Grapes

Foradori Fontanasanta Nosiola 2009

December 20, 2011 By Shea 2 Comments

Every once and a while you come across a wine that is fully convincing. In my case, it was a frustrated march through three bottles of damaged wine (2 heat damaged high end Alsatian wines due to poor retail storage in BC and 1 corked wine from SF) that led me to the final destination of complete geekdom. That is, an amphora fermented white wine from northern Italy made from an ancient grape called Nosiola.

Perhaps it was the fact that this grape is almost nonexistent, or perhaps it was the confirmation that naturalist wine can be completely varietal, clean and of place, but this Foradori white was an utterly convincing drink. It is the kind of wine that has enticing, complex and unique floral aromatics and much tastiness. Despite its ‘amphora fermentation’ it is not an orange wine, and is entirely clean (speaking both of meticulous wine making and proper shipping conditions – unlike the majority of wine sold in BC). It is not an extremely complex wine, and yet it is also not a basic quaffer. In the end, it is the kind of wine that you could drink forever, which I think is the ultimate criterion for convincing wine.

Foradori is a fascinating producer who is most famous for Teroldego. You can find a great series of videos on the Dressner website (the US importer).

Very Good+ to Excellent
~$40 USD at Arlequin Wine Merchants in SF

Filed Under: $30-$40, Italian Wine, Nosiola, Very Good

Spotlight on Nebbiolo: Travaglini Gattinara Nebbiolo Riserva 2001

December 17, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

Though most wine drinkers know Barolo and Barbaresco well, Piedmont includes several other regions in which Nebbiolo grows. Most of the wines grown elsewhere don’t have the complexity and concentration of the two great regions, but good wines can be found.

Gattinara is found in northern Piedmont, in the hills of Novara and Vercelli. Being a northern region, the wines made here tend to be lighter than Barolo and Barbaresco. Gattinara in particular tends to be fairly earthy in character, and I certainly felt that way about this 10 year old riserva.

The Acidic Soils of Gattinara

The soils of Gattinara are heavy with minerals and are known to be “porphyry” soils. This soil type tends to be higher in acid than others, which can give vibrant aromas but can also cause balance issues. Travaglini sets out to avoid these issues by using guyot training which reduces yields compared to traditional trellising in the region. Careful vineyard management ensures more even ripening and grape selection.

Travaglini combines some traditional techniques with its mostly modern approach – for example, using large slavonian oak botti for the first period of aging before moving the wine to barriques. I think they’ve managed the hybrid approach well and the barriques have not overburdened the magical scents of the Nebbiolo grape, which can’t be said for all ‘modernist’ producers.

An Earthy Wine At Peak

This wine is throwing decent sediment right now, as expected for its age. The nose suggested cherries, flowers and some secondary earthiness along with overall elegance.

The palate begins with promise: felt tip marker, bitter leaf, and nut skins. Quite a savory wine, but also nice length. The fruit is still alive right now, but it is on the verge of fading. The tannins are still somewhat aggressive and drying and I do not think this will improve. Food helps soften the impact of the tannin, and my experience so far with Nebbiolo suggests that these wines really should always be consumed with food.

In conclusion, this is a high quality lighter-bodied Nebbiolo that is not quite at the level of other Nebbiolo wines at this price point. It does speak of its terroir, however, and it demonstrates just how special Barolo and Barbaresco really are.

Very Good to Very Good+
$75 at Kits Wine

Filed Under: $60+, Italian Wine, Nebbiolo, Nebbiolo, Very Good

Spotlight on Nebbiolo: Gianfranco Alessandria Langhe Nebbiolo 2008

December 15, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

Nebbiolo makes an expensive wine. There are several reasons for this. Nebbiolo consitutes only about 6% of planted vines in Piedmont, so it is relatively scarce even in its home. Yields are generally low and prime planting land is expensive. Because Nebbiolo is so sensitive to climate, only a few particular sites make good wine – thus the entry price point goes up and up. Add to that the great prestige of Barolo and Barbaresco, and you have the perfect recipe for expensive wine.

This Nebbiolo from Gianfranco skirts some of the major price uppers by sticking to the general “Langhe” moniker. This means that the fruit either comes from regions outside the big boys in Barolo and Barbaresco or it is declassified fruit. What is really impressive, is that the quality of the fruit hits far above its entry-level (for Nebbiolo) price point.

On Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is an extremely tannic grape. It is difficult to turn into something accessible in its youth, but modern technology has started to move certain examples in this direction. Most wines would, however, be a shame to drink young. What is most impressive about Alessandria’s entry level wine is that it drinks so well even at this young age.

