Click on each petal to learn more about Palate Character or sign in, join the taste56 community and let your palate do the talking!
Tasting Notes
Medium-plus in body with ample structure, there are aromas of red, black, and sour cherry fruit, followed by notes of tobacco and rose. There are flavors of leather, mineral, smoke, spice box, and sandalwood in the lenghty, complex finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
An exemplar of why Pian dell'Orino is one of Tuscany's top producers.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Sangiovese
100%San-Joe-VAY-say
Sangiovese is grown throughout Central Italy, but is most famous for Brunello Di Montalcino and Chianti Classico in Tuscany. While historically the quality of Sangiovese wines was variable, the best wines are influenced by terroir and low yields. At its best, it makes some of some of Italy’s best wines. It performs particularly well on limestone soils at higher altitudes yielding elegant age-worthy Tone & Backbone wines with a complex combination of red fruit, earth, and minerals.
Pian dell’Orino is among the early pioneers of organic farming in Montalcino. This small, artisanal estate is not only dedicated to sustainable and biodynamic farming, but also making wines of uncompromising quality.
Pian dell’Orino’s meticulous focus on letting the vineyard speak for itself is evident in their approach. They do a strict green harvest so that each vine yields only four bunches of grapes, they harvest by hand, and their winemaking follows the same natural ethos.
The Rosso di Montalcino is perennially one of the best around. The Brunello di Montalcino deftly balances power and elegance—a wine of seductive aroma and unique character.
Red Cherry
Tobacco
Spice Box
Biodynamic
