An unusual six-way blend of organically farmed grapes, the Italian varieties Sangiovese and Montepulciano with the French varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Syrah, this is a very dark purple wine shading to a bright garnet edge. Blackberries, dried cherries and a pleasant, restrained touch of vanilla in the aroma lead into an appealing medium-bodied flavor of ripe black fruit nicely balanced with crisp, refreshing acidity, joined by palatable tannins in a very long finish. Good balance and structure carry its 14 percent alcohol with grace. U.S. importer: WinesU, Eddystone, Pa. (Feb. 5, 2017)

FOOD MATCH: It went very nicely with a rich mushroom risotto; it would certainly sing with the more traditional match of rare beef or lamb.

WHEN TO DRINK: Although this isn’t the kind of cellar treasure that will gain investment value over time, there’s certainly no hurry to drink it, and it might benefit from three or four years under good, constant-temperature cellar conditions.

VALUE:
My local $19 price tag is a few bucks above the $15 average U.S. retail reported by Wine-Searcher.com, with some vendors offering it around $12, so it would pay to shop around if you can. Still, it’s a very good Tuscan red, and I don’t feel bad about getting it for less than $20.

WEB LINK
Here’s a fact sheet on the “642” from importer WinesU.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and compare prices for Tenuta La Badiola “642 Il Canapone” Maremma Toscana on Wine-Searcher.com.

U.S. consumers can also find distributors in every state on the importer’s “Locate Our Wines” page.