The Artillery of Flavors: A Review of Le Armi 2016 Palazzona di Maggio
The 2016 Le Armi della Palazzona di Maggio is a tough, intense, and very austere Sangiovese that was made to stand up to the years.
We tell you right away: if you are looking for a light, drinkable, and carefree red wine, go ahead and change the page immediately.
This Sangiovese is a battleship, a small work of art carved into the rock, and it relies entirely on the earthiness of this great grape variety.
The ideal softness is still far away, but it is natural; the vintage is 2016; it is still young; leave it in the cellar for another 10 years, and you will have a splendid red wine in the glass.
How it is produced
The 2016 vintage was particularly happy, and for this reason it is considered one of the best for this wine, produced only in perfect years with an extreme selection of the best bunches from a small plot. Organic management of the vineyards, maceration and spontaneous fermentation, and then 30 months in 500-liter oak barrels to age the wine.
Organoleptic characteristics
The color is dark ruby red. The nose is a swirl of earth, rhubarb, and china, with ripe fruit that envelops the whole without ever being overripe or cooked. Elegant herbaceous notes frame a sumptuous, yet prim and measured, very deep and evolved aromatic profile.
Cola and light spices peep out, but they are not vulgar wood branding. The aging was delicate; it modeled and cradled but was not soiled with banal vanilla or the usual Kentucky tobacco that fetishists like so much. Cleanliness and finesse
On the palate, we find this severe and measured look. It is broad and round but powerful, driven by vigorous tannins that taste of rhubarb and cola. The rhythm is tight; it moves without delay, but the extract is dense, and it still takes a long time to reach the true intrinsic finesse of a great Sangiovese. The road is the right one; just wait.
Price
37–39 euros: an adequate price; the quality is undeniable.
Pairings
Mixed paella; veal with tuna sauce; chicken curry; pulled pork; filet Wellington