Martoccia di Luca Poggio Apricale 2022

Region: Tuscany Italy

Grape Varieties: 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

For several years one of our favorite Super Tuscan wines has come from this young man, Luca Brunelli, and his amazing Poggio Apricale. Brunelli burst on the winemaking scene in the early 2000’s crafting highly regarded Brunello di Montalcino. With their success they have expanded the property, which includes this young vine, single vineyard parcel. The soils at the bottom of the slope contain more clay, which is better for growing Merlot than Sangiovese. As a result this wine is a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is aged in French oak barriques for a few months to soften the wine and boost concentration.

You will want to open this wine for a half hour before serving to allow the bouquet to develop and the tannins to soften. Once you do it gives you a fairly ripe nose of cherry cordial, dried red plums, sage and rosemary. On the palate this wine is quite youthful, with a crunch of acidity and fairly obvious tannins, but plenty of texture to stand up to a Florentine T-Bone, one rubbed with lemon peel, garlic, rosemary and olive oil, or a standing rib roast.