A Toast to Brunello with Val di Suga

As we come into the last few months of the year our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group (#ItalianFWT) is featuring the three B’s of Italian wine: Brunello, Barbaresco and Barolo.  Although we know there are others these are some of the most prominent wines of Italy.  I thrilled to have Brunello be the feature for October as not only is my birthday and anniversary month, but if I had to pick a favorite wine Brunello may take the cake. 

The Region ~ Tuscany

Brunello hails from the Tuscan town of Montalcino located in the Val d’Orcia, about 20 miles south of Siena.  This area was granted as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2004.  As most of Tuscany is known for it’s splendid landscapes, this area is rich in rolling hills, olive groves and forests.  It’s a rather close proximity to the Tyrrhenian Sea and about 70 miles also from the Apennines mountains. 

Copyright of Federdoc

The climate here is mostly Mediterranean and can be rather mild during the grape growing season.  The Montalcino area is also one of the warmest and driest climates.  The northern part of Montalcino the grapes will ripen slower where in the southern part they receive more sun and winds resulting in different styles of wine. 

In historical finds, wine has been made by the Etruscans in this area over 2,000 years ago.  The wines were originally appreciated by the elite, but started to receive recognition by one of the pioneers of this area Biondi Santi after World War II.  He was a soldier in the Garibaldi army whom left to take over his grandfather’s estate.  Biondi Santi was the only commercial producer at that time.  His practices in Brunello winemaking were different than any others starting to develop at the time.  He vinified the grapes separately where at the times this was not the norm.  He forego the secondary fermentation and the fruit profile in his wines were pure even though they were aged in wood.  In the 60’s there were around 10 producers with today the area of Montalcino features over 200 producers of Brunello.

Copyright of Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino

The Grape ~ Sangiovese

Brunello wines must be made from 100% Sangiovese, but a clone known as Sangiovese Grosso.  They’re larger Sangiovese berries and are known as the “little dark ones”.  They have thick skins resulting in high acidity and higher tannin wines with bold fruit flavors. 

Copyright of Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino

Brunello di Montalcino is a wine that was granted DOC status in 1966 and later elevated to DOCG in 1980.  It was the first in Italy actually to receive this higher designation of DOCG.  In order to be labeled a Brunello di Montalcino DOCG the wines must undergo 4 years of aging with an added year to be a riserva.  A minimum of 2 years must be aged in oak and at least 4 months in the bottle, with the riservas requiring at least 6 months in the bottle.  The grapes are also grown on hillsides between 120-650 meters as grapes at higher elevations do not receive the prime ripeness and right characteristics for a Brunello. 

The more traditional style, typically what I prefer, are those that have a longer maceration and age in large Slavonian vats resulting in wines that are drier and more tannic.  The modern style have a shorter maturation where the wine is aged in small French oak barrels with a more fruit forward style. 

The Winery ~ Val di Suga

Val di Suga began in 1969 when a company owned by Aldo Moro purchased vineyards in the north of Montalcino.  They started producing wine in their own cellars in 1982.  The winery had changed hands in 1994 under the Angelini Group and Bertani Domains.  They own about 135 acres of vineyards dedicated to Sangiovese Grosso and is one of the select wineries that owns territory across 3 diverse terroirs of Brunello with different slopes, sun exposures and soils. 

Their 3 cru single vineyard sites are Vigna del Lago, Vigna Spuntali and Poggio al Granchio.  The vintage Brunello I’ll be sharing is a blend across the three cru sites.  Vigna del Lago is located in the northeast section of Montalcino with vineyards that are located lakeside in front of the estate.  This is their oldest vineyard made of clay soil.  The climate there is mild and cool.  Vigna Spuntali is one of the most famous cru sites bought in 1988 that is in the southern part with southwest facing slopes.  The soils here are limestone and has more of a Mediterranean climate.  Poggio al Granchio is located in the southeast and was purchased in 1999 featuring galestro or slate type soils. 

The Wine

Unfortunately I guess I didn’t realize how limited my stock was of Brunello where I only have 1 bottle left that I brought back some years ago from my visit to the winery.  With a milestone birthday that I celebrate this month I figured no time like the present to enjoy.  I’ll be updating my post in another week for my birthday celebration as I’ll be sharing the 2001 Val di Suga Brunello di Montalcino so make sure to come back and check out my notes.

