Condé Italian Sangiovese 3-Pack
$51.99 $88.00 41% off List Price
2009 Condé Sangiovese di Romagna DOC
CT link above
2009 Condé Sangiovese di Romagna Capsula Nera DOC, (Black Capsule)
Earlier this week I got that monkey call a ‘single bottle’ from the purple truck people had arrived, and lo, a bottle of Sangio was enclosed.
Uncorked at slightly below room temperature and without a pour dark fruits, some bramble and floral notes filled the air.
Garnet in the glass, the aroma carries thru to the palate with a bit of sour cherry and spice as well. Even with the label 13.5% AbV, a bit of alcohol is present. Tannins are right there with the fruit as well, and acidity to balance. This almost seems like it may have seen some wood for a period of time, or the skin and stem extraction may just be suggesting some barrel time to me where there was none.
Sampled a few times over a number of days with various foods, bread and cheeses, it does better with medium to hard cheese and salami, think Promontory as opposed to Point Reyes Blue, and avoid chocolate, this is very food friendly bottle that can also be enjoyed solo if not allowed to warm to room temperature, as a slight bitterness begins to emerge.
A bit of research on Condé reveled this is their entry level offering and perhaps a blend, with tiered blue capsule Superiore and red capsule Riserva as well, but seemingly from different vineyards.
[edit] now looking at the specs, I see this is a blend, but I’d not have picked out Merlot. Price is on target with my perception.
The monkey called and told me to suit up for Thanksgiving game day. I was minding my own business on the sideline when coach said “Get in there, Chip!”. I was surprised when they called my number on the first play. I took the handoff and ran all the way from Cleveland to Columbus, where I promptly fumbled the ball.
The ball in this case was a bottle of Conde Sangiovese and it was supposed to be opened at our family’s Thanksgiving gathering but we didn’t get to it. The ladies were busy guzzling multiple bottles of Radog Riesling and only one bottle of red was consumed (Lang Zinfandel). Not only did I leave without a plate of leftovers, but I also forgot the Conde and was halfway home before realizing it.
My sincere apologies to coach, the monkey and all my wine.woot teammates. I can only hope that I don’t get relegated to the practice squad after this poor performance…
Here is a direct link to the info page for this wine on the Conde website. It appears that the wine did not see any oak but it did undergo MLF.
This was the second week in a row that the Italian monkey stopped by my house, yelling “Di nuovo ciao. Un’altra bottiglia di vino per Lei.” I am really starting to appreciate my new Italian friend because it was another bottle of Italian red, a 2009 Condé Sangiovese di Romagna. Since it is a sangiovese wine and not from the Chianti region of Tuscany, it cannot be called a Chianti. But, the same grape, so the tasting profile should be the same.
I left it in my basement for a few days so I knew it would be cooler than room temp. Upon PnP, the color was a light cranberry with good clarity. The first sniff reveals a little cherry, something floral and perhaps a little oak. There is also a smell that I call funky, which is prevalent in a lot of Italian wines, and others refer to as bramble. After a few swirls, time for the initial taste. Holding true to a sangio, there is some tart cherry and a little strawberry, with possibly a very little amount of vanilla on the finish. Between the smell and the vanilla, I think this wine spent some time, most likely just before bottling, in a barrel.
We ordered up a half cheese/half veggie pizza, waited an hour to pick up the pie and left the wine to open up. After an hour, not much had changed on the taste. The wine paired well with both halves of the pizza. I think, like most sangio’s, this wine is meant to be served with an Italian fare. If left to develop a little bottle aging, the tannins should soften. We drank a 2007 chianti last week and the tannins had softened and the fruit was deeper. But if you like a fresher wine, then drink it now. Salute!
I checked out the website, as linked, and read the description. I thought this wine had a little of an oakiness. The MLF could account for this then. I also noticed that the picture of the wine bottle is in front of a bunch of barrels. Hmmm.
Wondering if this was chipped, and that’s what we’re tasting?
For those, like me, still learning all there is to know about wine …
MLF = Malolactic fermentation
Is this “chipped” referring to the process where chipgreen gets a bottle to try but neglects to open it leaving us all without his notes. The bottle was chipped. Would be an example of using it in a sentence.
Curses, we’ve been chipped again…
I think you’ve got something there!
Too funny, but he deserved that and more.
I was thinking wood chips in the tanks.
[edit] welcome back TT
Heh. Hi. My weekend to work.
UCLA. Go Bruins!
I call it “Pulling a Sparky”. 
Correction. Pulling a sparky is tasting the wines and finding some reason to conveniently not post notes.
Not always - as in this case.
But I’m ok with fine tuning the definitions.
Pulling a Sparky - tasting but forgetting notes in one way or another
Chipping it - plum forgetting to even taste the wine altogether
That about right?
We so miss when you’re not moderating the boards…
Awwww. Thanks! I’m around day shift during the week. Granted, it’s pretty busy.