2007 Canneto Rossa Di Montepulciano

Frankly, I was a bit stumped about how to start talking about this wine. It’s good, certainly serviceable, but the lead in… the hook was escaping me.

I was sitting on the couch, sipping the wine, contemplating that special moment when the wine first tickles your nervous system. That first gentle warm flirtation of sensation that lets you know you have reached that slightly altered state. I had been discussing the wine (and my difficulty in describing it) with Kerri, when I blurted “I don’t like being punched in the mouth with fruit, but I do like something to chew on”.

Now, out of context, it might sound a bit strange, and as you have come for answers, I intend to provide them. The Canneto is long on finish, and what starts as a nominal experience when first sipped, lingers and gathers steam as the wine slides down the back of the throat. What starts as a gentle earthy caress of flavor, rolls into a significant finish robust, hearty and even a bit jammy. That gets me to the description of my above quote. By and large, I tend to not be fond of overly fruity wines, and certainly not any wine that gets described as “fruit forward”. This particular wine has the strength and body of that type of wine, but without the cheapness that comes from leading with a mouthful of jam. It has all of the elegance and passion that comes from a full host of flavor, but the sophistication to tease you up front, and then draw out the enjoyment over long finish.

Overall, I like this wine. I think the nose is interesting, and the flavor more so. I tend to favor wines that open up and reward persistence and exploration, and this fits that mold handily. The Canneto delivers well as a sipping wine, and for pairings, I would lean probably more to the winery's suggestions of more rustic (and less heavily spiced) foods. This is going to go in the buy it if you see it category.

2007 Canneto Rosso di Montepulciano - Reviewed by Kerri

The facts:

2007 Canneto Rosso di Montepulciano
Region: Montepulciano, Italy
Variety: 90% Sangiovese grosso, 10% Canaiolo nero, Mammolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot
Aging: 18 months in French oak




My take:

This one smells pinkish purple. I hate to say it, but upon swirling and taking a sniff, it brings to mind strawberries. Seriously.

This is an odd wine. It took a while and several tastes to really figure out what to say about it. First, I’ll say it’s a rather simple wine that moves through the flavor profile quickly. When a bit cold from the wine fridge, it's light, both in taste and feel, up front. After letting it open up some, it's a little chewier in texture and a bit more intense on flavor. That being said, you get most of the flavor in the middle and on the finish. Here’s the thing.... It’s jammy at the end. And I mean grape jelly jammy. It’s a strange finish.

For me, the wine is nothing special, but it’s not bad either. I preferred it earlier, when it was a bit on the cold side. Now that it's had some time to open up, it's a bit too purpley and chewy for my taste. Originally I wrote that I think it makes a good sipping wine. It does not, however, go well with spicy red sauce! After eating pasta for dinner, I had to cleanse my palette to enjoy this wine. Trying it immediately after the red sauce was not good – a bit dank and astringent all at the same time.

So all in all, I’d say this one is medium bodied, pink to purple with a bit of earthiness to it (that’s the sweet dankness), rather simple, and slightly dry.

We got this wine through wine club and after going through the swirl, sniff, taste routine and typing up my notes, I read the tasting notes from wine club. They say it’s "earthy, flamboyant, juicy, and highly scented." I don’t know if I’d go as far as flamboyant, but other than that, their tasting notes seem spot on to me.

Price point:
$12 - $14