2004 San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo

The 2004 Percarlo is a wine of extraordinary grace, purity and class. Freshly cut flowers, spices, plums, cherries and sweet spices are some of the many notes that are woven together in this super-refined, polished Percarlo. Today the aromas and flavors are still quite primary, while it is the silkiness of the tannin that is most remarkable. The 2004 is a medium-bodied Percarlo built on pure length and energy. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. This complete vertical of Percarlo left me speechless. Brothers Luca and Francesco Martini di Cigala showed me every vintage of Percarlo, back to the inaugural 1983, a wine that has now run its full course. I was deeply struck by the consistency of the wines from year to year, and even more importantly, by the great showing of a number of wines from long forgotten vintages, proving yet again the importance of choosing producer over vintage. Percarlo started off as a selection of the estate’s best vineyards. In 2001 the Cigalas sharpened their approach by focusing on what is now literally a bunch by bunch selection across all of the fruit that comes into the winery, an approach they favor because of the huge inconsistency Sangiovese can often show from vine to vine, and even within the same cluster. I also tasted a few vintages of the Chianti Classico Le Baroncole, the top Sangiovese bottling made in vintages not deemed suitable for Percarlo. Readers who want to learn more about San Giusto and Percarlo may want to take a look at my recent video interview with proprietor Luca Martini di Cigala. San Giusto a Rentennano Percarlo Key Points: 1. 100% Sangiovese from the estate’s best vineyards in Gaiole 2. A powerful, intense expression of Sangiovese 3. Remarkably consistent, even in lesser years 4. Aging potential: 20+ years

The estate's 2004 Percarlo (100% Sangiovese) explodes from the glass with a stunning array of aromatics that meld seamlessly onto the palate, where endless layers of fruit burst forth in a composition of exquisite balance and sensuality. Packed with sublime, expressive notes of black cherries, minerals, menthol and licorice, it is an utterly captivating wine in every way. The 2004 Percarlo is without question one of the vintage's finest wines and shows the heights Sangiovese is capable of reaching. Though irresistible today, readers who want to experience this wine's fullest potential may want to wait a few years.

The 2004 Percarlo is a wine of extraordinary grace, purity and class. Freshly cut flowers, spices, plums, cherries and sweet spices are some of the many notes that are woven together in this super-refined, polished Percarlo. Today the aromas and flavors are still quite primary, while it is the silkiness of the tannin that is most remarkable. The 2004 is a medium-bodied Percarlo built on pure length and energy. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. Jun 2012, www.robertparker.com