Vino Volo Sommelier Series

Time to travel, means time for wine! Heading back from Denver, I had the opportunity to drop into another Vino Volo, and try a few more upscale wines. The bartender was delightful enough to inform me about a subtle difference in the menus from one Vino Volo to another, which may help some travelers out there. On the left side are the selections of corporate, including what this post is based on, their Sommelier Series. On the right side, is the local Vino Volo’s creation. He noted that the only exception to this is the Winter Cabernet Series. Regardless, I had wanted to try Stag’s Leap Hands of Time, and this seemed like just the opportunity to do it.

Stag’s Leap Hands of Time 2012 (left)
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello Di Montalcino 2010 (right)

Stag’s Leap Hands of Time 2012

Sight: Deep purple core, with magenta edges.

Smell: Deeply concentrated smells of blueberry and blackberry lead off, mixing with sassparilla and dried lavender. The nose has a hint of cola behind the layers of ripe fruit, and a minimal amount of spice. Strawberry and rhubarb pie baked down.

Sip: Round with a hint of dried herbs to start, a quickly fading pop of sweetness leaves a concentrated boysenberry-blackberry body. The flavors concentrate on the fruit side, adding in a little spice of baked raspberry or strawberry, with hints of cola or sassafras.

Savor: The finish is a little more heavy handed with the structure, being a little more on the coarse side of the tannic structure. The flavors grow slightly toward spice and dried herb, but mainly keep to concentrated blackberry-blueberry. The finish is moderate.

Stag’s Leap Winery Hands of Time 2012 is has a lot of great fruit going for it. The complexity of the spice, cola, and herbal elements are subdued compared to the size of the fruit. As fruit forward goes, the tannic structure is fun, but not quite what one would first expect on the nose. Stag’s Leap Winery Hands of Time 2012 is fun, and at the price, quite a bit complicated.

Verdict: Blackberry, Dried Herbs, Cola, Bright
Price: $25 ($41 at Vino Volo)
Napa, California

Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello Di Montalcino 2010

Sight: Brickish red core with hints of orange beginning to form around the edges.

Smell: Leather and cigar box join with macerated black cherries and preserved strawberry. Tobacco is very prominent adding a spicy note to the fruit, and fruit tea like note to the mix.

Sip: The deep flavors of tobacco and leather saddle jump out, mixing with bright red macerated cherries to create a complex if leathery flavor. Cloves join in, and a hint of anise create a herbal like mix running around with other red fruits like underripe plums. The texture is brooding and bruising, clearly being large, but having a sort bull in the china shop kind of elegance.

Savor: The ending grows fiercely tannic, pulling the leather notes with sunbaked earth and black cherries. The jammed fruit holds it together over time in a long finish.

Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello Di Montalcino 2010 is stitched together with leather and plums. The complexity is based in the balance of the aged tobacco and macerated fruits, and leans slightly either way throughout. The power and elegance is beautiful, and terroir forward. If you are a fan of Italian reds, Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello Di Montalcino 2010 is a beautiful example that is walking a tight rope of flavor.

Verdict: Leather, Tobacco, Black Cherry, Plum
Price: $52
Tuscany, Italy

Vino Volo Sommelier Series Verdict

Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello Di Montalcino 2010 earned a lot of props for it’s elegance despite the muscular structure. There’s a great amount of complexity going on there that’s still approachable. Stag’s Leap Hands of Time was also nice, but I couldn’t help but want more out of it. For $25, it is very good objectively, but it’s missing a spark for me. If I had to pick one, I’ll take the Brunello.