The IL Nespoli Sangiovese 2012 is 100% Sangiovese sourced from Poderi dal Nespoli 1929 (name refers to the year the winery was founded) family owned estate vineyards located near the village of Nespoli in the Romagna region of Emilia-Romagna in north-central Italy. Emilia-Romagna is the part of Italy where Ferrari, Maserati and most of the other Italian super cars are built. Most casual wine drinkers know Sangiovese from the wines of Chianti, which is in Tuscany, just south and a little west of Romagna. The Il Nespoli is classified as a DOC Superiore Riserva Sangiovese. This wine is aged in French oak barrels from 12 to 14 months and the alcohol content is 14%.
The color is deep, rich, dark, barely see-thru crimson red. The nose is ripe fruit and oak spice, raspberry, blackberry, a hint of coffee, a little vanilla and herbs. This is a Sangiovese with good fruit upfront and a touch of complexity on the mid-palate. It tastes of blackberry, plum, pepper and cherry. The mid-palate adds exotic spice, ripe blueberry and a slight tug from the tannins. This is a food wine, so the acidity is solid, but balanced, it sips very well. The finish is slightly muted, but lengthy.
The IL Nespoli Sangiovese 2012 carries the wine tradition of Italy, but also has the fruit forward flavor that American wine drinkers enjoy. This is not one of those “drink it now” wines (wine that is at its peak as soon as it is released and won’t improve much with age). This is a traditional Sangiovese, with oak barrel aging and all the flavors and textures only oak can bring. This IL Nespoli is a 2012 and while it drinks nicely now, still has a few more years to fully develop. This is a wine that can stand up to marbled beef or rich pasta sauce, you can drink it on its own, but will shine when complimenting a fine meal.
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