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Tolaini Legit Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Regularly $45 (which is also the best US Price on wine-searcher.com)

Sale $29.99 - save 33% - Beats Best US Price Online

Buy 6 or more and pay $26.99 per bottle - save 40% - Beats Best US Price by $5 per bottle

94 pts Wine Spectator - #26 Wine of the Year 2019

Let me just address the elephant in the room… oh, you have no idea what I am talking about, do you?

It’s the label. I’ll out it below. And of course, you are all now scrolling down…

You back?

Ok… so I had to figure out what was going on before I could even consider this one… fearful of stepping into a label controversy again.

When first tasting the wine, one of the importers described this wine as being “legit”… a modern slang for legitimate that in usage denotes something’s innate “coolness” or being awesome. (How is that for a tidy and nerdy descriptive?)

The importers also happen to be big fans of jazz legend Thelonius Monk, who by everyone’s account was, and whose music still is, absolutely legit. The label is a picture taken from the album cover of one of Monk's most famous live concert recordings. 'Thelonious Monk in Italy'.

Yeah, I was still a bit skeptical, too… but it turns out that a true friendship has evolved with Monk’s family and the photographer, and they have given permission to use the image for the label. The importers offer, “We are proud to offer this wine as a tribute to the timelessness of Monk's music. Pulitzer Prize winner, respected composer (his single "Round Midnight" is the most recorded Jazz single to date) AND who today is still referred to as the epitome of Jazz, Thelonious Monk has and will always set the bar for all things LEGIT!”

Ok… I know. It’s a long intro to a wine. Personally, I prefer my labels to be a but less… well… out there.

But the wine… oh my… the wine…

As fate (or insider information) would have it, our distributor happened to have a ton of cases arrive just this past week, right as the Wine Spectator was releasing their Top 100. Guess which wine was an eye-popping #26? Oh, and they just so happened to have bought a bunch and got a great deal... 

So, they brought it around for us to try.

Wow. Rich actually texted me as he was tasting this! “How can we NOT offer this? It is as the name implies!”

Which is to say, it is everything a Cabernet from Tuscany, Italy can and should be. Full of rich, ripe blackberry and cherry fruit, along with hints of anise and minerals, along with just the perfect hint of sour cherry that seems to define all great Tuscan reds. Fine, dusty tannins hold up the finish, completing the package. It’s drinking like a dream right now, but has another 10+ years in it for sure. Wine Spectator says another 17.

At this price, I’m look at Marietta Game Trail from late 2017… Stonestreet from Sept. 2016… that’s it in the past three years, putting this squarely in line for the honor of being our Top Cabernet under $30 this year.

Okay, enough talking… grab some up… it arrives Friday. I suspect it may find it’s way into the Enomatic if you want to try before you buy…

 “This is broad and incisive, delivering black currant, plum, leather, earth and wild herb flavors. Dense and beefy, yet with ample fruit for balance, driven by vibrant acidity. This is starting to mellow but still has years of life ahead. Drink now through 2036.” WS


Or reply. The wine will be available tomorrow afternoon in Chapel Hill. Wednesday, as ordered, in Hillsborough.