Alpha Box & Dice Blood of Jupiter 2007

Justin treats this wine as if it he was making it in Italy as it sits in oak for three years then gets six months in bottle before release. I would love to see more people treat their reserve wines more like the Europeans do as I think it respects the wine a little more.  Why bother releasing the better quality wines at the same time as the quaffers when the better quality wine may need extra time in oak or extra time in general to show its true colours.

Alpha Box & Dice Blood of Jupiter 2007

Sangiovese based wines feel so good in the mouth as they come with a hell of a lot of tannin compared to the fruit weight that they bring and this wine is no different. You still see a leather whip rolled in earth that is covered in cherry juice that then whips you in to submission while you are eating a bunch of black pastilles but it is the tannins and acid structure that sets this apart.  The tannins dig down into your like they are searching for gold and the acidity cleans up the back end of the palate, leaving me joyous. What I couldn't get past was the sense that this would be around the 14 - 14.5% alc when it was really 15.5% as there is no hotness at all.  The vineyard must be spectacular to be able to produce wine of this quality.

Alcohol: 15.5%
Price: $30
Rated: 90
Drink: Now - 2019