SommSelect Editorial Director David Lynch re-visits a pioneering property on the Tuscan coast and finds a stylish varietal Sangiovese amid the Cabernet, Merlot, and Syrah.
Starting with “Sassicaia,” the iconic Cabernet Sauvignon grown in the town of Bolgheri, and continuing with other ‘super-Tuscans’ like “Masseto,” “Guado al Tasso,” and “Paleo,” the coastal part of Tuscany has become better known for so-called ‘international’ grape varieties than for its native son, Sangiovese. In the case of today’s winery, Tua Rita—headquartered about 40 kilometers south of Bolgheri in Suvereto—it’s their many-layered Merlot, “Redigaffi,” that has attracted the most widespread acclaim. In this part of Tuscany, known as the alta Maremma (‘upper Maremma’), the world-class quality of wines from Merlot, the Cabernets, and Syrah has caused Sangiovese to become marginalized (some producers find the warmer climate and richer soils of the coast to be less hospitable to the notoriously fickle native). Today’s wine, called “Perlato del Bosco” was once a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, but the folks at Tua Rita bucked the trends and, starting in 2010, re-committed themselves to a varietal Sangiovese from their Suvereto vineyards. You don’t see a lot of single-variety Sangiovese in the Maremma—not even further south in Grosseto, where it is the lead (but not only) grape in Morellino di Scansano—and this one succeeds on every level: there’s classic Brunello di Montalcino-level depth and aromatic complexity here at a relative steal of a price, especially when you consider what some of Tua Rita’s other super-Tuscans will set you back ($200+). Brunello lovers, take note—this is a new-generation Sangiovese that demands your attention!
Although it is a “coastal” locale, the vineyards at Tua Rita rise to elevations exceeding 300 feet, climbing into a range of mountains known since Etruscan times as the “Colline Metallifere” (“metal-bearing hills”). Rich in minerals and hot springs and still the site of some mining activity, the hills around Suvereto are also home to several marble quarries, where a reddish-pink version known as “perlato” is among those extracted. The Tua Rita estate—named for co-founder Rita Tua, in classic last-name-first Italian style—now spans 63 acres in soils mixing mineral-laden clay, limestone, and sand.
When they originally purchased the property in 1984, Rita and her husband, Virgilio Bisti, jumped right in with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and quickly rose to the top rank of super-Tuscans with “Redigaffi” and a Bordeaux blend called “Giusto di Notri.” Originally, “Perlato del Bosco” incorporated a substantial percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon along with Sangiovese, but was eventually given a chance to shine on its own—and shine it does. Fermented in conical wood vats known as tini and aged in a mix of used barriques and larger barrels for about 12 months, Perlato del Bosco has a rounder, plusher feel than a typical Chianti while still retaining the woodsy savor and black cherry perfume of the Sangiovese grape. In terms of depth and palate persistence, it’s on par with Brunello di Montalcino, albeit with less tannic grip (which is to be expected—it spends much less time in oak compared to Brunello).
In the glass, the 2013 Perlato del Bosco is a deep garnet red in the glass, with slight hints of orange at the rim. The aromas are an assertive and inviting mix of black cherry, blackberry, red and black currant, cedar, tobacco, wild herbs, lavender, and turned earth. Medium-plus in body, with supple tannins and fresh acidity, it presents Sangiovese with a touch of Mediterranean wildness—a note of what the French call
garrigue and the Italians call
mácchia. It is enjoyable now after about 30 minutes in a decanter—darkly fruited and richly textured—but it will continue to improve in the cellar for another 5-7 years. I have no doubt I could fool most of my Italian wine-loving friends into thinking this was a Brunello costing twice as much, and I re-visited the bottle from our tasting over the course of several days, enjoying it more each time. Serve it at 60-65 degrees in large Bordeaux stems and pair it with something off the grill, be it beef or pork or game. If you’ve got the time, the attached
porchetta recipe is the kind of dish you’d get with this wine in its place of origin. I can’t wait to get back there, but for now, this will do nicely. Cheers!
— David Lynch
