Tag: Tuscany
Montevertine Pian del Ciampolo 2007
We tasted this wine a little while back, and while it stuck in my memory, the post I had begun working on gradually fell farther and farther down the queue as other drafts accumulated in front of it. Thankfully, I had cause to revisit it after attending a tasting featuring Neal Rosenthal himeself at local wine shop named Brix. The tasting included several Montevertine wines, including the Pian del Ciampolo, Montevertine, and Le Pergole Torte.
Without doubt, Neal Rosenthal is my favorite importer of wines today. His selection focuses on France and Italy, and all of the wines he brings in are consistently wonderful. I particularly enjoy his Italian wines, and have had several from Piedmont and the Valle d’Aosta in particular. What I find so enjoyable about Rosenthal’s wine selection is the degree to which each wine is such a unique, distinct expression of the winemaker and the place in which the grapes were grown and the wine made. I don’t mean to wax overly poetic about terroir, typicity, etc., etc., but across the board I’ve found that these wines all say something different from one another. This certainly owes to Rosenthal’s explanation of what motivated him to begin importing wine in the first place,
The objective from the outset was to work as directly as possible with growers who were dedicated to producing limited quantities of the finest quality wines and who shared [our] passion for “terroir”, that ephemeral “sense of place”…We prefer to seek out other small sources of supply rather than work with a cooperative, negociant, or large commercial producer to keep the flow of wine coming.
The Montevertine Pian del Ciampolo fits this driving motivation to a tee. The winery was founded in 1967 by Sergio Manetti and produced its first vintage in 1971. From the start, Manetti focused production on the Sangiovese grapes. Because the then-rules governing production of Chianti Classico did not allow for using the amount of sangiovese Manetti desired, in 1981 the winery left the Chianti Classico consortium and began producing its own unique, regional wines.
The estate is small, numbering just 10 hectares of vines spread over 6 vineyards:
- Le Pergole Torte: planted in 1968, surface 2 hectares, exposed towards N-NE
- Montevertine: planted between 1972 and 1982, surface 2.5 hectares, exposed towards SE-S
- Il Sodaccio: planted in 1972 and completely replanted in the year 2000, surface 1.5 hectares, exposed towards SE
- Il Casino: planted in 1999, surface 2 hectares, exposed towards S
- Selvole: planted in 1997, surface 3.5 hectares, exposed towards SE-S
- Pian del Ciampolo: planted in 2003, surface 1.5 hectares, exposed towards W-NW
The winery’s website states that 90% of the grapes cultivated are sangiovese, with the remainder made up of canaiolo, colorino, and malvasia bianca. According to the site,
We have deliberately avoided cultivating other types of grapes such as Cabernet, Pinot Nero or Merlot because we want to distance ourselves from the worldwide trend. Some say that the aforementioned grapes reflect the current globalized taste. And what happens if one day, after an excessive production, we are bored by such grapes? Switching back to traditional grapes would take many years. And, after all, isn’t it altogether possible to make great wine from Sangiovese? Our own experience says “yes”, especially when the Sangiovese in question is Tuscan…
The Pian del Ciampolo is the estate’s basic red wine. It is composed of 90% sangiovese, 5% canaiolo, and 5% colorino. After a manual harvest, the grapes are pressed and the wine fermented in cement cuvees for at least 25 days. The wine is then aged in large Slavonian oak barrels for 18 months before bottling (without filtration), and is held in bottle by the estate for 4 months before being released.
Tasting Notes
The bottle sports a simple, tasteful label, perhaps speaking volumes about the wine itself. It pours a velvety purple red, the color of rose petals. The nose is enticing, displaying a wide range of flavors, with notes of violets, cherry cordials, dark chocolate, damp earth. The palate is vibrant and fresh tasting. Initial flavors of flavors of sweet raspberries and cherries gives way to ripe strawberries, milk chocolate, and a touch of apple skin acidity. The texture is smooth and mellow, with soft tannins providing some additional body. The finish is bright with acidity, complementing flavors of early season raspberries and strawberries.
