WINE OF THE WEEK - 2015 Corte Medicea Atos

Have you ever been to the bottle shop, laid eyes on a bottle, then picked it up to check it out and then immediately decided you have to try it?

That’s exactly what happened to me this week. Literally, I went into the store, picked up a bottle and knew I had to try it as my Wine Wednesday pick this week.

It wasn’t the label - though I have most certainly been taken captive by slick marketing on labels before. It wasn’t the producer - I’ve never heard of this producer before. It wasn’t even the region - it’s fairly common, relatively speaking.

It was actually the weight of the bottle. Yes, that’s right, I was taken by how HEAVY this bottle was. Call me crazy but a long time ago, an uncle of mine told me that heavy bottles with deep punts (i.e. the dimple at the bottom of the bottle) are an indication of a good wine…..and clearly his advice has stuck. Truth be told, I’ve since learned his assertion was not necessarily correct but hey, sometimes what elders tell you when you are young really does shape your unconscious mind!

So there you have it, that’s how this week’s wine was picked. Luckily, it turned out to be a good choice for a variety of reasons nonetheless. You never know what you might get on a random Wine Wednesday, after all!

By the way, if you’re new to this blog, or haven’t read about these weekly picks that I feature before, be sure to read this blog post where I outline my approach to my weekly Wine Wednesday picks. The focus of this weekly feature is generally to share delicious and affordable wines that are widely available and generally within the reach of most consumers.

And with that, let’s get into this week’s pick!

(P.S. - if you want to learn more about punts and wine quality, check out this excellent article by Dr. Vinny!)

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2015 Corte Medicea Atos (La Bollina)

This week’s wine comes from Tuscany. But it’s not your usual Tuscan Chianti, Sangiovese or even a Super Tuscan blend. It is in fact a single varietal Merlot, which I think is very cool indeed! Read on to learn more about this wine.

What does this wine cost?

$27/bottle.

Where does this wine come from?

This is an IGT wine from the Tuscan region broadly. As most avid wine drinkers and/or travellers will know, Tuscany is a province of Italy that is located on the country’s western coast and is prized for its museums, food, history, countryside filled with rolling hills and undeniably delicious wine.

The “IGT” designation simply means that the wine has not been produced within the guidelines of the higher level appellations of Tuscany. But this is a high quality wine nonetheless, for the IGT appellations also come with measures to ensure robust quality.

Why is this wine unique?

Very simply put, Merlot is not a grape variety that readily comes to mind when most people think about Italian wines - and that too, 100% Merlot. And from Tuscany no less. After all, Tuscany is the land of Sangiovese……

This is not to say that it does not exist however. In fact, Merlot is widely grown across Italy (I believe it is actually amongst the top 8 grapes grown in the country, by acreage) and is very often used as a blending partner for the Super Tuscans that many wine people thoroughly enjoy.

But 100% Merlot wines from Italy, found outside of Italy, are special if you ask me. And especially at this price point! As most Super Tuscan aficianados will know, there are some super expensive 100% Merlot wines from Tuscany….and boy, are they ever good! But this wine is not at all expensive relatively speaking. All of this combines to make it unique in my view.

Who makes this wine?

This wine is made by Corte Medicea, which is a project of a large trading company from Piedmont Italy called La Bollina. La Bollina also makes wine under its own name. The winemaker for the Corte Medicea project, Andrea Bernardini, is a well known consulting winemaker in Italy with many successes and accolades to his name.

A few Wine Geek “essential facts” about the wine (feel free to skip this if you don’t care about detailed wine-making information!):

Variety - 100% Merlot

ABV - 14-15%

Residual Sugar - 9 g/L

My tasting notes:

A deep, dark, thick purple in the glass, this wine gives off promising aromas of cherries, black plums, blackberries, cinnamon and vanilla. The palate is met with similar flavours, especially on the black fruit and spice side. On the palate, the wine is dry, and also offers cocoa and coffee notes alongside moderate tannins and acidity.

Though not a perfect wine, nor a typical expression of single varietal Merlot, is a satisfying wine for its richness but the finish is relatively short and the alcohol can be felt. Nonetheless, it has an appealing quality overall, and will surely to satisfy many people especially when combined with the right meal.

Aging potential:

3-5 years.

Recommendations to Wineitupanotch:

Pair this wine with beef stew, steak or strong, aged cheese.

Wineitupanotch Wine Score: 89 points

I really like this wine for the interest factor, and think it is quite tasty too, when paired with food. I would probably buy another bottle now that my first one is gone :)

If you’re located in Ontario, you can find this wine at the LCBO under Product #475996.

FINAL VERDICT:

Try this wine and try something new. You cannot go wrong at this price point and who knows - you might just discover a new go-to wine region in the process! :)

If you’ve tried this wine already, or decide to pick it up and try it after reading this post, I’d love to hear from you and hear what you think of it! Please do drop me a line.

Until next time, wishing you love, light and of course - good wine! :)

Cheers!

XOXO

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