OK Dean.......I have moved past the casual drinker to certified addict and have purchased the first bottle of what i hope will begin to be a collection of wines. Without saying too much about what I paid for it....I bought a 1994 Sassicaia yesterday and have been told i should lay it down for another 10 years if I really want to let it improve beyond what it is at the ten year mark. I know that some folks have not rated the 1994 as a strong year but i know that this particular supertuscan often gets confusing ratings because it often hasn't been stored properly or is opened to soon etc., so I thought to ask your take on things.

I thought it was the perfect wine for an "expat" living in Italy since in essence the french grapes setting their roots in Italian rocky soil kinda has all the same romantic displacement to it.

yes, I am totally nuts, (ask anyone that has met me on this board....wait a minute....you have!).

~passerotto~

Not all who wander are lost. JRR Tolkein

fun getting paychecks huh!!!

Cooking in Florence
www.divinacucina.com

I have never had the 1994 Sassicaia (in fact have only had a coupld of examples). I like te stuff immensely when I can get someone else to pay for it!

Most vintages of Sassicaia are not particularly tannic or harsh. They usually have great acid backbones so they age based on that and not the tannin. As a result, they may be a liitle more forgiving if drunk young.

In talking with a few Brunello winemakers, they are all touting how well their 94's have evolved and how well they are drinking now and over the next few years. SO based on that, if I had a bottle of 94 sassicaia, I would look for a special event in the next 3 or 5 years to drink it. It is better to drink a bottle too soon than too late.

I am in the position of having a rather large cellar and I am pulling all sorts of bottles that are older than I thought they should be when I drink them. SOme are incredible, some only a candidate for the vinegar barrel.

If you are going to start your cellar, do look at the 1997 Riserva Brunello's and 1999 Riserva Chianti's. They are starting to get a little harder to find but they are still reasonably priced (at least according to their original release prices). I would also stash a few 2001 Rosso di Montalcino because its unusual to get such an ageble wine so cheaply. Ciacci, Pertimali, Costanti, Le Chiuse, Siro Pacenti and Agostino Pieri would be my choices and none will cost much more than €15.

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"To seek revenge may lead to hell ...
But everyone does it if never as well as Sweeney, as Sweeney Todd" -Stephen Sondheim

Printing off your notes and taking them into consideration Dean, although it is nice to have someone that sounds like me about looking for special events to crack a bottle rather than strict adherence to an enoteca's suggestion.

Diva i sent you an e-mail about coming by to fix your PC but didn't hear back......let me know when is convenient (and yes, paychecks (especially two at the same moment) makes it a little less scary about spending a bit of euro every now and again).

Also, maybe you two can help me with one other question while we are on this topic. A friend of mine has made me a 36 in round table top out of the wooden Ornellaia and Chateau de Tiregand boxes that is just lovely and another friend is hand painting the stools. I want to mount the circle on a wine rack like the one pictured here but do not know the proper word for wine rack in Italian and shipping this from the US is too expensive. nifty table

slow talk...the site that has the answers to just about everything.

~passerotto~

Not all who wander are lost. JRR Tolkein

The wine rack is called a Porta Bottliglie, and you can find then at the Bricolage stores, there is one in San Frediano on Via Zannella and probalby other places closer to you!

Sorry I didn't get back to you, perhaps our electricity came back later that yours.. around noon!

Cooking in Florence
www.divinacucina.com