Posts Tagged ‘Veneto’
A not quite classic Classico?
Will get back to regular posting as soon as work lets up a little. In the meantime, a sop to quell the clamouring masses.
Soave Classico 2012, Calvarino, Pieropan ($26.30, 741058)
Sustainably farmed Garganega (90%) and Trebbiano di Soave (aka Verdicchio, 10%) from 30- to 60-year-old vines grown in the Calvarino vineyard. The grapes were manually harvested, destemmed and crushed. The free-run juice was fermented separately. Fermented at 16-18°C in glass-lined concrete tanks. Matured on the lees for 12 months in glass-lined concrete tanks. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Enotria.
Subdued nose: yellow apple just beginning to brown, lemon oil, rain on limestone, a hint of marzipan. In the mouth, it’s dry, medium-bodied, as much about extract as flavour. The soto vocce fruit is encased in a quartz matrix while the sleek acidity turns a little lemony as the wine traverses the palate. Bitter almond – or at least a touch of bitterness – colours the long, yellow apple-scented finish. Understated almost to a fault, this reveals more with vigorous chewing and could be passing through a closed phase. Perhaps not the best choice for chicken braised with white wine, rosemary and garlic though probably the best-suited of my neighbourhood SAQ’s newly “improved” (read “category-managed and severely dumbed-down”) offer of Italian whites. Better on its own, at least for now, or maybe with a pristine piece of fine white fish broiled and drizzled with melted butter and a few drops of lemon juice. (Buy again? Maybe. Or look instead for the beginning-to-arrive 2013 vintage.)
MWG January 8th tasting: A pair of organic Soaves
Soave Classico 2013, Inama ($20.65, 00908004)
100% Garganega from organically farmed 30-year-old vines. The grapes are manually havested, destemmed, crushed, macerated on the skins for four to 12 hours, then pressed. The must is chilled and allowed to settle for 12 to 14 hours followed by alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. The fermented wine is racked into vats for eight months’ maturation. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: Bergeron-les-vins.
Lovely, delicate, nuanced nose of lemon, white peach and just mowed flowery fields. Subtle and nuanced in the mouth too, fine-grained and dry. The pure fruit is infused with a rainwater minerality and soft-glow acidity. A faint carbon dioxide tingle only adds to the impression of freshness, while hints of almond and honey colour the bitter-threaded finish. (Buy again? Gladly.)
Soave Colli Scaligeri 2013, Castelcerino, Cantina Filippi ($20.10, 12129119)
100% Garganega from organically farmed vines most of which average 45 years old. Manually harvested. After pressing, the must is gravity-fed into stainless steel tanks. Temperature control is used sparingly if at all. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Matured on the fine lees for about six months, with occasional stirring, and an additional year in the bottle. Minimally sulphured before bottling. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Lemony and a bit Sauvignon Blanc-like with pear, limestone and faint floral notes. Clean and business-like on the palate, a delicate complex of minerals, white fruit and citrus that fade into a telltale bitter-almond finish. There’s acid aplenty but, oddly, the wine stays earthbound (“ça manque d’éclat,” in the words of one taster), which is surprising given its excellence in earlier vintages and the reception the 2013 has been getting from local restaurateurs and sommeliers. Perhaps ours was a slightly off bottle? (Buy again? At least another bottle for research purposes.)
(Flight: 2/8)
MWG June 12th tasting: A sweet, sparkling, natural Garganega
Veneto 2011, Dolce Racrei, Davide Spillare ($40.00, private import, 6 bottles/case)
100% Garganega from organically farmed (though apparently not certified as such) vines. Manually harvested and placed on wooden frames for about four months to partially raisinate. Fermented in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts for six months. The wine is then bottled unfiltered, unfined and with no added sulphur. In the spring and summer, as the cellar warms up, the wine resumes fermenting, converting some of the residual sugar into alcohol, producing carbon dioxide gas as a by-product and thereby creating the sparkle (see méthode ancestral). 13.5% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Hazy pale gold with a fine bead. Intriguing, aromatic nose: orange marzipan, brioche, pear clafoutis and a whiff of something lactic. In the mouth, it’s a softly effervescent middleweight, a tad sweeter than demi-sec but with the sugar checked by abundant acidity. Flavours? Baked apple dominates, hay field and chalk chime in. An orange wine-like hint of bitter tannins colour the finish. Odd but interesting – a great way to end a great tasting. (Buy again? Sure.)
