Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/113109
REVEAL #7 TreRose 2009 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG ($18.99) O Mark Bernstein, Area Manager West for Vin di Vino. wned by Italy���s Angelini Group, the TreRose 2009 Montepulciano hails from vineyards from an estate founded in the 16th century. The grapes are grown on a plateau at a slightly higher elevation than other vineyards around the picturesque town of Montepulciano, enabling the fruit to reap the beneits of bountiful sunlight and cooler evening temperatures throughout the growing season. Stainless steel���fermented, then transferred to foudres for 18 months and bottled three to six months before release. TreRose stays true to traditional methods of winemaking and refuses to employ modern techniques such as micro-oxygenation, maintaining that less manipulation produces a better wine. A blend of 90% Prugnolo Gentile, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot, this wine boasts lively cherry fruit with soft spicy notes of vanilla and cinnamon and a clean fresh inish. Vin Divino Our Panel���s Notes: ���Leather, smoked meat, wet potting soil and sulphur; this wine is on the dirty side and I mean that in a good way! Red cherries and herbs add more���and the balance is on target. Just so much fruit!��� ���Kathryn Weil ���Earthy with a leather side and tobacco from nose to palate. The scent of rose petals and the taste of bright cherry meld with an Old World acidity.��� ���Jeffery Stivers REVEAL #8 Ru���no 2009 Modus, Toscana IGT ($25.99) ���M odus��� is Latin for ���method,���and it���s all about the method for Rufino���s 2009 Modus, a SuperTuscan without the super-expensive price tag. According to distributor Scott Young of Constellation Brands, ���Modus��� refers to ���the life cycle of the vine and the grape and the loving care taken to make the wine.��� A blend of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot sourced from seven different estates in Tuscany, the wine has the classic elements of Sangiovese with fresh cherries, herbaceous notes and a tingling acidity, tempered by the softness of Merlot and a irm backbone of tannins from the Cabernet Sauvignon. Modus is a modern Italian classic with an approachable price tag. Scott F. Youg, CSW, Constellation Wines U.S. WEST III, Luxury Wine Specialist from Our Panel���s Notes: ���Big, teeth-gripping, chalky Constellation Brands. tannins soon soften to a chewy chocolate and blackberry density. It���s fruit on fruit with a leather back. Mmmmm.��� ���Meridith May 130 / the tasting panel / march 2013