Tenuta de Trinoro 2013 Red Wine

The story of Andrea Franchetti is one that begs to be told. A descendant of a wealthy Italian family, he could have lived anywhere in the world, but he chose Val d’Orcia, in the Tuscan countryside near Lacio. It is an arid and desert-like area, but with clay soil, ideal for producing fine wines. He bought and restored a very old country house on the top of a hill. In 1997, the first of his wines was born, under the name Tenuta di Trinoro.

Although it a relatively new wine compared to some of its Italian predecessors, especially compared to the best of Bordeaux, it is one of the most well-known and sought-after Super Tuscans. It is a blend of grapes from the best vines of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Like the majority of its modern Tuscan cousins, the native Sangiovese is excluded. It is aged for eight months in new French oak and then 11 months in cement tanks.

This wine is tremendous, even in its youth. Its strength and structure hold up nicely over time, its texture becomes firmer and shows its complexity and depth. On the nose, it reveals intense notes of ripe fruit, aromatic herbs, and elegant notes of wood and spice. On the palate, it is very consistent with an obvious tannic structure and enough substance to allow it to age well for many years.

It is a top-notch, iconic Italian wine.