Ficomontanino Rosso "Noble Kara" 2024

Ever since I crossed paths with the wines of Maria Sole of Ficomontanino, I was impressed. Especially, for being a relatively young winemaker. Although she grew up among vineyards and has two generations of winemakers before her, she has only been making wine under her own label for a decade, and I think she's definitely a winemaker to watch. Ficomontanino, which roughly translates to "Little Fig Mountain," is in Chiusi, Tuscany, so far southeast in Tuscany, it is spiritually more akin to Umbria and Lazio, whose borders are mere kilometers away.

The Ficomontanino 'Noble Kara' is a wine that straddles the line between being the lightest of reds or a dark, springtime rosé. It's made of Sangiovese grapes from three different parcels on the property with just 24 hours of maceration on its skins before pressing and fermentation. Don't let its pale hue fool you—it may be light but it's mighty! Full of saturated cherries, cedar, white pepper and fresh tobacco with a dusty tannic structure, this wine is worth serving with a slight chill. It pairs well with anything containing harissa—from chickpeas and andouille sausages to lamb shanks!

-Alejandra