Ilatraia 2013 75cl

Wow. The 2013 Ilatraia jumps right out at you. This is a tremendous effort - I tasted this wine three times blind and it always came out on top. Cabernet Sauvignon (40%) is blended with Petit Verdot (40%) and Cabernet Franc (20%). The complexity and the ever-changing nature of the bouquet is mind-bending. Ilatraia shows enormous depth and sophistication, and it leaves a profound impact. The wine sports deep color saturation with brilliant flashes of dark ruby. The texture is immensely soft, yielding and seamless in its integration. Dark fruit and blackberry is followed by light notes of tobacco, toasted nut and scorched earth. I am in awe of its complexity.<br/>This is perhaps the finest set of wines produced by Barbara Widmer and the excellent team at Brancaia. The 2013 Ilatraia (made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) is among my top three favorite wines tasted during this September session. The estate completed its conversion to organic farming last year. They have also singled-out a specific vineyard site for the production of a Chianti Classico Gran Selezione that will be released with the 2015 vintage. Brancaia consists of three parcels: The main Brancaia estate in Castellina in Chianti with limestone clay soils that produces powerful and structured wines; The Poppi estate in Radda in Chianti with lighter, well-draining soils that produces higher aromatics; and an estate in Maremma (Morellino di Scansano) for more sun-ripened fruit.

Aromas of licorice with blackberries and hints of graphite. Full and juicy with chewy tannins. Very polished. Needs at least three years to open. A wine with classy structure.