Monte Antico Rosso

Monte Antico Rosso Toscana IGT (750ML)

Monte Antico Rosso is a legendary, value-driven Super Tuscan red wine that has served as a benchmark for affordable Italian excellence for decades. Created by the world-renowned boutique wine selectors Neil and Maria Empson, who teamed up with legendary master enologist Franco Bernabei (celebrated as one of the definitive winemakers of Tuscany), this bottle is engineered to deliver classic Tuscan soul without the high price tag of a Chianti Classico Riserva.

The name Monte Antico translates beautifully to "Ancient Mountain." The liquid is a masterful, indigenous-forward blend typically composed of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. What makes this wine an absolute showstopper for its price tier ($11–$15) is its surprisingly upscale, serious aging regimen. Rather than being rushed to supermarket shelves, the wine is matured for one full year in a combination of seasoned French oak barrels and large Slavonian oak casks, followed by a lengthy resting period in the bottle. It routinely punches way above its weight class, consistently scoring 89 to 91-point accolades from Wine Advocate, James Suckling, and Wine Spectator.

Quick Product Specs

• Size: 750ML Standard Format Bottle

• ABV: ~13.0% to 13.5% (Vintage Dependent)

• Wine Type: Red Blend (85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon)

• Classification: Toscana IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica / Super Tuscan)

• Aging Program: 12 Months in French and Slavonian Oak, followed by extensive bottle aging

• Terroir Canvas: Hand-harvested hillside vineyards across Tuscany (Pisa, Maremma, and Siena) featuring diverse soils of limestone, clay, and schist

• Price Tier: Unbeatable Everyday Value Champion (~$11–$15)

Tasting Notes: Flavor and Aroma Profile

Thanks to Franco Bernabei's brilliant blending, the Sangiovese provides a bright, mouthwatering rustic spine, while the tiny splashes of Merlot and Cabernet polish the edges, plumping up the mid-palate with luscious dark fruits.

• Aroma (Nose): Deeply inviting, rustic, and highly expressive. The bouquet opens with an upfront wave of ripe red cherries, wild blackberries, and red plums, beautifully supported by classic old-world top notes of dried leather, potting soil, vanilla bean, and a faint whisper of dried oregano.

• Palate (Taste): Medium-bodied, velvety, and beautifully balanced. The first sip treats the tongue to a juicy splash of tart black cherries and red currants. Across the mid-palate, it shows magnificent savory depth, unrolling subtle layers of dark baking cocoa, sweet tobacco leaf, and a distinct line of Tuscan earthiness.

• Finish: Long, structured, and remarkably clean. The initial berry sugars fade away gracefully, closing with an elegant finale highlighted by lingering baking spices, a touch of wood smoke, and supple, fine-grained tannins backed by a refreshing line of food-friendly acidity.

How to Serve and Appreciate Monte Antico

• Give it a Brief Decant: Because this wine undergoes serious oak maturation and is built on a rustic Sangiovese foundation, it can start off slightly tight when first uncorked. Pour it into a decanter or a wide wine glass for 15 to 20 minutes before sipping. The sudden breath of oxygen instantly tames the leather notes, coaxing the juicy cherry fruit and sweet cocoa completely into the light.

• Watch the Temperature: Avoid serving this wine too hot right off a warm kitchen counter, which will dull its delicate herbal complexities. Aim for a perfect European cellar temperature of 60°F to 65°F (15°C to 18°C) to experience the fruit at its absolute sharpest and most focused.

Best Food Pairings

Monte Antico’s combination of high natural acidity, moderate tannins, and savory herbal notes makes it an absolute powerhouse culinary engine for Italian comfort foods, tomato-heavy sauces, and roasted meats.

• Tuscan Comfort Foods: An absolute, flawless match for wood-fired pepperoni pizza, lasagna, spaghetti bolognese, or chicken parmigiana. The natural high acidity of the Sangiovese grape slices through heavy mozzarella cheese and rich red tomato sauces flawlessly.

• Grilled & Roasted Proteins: The charred oak wood and tobacco leaf notes act as a natural mirror against flame-broiled burgers, grilled Italian sausages, roasted lamb chops, or garlic-rubbed pork loins.

• Easy Appetizers: Pair a glass next to a charcuterie board showcasing salty prosciutto di Parma, dried salami, kalamata olives, and chunks of aged Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Toscano.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Monte Antico Rosso sweet or dry?

This is a completely bone-dry red table wine containing zero residual sugar. However, because the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon components achieve great ripeness under the Tuscan sun, it delivers a very soft, juicy fruit sensation on the front of the tongue before finishing with a classic, savory, and dry oak snap.

What makes this wine a "Super Tuscan"?

In Italy, traditional wine laws (DOC/DOCG) historically mandated that wines made in Tuscany could only use strict percentages of native grapes. In the 1970s, rebel winemakers began ignoring these rigid rules to blend international grapes like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with their native Sangiovese, creating incredibly rich wines that critics dubbed "Super Tuscans." Because these wines broke the traditional rules, they had to be labeled under the lower, casual classification of IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica). Monte Antico is a classic, budget-friendly example of this revolutionary blending philosophy.

How long can I keep an unopened bottle?

While the wine possesses the natural fruit concentration, balanced acidity, and wood oak tannins required to safely evolve in a cool home cellar for 3 to 5 years, it is explicitly crafted by Neil Empson with immediate approachability in mind. Thanks to its smooth, polished tannin matrix, it is completely open and ready to be twisted open and enjoyed tonight.

If you are planning an upcoming Italian dinner menu or restocking your everyday wine rack, I can pull together a quick comparison table matching Monte Antico Rosso against other famous value-tier Italian reds (such as a standard Chianti or a rustic Montepulciano d'Abruzzo) to map out their exact differences in grape varieties, body, and flavor styles. Do you want me to do that?