Erik Banti's Carato, New Vintage. $14.95/Bottle, Tuscan Goodness. "Best Value". The Last We Will be Able to Offer at This Price.

It is awfully hard to imagine that there is better value to come out of Tuscany.

CARATO IGT TOSCANA BY ERIK BANTI 2014

Best Value – Aaron Bick – WineOnline.ca Founder

Bottle Price : $14.95

Case Price : $179.40

Winery : Erik Banti

Wine Region : Italy (Italy), Tuscany (Italy)

Bottle Per Case : 12 x 750 ml

Food Pairing : Breads, Cured Meat, Hard Cheese, Red Meat, Roasted Vegetables

This silky smooth blend of Tuscan goodness is mostly Sangiovese with some Merlot and a touch of Syrah to round things out. It has a bright red fruit flavors, light tannins and a smooth finish that makes this wine incredibly drinkable. While delicious on its own, like most Italian reds this wine really comes to life with food. We suggest trying it with pasta, lamb or young cheese.

We were informed by Erik that these are the last PO’s of Carato we will receive at this price. To be fair, he has kept his price consistent through the last 14 vintages and that is not an easy thing to accomplish. Of course, we will do what we can to keep the price steady, and with a weakening Euro, it should not have to change much, but if you love this wine like i do, you might just consider stocking up.

We are making our way through Spain at the moment and though there is nothing i would rather do than talk about all the beautiful wineries i am visiting and the amazing wines i am tasting, but that is going to have to wait until later in the week as the wines are not yet listed on the website. Don’t worry, we are out here finding you wines that are out of this world, and quite frankly, are blowing my mind.

To get back to today’s subject: Erik Banti is a man of style and panache. He is a true Italian gentlemen and it is always a pleasure to see him. Besides being a visionary winemaker, Erik has had a number of careers including race car driver and golfer at one time attaining Italian golf champion.

The Carato is a pretty cool wine. I have been buying cases of this going back to the inception of WineOnline.ca’s business. There is 10% each of Merlot and Syrah added to the 80% of Sangiovese. The Merlot and Syrah add both softness and structure to the wonderfully drinkable Sangiovese. Not only is this wine great on its own, but i can’t think of a better match to a simple pasta with tomato sauce dish.

Sometimes, when one gets on a Sangiovese kick, it is hard to get off it. See below for our Chianti and Chianti Classico Riserva features. We have been waiting for an awfully long time for Antico Colle’s Chianti to come back. It finally made it and we will do a feature coming up, but for those that scroll down to the bottom, they will be rewarded. I think there are exactly 3 cases remaining of Le Miccine’s CCR. This is silly good wine and should not be overlooked.

We are going to have a ton of amazing wines released in the near future. If you are looking to stock up your cellar, keep your eyes peeled over the coming days and weeks. You are in for a treat.

We love our clients and are doing all we can to ensure that they only get the best. We hope you feel the same way about us. Let us know if there is anything we could do to serve you better.

Have a great day!