oenopole workshop: picnic wines (1/4)
Earlier this week, oenopole held another of its workshops for wine writers and bloggers. Titled Atelier pique-nique, the workshop was devoted to wines that would lend themselves to picnic-friendly sandwiches. While waiting for the hordes to assemble, we sipped a sparkler.
Brut rosé 2005, Talento Metodo Classico, Bisol ($32.00, 11612598)
100% Pinot Noir from low-yielding vineyards. Manually harvested. Prior to fermentation, the must is macerated on the skins at low temperature until it turns pink. Unlike Bisol’s renowned Prosecco, this is made like champagne, using the traditional method with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle. 12.5% ABV.
Pale coppery salmon pink, with little foam or visible bead. Nuanced nose of oxidizing apple, red berries, peach and brioche. Finely effervescent in the mouth. Dry but rounded by subtle fruit. Chalky minerals and an elusive strawberry overtone add complexity. The long finish brings a faint bitter almond note. Crisp, clean, elegant and delicious. (Buy again? Yes.)
Tasted in 2009 alongside rosé champagnes costing twice as much, the 2003 – a private import retailing for $39 – came across as somewhat stern and austere. Don’t know if it’s the different vintage or different context, but neither of those descriptors apply to the 2005. On its own, it made a fine aperitif. I can also see it working with light fare such as chicken salad or salmon tartare.
MWG March 20th tasting (5/7): Die, preconceptions, die!
Lison Pramaggiore 2011, Refosco, Impronta del Fondatore, Santa Margherita ($19.05, 12208538)
100% Refosco. Macerated and fermented on the skins in stainless steel tanks for ten days at 28°C with regular pump-overs for about ten days. After malolactic fermentation, part of the wine is racked into French oak barriques, while the rest is matured in stainless steel. The two batches are blended just before bottling. 14% ABV.
Sweaty candied plum, slate, spice and hints of flowers (peony?), animale and sawed wood. Medium- to full-bodied. Dry but fruity with a sappy greenish overtone. The soft, lightly raspy tannins and relatively low acidity give the wine a velour-like texture that lasts well into the faintly bitter finish. Not bad but one-dimensional and a bit heavy. (Buy again? Nah.)
IGP Letrini 2009, Domaine Mercouri ($22.00, 11885537)
Located on the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula near the village of Korakochori, the estate is the second oldest modern-day producer in Greece (after Boutari). This is a blend of sustainably farmed Refosco (80%) and Mavrodaphne (20%); the Refosco vines were first brought to the estate from Friuli in the 19th century. Fermented with neutral yeasts in stainless steel vats. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. Matured 10 to 12 months in French oak barrels, 40% new. 13.5% ABV.
Red and black fruit, cedar, graphite, tire. Silkier, brighter and fleeter than the Lison Pramaggiore. The fruit is ripe but restrained, structured by dark minerals and fine tannins and sweetened by a whisper of oak. The sustained finish has an appetizing bitter note. Fundamentally, a savoury wine though not at the expense of freshness. Elegant and digeste, far more so than its flightmate. Even better than the enjoyable 2008. (Buy again? Done!)
Before the bottles were unveiled, I pegged the chewy, unrefreshing wine as the Greek and the elegant, food-friendly wine as the Italian. Shows what I know. Preconceptions die hard.
MWG March 20th tasting (4/7): Go-to Venetos
IGT Veneto 2008, Campo Massimo, Albino Piona ($19.05, 12132035)
100% Corvina from 10- to 15-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Destemmed and pressed. Fermented and macerated in temperature-controlled tanks with pumping over and rack-and-returns. Aged ten months in stainelss steel tanks. 13% ABV.
