Wine: 2006 La Massa IGT Giorgio Primo
Region: Tuscany
Sokolin Price: $44.95/btl
Rating: 94 RP
As many of you probably heard, there has been much hype and noise generated about the 2006 Tuscans within the last few months. And rightfully so. In a nutshell, they can be described as powerhouse wines, packed with intense flavor and will arguably go down in history as one of the best vintages to come out of the Tuscan region. That said, for our for first field tasting report, we thought it was appropriate to choose a 2006 Tuscan.
We paired the 2006 La Massa IGT Giorgio Primo (30% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot) with a piquant French dip roast and white truffled potatoes. And let us say, this combo more than lived up to our expectations. As we typically do in tastings, we open the bottle and make a small pour for each taster. This helps us "calibrate" the wine before we decant. From these glasses we found a dark ruby colored wine with a powerful bouquet that gave off scents of spice, pepper, black currant and dark fruit. It exhibited very strong tannins, a tremendous coating of the palate and a long-lasting finish (60+ seconds) - a sign that this wine is sure to last for many years to come.
After decanting, the wine continued to gain weight with even more flavors being revealed, including one of tobacco and smoke on the finish. The most intriguing discovery was that wine became more balanced, less tannic on the finish and while it had gained weight seemed to dance on the palate rather than become too overpowering. At under $50 a bottle, this is a must-have wine that you'll want to pick up now, stock in your cellar and drink over the next decade. With an overall vintage score of 96 pts, tied with 2004 for the highest in history of the Wine Advocate, we assume the wine will only get better as time goes on.
Our recommendation: Be smart and pick up this well valued wine now while it's priced under $50/bottle and still available. You won't regret it.