These 2 Sangiovese based Supertuscans were opened on Saturday at Otis' home. They both retail for about $35.

1994 Badia a Coltibuono Sangioveto- A typical Sangiovese nose of cherry and flowers. 13% alcohol. This medium bodied wine was very well integrated with good acidity. Rich spicy cherry notes. Drinking great now. 90 points.

1997 Frattoria le Fonti "Vito Arturo"- This 100% Sangiovese wine was not drinking as well as the Coltibuono. It had a compost smell. It was also medium bodied but the flavors came off as thin. Notes of cherry and dark berry. 87 points.

VM

I'm a sucker for the nose on Sangiovese. It's probably a close runner up to the Margaux region. Just based on the magnificent spicey cherry licorice, I made the Sangioveto my number 3 WOTN.

1) The '94 Sangioveto was drinking great. Lots of leathery dried cherry flavors and smoky bacon fat aromas. Very well-balanced and a long finish. 92P. I bought this at the winery in '99 for around $35. The 1999 Sangioveto costs around $60 now.

2) The '97 Fonti Vito Arturo was a big disappointment, especially since Parker gave it a 92P rating and lauded its "sexy, Pomerol-like seamlessness". He must have had "wine-goggles" on when he made that statement. 85P.

Cheers,

Otis

Otis,

Badia a Coltibuono must have been very pretty. I happened to have a some info on the estate handy and it says that the name means "Abbey of good harvest". The Abbey on the property is 2000 years old and property has a history that dates back to the Etruscan era in the 3rd Century BC. The property had vineyrads, chestnut, walnut and olive trees on one of the best sites in all of the Chianti region.

VM

VM,

We had a memorable lunch at Badia. They have a wonderful outdoor terrace on the top of a large hill that overlloks the roling terrain of the Chianti Region. Really peaceful and breathtaking. They served a 7 course meal with 7 different Badia wines. Lunch took 3 hours but we still didn't want to leave.

I can't tell you much about the inside of the abbey, because as we were about to go in, my daughter decided to have her one temper tantrum of the vacation (the penalty for making a 3-year old sit through a 3-hour lunch). But the outside was beautiful.

We'll definitely go back there.

Cheers,

Otis