Sagrantino di Montefalco Grand Crù Classè Utopia?

Sagrantino di Montefalco Grand Crù Classè Utopia?

By Filippo Bartolotta

Not for now.

The panel of expert called to report about other Classification systems seemed pretty skeptical about it, to put it mildly.

Daniele Cernilli from Gambero Rosso was moderating the debate opened by Prof Zanfi from the University of Florence: DOC were born to protect and value important areas like Bordeaux or Champagne, but when applied to unknown ones:…no results!

Also famous estates made an area famous but it is not true for the opposite.

In other words, more room should be given to the market and trade aspects of wine. After all, says Zanfi, wine is the first and still existing brand product in the world, with Haut Brion in 1666.

With this intro Zanfi passes the word onto the other speakers, with the unerstaning that Sagrantino di Montefalco has all the numbers to be considered for a new Classification experiment.

Sure enough some new ways to communicate Italian wines have to be found.

Mr. Ricci Curbastro, President of the Federation of Italian DOC, said that with our “roughly” 360 DOC(stating an exact number is impossible as a new Doc flourishs every day!) often built only to overshadow others is difficult to understand our system.

From here though to see an Italian wine embracing the 1855 classification system is another matter,

Prof. Duburdieu was the most clear and passionate about the impossibility to achieve any long term results: the political classifications, those done just to make a small wine area famous, are not followed by the consumers; the famous older ones are good for few, too elite oriented and if a wine estate goes up in ranking is fine, but if it goes down they will take the issue to court and the court will grant them their status.

A lot of people thought he’s been just to negative about the Sagrantino Classification project, but I thought he has been fair and honest about it.

Before getting to this no-way-end though he gave a very passionate, articulate and inspiring speech about making a vocated wine area a famous and wanted one.

I wished a lot of Italian wine makers were there as as simple as Duburdieu’s words might have sound to some of the professional in the room, they were nonetheless pragmatical and to the point.

The world is full of cheap wines made in areas where is hot and dry, where irrigation is allowed and labour cheap. Sweetening, oak chips, other industrial techniques, standardization and the harsh competitiveness force areas where is tough to grow the vine  -i.e. Coté Rotie-to make wines with higher value.

And value comes from the interaction of four type of people with high expectations: producers, consumers, merchants, critics.

But we have to keep in mind that wine is the consumer’s child. In every age consumers shaped up the parameters of value in wine: during the Romans for examples Falerno was the most important wine of that era because the Patrizi (noble families) were going on holiday to the Naples area.

Today’s modern parameters are shaped up by Asia and these are:

1) Image: The image has to be in line with the times we are living and in line with consumers expectation;

2) Price: the price is the reflection of the image and vice-versa and above all expensive wines become more expensive whether cheap ones get always cheaper. A wine high value is attractive and difficult to imitate;

3) Typical: one must be able to recognize the character of a given area in all the wines of the area, but the wines have to be instinctively good -if one has to explain to people why is good, is like explaining some one a joke- and complex or people get bored.

Aging Potential: this is the secret for Price&Value and is the essence of typicity

So the wines coming from difficult areas can become famous and develop in time a terroir element in overtaking the physical handicap of that area. For instance Bordeaux has got too much rain, but the gravel-clay-limestone soil drains the water and 15.000 Km2 of leaves surface in the vineyard make water evaporate: this made Bordeaux wines recognizable and with character.

When all this has to go into a sensible classification system were the best can come forward and other not though it is not possible to make people agree on it.

The 1855 classification in Bordeaux was done by the Merchants and it was never touched again; Les Graves by the Public institutions in ‘53-’59 and never touched again; the St.Emilion started in ’59 (also taking into account also real estate value) touched in the following years till 2006 and now is halted in court;

similar situation with the Crù Bourgeois begun in 1923, then 2003 and now is in court in Brussels.

So Sagrantino beware what you wish for!

Thierry Dessauve, from la La Review de Grand Vin de France was a little more optimistic.

I met Dessauve with Duburdieu in Bordeaux last April when the three of us were holding some Tuscan wine tasting at Vinexpò.

Thierry comes out as a very calm person with a big passion for Italian wines.

When I have asked him if this was a Sagrantino Utopia he said: well it might be but we need Utopia to dream and think forward.

This might sound like the word of someone who only like to speculate, but Mr. Dessauve and his colleague Bettane had the guts to take a star off from Mouton in their personal classification: the day after the world was talking about it!

 

If the 1855 weren’t there our statement would have not been so powerful. So classification can help the media catalysis and the world will talk more about the area; also lower end wineries will try to reach higher standards. Tough judging standards are needed to be successful, but this means also for a wine area to accept leaders and stars!

So that can already be a problem, although the worst one is the risk of elite mood and immobilism.

So if Sagrantino wants to go ahead here are Dessauve’s guidelines:

Classifications must be modifiable;

Special small production Cuvèe are not to be judge, but the only the wine that contributes at least for 50% of the total estate production

Terroir must be traceable or scandals will arise

The judges opinion can’t be taken to court

wines should be tasted young, then on release, then old bottles

tasters should be brokers, journalists, regional experts, consumers

So punters be ready to join us in the black toothed lot, in the lovely world of tannic young wines:)!!

I am very intrigued by the idea to develop a new wine classification system which could help the wine lovers, but the job isn’t an easy one, above all in Italy: can you imagine to have producers agreeing on the fact that their wine estate is less valuable then their neighbor’s?

Agronomy Professor Attilio Scienza, knows that isn’t possible.

He worked in Franciacorta and other areas to create a proper classification system starting from the soil:quality is under our feet!

He showed us the results of a very thorough work which would have shown the producers certain areas being more suitable for longer aging, other for spiciness, or persistence or floral character. Apparently very few in Franciacorta were happy to see these results published and so the Appellation remained untouched.

The final harsh candy to the Sagrantino Grand Cru Utopia was gien by Mr Raimondi from Ice showing how Montefalco has been expanding sales during expansions and contracting more dramatically during recessions showing lack of business sharpness for many of the estates in Montefalco.

By now is 1400 and everyone seemed pretty hungry.

Right after lunch I had time for a couple of hours tasting in Montefalco with its wonderful 22°C. A lot of good wines were missing, but here is my top five of what came out better after tasting 40 ish wines.

Agricola Romanelli

This was not a Sagrantino yet: a 2007 vintage. This is a vintage to watch pretty much all over Italy. I had recently some barrel samples of Barolo 2007 in Langa and it is just outstanding.

Davis Romanelli is a humble young wine maker with producing very clean and fresh wines.

His Sagrantino ’07 was extremely pure with a lot of red berry crush, tamed tannins and a little vanilla in the finish. Would have to taste it again when bottled.

Cantina Fratelli Pardi

Sagrantino 2005. A very fresh and smooth style with a lot of cherries and spices.

I was intrigued a lot though by Alberto’s Passito: juicy, lengthy and savoury with a lot of sweet pulp. Very easy to drink.

Colle del Saraceno. Az Agraria Francesco Botti

This 2005 Sagrantino was packed with a lot of sweet old school style fruit. Very leathery, earthy with mediterranean herbs.

Lungarotti

Sagrantino 2006 Tobacco, prunes and a leafy/earthy touch and yet pretty elegant though. Tannins are quite tight with a fresh/mineral mouth-fill. Needs time.

Perticaia Az. Agraria di Guido Guardigli

This Sagrantino 2005 has a great balance, with firm and yet supple tannins and enough sweet fruit to melt on the palate. Pretty clean, spicy and floral.

Scacciadiavoli Az. Agraria

Sagrantino 2005. This was one of my favorite of the day with the right fruit and sweet silky tannic balance, intensity, juiciness and gun flint minerality.

Also the red of this winery is pretty juicy too.

 

 

PS: Sorry about the pictures, I’ll get them uploaded soon…

Domaine Romanée-Conti 2000 at Castell’in Villa

 

by Filippo Bartolotta

 

 

Some time ago I had the chance to taste, or I should have said, to drink the six Grand Crù of Romanée-Conti.

These wines are assigned to important restaurants and exclusive clients and usually are drank some time later or put back in the market for a higher price.

On release starting prices for an Echezeaux, would be over the €100 whether a bottle of Romanée-Conti.would be over €1000.

As a professional wine taster usually I “taste” more wines then I drink. Very often I also question how much can one get out of a tasting of over 100 wines. The answer is that we live in an imperfect world and to get things done one has to accept a certain degree of compromises.

This is to say that tasting like professionals do might not be the ultimate way to appreciate wine but it is the best we can do in a given time.

But the greatet thing about wine is to drink it and share it with friends and passionate people like yourself!

So every once in a while I catch up with a wine club of mine in Tuscany. Our motto: 7 wines for 7 people.

We first choose the wine subject, then we selet a chef to cook around our it.

This evenings give me a great opportnunity to enjoy wine at its best. We start tasting the wines before dinner and then we carry on drinking with dinner.

It’s interesting to notice how usually during the tasting everyone seems to lean towards more muscular, denser, sweeter, smoother wines against the more acidic, austere, tannic and silent ones. Then though while having dinner the more approachable bottles, the spicier ones slow down on the drinking peace while the others go faster.

It is a very educating exercise which tells a lot about wine competitions, etc .

I have to say that with the DRC wines we had didn’t struggle neither at the beginning nor at the end.

The seventh wine was a Castell’in Villa Riserva 1986. I had this wine several time now also with the 1982 vintage from the Principessa Pignatelli who has been our kind host of the evening. Her Chianti Classicos don’t seem to be getting tired, always showing the classic leather, cherry, licorice, violets and earthy tones and a sweet lenghty soft delicate palate.

I love this kind of very balanced low alcoholic/no burning old-school Tuscans!

So, as anticipated, this time our selction was pretty cool. Thanks to our Carlo Buttiglioni, from the Enoteca Rivella in Siena, we come across to a case of Domaine Romaneè-Conti.

This is the most famous and higest rated estate in Burgundy, model of imitation of Pinot Noir around the clock.

25 hectars of Grand Crù arranged into six different crùs –single vineyard- vinified and bottled separatley each year: Saint Vivant, Echezaux, Grand Echezaux, Richbourg, La Tache  and Romanée de la Romanée Conti.

 

Romanée is an organic/biodynimic estate where the vine density can go as far as 15000 per hectar. To give you an idea of numbers, a traditional Tuscan vineyard would be 2700 and a more modern one 5-6000.

Although the Domaine as we know it today  was built only a century ago by Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet -one of the most important vineyard owners in after-revolution Burgundy- the vineyards have got a longer history starting from XV 1451. Apparently the monks of the St. Vivant monastry gave away to the Croonembourg family the small vineyard of Cros del Clou. The family in 1760 sold it to Prince after changing the name Cros de Clou into Romanée. Romanée-Conti, already know at the time as the best site in Burgundy was offically born.

