That's roughly what we traveled over today in deepest Tuscany -- 40 miles of rutted, muddy, kidney-bruising dirt roads to reach a couple of cantinas that are sooooo off the beaten path it's surprising the people who run them don't believe that Garibaldi is still uniting Italy.
As the famous guidebook says, Vaut le voyage. We found two properties that make very small quantities of really elegant wines, among which we found Brunellos and even a Cab-Merlot blend that was more truly Bordelais than any of the stuff I've ever seen from Bolgheri and environs. Balance, elegance and a very judicious use of oak, along with excellent aging potential -- these qualities were shared by all the wines, different as their territories and grapes were. As always, opening prices are high; as usual, the winemakers are sitting on cellars-full of wine that simply must move, as much to make cellar space as to generate cash.
So far, then, this trip has yielded two new producers, two very possible ones -- and there's more to come.
Vaut le voyage.
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