Like Brunello di Montalcinos? Simpler, less-expensive relatives are just as good

Italian wines can be confusing for many reasons. You think France is bad with its 300 cheeses? Italy has over 800 distinct grape varieties, and at least half of them are used in winemaking. Every corner of the country makes wines, and as a result, Italian wine labels can be a confusing jumble of brand names, producers, co-ops, vineyards, regions, towns and grapes.

So I've learned to look for shortcuts, and here's a good one. A few of Italy's greatest red wines, which command some adventurous prices, have little brothers named Rosso. Rosso means red, and wines given this simpler title are simpler wines. They spend less time in wood, are released much sooner, and often come from a winery's younger grapes. They also sell for less than half of big brother's price.

Of particular interest are the Rosso di Montalcinos, made in Tuscany from the sangiovese grape. The town of Montalcino sits on a hilltop about 20 miles south of Siena, in dry, hot, Mediterranean countryside that in some ways resembles the Palouse. The region's signature wine is Brunello di Montalcino, a dense, tannic and long-lived wine that some writers might call "brooding."

Unlike Brunellos, which must, by law, spend at least two years in oak barrels and another two in bottle before they can be released (the current vintage is 1999), Rossos can appear as soon as a year after harvest. Current vintages for Rosso di Montalcino include 2002, 2001 and 2000. A few older bottles, from the excellent 1999 and 1998 vintages, may also still appear on retailers' shelves.

Brunello's younger sibling is made from the same grapes, and often follows in the same stylistic path, as its more expensive brother. If you know, for example, that you like the plump, tart, fruit-driven flavors of Castello Banfi's Brunello, you may expect to find similar, though lighter flavors in their Rosso.

I confess to a longstanding love affair with all of Tuscany's sangiovese wines, which also include chiantis and Vino Nobile di Montepulcianos. They are remarkably flavorful and complex, with a beguiling mix of black cherry, leafy tobacco, mineral, earth and underbrush. Alcohol levels generally fall between 13 and 14 percent, and despite their elegance, these wines age wonderfully well.

I recently acquired a few bottles of 1972 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Riserva, purchased locally for about $42, that should not, quite frankly, have been any good. The vintage was as bad as it gets in Tuscany, and chianti, at least according to the pundits, does not age for three decades, or anything close. Nonetheless, the wine was a delight; fragile, to be sure, but expressive and complex and thoroughly drinkable.

Rosso di Montalcinos, on the other hand, are clearly structured for early drinking. Some wineries suggest keeping them no more than a year or two; I find that they age about the same as zinfandel, which means they are at their best upon release and again at around five years of age, when the flavors round out, and the aromas mature.

Prices for these wines are generally in the low $20s, occasionally lower and, unfortunately, creeping higher for the best. But compared with Brunellos, which have run up rapidly to $60-$80 and more, they are a deal.

Also, the run of consecutive excellent vintages in Tuscany means that wines from 1999, 2000 and 2001 are all off to a good start, though some of the '99s may be drying out. The 2002 vintage was a difficult one in Tuscany, but if you let the producer, not the vintage, be your guide, you can find excellent wines from that year also.

I tasted a dozen Rossos and am recommending five that were a cut above the pack. What I look for in a top Rosso is at least a strong hint of what I want to find in a Brunello; some of the same complexity, though with primary fruit flavors, far less oak influence, and overall a much more accessible, less tannic framework.

The star of the show was the 2001 Fanti 'Tenuta San Filippo' Rosso di Montalcino ($22). According to the importer, Leonardo Locascio, the Fanti estate vineyards extend across an amphitheater of south-facing hills at an altitude of 1,200-1,450 feet. Owner Filippo Fanti serves as President of the Consorzio di Brunello di Montalcino. I guess you might say he's motivated to make a serious Rosso, and he has.

With young wines, and particularly young European wines, it is best to evaluate them over a period of many hours, even days, before making a final judgment. The kind of slapdash, slurp-and-spit-and-pin-a-number-on-it reviews that are in vogue these days don't work for these wines, and I don't do them.

The Fanti showed well immediately, with supple flavors that mixed herb, spice, resin, berry, juniper and leaf. But it really came into its own on day two, after it had unfolded, like a cut flower, into full bloom.

By then its flavors were fully evident, and a dark, smoky streak that very much recalled a mid-weight Brunello had appeared. It's worth noting that the winery also makes an even cheaper sangiovese, called 'Sant Antimo', that sells for around $18 and is almost as good, though not technically a Rosso di Montalcino.

Tuscany's sangioveses, it should be noted, pair beautifully with the rich and savory foods of winter. Stews, braised meats, ragouts and heavy pasta sauces all marry well with these wines, as do dry cheeses.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Northwest Wines." His column appears weekly in the Wine section. He can be reached by e-mail at wine@seattletimes.com.