Food Pairings

Brunello is a classic match to the local Tuscan pecorino cheese along with red meats like the local wild boar (one of favorite dishes of Tuscany) and the melt in your mouth Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

These wines speak for themselves, but Wine Spectator back in 1999 ranked Brunello as one of the top 12 best wines in the 21^st century and later in 2006 it’s one of the absolute best in the world.  Although they come with a heftier price tag, when I see what some of the wines go for produced in the US you’ll find me hunting down a Brunello any day over those.  

Join my fellow Italian food and wine lovers as they share their pairings and Brunello selections this month.  Catch us live on Twitter this Saturday at 11am EST @ #ItalianFWT.  Ci vediamo!  See you soon!

• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla pairs Riso Venere Nero + La Palazzetta Brunello di Montalcino 2016.
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator.....Gwendolyn Alley offers 2 Organic Brunellos + Vegetarian Italian Fare.
• Terri of Our Good Life serves up Pumpkin Ravioli with Sausage and Amaretto Cream Sauce and a Not-So-Brunello Wine
• Linda of My Full Wine Glass suggests Can't Travel to Tuscany? Open a Brunello Instead.
• Katrina of The Corkscrew Concierge tells how Biondi Santi Charts New Paths While Honoring Tradition.
• Susannah of Avvinare discusses ;Celestino Pecci: A Brunello di Montalcino Producer to Watch.
• Nicole of Somm’s Table is Lunching and Tasting at Fattoria dei Barbi.
• Host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm declares A Strong Brunello is Perfect with a Venison Meatball Stew.

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Vino Travels celebrates 6 years of blogging about Italian wine

When the reminder popped up on my computer that it had been 6 years that I start blogging about wine I couldn’t believe how fast time has gone.  As I’ve mentioned in the past I started a wine blog to encourage myself to read, research and learn as much as I can due to my love and passion for Italy and wine, especially Italian wine.  I will never claim myself as an expert as I’m far from it, but this is my own personal journey and I’m very thankful to my readers for joining me along for the ride.   

In trying to think about what wine I wanted to feature for such a special occasion it’s hard to just pick one bottle.  There are wines that I brought back from my travels from Italy over the years that I’m aging in my basement.  The question is what am I waiting for.  Life is too short, but for special bottles I do like to take a moment to sit and savor the sips and with 2 little munchkins running around my house that’s not always the easiest to do. 

I decided to enjoy a 2008 Secretum Brunello di Montalcino DOCG that I must have brought back from Italy some years ago.  I’m not sure why I had picked this particular bottle and if my memory serves me correct I was in a wine shop in Montalcino and chose this bottle to take home and try.  Unfortunately, after countless efforts online I couldn’t dig up any information about the winery, which is what I love to tell most of to my readers. 

So why did I pick this particular wine?  Well, I fight with the question of what is my favorite Italian grape and it’s impossible to pick just one.  I always seem to lean towards sangiovese in its many styles whether it’s chianti classico, vino nobile di montepulciano, brunello di montalcino or from southern Tuscany in the Bolgheri wine region where it’s blended with international grapes.  There are also great sangiovese wines from Emilia Romagna known as Sangiovese di Romagna that you don’t see too much of, but are definitely something to try. 

The 2008 Secretum Brunello di Montalcino DOCG was deep garnet in color with a hint of orange on the rim (typically comes with age).  On the nose were beautiful ripe cherries, almost with a hint of cherry chapstick to it with some notes of licorice at the end.  Classic sangiovese cherry notes on the palate with nice acidity and moderate to firm tannins.  The wine needed a little time to open up as initially the tannins overpowered the fruit.  A good lengthy finish with notes of vanilla at the end.  Overall an enjoyable brunello with a smile on my face as I look back at how far I’ve come with a long road ahead.   

Please drop me notes or leave comments as I love to hear from my readers and it doesn’t happen all too often.  I love all sorts of feedback and comments and for those that participated in my survey earlier this year I greatly appreciate the feedback so I can bring you more of what you’d like to read.      

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Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino & Pappardelle with Bolognese

I was a little hesitant I must say to join the “Open that Bottle Night” for our Wine Pairing Weekend event. I always have a hard time opening bottles that are special to me that I have brought back from Italy after visiting the wineries. I'll always have the memories from that visit, but once the bottle is gone it's gone. It's crazy thinking I know. I can go back and always get another bottle, but I'm sure many can relate that it can be tough. Another worry is after sitting on a bottle for years will it even be good upon opening it. 

