Towering Tabarrini

It's almost a foregone conclusion that Sagrantino aren't approachable young.  That may be fair to assume in many cases - the wines are typically massive and although they are built to age, that doesn't mean they can't occasionally be enjoyed young.

 

One such case is the 2007 Campo alla Cerqua, from Tabarrini that I've reviewed here.  I remember discussing that wine with Tabarrini PR guru Daniele Sassi at the time and he told me - the only other one to approach now is the 2007 Colle Grimaldesco.  The others need some time.  I must give props where props are due.  The man was right.

 

The 2007 Colle Grimaldesco Sagrantino is a towering wine. 

 

It's a deep purple-black in the glass.  I didn't decant the wine, but opened it over an hour before dinner. Like it's siblings, the aromatics of the wine are deep, complex and powerful.  Crushed black fruits are joined by minerals, licorice, flowers and new leather.  However, in the mouth, is where this wine struts its stuff - and it's where the winemaking prowess of Giampaolo Tabarrini asserts itself. 

 

There is a monstrous core of ripe blackberry fruit, but the wine displays the amazing tactile terroir - that dusty, warm, powdery essence that is Tabarrini's hallmark. The flowers, licorice and coffee are all woven together, it's all harmony and balance and the massive tannins are ripe, but that powdery feel is what makes the wine approachable now.  Appropriate food is a must - and we opened this with a buttery ribeye.  Simply a boisterous wine, befitting the winemakers personality - and one my cellar must never be without.  95 points.  About $38 and a terrific value.

Sagrantino Colle Grimaldesco