Brancaia Tre 2006

Brancaia is a Tuscan producer with an interesting array of proprietary blends including the illustrious "blu". The Tre - a blend of sangiovese, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon - is their entry level wine and I suppose could be equated to a Rosso or a basic Chianti with its nose of herbs, forward spicy underbrush, cherry fruit and a bit of earth. This wine is surely made for easy drinking with its very soft, almost plush, palate of cherry, blackberry, earth and spice. Overall, simple, pleasant, balanced, but boring - very boring. Unfortunately, in the end I think this is not worth the money and doesn't taste like much more than a decent Chianti Classico.

Good+
$30 ($23 on sale) at BCLDB

Altesino Alte D'Altesi 2003

I very much enjoy Altesino wines, at least the Brunellos and Rossos I have had before. This, however, is Altesino's forray into the land of SuperTuscan blends and comprises of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. While certainly international in style, in a crowded market, I just didn't find that this stood out enough.

The nose was very herbal and meaty, but overall it seemed unbalanced. On the palate I found wood, herbs, meat, earth, spice, dark berries, and wild blueberries. This had a firm structure, but was not elegant and despite its potency and the sweetness of its fruit, I found it too clumsy to warrant the price. This is a $20 bottle.

Very Good
$65 at BCLDB ($34 US)