Reviewing the Cesari Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2012

Amarone della Valpolicella is a style of wine making in the Valpolicella viticultural region in the Italian province of Verona. Amarone wines are made from a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara and Versonese grapes that are placed in open crates to dry for a number of months in a process called appassimento. From its inception in 1936, the Cesari winery under founder Gerardo Cesari has been producing Amarone wines with the Cesari Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2012 ($40) the latest release. The winery utilizes Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes that are sun dried for four months then fermented very slowly on their skins.  The wine then undergoes an extensive aging regime, a mixture of French oak barriques and large Slavonian oak barrels for one year, then blended and aged 18 additional months.  Once bottled, the wine rests for eight months before release. Amarone wines are considered very age-able and when I first opened the wine was very tight, a restricted aroma and soft flavor. I lightly corked the bottle and opened the next evening and the wine had transformed into a beauty. Dark fruit and spice on the nose,  more dark fruit and chocolate melting through a soft mid-palate, and finishing very smooth with a slight spicy character.  With patience, nicely done.

#WineStudio Online Session 32 with Tanaro River Imports Concludes with Tannins Galore

January's edition of #WineStudio featured George Tita and Tanaro River Imports, an importer specializing in small producers in northern Italy and France.  The first two segments covered excellent wines from Alsace as well as the Roero and Diano d'Alba regions of Italy's Piedmont.This week we finished with one more wine from the Piedmont as well as a Montefalco Rosso from Umbria.

Germano Angelo Azienda 2010 Nebbiolo d’Alba “Visette” Piemonte, Italy ($24, 14.5%) is "a Barolo without the price tag". Germano Angelo is the name of the winery's founder and a little more than a century later Davide Germano is now the winemaker. This is a baby Barolo as it is aged six months less than a traditional Barolo. The grapes are also sourced from three areas ( La Morra, Barolo and Monforte) where "Visette" is a name of a parcel in Monfort. And although once heavy farmed,  Nebbiolo now accounts for only 6% of Piedmont grape production. This Nebbiolo is a structured wine with many layers of dark black fruit, tobacco and dried figs. It finishes with long stringy tannins. At $24 this is a great value.


Azienda Agricola Romanelli 2012 Montefalco Rosso Umbria, Italy ($24, 15%) was made using the legacy Montefalco Rosso DOC regulations requireing 60-70% Sangiovese, 10-15% Sagrantino, 15-30% other authorized varietals. In this case Merlot and Cabernet. In 2015 these regulations were changed to remove the other varieties so that the final percentages must consist of 60-80% Sangiovese and 10-25% Sagrantino. The former grape is is indigenous to Umbria and is found only around the hilltop town of Montefalco and is tannic. And I mean tannic, the most tannic of all Italian varieties. Devis Romanelli is the young family winemaker and according to Tita is "doing important work on understanding terroir, skin contact, barrel use, etc. to push the quality of wine of Umbri". This wine shows plenty of structure starting with a leathery tobacco aroma, faint black cherry fruit, and very noticable dirty chewy tannins - finish is not harsh as in a Sagrantino di Montefalco. Pair with fatty meats.

#WineStudio Online Session 32 with Tanaro River Imports Moves into Italy

Protocol Wine Studio's Online Session 32 online session continued with two Italian wines from Tanaro River Imports. And like last week's Florian Beck-Hartweg wines, George Tita has focused on two young winemakers utilizing old world methods.

Azienda Agricola Brangero 2012, Dolcetto di Diano D’Alba “San Rabino Soprano” Piemonte, Italy ($18, 13.5%) is produced by 3rd generation winemaker Marco Brangero in the town of Diano di Alba. This area is an approved Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) for Dolcetto as it's high elevation favors the early-ripening grape. On the front end Dolcetto is known to be soft and fruity, yet the wine comes to abrupt u-turn at the finish delivering a healthy dose of astringent tannins worthy of its Nebbiolo cousin. This wine from Brangero Winery is fermented and aged entirely in steel including long maturation process. Thus there are no outside wood influences which leads to a soft tart cherry wine with rustic earthiness finishing with almond like astringent tannins.  Beaujolais with teeth.

