Le Difese 2011 75cl

Ripe berry and plum character on the nose. Full body, with light vanilla, currant and berry character. Fresh and clean. Good acidity. Needs another year or two of bottle age to come together. The second wine of Sassicaia. Try in 2015.

The 2011 Le Difese pays homage to that past with the hunting dogs and a wild boar depicted on the label. This 70-30 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese would indeed pair perfectly with game dishes such as fettuccine in rabbit sauce or wild boar sausage thanks to that extra touch of acidity that cuts through any fattiness. Dried cherry, blackberry, leather and tobacco enhance the wine’s medium build and silky texture. There is a distant touch of overripe fruit at the very beginning. Le Difese is aged for 12 months in both French and American oak. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. The buzz is back. Italy’s most iconic wine estate – the ground zero for all fine wine made in the country today – has entered an exciting new chapter with a renewed sense of purpose. This change was not sparked by any single event, rather a confluence of events starting with a fortuitous string of great vintages. I point to the 2009 Sassicaia that so closely recalls the glorious 1985 in its beauty and profound abundance. Driving his Jeep through his vineyards, with all those little Jack Russell heads straining through the open windows, Marchese Nicolo Incisa della Rocchetta has good reason to smile. Much of coastal Tuscany once served as a giant hunting reserve for Florentine nobility.

Supple and modern in style, with currant, cherry, cedar and thyme flavors accented by vanilla. Balanced, this tails off to the elegant finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Drink now through 2018. 35,000 cases made. –BS