Coevo: The Wisdom of Tuscany

~ Avanti a Castellina! ~

As we sat at Antica Macelleria Cecchini, the Fiorentina rolled effortlessly out of the kitchen under the wizardly supervision of Dario.  We had brought plenty of vino to enjoy with dinner, but as we lingered between courses, the wine evaporated faster than we anticipated.  When it was apparent that the parade of beef wasn't close to ending, Andrea turned to me and said: "I'm going to the car Giovanni. We mustn't be without wine."   He returned with a bottle of 2010 Coevo.  This was the last time I'd had the 2010 with a meal.  

~ Castellina is home to lovely nooks and crannies ~

As I've written before, Coevo is Andrea and Cesare Cecchi's flagship family wine.  It is a wine designed differently with each vintage;  a contemporary and contemporaneous reflection of the year's harvest.  Coevo is only made in premium years and thus far has only been produced in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.   There will be no 2012 Coevo.

The blend for Coevo changes each year, as vintage dictates.  The 2010 is 60% Sangiovese, 20% Petit Verdot, 10% Merlot and 10% Cabernet.  The Sangiovese & Cabernet come from Castellina in Chianti while the Merlot and Petit Verdot come from Cecchi's estate in Maremma.  

~ Andrea Cecchi and Tuscan Vine's own Cinzia entering the Coevo Room. A carefully monitored, environmentally pristine labyrinth in the depths of the Cecchi Cellars in Castellina ~

Recently, we checked back in with the 2010.

The 2010 Coevo is a miraculous wine.   I remember how approachable it was that night at Dario's. I remarked to Andrea at the time and he explained that "2010 was so good Giovanni, that the wines should be great from the start and remain so for many years."  That prediction seems to be bearing out with Coevo.

The 2010 is a dark purple to black color and looks great in the decanter where we left it for an hour before dinner.  On the nose, the wine displays some lovely aromas that seem to be gaining complexity;  black plums, licorice, grilled meat, vanilla, and coffee are delightful.  On its own the wine is delicious, but Italian wine is not meant to be alone. 

With the meal, it simply sang.  The palate is full of black plum fruit that is plump, velvety and long.  This is incredibly elegant and just glides over your tongue with caressing flavors that mimic the aromas.  The tannins are integrated so well and just melted away like butter against the back drop of the meat.  It was transformative. Dusty cocoa powder on the finish satisfies the urges of new world wine drinkers.  I love this.  95 points, about $75 dollars.  Shop around, prices vary. 

~ With the wine we had grilled Tri-Tip steak, roasted purple potatoes, and sauteed broccolini. On the meat, we drizzled some 2015 Il Palazzone Olive Oil that seemed to create a wine, olive oil and meat pairing that was like crushed plum butter.  Oh, the Wisdom of Tuscany!  ~

E vero!