Whether you may have heard the name Lazio or not, if you’ve
been to Italy most likely you visited Rome, which is actually in the central
region of Italy called Lazio. Not a
region I’ve written about too much on here and mostly because I don’t see wines
from Lazio all too often. Katarina, our
host from Grapevine Adventures chose to feature the region of Lazio for Italian
Food, Wine and Travel (#ItalianFWT) this month.
With such limited time lately I actually stopped at a couple stores and
couldn’t find a bottle. Regardless, when
learning about Italian wine it’s best to learn about all the wine regions, especially
some of the best known from those regions and those that are the least
discovered gems. I decided to share with
you today one of Lazio’s featured wines known as Frascati. This will probably be one of the wines you’d
most likely come across if you were to seek out wines in the market from this
region.
Lazio is a region dominated by white wines by about 70% over
reds that are primarily based on the Malvasia and Trebbiano white grapes. In Lazio you’ll find a couple different types
of Malvasia including Malvasia Bianca di Candia and Malvasia del Lazio. In the Lazio wine region they have the most
planted Malvasia Bianca di Candia in all of Italy. The same goes for Trebbiano where you will
discover Trebbiano Giallo and Trebbiano Toscano.
Malvasia di Lazio - Copyright of Consorzio Vini Frascati
You’ll find the appellation of Frascati up in the
southeastern hills outside of Rome in an area known as Castelli Romani. The Frascati appellations take their name
from the actual town of Frascati located there.
When we’ve spoken about volcanic wines in the past throughout Italy Lazio
may not come first to mind, but the soils located in and around Frascati consist
of volcanic matter.
Lazio hosts a very large number of DOCs with limited DOCGs
and Frascati occupies 2 of the 3 DOCGs of Lazio: Frascati Superiore DOCG and Cannellino
di Frascati DOCG. What makes up the
difference between the Frascati DOC, Frascati Superior DOCG and Cannnellino di
Frascati DOCG? Since the wines are all
produced within this area there are some differences in what classifies the
wines produced in this area into each appellation.
Both the Frascati DOC and Frascati Superiore DOCG are made
from the same requirements of grape composition at 70%+ Malvasia Bianca di
Candia and/or Malvasia del Lazio and up to 30% blending grapes. The Superiore though has lower yields, higher
alcohol levels and can produce a Riserva style with a year plus of aging. Typically, Frascati is a light-bodied, dry
wine showing apple, florals and citrus. As
with many Italian wines the Superiore will tend to produce wines with more
complexity and depth over the regular Frascati DOC.
Cannellino di Frascati DOCG on the other hand is more of
dessert style wine produced from the same variety and percentages of grapes,
but the grapes are produced in a sweeter style opposed to the dry versions we
previously discussed. It’s mandatory
that the grapes be harvested late, but it’s optional whether the grapes reach the
favorable disease known as botrytis, also known as noble rot, or whether or not
they go through an appassimento process where the grapes are partially dried.
Cannellino di Frascati DOCG - Copyright of Consorzio Vini Frascati
What’s your experience with wines from this region?
Join my fellow Italian wine and food lovers as they share some
other great selections of Lazio’s wine region.
Catch us live on Twitter this Saturday at 11am @ #ItalianFWT. Ci vediamo!
Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Lazio in California: The Quintessential Roman Pasta + 2017 Big Sur Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve
Spring is upon us as I slowly start to gravitate towards choosing a
white wine over red some evenings. Today the focus is on one of Italy’s
top whites, Gavi, made from one of Piedmont’s respected producers,
Michele Chiarlo. Gavi, located in the Alessandria province, is situated in the northwestern wine region of Piedmont where it is tucked in the southereastern
corner very close to Liguria and the port of Genova. With its close
proximity to both the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Alps these
varying landscapes are major influences on Gavi’s wine production.