Today, Aubert de Villaine, born and raised in the Domaine, is co-director – with the Bize-Leroy, and Roche families- from 1974 of Domaine de La Romanèe Contì with the main pourpose to let the fruit of the six Grand Crus express itself as pure as possible.

And I have to say that the six wines always show an extremely different character despite the vines are close to one another.

Despite the huge difference among the six, from the delicate Echezeaux to the monumental La Tache structure, the wines have a lot in common: density, intense and seductive perfumes, uplifting alcohol and tannic balance and a never ending drinkability.

 

 

 

The tasting

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Contì, Èchezeaux 2000

Bright and intense ruby with a very floral broad nose with some truffles and earth.

Very velvetty attack on the palate with lovely strawberries and ripe cherries and a toasted coffé finish.

Very fresh mouthfill with super sweet caressing tannins, this was maybe the most friendly of the evening.

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Grands-Èchezeaux 2000

Light and bright ruby colour with a less open friendly nose of balck truffles, musk and game.

Way more robust palate with more concentration and black fruit but less ready and less soft then Echezeaux,. This is a wine with a classy depht and unforgiving structure with a very long shelf life.

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée Saint Vivant 2000

Vibrant intense ruby.

Powerful spicey notes with very generous fruit aromas and a leathery complexity. Very dense, very concentrated with a more vanilla toasty notes and broader riper fruit driven character, very young still less subtle now.

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Richebourg 2000

Clear clean dense ruby.

Cherries and red-currants with elegant floral, graphite and quinine notes.

Very important tannins and a savoury/mineral mouthfil give this wine a fantastic structure and lenght, maybe the longest of the lot. Great acidity, noble and reserved with sweet tannic touch.

Una grandiosa acidità ed una elegante riservatezza per un vino molto fine e persistente.

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tache 2000

Much darker ruby then the rest.

The olfactory notes here are very concentrated and yet subtle: cloves dark cehrries, chocolate powder and a tobacco/coffe intensity.

Big tannins although very pleasant and balanced out by a jucy acidity/savouriness with a persistent back tea leaves and mushrooms. Very lingering, very concentrated and powerful.

 

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Conti 2000

Ruby with some garnet hues.

Roses and violets with a gamey and hay stacks nose. Strawberry jam and balsamic hints on the palate with an extremely fresh and so easy to drink character and yet super complex. It’s a very dense and concentrated pleasute so easy to enjoy, to drink and to finish the glass in one go!

 

Food Matching of the evening.

 

Wild boar mousse with roasted seasonal

Hand made taglierini with wild duck sauce

Lamb medallions with potatoes and carots

Braised Pigeon

Crème Brulè

Grado and its Lagoon

Grado

From Trieste, Venice is a little over an hour drive. But on the way there there is the world to visit.

One place where we stopped and loved is Grado. This is a very small town located between the sea and the lagoon.

It can be a great day tour or one could try and get a little house in one of the min-tiny islands  to stay there a little longer. One of the reasons for this would be Michele of Taverna Androna. He is the chef and owner of this little elegant Trattoria in the heart of Grado, surrounded by 12th century architecture.

Taking a look at the menu gives you an idea straight away: soft shell small crabs; venetian clams soup (with a great indian spicy twist); the classic Spaghetti alle vongole (which as you can see Milo devoured), cod and everyday fresh fish that Michele would get from the auction at the market.

After the meal, we pay and have a chat with Michle who offers to take us for a boat ride to the lagoon. We are late with our schedule but can’t refuse such an offer and so off we go.

This experience is bit like flying in helicopter to the Grand Canyon…in reverse. Loads of water no land, but the same spaciousness where your mind will wonder freely somewhere else higher then here and now. This is the beauty of traveling.

Getting on a motor boat in the lagoon from Grado means to get in to a different spacious and big horizon water universe. Your point of references here would be only some small little islands with proportionally small houses. Usually the size of this islands are like that one of a 3 bedroom flat with garden and a pool, a big though:)

Some of these houses can be rented but it is not easy to get them, tough just take a look a it. Do you want to finish to write the book of your life? Romantic getaway? Family reunion? Or Friends get together? This is the place to be.

The Espresso Italian Wine Guide 2010

The Espresso Italian Wine Guide 2010.

By Filippo Bartolotta

It’s been a while since I have last updated my blog. I went thorough a very busy summer with the final sessions of The Espresso Italian Wine Guide, some Fine Wine Collectors to look after and a bit of seaside with the family.

During the finals of the Espresso we have tasted over 900 of the best wines selected this year by a group of ten very dedicated and professional wine experts and tasters. This is a unique opportunity: the whole of Italy, under my nose!

This year has been even more interesting as I was tasting at the table with the two main curators: Ernesto Gentili and Fabio Rizzari. Fantastic chance (but also a scary one, being checked by the two bosses!) to listen to two great palates and to have a serious confrontation on fine wines. The tastings took place at the great Gourmet Club Restaurant “Il Cavatappi”, run by Simone Brogi and his lovely family. This is one of those unknown places, where love comes out from every dish. If you ever want to go to this place do not forget to go for the fries: round, soft and creamy inside and crispy on the outer part…you can have a kilo and still can’t get enough! Simone, together with Marco Priori -the master tasting panel manager- and their assistants have been looking after the whole group of ten tasters with extreme care and professional help.

A lot of people ask me how do we taste the wines during the year and during the finals, so this is it.

From May onward we start tasting the wines in the area of origin. For instance for the Barolo, we go to Alba and we taste all the Barolos delivered by the producers to the Consortium. Same thing would happen for the entire Italian wine production.We do not ask or choose producers, we just simply taste everything. Of course we taste everything blind. Then by the end of July the whole of Italy is done. Roughly we are talking about 10.000 wines reviewed; 2.300 selected wine estates; almost 2.000 wines highlighted as value for money and a strict selection of Italy’s best fine wines.

Now is time for the best wines tasted across the country to get together under one roof: Barolo, Brunello, Taurasi, Nerello, Ribolla, Soave, etc. The ten of us split in three tables. Each table goes thorough the wines brought to the finals by the others in order to allow everyone to rate everything. Then, roughly 50% of the wines of each tables are left opened over night in order for the other tables to taste the wines as well, but also to double check how they kept over night! Some “made up” wines may collapse and some others may actually get better. At the end of this rounds we have the final day where some stuff is tasted again and then we end up for a final great lunch and discussion. By now we are all happy and relaxed. During this time of the year we are like animals:).

We all have over 5000 wines that went under our noses and palates and therefore we are at the pick of training. Very often I am asked with suspicion how anyone can possibly taste so many wines -we roughly go for up to one hundred a day- and the answer is: training, training, training. It is like every professional activity.

Between consumers and winemakers.

Of course there is always human errors and mistakes; personal like and dislike, but in the end we are the link between the consumers and the winemakers: we stretch our hands in order to have the two worlds get together. And an honest wine journalist should be able to be objective enough and non judgmental enough to describe a wine just for what it is. Of course the reader will understand by the scores what are chosen ones each year.

The score system goes in a 20 scale points.

1 Bottle: 12-13 -This is equivalent to a commended. Not the greatest of the results if a Brunello or a Barolo gets that, but not too bad for a new winery or a simple wine.

2 Bottles: 13,5-14.5 -This is a fair wine, a little above average, with no faults, but not too exciting. Good for simple wines, not too good for important ones.

3 Bottles: 15-16 -This means the wine is good! For the entry level wines this is an outstanding result, but for the more ambitious wines, it is just about right.

4 Bottles: 16,5-17,5 -Here we enter the world of very good to excellent wines. 16,5 is a very good wine, regardless the category, 17,5 is very often a wine that didn’t quite make it through the finals.

5 Bottles: 18-20 -This is the world of Italian fine wines for us this year. Every year bring to the finals almost 1000 wines. Some are confirmed excellent with 18/20. When we get to 19/20 it means that the wine is beyond excellent and we do not give this mark very often. 20/20 is given not to a perfect wine but to a great wine with “that” extra edge of character.

The meaning of tasting

At the end of a two three day of hard tasting session , when we taste over 100 wines a day, I very often ask myself the meaning of all this. It can be quite a difficult task which is why we always taste in a group of people to support each other and to confront each other all the times. I am sure that this is the least worst of what is humanly possible in order to review a country like Italy, which produces 1/4 of the total wine output.

It is like democracy: maybe is not the best way to run a country and to organize a community, but is the best we know today!

What I mean to say is that I wish I would be able to go visit and taste all the producers in Italy in their cellars. Visiting a wine estate, getting to know the vineyards, the soils, the cellars, the philosophy of the producer…getting to know the person behind the label is for me one of the most pleasant and interesting things in life. But this way one couldn’t put together a guide with all the data that we collect and publish it before the wines that we talk about aren’t already off the shelves.

As a wine lover and a wine journalist I try to visit as many wineries and producers as I can, always trying to learn from each one. A lot of them are like little fortresses of knowledge, passion and humanity of the highest nature. A few of them have managed to create a special relationship with their soils and their vine which bring their wines to the most uplifting results. But to review all of them we need to process from a bigger screening into a smaller one. With the producers we can understand how old vintages can develop, or how a new blend is done, or how the future vintages will be like.

A wine guide is a “guide” to the wine production of a given country on a given year according to a group of tasters. It is made to give the reader an idea of the trends of a specific region, to guide through the innumerable Italian indigenous variety (apparently over 400 officially registered); though the insane number of DOCs (over 300) and Docg (over 40); it is meant to review also the pedigree of wine estate throughout the years; it can be a way to familiarize with unknown wines and wine regions; the guide would also more or less explicitly criticize certain production methods or certain trends, but it is never meant to be the absolute top ten of the very complex Italian wine world.

