Compare at $50/bottle elsewhere
I met Gerardo Gondi late in the day at VinItaly last Spring. As fatigued as my palate was, this Super Tuscan Cabernet just blew me away and earned a coveted two asterisk's and a "buy it all" note in my tasting book.
The Gondi's are one of the oldest families in Italy (tracing back to the 8th Century) and Gerardo and his family are stewards of an impressive collection of Pallazzo (Gondi Palace at the Pallazzo Vecchio), farms, and wine farms. However, I found them to be quite low-key and humble people, preferring to impress with their farm and wine products than their ancestry or position. These are truly wines of authenticity and soul.
The portfolio is across the board fantastic but I chose to focus on the Super Tuscan Mazzaferrata Cabernet Sauvignon because of its tremendous quality-to-price ratio plus the fact it is drinking wonderfully now with a good five years in the bottle.
It is simply a spectacular wine for $32/bottle, best price in the US.
That is 50%-70% off what you would pay elsewhere, especially with shipping fees.
However, there is no elsewhere. We are the exclusive US importer for this wine and the only place you can find it outside of Europe. As such, the reviews have all been from Italian or British sources and translated for you below:
Mazzaferrata has an impenetrable ruby red color, with a great visual impact. The nose is very intense and of great complexity, with sensations that begin with black fruits, such as blueberry and plum and then decline with spicy and toasted notes. The spiciness is sweet with hints of cardamom, cumin, it closes with nuances of bitter chocolate and sweet tobacco. The taste is powerful and rich, the tannins are tight and silky. In the mouth the fruity notes of plum and toasted and spicy ones are repeated. A wine with great personality. Decanter Magazine, was not scored
Particularly persuasive aroma, between fresh and very clean notes: aromatic herbs, mint, Mediterranean scrub. Then a concentrated and very delicate red fruit enters overwhelmingly: currant, wild strawberry. Finally notes of coffee and undergrowth. On the palate it is fluid, flowing, but also muscular. The tannin is silky, the drinkability extraordinary. 93-points Bruno Petronilli, James Magazine (Italian version of Robb Report)
Intense ruby red color with evident purplish textures of good consistency. The nose is a triumph of intense aromas of aged red flowers followed by notes of berries that tend to compote, hints of sweet spices vanilla, nutmeg and cumin. Aromas of powdered coffee, fine woods and crushed chocolate. In the final, a fine and delicate balsamic nuance. In the mouth the perfect correspondence between the olfactory examination and the olfactory taste is highlighted, the tannins is very precise, silky, and the finish very pleasant. A quality wine with great longevity. It is recommended with a filet of beef Wellington. Piero Pardini - The Wolf Post Guida di Vino.
My impressions: the bouquet is wonderfully complex assortment of pepper, spices, flowers and even a little Provencal garrigue haloing graphitic cherry and blackberry compote and I totally see the balsamic and fine hardwoods notes referred to above, along with the coffee and dark chocolate. The palate is perfectly balanced with a silky smooth entry that lays out a supple yet firm tannin structure carrying delicately nuanced fruit, oak and earth notes in equal measure to a long, sustained, and pleasurable finish with a lovely, pure retronasal bouquet and never seems to quit. Grab a Holy Grail Steak Co. American Wagyu ribeye or strip steak and get to work!
100% Tenuta Bossi Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 18KM east of Florence, 350M above sea level.
