Back in 2018, winemaker Pierro Lanza of the Fattoria Poggerino said goodbye to his “Labirinto” cuvée. The young vines used for this cuvée had finally grown up, gone to college, and moved out of the house. (More accurately they became old enough for inclusion in his base Chianti Classico cuvée.) We were sad to see Labirinto disappear, but happy to see our Classico allocation increase.
This year we’re thrilled to welcome Labirinto back into the lineup. New vines planted in the last decade have become old enough to help out around the house, and Lanza has dusted off the old labels and restarted the cuvée. In the past five years Poggerino has certainly gotten more famous, but the quality has undoubtedly risen to match.
Poggerino’s Labirinto cuvée is 90% sangiovese, with a splash of local organic Merlot blended in from a neighbor. You can’t taste the Merlot at all, but the addition perfectly rounds out the energetic young sangiovese juice. The resulting cuvée is dangerously drinkable – fresh, silky smooth and delicious on its own.
We opened the Labirinto and the Chianti Classico side by side yesterday, and they’re both terrific. Labirinto’s fruits are redder – think wild cherries – with a smooth mouthfeel and very subtle tannin. The Classico is darker and woodsier (blackberries, cassis) with slightly firmer tannins and a longer mouthfeel.
The extremely well-priced Chianti Classico is among our best selling wines, and we predict the 2021 Labirinto won’t be far behind: friendly, fresh, gulpable sangiovese with no pretense at an even better price.
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Poggerino Labirinto 2021
bottle price: $22
FREE EAST COAST SHIPPING ON ANY 12 BOTTLES