The Winery ~ Michele Chiarlo
This is not Michele Chiarlo’s first appearance on Vino Travels as I have featured them not too long ago talking about sustainability at the forefront at the winery. Michele Chiarlo
is a well-established name in the Piedmont wine region. They were
established in 1956 and own about 270 acres between the areas of Langhe,
Monferrato and Gavi. Their focus is only on indigenous grapes and in
Piedmont there are plenty to work with. They also don’t blend any of
their grapes either.
Today the winery is operated by the 4th
generation of family members that are staying true to tradition, but
also focusing on innovation while expressing their authenticity paying
close attention to the environment with much manual care.
The Grape ~ Cortese
Gavi,
also known as Cortese di Gavi, is named after the town itself and
includes a number of surrounding communes located in the hills. It is
made from the Cortese grape, which is a highly productive, high acid
grape. Its home is in Piedmont where it grows in the mineral rich soils
and high sunshine area where it thrives. Gavi became a DOC in 1974 and
was promoted up to DOCG in 1998. It produces wines that are dry, low
alcohol, crisp, fresh and lively that deliver floral, aromatic wines.
You’ll find notes of peach, pears, lemon/citrus and almonds.
The Wine
2017 Michele Chiarlo
“Palas” Gavi DOCG – This wine is made from 100% Cortese on white
calcareous soil. The grapes are softly pressed where it spends a
minimum of 3 months in stainless steel. Straw colored with golden
highlights. Mostly citrus on the nose showing lemon and grapefruit with
some green apple and wet stone. Dry, medium bodied with refreshing
acidity. Pineapple and green apple on the palette with some minerality
showing towards the finish. With an SRP at $10-12 a bottle you can beat
the value of this wine. ABV 12.5%
This
wine paired lovely with a simple grilled chicken caprese topped with
sliced tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil and a drizzle of authentic
balsamic vinegar from Modena. It made me crave for warm days on the
patio that lie ahead. Here’s to the warm days of spring and summer
approaching quickly where we can all get back outside for some rays of
sunshine.
This month our Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) friends partnered with the Yakima Valley in Washington state to showcase a variety of wines grown throughout the region and some suggested pairings.
The Region ~ Yakima Valley
Yakima Valley is a land rich in agriculture known for it’s
abundance of fruits and wine grapes. Vines have been in existence in the Yakima
Valley since 1869, originally planted by French winemaker Charles Schanno. The vines originated from the Hudson’s Bay
Trading Company. Modern winemaking in
the Yakima really took off though in the early 20th century by an
attorney of Seattle, William Bridgman, when he planted his own cuttings in 1917
that are still in existence today! Along
with Bridgman, many other families during the earlier decades including Upland
Vineyards, Kiona Vineyards, Red Willow Vineyards and others are what helped lay
the groundwork for what exists today.
Copyright of Yakima Valley Wine country
The Yakima Valley boomed in the 80’s with new wineries and
vineyards popping up throughout the region.
The Yakima Valley appellation (AVA) established in 1983 grows the
largest variety of grapes in Washington state covering over 17,000 acres of
vines. Today there exists over 150
wineries that make up over half of Washington state’s wine production. Through hard work, persistence and
collaboration with Washington State University’s Irrigated Agricultural
Research and Extension Center, the wineries of Yakima Valley have made quite a
name for themselves in not only Washington state’s wine industry, but the wine
industry as a whole.
The Winery ~ Sleeping Dog Wines
Sleeping Dog Wines is located in Benton City, Washington in
the lower Yakima Valley. It’s a small production
winery averaging about 300 cases annually. Larry
Oates, owner and winemaker, started his hobby in winemaking in 1992 and has
been commercially producing since 2002 starting with Merlot, Syrah and Malbec
with his wife Joyce and their “sleeping dog” Jett. Larry’s approach is to allow the grapes to
express themselves. He holds onto the
bottles for about 6-10 years before release as he feels this shows the best
expression of the grapes, hence the name of the vineyards as he believes to “let
the sleeping dogs lie”.
