2019 Rosso dei Notri

The youthful, flashy exuberance of this wine is impossible to miss. The Tua Rita 2019 Rosso dei Notri offers pronounced primary fruit that bursts out of the glass with immediate directness and frankness. This is a blend of 30% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Syrah and 20% Merlot. Although it's not declared, there's a tiny touch of Cabernet Franc in there as well that grounds the wine with an extra point of darkness and richness. Most of the blending components do not see oak, but those that do (like the Merlot) go through a brief three months in declassified barrique (hand-downs from Tua Rita's top wines). This estate practices a clever pre-harvest harvest. Some of the fruit from across the various parcels is harvested about 10 days earlier. That fruit, with its extra freshness and acidic brightness, goes into this wine. Indeed, some 150,000 bottles are produced, so this is the bread-and-butter bottle from the estate. The best clusters are left on the vines to mature fully before the second harvest, and that fruit goes into Tua Rita's benchmarks. Doing two harvests in this manner preserves the character of the best fruit on the one hand and creates this entry-level offering on the other. This easy red is a great match to a platter of Italian salumi and cheeses. This wine will be released in June 2020, and it offers terrific value.