Cantina Roagna Giuseppe di Marco 2014 Barbera d’Alba Roero, Italy ($18, 14%) is produced by another third generation winemaker Marco Roagna from Priocca, a small town in the Roero. The soil contains more clay than other vineyards in the area so Marco's grandfather Bartolomeo selected clones that were best suited for this specific soil profile. Until the early 1980's the family was just selling it's fruit on bulk, but when mad cow disease wiped out the family's herd of livestock, Marco's father Giuseppe turned to a more higher yielding investment - wine production. Barbera is one of these wines and it's the complete opposite of the preceding Dolcetto. The initial taste focuses on it's juicy sour cherry flavor followed by an herbaceous and lively underbelly. There are plenty of acids with will allow this wine to age for a few more years. It finishes softly with easy tannins. This is one friendly and approachable wine. 

Session 32 of #Winestudio concludes tonight, February 26 at 9Pm ET. Join the conversation.

#SipMontefalco Virtual Tasting: The Wines of Montefalco

Last week presented another opportunity to taste several wines from Italy's Montefalco during a #SipMontefalco virtual tasting. I had previous written about this region under From St. Francis to DOGC: Umbria's Sagrantino di Montefalco, which describes the history and DOC & DOCG designations. During this tasting, participants sampled DOC Montefalco Rosso and DOCG Sagrantino di Montefalco. At the same time, representatives of the respective wineries joined as online from the Montefalco Town Hall. Filippo Bartolotta moderated the tasting, guiding us through the wines, wine-making techniques, and questions.  One shared character is that all the wines developed wonderfully the second, third, and even fourth days after opening.To learn more about the wines and region visit the Montefalco Wine Consortium.

• Perticaia Montefalco Rosso DOC 2011  ($28, 12% ABV) - Sangiovese 70%; Sagrantino 15%; Colorino 15%. Aged 18 months with 12 months in stainless steel and 6 months in the bottle. The Colorino adds color and structure.  Descriptor: dark red fruit, texture throughout, a little dirt, and chewy leather tannins.
• Colpetrone Montefalco Rosso DOC 2011 ($19, 14% ABV) - Sangiovese 70%; Sagrantino 15%; Merlot 15% from Marcellano (Gualdo Cattaneo). 60 % of the wine is aged in stainless steel; the other 40% is aged 12 months in French oak tonneaux and barrique.  Descriptor: the fruit and earth blend seamlessly; smoother tannins.
• Tenuta Castelbuono 'Carapace' Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG ($37, 15% ABV) - Sagrantino 100% from estate vineyards in Montefalco and Bevagne. Aged 24 months in large oak casks, followed by minimum 12 months in the bottle. Descriptor: complex nose of black fruit and mint; smooth body - heavy tannins.
• Antonelli Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG 2009 ($45, 14% ABV) - Sagrantino 100% various oak and cement treatment, then bottle aged for 12 months. Descriptor: another with mint on the nose; dried fruit flavor; very firm tannins with long finish.
• Scacciadiavoli Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG ($40, 15% ABV) - Sagrantino 100% aged new new French oak for 16 months, then refined in bottle minim of 9 months.  Descriptor: deep cherry flavor; powerful acid & tannin combo
• Arnaldo Caprai 'Collepiano' Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG ($60, 14.5% ABV) - Sagrantino 100% aged 22 months in French oak barrique and minimum 6 months in the bottle. Descriptor:  jammy blackberry palate; then finishes with huge tannins.

Tasting Alto Adige #Wine with #SipWithKaren

Italy has at least 20 wine regions, all with their own unique geographic and cultural characteristics. One of these is Alto Adige, a relatively small area situated in northwest Italy and bordering Austria and Switzerland. This region was once part of the Austro-Hungarian kingdom of the South Tirol and is has more Germanic character than Italian. This translates to wine as well where German and Austrian varieties such as Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Müller Thurgau, Sylvaner, and Kerner. The region is also home to unique varieties such as Schiava (Vernatsch) and Lagrein.

Karen MacNeil, author of the Wine Bible, conducts a twitter tasting called #SipWithKaren and Alto Adige was the topic for the most recent tasting. Participants received a generous eight wines to highlight the region's wine diversity. 