I decided to revisit a winery that I visited back in 2007, Fattoria dei Barbi in Montalcino within Tuscany. Fattoria dei Barbi is run today by Stefano Cinelli Colombini. The winery is on about 750 acres of land and their production is about 800,000 bottles with ¼ of those being Brunello di Montalcino. The winery still has bottles in their cellars bottles that date back to 1892. As you'll see from my pictures below there were bottles in dim red lighting from the 50's and 60's as well. I'd love to experience some of those older vintages to see how they have developed. One can dream.

Don't mind the old picture of me ; )

Large slavonian oak barrels of Fattoria dei Barbi

According to their site, Fattoria dei Barbi is the leader in many firsts:

• First to sell Brunello by mail (1832)
• First to export Brunello to the USA (1962)
• First single varietal grappa with Brunello (1974)
• First to use carbon dioxide for cold fermentation with red wines (2000)

The Wine
I was patiently aging a 2000 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino that I chose to open to share with you today. If you're not too familiar with Brunello di Montalcino it was a DOCG that was created in Tuscany in 1980. You may have heard of the 3 B's of Italian wines and that includes Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello. These are some of the best wines in all of Italy. Sangiovese was definitely my first love when it came to Italian wine and as I began to discover how many clones of sangiovese there were back then and over time I discovered the amazing Brunello di Montalcino. 

This is a wine that is required by Italian law to be produced with 100% Sangiovese Grosso and to be aged a minimum of 2 years in barrel and 4 months in the bottle prior to release. It's a wine that can age for 15-20+ years depending on the producer, storage conditions and the vintage itself.

Brusco dei Barbi was their first “super tuscan” developed in 1969

The long awaited moment had come where I opened and decanted my bottle of 2000 Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino.  Obviously it doesn't compare to the vintages that I shared with you in the pictures above, but we can't have it all, can we?  

 

The Fattoria dei Barbi Brunello di Montalcino was aged 2 years in large slavonian oak barrels showed above followed by 4 months aging in the bottle.  It's always amazing to me how a bottle with age can retain the characteristics they do when kept in the correct conditions.  When I brought this bottle back from Italy I put it away in my wine fridge and never touched it again.  Opening the bottle and pouring it into the decanter I then poured myself a few sips in anticipation to see how the bottle held up.  I was impressed by the acidity and fruit that were still in tact.  It was garnet in color with a slight hint of orange around the rim showing its age.  After about close to an hour of the wine decanting everything was beautifully integrated and turned into a very silky, smooth and beautifully aromatic wine of ripe cherries, more on the black cherry side with a hint of tobacco.  I sat there for awhile with my nose in the glass treasuring these moments as the nose was intense.

 

Wine Pairing with Brunello di Montalcino

If I had some of the foods that are accessible in Tuscany accessible here in the states I definitely would have chosen wild boar. It's one of my Tuscan favorites! My husband is a lover of pappardelle and I promised I'd bring him some back from my recent trip to Italy. 

 

With this Brunello di Montalcino I prepared a pappardelle with a bolognese sauce. You could also go for preparing it with braised beef as another option. One of the disappointing factors for me when I see pasta bolognese on a menu is whether or not it's produced in a true bolognese form. So many restaurants prepare it as an everyday meat sauce, but it's so much more. Every time I think of bolognese it brings me back to my travels to Bologna in the Emilia Romagna region during the same time when I also visited Fattoria dei Barbi. No one til this day has prepared a bolognese like that meal I experienced in Bologna, but it was coming from the source of Bologna so it's pretty hard to beat. No one knows how to make a meal than those of where the dish originates from.  

 

I decided to venture out and try preparing a different recipe and went with the recipe for Pappardelle with Bolognese Sauce from Williams Sonoma.  I used a pappardelle with truffles that had a hint of flavor that was just enough to complement the dish.  I topped the dish with an aged Tuscan pecorino, which is my favorite.  The elegance of the wine and the firm tannin combined with the rich bolognese sauce were a perfect combination.  It was an evening of smiles and full bellies and was very delightful. 