Jett the dog of Sleeping Dog wines ~ Courtesy of Sleeping Dog Wines
Courtesy of Sleeping Dog Wines ~ Larry and Joyce Oates with the mayor of Croatia
The Wines
Due to the limited production of these wines I was fortunate
to have the opportunity to speak with Larry Oates and sample a few of his wines
made from Italian grapes plus a Carmenere. Larry sources the grapes from his neighbor Bob
Buoy at Buoy Vineyards with south facing slopes over the Yakima River. Sleeping Dog’s signature style are robust wines
showing intense berries and I couldn’t agree more, especially with the
Montepulciano and Carmenere.
2012 Sleeping Dog Wines Dolcetto: Made of 94%
Dolcetto and 3% Montepulciano and Merlot respectively, these grapes are grown
in the neighboring vineyard, Buoy Vineyard.
Another client of Buoy Vineyards was going to purchase the grapes from
this small block, but it didn’t pan out so Larry decided to work with the
grapes. American oak chips are used
during the primary fermentation. The
wine is aged in stainless steel with French and Hungarian oak staves. The Montepulciano and Merlot grapes were
blended in 1 month prior to bottling. Garnet
in color this wine shows aromas of red cherry in addition to showing up on the
palette. Dry, medium bodied with good
acidity and smooth tannin, the wine is balanced showing a hint of vanilla. Only 51 cases are produced. ABV 14.1% ABV SRP $28
2014 Sleeping Dog Wines Montepulciano: According to
Larry this was the first Montepulciano planted in Washington. The vines were planted in 2006. Made from 100% Montepulciano also grown in
the Buoy Vineyard. American oak beans
were used during primary fermentation.
This wine was also aged in stainless steel with French and Hungarian oak
staves. Dark ruby red in color. An intense nose of dark fruits. Blackberry, black cherry and plums on the
palette. A hearty wine with high acidity. Only 106 cases produced. Luckily I received 2 bottles of this wine so
I’d like to see how this wine does with time in the bottle as it seems to have
aging potential. ABV 14.4% SRP $34
2015 Sleeping Dog Wines Carmenere: These vines were
planted in 2006 along with the Montepulciano.
Made from 100% Carmenere. Similar
to the Montepulciano, American oak beans were used during primary fermentation
and it was aged in stainless steel with French and Hungarian oak staves. Dark ruby with a hint of purple. Green bell pepper and white pepper on the
nose. A full-bodied wine with good
acidity with moderate tannin. Full of flavor
with a lengthy finish. Only 81 cases
produced. ABV 13.9% SRP $35
The pairing: Life has been a little crazy as of late so I did take the lazy route this week, but who doesn’t love pizza and wine? To be honest it was a fun weekday night sampling these wines with some delicious sausage and ricotta pizza. My pairing of the three was the Dolcetto.
Join my fellow food and wines lovers as they share some great pairings highlighting these wines of the Yakima Valley. Catch us live on Twitter at #WinePW this Saturday @ 11am EST.
Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Cam shares “Yakima Valley’s Sin Banderas Rhone Roses Compliment Dishes with Asian Flair” and “Mediterranean-Inspired Dishes Paired with Yakima Valley Wines from Dineen Vineyards”
Linda at My Full Wine Glass invites us to “Meet Kerry Shiels: A Yakima Valley winemaker with Vision”
Terri of Our Good Life shares 2 posts “Fortuity…Taking Advantage of Life’s Great Wines!”, and “Two Mountain Rose and Fennel Wild Mushroom Tarts”
Payal at Keep The Peas shares “Yakima Valley Wines FTW!”
This month our Italian Food, Wine and Travel group
(#ItalianFWT) is exploring Italian grapes around the world. Always an intriguing search and fun
experimentation to see what other states or countries around the world are
growing Italian grapes and why they choose these particular grapes to grow in
their particular place in the world. The
winery I sampled wines from, Remy Wines, holds a particular place in my heart
as my first born son’s name is Remy. He
was a big fan seeing his name on the bottle!