The “Eccellenze”…

ABRUZZO E MOLISE
Biferno Gironia Rosso 2004 Borgo di Colloredo
Clemàtis 2003 Zaccagnini Ciccio
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2005 Praesidium
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Mazzamurello 2006 Torre dei Beati
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Tonì 2006 Cataldi Madonna

ALTO ADIGE
Alto Adige Bianco Passito Aureus 2007 Niedermayr Josef
Alto Adige Cabernet – Merlot Riserva Rossa 2006 Produttori Cornaiano
Alto Adige Gewürztraminer VT Terminum 2007 Produttori Termeno
Alto Adige Moscato Giallo Passito Serenade Castel Giovanelli 2006 Caldaro
Alto Adige Moscato Rosa Passito 2007 Plattner  – Waldgries
Alto Adige Pinot Bianco Klaser 2007 Niklaserhof
Alto Adige Riesling Berg 2008 Niedrist Ignaz
Alto Adige Santa Maddalena Classico Waldgries 2008 Plattner – Waldgries
Alto Adige Sauvignon Voglar 2008 Iugum Peter Dipoli
Alto Adige Terlano Riserva NovaDomus 2006 Produttori Terlano
Alto Adige Valle Isarco Gewürztraminer Atagis 2008 Loacker Schwarhof
Alto Adige Valle Isarco Müller Thurgau Brixner 2008 Köfererhof
Alto Adige Valle Venosta Pinot Bianco 2008 Pratzner Franz – Falkenstein
Alto Adige Valle Venosta Riesling 2008 Pratzner Franz – Falkenstein
Composition Reif 2007 Mayr Josephus – Unterganzner
Feldmarschall 2008 Tiefenbrunner
Manna 2007 Franz Haas

BASILICATA
Aglianico del Vulture Dioniso 2006 Eleano

CALABRIA
Cirò Rosso Classico 2007 Librandi
Cirò Rosso Riserva Ripe del Falco 1997 Ippolito
Greco di Bianco 2007 Stelitano

CAMPANIA
Aglianico del Taburno D’Erasmo Riserva 2004 Nifo Sarrapochiello
Aglianico Selvanova 2005 Fattoria Selvanova
Falerno del Massico Rosso Etichetta Bronzo 2006 Masseria Felicia
Fiano di Avellino 2008 Colli di Lapio
Greco di Tufo 2008 Pietracupa
Greco di Tufo Vigna Cicogna 2008 Ferrara Benito
Montevetrano 2007 Montevetrano
Taurasi Fatica Contadina 2004 Terredora
Taurasi Poliphemo 2005 Tecce Luigi
Taurasi Riserva 2003 Perillo
Taurasi Vigna Macchia dei Goti 2005 Caggiano Antonio
Terra di Lavoro 2007 Galardi
Zero 2005 D’Orta – De Conciliis

EMILIA ROMAGNA
Colli Piacentini Vin Santo di Vigoleno 1999 Lusignani Alberto
Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Semisecco 2008 Tenuta Pederzana
Rifermentazione Ancestrale 2007 Bellei Francesco
Sangiovese di Romagna Ris. Superiore Michelangiòlo 2006 Calonga

FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA
Carso Malvasia 2007 Zidarich
Colli Orientali del Friuli Bianco Rosazzo Bianco Terre Alte 2007 Felluga Livio
Colli Orientali del Friuli Bianco Sacrisassi 2007 Le Due Terre
Colli Orientali del Friuli Noans 2007 La Tunella
Colli Orientali del Friuli Schioppettino Cialla 2005 Ronchi di Cialla
Colli Orientali del Friuli Verduzzo Friulano 2007 Meroi
Collio Bianco Vecchie Vigne 2006 Roncùs
Collio Friulano Vigna del Rolat 2008 Raccaro Dario
Collio Sauvignon Ronco delle Mele 2008 Venica & Venica
Isonzo del Friuli Malvasia Istriana Dis Cumieris 2007 Vie di Romans
Ograde 2007 Skerk

LAZIO
Poggio della Costa 2008 Mottura Sergio

LIGURIA
Cinque Terre 2007 De Battè Walter

LOMBARDIA
Barbacarlo 2007 Barbacarlo
Franciacorta Brut Cuvée Annamaria Clementi 2002 Cà del Bosco
Franciacorta Brut Satèn Ante Omnia 2004 Majolini
Franciacorta Extra Brut Molenér 2003 Gatta
Franciacorta Extra Brut Riserva Vittorio Moretti 2002 Bellavista
Oltrepò Pavese Brut Nature Profilo 1998 Picchioni Andrea

MARCHE
Kurni 2007 Oasi degli Angeli
Regina del Bosco 2006 Dezi Romolo e Remo
Rosso Piceno Superiore 2007 Aurora
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Ammazzaconte 2007 Conti di Buscareto
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Cl. Superiore Santa Maria d’Arco 2008 Ceci Enrico
Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva Mirum 2007 Fattoria La Monacesca

PIEMONTE
Barbaresco Asili di Barbaresco 2005 Giacosa Bruno
Barbaresco Camp Gros Martinenga 2005 Cisa Asinari
Barbaresco Elisa 2005 Nada Ada
Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga 2003 Cisa Asinari
Barbaresco Pajoré 2006 Rizzi
Barbaresco Pora 2006 Bianco Gigi
Barbaresco Rabajà 2006 Rocca Bruno – Rabajà
Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco
Barbaresco Riserva Vigneti in Moccagatta 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco
Barbaresco Riserva Vigneti in Ovello 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco
Barbaresco Riserva Vigneti in Pajè 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco
Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive 2005 Giacosa Bruno
Barbaresco Sorì Burdin 2006 Fontanabianca
Barbaresco Sorì Paolin 2006 Cascina Luisin
Barbera d’Alba Bric du Luv 2007 Cà Viola
Barbera d’Asti Bricco della Bigotta 2007 Braida
Barbera d’Asti La Crena 2006 Vietti
Barolo 2005 Mascarello Bartolo
Barolo Acclivi 2005 Burlotto G. B.
Barolo Arione 2005 Gigi Rosso
Barolo Bricco delle Viole 2005 Vajra G. D.
Barolo Brunate – Le Coste 2005 Rinaldi Giuseppe
Barolo Cannubi S. Lorenzo – Ravera 2005 Rinaldi Giuseppe
Barolo Cascina Dardi Bussia 2005 Fantino Alessandro e Gian Natale
Barolo Cascina Francia 2005 Conterno Giacomo
Barolo Castelletto 2005 Veglio Mauro
Barolo Ciabot Tanasio 2005 Sobrero Francesco e Figli
Barolo Cicala 2005 Conterno Aldo
Barolo Colonnello 2005 Conterno Aldo
Barolo La Serra 2005 Poderi Marcarini
Barolo Le Coste 2005 Pecchenino Fratelli
Barolo Le Gramolere 2005 Manzone Giovanni
Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba 2005 Giacosa Bruno
Barolo Mariondino – Bussia – Le Coste – Mosconi 35° annata 2005 Parusso
Barolo Massara 2004 Castello di Verduno
Barolo Monprivato Cà d’Morissio Riserva 2001 Mascarello Giuseppe e Figlio
Barolo Monprivato in Castiglione Falletto 2004 Mascarello Giuseppe e Figlio
Barolo Parafada 2005 Vigna Rionda – Massolino
Barolo Prapò 2005 Germano Ettore
Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe 2003 Cavallotto
Barolo Riserva La Rocca e La Pira 1995 I Paglieri – Roagna
Barolo Riserva Pernanno 2003 Sobrero Francesco e Figli
Barolo Riserva San Pietro 2003 Viberti Giovanni
Barolo Rocche Rivera 2004 Oddero Luigi & Figli
Barolo S. Stefano di Perno in Monforte d’Alba 2004 Mascarello Giuseppe e Figlio
Barolo Sorì Gepin 2003 La Spinona
Barolo Vigna Broglio 2004 Palladino
Barolo Vigna dei Pola 2005 Ascheri
Barolo Vigna Elena 2004 Cogno Elvio
Barolo Vigna Liste 2004 Borgogno Giacomo & Figli
Barolo Vigneto Cannubi 2005 Burlotto G. B.
Barolo Vigneto Corda della Briccolina 2005 Batasiolo
Carema Etichetta Nera 2004 Ferrando e C.
Dogliani I Filari 2007 Poderi Einaudi
Erbaluce di Caluso Le Chiusure 2008 Favaro
Gattinara 2003 Nervi
Gavi del comune di Gavi Bruno Broglia 2008 Tenuta La Meirana
Gavi del comune di Gavi Raccolto Tardivo 2008 La Toledana
Langhe Bianco Hérzu 2007 Germano Ettore
Langhe Nebbiolo Sorì Tildin 2006 Gaja
Lessona 2005 Proprietà Sperino
Roero Arneis Sette Anni 2001 Negro Angelo & Figli

PUGLIA
Gioia del Colle Primitivo “16″ 2005 Polvanera
Gioia del Colle Primitivo Riserva 2006 Pietraventosa
Graticciaia 2005 Agricole Vallone
Patriglione 2003 Taurino Cosimo

SARDEGNA
Ajana 2005 Deiana Ferruccio
Astangia 2006 Loi Alberto
Carignano del Sulcis Piede Franco 2007 Cantina Sociale Calasetta
Carignano del Sulcis Superiore Terre Brune 2005 Cantina Sociale Santadi
Malvasia di Bosa Dolce 2006 Porcu F.lli
Vernaccia di Oristano Antico Gregori Contini Attilio

SICILIA
Catarratto 2008 Porta del Vento
Contea di Sclafani Bianco Nozze d’Oro 2008 Tasca d’Almerita
Contea di Sclafani Rosso del Conte 2006 Tasca d’Almerita
Etna Rosso Feudo 2007 Russo Girolamo
Etna Rosso Il Musmeci 2007 Tenuta di Fessina
Etna Rosso M.I. 2007 Biondi
Frappato 2008 COS
Marsala Superiore Donna Franca Riserva Cantine Florio
Moscato Passito di Pantelleria 2005 Ferrandes
Nerosanlore’ 2006 Gulfi
Passopisciaro 2007 Passopisciaro
Terra delle Sirene 2006 Zenner

