La Spinetta Sassontino 2007

Cellar for 25 years or more. Decant for up to 2 hours before serving. Sassontino is an unrivalled North Italian take on the Sangiovese grape. It is a brilliant ruby red in the glass, bursting with scents of sour red cherry, blueberry jam, tart plum, dried herbs, and graphite minerality. It has already undergone extended ageing before release – 24 months in French oak barrels, followed by 100 more in the bottle. Sassontino is a wine worth waiting for. La Spinetta was officially founded in 1977, though the Rivetta family’s obsession with wine goes back much further than that. It was established on a hilltop in Asti, in Piedmont, by Giuseppe Rivetti, though the winery has now passed into the hands of his son, Giorgio. La Spinetta is one of the great success stories of recent Italian wine, renowned for its consistency and quality, and adored the world over. As you would expect with a wine that has been aged for 10 years before release, Sassontino is layered, complex, and beautiful. It still retains an exciting fresh acidity, elevating the flavours of blueberry, cassis, and plum. As it opens up, you can also detect hints of vanilla, coffee, leather, and oak. The tannins are sweet and finely grained. This is a wine for special occasions. Consider pairing it alongside roast game, mature cheese, or a rich ragù.

Price: £57.84 from 8wines UK