Remy Wines is located in the Pacific Northwest of the US in
Oregon. The vineyards are located in the
Dundee Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley.
The owner and winemaker, Remy Drabkin, had a lifelong dream and passion
to work in the wine industry starting at the young age of 8. By the age of 14 she had worked her first
harvest and by age 17 she was already studying winemaking abroad.
Being a native to McMinnville, Oregon where the winery is
located, Remy holds strong roots to the area.
She began Remy Wines in 2006 and over the years has added a couple
tasting rooms including baR (pronounced R Bar) in 2011 and her latest tasting
room added in 2017 at the family’s Lone Madrone Vineyards site in Dundee. Although Remy’s winery is small production,
she prides herself on innovation as she works with Italian grapes that are very
outside the norm for Oregon’s wine country.
Her focus is on Lagrein, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and
Barbera. She also has another label
called Three Wives Label that she experiments with from vintage to vintage
playing with blends.
The Wines
2017 Remy Wines Jubilee Dolcetto: These grapes are grown in the Jubilee
Vineyards in the Northern part of the Eola-Amit Hills AVA in the Willamette
Valley. Dolcetto is a grape
widely grown throughout the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. The Jubilee Dolcetto is barrel aged 16 months
in neutral oak. Ruby in color with
aromas of black licorice and blackberries.
This wine was dry and balanced with juicy acidity showing blackberries
on the palette. The subtle tannins showed on the finish with a hint of vanilla
finishing with nice length. Only 206
cases are produced. SRP $35
Chicken, broccoli and sun-dried tomato over brown rice
2017 Remy Wines Estate Lagrein: These grapes are
grown at the family vineyard in Dundee Hills.
Lagrein is such a fantastic red grape that is native to the Alto Adige
region of northeastern Italy. It’s a
beautiful area surrounded by Dolomite Mountains. Remy was the first to bottle Lagrein in Oregon. Deep in color with purple hues. A hefty wine with jammy fruit, notes of
chocolate and a hint of herbs with chewy tannins. I wish I had opened this when I grilled some
rib eyes a couple weeks ago. The Estate
Lagrein is aged 2 years in 50% new American oak. Only 125 cases were produced. SRP $58
Join my fellow Italian food and wine lovers on Twitter this Saturday @ 11am EST at #ItalianFWT as we share many other Italian grapes around the world.
Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm: “Italian Grapes Grown Outside of Italy and Served Out of a Box? Che Diamine!!!”
Andrea at The Quirky Cork: “Tuscany Meets Turkey with Chateau Murou Montepulciano Sangiovese”
Marcia at Joy of Wine: “Exploring Italian Grape Varieties Down Under with Zonte's Footsteps”
Jeff at foodwineclick: “Italian Grapes from Unti Vineyards at the Winter Grill”
Martin at ENOFYLZ: “A Splendid Cal-Ital: 2016 Giornata Nebbiolo Luna Matta Vineyard”
Terri at Our Good Life: “Italian Grapes in Lodi Paired with Grilled Salmon Tacos”
Nicole at Somm’s Table: "2 Italian White Wine Blends Born in California"
Gwendolyn at wine predator: “Italy in California: from Aglianico to Zinfandel” and “Italy in California: Nebbiolo from Humbolt's Terragena and Santa Barbara’s Silver”
Susannah at avvinare: “Vermentino, A Star In and Out of Italy”
Linda at My Full Wine Glass: “Native Italian grapes find a home in the land of Pinot Noir”
*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.
I attended a virtual horizontal tasting last month called “Expressions
of Terroir” sampling the different communes of Chianti Classico led by Jeff
Porter in partnership with the Chianti Classico Consortium. The tasting was focused on learning and
understanding the difference between the communes and the styles they
produce. Each have a variety of
different soils, altitudes, climates etc. each playing their own role in the development
of the grapes.