TOSCANA
Bolgheri Sassicaia 2006 San Guido
Brunello di Montalcino 2004 La Cerbaiola – Salvioni
Brunello di Montalcino 2004 Lambardi – Canalicchio di Sotto
Brunello di Montalcino 2004 Poggio di Sotto
Brunello di Montalcino 2004 Tiezzi
Brunello di Montalcino Le Potazzine 2004 Gorelli – Tenuta Le Potazzine
Brunello di Montalcino Piaggione 2004 Podere Salicutti
Caiarossa 2006 Caiarossa
Carmignano Riserva Piaggia 2006 Piaggia – Vannucci Silvia
Chianti Classico Castello di Ama 2006 Castello di Ama
Chianti Classico Riserva 2001 Castell’in Villa
Chianti Classico Riserva 2006 Badia a Coltibuono
Chianti Classico Riserva 2006 Solatione
Chianti Classico Riserva 2006 Val delle Corti
Chianti Classico Riserva Bilaccio 2006 Il Borghetto
Chianti Classico Riserva Il Campitello 2006 Monteraponi
Chianti Classico Riserva Monna Lisa 2006 Vignamaggio
Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia 2006 Felsina
Chianti Classico Riserva Tenuta di Capraia 2006 Rocca di Castagnoli
Chianti Classico Vigneto San Marcellino 2006 Rocca di Montegrossi
Chianti Colli Senesi 2006 Pacina
Colline Lucchesi Sauvignon Gana 2007 Terre del Sillabo
D’Alceo 2006 Castello dei Rampolla
Flaccianello 2006 Tenuta Fontodi
Il Caberlot 2006 Podere Il Carnasciale
Le Pergole Torte 2006 Montevertine
Lupicaia 2006 Castello del Terriccio
Masseto 2006 Ornellaia
Montechiari Cabernet 2006 Montechiari
Montecucco Rosso Sacromonte 2006 Castello di Potentino
Nanerone 2007 Piandibugnano
Orcia Rosso Frasi 2006 Sedime
Rosso di Montalcino 2006 Stella di Campalto – San Giuseppe
Rosso di Montalcino 2007 Talenti
Scirus 2006 Fattoria Le Sorgenti
Solaia 2006 Marchesi Antinori
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Montenidoli Carato 2005 Montenidoli
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Riserva Isabella 2004 San Quirico
Vignamaggio 2006 Vignamaggio
Vin Santo di Montepulciano 1997 Avignonesi
Vin Santo di Montepulciano 1997 Poliziano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone 2006 Poliziano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Simposio 2006 Tenimenti Angelini – Tre Rose

TRENTINO
Moscato Giallo Selezione Francesco Moser 2008 Moser Diego e Francesco
Trentino Riesling 2004 Maso Bergamini
Trentino Rosso Navesel 2006 Simoncelli Armando
Trentino Vendemmia Tardiva Rupe Re 2007 Cavit
Trentino Vino Santo 2003 Poli Giovanni
Trento Brut Riserva del Fondatore Giulio Ferrari 2000 Ferrari
Trento Letrari Brut 2006 Letrari
Trento Perlé Nero Metodo Classico 2003 Ferrari

UMBRIA
Montefalco Sagrantino 2004 Di Filippo Italo
Montefalco Sagrantino Arquata 2005 Adanti
Torgiano Rosso Riserva Rubesco Vigna Monticchio 2005 Lungarotti
Vinsanto Bacca Rossa 2006 La Palazzola

VENETO
Amarone della Valpolicella Campo Leon 2004 Latium
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2000 Quintarelli
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Calcarole 2004 Guerrieri Rizzardi
Antico Pasquale 2003 Masari
Harlequin 2003 Zymè
Relogio 2007 Ca’ Orologio
Soave Classico Vigneto Sengialta 2008 Balestri Valda

Wines from Trieste

Wines from Trieste.

By Filippo Bartolotta

From Collio to Carso is a little hour drive.

One doesn’t even have time to get thirsty, but in case the wines from Carso will wake anyone up!

Streams of rivers flow underground this Northern East Costal area of Italy.

People here have got names which sound pretty different from the usual Italians like Mario Rossi: Kante, Zidarich, Skerk, etc. And wait to get to the wines: Vitovska, Terrano and more…

This is just the peak of the iceberg, just a little sign of the million extraordinary differences that make Italy 1000 countries within one!

It is more exotic to travel across Italy that going to London or Paris!

In some areas not only they speak a very strict dialect, but actually speak a language, in same cases officially recognized by the European Community.

Trieste and the wine area around it is one of those places where this feeling of exotic is very welcoming. People are very reserved over here, but this doesn’t stop them from being

pleasantly generous and hospitable. The food is a an Austro-Hungary-Italian combination with plenty of succulent meat dishes, but also local sea food and irresistible desserts.

Anyway this time I started a little more inland than Trieste, in Cormons.

In the little Hotel where I have stayed I thought I was going to have some rice and a salad and instead I was fed Ravioli with a potato and venison filling, Pork with apple sauce and veggies and when I was about to leave table a luscious ice cream with a figs and rum jam on top with an orange spirit made by the owner!

In this place every year there’s a celebration for an Austrian emperor with thousands of Austrians coming down to party!

The pictures on the wall with the white and red Austrian flags are everywhere in the hotel. This area of Italy was Austrian till 1918.

I was still thinking about the pretty little Cormons when I arrived to Prepotto on the coast.

My first stop here is at the Zidarich cellar.

Benjamin’s wife -Nevenka-  opens the door of the lovely wooden-stone house a few km away from Duino. This is a village of very few little houses.

It might be proven a little difficult to find it and in case you get lost you won’t be having too many people around to ask, but as anticipated…it is all worth it.

We go waiting for Banjamin Zidarich on a big terrace with a stunning view of the sea on top of the cellar.

My son is given a platter of local salami and some bread. He eyes open as he doesn’t get to have such a succulent and naughty snack every day.

I must confess that I couldn’t resist to do a “quality check” of my son’s meal, despite I didn’t need any more calories that day. Was it good? Ohhh yes!

Benjamin arrives and we head straight into the cellar, but as we get to the door he begins to show first some of his vineyards and then a bit of history of the farm.

He seemed to be working to building up some kind of expectations and as we get in I don’t quite get it as it is like entering any ground floor of a regular cellar: bottling line and some storage space.

Yes the stone chosen by Benjamin were cut locally, he also had an artist carving some of the columns  in a very delicate and impressive way and yes, I was quite thrilled to see so many of the super savory and juicy Vitovska, but this wasn’t enough to match Benjamin’s talks on his big investment.

He was very calm and kind of secure, then he says: let’s get down to taste some wines.

We start getting down a staircase and all of a sudden I understand: a deep underground cellar, carved in the natural rock of Carso always wet by little springs here and there.

Every floor we were reaching down the temperature was getting more austere, till we see the first barrels.

Zidarich cellar is literally a cave. He has done an amazing job in obtaining rooms out of the mountains without using any cement, or other building materials: the wines got to feel happy here, I say, he smiles and says: I am trying to do my best to secure the best conditions possible for my wines, after a long year in the vineyard!

We start tasting from the Slavonian and French oak cask and regardless the barrel or the variety, the “rocky minerality” is the true essence to his wines.

Mineral Wines

Minerality is a very abused word (I use it a lot too), but some wines do have an extra edge of flinty-stoney-watery-mouth filling complexity which can’t be described otherwise.

To understand minerality have a drop of any of Zidarich wines and everyone will get it.

Very often though minerality is related to very austere wines, here his wines are important but always extremely drinkable and refreshing.

Benjamin belongs to a group of “natural wine-makers” (see http://luxwinetrip.wordpress.com/2009/04/17/no-hung-over-in-verona/) under the provocative name of: “true wines”; as if anything else in the market wasn’t!

Point is that anything is true, even Mc-Donald! The clue therefore to me is not “truth”, but linking authenticity to natural wine making and quality. In my next blog I’ll try to tackle this very difficult  subject for the moment we stick to Carso.

NOTES ON THE WINES.

Vitovska

As mentioned, although a simple variety, very often used with other grapes, Zidarich Vitovska is one of my favourite with its inner powerful energy, smooth balance, intensity and length. Watch our its drinkability: its overwhelming with its oriental perfumes and fruits! Despite the wine is made naturally and like a red -with a long maceration, no filtration, no additives of any kind and a couple of years of big oak aging- this is a true elegant dancing butterfly!

Prulke

This is a blend of Malvasia, Sauvignon Blanc and Vitovska.
The first gives the wine loads of floral seductiveness, which seems to be pushed even further by the backbone of Sauv. B. and the Vitosvska to smooth out and mineralize this very complex lengthy wine!

Terrano

I love this wine for its marvelous fruit driven and salty contrast. Yeas you heard me, salty. Great red berry crush, black cherries and spices. It’s a wine with a unique character which will surprise most wine lovers!

After this wonderful spelunking wine experience I now have a problem: I am late with Skerk and with the Kante, apparently not the easiest and accommodating of people!

Fearing the worst Benjamin offers to take me to Kante, not before saying hello to Skerk who makes one of the most elegant and well interpreted Malvasia in the area.

We arrive in a small, little cement house in the middle of the wood with a lovely vineyard garden in front, and a few free-run roosters roaming around.

Milo gets all excited as he finds a way to explore a little house in the woods, but Daphne and Vanessa seemed to be getting tired by now. I, on the other end, am extremely impatient to meet the man whose labels have helped me so much in inspiring great moments and relieving me from difficult ones.

We are offered some amazing cheeses and some sparkling wine by Miss Kante while waiting for Edi Kante to come back from the field.

I was expecting to meet someone arriving tired and dirty from the work in the field and instead I see an extremely well groomed and super tall man approaching us with high-tech spectacles and a very outspoken attitude.

He goes straight for my little duckling (Daphne) who seemed pretty happy about it.

He kindly asks permission to hold her and Daphne doesn’t hesitate a second.

I immediately think: two atomic bombs together!

You can tell straight away that Kante is an extremely energetic man with a lot of character and personality.

He gets Daphne back to Vanessa and finally looks at me: are you ready?

I, kind of get a little scared, like before an exam, but promptly respond: sure I am!

We get inside the house, he hands me over a big jumper and we get down the cellar. He asks me a little of the wineries I have been before and we start chatting about wine. A minute later we are in an engaging one-to-one wine philosophy and wine making techniques drama.

We get together well, He seems to like what I have to say and I like his style while I thin to myself: very soon you are going to taste his wines with him in his cellar!

My dream couldn’t get any better as we start from the lowest floor. A grotto with cement cylindrical structure with circular  steps to get people up and down.

Once at the bottom we are in a round cellar with circularly displayed barriques surrounded by wet walls and cold temperature.

Soldera told me I used too much concrete to build it, but I am pretty happy about this, he says.

Kante’s cellar gives the feeling of a secret Batman like cellar.  There is indeed a lot of cement to support the cylinder shaped underground cellar surrounded by carsick rock.

Very often I have to ask producers to speed up tastings, to taste more. But here with Kante I should have been careful of what I wished for.

After the tenth barrel I understand that I might have entered like in a “wine casino” where you know when you get in, but you don’t know when you are going to be out.

An hour passed and we start getting to the floor above but I all of a sudden think of Vanessa and the kids. Usually one gets to taste a few barrels, but not the whole production. I now have mixed feelings between the wine tasting adrenaline and the thought of my family going -rightfully- crazy.

He ensures me that his wife is taking the best care possible and so I feel better.

Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Vitoska, Pinot Blanc from new barrels, from different parcel, from different areas, from different countries as well!!!

If I were to report here all the tastings we had together it would be like a directory, so I will spare you that. What I can say is that Kante is one of the most serious, technical, passionate and thorough wine maker I have ever met in my life.

He asks me to be honest during tasting and so I go straightforward and he seems to appreciate better my criticism than my praises.

