Brancaia, Il Blu, Toscana

Bottle in good condition. Tertiary notes there, but still decent amount of fruit. Drink now

2004 vintage

Drinking beautifully. Fully integrated tannins. Lovely interplay between the cab and sangio.

2004 vintage

A classic super-Tuscan (70% Merlot, with Sangiovese and Cabernet), a big wine with a healthy dose of tannin and a lot of dark, dry fruit. No sweetness. Drinkable now, but will last a long time. It needs some lusty food. Thanks to Chris P. for sharing this.

2015 vintage

getting past its prime. PNP and showed its age. Fruit pretty much gone, but slightly improved after 45 min. will be drinking last 2 very soon..

2004 vintage

I shared this with my wine group at the opening of a new Italian restaurant in my neighborhood. We had a Ridge Falanghina followed by 4 red Italian wines. I seemed to like this more than everyone else. The Merlot/Sangiovese blend went really well with the food.

2015 vintage

Giving aged bordeaux vibes with a pleasent tuscan fruit on the palate. Tannins still rough, but wouldn't keep much longer as the nose is quite developed

2015 vintage

Decanted for 60 minutes. Love this wine. Big, full-bodied wine with sofy tannins and long finish. Lots of dark cherry and plum. Drinking beautifully right now.

2015 vintage

93+ pure elegance. medium body. so smooth on the palate, black currant then red cherries, medium high acidity, chocolate, some funk and cedar notes. very clean palate with good complexity of flavors. medium soft tannin.

2015 vintage

A blend of Sangiovese (50%), Merlot (45%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (5%) from Castellina and Radda, harvested between 20th of September and 10th of October. Macerated for 20 days. Aged for 18 months in barriques (2/3 new, 1/3 old). 14% alcohol and 5,8 g/l acidity. Very deep, almost completely black and rather opaque dark red color. The nose feels brooding and quite dark-toned with aromas of ripe black cherries, some woody notes of savory oak spice, a little bit of blackcurrant, …

2004 vintage

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2004 vintage

This needed several hours of air to reach its best. It is a beautiful wine, I liked it even better than the 2016. Black fruits as well as some tart cherry. Chocolate, cedar and earth. Some smoke or ash as well. Lovely acidity, robust tannins and a stunning long and layered finish. I would think this could age several years and improve even more.

2015 vintage

Deep garnet red lots of ripe fruits and first balsamic notes. Full bodied with soft tannins and excellent length. At its apogee but no hurry needed

2015 vintage

Part of an Italian wine night with my wine group. It followed a 2001 Antinori Tignaello, which was much much different. All the other wines were from 2013 to 2015. This might have been the favorite among the "young" wines.

2015 vintage

On the nose tertiary aromas such as barnyard and leather. some fruit still shines trough but rather shy. on the palate still vibrant but and an amazing freshness which comes from the highhigh acidity. medium tannins still present. medium body, medium lengthy finish. lots of sediment. nonetheless I would not recommend to decant this bottle, let it evolve in the glass. drink up.

2004 vintage

Beautiful Wine. Still bibragt fruit, but ofcourse also sogns og age. Om nose black currant , vanilla, middle eastern spices. Palate has nice acidic freshness, medium-tannin but fine and balanced. Could probably stay alive for several more years.

2004 vintage

We found a batch of these in a boutique store about a year ago (after having enjoyed this wine back in the day) and have been drinking them up. All of them have had crumbly corks and a lot of sediment. Perhaps this goes against wine drinking convention but I decanted the wine through a coffee filter to remove the sediment and pieces of cork. That process, and some time to breathe, yielded a terrific Tuscan wine. There is still …

2004 vintage

give it some time to open up

2015 vintage

This is a monolithic bottle. Mostly Cabernet character with Sangiovese savory tones and acidity coming through. Not nearly as enjoyable as previous bottles.

2004 vintage

Robust and concentrated. Big dark red fruits with ash, cherries and citrus notes. Tangy fresh finish with sandalwood and tar on the pallet. Drying lingering firm tannin. Drink now-2028.

2015 vintage

Medium high acid, blueberries, cherry. The acid suggests this will age gracefully for a few more years but has a very nice zip to it now. Drinking well after a 30 minute decant.

2015 vintage

Opened but not decanted for more than 50 minutes at a NYC restaurant with my wine group. We all enjoyed this, but a few were unsure that it was mostly Merlot. A smooth, medium bodied wine. Very food friendly.

2015 vintage

decanted 30 min (notable sediment); in the glass for 2+ hours. deeply colored & youthful appearance; nose is sangiovese-dominant early, wild cherry, feral herb w/barrel imprint; w/air, shows more blackcurrant & black plum, scrabbley bramble leaf; med-full weight; intense & dark-fruited, solid equilibrium, oak is integrated & acids still firm; quite delicious. plenty still in tank. fusilli in creamy pork arrabbiata sauce

2004 vintage

This is a great showing. Complex, savoury with still sweet fruit in the back end. Lots of sediments.

2004 vintage

92+

2015 vintage

Very beautiful bouquet with sweet spices and vanilla. On the palate beautifully fresh acidity, dark berries, cherries, garrigue, soft tannin. Overall a beautiful wine.

2015 vintage

Not something I gravitate toward anymore, but early in my education, this was just fine. Dark red fruits, with a good sense of place appearing in the middle of the second glass. This really benefits from some air, and was as good or better on day two. I can see where this holds large appeal for many. For the style, it's easily recommended , and should hold at this level for another 4-5 years. http://www.italianwine.blog

2015 vintage

Well balanced...actually better the 2nd day....took awhile to open up...too much bite the first hour, a lot smoother later...beautiful tannins and finish. Still young...hold on for a bit longer.

