Tuscan Tempranillo?? This wine is a rare find indeed for a couple of reasons.  First, as far as I can tell, this is a unicorn.  There is no other Tempranillo cultivated in Tuscany.  The vines are 150 year old, ungrafted, pre-phylloxera vines. This alone would make this a special wine regardless of what part of the world it came from.  

I know, I led with the "coolness" of this wine, which is something I always caution.  The good news is, this wine has the quality and umpf to back up the hype.  

I tasted 2004, 2012, and 2018.  I chose to feature the 2012 because it has hit that sweet spot where everything has come together in such lovely harmony. 

In the glass, this wine is dark and brooding with spicy aromas of dark berries and that unmistakable Italian-esque aroma that is difficult to describe as anything other than "That unmistakable Italian-esque aroma".  It is a big, full-bodied wine on the palate. There is still a nice pop of fresh acidity over the mid palate.  It is all wrapped up in a solid framework the is smooth as silk, without even a hint of a rough edge.  The finish echoes the spicy berries with a hint of well-integrated oak. 

Clearly, it is a unicorn of great pedigree even when it is difficult to compare with other unicorns.  Since, of course, unicorns don't exist...