Kante is a strong personality, but he doesn’t make any unquestionable statements as one would expect from a famous producer. He has more questions than answers and he tries to understand the wine world through a lot of experimentations in the cellar without having the consumers to pay for it. A kid inside one of the most authoritative Italian wine makers! I like this. I like to see people taking risks in their life and profession; I like wine makers that don’t give anything for granted, people who want to learn all the time from any occasion.

He has been experimenting to produce in every way possible: natural with no sulphur; plenty of sulphur and manipulation and more. All his tests are kept in the cellar for years and then tasted over and over. He would put in the market only the production he has been experimenting for more years and that he is certain 110%.

Kante is a man of science, he is open to different theories and different practices, but he is also an empiric and pragmatic person and an artist too (painter).

At the third underground level up, after a good thirty wines tasted I thought I had a vision: my wife and kids all covered in blankets appearing behind a cask. It must have been hungry! Then Milo runs towards me, I hug and see in his eyes that is time to go.

We try to get back on the surface, but not before going for another 10 wines and the last bit of show with the Saber and one of his KK Spumante Brut NV with plenty of life and zest…just like Edi!

Some Wine Notes

Kante Sauvignon Blanc

This is one of my favorite Italian Sauvignon Blanc. Year after year Kante release this very sleek wine, which sometimes might be a little more oak driven, but always with an irresistible seductive style and drinkability. It’s a wine for lovers!

Kante Chardonnay

A more alcoholic style wine with a rounder and fattier mouth-fill. It gets better with a few year of bottle aging to get rid of some oak. In the cellar I had a lot of cask samples with a lot of fruit and savoriness which I would like to see more in the bottle.

Kante Vitoska

Kante’s Vitoska is a cleaner and more austere version than the many macerative and salty ones.

Very clean and zesty wine quite simple. I am sure we are going to see more intriguing versions coming soon.

Kante Malavasia

I have tasted so many amazingly different Malvasia in Edi’s cellar that he would be able to produce ten labels.  What I love about his approach with this aromatic variety is the balancing of the “aromatics” avoiding to go for too obvious floral and fruit style and reaching for more complexity.

Hotel and B&B in Trieste

Duchi d’Aosta.  wonderfully authentic Italian 18-19th century 5 star with original wooden floors and authentic furniture. Great bar and terrace overlooking the beautiful and spacious Piazza Unità d’Italia. One of the best coffee menu in town.

Daphne&Milo at the Duchi d’Aosta

On a budget but don’t want to give up authenticity, elegance and Mittel European flair?

B&B Decò. This is Sonia&David’s place. They live in this beautiful historical 19th C Palazzo on the 4th floor with their little super behaved four year old Sara and a reserved cat -Asia-. Sonia is an Interior decorator of great talent, she also make hand make bags and more. Wooden floors, antiques and lovely decorations make you feel very well here.

My favorite restaurant.

Ristorante Scabar on the hills of Trieste. Giorgio and Ami Scabar will approach you asking what you have seen in the menu. Then they think a few seconds and the give you their proposal based on your choices, but always adding or subtracting something in order to try and balance everything out for the best. Dialogue with this passionate restaurant owners is great. It does work for me and the result is always better than expected. Wine list is to die for Scabar is a very knowledgeable Friulan wine lover from whom anyone can learn. Let him light the way for you. Great Scampi, very fresh marinated sardines, the three version cod…I wish I could be there now!

Avoid Caffe degli Specchi.

This is a beautiful historic place in the main square in Trieste, but is run in the most touristic, rude and speculative way possible. The Duchi d’Aosta right in front is a more friendly and high quality option.

Chablis&Vernaccia di San Gimignano

Chablis e Vernaccia di San Gimignano

di Filippo Bartolotta

Chi avrebbe mai pensato fino a pochi mesi fa di poter associare in una degustazione la Vernaccia di San Gimignano con uno dei re dei vini bianchi del mondo, lo Chablis.

Il primo, lo sappiamo, a causa della eccessiva bellezza e fama della sua città di origine – San Gimignano è stata dichiarata anche Patrimonio dell’Unesco – è un vino che ha perso la sua identità per confondersi in una miriade di stili molto diversi tra loro, in molti casi di qualità purtroppo discutibile. Almeno fino a che non si è verificata un’inversione di tendenza che dura da ormai oltre dieci anni. Dai primi anni ’90 infatti la Varnaccia ha sottolineato la sua vocazione verso la qualità, da sempre perseguita da un gruppetto di aziende storiche tra cui vale la pena  citarne alcune come Montenidoli, Vagnoni e Pietrafitta. Il vero timoniere di questa nuova rotta è stato senza dubbio Panizzi il quale, tra l’89 ed il ’90, ha cominciato a produrre un vino con tecniche vitivinicole moderne e con l’obbiettivo della qualità. Fattori questi che hanno motivato molti altri produttori, spingendoli a migliorare la propria offerta.

Inoltre a partire dal 2005, con l’evento Vernaccia Vintage, cioè l’assaggio di campioni di Vernaccia di oltre 30 anni di età, quasi tutte ancora fresche e profumate, si è riusciti a dimostrare la vocazione all’invecchiamento di questo bistrattato vitigno. Con una capacità di superare i decenni degna dei grandi bianchi francesi.

Proprio da quest’ultima esperienza è nata l’idea di continuare il percorso della qualità confrontandosi con uno dei più rinomati vini bianchi da affinamento per scoprire se davvero la Vernaccia ha il potenziale accennato in precedenza.

Il 20 febbraio 2005 è stata dunque la data prescelta per il match. Nell’angolo destro, padrona di casa, stava la Vernaccia, con sei campioni scelti direttamente dal Consorzio di tutela. All’angolo sinistro scalpitava invece lo Chablis, chardonnay tra i più blasonati, potremmo dire il “detentore del titolo”.

Ecco allora la sfida Vernaccia Vs. Chablis. Una sfida non agonistica, indetta un po’ per gioco, un po’ per passione, un po’ per offrire spunti di riflessioni utili ad entrambi i territori. Un confronto teso ad intrecciare le due realtà enologiche per mostrarne affinità e differenze. San Gimignano metteva sul tavolo – anzi nei calici – la propria storia centenaria, il proprio marchio Docg (primo ad ottenere la Doc in Italia), la propria anima di vino-vitigno tutto toscano (“vernaccia” deriva da “vernaculum”, cioè originario e tipico di un luogo) e soprattutto il lavoro di un consorzio e di alcuni produttori che seguono la via della qualità con costanza e impegno. Chablis, da par suo, rispondeva con lo charme di piccolo territorio borgognone dove il vino è di casa da mille anni e dove lo chardonnay ha caratteri minerali unici. Qui, a metà strada tra Lione e Parigi, il terreno è composto per la maggior parte da fossili di ostrica – responsabili della sapidità minerale dei vini – e la classificazione dei vini segue molto da vicino questa conformazione geologica: Grand cru, Premiere cru, Chablis e Petit Chablis, cioè una divisione che conduce dai terreni più vocati sino a quelli di minor pregio.

La degustazione condotta dal mitico Ernesto Gentili, curatore della Guida dei Vini dell’Espresso, e Raul Salama, caporedattore per l’Italia de La Reveue du vin de France, ha messo a confronto sei campioni dell’uno e sei campioni dell’altro vino di annate a partire dal 2004 per arrivare al 1990.

Prima di vedere l’esito della degustazione è necessario premettere alcune considerazioni di carattere filosofico-produttivo delle due realtà. Come già accennato, lo Chablis cresce di pregio in base alla appellation, cioè in base alla dislocazione delle vigne: in sintesi possiamo dire che alla base delle colline vitate si trovano le appellation controlée più commerciali, mentre salendo si incontrano i Premier Crù ed infine i Grand Crù. In maniera altettanto francese, al salire della gerarchia di qualità salgono proporzionalmente anche i prezzi: un Premier Crù esce mediamente dalla cantina tra i 10 e i 15 euro, un Grand Crù esce tra i 25 e i 40.

Per la Vernaccia il discorso è differente. Il concetto di Crù, sebbene seguito in molte aree produttive italiane, basti pensare al Barolo, non può essere usato secondo i nostri termini di legge. Cioè in Italia le Denominazioni definiscono un territorio delimitato, all’interno del quale non si può affermare che una determinata zona è migliore strutturalmente dell’altra. E quindi i prezzi dei vini sono di necessità più allineati tra di loro e più costanti (basti pensare che Panizzi metteva fuori la sua Vernaccia base nel 1990 a 5.000£ e oggi la vende a soli 5€).

Altro elemento che merita sottolineare è la chance concessa ai produttori di Chablis di chaptalizzare il vino (aggiungere zuccheri), operazione che in Italia è vietata per legge. E che in alcuni casi può rendere più completi i vini dei nostri cugini d’oltralpe.

Passiamo al cuore della sfida. I primi tre campioni di Chablis presentati erano dei 1er Crù, mentre i secondi erano dei Grand Crù. Per quanto riguarda la Vernaccia, invece, si andava da etichette base di annata a riserve, sino ad una Vernaccia base 1990.

Gli Assaggi

Coppia N° 1

Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Tenuta Mormoraia 2004                                        15.9

Con sentori di pietra focaia al naso, resi più interessanti da un intenso tocco di agrumi. Un po’ meno robusta dello Chablis Laroche, sebbene di buona struttura, con una carattere sorprendentemente rotondo ma al tempo stesso fresco e speziato.

Chablis Domaine Laroche 1^er Crù, Fourchaumes Vieilles Vignes 2003               16.5

Già aperto con un bel sentore burroso, traccia di una mallolatica svolta, e pesca matura. Grandi aromi di frutta matura e anche di intensa mineralità. Struttura enorme con ottima acidità, corpo che riempie il palato e un finale molto lungo.

Coppia N° 2

Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Fattoria Abbazia di Monteoliveto, LaGentilesca 2004                                                                                                                            15.5

Dal color paglierino intenso (più scuro dello Chablis), con un naso ancora un po’ chiuso in cui sono però presenti delicati sentori di tostato e di legno di rovere, soprattutto nel finale. Sentori che ritornano in bocca in maniera forse un po’ troppo travolgente rispetto alla componente fruttata.

Chablis William Fèvre, 1^er Crù, Vaulorent 2003    16.4

Del colore dell’oro, dal naso inizialmente più chiuso della Vernaccia, si apre in seguito in profumi di miele e minerali.

Al palato mostra un contenuto alcolico leggermente pungente, dimostrandosi anche lo Chablis più austero tra quelli in assaggio.

