2000 Castello del Terriccio TASSINAIA ***

I have my good friend and esteemed colleague to thank for introducing me to Castello del Terriccio. That was just shortly before the wines became so fashionable on the East Coast. He had just returned from a trip to Italy with his family and was trying to find this wine he had tasted one night. Like most of the best wine writing, he had written it down on a bar napkin. Convinced it could not be had in New York, he asked me to find it for him. Twelve hours later, we each had half a case. And that is how I came to start drinking one of my favorite IGT Toscana red wines, Tassinaia.

The wine is distributed by Korbrand in New York, and they do an admirable job marketing it. According to their website, "The Terriccio estate is geologically divided into two distinct areas: a northern half typified by white clay soils supporting cereals crops and a southern half lying on clay and rock appropriate to vineyards, olive trees and fruit trees...The first vines were planted in 1989, and as of 2000 cover slightly over fifty acres...Tassinaia, which means "place of the stones," or may alternately indicate a badger habitat from the Italian "tasso," or badger, occupies 37.5 acres of sandy, stony soil situated on a south-southwest exposed slope."

The estate hand-harvests the grapes and winemaking is over seen by consulting oenologist Carlo Ferrini. Tassinaia, the estate's second wine, sees about 80% second and 20% third year oak. A blend of nearly equal parts cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and sangiovese, the wine is typically deep ruby, with stone notes and mixed red berry compote. The 2000 *** is still velvety, with massive road tar, black jam, and mild dry tannins.

We also retasted a bottle of 2003 Lupicaia *** the estate's premiere wine, which hails from the finest microclimate of the massive estate: a vineyard of 12.5 acres planted 90 percent to Cabernet Sauvignon vines and ten percent to Merlot vines planted in 1989. From this abnormally hot season, the 2003 Lupicaia shows immense concentration, jammy fruit and sweet tannin. The notes of jammy tar, which I have come to expect from this estate, always reminds me of Mouton Rothschild 1989 **** A delicious wine, I found the Tassinaia more intellectually pleasing. The 2003s won't live out the decade, and should be consumed sooner rather than later.