I had the pleasure to try two of Enrico Santini’s wines at my recent tasting at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  Enrico Santini grew up in the Bolgheri district of Tuscany, which is one of the newer wine district designations in Italy.  He is also considered a true “garagiste” there, with his small organic estate where he produced his first wine in 1999.  He actually transformed his house and garage into a winery to achieve his dreams and goals and he already received accolades and admiration for what he has accomplished in a short period of time.

The first wine I tried was, Enrico Santini Poggio al Moro 2013.  This wine is a blend of thirty percent Sangiovese, thirty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, thirty percent Merlot and ten percent Syrah.  The wines were all separately macerated in Stainless Steel and then spent three months in small French Oak barrels, with additional aging in the bottle prior to release.  I found the wine to have a dark cherry color with a good nose and a good finish.  It was quite fresh and different from other wines that I have had from the area.

The second wine that I tried from this producer was the Enrico Santini I Montali 2012.  This wine was a blend of thirty percent Merlot, twenty percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty percent Syrah and twenty percent Sangiovese.  After separate maceration in Stainless Steel, the wine was aged for twelve months in small French Oak barrels.   I found this wine to have a very rich nose and taste, very full bodied and a very long finish.  I truly enjoyed this wine and Enrico Santini will have a tasting at the wine shop on March 9 and 10 of this year, and I am going to try to attend, just to savor more of these wines and the other wines that he has produced.