Friday, December 5, 2008

Sangiovese / Shiraz showdown

I recently made chicken marsala for the Luce’s and so we had the opportunity to officially kick off the Marsala Quest by trying two different wines with it. They brought 2004 Poggio San Polo Rosso Di Montalcino (100% Sangiovese) and I purchased the 2004 Clos Du Bois Shiraz. I’d never had a Shiraz with it and thought I’d give it a try. My method of deciding was rather un-scientific- we didn't have a Shiraz at home so I skimmed over the descriptions on the back of a few potential bottles at the store and picked one with the least mention of “peppery”.

I decanted the Shiraz for about 2 ½ hours prior to dinner and the Poggio was decanted for about 1 ½ hours. (its when they arrived) Both were really good, but in different ways. The Poggio was a bit more earthy, but still had some nice berry flavor. The Shiraz, a bit fruiter, somehow stood up nicely as well. Honestly, even after many (many!) tastes and discussions, none of had a clear favorite. Both were very good, so go forth and buy either-you won’t be disappointed!

1 comment:

LucyinStLou said...

Thanks again for that, it was yummy! I would say if you are going to be drinking the wine by itself at any point, the Shiraz had a bit of a advantage with less earth and more fruit. But they were both very good with the chicken.