and winemaking.
Critical Acclaim: Oriel wines are served in hundreds of America’s top restaurants and retailers and have earned acclaim from all the top critics and press. Oriel’s rapidly growing fan base extends from Usher and Teri Hatcher all the way through to the White House…!
The World’s Greatest Winemakers: Oriel wines are made by some of the world’s most celebrated winemakers who have made some of the greatest wines on earth—from Petrus to Penfold’s Grange—they are truly excited about helping you to discover great handmade wines from around the globe.
An Unmatched Guarantee of Quality: Unlike traditional wineries, Oriel has no obligation to make wines in poor vintages so we don’t—simple! This means we only make wines in good vintages and have absolute confidence in every bottle—guaranteed. No other winery on earth can say that.
Unique Wines of Character: Oriel wines are handmade in miniscule quantities, because making great wine is like making great food—to make a little with the very best ingredients is possible, to make a lot is not. Oriel wines are made especially for us, just a few barrels at a time, and express the distinct characters of the vineyards they come from—open a bottle and take a trip..
About The Winemaker:
Giuseppe Maria Sesti (Giugi) is a true Renaissance man. He grew up in Venice where he studied art at the Accademia. Fascinated by astronomy, he also studied Lunisolar Calendar Systems and the way these have been used from primordial time to the present day. He published four books on this subject before moving to further research on ancient culture and mythology of the constellations. In 1975 he moved his family to Montalcino to find a quiet place to write and explore another of his passions, opera. Giugi also bought the deserted hamlet of Castello di Argiano on a hilltop south of Montalcino and set about restoring it to its former glory.
He quickly realized that his accumulated knowledge of ancient astronomy and classical culture had practical relevance to agriculture and winemaking. One of his ideas was to re-evaluate the moon’s influence on wine and vines. Consequently, he developed a philosophy that marries vineyard interventions with phases of the moon. Likewise, many of his winemaking processes follow the cycles of the moon. This may sound pretty unorthodox, but the results speak for themselves.
Technical Analysis:
Varietals: 100% Sangiovese
Harvest: September 28–October 2, 2004.
Alcohol: 13.5%
