When I stop at my local wine shop, The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan, I am always hoping to find our next go-to wine.  I am also looking at wines for cellar potential, but my Bride keeps suggesting that concept may be pushing it, at our age.  She says that we have plenty that are cellaring quite nicely, and we should consider more table ready wines.  Does she know something that I don’t?  Actually, she has a point, and we must start thinking about drinking down the collection, but it is always fun to look and to try. 

Jardin en Fleurs Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2020 was a wine that I was really interested in trying, as this has become one of my Bride’s favorite grapes and I am always interested in a fine wine from the Loire Valley.  Touraine AOC sits in the very heart of the Loire Valley wine region; the main city is Tours which is halfway between Sancerre and Nantes (Muscadet).  The appellation allows for all three types of wines in both still and sparkling.  Without venturing out too far, since, I can find no information, I will venture to say that this wine was aged for a short period in Stainless Steel.  The wine had a pale-yellow color with soft notes of citrus.  On the palate it was green and flinty with decent acidity.  This will not replace my Bride’s go-to Sauvignon Blanc, but I have to check, all in the name of research.

Azienda Agricola Le Ragnaie “Troncone” Rosso Toscana IGT 2018 and the winery is based in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy.  The estate has twenty-eighty hectares and comprises four distinct parcels solely devoted to the cultivation of Sangiovese.  They have probably the highest altitudes in Montalcino.  The winery uses cement vats for maceration and fermentation which can last up to forty days.  They then use Slovenian and Allier Oak barrels for aging.  The Troncone wine showcases the youngest vines, and is a way to observe the progress of the vines.  It is not stated, but I will venture to say that the wine is probably aged for about eight months and then stored in bottles for another couple of months.  Toscana Rosso IGT is the most popular designations for the region, and the winemakers can enjoy and try different techniques using it.  The wine had a nice garnet color with notes of red fruit.  On the palate the flavor of red cherries and raspberries with softer tannins and a medium finish of terroir.  A softer Sangiovese wine that would work very well with some lighter pasta dishes.