Intriguing aromatic nose: floral, strawberry jam, leather, earth, lipstick. Fresh and lively in the mouth with the weight and structure of a Beaujolais cru. Tart berries and cherry sing while bell pepper and chervil hit a savoury note. Fair length. Very throwbackable, especially when lightly chilled. How do you say vin plaisir in Italian? (Buy again? Yes.)
Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2012, Morandina, Prà ($21.65, 12131964)
A blend of organically farmed Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Oselata. Destemmed, pressed and transferred to tall vats for 15 days’ fermentation and maceration with rack-and-returns. Transferred to 20-hectolitre oak barrels for malolactic fermentation. The resulting wine in then macerated on the skins of grapes used to make Amarone for five days at 25 to 30°C, during which time a second fermentation takes place (this step is what makes it a ripasso). Lastly, the wine is transferred to large barrels and a few French oak casks for a further 18 months’ maturation. 13.5% ABV.
Morello cherry, blackberry, bell pepper, fresh herbs and spice, in particular white pepper and licorice. Medium-bodied, tart and juicy, balanced. The fruit is clean, the tannins supple, the acidity fresh. Dark minerals and a bitter thread add depth. Exits as suavely as it enters. Not a vin de contemplation but perfect in its way. Great QPR. (Buy again? Yes.)
Soave sia il vino
Yet another wine that the MWG bought multiple cases of when it was a private import has shown up at the SAQ.
Soave Colli Scaligeri 2011, Castelcerino, Cantina Filippi ($18.85, 12129119)
A subzone of the Soave DOC, the Colli Scaligeri (Scaligeri hills) is considered something of a grand cru, though oddly enough, it is located just outside the Soave Classico zone. The organically farmed grapes for this 100% Garganega come from vines averaging 45 years old. Manually harvested. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Does not undergo malolactic fermentation. Matured on the fine lees for about six months, with occasional stirring, and an additional year in the bottle. Lightly filtered. Sees only stainless steel until bottling. 12.5% ABV.
Wafting nose of pear, camomile, white spice, limestone and powdered honey. Lush texture. Dry yet so extract-rich you don’t really notice. The fruit is present but subdued: Asian pear on a bed of hay and straw. A saline undercurrent adds a savoury tang. The cuvée’s signature minerals are there but rounder, less crystalline, more chalk than the quartz of earlier vintages. The acidity is rounder too, surely a function of the hot summer. A bitter note – grapefruit pith and almond skin – emerges on the long finish. A richer, weightier, slightly less mineral- and acid-driven example of this wine but one that delivers enormous pleasure. Astounding QPR. (Buy again? Oh, yes.)
(The post’s title is a play on the title of a sublime trio from Mozart’s Così fan tutte, which I mention only because it gives me an excuse to link to this video of a masterful performance.)
Not your (Chilean) grandfather’s Carménère
IGT Veneto 2010, Carménère, Più, Inama ($20.95, 11389074)
Carménère (70%) and Merlot (30%) from vines between ten and 42 years of age. Manually harvested and fully destemmed. Fermented close to two weeks, then racked into new tanks for malolactic fermentation, all in stainless steel tanks. Matured in second-fill 225-litre French oak barrels for 12 months, then racked, filtered and bottled. Unfined. 14% ABV.
Black raspberry, plum, graphite and a whiff of vanilla and menthol, evolving toward gingerbread and tomato. Medium-bodied. Dry. Starts out all sweet fruit and spice but, from the mid-palate on, the dominating factor is a surging current of, well, what? At first I pegged it as bitterness – bitterness approaching the level of an amaro digestif like Fernet-Branca – but as the wine breathed I began leaning toward astringency. Let’s compromise on bitter astringency and note that it lingers long after the rest of finish has disappeared. Structure-wise the wine is supple, with enough acidity and some light, raspy tannins that seem distinct from the astringency. Unusual (though the tail end of the bottle seemed less unconventional the next day) and certainly one of the more interesting Carménères I’ve encountered, light years ahead of most of its Chilean counterparts. That said, this won’t be to everybody’s taste. Also, it’s not a wine to sip on its own. The winemaker’s suggestion of grilled pork as a pairing seems spot on. Or how about bollito misto? (Buy again? Maybe.)
