Castello Sonnino San Leone Toscana IGT

Opened at a party. Same as last time.

Blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Sangiovese & 10% Petit Verdot. Crafted at a historic Italian estate w/200-yr. winemaking pedigree. Cork was half saturated & broke in half upon uncorking. Double decanted. Amber brown hue. Notes of plum, dark fruit, leather, mushroom, black olive & spicebox with nice secondary/tertiary tones. Still has much life yet. Sweet grippy tannins w/good acidity, full-bodied & moderate+ finish. (89+)

Opened about an hour before serving. Some brettanomyces contamination that slowly got worse and worse (as it is wont to do) overwhelmed what could have been a delicious wine. Secondary flavors of tobacco leaf, dried red cherry, dusty soil, and tart red currant were present but overwhelmed by the band-aid aromas of the brett. Too bad.

Dark, sour plum and blackberry fruit. Profoundly spicy in a woody, sappy, resinous way. Comes off pretty coarse and unrefined. Decent.

Tasted but notes not kept

Opaque purple-black in glass, leggy with a smoky and rich nose. Hit's the palate like a mouthful of mud and fruit, offering up blackberry, brown earth, light tonbacco, mushroom and cedar in a multi-layered example of how much different Italian blends can be when compared with New World versions, especially the grainy, tannic and satisfying finish that lasts over a minute. This one could go another 10 years or more, given the balance of acidity, tannic structure and extraction, even …