• Castel Sallegg Pulvernai Pinot Grigio 2014 ($22)The winery has existed in it's current form when in 1851 Archduke Rainer of Austria purchased the castle and surrounding vineyards.  Descriptor: Plenty of citrus, a fresh wine with some spice and refreshing acids.
• Alois Lageder Porer Pinot Grigio 2013 ($26) 
  Founded in 1823, the winery has been passed down through five generations to Alois Lageder, who took a leading role in developing Alto Adige’s single vineyard wines. The Porer Pinot Grigio is produced from certified organic grapes from vineyards that are farmed according to biodynamic methods of viticulture. Descriptor: minerals and pears dominate the nose, followed by creamy stone fruit, and a saline driven acidic finish.
• Cantina Terlano Vorberg Pinot Bianco 2012 ($35, 14%)
  Pinot Bianco has been cultivated in Alto Adige since 1852, with the first vintage of Cantina Terlano Vorberg Pinot Bianco produced in 1893. Pinot Bianco grapes account for 1,242 acres (9.85%) of AltoAdige’s total vineyard area.  The vines for the Cantina Terlano Vorberg are situated on the south-facing slopes of Monzoccolo (Terlano DOC area).  “Vorberg” translated into English as “pre-mountain” and describes the topography with 20-70% incline at altitudes between 1,400 and 3,100 feet. After fermenting the wine matures sur lie for 12 month. Descriptor: stone fruit on nose, continues on palate with white peaches; creamy texture; finishes with bright acids and a touch of saline.
  
• Colterenzio Prail Sauvignon 2013 ($23)
  This is a winegrowers co-operative that was founded by 28 members in 1960 which has now grown to 300 active members.  Sauvignon Blanc is a relative newcomer to Alto Adige, introduced 150 years ago. The grapes for this wine were sourced from selected vineyards within the Roman “Praedium” range.  Descriptor: Surprising stone fruit mixed with citrus flavors; plenty of acids in the long finish.
• Cantina Andriano Gewürztraminer 2014 ($23)
  Founded in 1893, Cantina Andriano is the oldest winegrowers co-operative in Alto Adige, formed by growers surrounding the village. Descriptor: complex aroma of floral, honey, and spice with citrus, nuts, and more spice on the palate.
• Kaltern Caldaro Pfarrhof Kalterersee Auslese 2013 ($15)
  Another winemakers co-operative hosting 400 members. This wine is predominately Schiava, Alto Adige’s most widely planted grape variety.  Descriptor: deep cherry flavors, with both spicy pepper and sweet spices. Big mid-palate and acids at the tail.
• Erste + Neue Mezzan Pinot Nero 2013 ($20)
  The winery is the 1986 merger of the Erste (“first”) wine co-operative (founded in 1900) with the Neue (“new”) wine co-operative (founded in 1925).  Pinot Noir is known as Pinot Nero or Blauburgunder in Alto Adige. Although high in altitude, the Mezzan area receives the most hours of sunshine per day and enjoys some lake affect breezes and temperature moderation from nearby Lake Garda. Descriptor: Dark cherries throughout, with earthy minerals, spice, and big chewy tannins translating to a structured delicious wine.
• Abbazia di Novacella Praepositus Lagrein 2010 ($34)
  A monastery founded in the mid 1100s, with vineyards located in the north and central regions of Alto Adige. The later warmer region is home to reds like Lagrein, the indigenous grape that was first mentioned in Alto Adige in 1318. The winery possesses over 850 years of winemaking experience, most likely many with this tannic grape. Descriptor: the wine is bold and savory with an earthy, tobacco, dark fruit profile; plenty of texture; and finishes long and chewy.

From St. Francis to DOGC: Umbria's Sagrantino di Montefalco

In 1219, St. Francis of Assisi and several disciples traveled to Palestine in order to preach to the Christian forces and to evangelize the infidels. His group traveled throughout the region, from Syrah to Egypt -- where his famous audience with the Sultan occurred. Some believe that he returned to his native Umbria with a previously unknown grape variety to produce sacramental wine. The grape was Sagrantino, derived from the Latin  “Sacer” or Sacred, and in fact, was cultivated by monks to produce a raisin wine for religious rites. Perhaps, the grape variety didn't originate in Italy from St. Francis himself, but by Franciscan monks returning from Turkey, another theory. Regardless, Sagrantino is now considered an indigenous Italian grape and is found only around the hilltop town of Montefalco.