On the whole, this wine was utterly delightful. Flavors of ripe fruit and chocolates were supported by a sweet, lithe body. Definitely try this wine if you have the opportunity.
At the tasting Rosenthal held, we also got to try the Montevertine and Le Pergole Torte. Montevertine is the estate’s middle-level wine, and their year-in, year-out premium bottling. In complexity and nuance its a step above the Pian del Ciampolo. The Le Pergole Torte is the estate’s reserve wine, only made in exceptional years. It is certainly an exciting wine, displaying more power and depth than the other two reds. All three are very good, highly recommended wines.
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Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico 2006
Over the past year or so I’ve been slowly reading my way through Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines Of Italy, going chapter by chapter and often trying to sample a few of the wines that are mentioned in each chapter. The book is well-written and does a good job of articulating what is especially good or unique about each of Italy’s many wine regions. And so it is normal for me to get fairly excited about the wines of region X when I read the given chapter.
Before reading the chapter on Tuscany I knew next-to-nothing about this region, little more than the notion of what a Super Tuscan was (and even that was hazy and ill-informed). As a result this turned into a chapter that I enjoyed a great deal. I learned the very basic fact that both Chianti (Classico) and Brunello di Montalcino are from Tuscany, two DOCGs that I was happy to have more than hearsay to put to the names. The chapter did a great job of laying out info about nearly all of Tuscany’s 40 DOC zones, including some solid info about Vin Santo.
Initially it was Vin Santo that really captured my attention most regarding the wines of Tuscany. But it was the information about Chianti that I found to be particularly intriguing. This was largely due in part to my experience in often enjoying Chiantis as solid go-to wines in unknown restaurants, and the distinct impression lent by the book that a number of seriously good Chianti producers had come on the scene in the last decade or two. Brunello di Montalcino didn’t appeal to me initially on account of it coming across as an overly hyped wine scene (in much the same way that I find little of intellectual interest in Bordeaux – great wines I’m sure, but I don’t seem to get very interested in learning more about them), but Chianti somehow nestled its way into my imagination.
But until last night I hadn’t gotten around to trying any Chianti Classicos. Fortunately, the first bottle we opened was from the Fattoria de Felsina. Both Vino Italianio and Italian Wines 2008 (Gambero Rosso) have very positive things to say about this winery. They are regular winners of the three glass award from Gambero Rosso, and are praised in both books for the refinement, balance, and elegance of their wines along with the high quality throughout their entire range. Felsina produces a small range of wines that most notably includes 3 Chianto Classicos (Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva, and Chianti Classico Rancia Riserva) along with a super Tuscan named Fontalloro, and a Vin Santo del Chianti Classico. It is the Chianti Classico Rancia Riserva and Fontalloro that have earned Felsina the most honors, yet the authors of Vino Italiano write that “elegant and aromatic Chianti Classico is the specialty of this famed estate.”
The estate owns 62 hectares of vines in the Chianti Classico zone and produces about 400,000 bottles of wine each year. Their Chiantis and the Fontalloro are all made up of 100% Sangiovese. The grapes for this Chianti Classico were grown at an altitude of 350m to 420m and harvested during the first three weeks of October 2005. After fermentation the wine was transferred to small and medium sized oak casks for 12 months of aging, followed by 3 months of bottle aging before release.
The wine pours a velvety cherry red-black color. The nose has smoke, deep notes of black cherries, and an intriguing trace of honey. The palate tastes of plums, black cherries, and a hint of earthiness, along with some spiciness and menthol. The tannins are noticeable, but are sweet and not overpowering. The somewhat short finish has a core of freshly acidic red fruit.
On the whole I thought this was great, easy-drinking red wine, one that while not being overly complex or challenging, nonetheless brought a great mix of flavors to the glass. Based on this wine, I would love to try either the Riserva or the Rancia Riserva, both of which are a step above the straight Chianti Classico in terms of both the selected grapes and the aging the wine gets before release. And it goes nearly without saying that the Vin Santo is on my list of wines to one day have a chance to try.
