Gattavecchi 2004 Vino Noblie di Montepuluciano, Reserva Dei Padri Serviti

This was a beautiful bottle of wine, full of soul and personality!! It is made of 100% Prugnolo Gentile grapes (aka Sangiovese). It had a deep garnet color, reminiscent of blueberry juice, and was not terribly dark. The nose was of plum, blackberry, cedar and licorice (the label also mentioned vanilla, but I didn't pick it up). The palate was much like the nose but also with a dark cherry component that rounded out the other flavors nicely. The flavors were well integrated and all were present on the finish. It was very smooth and elegant. The tannins were somewhat firm, but not too strong. The weight was medium. It got better and better as it opened over an hour or so of sipping. I got this at Atlanta Wine and Spirits for a little less than $30. I've already blogged this wine in the '03 vintage and we loved that too, but '04 is reputed to be even better, and I think it was. Both wines were excellent and I'll continue to seek out this producer.
We really liked this wine! It was a bottle that really brought home what wine writers mean when they talk about authenticity and soul. It felt like a very serious wine. It was almost like having a third person at the table, someone who is very adult, polite, and pleasant. A sharp contrast to the last wine. I have to say that the Big Guy red was pretty much like its name. It was loud and a little too slick, like those "party guys" we all know who get a little too loud and have a little too much fun. He's ok for an outdoor barbeque, but not someone you can have a serious conversation with. He's too busy impressing other people and telling slightly off-color jokes. The Montepulciano, on the other hand, is like that quiet, well traveled older friend. You can sit and converse with him and perhaps he'll share some of his experience with you. It's a totally different kind of relationship. I could digress into a discussion on "Old World" versus "New World" wines here, but I think there's already enough mud-slinging on that topic. I've had wines from the New world that have Old World soul and vice versa. One of the challenges I face when buying wine is to find these soulful bottles in a price I can actually afford, or to put it another way, to avoid the wines that are just cheap consumer products. I hate to make generalizations like this, but we all know that all wines are not at the same level. The trick is to find wines that are really enjoyable (and moving, if possible). That's really what all the wine talk is about.