Urlari Pervale IGT Toscana Rosso 2012

Appearing as a deep inky red wine, the 2012 Urlari Pervale Toscana Rosso prepares the nose and palate for its robust personality long before its aroma graces the nose or its heady elixir can touch the lips. But soon enough, sensual floral and fruit scents emanate from this comely Super Tuscan comprised of 25% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 18% Merlot, and 7% Alicante Bouschet. Draughts of dark cherry, woodland berries and wild violets waft from the glass to caress the nose. In the mouth, the wine’s deep berry flavors expand on the palate, where they meld with hints of fennel and cedar. Firm tannins bolster the wine’s bold flavors but slowly recede as the wine breathes. Make no mistake, Urlari’s 2012 Pervale is a big wine with no wimpiness, but it opens beautifully. It can be enjoyed now or laid down for additional ageing. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest affording the bodacious 2012 Urlari Pervale at least 30-60 minutes of aeration in a decanter before consuming at cool room temperature (60° F). Enjoy!

Many red wine drinkers would have no problem emptying a couple of glasses of the 2012 Urlari Pervale Toscana Rosso with nary a morsel, yet a wide variety of international fare as well as the simple delights of the Tuscan table beckon, and we suggest you not escape their allure. One of our perennial favorite accompaniments to a first rate Super Tuscan such as Pervale is marinated and grilled Porterhouse or sirloin steak served with a mushroom, chestnut, shallot, and green peppercorn sauce. Add a warm goat cheese potato salad and fresh haricots verts to the steak and watch the 2012 Pervale truly shine. Lamb provides another outstanding accompaniment to this wine. Rotisserie chicken, basted with butter, garlic, olive oil, and rosemary, offers superb companionship, too. Another favorite accompaniment is Ribollita, the delicious, easy to prepare Tuscan specialty made with bread, cheese, beans, vegetables, and olive oil. Simple but delicious, this traditional dish not only provides an ideal companion for the bold-flavored 2012 Urlari Pervale, it constitutes one of life’s great pleasures. It is also vegetarian and quite healthful. It can be reheated or literally re-boiled over several days as its name implies for added flavor. A bowl of hearty lentil or minestrone soup, accompanied by a loaf of warm crusty Italian bread and a judicious hunk of hard cheese, provides memorable companionship as well. Cured meats also pair splendidly with this wine. Buon Appetito!

Azienda Agricola Urlari is one of The International Wine of the Month Club’s newest discoveries, and Urlari’s Pervale, a charismatic Super Tuscan, appears as the star of Urlari’s show. Even in the world of wine, where little is commonplace, Azienda Agricola Urlari’s Pervale stands out for its exceptional pedigree.

Urlari was founded in 2008 by three prominent oenophiles, Roberto Cristoforetti, renowned designer of ski champions’ ski boots, Mary Kate Buckley, then Regional Vice President and General Manager for Nike’s Americas Division, and Jean-Philip Fort, Bordeaux enologist and key member of Michel Rolland’s renowned wine consulting team, after an extensive search for the ideal site to cultivate Tuscany’s most prominent grape varieties. Blending three cultures – Italian, French, and American – Urlari fashions three truly outstanding wines: Sangiovese, Merlot and a Super Tuscan called Pervale (this month’s feature), named for Cristoforetti’s beloved daughter Valentina. It is comprised of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Alicante Bouschet.

Azienda Agricola Urlari is located in Maremma on the southern Tuscan coast just north of Bolgheri, which is renowned for the production of Tuscany’s greatest wines. Within sight of the gleaming Tyrrhenian Sea, the area has been cultivated since at least Etruscan times (700-200 BC) with a trove of artifacts unearthed by archaeologists to attest to the region’s early preeminent wine production. Even the estate’s name bears historical significance. Urlari, an approximation of the Italian verb urlare, means to yell or howl. The local inhabitants claim that the estate derives its name from the name given to the area around Christmas 1944. Allied soldiers were encamped in the nearby forest within earshot of enemy forces, which resulted in the Allied troops resorting to bird calls and yells rather than risk the use of electric devices.