Image courtesy of VinePair

Whereas Umbria is central to Italy, Montefalco is centrally located within Umbria. Wine production is an inherit part of the region's culture and wine making even occurred within the medieval city walls. As early as the16th century authorities had established wine making rules protecting vineyards and wine making, with one of these laws establishing the earliest possible harvest date.  However, over time, Sagrantino and wine making in general dwindled to where the grape almost completely disappeared. A few wine producers persisted and a renaissance erupted in the 1970s leading to a Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) label in 1979, followed by a more esteemed Denominazione d'Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) label in 1992. Interestingly, Sagrantino vines were still growing within the Montefalco city walls and after scientific analysis, several vines are considered to be 200-300 years old. 

Montefalco  DOC and DOCG Requirements

On July 7th, 2015 the Montefalco Consortium issues a press release announcing a change to the Montefalco Rosso DOC regulations.

Montefalco Rosso DOC

Previous composition: 60-70% Sangiovese, 10-15% Sagrantino, 15-30% other authorized varietals.

New composition: 60-80% Sangiovese and 10-25% Sagrantino.

Aging: minimum 18 months, with no oak requirements

Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG

Composition: 100% Sagrantino.

Aging: minimum  30 months, with at least 12 months in oak.

Two of these producers reinvigorating wine making in Montefalco were Guido Guardigli and the Antonelli family. In the early 1990s, during a trip to the region, Guardigli was inspired by the potential of both the territory and signature grape. After purchasing the property, he planted what would eventually become 15 hectares of vines as well as built a new state of the art winery. He named his venture, Perticaia - old Umbrian for plow. Those 15 hectares of vineyards are almost half planted with Sagrantino, a quarter with Sangiovese, and the remainder in Colorino, Trebbiano Spoletino, and Grechetto.

The Antonelli family have been farming in Spoleto, just north of the village of Montefalco, since1881 when  Francesco Antonelli purchased the San Marco de Corticellis estate (once owned by the Bishopric of Spoleto).  In 1979 the family starting bottling and selling its wine and in 1986 5th generation Filippo Antonelli took the helm. From 1996 to 2006 he was president of the “Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco” and also manages a second family wine estate, Castello di Torre in Pietra. Currently the Antonelli estate contains 40 hectares of planted vines, predominately Sagrantino (some 30 years old) and Sangiovese, with smaller plantings of Montepulciano, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. White wine grapes are represented by Grechetto and Trebbiano Spoletin.

This August, the Montefalco Wine Consortium is participating in the 2015 Wine Bloggers Conference with a program titled “Discover Sagrantino, Umbria’s Signature Wine”. In order to promote the region, the group organized a twitter campaign and selected several bloggers at random to receive samples. I was one of these fortunate souls and received the two wines below. My first impression is that Sagrantino is inherently tannic; in fact, I later learned, it is one of the most tannic varieties in the world. Thus, decanting is mandatory. Yet, these tannins are chewy and blend seamlessly with the wine's mineral character and acids. And like a majority of Old World wines, Sagrantino is meant to be consumed with food, try these ragu and gnocchi recipes. 

Perticaia  Montefalco Rosso DOC 2011  (12% ABV) - Sangiovese 70%; Sagrantino 15%; Colorino 15%. Aged 18 months with 12 months in stainless steel and 6 months in the bottle. Starts with a cranberry aroma, which leads to a dry medium bodied wines with noticeable chewy leather tannins.

Antonelli Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG 2007 (14% ABV) - Sagrantino 100%. Full bodied; dark fruit on the nose; jammy blackberries, minerals and depth, acids and very persistent chewy tannins. Persistent even after almost five additional years in the bottle. Begs for game or sausages.

Veneto, Valpolicella, Appassimento, Corvina, and the Zenato 2012 Alanera Rosso Veronese IGT

Italy's Veneto region is most known for its Soave wines; but their reds have been somewhat a mystery.  My main exposure was a Protocol Wine Studio session last year focusing on the Valpolicella DOC. Fortunately, Leonardo LoCascio Selections has allowed me to revisit the region by sending me the 2012 Alanera Rosso Veronese IGT ($20, 13.5% abv). It is produced by the Zenato winery, which was founded in 1960 by Sergio and Carla Zenato and is a leading producer of Lugana, Valpolicella and Amarone wines.

