Coming to grips with Italian Sangiovese and a great find

At Costco the other day, I checked out the wine section of course and despite my desire to not buy any more wine, they had a remarkable find, the Fontanafredda 2007 Briccotondo (WS 90, $10). Good authentic Italian wine is not cheap. And wine from the Piedmont is especially hard to get cheaply (think Barolo which routinely breaks $50). But I find this Barbera to be quite good and at $10 is a steal. So I bought 4 more bottles. And that was the only wine I bought.

I've discovered I don't care for Italian Sangiovese much which is a shame as it is the basis for Chianti Classico and for the "king" of Italian wines, Brunello di Montepulciano. The Sangiovese is too tangy with more earthiness and acidity than I prefer and the fruit profile is not one of ripe berry or cassis, but more tangy plum. Altogether it is just not my cup of tea. I learned this the hard way having had several bottles of very good Chianti Classico, including

• the Castello di Monsanto 2004 Chianti Classico Riserva (WS 91, $20), my score: 85
• the Frescobaldi 2004 Chianti Rufina Castello di Nipozzano Riserva (WS 91, $20), my score: 86.
• the Rocca delle Macie 2004 Chianti Classico Riserva (WS 90, $20), don't really remember being that thrilled with it.

In contrast, the Piedmont varietals of Nebbiolo and Barbera, if done nicely sit at the cross roads of Italian Sangiovese with less tangy approacability. The Fontanafredda is a perfect example. It has that Italian terrior to it but is also very fruity. My score: 89-90.

The kicker is that nobody else seems that fond of this wine. My wife? Nope. The other 4 at a dinner party the other night? Nope. Some co workers who tried it 2 months ago.. nobody else was loving this as much as I did.

But if you want to try an authentic Italian wine for a song, you know what to get. Supplies should last about 3 weeks at the Mountain View Costco.