This was a great wine to use as a stepping stone in getting to know the wines of Chianti Classico. Felsina is clearly a well-reputed producer, and their Chianti Classico turned out to be a good introduction to both Chianti Classico, Tuscany, and the Sangiovese grape.
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Castello della Paneretta Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2001
I was immediately hooked when I read this description of Vin Santo in Vino Italiano:
“Vin Santo is a unique experience, almost like a cross between a wine and a whiskey…the fermentation literally takes years, and no new wine is added during the fermentation and maturation, meaning that over the course of the three-plus years a Vin Santo is required to age, there is some evaporation. The resultant wines are usually a burnished amber.”
While dessert wines generally hold only a small interest to me, after having tried the Vin de Paille from Domaine de Montbourgeau I am fascinated by the concept of dessert wines that are aged for several years and allowed to oxidize to some degree. The incredible wide range of flavors that I experienced in that Vin de Paille has stuck in my mind and left a palpable excitement at the idea of being able to find something similar to that once again.
Most incredibly, the experience of drinking a Vin Santo was actually better than I was prepared for. While out at dinner recently the restaurant offered a selection of dessert wines, including Vin Santo. I couldn’t resist, and was definitely rewarded. The wine was a amberish-gold, the nose spoke of candied fruits and nuts, the palate was filled with flavors. Very exciting indeed. The bottle that I was tasting was from Badia a Coltibuono, and so I began to keep my eyes open for that or other Vin Santos that I might run across.
Shortly thereafter I found one at an interesting little wine shop in the North End named The Wine Bottega. It struck me as one of those shops where they don’t offer a huge selection, but what they do offer is going to be top-notch. So I snatched up a bottle of the one Vin Santo that they had, this Castello della Paneretta Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2001.
Castello della Paneretta is a small to medium-sized winery in the Chianti Classico zone in Tuscany. They produce about 100,000 bottles annually from the 16 hectares of vineyards that they own. Their portfolio includes seven wines, all of which are reds aside from the Vin Santo. I don’t know how their wines in general, or this Vin Santo in particular, stack up against the spectrum of wines from Tuscany. Unfortunately they were not included in Italian Wines 2008, which perhaps is indicative, I’m not sure. But I’m comfortable giving them the benefit of the doubt, in large part due to the shop I got the bottle from.
The Vin Santo consists of 70% trebbiano and 30% malvasia. The grapes are harvested in September and left to dry on straw mats until January. During those four months the grapes gradually dry out, concentrating their sugars. After pressing the wine, now measuring 16%, is put into small oak casks and left to age for anywhere from three years on up. I’ve seen one Vin Santo in shops that has been aged for 16 years! In the case of Castello della Paneretta the Vin Santo is aged for 5 years before bottling. Notably, the Vin de Paille from Domaine de Montbourgeau that was so good was also a 2001…
The resultant wine is really quite remarkable. The color is amber with rich gold accents. The wine is clearly very viscous as it leaves distinct tears on the side of the glass. The nose is dominated by the scent of walnuts, golden raisins, candied cherries, and a hint of sweet acidity. The wine is thick on the palate, coating your mouth completely, and is much brighter than those would indicate. There is sufficient acidity to brighten the flavors, providing an excellent backdrop for the flavors of raisins, apples, walnuts, and candied pears. The finish starts with a hint of fresh strawberries and raspberries that slowly gives way to a prolonged taste of walnuts. The finish is quite long.
My memories of the Vin de Paille are too long ago to fairly compare this Vin Santo to it. Off the cuff I’m leaning towards saying that the Vin de Paille left me a shade more excited, but that may have less to do with its flavors than with its backstory (I still have a very soft spot in my heart for wines of the Jura). This Vin Santo is very, very good and I feel very lucky to have taken a chance on this bottle. I am especially pleased to know that while I may long to once again have a bottle of Vin de Paille on hand, Vin Santos are much, much easier to find, and at a much better price as well.
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