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Be sure to check out these special pairings from my fellow #winePW bloggers and their wonderful pairings for Open that Bottle Night! 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla paired Roasted Flank Steak with Goat Cheese and Caperberries + 2012 La Marea Mourvèdre 
Tasting Pour is sharing Chenin to Sheepie? Brava Cava! #Winewpw #OTBN 
Pull That Cork served Crozes Hermitage and Braised Lamb with Puréed Root Vegetables for #winePW 10 
Curious Cuisiniere paired Entrecote Bordelaise (Steak: Bordeaux Style) with Red Oak Vineyard Meritage A Day in the Life on the Farm served up Michigan Red with City Chicken 
Girls Gotta Drink is sharing A Priorat Wine Masterpiece: 1974 Scala Dei 
Grape Experiences is sharing Wine and Dine: 2012 Van Duzer Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Chicken Breasts and Zucchini with Marjoram 
Wild 4 Washington Wine paired A Special Oregon Pinot Noir with Eastern North Carolina Inspired Ribs 
Rockin Red Blog is sharing Celebrating #OTBN on #WinePW 
Cooking Chat paired Avocado Chimichurri Beef Tenderloin with a Reininger Carmenere 
ENONFYLZ Wine Blog is sharing Friends, Food and Wine; An #OTBN To Remember #winePW. 

If you are catching this post early enough, you can join our live Twitter Chat on Saturday, March 14, at 11 a.m. ET, via the Twitter hashtag #winePW. If you’ve come to us after March 14, consider joining us for #winePW 11 focused on wine pairings for early spring vegetables hosted by A Day in the Life on the Farm on Saturday, April 11.

Fine wines aboard a cruise ship

I just returned from my 2 week vacation last week and no, it wasn't Italy, but it was a location just as beautiful, the state of Alaska! I seeked out wineries, of course, prior to my visit, but nothing was along the way of where I was going to be. Trust me though, there was plenty of wine drinking. 

Denali National Park

The best event that I attended while onboard the Princess Cruise line was the Maitre'd Wine Club run by the head waiters of the dining room. We sampled 6 wines in the price ranges of $39-110 featuring wines from France, CA and my beloved Italy. Here was the lineup:

• Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne
• 2012 Silverado Sauvignon Blanc
• 2012 Chamisal Chardonnay
• 2008 Overture
• 2010 Zeni Amarone
• 2010 Meritage Luce Della Vite

Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne

I tend not to be a huge fan of champagne, more because I'm not a fan of bubbles. A little background on champagne. It was actually discovered in the 1600's by a monk I'm sure we're all familiar with, Dom Perignon. Only clergy could produce wine at that time. Dom had never tasted his own wine he was making until he made Champagne. It was originally called the “wine of the devil” because during the discovery of the fermentation process the bottles were bursting. Fun fact: How many bubbles are in a bottle of champagne? According to Bollinger, it is about 49-52 million bubbles. I'll trust them as I won't be the one to count them. This champagne was made of 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir and pinot meunier. It was straw color with flavors of green apple and smaller, less fizzier bubbles. Look for food that is slightly more acidic to pair it with. We sampled it with some simple appetizers with salmon mousse.

Silverado Sauvignon Blanc

This wine comes out of Napa Valley. It is made 92% of sauvignon blanc with 8% viognier in stainless steel without malolactic fermentation. It's almost clear in color. It's lighter in body including lime, citrus and grapefruit with an apple finish combined with refreshing acidity.

Chamisal Chardonnay

Made of 100% chardonnay this wine was straw color with peach accents on the nose. On the palate it showed citrus, ripe pineapple that was smooth creating a nice medium bodied wine.

Overture

This is the second wine of Opus One, a Robert Mondavi and Bordeaux's Baron Philippe de Rothschild partnership. It's a Bordeaux blend made of primarily cabernet sauvignon along with malbec, merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. The winery actually limits a 10 bottle maximum for purchase. It's aged 16-18 months in french oak and the barrels are the used barrels of Opus One. It was a dark ruby color and on the nose it displayed rich scents of oak, vanilla and dark fruit. On the palate it contained rich fruit with a nice full body and velvety texture.

Zeni Amarone

I love the wines of the Veneto region and this one is just another to add to the list. It's made of 50% corvina, 30% rondinella and 20% molinara. It went through a 36 day maceration period and was racked 5 times. This was a younger ruby color and had strong scents of prunes and raisins. It was nicely full bodied with rich fruit with a little tannin on the lengthy finish. A good pairing to game and pheasant.

Meritage Luce Della Vite

This wine is also a partnership between Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi. It consists of 60% sangiovese and 40% merlot. It spends two years in oak and 2 years in the bottle and was just released. Showing a nice dark ruby color I picked up notes of dark chocolate on the nose. It was very complex with notes of cinnamon, cloves with a nice full body and tannin structure. A good pairing to gouda and I can attest to the dark chocolate pairing as well.

