Tenuta Monteti is a winery in southern Tuscany that produces some amazing super Tuscan wines. A Super tuscan is a wine produced in Tuscany that doesn't adhere to the very strict DOC(G) regulations of the area, generally because they are produced using grape varieties that are not permitted. Monteti 2007 is 55% Petit Verdot 25% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon - sort of like a Bordeaux red turned on it's head... sort of...
The great thing about Italy is that its one of the only countries that could make a blend like this work. Especially when you think that in Bordeaux, Petit Verdot is a sort of 'seasoning', used in a blend in very small amounts, as if it's the salt and pepper. So deciding to make this wine out of predominantly Petit Verdot was probably a brave move.
It so works though.
This is a wine that is amazingly rich and full bodied. Packed with dark fruit, chocolate, coffee and a good hint of oak. 70% of the wine was aged for 18 months in new French oak and 30% in oak used for the second time round, which brings some really delicious toasty flavours along with an excellent, rounded structure. There is plenty of spice on the palate that at first comes across as a little over-powering but once the wine has had a minute to settle in the glass, everything balances out nicely. The typical violet notes of Petit Verdot come through amazingly on the finish. This is a seriously nice bottle of wine!
So why the hell was I drinking a wine like this in the recent heat? Well I like to pretend I'm on holiday in Tuscany sometimes. I'll sit in the sun and have a sip of this. IS THAT SUCH A CRIME!?
You can pick up a bottle of Monteti from Red & White for £25.00 - you may have to enquire about the vintage as it isn't stated on the website but it's well worth the very small amount of leg-work.
Pick up a bottle and let us know what you think!
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