Tuscan Happy Hour Featuring the Wines of Podere Le Ripi With Special Guest James Hadden from Dark Star Imports Thursday, October 24th 6pm
"wasting our time on cheap talk and wine, left us so little to give"
Best of My Love by the Eagles
We don't drink cheap wine or hang out with people that do at Wine Watch.
Tuscany is one of Italy's leading wine producing regions and is home to some Italy's most popular wines like Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico as well as "Supertuscan" wines like Tignanello, Sassicaia and Ornellaia. We put in a lot of work over the last few years with Brunello di Montalcino and have one of the greatest selections of Brunello di Montalcino available anywhere in the world!
It was nice to be recognized last year by the consorzio of Brunello di Montalcino producers as the recipient of the highest award for this achievement the Leccio Di Oro.
Every year the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino awards a prize called LECCIO D’ORO.
The prize is divided into two sections:
Restaurants (Italian and overseas) and Wine Shops (Italian and overseas).
The prizes are awarded to the places that have a Wine List with a wide well represented range of Brunello di Montalcino and the other Montalcino wines covering both the various vintages and numerous labels from many different estates.
Past winners of this award include: EATALY, New York, VINO ITALIANO, Boston, PRAELUM, Singapore, HEDONISM WINES, London and ENOTECA “K&L WINE MERCHANTS”, Los Angeles just to name a few of the world’s top wine establishments that Wine Watch has now joined receiving this prestigious award in 2024!
Brunello di Montalcino is one of the greatest wines of Italy and some would argue that it is one of the greatest wines on the planet. This is one of the only places that produces compelling examples of the Sangiovese grape in 100% varietal form.
Although Brunello di Montalcino is one of the latest releases of all the world’s cellar worthy wines, by law it can not be released until 5 years after the vintage and the riservas are released 6 years after the vintage. In great vintage like 2019 these wines will need another 10+ years in your cellar before they reach their peak years of drinking. That is why God made vintages like 2018, these wines are already showing nicely. There a very few bad vintages in Montalcino as I like to say the vintage is just and indication of when to drink the wine. So, you can drink the 2018’s while you hold on to your 2019, 2016 and 2015 vintages- in great vintages like these you need at least 10 years in the cellar after release.
Poderi Le Ripi is one of our favorite producers from Montalcino so when our good friend James Hadden from Dark Star Imports contacted me to let me know he was in town on October 24th, I said how about a Happy Hour tasting featuring the entire line-up from this outstanding producer.
This is a more casual event, a belly up to the bar, hang out with your friends and drink some great wines. The food is casual; this is not a sit-down dinner- a true "Happy Hour" style event mix and immingle with our "Wine Drinking People" and of course GREAT wines.
This tasting starts at 6pm and chef Toni will be making some appetizers to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Tuscan Happy Hour Featuring the Wines of Podere Le Ripi
With Special Guest James Hadden from Dark Star Imports
Thursday, October 24th
6pm
2023 Podere Le Ripi Cappuccetto Rosa Toscana Rosato IGT, Tuscany
Price: $39.00 Your Price: $34.32
This biodynamically farmed rosato is 100% Sangiovese from Podere Le Ripi’s Montalcino vineyards. The fruit is hand-harvested and given a brief skin contact before a cool, native-yeast fermentation in stainless steel, followed by a short lees élevage with no oak to preserve cut and clarity. It is bright and precise, layering wild strawberry and sour cherry with blood-orange zest and silty mouthfeel.
2022 Podere Le Ripi 'Canna Torta' Bianco Toscana IGT Tuscany, Italy
Price: $63.00 Your Price: $55.44
Appellation: Toscana Bianco IGT
Grape variety: Produced from 50% purchased grapes and remaining 50% from our own production, all organically grown in Tuscany
Tasting notes: This wine, as many orange wines do, gets out of the comfort zone of typical wine taste. We call this taste umami. It's not just a taste but also a feeling, it is a mix of saltiness, sweetness, bitterness but also acidity altogether, making this wine rich, meaty, and very tasty and savory.
2019 Podere Le Ripi "Amore e Follia" Toscana Rosso
Price: $47.50 Sale $41.80
A blend of 50/50 Syrah and Sangiovese. Lots of bright, very ripe red-berry character to this medium-bodied red with a light but firm tannin framework to the palate. But the fresh fruit pushes through to the end. Great minerality, turns savory just at the end.
2019 Podere Le Ripi "Sogni e Follia" Rosso Di Montalcino
Price: $63.00 Your Price: $55.44
A deep ruby red with elegant orange shadows. In the nose, it expresses itself as a symphony of aromas going from an intense smell of cherry, strawberry, and violet to a fresh wild herbs aroma. For a Rosso di Montalcino, the wine is structured and refined, with a broad and smooth mouth and a long after taste. The 2019 vintage is one of the most enjoyable years, with a nice slim taste and very present and round tannins, which we attributed to an exceptional higher yield thanks to the good summer rain.
2018 Podere Le Ripi "Cielo d'Ulisse" Brunello Di Montalcino
Price: $99.75 Sale $87.78
Bright ruby with lighter shadows, flavors are quite complex and the progression of different fragrances is endless, beginning with smaller black and red fruits, all surrounded by a hidden scent of blackberries and brackish water. Our vineyards on the western slopes are surrounded by a fresh forest and very close to the Ombrone river. This means that they can handle well warmer seasons. This is why the wine was able to maintain a nice dynamic taste, light without it being too sweet. The structure and texture of it are making us hope for great aging potential.
2018 Podere Le Ripi "Amore e Magia" Brunello Di Montalcino
Price: $155.25 Your Price: $136.62
A deep ruby red, richer when compared to wines grown from our other vineyards. In the nose, it expresses itself as a symphony of aromas ranging from the intense smell of red-orange and violets to fresh balsamic herbal notes. This vineyard is characterized by a more creamy and silky taste coupled with a fun and vibrant saltiness. Wines from 2019 are certainly rich and Mediterranean.
Menu
Short Rib Slider with Tuscan White Bean Asiago Aioli and Caramelized Onion
Tuna Tartar with Olive and Tomato Tapenade on Rice Cracker
Fried Green Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozzarella and Basil Pesto
Tomato Basil Bisque with Parmesan Crouton
Prosciutto and Fig Pizza
The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.
Podere Le Ripi
“Podere le Ripi started as a dream, and a very old one too: a dream to create something. This dream is also an aesthetic one: creating something extremely beautiful. When I was 18 years old my dream was supposed to be an island, and Podere le Ripi is not an island, but it is some sort of a peninsula that dives into the noisy Orcia river. With time, this something beautiful became also healthy and sustainable, and later we realized that it could have been applied somewhere else, therefore becoming replicable and socially positive in its approach.
This estate consists of 60 hectares of forest, vineyards, and olive trees occupied by a shepherd and his sheep until 1998. An uncontaminated soil, invigorated by spontaneous biodiversity, surrounded by multiple native environments. At that time, I wasn’t a winemaker, but a nature photographer, and I inevitably fell in love with this place.
I love quality, pardon, excellence*: I believe excellence gives emotions. And emotions give joy. But emotions also help our brain to remember, and this produces culture and culture has always produced a better life.
Sometimes we forget it and we put something at risk:our future, which is based on the evolution of our culture.” – Francesco Illy
back