Coppia N° 3

Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Az. San Quirico,  Campi Santi 2001                15.6

Bel colore dorato e altrettanto bel tocco minerale, completato da note speziate, di mandorla e di frutta matura, soprattutto banana. Spiccata e piacevole acidità in bocca, giusta spalla e un carattere ricco e corposo con una buona persistenza, ma con alcuni sentori ossidativi.

Chablis Domaine Raveneau, 1^er Crù, Chapelots 2002                                        18

Brillante d’oro, al naso si apre con una splendida burrosità, pesche mature e te verde. In bocca inizia piacevolmente fresco e si evolve con una bella speziatura e un finale molto, molto lungo. Quasi impossibile non berlo.

Coppia N° 4

Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Panizzi , Riserva 1998                                      16

Dal colore dorato e dai profumi netti, sia floreali che di frutta tropicale, con sfumature legnose. Al gusto si rivela matura, rinfrescata ottimamente dall’acidità e con un finale piacevolmente lungo.

Chablis William Fèvre, Grand Crù, Les Clos 1999                                        18

Con una spiccata grassezza burrosa al naso e una sfumatura addirittura animale. E poi pesche mature e mango. Ancora, una splendida freschezza accompagnata da un corpo esteso, forse intaccato da una pungenza alcolica troppo in evidenza.

Coppia N° 5

Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Panizzi, Riserva 1995                                      18.5

Dai riflessi carichi d’oro, con profumi burrosi e di rovere, mandorle, vaniglia e frutta tropicale. Bocca molto ricca e alcolica, ma anche molto rotonda. Finale abbastanza persistente.

Chablis Raveneau, Grand Crù, Valmur 1995            18

Appare di colore dorato medio, molto elegante e con una tostatura moderata. Sentori animali precedono un corpo possente e un finale senza fine, che protrae la sapidità a lungo.

Coppia N° 6

Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Panizzi 1990                                                  19

Lievemente ridotta con un naso floreale e una grande pulizia, una immensa acidità che la rende ancora molto beverina e una sorprendente sapidità. Un vino straordinario, ancora giovane egradevolmente fruttato.

Chablis  Laorche, Grand Crù, Blanchots 1990                                                    18.5

Molto elegante, senza elementi preponderanti. Buona burrosità, bocca fresca e asciutta. Eleganza fantastica, stupendo il finale, sebbene un po’ troppo austero.

How long and how well can Brunello di Montalcino age?

Filippo Bartolotta

How long and how well can Brunello di Montalcino age?

With this question in mind, I spent many hot days discovering Brunello producers, tasting their wines young and old, and setting foot on the diverse soils of this magical territory in southern Tuscany at 50 km from the sea, 30 km south of Siena, and 100 km south of Florence.

Montalcino is a small fortified village on a hilltop at 567 meters above sea level, with just 5000 inhabitants. Until not too long ago, it was one of the poorest areas of Italy, but in recent years luck has turned in its favor, thanks to a wine that can only be produced here: Brunello di Montalcino.

Brunello (literally, the “little brown one”) is the name of the Sangiovese clone selected by Ferruccio Biondi-Santi at his Tenuta Il Greppo estate at the end of the 1800’s, when he decided to produce a wine using the best winemaking techniques of the time.

Today when we speak of Brunello di Montalcino, we are referring to more than 200 producers, on about 2.000 hectares of vineyards, valued at least €250,000 per hectare. But we must put these figures in historical context.  In 1967 when the territory founded its Consortium, there were 12 producers working only 64 hectares, valued at over 2000% less than it is today! Since the beginning, the Consortium of Brunello di Montalcino has worked to create worth and value throughout the territory for all producers. This is a particularly interesting case in the Italian Wine Industry, because today to walk among Montalcino’s vineyards is to walk in a jewelbox beneath the open sky.

It stands to reason that in the face of these figures, investment has multiplied, and today it has reached its peak. “We’ve closed the planting rights in Montalcino. In 2004 we will reach potential production, of about 11.5 million bottles,” says Stefano Campatelli, the Consortium’s Director. Just think that of the 6.5 million bottles on the market today, little more than 150,000 arrive in the UK every year. And if the rest of the world continues to drink even more Brunello di Montalcino, Great Britain will consume a steady 2.5%.

Brunello di Montalcino must be made with 100% Sangiovese, and aged for at least 2 years in wood casks, and another three years in the cellar. By law, it is the Italian wine that stays in cellar longest before going on the market, and the Riserva must wait a total of six years.

But is it true what they say about Brunello’s extraordinary aging capability?

If you ask Franco Biondi-Santi, the inventor’s nephew and estate’s current proprietor, there is no doubt. “I proved a few years ago that it’s a wine that can easily reach 100 years of age!”  Sitting in a room over the cellar with a view of vineyards, olive trees and cypresses right out of a Renaissance painting, we taste across more than forty years of production. The wines of Tenuta Il Greppo are born at 450 above sea level, in one of the highest areas of Montalcino, which gives rise to fresh and austere wines. The average acidity is almost always more than 6 grams per liter, decidedly high for a red wine. But this seems to be just the secret.

I have no doubt that the 1964 is Biondi-Santi’s champion. It is the most ready to drink, with the sweetest tannins. In thirty years, the 1997 Riserva, which is still quite closed, could become the ’64 of today.

Biondi-Santi still carries out maceration in large wooden vats, using grapes from vines that are at least 10 years old for Brunello, and 25 years old for the Riserva. To understand Franco Biondi-Santi’s regal yet simple gait, which is mirrored in his wines, think of reading Melville’s Moby Dick: time is necessary for us to enter into the story completely. “I uncorked them last night before dinner, let’s hope they’ve opened up a little!” , he says. His is a wine for celebrations, harsh and hard when just opened but capable of offering an unique depth and sweetness after a few years of aging.

“Sangiovese is a variety with only six cellular coatings, poor in terpenes and therefore in very short supply of primary aromas, and difficult compared to Merlot or Cabernet,” says Paolo Vagaggini, one of the foremost experts of Sangiovese, seated in his high-tech winelab. “The same vine can produce clusters from 180 grams to 400 grams, which does not happen with easier to manage international vines.”

There is no doubt for oenologist Niccolò d’Afflitto, long-time technical chief of Frescobaldi. “Sangiovese is very difficult to work with. Just think that if it rains, a Cabernet grape can grow by a maximum of 4%, while Sangiovese can grow by more than 40% in just a few hours, and a whole year’s work can go to waste!”

D’Afflitto doesn’t seem discouraged by this challenge however, despite the 153 hectares he transforms into Brunello di Montalcino with Frescobaldi. An oenologist for large estates who works only with native yeasts, he is in constant, close contact with university researchers.

D’Afflitto and I passed four out of the six hours of our meeting in the vineyard. “It’s all a question of soil and exposure. The Tuscan galestro serves at about 350 meters above sea level. What remains of compacted and broken clay, of very hard shale schist which require the plant to go deeper in search of water, and in doing so it offers the best of itself. This is certainly the case of Castelgiocondo –Frescobaldi’s 1990 Brunello Riserva, which emerged as one of the best of more than 200 old Brunellos tasted for this quest.

Not far from Frescobaldi’s vineyards, in the southern part of Montalcino’s highest subregion, we find another producer who collaborates with the University of Florence’s microbiology studies, but who would never allow a barrique in his cellar. After exploring the modern methods that make Brunello ever more ready to drink, we once again return to the rhythms of Melville.

We are with Gianfranco Soldera, a producer of strong and secure character who doesn’t seem to have many doubts about how to make his wine, or about Sangiovese’s superiority compared to other renowned varieties. “When Sangiovese from Montalcino is interpreted at its best, it is capable of giving a subtlety, depth, sweetness and intensity that you can’t find even in the great Barolos or Burgundys but here every harvest comes out well: of thirty-five harvests, I have bottled thirty-three great wines”, he declares looking far into the horizon from S. Angelo in Colle facing the majestic Monte Amiata.

From here we have the best view of the southern part of the region: before us the mountain protects it from the eastern winds, the hill of Montalcino that protects from the northern winds, and the Orcia river that channels the winds coming from the sea, making this area one of the most arid areas in Tuscany.

In his winemaker’s beret and suspenders, Soldera watches with his penetrating eyes as he tells you this, then he invites you to pair his 2000 Brunello Case Basse Riserva with one of the most dangerous foods: artichokes. “The natural tannins of my wine (which passes about four years in large Slavonian oak casks in order avoid any wood possibly masking the Sangiovese’s aromas) are so balanced that they face up to the artichoke’s! Indeed the great drinkability of this wine won against all foes and its aging potential is extraordinary.

Giulio Gambelli, one of the most admired oenologists for his refined results with Sangiovese, has told me that he considers Soldera’s ’83 the best Brunello ever made!

There is no doubt that ’83 was a very important year. You can see it in the ruby colour, even more intense than that of the others. On the palate its tannic structure is more important and the fruit extraction is denser and cleaner. But the’81 and ’84 (considerd very small vintages!) seem to dominate this vertical tasting for the first two hours. They both have suprisingly sweet tannins, with the latter’s similar to the elegance of a Burgundy Grand Crù. The former has tannins that are velvety like a good night caress. The ’85 is very austere and the most closed of them all, and still not ready to drink!?

However, things don’t always go so well. And moving forward in the tasting, some problems emerge. On the one hand I’ve confirmed that Brunello di Montalcino seems to have all the right properties in order to not only age, but improve as years pass. However, it is also true that not all Brunellos live up to this expectation. Furthermore, it seems more reliable to trust the best producers with vineyards in the best areas instead of going by what have been defined as the “best years.”

Therefore out of about forty champions tasted at the Brunello Consortium’s forty year anniversary celebration, in my book only about 25% stood out for their indisputable class. The rest wavered between medium level and acceptable wines, to those which weren’t up to standards. This means that it is necessary to use a bit of caution for wines on the shelf at prices between £25 and £50 for the current vintage. The right choice however, will please your palate as well as your wallet.

To give some examples, at the refined trattoria Boccon di Vino in Montalcino you can find the great ’67 Costanti for £250. A fresh, dense and refined 1991 Tenuta Ugolaia Fuligni or a 1979 Col D’Orcia, with great mineral balance and traces of goudron and coffee on a perfect bed of tannins, can be found for roughly £80 at the Enoteca La Fortezza in Montalcino. The elegant 1979 Poggio Salvi, of which only 4.000 bottles have been recovered, is sold for about £50 directly at the estate, while the savoury and juicy Le Macioche 2001 or a more fruit driven Ferragamo’s Castiglion del Bosco can be found for around £25.