Chianti Classico is the oldest appellation in Italy. The land had been
defined in 1716 by Cosimo del Medici, but the specific Classico territory wasn’t established until 1932.What we know as the “recipe”
for Chianti Classico was created by Bettino Ricasoli in 1848, which originally
included white grapes that have been removed as of 2006.
The territory contains 10,000 hectares under vine with 7,200
hectares dedicated to Chianti Classico over 515 estates.Forty percent of these producers are either
certified or under conversion to be certified while 70% of them are practicing
sustainability.Even one third of them are
using alternative sources for energy so there is a strong focus in this appellation for the preservation of the environment and it’s resources.
There are 4 different soils that primarily make up the vineyards
of Chianti Classico including alberese, lending acidity, galestro producing
wines with sapidity, macigno Toscano, a sandy and light well drained soil and
lastly argille, a clay based soil good for moisture retention.
The Wines
Now a focus on the Chianti Classico wines tasted.There were a taste of seven samples from the northern part of
the territory in the Florence province to the southern part of Chianti Classico
in the Siena province.Although I
enjoyed them all, four of them were my particular favorites.
San Cassiano in Val di Pesa (Florence) – Fattoria I
Collazzi
This is the closest commune to the city of Florence just
southwest on the outskirts.San Casciano
in Val di Pesa is a lower altitude and one of the warmer communes.It’s a smaller territory with Fattoria I
Collazzi occupying 400 hectares with 200 hectares planted to olive trees and only 10 hectares dedicated to Chianti
Classico vineyards at about 1,000 feet above sea level.
San Casciano is located along two ancient rivers, Greve and
Pesa, that are west and east of town.The soils are alluvial consisting mostly of clay and galestro along with
some river pebbles that allow the wines some softness and approachability.The galestro helps with the acidity in the
wine and provides structure, but elegance.
The 2018 I Collazzi I Bastioni Chianti Classico DOCG
is made of 80% Sangiovese with 18% Merlot and 2% Malvasia Nera.It’s aged 12 months in barrel with an
additional 4 months in the bottle.It’s a medium bodied wine with tart cherry and a vibrant acidity with cedar
and tobacco notes on the finish.Alberto
Torelli mentioned that the 2018 vintage was one of the best in the last 10
years with a balanced climate.ABV 13.5%
Greve in Chianti (Florence) –
Podere Castellinuzza
Greve in Chianti is located
southeast of Florence.It’s a quick jaunt outside of Florence and is a
quaint town with a great town center.Podere Castellinuzza is located in the village of Lamole, only comprised of 9 producers
total in the Monte del Chianti so the vineyards are at high altitudes.The area is known for their irises, olives
and vines with an aquaphor underneath the village providing water to the
area.Podere Castellinuzza has about 3.5 hectares of
vines.
The soil in the area is made
primarily of macigno del chianti, a sandstone that faces a lot of water stress
and results in wines that are more floral, elegant and with the higher altitudes
you’ll see wines with higher acidity.
The 2018 Podere Castellinuzza
Chianti Classico DOCG is made of 95% Sangiovese and 5% Canaiolo.It’s aged 18 months in barrel with 6 months
in the bottle. A sweeter nose of ripe cherries.It’s vibrant, floral and fresh being more
fruit forward than the others.ABV 14%
Barberino Tavarnelle (Florence) – Il Poggiolino
Barberino Tavarnelle is on the northwestern side of the
appellation, therefore receiving some of the winds from the Mediterranean
Sea.The winters are milder with the
summers cooler and breezy so the vines sprout earlier with a later
harvest.The soil here is mostly made of
galestro with some flysch sediment and blue clay that maintains humidity and
balance for the summer months.
