La Braccesca Sabazio Rosso di Montepulciano 2014
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James
Suckling
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Somm Note
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Blend: 85% Prugnolo Gentile, 15% Merlot and other complemmentary red grape varieties
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James Suckling
A fresh and bright red with dried berry, cherry and hints of lemon. Medium to full body, tangy finish. Sangiovese.
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2018-
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Wine &
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Located few kilometers from Montepulciano, where southeastern Tuscany borders Umbria and Lazio, La Braccesca Estate is immersed in a pristine environment greatly loved and admired by travelers from all over the world. Montepulciano is the land of renowned "Vino Nobile", a wine appreciated already centuries ago by the Medici family. In the early 1990s, the Marchesi Antinori brought their experience, respect for tradition and capacity for innovation to this land of history and culture.
One of La Braccesca's strengths is the harmony between the past and the future, reached through a strong knowledge of winemaking and a infinite passion for quality. These qualities represent the mission statement of a young dynamic winery in one of the most prestigious winemaking areas of Italy.
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.
This significant Tuscan village—not to be confused with the red grape of the same name widely grown in Abruzzo and the Marche regions—was home to one of the first four Italian DOCGs granted in 1980.
Based on the Sangiovese grape (here called Prugnolo Gentile), the village’s prized wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ranks stylistically in between Chianti Classico, for its finesse, and Brunello di Montalcino for its power. With a deep ruby color, heavy concentration and a firm structure given by the village's heavy, cool clay soils, most Vino Nobile di Montepulciano will demand some bottle age.