Author: Dirk Chan
Our special this week is the 2018 Monte Antico Toscana (Tuscany, Italy) – $16.49, regularly $20.49.
Monte Antico, which means “ancient mountain”, is Neil and Maria Empson’s tribute to Tuscany. Their forty years of passion and experience led them to create their own label along with their good friend Franco Bernabei, a master in Italian winemaking. Together, they have made quite a name for themselves since 1977.
Our weekly special this week is their Monte Antico Rosso, a modern Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon offers refined floral, candied berry, cedar and ginger aromas with enough structure for short-term cellaring or pairing with food tonight. Great with spaghetti and meatballs, or with grilled lamb with mushroom risotto.
The grapes for this wine were grown in the areas of Maremma, Colline Pisane, and Colli Fiorentini. Soil types vary, but span from compact, very fine-textured limestone at 1,300-1,500 feet above sea level to a classic, clay and calcareous, rocky galestro around 1,300 feet above sea level, and go on to a clay, siliceous and calcareous soil at 820-990 feet above sea level. The grapes are harvested at their peak ripeness. This balanced combination of geological diversity makes for the wine’s consistent excellence. It is an easy everyday drinker, smooth and generous and drinking nicely.
2018 Monte Antico Toscana (Tuscany, Italy) – $16.49, regularly $20.49