Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/637107
{ SOMMjournal.com } 27 ern fruit; Sei 2011 Querceto di Castellina shows good vineyard character ; Riserva di Fizzano 2011 Rocca della Macie very good and elegant; Lilliano 2011 Tenuta di Lilliano with 20% Colorino and Merlot, totally classic with lovely length; Nerento 2010 Villa Trasqua, 30 months in French oak, a very good Chianti for the cellar. Radda in Chianti: Il Solatio 2012 Castello d'Albola, well-balanced and elegant. Gaiole in Chianti: Vigneto La Casuccia 2011 Castello di Ama with 20% Merlot, very deep and richly flavoured. Monteriggioni: Mocenni 89 2011 Bindi Sergardi, a single vineyard, still a bit tight but a good future. Vagliagli: Ponte Rosso 2011 Castello di Selvole with 10% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, good expression, lots of depth; L'Imperatrice 2012 Fattoria di Corsignano with 10% Malvasia Nera, rich with a good future, the excellent 2010 showing fine clarity and depth. Castelnuovo Berardenga: Colonia 2010 Felsina, very fine, warm and robust, almost Brunello style; Losi Millennium 2009 with 5% Canaiolo/5% Malvasia Nera, quite robust, nice maturity; Il Grigio 2011 San Felice with 20% local grapes, good richness and earthy depth. Most of these wines were ready to drink and will evolve well over the next decade. Gran Selezione is still in its early stages and at the London tasting some estates' Riservas were as good and will be less expensive. It is, however, a step in the right direction and for the 300th anniversary one will expect some impressive wines to be released. Meanwhile, in Decanter magazine's August 2015 issue, Emily O'Hare selected 21 Chiantis, citing three Gran Seleziones not shown in London: Il Poggio 2010 Castello di Monsanto and 2010 Casa Sole from Babererino Val d'Elsa and San Marcellino 2010 Rocca di Montegrossi from Gaiole in Chianti. While Chianti Classico has always, for me, been a reliable bet and somewhat under- rated in general, the opposite can be said of Brunello di Montalcino, more famous, much more expensive and the subject of the recent controversy surrounding the blend - ing in of grapes other than Sangiovese by a few estates. This is now water under the bridge and the 2010 vintage that became available last year has been received with massive acclaim. A tasting of 99 of them by a Decanter panel headed by Ian d'Agata, assisted by Italian specialists Andrea Briccarello and Michael Garner, found five to be Outstanding (95/100 and over) and astounding 64 being Highly Recommended (90-94) and 30 to be Commended (85- 89). The highest mark went to La Togata, from the southern part of the DOCG near Castello di Argiano, the lowest going to the most expensive wine, that of Biondi-Santi. The other four Outstanding wines were Bottega's Il Vino dei Poeti, Col di Lamo, Marchesato degli Aleramici and San Polo. While recognising that "overall quality in Montalcino has increased by leaps and bounds over the last five years", d'Agata stated that "2010 is one of the top three vintages of the last 50 years, along with 1999 and 2001." Personally, I discovered Brunello with these vintages and bought more heavily than I have done since, partly due to the increase in price. A bottle of 2001 Collemattoni opened recently was simply superb with another decade in front of it. The drink - ing period recommended by the Decanter panel was 2017–2030. While being one of the world's great wines, compared to Chianti, Brunello has a relatively short history, dating back to the latter part of the 19th century, when the Biondi-Santi estate began to make wine from the Sangiovese alone. At the Siena Exhibition in 1933 there were only four producers with 100 hectares between them. Today there are over 200 estates and 2,500 hectares under vine in the Montalcino region over differing terroirs and elevations. While the DOCG is divided into four unofficial quadrants, it seems to me that a more specific subdivision would be useful, along the lines recommended by Kerin O'Keefe in her excellent book on Brunello and its wines. For pure Tuscan Sangiovese, this leaves Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, some - what in the shadow of Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino, but showing fine depth of fruit and often very good value for money. Two of the many good estates stick in my mind: the grandly robust Poliziano and the more elegant Dei. Over in the much warmer Maremma, Sangiovese gives way to the full range of Bordeaux varietals with Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot being more and more successful, and the region has great success with Syrah. This said, Tuscany for me is Sangiovese, and Sangiovese is Tuscany's Cabernet Sauvignon with a bit of Italian warmth. PHOTO: FOTOLUK1983 VIA THINKSTOCK