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Michael Franz on Muck Rack

Michael Franz

Verified
Washington, D.C.
As seen in: Wine Review Online, Medium, Nature, The Washington Post, Wiley Online Library, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, MDPI, SAGE Publishing, The Conversation, ACS Publications, Bayerischer Rundfunk and
Editor & managing partner of www.WineReviewOnline.com, instructor for L'Academie de Cuisine, consultant to 13 restaurants, international wine competition judge.
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Articles

Avignonesi: Helping Elevate Montepulciano into Tuscany’s Top Rank

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By Michael Franz Verified
| Wine Review Online Verified
To be entirely frank, you’d be hard pressed to find an Italian wine expert who would rank renditions of Vino Nobile de Montepulciano on the same level as Bolgheri, Brunello di Montalcino, the top wines from the Chianti Classico district, or the better estates from the Maremma. There are good wines from Montepulciano, and have been for decades, but they’re usually touted by reference to value – not outright excellence.
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Tenuta di Castellaro, Terre Silcliane Bianco IGT (Sicily, Italy) “Pomice” 2024 ($38)

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By Michael Franz Verified
| Wine Review Online Verified
This is a wonderfully complex white from the gorgeous island of Lipari off of Sicily, which is a much more particular and interesting location than what the legal designation of the wine’s appellation of origin would suggest. The wine is a blend of Malvasia and Carricante, which is a blend of a rather rich and aromatic variety (in the former case) with a more neutral and racy one that is an excellent conveyor for volcanic minerality, as lovers of Etna Bianco know well.
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Tenuta di Castellaro, Terre Silcliane Rosso IGT (Sicily, Italy) “Nero Ossidiana” 2021 ($44)

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By Michael Franz Verified
| Wine Review Online Verified
This delicious wine came to me with the precise blend percentages unknown, but it is clear that “Nero” applies to both included varieties, Nero d’Avola and the much rarer Corinto Nero. Whatever the formula, the result works beautifully from a glass.
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