Like Amarone wine, the 2012 Alanera Rosso Veronese IGT is made using the local appassimento method in which 50% of the red grapes (predominately Corvina) are partially dried before fermenting. The process concentrates the fruit and provides earthier attributes, but doesn't sweeten the wine as I has expected. Besides Corvina, the blend for the Alanera also includes the native Rondinella, Corvinone, and smaller percentages of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon - with a portion of each variety partially dried using the appassimento method.  And the name Alanera is a tribute to the Corvina grape, raven in Italian, and thus Alanera or "black wing". 

The wine is extremely dark, another attribute of Corvina, and starts with sweet tobacco and leather on the nose. The flavor is similar to chewing on dried cherries - there's a velvety texture - with the wine finishing dry and tannic. After decanting, the tannins mellowed quite nicely and the dark cherry flavors deepened. A very nice and approachable wine.

#WineStudio Session XVII – Rinascimento Rising with Italian Wine

For three weeks in September PROTOCOL Wine Studio featured Justin Gallen, owner Rinascimento Wine Company, an importer of Italian wines. We learned about Justin during the first #winestudio session as well as Eric Guy's podcast interview of Justin here. The second and third week's we continued to learn about Justin as well as sampling a few of his imports.

Many of the wines I work with are farmed either organically or biodynamically and are naturally fermented using only native yeasts, but that doesn’t mean they are automatically good; the wines are good because of the blood, sweat and tears that are shed by the producers working with nature to make something great.”

The first wine was the 2013 Agricola Cirelli Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo produced by Francesco Cirelli. Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo is the newest DOC in Abruzzo and the grapes are harvested on a vineyard site that is "8 km from the ocean in an environment that is truly devoted to sustainable farming. They are experimenting with geese breeding, figs, olive trees and, of course, a 2.5 h of vineyards. Organic certified by IMC".  The wine itself has an interesting profile, actually two profiles. Chilled it reminds of a tart sour cherry wine with strong acids; warmer a strawberry creamsicle.

The second wine was the 2010 Musto Carmelitano Aglianico del Vulture DOC "Serra Del Prete". Musto Carmelitano is a family winery run by Miss Elisabetta Musto Carmelitano and the grapes for this wine were harvested from their Serra del Prete vineyard. Forget about oak in the already tannic Aglianic, this wine was aged 6 months in steel. The wine is smokey, with dark black fruit, leather and strong, strong tannins.

Week three consisted of two wines from G.D. Vajra, an estate located in Vergne - the highest village of Barolo. The vineyards were first planted in 1972 by Giuseppe Domenico and are currently owned by Milena and Aldo Vaira who both have worked the estate since the early 1970s. In the cellar, "Vajra wines are traditionally driven with longer macerations and use primarily Slavonian casks for aging". Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera are the grapes of choice and we started with the later in the 2011 G.D. Vajra Barbera d’Alba DOC. This wine starts with a tart cherry chocolate-tobacco aroma, followed by a silky smooth black fruit flavor, and finishes with nice acids. This was probably my favorite of the entire collection.  The second wine was the 2009 G. D. Vajra Barolo DOCG “Albe” - pure Nebbiolo, pure Barolo di Barolo - and a bad ass wine. The grapes are sourced from three different vineyards situated at three distinct altitudes.  This one needed to sit for three days until it softened into a jammy plum and dirt with slowly mellowing tannins.

Cheers to #winestudio, PROTOCOL Wine Studio, and  Rinascimento Wine Company.

Discovering Le Marche Italian Wine with ZGR Imports & #WineStudio

Before last month I was completely unfamiliar with the Italian wine region Le Marche (pronounced Les Markay), perhaps because it accounts for only 1.5% of Italian grape production. Located in east-central Italia, the region borders the Adriatic Sea on the east and Umbria to the west. The area has quite a history that you can discover here in addition to a small, but vibrant wine community. There are over 300 wineries using traditional methods that incorporate today's organic practices. The region encompasses all types of terrains and soils so the wine produced in the region is also a general reflection of the entire country. White and Reds are equally split with no strict DOC guidelines on blending, aging, or vineyards. The main regional white is Verdicchio, followed by Pecorino - an early-ripening, thick skinned grape mainly grown in the Marche, Abruzzo, Umbria and Lazio regions of Italy. The grape shares a name with the sheep cheese because farmers found sheep feeding on the vines. For reds, Sangiovese and Montepulciano are supreme and are usually blended together.

