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Putting the "super" in Super Tuscan , 2004 Brancaia Ilatraia Maremma Toscana

If you are not familiar with Brancaia, but you're in love
with Super Tuscans or maybe you just want to become more familiar with wines that have this moniker, then this is a great wine to get a hold of, one thing I can promise you won't be disappointed.
If your new to wine and are looking around your favorite wine store for a "Super-Tuscan" and maybe you don't want to look foolish and you're wondering why there is no ST section, well here's a few tips which may help. While you are in the Italy section of the store, just take a gander at the back of the bottle where you should find in small print, IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) this is one clue that you have a ST in your hand. The second clue is when you see an I.G.T. wine selling at $50.00 you have a pretty good idea it is a ST, but sorry, no guarantees. The third clue in my opinion is the varietal make-up should at least feature a large percentage of Sangiovese or you just have an American styled Meritage.
 

 

As you can see my hand was a little shaky taking this picture table side, with no flash. The wine service was a little unusual also, as the waiter came to the table to show us the wine, then turned to the table behind us to uncork the bottle and then sniffed the cork. Then returned to pour the glass, for my first evaluation to see if I agreed with his assessment he derived from the cork, curious.

Vino da Tavola use to be the catch-all category for everyday wines until the super-Tuscan revolution hit Chianti and Maremma. The creation of I.G.T. was made necessary by the inadequacies of the D.O.C. regulations and by the widespread revolt against them by many famous and politically powerful wine producers, when in doubt just follow the money!

Brancaia, located in the Tuscan Maremma, is made up of two estates, Brancia and Poppi, that have been owned by Barbara and Martin Kronenberg-Widmer since 1981. Their consulting oenologist Carlo Ferrini oversees winemaking at Brancaia, which also owns vineyards in the Chianti Classico and Morellino di Scansano zones.

The Wine: 2004 Brancaia Ilatraia Maremma Toscana IGT (Italy, Tuscany ...

Varietal: It's what they call a Proprietary Blend, meaning this wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Sangiovese (30%) and Petit Verdot (10%).

Wine Makers Note: The 2004 shows a very pretty Maremma warmth in its expression of sweet dark fruit, herb, tobacco and earthiness, with good length and excellent overall balance.

Aging: It spent 18 months in French oak and bottle-aged another 4 months before its release. This wine can be cellared until 2016, but you probably can't wait that long as this wine is drinking fantastically right now.
Soil Type: The 60 acres of vineyards are stony with clay and lime soil.

Price and Alcohol: Ranges in price from $49 - $64.99 depending on where you shop and the alcohol percentage of fourteen does not scare up any appreciable "hotness". It has the a perfect level of alcohol on the nose for my liking. It should technically be labeled a table wine, because the phrase "table wine" in the US is a legal designation set by the government to denote all wines of less than 14.5% alcohol of which this wines just falls short.
First Swirl: The waiter put the freshly poured glass on the table and I tilted it ever so slightly to the side against the bright-white table cloth, which revealed a deep garnet core fading to a brick toned rim.

First Sniff: This wine had tremendously fragrant and complex nose: A veritable bramble bush of dark fruit aromas on the initial whiff that transitions into cherry, strawberry, flowers, ginger, and cinnamon.

First Sip: While dining at this lovely Italian restaurant, we sipped on this lovely wine with a very fruity and nuanced mouth feel, co-mingling nicely with a tangy spiciness and sweet dark fruit, spice and earth tones. The finish was long and lasting, blending ever so nicely with our meal.
Other Voices: The 2005 92 points: "Aromas of blackberry and mineral, with hints of fresh herbs. Full-bodied, with soft tannins and a long, caressing finish. Balanced and pretty. Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot. Best after 2009. 2,750 cases made." Wine Spectator Rating: The Wine Advocate gave this wine a mere 88 points, which is a crime! Easily 92 points in my book! From WS, James suckling's Recommended Wines FRom Tuscany include the 2007 Brancaia Ilatraia Maremma Toscana with a whopping 96 points.
My Recommendation: I would grab some of the 2007 if you can and also some of the 2004 vintage which is still available. This is one of the best examples of Super Tuscan you are going to find under a $100 dollars anywhere. So if you want to see what all the fuss is about, just use the wine-searcher link on my page to right on your screeen and type in the name, it will give the name of all the shops or online stores who stock this wine, along with the prices. So this is another of my "run don't walk" recommendations. Until next time stay thirsty my friends! Cheers!