2018 Il Paradiso di Frassina “12 Uve” Maremma Toscana Rosso DOC, Tuscany, Italy.
This unique dark garnet Maremma Toscana Rosso by Brunello producer Il Paradiso di Frassina is like fine music to the palate with a fantastic array of flavors and rustic charm led by loamy mulberry, plum, brandied cherry and brambly raspberry fruits, along with a spicy savory crunch, bay leaf, balsamic tones, dried flowers, cut tobacco, creme de cassis, anise and cedary accents. This firmly structured and medium to full bodied red has twelve distinctive varietals in the blend, including 40% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Syrah, 6% Cesense, 6% Ancellotta (Which I’ve never heard of), 5% Alicante (Grenache), 5% Petit Verdot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 4% Merlot, 3% Carmenere, 3% Canaiolo and 2% Ciliegiolo, which the winery says are like individual notes in a piece of music. This wine keeps changing and evolving in the glass and while the Sangiovese leads here and comes into focus with air and food, the other grapes really all play key roles and I was totally convinced it was a Rhône based wine at first when tasted blind, but later I clearly got the dusty Sangiovese component, especially when I enjoyed with my meal. The subtle leathery element and warm ripeness in this Maremma Rosso makes this an old world treat, and it nicely contrasts with the winery’s top Brunello di Montalcino, which reviewed a while back. The music theme here is intriguing, and the estate’s main Mozart Vineyard at Il Paradiso di Frassina is an exciting project where Mozart’s music is played by specially designed Bose speakers 24-7 and heard in the vines, as well as in the cellar. This study into the beneficial effects of sound waves on the grapes and the resting wine post fermentation has actually proved successful! The winery truly believes this has been a breakthrough in winemaking, playing a part in producing a distinct and lusty Brunello di Montalcino, and even my skepticism couldn’t hide the big smile on my face when I had the 2016 Brunello and this wine is almost as delicious. This excellent wine, which is very seriously crafted, saw 100% de-stemmed grapes fermented in stainless steel with a 25 day maceration and then was aged for two and a half years in Allier oak barrels and one year in bottle, in the vault of Paradiso di Frassina, before release.
The 12 Uve comes from a vineyard located on sandy clay and loam soils the hills of Cinigiano, in the shadow of Mount Amiata and not far from the sea in the Maremma DOC on the Tuscany Coast and this crazy blend, which the winery calls a Super Cru, rather than Super Tuscan, is Bach inspired, as it imitates Bach’s musical scale with its 12 semitones.The Paradiso di Frassina, as I noted in my prior review of their fabulous Brunello, is set amongst olive groves and Tuscan forested hillsides and is an ancient medieval farm that dates back to the 11th century that is located just five kilometers north of the historic hilltop town of Montalcino. This estate is perfectly nestled at the foot of the famed hill of Montosoli, which is one of the best terroirs in all of the Brunello of Montalcino DOCG zone! The Paradiso di Frassina property, as they themselves note, enjoys a unique location in the picturesque countryside to the south of Siena, in the Val d’Orcia valley, not all that far from the border with Chianti, in rolling hills that marry a more continental climate and soils that range from volcanic to classic clay and limestone. It is a great terroir for Tuscany’s best known grape, located in a cooler zone, and with the vineyard immersed in the harmonies the famous Austrian composer Mozart’s music, that is played and spread amid the rows of vines thanks to a hundred weather proofed speakers at Paradiso di Frassina. This is not a silly gimmick, as it might appear to be, as this is a serious experiment into agronomic and scientific research concerning the beneficial effects of musical frequencies on the vines (Vitis Vinifera), supported by the Universities of Florence and Pisa, and from the center of agronomic research of Arezzo. It also came about with the sponsorship of and by BOSE itself, who obviously specialize in the production of ultra high quality audio systems and who were interested in what the results would find. Staying at Paradiso di Frassina with its two small villas or cottages on site has become a very coveted opportunity with the promise of gorgeous vineyard landscapes, good music, a relaxed atmosphere and great Brunello (to drink during the stay here) being a huge draw. The farm’s agriturismo limited accommodations are widely popular, so you’ll have to book it well in advance, which I would recommend for classical music and wine lovers. There’s a lot to admire here at Il Paradiso di Frassina and I highly recommend searching these Tuscan gems out, with this one being a great place to start.
($40 Est.) 95 Points, grapelive