Grape Spotlight: Masciarelli Trebbiano d'Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a naturalist's dream "as half of the region's territory is protected through national parks and nature reserves, more than any administrative region on the continent, leading it to be dubbed 'the greenest region in Europe'".  That could be why it has been occupied since the "Neolithic era, with the earliest artifacts dating to beyond 6,500 BC. In the 6th century BC, the Etruscans introduced viticulture into the area which continued with the Romans -- who contributed to much of Abruzzo’s recognizable history.  Even after the fall of Rome, the Lombards, Byzantines, Magyars, and Normans successively imparted some type of influence in Abruzzo.   Throughout these periods, viticulture has been a constant with multi-generation small plots, sometimes less than a few hectares, being passed down through successive generations. 

Abruzzo is located directly east of Rome and bordered by the Molise wine region to the south, the Marche to the north, the Lazio to the west, and the Adriatic to its east.  It is further divided into several sub-regions: Chieti, Pescara, Controguerra, Teramo, and L’Aquila (L’Aquilano) -- with Chieti being the prime winemaking region (75% of vineyards).  Most of Abruzzo is rugged with  65% mountainous with this landscape assisting grape growing by blocking most storms from the west. And to the east, the Adriatic Sea provides a moderating Mediterranean climate for these vineyards; vines that are predominately planted in calcareous clay soils.

The most popular grape varieties in all sub-regions are Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.  Last week we focused on Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and now Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, both through the wines of Masciarelli. Trebbiano is grown throughout Italy, but in Abruzzo, Trebbiano Abruzzese is a different clone, an ancient version indigenous to the region.  The wines are generally "golden in color, typically dry but fruit-forward, with a delicate bouquet and refreshing, crisp acidity".  -- wine-searcher.com

The only Abruzzo producer with vineyards in all four provinces (Chieti, Pescara, Teramo, l’Aquila), Masciarelli wines demonstrate the diversity of Abruzzo terroir.  The winery was founded in the early 1980s by Gianna Masciarelli when produced the first vintage of wine from 2.5 hectares of vines he had planted in land owned by his grandfather near the family home in the province of Chieti. Over the next couple decades production increased as more estates were planted and Gianna introduced several innovations to the region. He was the first to introduce the Guyot training system in Abruzzo and use French oak barrels to age Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.  Tragically Gianna died suddenly in 2008 but his wifie of almost 20 years, Marina Cvetić, seamlessly continued the progress towards higher quality and expansion. Today, their eldest daughter Miriam Lee manages the winery with Marina and they focus on keeping all wines estate grown while expanding plantings, transitioning to organic viticulture, and dialing back the use of oak.

The Masciarelli Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC 2022 ($16) is a friendly wine with a floral aroma, flavors of stone peaches and creamy lemons and a refreshingly acidic finish. It is fermented and aged in stainless steel and like the Masciarelli Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC, the grapes are sourced from several of the estate vineyards in Chieti, Pescara, & Teramo. 

A Cognac Refresher with Pierre Vallet

The latest Hopwine fair provided a great opportunity to refresh my knowledge of Cognac in terms of geographic location (80 miles or so north of Bordeaux) grapes, crus, and terrior through samples from Pierre Vallet. This is a brand of Famillie Vallet, a six-generation estate founded in 1837 through their primary estate Château Montifaud.  The family farms over 125 hectares in two of the six crus of the cognac area: in Grande and Petite Champagne. The soils in these centrally located regions contain a large proportion of limestone, a soil type favored by the predominate grape variety Ugni Blanc (Trebbiano).  The wine made from Ugni Blanc is characterized by high acidity and low alcohol which has encouraged distillation. This generally occurs twice in copper pot stills with aging protocols using Limousin or Tronçais oak barrels.  Before bottling, the spirit is cut to 40% abv.

The production capability of Chateau Montifaud is controlled by the output of this estate, the Pierre Vallet brand augments their supply of Ugni Blanc from vineyards in the other four Cognac crus: Borderies, Fin Bois, Bon Bois, and Bois Ordinaires. The soils in these crus are similar to the two Champagne crus just a little less chalkiness.  

Cognac regulations define four categories that reflect the time each has spent in the barrel. VS (Very Special) cognacs must contain brandy no younger than two years old; VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) must be at least four years old; XO (Extra Old) must be at least 10 years old; and the newest category, XXO must be at least 14 years old.

During a virtual session tasting through the Pierre Vallet samples, I learned that the two Famillie Vallet brands have unique methods of implementing the Cognac regulations that may date to Pierre Vallet himself -- the son of founder Augustin.  Wine intended for the older Cognacs is distilled with lees providing additional body to the spirit. Younger Cognac is expected to be fresher so the wine for these categories is double-distilled without lees. In either case, the spirit weighs in at 70% and is cut with water between 64 and 68% depending on the cognac's target age. They have learned that cutting too fast introduces a soapy taste so between 60% to 41.5% of the spirit is cut 5% on a designated schedule - three months for younger, 12 months for older. Once reaching 41.5% abv, water that has been aged in barrels is added drop by drop until 40% is reached. This provides a deeper color.

Pierre Vallet Cognac VS
The youngest spirit is three years instead of the mandated two and this is an extremely fresh, floral, and fruity cognac - characterized by a noticeable body.  The local favorite is VS, tonic, and lime. 

Pierre Vallet Cognac VSOP
The youngest spirit is between six and eight years instead of the mandated four, aged in new French casks, and the 5% reduction every three months. Still floral with pear and cinnamon starting to stand out from this more complex cognac. Moving into the sipping cognac territory. 

Pierre Vallet Cognac XO
The youngest spirit is 20 years instead of the mandated 10 years. Dried fruits on the nose followed by an intensity and explosion of flavors. Dry spices like cinnamon and cloves lead to a long finish. This cognac has been aged in mature barrels with a 5% reduction every six months.

Pierre Vallet Cognac XXO
The youngest spirit is 30 years instead of the mandated 14 years and was aged in mature barrels with the 5% reduction every 12 months. Aromas of vanilla and licorice with prune and other dried fruits on the palate. Think of finesse throughout the extended finish.