The 2018 Il Poggiolino Chianti Classico was a favorite
for me.Made of 95% Sangiovese with 5%
Colorino this wine is aged 8 months partially in both big and small barrel with
an additional 4 months in the bottle.A
balanced wine with nice structure and moderate tannin.Deeper cherry flavors with a licorice, herbal
notes and tobacco.Higher acidity with
nice length.ABV 13.5% SRP $25
Copyright of Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico
Castellina in Chianti (Siena) – Tenuta di Lilliano
Castellina in Chianti is located northwest of Siena in the
southern part of Chianti Classico.It’s
a bigger subzone that is hard to define.It is a warmer climate and Alessandro Ruspoli from Tenuta di Lilliano
defined the commune of Castellina in Chianti’s wines as “savory, balanced with
freshness”.The winery was started by
Alessandro’s grandmother in 1920 and was commercially bottled in 1958.
They own about 1,100 acres with 100 planted to vineyards and
the rest occupied by crops, olives and forest.The soils are rich in alberese that result in wines that are fresh with
good acidity.
The 2018 Tenuta di Lilliano Chianti Classico DOCG was
another chosen favorite.Made of 90%
Sangiovese, 5% Colorino and 5% Merlot.It was showing deeper, riper fruit of cherries and violet.Acidity was prevalent on the back tongues
with low to moderate tannin on the finish.This wine was aged 12-14 months in botti with an additional 3 months in
the bottle.Momentarily the winery is
using 5% Merlot as the Canaiolo is being regrafted, but they plan to go back to
a heavier amount of Canaiolo to replace the Merlot. ABV 14.5%
Radda in Chianti (Siena) – Monteraponi
This is the smallest area of Chianti Classico just about 20km
north of Siena.A large part of this
territory is forest.Monteraponi has
been farming organically since 2009.Their soil is primarily based on alberese lending acidity to the
wines.This is one of the oldest soils
in Chianti Classico.They have 12
hectares mostly planted to Sangiovese with some Canaiolo, Colorino and Trebbiano.
The 2018 Monteraponi Chianti Classico DOCG is made of
95% Sangiovese with 5% Canaiolo.It spent
16 months in French and Slavonian oak with an additional 2 months in the
bottle.This wine had juicy acidity showing more black cherry and a hint of menthol with
moderate tannin and a silky finish.When
I went back to retaste the wine after I even picked up a little toasted
marshmallow.ABV 13.5% SRP $28
Gaiole in Chianti (Siena) – Badia a Coltibuono
Gaiole in Chianti is northeast of Siena and there are about
45 producers there.It overlooks three
valleys and receives a lot of water from the mountains.It’s a larger territory and Roberto Stucchi Prinetti
of Badia a Coltibuono recommends that the territory be divided into 4 sub zones
since it’s very diverse between altitudes and soils.The soil contains a lot of limestone and in
northern Gaiole there is a lot of macigno that is lighter and sandier.
Monks had been making wine on their property since the 11th
century.The abbey is located in the
north of Gaiole, but the vineyards of Badia a Coltibuono are located in the
southern part of Gaiole and Roberto describes these typically as “concentrated,
robust and elegant”.
The 2018 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico DOCG is
made of 90% Sangiovese with 10% native red grapes including Canaiolo, Colorino
and Ciliegiolo.It spends 12 months in
large botti with an additional 2 months in bottle.I’ve always been a fan of Badia a Coltibuono
so this was another favorite pick of mine.Well-balanced showing beautiful cherry notes, fresh acidity, and supple tannins.ABV 13.5% SRP $21
Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena) – Felsina
Castelnuovo is the most southern part of Chianti Classico.It is more hilly than some of the other
communes and receives a light breeze and is an open area so it has nice
ventilation.They own a number of
vineyard sites over 72 hectacres so there are a variety of altitudes and
soils.Most of it is white alberese and
the sandy soils and limestone lend more florals to the wine.
