Muddy Boots: We break the 90-point barrier in WS

07/12/2009

We break the 90-point barrier in WS

Today Wine Spectator posted to its web site the wine-review scores for the August 31 edition. I Stefanini, our Soave producer, broke the 90-point barrier for Domenico Selection s. We are about to re-re-order. We are pleased -- thrilled, in fact.

For it is a necessary thing that the wines you import earn a 90+ from one of the major dispensers of such grace. It is indeed a gratifying form of validation for the producer and his/her representatives (importer, distributors, sales folks, retailers, etc., etc.)

Valentino Tessari, agronomo at I Stefanini, stands in front of the family home and, at left, the cantina

As I blurted the other day, we rather anticipated scores of 90 points or higher. We got a more mixed bag of results with 3 of the 5 wines/vintages reviewed receiving 90 or more points.

Here is the link to the search I did on I Stefanini early today: link!

If you don't have a subscription to WS online, here are the scores:

Wine	Vintage	Score	Release Price
I STEFANINI Soave Classico Monte de Toni	2006	91	$16
I STEFANINI Soave Il Selese	2008	90	$12
I STEFANINI Soave Classico Superiore Monte di Fice	2006	90	$21
I STEFANINI Soave Classico Superiore Monte di Fice	2007	88	$21
I STEFANINI Soave Classico Monte de Toni	2007	86	$16

Speaking only for myself, I agree with Jo Cooke's assessment of the 2006 Monte de Toni -- it is the best wine of that vintage. I agree wholeheartedly with him on the brand-new Il Selese 2008 -- it's a stunner, clearly better than the 2007, which just as clearly wasn't the greatest of vintages in Soavelandia.

The lower scores for the 2007 crus disappoint me. But, as Mr. Cooke wrote about the 2007 Toni, "give it time to unwind." Exactly. These are surprisingly long-lived Soaves, and they age into secondary tastes and aromas with a sort of Burgundian grace. Do not count them out if the score seems "low" today. Anyway, look at those retail prices. You can't go wrong.

As to the 2008 vintage overall, Francesco Tessari recently said, "That is an excellent year, one of the best we ever had."

Whether we have only Ma Nature to thank or the talents of Francesco and his father Valentino -- really both, va senza dire -- I have to say, "Ottimo lavoro, ragazzi! Vi tolgo le chapeau."

Hats off to the Tessari guys, and heart-felt thanks to them and to Lizzy, Elisabetta Tosi, who first told us about them.