Three wines to recommend and a cautionary tale about long term cellaring.
The first is a Rosso di Montalcino from Renieri (2018). For those unfamiliar, Brunnello di Montalcino is one of the great reds of Italian wine and a personal favorite. It also starts at about $45 and goes up well over $100-200. Rosso, Brunello’s “little brother”, can often be almost as good and at a fraction of the price. The wines of Montalcino are made with Sangiovese, the same grape used to make Chianti, but with better results.
This Rosso was ok the first day, but really really good on day 2 indicating it might need a few years, but decanting at the very least. Definitely reminded me of Brunellos I’ve enjoyed in the past. Very versatile food wine I suspect. Figure on paying $15-20.
And for the cautionary tale……
Prior to taking my son back to UF, I made bone in rib-eyes with mushrooms and onions and served an old Bordeaux: 1995 Chateau Lafon-Rochet from St. Estephe. I bought a case many years ago and have enjoyed it on many occasions. This particular bottle seemed to be drying out a bit as the tannic acid was still very present, but the fruit flavors had faded. The wines of St. Estephe are among the longest lived in Bordeaux and generally are a higher % of Cabernet, but this bottle made me wonder if I need to quickly drink up the last few bottles - a first world problem to be sure. This “predicament” again drives home the point that it is always better to drink a wine “too early” than “too late.” For those who might be saving a nice bottle for a special occasion, don’t wait too long! For those who might be interested, here’s the label.