Boscarelli Il Nocio Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2018 2022

Il Nocio is the flagship Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Poderi Boscarelli in Tuscany, a single-vineyard wine made entirely from Sangiovese, the local Prugnolo Gentile. It comes from the estate's oldest and best plots on the stony, clay-rich hillside soils of Montepulciano, where low yields and old vines concentrate the fruit and give the wine its power and 14.5 percent alcohol. The warm Tuscan days drive full ripeness while the cooler nights preserve the acidity and freshness that keep a wine of this concentration balanced. The wine ages in large casks of Slavonian oak, a tighter-grained, less aromatic wood traditional in Italy that allows slow oxygen exchange to soften the firm Sangiovese tannins and add savoury complexity without imposing the vanilla and toast of new French oak, keeping the fruit and terroir in front. The colour is deep garnet. The nose is concentrated ripe cherry and plum with dark chocolate, tobacco, leather and liquorice. The palate is full and powerful, the tannins firm and ripe, the finish very long and savoury. Serve at 18 degrees, decanted for an hour or two. A wine for roast and braised red meats and game.