Urlari Pervale Toscana Rosso IGT 2018

Appearing as a deep inky red wine, the 2018 Urlari Pervale Toscana Rosso IGT nearly leaps from the glass, preparing the nose and palate for its gregarious personality long before this heady elixir can grace the lips. Sensual floral and fruit scents emanate from this comely Super Tuscan comprised of 30% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Alicante Bouschet. Draughts of dark cherry, woodland berries, wild violets, and a hint of bergamot waft from the glass. In the mouth, the wine’s deep berry flavors expand on the palate, where they meld with hints of fennel and exotic spice tones. Racy sleek tannins bolster the wine’s bold flavors and slowly recede as the wine expands in the mouth. Urlari’s 2018 Pervale is both robust in flavor and truly unique. Moreover, it is superbly crafted. It can be enjoyed now or laid down for additional ageing. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest affording the bodacious 2018 Urlari Pervale at least 30 minutes of aeration in a decanter before consuming it at cool room temperature (58°-62° F). Anticipated maturity: 2024-2030. Enjoy!

Any lover of fine Tuscan reds will delight in emptying a couple of glasses of the 2018 Urlari Pervale Toscana Rosso IGT with nary a morsel, yet the many delights of the Tuscan table as well as a wide array of international fare beckon. We suggest you not escape their allure. A traditional accompaniment to a first rate Super Tuscan such as the 2018 Pervale is a 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 accompany the steak and the 2018 Urlari Pervale will turn the meal into a veritable feast. Marinated and roasted duck breast served with peas and carrots provides another exceptional companion. Roast leg of lamb makes a strong case too in the company of the 2018 Urlari Pervale. Rotisserie chicken, basted with butter, garlic, olive oil, and rosemary, also provides a tasty accompaniment. Potato gnocchi with a creamy cheese sauce and shaved black truffle followed by Cacciatora (wild boar braised in rosemary, sage, garlic and wine) with roasted potatoes and Tuscan kale provide additional out of this world companions to the 2018 Urlari Pervale. Ribolita, a delicious vegetarian dish and Tuscan staple makes a case for itself, too. Hearty lentil or minestrone soup accompanied by a loaf of warm crusty Italian bread and a judicious hunk of Pecorino Toscano provides additional memorable companionship, as will hard and semi-hard Italian cheeses such as Parmesan, Pecorino, and Provolone. Buon Appetito!

Azienda Agricola Urlari is one of The International Wine of the Month Club’s prized discoveries and Urlari’s Pervale, a charismatic Super Tuscan we tasted recently in Italy, appears as the star of Urlari’s show. In the world of wine, where little is commonplace, Azienda Agricola Urlari’s Pervale is not only unique, it also stands out for its exceptional pedigree.

Urlari was founded in 2008 by three prominent oenophiles, Roberto Cristoforetti, renowned designer of ski champions’ 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, American, and French – 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. Pervale is comprised of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Alicante Bouschet.

Azienda Agricola Urlari is located in Maremma on the southern Tuscan coast just north of Bolgheri, an area renowned for the production of Tuscany’s Super Tuscan reds and many of Italy’s most iconic wines. Within sight of the gleaming Tyrrhenian Sea, the area has been cultivated since 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 the name was given to the area around Urlari in 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 or other means of communication. We howled with delight upon tasting the 2018 Urlari Pervale IGT.