Read the review of our wines featured on  Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar…

2009 Campinuovi Sangiovese Montecucco

($22) Bright red. Explosive nose offers scents of raspberry, red cherry, tobacco and sandalwood. Wonderfully silky and concentrated, with outstanding lift to its intense red berry, spice, earth and tobacco flavors. The pliant middle leads into a long, fruit-driven. Tasted blind, this is a dead ringer for a Castelnuovo dell’Abate Brunello di Montalcino: of course that’s not surprising given that Montecucco is situated right next to the Montalcino area and that many feel the sangiovese that grows there is as good as, if not better than, sangiovese in the lesser areas of Montecucco’s more famous neighbor. Of course, it has long been rumored that sangiovese from Montecucco also finds its way into Montalcino wines, but of course we all know that could not possibly be so.

91

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2009 Campinuovi Montecucco Rosso

($21) (a blend of 60% sangiovese, 30% cabernet sauvignon and 10% merlot): Inky-ruby. Spiced plum, herbs and baking spices on the nose, with a light hint of game. Then fruitier on the palate, with chewy flavors of dark plum, tobacco and herbs. Currently offers limited sweetness and finishes with an austere quality, but the tannins are smooth and noble and the finish long. If there was ever a schoolbook example of what happens to the color of sangiovese when cabernet and merlot are added, this is it. Just compare the color of this wine to the same estate’s sangiovese and commit the differences to memory: it’s really that simple.

90

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2007 Campinuovi Sangiovese Riserva

($31) Dark red-ruby. Enticing red berries, fresh herbs, aromatic tobacco and a whiff of loam on the nose. Big and dense on entry, then intensely flavored and quite firm in the middle, with nicely integrated acidity currently keeping the dark cherry, licorice and tea leaf flavors under wraps. The long finish features substantial dusty tannins. This is less expressive today than the 2009 sangiovese and needs bottle aging. Forget about it in the cellar for at least another couple years.

90+