Another wine featured by Alko for the Christmas celebrations is Antinori, Villa Antinori 2008. This is a pretty famous wine from Toscana (Tuscany). It is sold as IGT as there is many grapes blended with the traditional Sangiovese. We find here Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Quite a mix! One last fact is the good-very good quality of the 2008 vintage in the region, a vintage which is also very palatable right now (maybe not the one to keep ten years!).
The wine is dark ruby. The nose is intense on the fruit flavours, black berries, black cherries… The mouthfeel is smooth though powerful, displaying again intense aromas of ripe fruits. There is also a hint of oakiness. The overall balance is good and the finish is pretty long and pleasant. This is a very nice but very untypical wine. This profile could have been achieved in many places and it does not reflects its origins, which is a bit sad. It requires an opening in advance. 2 to 4 hours with one glass removed.
However, as pleasant as it is, this is not something I would recommend warmly with Christmas food. The wine is too powerful and too much on the fruit side when Christmas food requires spiciness and acidity. It will not be awful but it will neither be the pairing of the year. One positive aspect though is that it is sold in half-bottles too at Alko.
Wineops’ rating: 78/100 ; 0 0
A very drinkable and pleasant wine. Totally internationalised (not tasting Italian at all). To be paired with red meat served rare/medium rare like reindeer or beef.
Link to Alko: here