Brancaia (sometimes indexed as “La Brancaia”) is regularly touted as one of the great Super-Tuscan wineries, yet the wines, while expensive, are generally in reach of the average wine buyer.
Though in production for only a few years, the $70 Ilatraia is already one of Brancaia’s signature bottlings, a 60-30-10 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and, intriguingly, Petit Verdot. In the glass it’s unmistakably Cab at heart, lacking that greenish bite typical of so much Chianti and nicely mellowed by 18 months of oak.
It’s definitely a food wine but works well on its own. When you’re not sucking down a steak you can catch the raspberry and spice notes here that you might otherwise miss. The bottle went down all too quickly, a testament to its easy-drinking nature. Love the mod label, too.
A / $75 / brancaia.com
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Have you had the Brancaia Il Blu? It’s $50 and a delicious wine. But will have to try the Ilatraia if I ever get the chance.