PODERE SAPAIO | Volpolo | Bolgheri | 2018
cabernet sauvignon | merlot | petit verdot

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Today we’ve decided to review a wine that we were eager to try for quite some time – a genuine Super Tuscan wine from the famous Bolgheri wine region in Toscana – Volpolo Bolgheri 2018 by Podere Sapaio. The winery is located close to the coast in the Maremma Toscana area, hidden between the hills by cypress trees and pine groves, which is the birthplace of Super Tuscan wines and which now has its own appellation. Made with the same passion and attention to detail as the flagship Sapaio, Volpolo is a masterpiece itself – a blend of 70% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot and 15% petit verdot, sourced from the estate’s vineyards that are planted on clay and sandy loam soils, aged for 14 months in new, french oak barriques and another 6 months in the bottle before being released on the market. The wine’s name emphasizes the local origin and pays homage to the Volpola variety, that is indigenous to the Toscana region. The 2018 vintage saw cool temperatures in the spring and warmed up considerably toward the end of the ripening season. That said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: medium-deep ruby color
clarity: hazy ruby shades on the rim

//Olfactory
intensity: powerful & spicy
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | blackcurrant | blackberry | bramble | black raspberry | aronia
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | sweet | savory | earthy
__spice: allspice | tonka seeds | peppercorn | cloves | nutmeg | anise 
__oak: roasted oakwood | tobacco | sun-dried oakwood | oaktree bark | mocha | liquorice
__sweet: black cherry jam | blackcurrant jam
__savory: leather
__earthy: sand
primary layer: fruit & oak

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: high
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: ripe
balance: good
__dominant: seediness
body: bold | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: ripe & overripe
non fruit: spice & oak
finish: long
aftertaste: seedy

//Scoring
PODERE SAPAIO | Volpolo | Bolgheri | 2018
variety: cabernet sauvignon | merlot | petit verdot
country: Italy | Toscana
region: Maremma Toscana | Bolgheri
rating: 94.6

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | can age for up to 5 years
verdict: great | a must try wine

//Prediction
predicted rating: 91

//RP Rating
actual rating: 92
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This is definitely a great wine of Italy and, with a total of 94.6 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a very ripe and rich supertuscan wine, with an expressive nose and an extracted palate. It is still developing, therefore we would recommend to give it another 4 to 5 more years of bottle ageing, in order to allow it to reach its full potential. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of ripe and overripe black fruits and some very nuanced, oak-derived notes in the foreground, followed by an appealingly spicy background and a very subtle, savory-earthy layer in between the two. On the palate the wine delivers mouth-watering acidity, ripe and seedy tannins and a firm touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which nicely evolves into a pleasantly seedy aftertaste. All in all, this is a well structured and very harmonious wine blend that is mixing power with finesse. Our recommendation is to pair it with barbequed or spicy meats, like for example a peppercorn filet mignon steak. Enjoy!

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