Most of the above information I learned through Protocol Wine Studio's  #WineStudio and Jonathan Zeiger, who adopted the region after a a short stint working for Lavanda Blu Agriturismo. During this time he met Giacomo Centanni, a young local winemaker, who asked Zeiger "Would you like to sell my wines in the United States?". The answer to this question resulted in ZGR Imports, where Zeiger is importing Centanni and other local producers, like Rio Maggio, into the United States. During our #WineStudio session, we sampled two wines from both Centanni and Rio Maggio.

We started week 2 with Centanni, an organic winery that also utilizes the very cool Vinolok closure. The winery has been growing grapes for five generations, selling to a local co-op. In 2005, they went commercial and today 28 year old Giacomo carries on the family tradition. Their 2012 Offida Pecorino ($29) like most Pecorino is high in alcohol (14.5%), but has no heat characters. Instead,  there are pears, lemon, and on the nose; creamy pear to citrus flavor; followed by good acidity. A very nice wine.We followed with the 2012 Rosso di Forca - Red Fork - ($17) a 50-50 blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. The grapes for this wine were harvested from the Rosso Piceno DOC (pih-chay-no), the first Marche DOC. The wine starts with an herbal aroma, followed by a smooth velvety tart sour cherry and mocha flavor, finishing with very low tannins. Drink now and drink often.

Week 3 focused on Rio Maggio, which was founded in 1976 by Graziano Santucci, who focused on traditional methods of grape growing and wine making. He passed this knowledge to his son Simone, who along with his wife Tizian, planted vineyards in the two most important Marche DOCs: Rosso Piceno and Falerio dei Colli Ascolani. Zeiger highlighted two very nice wines from this small winery, a Pecorino and Montepulciano - Sangiovese blend. The 2012 Colle Monteverde Pecorino ($24) is lower in alcohol than the Centanni at 13.5% with more depth after sitting on its lees for 4 months. The nose is stone fruits - apricots - with a salty mineral and citrus flavor. The wine finishes with light acids. 2010 Rosso Piceno ($24) also comes in at 13.5% alcohol and is a 70-30 blend of Montepulciano & Sangiovese. These vines face northeast so they can soak up the sun for full maturation. The wine was aged in French oak for 8-10 months. The aroma was unbelievably powerful, expressing tart sour cherries like you get in Eastern Europe. The flavor was more dark fruit, plum with some elements of tea, finishing with strong acids and tannins. Nicely done. The only complaint, poor corks.

Unknown three weeks ago, Le March and Pecorino have found a solid home in my wine lexicon. Cheers to that.

Update: the Rio Maggio 2010 Rosso Piceno is still going strong after 3 days open. The aroma is still strong with those tart sour cherries. Very cool.

The Final Wine Chateau Offering - Castello Banfi Belnero 2010

The final wine we received this winter from The Wine Chateau was the Castello Banfi Belnero 2010 ($28). This family owned winery has a unique story of perseverance as the patriarch's (John F. Mariani, Sr.) family was forced to return to Italy from American and lived with his aunt Teodolinda Banfi - who in time became the "guardian" of the papal apartment of Pope Pius XI. After returning to America, Mariani Sr. opened a wine house, Banfi Vinters, in Old Brookville New York in 1919 - just in time for Prohibition a year later. He survived by "importing spices and other Italian specialties as well as the manufacture of medicinal bitters, an alcohol product permitted under the new law". After repeal, Banfi began importing Barolo, Gattinara, Brunello and Chianti Riserva wines and eventually introduced Lambrusco to the U.S. market. In 1978, Mariani Sr's sons John Mariani Jr. & Harry Mariani opened the Castello Banfi vineyard estate, in Montalcino, Tuscany.

