Tua Rita Giusto di Notri 2020

Tua Rita Giusto di Notri is a powerful yet elegant Bordeaux-style blend from the Tuscan coast.

Tua Rita was founded in the mid-1980s by Rita Tua and Virgilio Bisti, who bought a small property near Suvereto in the Val di Cornia, a short distance inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea. Within a few years the estate was producing some of Italy's most sought-after reds, led by its Redigaffi Merlot. Giusto di Notri blends Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The 2020 season needed little intervention, with only limited pre-harvesting and cluster selection, and the wine shows real complexity and structure, good tannins, a strong body and remarkable length.

Decant for an hour or two and serve at around 17 to 18 degrees. It suits bistecca alla fiorentina, wild boar ragù, roast lamb or aged pecorino, and it has the structure for many years in the cellar.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Full-bodied, dry
Grape Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon (80%), Merlot (10%), Cabernet Franc (10%)
Tastes Like: A Left Bank Bordeaux-style blend: Cabernet-led, firm and structured, built to age
Alcohol Percentage: 14.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Toscana IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica: a broad regional designation for Tuscany that leaves producers free to choose their grape varieties and methods; many of the region's most celebrated wines use it)
Region: Suvereto, Val di Cornia, Tuscan coast (Alta Maremma), Tuscany, Italy
Terroir: The estate's first vineyard, planted at Notri near Suvereto, at 8,500 vines per hectare, on gently sloping clay with a medium-high stone content, rich in minerals and pink marble. Hand-picked into small 15kg crates, usually in the second or third week of September
Aging: Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel for about 10 days, then about 25 days' further maceration on the skins; about 18 months in new and once-used French oak barriques, then several months in bottle
Serving Temperature: 15-18°C

Tua Rita was founded in 1984 by Rita Tua and Virgilio Bisti at Notri, just outside Suvereto on the Tuscan coast; the estate's name simply turns Rita's own name around. They began with two hectares of vines in the Val di Cornia, the valley that runs between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Colline Metallifere hills, and their first wines came from the 1992 vintage. After Virgilio's death in 2010, their daughter Simena and her husband Stefano Frascolla took on the running of the estate, and their son Giovanni is the third generation. The vines grow on gentle, almost imperceptible slopes of clay with plenty of stone, rich in minerals and flecked with pink marble. The family farms sustainably, using integrated pest management, and the estate gained Equalitas sustainability certification in 2023.

Giusto di Notri is where Tua Rita began: its first vintage, 1992, was among the estate's very first wines. The name pays homage to the church of San Giusto in Suvereto and to Notri, the spot where the family planted its first vineyard, which still supplies this wine. The 2020 has had a few years to settle and is a serious, cellar-worthy red; decant it for an hour or two before serving.

Game: Hare or rabbit braised in a sweet-sour sauce
Beef: Chargrilled rump with rosemary potatoes
Lamb: Lamb shoulder roasted with garlic and anchovy
Vegetarian: Eggplant and lentil moussaka

Pecorino Toscano stagionato: Firm, aged Tuscan sheep's cheese for a structured Cabernet blend
Pecorino delle Crete Senesi: From the clay hills south of Siena, nutty and full
Gruyère (aged): Firm and savoury with a long finish
Manchego curado: Spanish aged sheep's cheese, a match for firm tannins

Lepre in Dolce e Forte (Tuscan Sweet and Sour Hare)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 1 hare (about 2kg) or 2 rabbits, jointed (ask your game supplier)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped, 1 bay leaf
• 375mL red wine
• 250mL chicken stock
• 30g dark chocolate (70%), grated
• 30g pine nuts, toasted
• 40g sultanas, soaked in warm water
• 30g candied peel, chopped
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tbsp sugar
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Season the hare and brown it in the oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Lift out.
2. Soften the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bay in the same pan for 10 minutes.
3. Return the meat, add the wine and bubble for 5 minutes, then add the stock. Cover and simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours until tender.
4. Warm the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar dissolves, then stir it into the casserole with the chocolate, pine nuts, drained sultanas and candied peel. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until glossy.
5. Taste for balance and season. Serve with soft polenta or mashed potato.

Dolce e forte, 'sweet and strong', is an old Tuscan way of cooking game, in which chocolate, dried fruit, pine nuts and vinegar give the sauce its sweet-sour depth. The rich, dark sauce and lean game meat suit a firm Cabernet blend like Giusto di Notri, whose structure stands up to the strong flavours.