Wine Advisor
Tua Rita, Giusto di Notri Toscana 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
This blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot is one of the three benchmarks from Tua Rita. This gorgeous 2018 Giusto di Notri (tasted in a preview capacity before its October 2020 release date) was born beautiful, or so I am told. The wine saw little racking and a hands-off approach, because it came seamlessly together on its own in the winery. Merlot was harvested first in mid-September, and the Cabernets came off the vines in October, without a cloud in the sky. The wine shows the heft and determination you should expect, although this vintage reveals a magically delicate and elegant side with aromas of blue flowers, spice and wild plums. Again, I am reminded of purely Tuscan aromas with wild sage, grilled rosemary and macchia mediterranea shrubs that grow wild in these parts. The wine is also light and fresh on the palate with a surprising degree of weightlessness, yet the persistence is long and polished. I tasted this wine several times over the course of 48 hours, and it never fell apart (despite my unfinished sample). Some 33,000 bottles will be filled.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
I had previously reviewed this blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot in a preview capacity. Now on the market, the 2018 Giusto di Notri comes together with seamless beauty. This is a rich and generous expression that delivers dark fruit intensity with blackberry and black currant, wrapped tightly together with ample oak notes of spice, tar and cured tobacco. The wine offers smooth transition and rich textural fiber, with soft angles and contours that frame the wine's full-bodied approach. Production is 33,000 bottles.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A beautiful red with currant and fresh-herb aromas and flavors. Medium to full body. Silky tannins. Very pretty.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A rich, layered red with berries, chocolate and blueberries. Lightly smoky. It’s full-bodied and layered with ripe tannins. Balanced and focused. Just a baby now, but will deliver! Best after 2023.
About the Producer
In 1984 Rita and Virgilio realized their lifelong dream purchasing the property that became Tua Rita. The landscape and buildings on this property were a mere setting for living in contact with nature whilst farming their beloved land. Their overwhelming passion for wine actually changed their plans. The original two hectares of vineyards have been cultivated meticulously since the beginning, this rigorous and passionate care collocated Tua Rita among the most successful producers labeled as “vins de garage”. In less than a decade they had extended the property up to nine hectares, then twenty; nowadays the totality of the planted vines includes thirty hectares. Growth has been driven by Rita and Virgilio’s enduring enthusiasm and an ever-deepening awareness of the potential of this estate in the area, between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Colline Metallifere, known as Val di Cornia. On one hand the estate and the cellar had being steadily growing driven by Rita and Virgilio’s extreme commitment. On the other hand thanks to Stefano Frascolla, married to the owners’ daughter Simena, the winery’s brand awareness was expanding rapidly. Simena also got involved in the family-run business after Virgilio’s death in 2010. The estate’s name derives from the inversion of Rita Tua’s first and last name.