But we can better understand the place by coming in contact with its people, not just its wines. In the area’s northern part closest to Siena, one of the most modern and one of the most simple cellars in the entire region can be found just hundreds of meters apart. These are the Giancarlo Pacenti’s and Nello Baricci’s. In Pacenti’s case, we find ourselves with a young mathematician who seems to understand the mysteries of the difficult balance in managing the barrique and Sangiovese. “Very low temperatures (10°) and very high humidity (over 90%),” he states. “In this way the wood doesn’t have a big impact on the wine and manages to refine the Sangiovese in the best way.”

Indeed, he masterfully combines the grapes from the southern vineyards closest to the Orcia river, with their expressive mediterranean aromas, with those from the north side closer to the estate, which are more austere and tannic. Pacenti’s Brunello is rigorously modern, but also rich with a great personality, extraction, dense tannin bed and a velvety pleasure on the palate.

Baricci shares not just the same age and profession as “Doctor” Biondi-Santi, but also his mother’s milk, as Mrs. Baricci nursed them both. On this sunny afternoon, he is sitting waiting for me on the stone wall in front of his house in a straw hat, and invites me to come in. In the very small, humble kitchen four or five family members have gathered, along with four or five bottles. A still fruity and hot 1977 as well as a concentrated, rich and extracted 1983 stood out in the tasting. These are two great wines that should be crowned in gold. Don’t miss the Rosso di Montalcino from this small estate, it is often better than most Brunellos!

To discover more stridently contrasting styles, let’s stop even further south, close to the town of Montalcino at Giacomo Neri’s estate, Casanova dei Neri. His Riserva Cerretalto comes from a vineyard of red, alluvial, iron-rich soil which gives it a sense of place. It is concentrated and very decadent, with almost volcanic qualities as well as traces of elegant minerality. The Tenuta Nuova is more expansive, expressive and concentrated crù, produced in the southern area. “I just bought them in Germany, do you feel like tasting them?” Giacomo asks, corkscrew and two very old-looking bottles in hand. What stood out here were an appetizing and fresh 1981 and a dense, rich, expressive, never-ending 1986!

Not too far from the barriques of Neri’s supertechnical cellar lies a small family run estate where the proprietors are likely to offer you a piece of salame should you stop by, even if they don’t know you. This is La Fornace, belonging to native Fabio Giannetti, who produces a very clean and fruity Brunello from his three small hectares of Sangiovese. Making large leaps to the south, we then move south past Montalcino towards Castelnuovo dell’Abate, to one of the most suitable areas. Here you mustn’t miss a classic that satisfies modernists and traditionalists alike: Poggio di Sotto’s sweet, velvety, intense and deep Brunello. Be sure not to pass by the Rosso either, which is a truly a young Brunello. Among the highlights are the 2001 Decennale and a powerfully savoury and juicily refreshing IGT (with 6 years of ageing, don’t ask me why it’s not a Brunello…Italians!).

A few hundred meters in front of the Abbey of Sant’Antimo, which was founded by Alexander the Great, lies Andrea Cortonesi’s small estate. After tasting a battery of Brunellos, all with great and noticeably different personalities marked by leather, liquorice, tabacco and ripe black cherries, you may find yourself still here close to lunchtime. If so you will not escape Andrea’s mother’s wild boar ragù, a true shot of endorphins in most sublime form. And if you like discovering further contrasting scenarios, just cross the valley towards the west to S. Angelo Scalo, and Montalcino’s most southernly estate, where a fossil of an entire whale was recently discovered. This is Banfi, the largest Brunello estate. With its 160 hectares, it is truly responsible for this wine’s worldwide success.

Andrea Cortonesi says that Brunello was born from three “B’s”: “Biondi-Santi, the inventor of Brunello and producer of one of the most famous wines for aging; Barbi, the cellar that brought multifunctionality to Montalcino through wine tourism and Banfi, who introduced Brunello to the world.”

At Banfi, we enter a medieval castle renovated as a modern and welcoming cellar where tastings with friendly and well-prepared staff are possible at all hours of the day. The wines are typical of the Montalcino’s low altitude sandstone: very expressive while young, with tannic structures that are not too thick (keep in mind that we are talking about Sangiovese, so we will taste the tannins no matter what), and generous fruit.

To understand the difference of a wine from the more tannic North, try tasting Livio Sassetti’s monumental Brunello di Pertimali, produced out of the difficult clay soils. This wine is very austere when young, with thick, closed, impenetrable tannins which melt thanks to the generous sapidity and roundness of this Sangiovese, which is born in a soil “that must be ploughed to avoid the plants being broken by the clay when it compacts.” Lorenzo Sassetti keeps me in front of the vineyard for 45 minutes in order to explain the hard work to be done here behind the Montosoli hill. His wine is born here, and in certain vintages it is without a doubt one of the most enduring and intense wines of Montalcino.

This land’s split could go on into another second chapter, with another handful of names and places, but I believe we have enough proof of this wine’s aging potential. It’s light is still shining. “This mountain is magic,” says yet another great Italian oenologist, Roberto Cipresso, as he opens a refined, intense and balanced 2000 La Fiorita. “It still has not been sufficiently studied or understood. In other areas of the world there are studies on terroir and the symbiosis with some varieties established over more than 500 years of history, while here our potential is still unexplored!”

This is the beauty of Montalcino. It is a land of contrast, where everything is still possible. If you are looking for bottles to put away and open in a few decades, seek out Brunellos from the highest areas of Montalcino and perhaps those from rather hard soils. If your Brunello must be more ready to drink and less long lasting, look to the lower areas where the soil is looser. If you are on the hunt for a balanced, pleasant and relatively young wine, but with great potential, the best land is the classic Tuscan galestro at medium altitude, as in the highest part of the region’s central area leading from Montalcino towards Tavernelle.

BOX

Top Ten

Biondi-Santi 1964 *****

A clean and bright red garnet colour for a still very refreshing wine. Honestly: no sign of ageing! The wine is a restrained and yet elegantly perfumed example of classy Sangiovese showing hints of tobacco, coffee and dried fruit. Some decades to go!

Costanti 1967*****

Perfumes of dry roses and mint with a basil and bergamot touch. An intense leathery, sea salt lingering finish.

Silvio Nardi 1967****

Eucalyptus and aromatic herbs with some cumin and cardamom-like spieces.

On the palate the wine comes out with some white pepper, gun powder and a zesty finish.

Baricci 1977****

A densely perfumed wine still rich in red dried fruit integrated with a leathery complexity.

A smooth and rich toffee-like taste with a very lingering broad finish.

Pertimali 1983*****

A very austere wine built with a perfect architecture. Still very youthful, it is concentrated with black cherries, tar, and leather but with an elegant, never ending floral finish. Still a baby!

Soldera 1983*****

Another “young” Brunello with a lovely ruby red garnet colour, a black cherry fruit concentration blended with a combination of dry roses and an earl grey suiff. The palate is savoury, well structured with a very long finish of coffee and tobacco.

Salvioni 1985****

A dark ruby garnet wine packed with black berries and tobacco which develops a coffee and goudron taste in its very greatly structured Mediterannean palate.

Casanova dei Neri 1986****

A leathery, mineral, intense Sangiovese still built around mature red and black fruit, with a truffle touch. Concentration, power and intensity with a lingering finish.

Castel Giocondo Riserva 1990*****

A very clean strawberry jam like nose with some floral hints and a good tannic grip substained by well-extracted pulpy fruit. Another 20+

Siro Pacenti 1996*****

A slick earthy and densely extracted black driven fruit still plenty to support the still tight but very finely extracted tannins. A leathery, earthy, licorice long-lasting finish.

from Decanter Magazine 2007

Le Due Terre

Over the phone Silvana Forte sounds like a very open friendly and welcoming person. One of those people that from the first moments makes you feel comfortable with a no frills attitude.

We struggled a little to find the Le Due Terre in the beautiful countryside near Prepotto, but once you get there one feels like in a green paradise.

Le Due Terre is a little winery on top of a hill surrounded by a stunning window shape rose bush overlooking the vines and the immensely green Colli Orientali only three km away with the Slovenian border: hence the name Le Due Terre -the two soils.

Here I “parked” my little ones and Vanessa. Daphne seemed to enjoy particularly the magic of this place.

We got there a little late so I am invited to have a glass in the backyard where I see a very silent  man in his late forties enjoying a glass of red.

I start having a conversation with a very lovely young woman about our trip in Friuli, the weather, etc.

“Mr. Silence” meanwhile seems to be looking at me trying to figure me out. He is sitting with his shoulders leaning at the wall of the house sipping wine in a wine stained t-shirt. I thought he must have been the humble cellar master, but he acted as if he didn’t want to be caught in a conversation and so I let him be.

Then Silvana arrives at the table. She is like she sounded over the phone. We carry on with the conversation which slowly turns into the difference between drinking and tasting wine.

Mr Silent speaks up asking me where and how I started my passion for wine. I talked to him like you would with someone you casually meet at a bar, but soon after we take off for a laid back wine-philosophical conversation.

This man seemed to be having quite a personality. Then Silvana asks Flavio to take me for a tour in the cellar.

Falvio? Flavio Basilicata. Oh G! He is Silvana’s companion, owner and winemaker at Le Due Terre.

I got the impression that Silvana waited to see how we were getting along to then hand me over to Flavio to taste some stuff in the cellar. Meanwhile Silvana takes care of my family with a basket of freshly picked cherries!

Flavio has been working as a wine maker in Friuli from the 70’s. Then together with Silvana in the mid 80’s they start Le Due Terre with a little over four hectares.

It’s a small property where everything seems to be having a natural and simple balance.

They are organic and more but they do not claim it. I am working with some new ways to tackle  vines treatment that are lighter and less aggressive for the soil then copper -allowed by organic farming- tends to be, Flavio says.

They tend to have a very non interventionist approach in the cellar and they are pretty committed to produce wines that speak the language of origin.

And so we start tasting the Sacrisassi Bianco (white) first from the steel vat and then from the oak cask.

I ask him when he makes the final blend of the two varieties, Friulano 70% and Ribolla. He looks at me and says: I have made the blending in my vineyards when I designed them and planted.

In other words Le Due Terre blends are done from day one, with no manipulation or final cut in the cellar. Once the two varieties are harvested and fermented -of course their own yeasts- they go together a part in oak for one year and a part in steel tanks and then bottled. Same story for the Sacrissassi (literally sacred stones) Red: a blend of Schioppettino and Refosco.

I had the impression that Flavio is more inclined in red varieties for the Colli Orientali. He likes the challenge to tame tannins and body of this difficult indigenous varieties, but also of its Pinot Noir and Merlot.

Nonetheless I am a big fun of their Sacrisassi Bianco with its meadow flowers elegance, its pure fruit driven character matching a juicy, mineral and refreshing broad palate.

This description could go for all their reds as well.

