2004 Nemo

In 2004 the Nemo (Cabernet Sauvignon) shares a lot of stylistic qualities with Il Poggio. It is more varietally expressive than the 2003 Nemo tasted alongside it, with dark cherries, menthol, spices and sweet herbs that flow from its powerful, layered frame. It reveals considerable depth not to mention tons of potential although it comes across as somewhat reticent today. Though not inexpensive in absolute terms I would be hard pressed to name another Tuscan wine that delivers this level of quality and pure drinking pleasure for the money. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. My recent visit to Castello di Monsanto was memorable. In addition to the current releases, I had a chance to taste a few older vintages of the estate’s benchmark Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggio. Monsanto is one of the small handful of estates to have kept a vast library of its past vintages, a few of which it re-releases every year to select customers. Needless to say, in today’s world of highly suspect collectible wines, the chance to buy impeccably stored older vintages of unquestioned provenance is a huge service to consumers. Kudos to proprietor Laura Bianchi and oenologist Andrea Giovannini. These are simply beautiful wines. Although Monsanto’s Chiantis are impressive, readers should not overlook the Nemo (Cabernet Sauvignon) which is stunning in both 2003 and 2004. Here the use of French oak seems to be much better suited to the grape, and the wines are breathtaking. Nemo is made from the Il Mulino vineyard, which was planted in 1976. Importer: Moet Hennessy USA, New York, NY; tel. (212) 251-8200