Tasting selected Corte dei Venti (Sant'Antimo, Montalcino) wines at a Terramia (Altamonte Springs, FL) tasting dinner

Clara Monaci, owner/winemaker of the Montalcino property Corte dei Venti -- Court of Winds -- visited Central Florida a couple of weeks ago and displayed her wares at two of my "home" locations: West Palm Wines in Tampa and Terramia in Altamonte Springs. I was torn: Terramia's event was scheduled to be a wine dinner while West Palm Wines event was a Masterclass; Terramia is 15 minutes from my home while West Palm Wines is a little removed, requiring  a lengthy drive on a Friday afternoon. I made a reservation at Terramia but still kept West Palm Wines as an option; that is, until they sold out the event. Terramia it was.

I was greeted at Terramia by its Manager, James Pretell, who ushered me to my seat. I was very pleased to see that I would be spending the evening with the Magnos, near and dear friends. Shortly after my arrival, I was introduced to Clara by Maurilo Purpura, the importer representing her wines. Clara had a bright smile and exuded warmth. She spoke no English but quickly saw that I had an above-average interest in her wines so she enlisted Maurilio and her daughter to translate her explanations of the estate and its wines.

Clara Monaci (owner/winemaker at Corte dei
Venti) and Maurilio Purpura

Table mates

Corte dei Vini is located in the Montalcino Sant'Antimo sub-region on the south-facing slopes of the similarly named hill. The current ownership line stretches back to 1943 when the Pieri family bought the Piancornello farm. The estate is 8 ha in size with 5 ha devoted to grape vines (2.8 to Brunello) and 3 ha to olive groves.

The chart below shows the positioning of the Sant'Antimo sub-zone within the Montalcino region and the location of Corte dei Venti within the sub-zone. Sant'Angelo is the hottest and driest of the Montalcino sub-zones but that is somewhat modified by the constant winds blowing through the vineyards.

Grapes for the wines are rigorously selected during the course of the manual harvest. Fermentation/maceration is conducted in small stainless steel tanks after which the wines are transferred to large oak vessels for malolactic fermentation and aging. The estate's wines are as follows:

• Sant'Antimo -- a blend of Sangioveses grosso, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah
• Rosso di Montalcino -- 100% Sangiovese Grosso
• Brunello di Montalcino
• Riserva -- produced only in special years.

The beginning flight of the tasting dinner paired a 2018 Guidobono Roero Arneis (not a Monaci wine) with a Millefoglie Warm Lobster dish. The dish was memorable, the wine was not.

Millefoglie Warm Lobster

The second course was the 2017 Corte dei Venti Rosso di Montalcino paired with a Portobello Gratinato.

Portobello Gratinato, House-Made Salsiccia

This wine was subjected to a 14-day post-fermentation maceration before transferral to 20-25 hL Slavonic oak tanks for 12 months of aging. The wine was bottle-aged for an additional 4 months. Two thousand and fourteen was noted for a lot of rain across Italy with negative effects accruing to grape crops in some area. Such was the case for the Corte dei Venti with the result that some of its 2014 Brunello di Montalcino was declassified and added to the 2017 Rosso.

On the nose, red fruit, breadnut, spice, and wax. Red fruit and great texture on the palate. Good length finish. An easy-drinking wine but lovely. I liked.

The third course was the Gragnano Paccheri and Short Rib Ragu paired with the 2012 Sant'Antimo Rosso DOC. The wine was subjected to the estate's standard fermentation process and then macerated for 12 days before aging for 12 months in 500 L French tonneaux.

Herbs, sweet red fruit, blue fruit, and spice on the nose. Red fruit and a slight green note on the palate. Void in the mid-palate.

The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino was paired with Costato di Vitello dish.

Costata Di Vitello, Funghi Selvatici, Calvados

The wine was macerated for 24 days before aging for 3 years in in 20 - 25 hL Slavonic oak barrels It was further aged in bottle for 8 months before release on the market.

For me, this wine and the Rosso di Montalcino were the best on offer that night. This wine was fine-boned and elegant. Floral, with jasmine, rose, fudge, and butterscotch on the nose. Red fruit and great acidity on the palate. Long, mineral finish.

Author, Clara, and Rosario (Terramia owner)

The wine that I thought would be the cream of the crop did not live up to my expectations. The 2012 Riserva spent 40 months in large Slavonic oak barrels and then 12 months in bottle but did not hit it out of the park. Prunes, stewed fruit, mahogany, and rose petals on the nose. Broad and unfocused on the palate with an unsatisfactory finish.

The importer had a bifurcated strategy in selling the wines to the customers at the two events. At the Terramia event, the wines could only be bought by the case; one of the first wine dinners where I have seen that approach. I was finally able to get them to sell me half a case of one of the wines that I liked. At West Palm Wines, on the other hand, attendees at that event were able to buy at the bottle level. Furthermore, West Palm Wines offered the wines -- by email -- to non-attending customers the following week at a per bottle price so I was able to eventually buy the wines I wanted at the levels I wanted.

Maybe I will understand this approach with the passage of time.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme