Wine: 2010 Guado Al Tasso Scalabrone Rosato
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $16.99/btl
Rating: 92 DS
Wine: 2008 Gagnard Delagrange Chassagne Montrachet La Boudriotte
Region: Burgundy
Sokolin Price: $49.99/btl
Rating: 93 WS
Summer in the Hamptons has officially begun! This past weekend, we were invited to an outdoor lunch held in Amagansett. The weather was beautiful and sunny, and it really felt like the perfect summer day. Since the lunch was sort of a picnic, a wide variety of dishes were served - from fried chicken to honey baked ham, potato salad, tossed salad, pasta salad, salsa, guacamole and chips...all the usual picnic food. When you're in the wine business, people never ask you to bring food to any gathering...only wine. But hey, we are happy to do it!
When selecting a wine to go with such a wide variety of food, we knew our selections would have to be versatile. And since the lunch was held outdoors, we wanted to bring along something we could chill in advance - either a white wine or a rose. We decided on the 2010 Guado Al Tasso Scalabrone Rosato & the 2008 Gagnard Delagrange Chassagne Montrachet La Boudriotte. Both wines were refreshing, fabulous and loved by our small group of friends!
We served the rosato first. It actually comes from Antinori's property in Maremma, Tuscany, and is a blend of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon. This rosato has a bright color with fruity aromas and raspberry notes that is perfect for summer time drinking. It's no wonder that Antinori is one of Italy's grandmasters of winemaking. He can hit homeruns with rose too! We can't say enough good things about this rose - you can taste the pedigree of Antinori for only $16.99/btl. That's a steal, & we expect our quantities to quickly disappear.
The 2008 Gagnard Delagrange Chassagne Montrachet La Boudriotte was second in the line-up, and it showed incredibly well. It is a Premier Cru from Burgundy made of 100% Chardonnay that is packed with notes of butterscotch, rich cream and light tropical fruit. It is absolutely brilliant in clarity and showed off a very, very pale hay color. The finish was quite lengthy indicating it should last for several years to come. This wine is definitely a summer time classic that belongs in your wine cellar!
Our Recommendation: Stock up on some Rose and White Burgundy for all your summer events - Father's Day, weddings, charity events, intimate dinner parties at your house, and 4th of July celebrations. These wines are in stock and ready to ship, and they come highly recommended.
Our Table Score - 93+ points on both wines.