Castello Banfi is without doubt one of the most notable and extensively accessible producers in Tuscany, and at this time we dive in to a pair of latest releases from the storied operation, each luxe, “super-Tuscan” wines which might be removed from the standard development present in Chianti.
2017 Banfi SummuS Toscana IGT – “SummuS, Latin for “highest.” is a wine of towering magnificence.” A 15.5% abv mix of cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese, and syrah, this wine pours on notes of darkish chocolate, black pepper, and toasted walnuts earlier than letting its well-oxidized fruit character — black cherry, blackberry, and raspberry — come into focus. Notes of bay leaf are fleeting, as jammy but closely tannic notes of Port-soaked cherries shortly take over, the end clinging to these extracted, tart fruit components. Difficult as hell. I’d say one other 10 years in cellar is as a way to get issues to coalesce. A- / $83
2019 Magna Cum Laude Toscana IGT – Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, sangiovese, and syrah. Although it’s two years youthful, it is a rather more “able to go” wine, effusive with its darkish cherry and raspberry fruit notes, flippantly touched with a darker cassis and chocolate high quality that gives much more depth. An earthy mushroom high quality provides gravity and magnificence however by no means feels overly weighty, subduing the wine’s innate tannins with a refinement that fades into notes of blended florals and a few tobacco. It’s a uncommon super-Tuscan that drinks completely nicely by itself, although pairing it with a hearty meal is hardly a mistake. A / $50
2017 Banfi SummuS Toscana IGT
$83
