2020 Salcheto, Sangiovese “Obvius” Toscano Rosso IGT, Tuscany, Italy.
The bright ruby/garnet hued Salcheto Obvius Toscano Rosso, 100% Sangiovese, is juicy fresh on the medium/full bodied palate and presents in a harmonious and natural way with a range of blackberry, black cherry, strawberry and tangy plum fruits, along with brambly spices, orange tea, pipe tobacco, anise and dried rose florals. There’s a touch of loamy earthiness and underbrush, but it is mostly about the fruit in the mouth, as well as having light tannins and acidity on display keeping this Sangiovese in line, it reminds of the house wines of the region, that you find in local trattorias when visiting the hill towns of Tuscany. Coming from the Montepulciano area, the Obvius Rosso is sourced from a first selection of the young head trained Sangiovese vines and is tank raised from those certified organic grapes with no added sulfites, selected yeasts, tannins or anything else.
The Salcheto Winery, with vineyards both in Chianti and Montepulciano, was all new to me and seems like an exciting new find for those that love pure Tuscan indigenous varietals and a more raw experience, instead of the more modern polished wines. The winey is hugely into organic and sustainable production and this wine is a gateway into their collection of offerings and is highly quaffable stuff. They have a unique “Goblet” head trained Sangiovese, Prugnolo Gentile clone (same as Brunello clone), vineyard “Greppo” in Abbadia di Montepulciano that provides the grapes for this one. For this wine, the winery does all the fermentation and aging in exclusively temperature controlled stainless steel vats, after picking the best selection of grapes, that do not need any additions, to promote total clarity of terroir and freshness, again as displayed in this vintage of their Obvius Rosso. This version was raised for just 4 months in tank and 6 months in bottle before release and is drinking really nicely right now.
($23 Est.) 90 Points, grapelive