In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king

I like to think that I have one good eye in the land of the blind. Most of us cruise through life dotting the I's and crossing the T's and never really taking the time to really observe the world around us. Our hectic work schedules and commutes plus our bosses demanding more production out the same amount of time (faster! harder! we've got deadlines!) teaches us that getting a job complete, by any standards is more important than anything else. Add in kid's structured play time (play dates, soccer practice, dance class, etc.) and school requirements (have you seen the extracurricular requirements necessary to get into college lately?) and it doesn't leave much free time for taking in the subtlties around us. It's the little thing that really separate one thing from another, not the big noticible things on the surface, but the complexities burried within everything and everyone.

That's really what the appreciation of wine is, taking the time to notice the subtlties in the liquid being placed in front of you. It can be the color or the smell or the taste, but you're looking to discern the small things that make this wine different from the next wine.  That also the beauty of wine making in general, you cannot rush the process, it takes as long as it takes for the wine to ferment and age and there isn't a thing one can do to change that. Generally speaking, wine and all that surrounds it, is the antithesis of the demands society places on us. It really does teach us that it's ok to take the time to stop and smell the roses or grapes as it were.

What does the above have to do with today's wine? Well, not much but I thought it important to remind folks to slow down every once in a while. Take some time for yourself. Not just the usual 15 minute potty break you give yourself each morning and afternoon either. A real, honest to goodness, hey I'm chilling out so F you, kind of break in the cycle of insanity that is your life.

OK, today's wine is an Italian wine, a 2006 Morellino di Scansano from Moris Farms. This particular vineyard in located in southern Tuscany and the wine is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot and Syrah. In Italy, a named wine region is called a Denominazione di Origine Controllata or DOC (as an aside, this region was given Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita or DOCG status starting with the 2007 vintage. That means that it is held to a higher standard than a DOC). For wine to be named Morellino di Scansano it must be made from at least 85% Sangiovese grapes with the remaining being any non aromatic black grape from a list maintained by the local Tuscany authorities.

I found this to be an interesting if not overly complex wine. The color is a light garnet fading to a brown/orange at the edge. The nose was one of the earth, the scent of moss and stone was there with a subtle little play of vanilla at the very end. There was also a touch of alcohol burn at the end as this is a potent wine coming in at 14% alcohol. Upon taste, there was dark cherry, plum and a bit of spice but these were quickly disapated by the tannins. Not that you were assaulted by the tannins, but I thought they were overly represented as once they hit, there was almost no lingering flavor. Still, I would not hesitate to serve this as a food wine, the typical pairings of a pasta with a strong topping being most welcome.