I'm not one to sit here and write long, detailed reviews on wine as I don't enjoy reading them myself so I do like to keep them brief. Plus, what I pick up in a wine someone else may not. I enjoyed each in their own way, but it did prove to me that the higher the cost doesn't always mean better quality. It's all about what you enjoy and what you experience. Wine is meant for enjoyment. Cin cin!

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Top 5 winery recommendations in Tuscany

If you have ever been to Italy you will understand how many wineries there are and places to taste wine and olive oil. It can be overwhelming which one to stop in at. I've always been one to stop in at the names that I don't recognize from the states. These are the vineyards that you can't easily access and where you will sometimes be surprised by the quality of the producer, but they may not export large amounts due to their production or it may be hard to find in your market. It is also pretty neat though to stop in at the well known wineries as well and to see the operations and meet the folks that work hard to produce the wines that we fortunately get to enjoy.

I was invited by Robert Dwyer of the Wellesley Wine Press to write this blog as he will be visiting this region soon and will even be staying at the place where I got married in Bucine, Iesolana.  Today I'm going to cover 5 of the wineries that I have visited that I would recommend stopping in and tasting the wines in the region of Tuscany.  For my full details on each follow along on the Wellesley Wine Press.

Montalcino

Fattoria dei Barbi
I visited the Fattoria dei Barbi estate in 2007 in the town of Montalcino. The Colombini family that owns and manages the estate started making the famous Brunello with Biondi Santi in the 1780's. 

Poggio Antico

Poggio Antico started off in the late 1970's. I visited them back in 2004 before I developed my strong sense of love for italian wines, but you know quality when you taste it. 

Montepulciano

Poliziano
I visited Poliziano in 2007 in the town of Montepulciano not too far from Montalcino, about 30-40 minutes. Lots of drinking going on for my 2007 trip for sure. How can you not?

Chianti region

Vignavecchia
On my recent visit last October I stopped in at Vignavecchia in Radda. The workers were outside eating lunch when I arrived. 

Castellare di Castellina
Another winery I visited this past October in the Chianti Classico region, that is more well known, was Castellare di Castellina in the town of Castellina. This winery has received a number of awards for their wines.

Castellare di Castellina

Of course there are many more wineries I could discuss, but I tried to mention some of the ones where I had an enjoyable experience. When I open some of my bottles that I still have from this list I will absolutely share them with you on my blog.  Have you visited any of these wineries or others that you personally enjoyed?  

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Brunello di Montalcino, the king wine of Tuscany!

Steps towards better wine quality production in Italy began in the 1980's with the creation of the DOCG, denominazione di origine controllata e garantita.  This designation had stricter regulations for producers to make wines in order to be granted this status.  The first wine granted the DOCG was Brunello di Montalcino.  The others DOCG's to follow included Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Tuscany, discussed in the prior blog, and the Piedmont regions with the wines known as Barolo and Barbaresco.  

About Brunello wines

Brunello is made from a clone of Sangiovese, but it is not blended  with other grapes though as Vino Nobile and Chianti can be. It also requires additional aging requirements, four years with at least two of those years in oak barrels.  Brunello Riserva wines requires five years of aging with at least half of that in oak. In this part of Tuscany, Montalcino tends to be a little warmer, creating wines that have a deeper, richer flavor profile showing fuller bodied versions of Sangiovese.

Biondi Santi of Montalcino

One of the biggest producers in this region that helped to make Brunello what it is today is the producer Biondi Santi, which I'm hoping I'll be able to stop and visit while there. In the late 19^th century he planted Sangiovese in his vineyards. At this time many folks were only drinking light style Chianti and sweeter wines. He let the skins macerate with the juice and then aged the wines at a time when this was unheard of. They didn't even have a road out to Montalcino until the 1960's. Due to his efforts he paved the way for this amazing wine to be what it is today.

The ageworthiness of Brunello

Brunello is a highly ageworthy wine.  These wines can age over 40 years! I myself have some that I brought back to the states years ago that have been aging at least 15 years at this point.  It is recommended you don't drink Brunello for at least 10 years, but if you did it sooner you will definitely want to decant it. These wines need the time to settle down from their youth and develop further in the bottle. As a society we typically don't have the patience and are  usually grabbing a bottle to enjoy that night.  

 

The best part about opening these bottles years later are the memories that are revisited from the times spent at the winery. Do yourself a favor and splurge one day, hold on to the wine and open it years from now for a special occasion and you will experience a treat.

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Pictures copyright of Consorzio Tutela Vini Soave