MCF Rare Wine

Dreaming of Sangiovese...

Normally, I plan the scheduling of these emails well in advance, but today, I'm shooting one out from the hip.

I'm at my desk on what, for us in NYC, is about as dreary as a day gets in the Northeast.

It's a bit warmer than normal for late October, yes, but it's windy, grey and hopelessly rainy.

So, from the view out my window just behind my monitor, (and in the chilly room that serves as both the office and the storage room), it may as well be a cold day too.

What dances around my dreams on such days?

Hearty food and a deep, soul-quenching red wine, of course.  And, for me, one of the best soul-quenchers is an old-fashioned, mature, elegant, earthy, mineral-inflected glass of Sangiovese...Sangiovese Grosso to be specific.

I just received a small shipment of exactly that in the form of Scopetone's 2009 Brunello di Montalcino.  Normally, with so many hot releases (2013 vintage) from Montalcino just over the horizon, I wouldn't be taking shipments of past vintages unless the wine really stuck out...and this one really stuck out.

My supplier sent me a bottle and he said, 'Just try it.'

I did and, after observing it over the course of an afternoon and then taking it home and finishing it with dinner, I wrote him back and said 'Fine...I'll take them all :)'.

I was resigned to the fact that, despite my best efforts to focus on what's to come from Montalcino, this was way too tasty not to sell.

The wine is maturing quite nicely.  2009 was a warmer year for the region, but Scopetone's style is one that emphasizes the elegance and clarity that can be achieved with Brunello and this element suits 2009 beautifully.

The tannins are mostly integrated, leaving plenty of room for the mid-weight, supple red fruits to carry their nuances of iron and leather nicely across the palate and onto the long, pure, mineral finish.

A 40-year cellar wine this is not, but on day like today, when the heart and gut call for comfort, it's exactly what you need alongside a plate of soul food.


Matt Franco

MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street
New York 10011
mcf@mcf-rarewine.com
212.255.8870
www.mcf-rarewine.com