2012 Il Palagio Sister Moon Toscana IGT 750 ml

93pt “Sister Moon” ... and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

Four summers ago, we drove northeast out of Montalcino to Valdichiana, then jumped on the E35 heading due north. Two-thirds of the way to Florence, we exited at the Figline Valdarno, and would soon pull into the majestic, cypress-lined driveway of Villa Il Palagio. On the sun-dappled patio, overlooking 650 acres of olive orchards, vines, and gardens, we met the estate’s owner, one of the most brilliant rock artists of all time. Growing up in the shadows of Wallsend’s historic shipyards, his parents called him Gordon. Today, he’s known only as Sting.

Soon after our visit to Il Palagio, we offered the estate-grown and -bottled Super Tuscan from Sting and his wife Trudie Styler, the magnificent 2008 “Sister Moon.” That story struck a chord with the WineAccess membership, making for one of the fastest sellouts in our history. The Il Palagio importer was ecstatic, as were Sting and Trudie, who extended an open invitation to their estate in the Tuscan hills.

Honestly, we appreciated the politesse, but considered it nothing more — until August 25th, 2014, when we opened our mailboxes and discovered invitations for a private dinner party in November at a penthouse on Central Park West.

As soon as we arrived, our host and hostess left their guests and came to the door to greet us. Supposedly, Sting is in his early 60s. If so, we’re doing something terribly wrong. Trim and leanly muscled, the performer whose musical, “The Last Ship,” had just closed on Broadway, hadn’t lost a step. We spoke for 25 minutes, of the challenges of Broadway, the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Jimmy Fallon, and American football. Then the guy who has everything did what no one who has everything ever seems to do: He smiled that $300M smile and said, “Thank you.” Yowza.

That night, we savored Bistecca alla Fiorentina paired with the magnificent 2011 Il Palagio “Sister Moon.” A few months later, we offered the 2011 on WineAccess. The result was similar to the 2008: Our hundred-case allocation disappeared faster than you can sing (please don’t) “Roxanne.” Since then, members have been clamoring for more of Sting’s greatest hits, even as Wine Spectator put this rock-star couple on their cover.

Today, the wait is over.

James Suckling gave 93 points to the “very long and precise” 2012 Il Palagio Sister Moon Toscana IGT, calling it “polished and very pretty.” Opaque purple in color, the 2012 is one of the most striking and surprising Italian wines of the year. On the nose, plush aromas of crushed-black-fruit preserves, violets, lavender, and sweet Tuscan herbs burst from the glass. Rich, sleek, and voluptuous on the attack, this is an ultra-concentrated black fruit, almost Napa-like powerhouse that, while magnificent out of the gate, will benefit from a decade-long slumber in the coolest of cellars.

$75 on release. $40 today, for a real rock star wine. Just 300 bottles up for grabs. Shipping included on 4.