Last Sunday was a lazy day in the A Glass After Work household.  The weather in DC was absolutely frigid.  I know, I know… those of you who live in places with colder weather are probably laughing.  I grew up in Upstate New York, so I understand the laughter, and I know firsthand that it’s colder elsewhere.  But, now I’ve live in DC, and I’ve lived here for almost 15 years.  In DC, we rarely see temperatures in the single digits or a wind chill of -10F, which means I’m no longer used to it, and I don’t have the super heavy hats, gloves, and coats that are necessary in really cold weather.  So, when you combine the ridiculously cold weather with Hubby and I being very sore for Saturday’s 10.5 mile run and it being second day of three-day weekend, there wasn’t a chance for Sunday to be anything other than a lazy day.

I spent most of the day editing pictures from Italy.  I ended up taking more than 2000 images while we were there, so going through them is a slow process.  But, I’m making progress.  After I went through 2 days of pictures, I decided it was time to open some wine and do a little blogging.  To keep in the spirit of Italy, I opened a Super Tuscan and poured the wine into my new ceramic wine carafe.  Almost every restaurant in Italy brought my wine to the table in a glass or ceramic carafe, and the moment I saw this 350ml carafe in the ceramics store (Ceramiche Luca della Robbia), I knew I had to have it.

The 2009 Tolaini Estate Al Passo (winery) is from Tuscany, Italy and is made with 85% Sangiovese and 15% Merlot grapes.  The wine was a deep ruby color with a garnet rim.  On the nose, there was smoke, cranberries, cherries, and earth.  In the mouth, there was earth and smoke mixed with cherries, cranberries, and hints of leather.  The wine had a medium-to-full body, medium-to-high acidity, and medium-to-high  tannins.  The wine is unfiltered, so there was a touch of sediment in my glass and at the bottom of the bottle.

Is this worth a glass after work? It’s worth more than one!  What are you waiting for?  At $25, this wine is big, bold, and beautiful.  It needs to breathe a little before the full aromas and flavors come to life, but once the wine gets a little air, you won’t be able to stop drinking it.  My only regret is that I didn’t have Osteria dei Benci’s Bistecca alla Fiorentina or Golosa to go with this wine because it was begging to be paired with a nice steak or meaty pasta dish and enjoyed over a long, leisurely Italian dinner.

P.S.  Today is the last day to complete my reader survey. If you haven’t taken it yet, it should only take 2 minutes to complete it.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on A Glass After Work.  THANKS!

Question of the Day: How has the weather been by you?  Has it changed what you’re drinking?

Price: $25
Purchased at Lot18
Overall: 4.5 Corks