The Sacrisassi Rosso 2006 shows a rich forrest fruit nose with a tobacco leaf complexity and a savory and lingering black pepper dense finish.

The Le Due Terre Merlot 1999 has got a clay/stone/chocolate density with a very earthy and tannic structure and a massive aging potential. Very young still.

Le Due Terre Pinot 2007 shows a black berry nose with an earthy touch. The palate is like silk with a mineral mouthwatering sensation with a dangerously high drinkability.

The polish importers have arrived, I am asked to do a bit of translation before we start again our journey to Carso where Zidarich and Kante are wating for us!

A quick stop at Lis Neris

As promised, here I am with the IV part of Friuli Venezia Giulia wines.

By Filippo Bartolotta

Part I: http://luxwinetrip.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/friulis-rocky-mineral-wines/

Part II: http://luxwinetrip.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/radikon-wines-gravner-and-la-subida/

Part III: http://luxwinetrip.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/la-castellada/

This time we will be going to for a short visit to Lis Neris and then a quick bite at La Taverna of Livio Felluga.

Mr Alvaro Pecorari is the owner of Lis Neris, one of the oldest and most established wineries in Friuli.

He seems to be a very straightforward and pragmatic person who very kindly takes me to see his vineyards.

Lis Neris is an estate of a total of 48 hectares planted in calcareous-gravel plateaux formed recently in the same period of Bordeaux (40.000 years ago). The area is between the border of Slovenia on the northern side and the Isonzo river on the southern bit.

The vineyards look beautiful with a very tidy guyot. Alvaro’s father is working them with his tractor while we talk about pruning.

The wine making technique is very modern with a state of the art winery, super cutting edge presses and a barrique room where some of the crus go for a 10 moths of batonage.

We tasted the following four wines:

Lis Neris Pinot Grigio ‘08

A very fresh basil and pepper mint nose with a creamier palate then expected and a pretty alcoholic touch.

“Gris” ‘07

This is a pure Grigio which went for 10 months of barrique aging. It’s a creamier and spicier wine then the previous with a rounder and more buttery character. Very well made wine with ripe peaches and dry herbs complexity and some lemon zest on the finish.

Lis ‘06

Lis is possibly the most important cuvée Lis Neris: Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauv. Blanc.

It has a very distinguishing cypress/incense nose with a melon and vanilla spice. It’s very lingering very rich and creamy also with a stoney/lime finish.

Confini ‘07

This is Gewurtz dominated wine with also some P. Grigio and Riesling. It has an Alsatian character with a super rich ripe and spicy nose. Very dense, almost sticky but with a refreshing tropical palate which give the wine thumbs up for a great Asian food dinner.

With some dry apricots and jasmine lingering in my palate I hit the road for a quick bit at La Taverna of Livio Felluga.

This is a very cosy place with very warm wooden tables and a pretty good wine list available at the wine bar at the counter. They serve some traditional food with a contemporary twist. Service is very fast and friendly.

After this quick bite here, I am already thinking about the afternoon visit at Le Due Terre…

Vinexpò 2009

Vinexpò 2009

by Filippo Bartolotta

I am only managing now to report from Bordeaux. It was a great trip with some amazing revelations: good and bad ones too.

This was my first time over there and I was very thrilled to go visit some

of the famous First Growths that I have been tasting above all during my London years with Steven Spurrier, Jancis Robinson, Hugh Jhonson and other famous top wine expert.

At the time I used to work as a sommelier, pouring the wines during Master Classes and vertical tastings held by these great wine expert. There is where my life as a wine professional changed forever. Listen to this great experts, tasting all the First Growth in different years and in different conditions for several years.

Very often together with my colleagues we were given a bottle to share as a token back for our work and late hours.

Drinking old vintages of the world most famous wines on the river Thames

near London Bridge is one of the greatest memory of my life.

Vincent Monnier was one of these friends and colleagues. We kept in touch and we are still drinking loads of great wines together and above all we are still questioning, with the purest aim and spirit what is FINE WINE!

And so, in the splendid city of Bordeaux we carried our quest along, meeting pretty amazing people and drinking pretty amazing wines.

Vincent came over with me in Bordeaux, together with Dario of LeBaccanti, to present 4 important Tuscan DOCG (I’ll give a full report about this later) in Vinexpò.

Here I have introduced Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Vernaccia di SanGimignano e Vino Nobile di Montepulciano to the world wine press together with Tierry Dessauve and Mr. Dubourdieu. Also this has been great experience which i will tell more about it later on.

Some of the wines tasted. The rest of the story to come pretty soon with all the accounts of where I drank them…

-Château Latour 1970

Mature garnet, with an old wine character nose of leather and some earthy driven spices. On the palate the structure ws dominated by a very high acidity and a lean tannic structure. Some blackberries could be detected, although this wine is more about the licorice earty tones rather then fruit. Neverthelss the intensity, power and length were those of a great wine which has probabily reached its peack.

-Château Cheval Blanc 2006

A dark purple wine with a light edge. Very intense red fruit with violets, mint and a tar/earthy finish. It’s the palata giving away the most at this stage with elegant silk smooth like tannins. Very intense and balanced with a mineral lingering finish.

-Château MARTET “Réserve de la Famille” 2006

Wonderful complexity of mushrooms and trufles with an very opulent dark fruit and leather. This wine was a blast combining power and elegance together with fruit concentration and teriary complexity, lenght and drinkability, smooth tannins and refreshing acidity with a bright mineral contrasted finish-

Château Lafite 2004

Loads of black cherries and graphite with a super elegant floral and cassis nose. Somehow a bit austere and silent but with an uncompromising power and length. Very refined tannins with a tobacco and cedar wood finish.

-Château Roc des Cambes 2004

Packed with pure dark cherries and balck berries. Very concentrated and yet jucy and extremely drinkable now and yet with an anourmous aging potential. The texture on the palate is clearly that of a super star with smooth and structure contrast. Very impressive and seductive wine which everyone loved thouroughly.

- Château Tertre-Roteboeuf 2006

Very ripe black sweet fruit with an extremely spicy finish. Round and densely extracted palate with a very smooth tannic structure. Very pripary at the moment, needs time to show complexity and its true potential.

-Château Tertre-Roteboeuf 2005

rich, elegant and powerfull with loads of balck and red fruit. Extremely mineral and lingering with an amazing natural tannic structure and personality. This is an extremely dense and mineral St.Emilion with a superb magic depth.

-Château Roc des Cambes 1999

-

Loads of fresh and polished fruit with a dense black currant aroma and a tobacco leaf complexity. The palate is subtle, again very dense and sweet with super luxuriously smooth tannins. Natural sweet and juicy mouthfil with an extremely structured palate which shows the wine is far away to reach its peak

-Château Tertre-Roteboeuf 1988

A very earty and leathery style nose with a strong farmyardy character. Tobacco and oak driven spices. On the palate the wine has a different aprroach with less earthyness, more clean black pure fruit and a cencentrated refined tannic structure. This is a wine with a great personality, lenght and depth.

-Château Tertre Roteboeuf 1990

Same style of the 1988 but with a cleaner and more refined aromatic character. There is also more integration between nose and palate. Elegance and power with plenty of tobacco, licorice and seductive tannins with a very prolonged finish. -Haut Brion 2008 Very balanced wine with

-Château Mouton Rotshild 2008

Very alcoholic wine with a powerful oak driven spicess, cigar boxes and black currant extraction. Loads of methol and vanilla with a very floral character. Intense, robust and with sweet silky tannins. The wine is very polished and slick with nothing out of place, but the alcohol.

-Château Roc des Cambes 2005

Very rich and structured wine with power, elegance and drinkability. A very classy red with loads of black pure fruit, minerality, tobacco leaf and length.

-Château Tertre-Roteboeuf 1997

-Château Pichon Longueville Lalande 1982

This was without doubts the highlight of the trip. One of the most sexy wines ever tasted. The nose, the palate, the texture, the depth, the lenght, the youth and the aging potential. Everything was in this wine. A gracious and delicate perfume of violets and sweet spices; a more mature rose petal aroma with a a tar/tobacco contrast; fresh and pure black currants and blueberries together with a graphite and leather finish. The palate extremely volaptuos, curvaceous and yet elegantly balanced, tich and smooth like cashmere. Another 25 of life…and what a life!

-Giraud 1999 Ay Grand Cru

Very fruit driven and yet complex Champagne with a sweet dense peach and apple freshness. Extremely rich mouthfill with a high level of drinkability, structure and lenght. It’s a strange combination of a very intense and complexe wine with an accessible balanced overall elegance. Very classy and uplifting finish.

-Krug 1995

Lemon zest, orange peel and unforgiving powerfull minerality. This is a true classic vintage Champagne with never ending perfumes of pasticcerie, bread crust and a refined mousse. The wine is based on a wonderful acidity which gives the wine plenty of shelf life, light and contrast during tasting.

-Château Cheval Blanc 2008

Dense, complex and fresh black fruit with an eucaliptus finish. Some perfectly integrated oak driven spices with an immaculate and polished tannic structure. The wine is already in perfect balance with superb smoothness and clear cut architectural structure. It is robust, but balanced: expressive but restrained, almost too altogether well.

-Petite Cheval Blanc 2008

Very intese cherry driven nose with some cedar wood driven spices. On the palate tannins are more aggressive then the Grand Vin with also a shorter finish although still pretty intese.

-Château Haut Brion 2008

Very deeply concentrated wine with an almost perfect overall balance. Very solid with extremely tight tannins, but already smoothening out with sweet black currants, leather and e minty/anise finish. This is a powerhouse wine which manage to combine elegance, aging potential and an intense and persistent finish.

Château Latour  2006

This was one of my favourite wines of the trip. With an elegant, subtle floral nose which combins also smokiness and black polished fruit. On the palate the tannins are perfect with structure and smoothness and juicy sweetness. The texture is extremely pleasings with a mineral silky cassis finish. It is one of those wines with amazing drinkability, longevity, complexity and character. Difficoult to stop drinking it!

Le Fortes de La Tour 2006

A smoky and earthy wine with tighter tannins then expected. Still a robust and intriguing wine which seems to be needing more time to open then the grand vin.

Poulliac de La Tour 2006

A leaner style wine with structured tannins which need to be resolved and a black currant bouquet. Very austere, more then expected with a silent and yet mineral finish.

-Domaine de Valmengaux La dame de onze heures 2007

This was a great revelation of a forrest fruit extremely fresh and yet farmyard seductive touch. Plenty of delicate violet and medow flowers, ripe and crisp fruit, minerality, smooth tannins with a white truffle and black berry finish. Great intensity and leght. I loved this wine and I wish I had some more to taste right now!