Unlike Sangiovese, the fruit quality of Nebbiolo is generally very good these days. Real challenges come in the cellar, however, and this is where the battle between traditionalists and modernists truly takes place. I will explore this topic in more detail in future posts; however, it is useful to note that most producers these days have eliminated the issues that led to bacterial infections and volatile acidity in the past. Thus the general quality of wine is quite consistent – the real trick is finding the values and the truly great.

Accessible, Delicious Nebbiolo

This Langhe Nebbiolo is made from 10 year old vines planted on south-east slopes in Monforte d’Alba. Only 3500 bottles are produced (under 300 cases).

The nose on this wine is clearly nebbiolo – classic bright cherry with nut skins. There is less expressivity and concentration compared to the big boys in Barolo and Barbaresco, but this is an extremely tasty wine.

The dense palate, with its firm and grippy tannins, loosens and opens with food. There is lots of dark cherry in this wine, which has a surprising density of fruit for its level. A wine with excellent concentration, structure and length. This is a super bargain for Nebbiolo and I’d call it slightly modernist but also restrained with the oak. In other words, quite a lovely amalgam of accessibility and traditional weight and tannin.

Very Good+ and Highly Recommended Value
$40 at Kits Wine

Filed Under: $30-$40, Highly Recommended Values, Italian Wine, Nebbiolo, Nebbiolo, Very Good

Spotlight on Nebbiolo: Marchesi di Gresy Camp Gros Martinenga Barbaresco 2000

December 12, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

Nebbiolo is a hard grape to access. Good Nebbiolo is found only in a tiny region of Italy (the Langhe), the price of entry is high and even some of the most entry level wines need at least several years of age before opening up (without saying anything of the 10 year minimum for higher quality examples). Yet, Nebbiolo produces perhaps the most intriguing wines in all of Italy.

These are intellectual wines, but they are also wines of ellegance. Some examples may reach the realm of the esoteric, but many skirt the line between intellectual intrigue and sensual pleasure. As with all of Italy, there is a battle going on between the modernists and the traditionalists. Both accept and adopt modern technology, but the extent to which they use it and the style of wine they seek to express differ dramatically. The question is: can both make good wines or, as with Sangiovese, will the traditionalists win out? It may be that, in the end, this dichotomy is too simple, but it is a good place to start.

Barbaresco

Barbaresco is one of the two famed regions in Piemonte (the other being, of course, Barolo) and is situated to the north and east of Alba. The Martinenga vineyard sits on a southwest facing ridge. This, along with the 2000 vintage, likely explains the sheer power of the fruit in this wine. Nonetheless, the calcareous soils of Barbaresco keep this wine more elegant than it would have been with a different base.

Expression with Age

This 11 year old Barbaresco is also a good place to start. 2000 was a superb year in the Langhe, but many of the wines are still incredibly dense and only starting to express themselves. This Barbaresco from the hybrid modernist/traditionalist Marchesi di Gresy, however, is in perfect form. Perhaps it is because of Barbaresco’s lesser need of age, but this wine is singing. It is also classically Nebbiolo, but also speaks much of the vintage, with its ripe, warm lush fruit. Gresy uses a combination of French Barriques and Slavonian Oak and you can taste this in the wine with its combination of forwardness and elegance.

One of the biggest changes in Nebbiolo between young and old is the openness and expressivity of the nose. The Camp Gros was explosive: dark cherries, prunes and flowers. On the palate this wine is elegant, slightly floral and suggestive of sweet pipe tobacco. An extremely long finish completes this truly beautiful wine. It is also delicious now, but will clearly hold up and soften a bit more with a few more years. I can think of no better way to start a Nebbiolo profile than with such a varietally expressive but incredibly drinkable wine.

Excellent to Excellent+
~$100 at Kits Wine

Filed Under: $60+, Excellent, Italian Wine, Nebbiolo, Nebbiolo

Spotlight on Sangiovese: Mauro Vannucci Piaggia Carmignano Riserva 2003

November 27, 2011 By Shea 1 Comment

Sangiovese is la dolce vita of Italy. It is its soul and its face, its bravura and charm and easy loveability. Even the most traditional and profound wines are loveable like a puppy. You don’t need to think to be drawn into these wines, though they reward contemplation. If Nebbiolo is the ivory tower wine representing Italy’s great intellectual tradition, Sangiovese is its art: chiseled but beautiful, opulent but intricate, communal and yet individualistic.

