Our blind tasting game—without the tasting! Can you identify a wine just by reading its tasting note? We post real Wine Spectator reviews. You use clues such as color, aromas, flavors and structure to figure out the grape, age and origin. Good luck!
Tasting Note: This multifaceted red features raspberry, cherry, rose, eucalyptus, iron and spice aromas and flavors, supported by lively acidity and firm yet refined tannins. The long aftertaste echoes fruit, balsamic and spice elements.
And the answer is...
Variety
Our mystery red has lively acidity, firm and refined tannins and red fruit, rose, herb, iron and spice notes. Let’s figure out what it is!
We can begin by eliminating Gamay, which tends to make lighter-bodied wines with low levels of tannins and bright berry and violet notes.
Monastrell (aka Mourvèdre) can make wines with high levels of acidity and firm tannins; however, we would expect darker fruit notes and accents like pepper, chocolate, tobacco and smoky meat from a Monastrell. This doesn’t sound right either.
A Cinsault could show our wine’s red fruit and floral notes; unfortunately, our wine’s high levels of acidity and firm tannins would be unusual for a Cinsault. This grape has to go too.
Blaufränkisch-based reds can have higher levels of acidity and firm tannins, along with cherry notes. Have we got it? Not quite. We would also expect notes like chocolate and pepper from a Blaufränkisch, and neither are present in our mystery red. Maybe another grape works better?
Sangiovese generally makes reds with high levels of acidity and firm tannins, along with hallmark cherry, iron and rose notes. We have a winner!
This wine is a Sangiovese.
Country or Region of Origin
Sangiovese is not a particularly international grape variety, relatively speaking, and it would be difficult to find it growing in Austria or Spain. There are Sangiovese plantings in France, particularly on the island of Corsica; however, much of this Sangiovese is slated for red blends. Meanwhile, there are a number of Sangiovese wines made in California, where versions tend to be riper with plump, round tannins and rich dark fruit, licorice and baking spice notes. This contrasts with Sangioveses from Italy, where the grape originates, which tend to display firm or gripping tannins, red fruit flavors and iron and rose accents. Italian Sangiovese sounds closer to the mark.
This Sangiovese is from Italy.
Appellation
We know that our Sangiovese is from Italy, so we can eliminate Austria’s Burgenland, France’s Marsannay, California’s Oakville and Spain’s Priorat. This leaves us with two Italian options: Taurasi and Brunello di Montalcino. Located in Southern Italy’ Campania region, Taurasi is an appellation celebrated for its full-bodied reds with firm tannins, red fruit notes and spice accents. But this can’t be right: Taurasi reds are made from the Aglianico grape, not Sangiovese. Meanwhile in Tuscany, the best-known region for Sangiovese production, Brunello di Montalcino is a renowned appellation for Sangiovese wines with high levels of acidity and tannins. Our choice is clear.
This Sangiovese is from Brunello di Montalcino.
Age
Our Sangiovese’s fruit notes are still fresh, and it isn’t showing any signs of significant age, like a leather accent. Keeping in mind that Brunello winemakers must age their reds for at least five years (with two spent aging in oak and at least four months spent in bottle), let’s look at the most recently released Brunello vintages to figure out our wine’s age.
The weather was consistent around Montalcino in 2019, with warm days, cool nights and well-timed rains; the resulting Brunellos are firm with lively acidity and cherry, spice, rose and iron notes. There was a rainy spring and July storms in 2018, which led to swollen grapes and a crop of reds with strawberry flavors and woodsy and smoky accents. Spring and summer were warm in Montalcino in 2017, and that year’s reds are supple with darker fruit, herb and licorice notes. Of this group, 2019’s Brunellos sound the most like what we’re looking for.
This Sangiovese is from the 2019 vintage, making it five years old.
Wine
This is the Podere Salicutti Brunello di Montalcino 2019, which scored 95 points in the June 30, 2024, issue of Wine Spectator. It retails for $99, and 630 cases were made. For more on Brunello di Montalcino Sangioveses, read senior editor Bruce Sanderson’s tasting report, "Brunello’s 2019 Triumph," in the June 30, 2024, issue.
—Collin Dreizen, assistant managing editor