The Belnero is made from Sangiovese grapes, with small amounts of  Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot - all harvested in estate vineyards, on the southern hills of Montalcino. The aroma and flavor exude black fruit - plums and blackberries - with a sold structure of chocolate and tobacco. The wine has a long, tannic finish leaving the flavors to fuse throughout the palette until the next sip.  This is a very nice wine, and with patience will improve even more over time. Thanks Wine Chateau for this wine as well as the Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro Gold and Château des Jacques Moulin-à Vent. Cheers.

Wine Chateau brings back memories with the Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro Gold 2008

When our friends at the Wine Chateau forwarded a care package, one of the wines brought back memories of my first ventures into wine though the Ruffino brand. A neighborhood Italian restaurant served the Ruffino Il Ducale and over time we graduated to the top of the chain - the Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro Gold ($30). The winery has operated in Tuscany since 1877, when the cousins Ilario and Leopoldo Ruffino starting sourcing local fruit to produce wine. Over time the winery survived succession and war and in 1947 winery produces it first Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro Gold. In this package I received the 2008 vintage, one year removed from the 50th anniversary bottling. The Sangiovese grapes are harvested  from the Ruffino estates of Gretole, Santedame, and Montemasso, within the Chianti Classico sub region. The wine also includes a small percentage of Cabernet and Merlot and was aged two years in oak and then another six months in bottle. The result is a big wine with luscious dark black fruit, some leather and dirt, and a polished finish - smooth with  balanced tannins. A very good wine at a very reasonable price. Cheers

Learning About the Piedmont Region During #winestudio

After covering Croatian wines last month, #winestudio moved into northwest Italy and the Piedmont region (#winestudio is a Twitter series hosted by Bill Eyer of The Cuvee Corner wine blog and Tina & Guy from Protocol Wine Studio). This past Monday we sampled three wines from the Piedmont courtesy of Stefano Poggi, Batasiolo Ambassador in the United States and Beni di Batasiolo. And, boy, did these wines impress. The first was the Barbera d’Alba Sovrana DOC ($20), -  the Sovereign - paying tribute to the 1st royal couple of Italy. And this is a classy wine - not your California in your face Barbara - but gentle, with a silky raspberry core and soft tannins.

We then turned to Nebbiolo (little fog) starting with the  Barbaresco DOCG 100% Nebbiolo ($30). By statute, a Barbaresco must be aged at least one year in oak, and interestingly, this wine was fermented in stainless steel before moving to a year in oak and then another year aging in the bottle. The result is a bigger wine, more earthy, with dark, dark cherry flavor and tannins that creeps up the palette. This is a savory wine and I wanted to savor each drop and not move on to the next. But #winestudio had other ideas.

The final wine was the grandest, a Barolo. I learned that all Barolos are sourced from Nebbiolo grown in the Langhe hills and must be aged three years with two of these three in oak. Barolo Riservas must be aged 5 years before release. The nose on this Barolo started with a spicy mulled wine character then transitioned to black fruit - blackberries and plums - as opposed to the red fruits from the previous two. The mid-palette is firm with meaty tannins that slowly dissipate providing a very drinkable, hearty wine. Thank you #winestudio.

Two Wines for Thanksgiving - Italian Soave

Recently we received an offer to sample two Italian wines, and, why not. Like most European wines, these are named for the region, not the grape, and the two come from the Soave community located in the Veneto region in the Province of Verona. Both wines are made from the Garganega grape, a late ripening fruit that is widely planted in Veneto. Specific vineyards are classified as DOC or Classico DOC and can even be crafted into a sparkling spumante.

The first wine was the 2008 Roccolo Grassi Soave Vignetta "La Broia" which we instantly took a bond to. We learned that at times Chardonnay is sometimes blended with Garganega - but this wine immediately reminded us of a chardonnay. It had plenty of apple and pear flavors, nice acidity - with a more than expected mid-palette. Doug Frost had first introduced us to wines from this region as very food friendly so this wine should work for the coming Turkey dinners. And priced around $15 - that's a good deal.

The Fattori Danieli Soave is composed of 100% Garganega from vines averaging 25 years old. True to its late ripening reputation, the grapes were harvested in mid October, processed and fermented in steal tanks. The result is a light bodied wine; citrus flavors, with plenty of acidity. This acidity provides a refreshing finish and with the late ripening grape is more like a new world wine than an old world. Time for a trip to Italy.