There is nothing we like better than to spend a lazy afternoon at Poggiarello.

Everything at this enchanting estate outside Siena so puts the heart at ease—the swooping swallows, the sweet breeze through towering cypress trees, the homemade meal spread over a rustic table in the garden. Natural is second nature here and deliciously so. This ancient Tuscan estate is completely organic, from the vines to the olive trees to the vegetables that end up on the family’s dinner table.

Poggiarello’s brick-red soils or “colle rosso” are completely unique, and can’t be found anywhere else in the Siena area. This iron-rich terroir gives the wine great structure and a fresh, mineral character. The estate's microclimate, with nearby forests and early morning fogs, is cooler than the surrounding region, pushing the harvest a good two to three weeks later than the neighbors. As grapes ripen evenly and at their leisure (not to mention the very low yields—each vine produces less than a pound of fruit), Poggiarello wines are incredibly flavorful, velvety in the mouth and very long.

As excited as we were about the estate’s first vintage, their 2007 really takes pleasure up a notch (or 10!) The Collerosso is, simply put, a pleasure bomb—some of the estate’s best Cabernet Franc went into the blend this year and it is extraordinary, full in the mouth, luscious and lingering. The Montebruno shows an especially intriguing mineral profile in 2007—this is noble Cabernet with an almost palate-staining richness, yet shows such complexity that it’s a crime to empty the bottle too quickly. Take the time to enjoy this gem over the course of hours, to watch it evolve and bloom.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010