I recently tasted two mid-priced sangiovese wines– the 1999 Ca’ Del Solo from Bonny Doon, $15.99 at Mall Discount Liquors, and the 2000 Monte Antico, $9.99 at the same shop.
The Sangiovese (“Jupiter’s Blood”) grape produces a big, deep-red wine– not as purple as a Malbec, but rich in color and similarly rich in flavor. It’s not the most common of Italian wine varieties, but an increasing interest in varietals means that it’s getting up there– it’s not a Chianti, but it’s more well-known than, say, Nebbiolo, and more widely grown outside of Italy– such as in, say, Bonny Doon’s vineyards in California.
The Monte Antico was what I expect a Sangiovese to be: rich, tangy, and delicious. It smells like a big, flavorful wine, and it has plenty of body. The Bonny Doon was a real disappointment: thin-bodied, not enough flavor, too light on the tannins– it was OK, but not really interesting. It improved with air, but not enough to make me want to buy it again, not for fifteen bucks anyway. I’m definitely considering getting a case of the Monte Antico though, especially given that Mall Discount has a 20% case discount through the end of January.
Secretly Ironic 