Barbanera Ser Passo Toscana 21

If you're like me, there are certain occasions when I just want to enjoy pure pleasure in the glass. I'm not looking to think or analyze; I want to sip something that puts a smile on my face.

I taste wine for a living and definitely gravitate towards certain regions and styles; however, when I'm looking for a purely-pleasurable, hedonistic glass of smooth, sexy red, Ser Passo from Cantine Barbanera is the ticket.

Altero Barbanera and his wife Maria established the family's primary estate in 1938 in the Tuscan commune of Cetona. Fourth-generation brothers Marco and Paolo Barbanera now run the family business and continue to expand the family's vineyard holdings.

In your glass, this blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Merlot is velvety smooth, introducing notes of toasty cherry and red berry on the nose. The palate is a melange of chocolate-covered cherries and mocha, with hints of vanilla and baking spice. The super smooth tannins are truly a pleasure all through the cherry-cola finish.

Is this the most complex red in the shop? Nope.
Is this one of the most hedonistic, pleasurable reds in the shop? Yep.

Pair this with flip-flops and put on some Buffet, Led Zep, Black Flag, Mahler, or anything else that makes you happy.