MWG January 10th tasting (6/7): Two Italian reds
IGT Veneto 2011, Rosso Giaroni, Davide Spillare ($26.40, La QV, 12 bottles/case)
Natural. 100% organically farmed Merlot. Spontaneous fermentation in open vats for two weeks with regular punching down. Matured in 500-litre barrels for about a year. Unfiltered, unfined. No added sulphur. Vegan-compatible.
Umami nose: beef bouillon cubes, dark soy sauce, sweet spice, sawed wood. Supple, medium-bodied. The sweet red fruit has a fresh, herbaceous streak, enough acidity and light, velvety tannins. Seemed anonymous at first but developed in interesting ways over the course of an hour or two, gaining complexity, depth, breadth, personality and even allure. (Buy again? Yes.)
IGT Toscana 2007, Jassarte, Podere Guado al Melo ($35.70, La QV, 6 bottles/case)
A crazy blend of 30-odd Mediterranean and Trans-Caucasian varieties from a sustainably farmed vineyard planted in 1999 and located in the Bolgheri DOC. Manually harvested, fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, matured 24 months on the lees in small oak barrels (10% new) and at least 24 months in the bottle.
Unlike the bottle tasted at the private import show, ours initially had a skunky smell that Cyril associated with mercaptan. That quickly blew off leaving an unfathomably complex nose (plum, wood, fresh herbs, graphite, smoke, nuts, chocolate and more). Smooth and fluid in the mouth with a silky texture. Dry though the fruit is sweetly ripe in the manner of warm-climate reds. There’s a Bordeaux-like balance between extract, tannins and acidity. Not particularly deep or Italian-tasting but broad, long and dapper. (Buy again? Possibly.)
MWG December 14th tasting (1/4): Two Proseccos and a ringer
The Mo’ Wine Group celebrated its seventh anniversary on December 14. As usual, the tasting featured sparklers, Champagnes, some potentially sublime still wines and an odd bottle or two. We began with two Proseeccos and a mystery wine contributed by one of the group’s original members.
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore 2011, Extra Dry, Bandarossa, Bortolomiol ($19.50, 10654956)
100% Glera (aka Prosecco). Pressed off the skins, fermented with selected yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Sparkled using the Charmat process, which lasts close to a month. Matured one to three months. 18.0 g/l residual sugar. 6.0 g/l total acidity. 11.5% ABV.
Sliver to the other wines’ yellow-gold. Perfumy nose: bath powder, lemon and a candied note one taster dubbed “Hubba Bubba.” The foam lasted several minutes around the edge of the glass – the first time I’ve encountered that – though in the mouth the effervescence was fine and soft. Drier and more acidic than expected (a good thing) but also shallow. (Buy again? No, not when the far more enjoyable 2011 Bisol can be had for less.)
Vidalsecco 2010, Ontario, Huff Estates ($19.95, purchased at the winery)
100% Vidal Blanc. Sparkled using the Charmat process. Matured in stainless steel vats. 12 g/l residual sugar. 11.5% ABV. 400 cases made. Crown-capped.
Noticeably different nose: lemon and chalk but also mastic, star fruit, chewing gum (“Juicy Fruit” said another taster, continuing the Wrigley theme) and a hint of foxiness. A little like sipping ginger ale, though dry and fine-textured with an appealing tang and a long, clean finish. (Buy again? Sure.)
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore 2010, Extra Dry, Le Rive di Ogliano, Masottina ($23.15, 11791750)
100% Glera. Fermented with selected yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Sparkled using the Charmat process. 13.0–15.0 g/l residual sugar. 5.2–6.2 g/l total acidity. 11.5% ABV.
Perfumy again, though not to the Bortolomiol’s boudoiry excess, with a honeyed edge and a hint of lemon zest. Soft, almost caressing effervescence. Very dry. A certain complexity of flavours, including a floral note on the finish. Tasty. (Buy again? Yes.)
Brett happens 