Unlike other great grapes, such as Pinot Noir or Syrah, it is not difficult to isolate Sangiovese’s distinctive voice. Great Sangiovese is always bitter-sweet, always hovering between fruit and savor. But it is structured and robust, with a powerful constitution for oak (much unlike Pinot or Syrah). It is too easy to call Sangiovese Italy’s Cabernet Sauvignon, because great Sangiovese does not travel well. Only Italian vineyards make Sangiovese taste good, and only in recent decades have producers started to truly tap into its potential.

Over this spotlight I have learned that the basic contrast between traditional and modern Sangiovese misses the point. Great Sangiovese simply cannot be overripe or over-manipulated. This is a grape that can stand up to a lot, but in order to be amazing, it must be allowed to sit perfectly poised between over the top and restrained. It must be vinified cleanly, but it cannot be forced into internationalism (When’s the last time you’ve seen an Italian be anything other than Italian?). You may not love Sangiovese, but it is impossible to hate.

Great Sangiovese can also be found at all price points. This cannot be said for some of the world’s, or even Italy’s, other great grapes. Clearly the best wines are being made in Tuscany, but Umbria and Sardegna also represent.

Carmignano the Small and Mighty

This superb wine is from the tiny 300 hectare Carmignano DOCG west of Florence. A Florentine region to the core, this was one of the four original production zones created by the Medici family in 1716. Because these vineyards are fairly northerly, most of the wines from Carmignano are blended in order to soften some of the hard edges of cooler-climate Sangiovese. The DOCG rules only require 50% Sangiovese, allowing many other grapes into the blend.

Piaggia started making a Carmignano Riserva in 1991 and has since vastly improved quality, using guyot trained vines planted in clay soils. The wine sees 18-28 days maceration, is fermented and aged in French Barriques for 18 months, and is unfined and unfiltered. Made from 70% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and 10% Merlot.

The Wine

The nose offers darker fruits of plum and black cherry along with some chocolate and spices from the oak, but also the classic bitter cherry of Sangiovese. This is a rich wine on the palate, but I think it maintains a good amount of traditional styling. The bitter cherry, herbs, and leather make this unmistakably Sangiovese driven. Without knowing if it was oaked, I figured that it probably was but that the oak had integrated very well (turns out I was right). This wine also has surprising clarity and balance for a 2003 and is, ultimately, quite an exceptional wine.

And that concludes the Spotlight on Sangiovese. Next up? Nebbiolo.

Excellent.
~$80 at Kits Wine Cellar

Filed Under: $60+, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Excellent, Italian Wine, Merlot, Sangiovese, Sangiovese

Spotlight on Sangiovese: Fattoria Selvapiana Vigneto Bucerchiale Chianti Classico Riserva 2004

November 19, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

Selvapiana is a highly respected producer in Chianti making a broad range of wines. This Bucherchiale is a single vineyard Chianti made from one of the best vineyards in the region.

Chianti From Brand to Terroir

Selvapiana has a long connection with Florentine history, first owned by a bishop, then passing to merchants and finally being purchased by the Selvapiana family and becoming an fully fledged vineyard in the early 19th century. Selvapiana is a huge 240 acre estate with 45 acres dedicated to wine and 31 dedicated to the other Tuscan staple, olives.

In many ways Chianti is the origin of modern Italian wine. As the first officially demarcated wine making zone, it both represents the beginning of Italians’ attempt to discover and express place and an important part of Italian political history. The famous Medici family of Florence were the original sponsors of Italian wine regulation, right in the heart of Chianti. After Italian unification, it was the baron Ricasoli (of the previously discussed Castello di Brolio) that created the Chianti DOC.

As time moved on, Chianti became more of a brand than a place. The wines were drunk based on associations with a certain Italian lifestyle. The majority of wines were very poorly made and served at not-so-great Italian trattoria.

The modern age has seen a rediscovery of Chianti as place, which has also meant that, as time and lobby pressure expanded first the Chianti Classico and then the Chianti zone, in the 1970’s and 1980’s a group of producers began rediscovering Chianti as a place rather than a brand. Now Chianti Classico is home to many very high quality producers, of which Salvapiana is a great example. In the late 1980’s and 90’s, regulations caught up with the avant garde quality-oriented producers, ensuring a standard of higher quality wines across the region. As improvements continue more Chiantis will be made with 100% Sangiovese, as this wine is. Eventually Chianti will likely earn its place amongst the great terroir regions of the world – but there is still work to be done.