2015 vintage

9+ years since lst note. PNP. Wine is still in a great place. Dark red fruits with earthy overtones. Light tannins that disappeared after 45 min of opening. Great balance and a smooth dusty finish...solid wine!

2004 vintage

Good and balanced, but also slightly anonymous

2015 vintage

Dark ruby red; the nose suggests Sangiovese dominance, forest floor notes with raspberry. Palate is focused, good acidity to balance the fruit and finishes with light dusty tannins; fruit takes over very quickly. Moderately long finish. Drinking well now but no need to rush.

2004 vintage

Gang of 5 in Covid19 times; Some random wines. (@ RW) : Beautiful bouquet with some barnyard, dark berries and chocolate. On the palate chocolate, earth, blackberries, firm and good acidity and some pleasant bitterness in the finish.

2015 vintage

Opaque, deep purple fading to a ruby outer edge and a slight staining of the tears. Very youthful with a core of rich, concentrated black fruit; blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry, and black plum. Dusty, dried herbs; thyme and rosemary, dried cracked vintage leather, cigar box, sweet coffee bean, and cocoa. A well structured and harmonious wine that really impressed.

2004 vintage

Absolutely sensational. Started with dusty tannin, dusty dried herbs, polished wood, dried red fruit, strawberry, also blackberry. After a couple of hours of opening the Bordeaux grapes came to the fore, cedar and black currant. Black currant in particular delivering a real mouthwatering experience. Wonderful wine.

2004 vintage

Dark blackberry fruit, almost plum like with notes of fig, leather and forest floor on the finish. While the fruit is big and round, the wine is a bit more restrained on the palate even after an hour decant. Think this wine will benefit from another year of cellaring and additional time decanting.

2015 vintage

Rated nmbr 9 in the WS Top 100 in 2006 I have been hanging on to this bottle but tongight it was time and what an experience. First 2 hours out of the bottle was dark sweet blueberry fruit, heavy and full bodied but amazing balance and a wine in its prime. Now a few hours later we have mature scents, cigar box och just a wonderful wine. I should have bought a case of this ten years ago.

2004 vintage

Suckling's Great Wines of Italy (Loews Hotel - Chicago IL) : Walk around tasting. 70% Merlot with a good dollop of Sangiovese. Also modern styled, with features brightened and softened by the Sangiovese. Good now.

2015 vintage

Over the hill

2004 vintage

Elegant and complex. Forest fruits and cerry. Medinm to full body. Well rounded tannins. Long finish. A great wine at its best drink period.

2004 vintage

Decanted for 1hr before drinking. An elegant bouquet of Cassis, cedar with a tint of earthy notes. On the palate strong notes of pepper and truffle flavours were complimented by a vibrant plum taste. As the evening drifted on the fruit became more reticent compared to the tertiary flavours. Overall it’s warm, soft and very pleasurable. Drink up in a fine drinking window.

2004 vintage

1 hour decant, found this to be more enjoyable overall from the last bottle. Still very merlot heavy but more balanced this time around.

2015 vintage

Visiting Rome and Tuscany; 6/18/2019-7/2/2019 (Lazio and Tuscany, Italy) : Brancaia's 2015 Il Blu is an opaque crimson blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for 20 months in French oak barriques (67% new). Decanted and allowed approximately one hour of aeration prior to sampling, the wine was subsequently consumed over the ensuing two hours. Throughout this entire time frame it continued to evolve, revealing an intense aromatic and flavor profile of dark bramble fruit, black …

2015 vintage

Currently lacking of depth and complexity, but with great freshness/elegance. Perfect with italian food. Will hopefully imropve with age.

2015 vintage

Russk. Wine Spectator Grand Tour. 91+. Like this producer.

2015 vintage

Two hour decant, agree with the below comment, well-made wine, would not throw it out, very pleasing mouth feel, but not stunning as past Il Blu. Might be the heavy Merlot influence, again, very well-made wine, very good, just not distinctive at this price point.

2015 vintage

Grüner Veltliner & Super Tuscan Tasting (Restaurant Vineum, Rotterdam, NL) : Tasted blind. A blend of 50% Sangiovese, 45% Merlot, 5% Cabernet-Sauvignon, 2/3 new oak. Mature but lively appearance; smoky nose, notes of evolution, spicy oak, good depth; more concentration and weight than the previous wine, powerful but velvety tannins, cedary flavours, well developed, hints of cocoa and lovage; classic finish with rather a lot of oak.

2004 vintage

Nice evolved wine. I taste cinnamon and warm strawberry... (maybe I should not write this...) followed by ( brunello like) plum and cherry. Acidity still present on the finish that gives some freshness. Wood well integrated but still very present. Interesting long finish. Drink now if you still have bottles. Wife: 92 also. Almond noted on the nose that I can’t detect but that others did.

2004 vintage

Really good balance but fruits a little fading. Drink soon.

2004 vintage

Drinking nicely. However this could use 2-3 more years in bottle . Lots of fruit left but still hot. The wine looks purple colored. There is no sediment in the bottle.

2004 vintage

Pleasant wine, sangiovese character still showing but fruit fading a bit, not made for the long run, enjoy now

2004 vintage

återigen en hyllning av ett av provningens enklare viner, verkligen svinsnyggt vin med hörliga hösttoner.

2004 vintage

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Brancaia, Il Blu, Toscana

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