San Felice, Toscana Rosso IGT (Tuscany, Italy) Pugnitello 2021 ($69, Total Beverage Solution)

When is the last time you tasted a bottle of Pugnitello? To be clear, that’s not a proprietary name for yet another Tuscan blend, but rather the name of an ancient grape variety that has been rediscovered, researched, and is now planted in San Felice’s experimental vineyard. Not surprisingly, there’s not much to go around (fewer than 700 cases for the world), but the wine is worth a search for its quality—not just its rarity. Full-bodied but easy to enjoy thanks to its fine-grained, polished tannins, it features appealing red and black berry notes with brambly tones as well as some emerging savory undertones. The oak is quite subtle—which certainly makes sense as it is the character of the variety that should be shown off when working with a rare cultivar. My guess is that you can’t answer my opening question about when you last tasted a Pugnitello, but if you taste this one, I bet it won’t be long before you find a second bottle to taste.
94 Michael Franz