Pure Chianti

This is a 100% Sangiovese Chianti – an increasing rarity. It sees long 20+ days maceration in steel and then 15 months aging in barriques and medium-sized sessile oak casks. This is a slightly more modernist approach than the huge botti traditionally used. However, I did not find it hid the fruit or unique character of the site but rather managed to provide the wine with a suitable structure for aging and long term expression of these fantastic grapes.

Pouring a medium-dark red, this wine is decidedly in the modernist camp: cherry liqueur, earth and sweet oak on the nose transform into tart cherry on the palate. There is nice intensity in this wine, with its mid-range body, long finish and slightly above average acid. I did find the wine a bit hot on the finish, but it may be that the serving temperature was a bit above ideal or that this wine has seen less than ideal storage. Ultimately, this is delicious wine made well, though in this market it is perhaps too expensive compared to great wines like the 2007 Fontodi Chianti Classico at $25 less. Regardless, it is a great example of modernist pure Sangiovese that could only be made in Italy’s original wine region.

Very Good+
$60 at Liberty Wines

Filed Under: $40-$60, Italian Wine, Sangiovese, Sangiovese, Very Good

Spotlight on Sangiovese: Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2001

November 13, 2011 By Shea 3 Comments

Another aged wine, and a good comparison to the Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico from the same year. Whereas the Brolio Chianti was quite modern, this is a more traditionally made wine, with long maceration time and four years aging in Slavonian Oak (a minimum of 2 is required by DOCG rules). I find that as a result is has a more complete mouthfeel and better aromatic profile than the Brolio, though it does not quite have the same power and tasty bitterness.

Three Vineyards in One

Palazzone blends three vineyards when making their Brunello. They have a high elevation north facing vineyard with clay soils, a south-facing vineyard with marine fossil soils and a third vineyard with a high mineral content of iron and magnesium in the soil that supposedly lends the grapes there a strong mineral quality.

10 Years of Delicious

Another classic nose: soft cherry, tobacco and licorice root. It is amazing how Sangiovese can change from its brooding slightly awkward self into a far prettier and more elegant creature with the proper age.

The medium body cherry fruit is luscious and yet not rich. The palate is long and highly delicious and the oak adds its two cents but is fully integrated. The texture is velvety but the fine but still grippy tannins represent on the finish. This impressive 2001 is just beginning to show well now and will also do fantastically well with another 5-6 years.

Excellent
~$100 at BCLDB and Kits Wine

Filed Under: $60+, Excellent, Italian Wine, Sangiovese, Sangiovese

Spotlight on Sangiovese: Perazzeta Rita Montecucco Sangiovese 2006

November 12, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

I’d never heard of Montecucco before drinking this wine. It is a DOC in southwest Tuscany on the river Ombrone growing classic Tuscan Grapes, with whites focused on Trebbiano and Vermentino and reds on Sangiovese. Wines labelled “Sangiovese”, like this one, must have at least 85% of that grape in the blend.

The Middle Road: Of Oak and Sangiovese

I think one of the most appealing aspects of Italian wine is its ability to be bitter and sweet simultaneously. This mouthwatering quality is present in the best Sangioveses as well. Even as a grape that takes well to oak (it doesn’t seem to take in the flavours as much as other varieties), it is important to ensure that the oak aging doesn’t overpower the wonderful bittersweet fruit flavours that naturally occur in the grape.

On the one hand are more traditional wines that focus on herbs, bitter cherry, leather and tobacco while on the other, more modernist hand, are wines that get into darker, sweeter fruits and greater opulence. I find that these modern wines, aged in new oak, can often change the wonderful bitter and textural firmness of Sangiovese into creamy, sweet wines that may appeal to certain palates but that also lose the authenticity of the grape.

It is all the more impressive, then, to taste a wine that deftly manages to integrate new oak with Sangiovese without losing its indigenous traits. It also helps that Perazzeta’s selection standards are high, keeping only about ⅓ of the fruit on the vine for vinification, and that the terroir is an interesting mix of river stones, quartz and ancient marine shells. The wine sees 12 months in new French barriques.

Deliciously Rich

An impressive nose of leather, minerals, dark cherry, tobacco and leaves. The palate brings out some darker red fruits because of the new oak aging. The wine is balanced well, though it needs to pair with heavier foods compared to a classic chianti or old-oak aged Sangiovese.