The 2018 Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico DOCG is
made of 100% Sangiovese selected from 11 of their parcels.It’s aged 12 months in barrel with an
additional 10 months in the bottle.This
is their mostly sold wine with a production of 280,000 bottles. This is their estate wine with the first vintage released in
1967.Chiara Leonini from the winery
says the main characteristics of their wine show herbal and balsamic notes.The wine is fresh with bright acidity, cherry, herbal and tobacco notes. A well-balanced wine.Another fav of the day!ABV 13.5% SRP $26
*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.
A couple months ago I was fortunate to receive an invitation to attend a virtual tasting event from the Vite Colte
winery in Piedmont. The Piedmont wine region in northwestern Italy
produces some of my favorite Italian wines and the fact that they were
all based on the Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes were just icing on the
cake.
The Winery ~ Vite Colte
The
winery I’m highlighting today, Terre da Vino, was a first for myself to
experience. Terre da Vino plays a large role in the wine industry in
Piedmont. A coop of their size working with over 2,500 members with
over 12,360 acres (5,000 ha), I'm surprised I haven’t experienced them
sooner. There is always so much to learn and try when it comes to
Italian wine it’s a non-stop learning curve.
Terre da Vino started a project back in 2010 under the subsidiary, Vite Colte,
that takes their wine production to another level focusing on selecting
the best vineyards and growers to produce top quality wines from about
780 acres. The project consists of about 194 growers that have been
selected that each dedicate a portion of their grapes to Vite Colte. The winery is located within Barolo and as they state on their website Vite Colte is like a “winery in a winery”.
How does Vite Colte
select their growers? They have strict protocols and selection
criteria based on a multitude of factors including soil, altitude of the
vineyards, vine density, low yields and the grapes grown. The
vineyards must be over 15 years of age. The growers must prune based on
the number of buds. Close attention must be paid to the plant’s
nutrition with manual vegetation management. All grapes must be
harvested by hand with a production of 4.4 pounds per vine and the
harvest date has to be closely monitored. So
as you can see the growers work closely with the agronomist, Daniele
Eberle and Winemaker, Bruno Cordero, on making sure all of this is
achieved to attain the highest quality that Vite Colte is looking to attain.
The Wine
At
another point I’ll share the Barolo and Barbaresco wines that I sampled
from this virtual tasting, but today I’m focused on Vite Vole’ts Barbera d’Asti wines that are the flagship wines of Vite Colte. Their first vintage working with Barbera was in 1988. Per Vite Colte’s website they have the largest amount of acres dedicated to the Barbera grape at about 222 acres. They produce about 450,000 bottles of Barbera d’Asti.
The grapes under the La Luna e I Falo label come from 44 growers over
148 acres. They are all located within the Asti province including the
areas of RonchettaTanaro, Nizza, Monferrato, Monbaruzzo, Calamandrana and Agliano Terme.
2012 Vite Colte La Luna e I Falo Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOCG
Deep
ruby in color. Medium-bodied with some spice on the nose. This wine
leaned more toward dark red fruits, mostly cherries and raspberries.
Lively acidity, smooth and well-balanced and elegant with vanilla
notes. SRP $20-25 ABV 14%
2018 Vite Volte La Luna e I Falo Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOCG
I
found this more recent vintage to lean more towards rich dark fruits,
blackberries and black currants, with some herbal undertones. Great
acidity and silky tannins towards the finish. Richer Barberas than most, but also still a young wine with time age. SRP $20-25 ABV 14.5%
Pairing with Barbera d'Asti: After the tasting I resampled these wines with an orecchiette dish I prepared in a marinara sauce with sliced Italian sweet sausages topped with 24 month aged parmigiano reggiano. The one great thing about Barbera is that due to it's high acidity it pairs well with many dishes, including this one. Plus, since this Barbera was rich in style with depth it stood up well to this marinara sauce and sausage that had a little spice.
*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.
