Varramista - Syrah 1995 (Florence)

The history of the Varramista estate is fascinating and dates back to 1300 when it was donated to Gino di Neri Capponi (1350-1421) who led the Florentine militia to victory against the city of Pisa in 1406. Gino di Neri Capponi is said to have built the Villa as a solid outpost against the Pisans. More recently in 1953 designers and manufacturers of the legendary Vespa scooter Dr. Enrico Piaggio purchased the Villa and its land from the Marquis Folco Gentile Farinola, making it his country home and hunting property. You can read more on their website http://www.varramista.it/

I chose this one from the list because it was listed under the 'super tuscan' section of the wine list, it's 1995 (a good vintage for the area), and Monsiur Vin would like a relatively light wine. The bottle appears suitably dusty and has no reverse label.
There's a little bit of sediment when poured so we ask for the bottle to be decantered.

The restaurant Osteria de la Tattoria is tucked away in a street behind Santa Croce. The food was standard Italian fayre but service was a little disappointing e.g. they forgot our starters completely.

The wine
It's savoury and peppery on the nose an added mix of ripe red fruits. After time I sense a hint of woodiness too. To taste the pepperiness is evident and the fruits have become subtle undertones. The smoothness of the tannins make it a pleasant drink and with slices of tender beef cooked rare it is a pleasure.