While I liked this wine, I found it interesting how the oak toned every flavour characteristic differently, transforming the juice from its unadulterated peppy self into a richer darker, creamier wine. 14.5% abv

Very Good to Very Good+
~$35 at Everything Wine

Filed Under: $30-$40, Italian Wine, Sangiovese, Sangiovese, Very Good

Spotlight on Sangiovese: Ricasoli Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico 2001

November 10, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

Aged Sangiovese is a rare treat and one that most drinkers have a hard time getting their hands on. Luckily this wine is currently avaiable in the market and is showing very very well right now.

Grape and Soil

Late-ripening Sangiovese is a challenge to grow in a region like Chianti. Less warm (and therefore less reliable) than Montalcino, most Sangiovese in Chianti must be planted on southerly slopes in order to sop up enough sun to ripen effectively. Wines mirror vintage considerably as a result. This has also led to the propensity to blend Sangiovese with other grapes in Chianti, most often Cabernet Sauvignon. But times are a changin’

Soils in Chianti vary, but Chianti Classico is a mix of shale and clay, which tends to produce wines of greater concentration than the soils outside of the Classico zone. Since the 1990’s, Italians have been rediscovering this terroir, amongst others, and are now understanding how to effectively plant Sangiovese without the need for blending. Nonetheless it is possible to find great blended wines along with 100% varietal wines, as this Chianti Classico attests.

One of the Oldest Estates in Europe

Ricasoli is a very large but also respected producer in Chianti with a serious history stretching back to the 12th century. A later iteration of Baron Ricasoli (Bettino) was one of the founders of Chianti Classico in the 19th century and was hugely influential in researching clones and blending, ultimately finding a formula that led to today’s DOCG rules. Amazingly, the estate is still in the hands of the family (if you want a contrast between new and old world wine estates, I can’t think of a better one).

The Wine

The Castello di Brolio is more than just Chianti Classico DOCG, it is rather a single vineyard site that is considered to be one of the best in the region. Made with mostly Sangiovese (usually about 80%) with about 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine displays all the classic Sangiovese markers of leather, earth, cherry and tobacco leaf.

This is an incredibly delicious wine with superb high acid structure. The oak has now integrated, though the wine could go longer in bottle. The Castello is a great example of oak aging (18 months) that works and integrates well with the grape. I detected some darker chocolate notes along with rich ripe black cherries and an absolute ton of concentration. This will please those who like bigger wines and those who prefer wines with a considerable acid backbone. The intensity of the fruit and the acid meld extremely well. Simply put, the wine has attained uncommon balance. Balance is often the missing key to wines. Most drinkers don’t realize that they will in fact enjoy many styles of wine so long as they are properly balanced, an unfortunately rare phenomenon. And, it works with food. A “prestige” wine that works with food – finally!

The 10 years of age suits this wine well as it is still youthful but very integrated. It could go 5 more.

Excellent
$79 at Kits Wine Cellar (on sale for $59)

Filed Under: $60+, Cabernet Sauvignon, Excellent, Italian Wine, Merlot, Sangiovese, Sangiovese

Spotlight on Sangiovese: Pertimali Sassetti Livio & Figli Rosso di Montalcino 2008

November 6, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

Rosso di Montalcino is generally considered to be great value Sangiovese. Made from young vines growing in the Brunello di Montalcino areas, this is top quality vineyard land made affordable by the youth of the vines.

Youthfulness does not mean worse quality, but rather different quality. You won’t get long aging wines with deep brooding flavours like you do with Brunello. But you will get very high quality fruit forward, acid driven wines with a lot of character. When purchased from a traditional producer, these are some of the best Sangiovese based wines at their price point.

Top Vineyards

Founded in the 1970’s, the Sassetti Livio estate in Montalcino grew from a long traditional wine making family that moved from elsewhere in Tuscany in order to seek better vineyard land. The vineyards are located in the Montosoli hill north of Montalcino. These are some of the prime vineyard lands in Brunello, especially for traditionalist producers.

Classic Young Sangiovese

This is classic Sangiovese, with cherry, saddle leather and herbs on the nose. A structured high acid wine with bright cherry and a beautiful tart mouthwatering mouthfeel. There is also plenty of leather in this thoroughly traditional wine. It may not be as drinkable without food for those not used to the traditional style – but these sorts of wines are meant to compliment food and can only be fully experienced with a good pairing. All the classics will work: pasta, veal, tomato based sauces and pizzas.

Generally this is a far brighter, peppier wine than Brunello – a product of the youthful vines. The northern vineyards bring the acids fully to the fore of this highly structured and yet extremely youthful wine. An impressive and delicious effort.

Very Good+
~$45 at Kitsilano Wine Cellar