Do you ever wonder what that bottle of wine really tastes like and hesitate to purchase because you’re just not sure if you’ll like it after you get home?
Tennessee’s recent law approving in-store wine tastings gives us an incredible opportunity to sample many more wines that have come into our market and apparently is attracting boutique wineries to treat us to their handcrafted wines,estate grown grapes.
Grand Cru Wine and Spirits hosted this in-store tasting. Check with your favorite wine shop to see when they are hosting in-store wine
tastings.
The owner of Terralsole Winery and Vineyards, a beautiful and terroir-driven Italian Winery from Montalcino of Southern Tuscany was in town this week sampling their incredible wines.The owners Athena and Mario Bollag own and work this 35 acre vineyard themselves. Mario plants the vines himself and produces world class, terroir-driven Brunellos (Sangiovese Grosso),Cabernet Franc Merlot,Syrah and a wine that is fast becoming a cult wine with the sommeliers and wine geeks alike: PASTICCIO.
Whenever you have the opportunity to meet the actual winemaker, do it!
I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Athena (pictured) at Grand Cru Wine and Spirits and finding out about their wines and vines. And, Athena is also a musician. She will be playing her fiddle with THE GREEN FIELDS OF AMERICA IRISH BAND at the National Folk Festival Sept 2nd through 4th in downtown Nashville.
WHAT’S IN A LABEL?
Let’s face it. We all love a beautiful label. Some might even say that they have purchased bottles of wine because of the label alone! With Terralsole Wines, you will want to do so for this reason and more. There is so much more to a bottle of wine than meets the eye.
The labels on the bottles of Terralsole Wines are from Haitian Artists. Athena and her husband Mario passionately support Haiti through Te’ Soley a non-profit organization that funds specific projects to needy children and their families with educational, agricultural and trash disposal needs. Five dollars is donated to the fund for each bottle of wine purchased with these labels. I can’t think of a better reason to buy for the label!
THESE WINES ROCK!
The estate-grown Sangiovese Grosso, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes express their terroir by the uniqueness of each wine produced. The terroir defines the area that the grapes are grown in and it uniqueness is not unlike a fingerprint. Their microclimate and soil of this 35 acre vineyard has its own identity.
If you haven’t experienced a Tuscan grown Merlot and Syrah, now’s your chance. This isn’t your grandma’s Merlot or the typical Syrah. The Coldoro (Merlot) is intense and fruity and the Solista (Syrah) is powerful, juicy and intense. Both represent this Tuscan terroir well.
I also sampled the Brunello’s, Rosso di Montalcino and the Pasticicco. The first two wines are 100% estate grown Sangiovese Grosso.
The Rosso was a fun and “drink now” wine. It’s freshness and fruit would be great with a gourmet brick oven pizza.
Brunello di Montalcino is one of Italy’s best known and most expensive and prized wines of this area. They just get better as they age! The flavors and aromas of roses,dark chocolate,intense cherry and floral notes with firm tannins and acidity just become more intense and will be a wine to enjoy years later. The quality of the grapes at each picking, how long they are oaked and bottled determine which wine it will be. Each Brunello was fantastic I would recommend these for sure.
The ’03, ’04 and Reserva Brunella di Montalcino’s were delightful and delicious!
The ’03 is ready to drink now. The ’04 could benefit by a few more years in the bottle. And, the Reserva will be enjoyed for many years. As the aging increases so does the intensity and deliciousness. Grab a bottle for now and a bottle for later.
Athena told me that Pasticcio means a “big mess” in Italian. This Pasticcio has a growing cult following by many in the wine world. The ’05 is a “wonderful mess” of estate grown Cab Franc, Merlot and Sangiovese. It’s rich with powerful,clean bright berry fruit, acidity, terroir-driven minerality and dominant Cab Franc is what -I am sure- contributes to its cult following.
Its ready to drink now and I can’t wait to pair this with seared lamb chops drizzled with garlic and olive oil with tapenade topping. I have 2 bottles. I hope you can find a couple of bottles!
If you like boutique wines and especially wines of Montalcino, you will want to get your hands on these. Because they are hand-crafted small vineyard wines, as you might imagine, there is a limited supply.
For more information and availability of the wines,check out their website Terralsole Winery and Vineyards and find out about their Villa,too.
These unique wines were brought to us byNashville by Boonedocks Distributors. If you want to know where to find these wines, contact the shops I have linked or Boonedocks Distributors.
Ciao for now!