It’s been a labor of love, and I’ve just completed my take on the 2019 Wilson Daniels Tour Italia that kicked off its four-city grand-tasting in Boston on June 3. The event featured wines from 13 producers – some familiar, others new – at SRV (Serene Republic of Venice) restaurant on Columbus Avenue.
While most wines sampled raised the bar on expectations, I was equally overjoyed by SRV’s cozy surroundings, food, and capable staff.
The three-hour event showcased 55 wines from family-owned vineyards in six regions: Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Piedmont, Sicily, Tuscany, Umbria and Veneto. Wineries represented were: Arnarldo Caprai, Feudo Montoni, Castello di Volpaia and its Prelius and Nika labels; Val di Suga; Bisol/Jeio by Bisol; Maeli; Venissa; Buglioni; Villa Russiz; Tenuta Sette Cieli; Elvio Cogno; Biondi-Santi; and Dal Forno Romano.
The presenters were gracious and informative while engaging media and industry officials. Stops in Nashville, Chicago and Portland (OR) were also on the WD tour list.
So what about the wine? The new releases I tasted were superb. Of course, I couldn’t taste all 55 wines in three hours so I apologize to the wineries not included in this report. Hopefully, we’ll meet again.
Maeli Winery
Winemaker Elisa Dilavanzo’s primary focus at Maeli winery in the Euganean Hills outside of Venice is crafting wine from Moscato Giallo (Yellow Muscat), a rare varietal that flourishes in the volcanic and clay soils of the small Colli Euganei Fiori d’Arancio (Flowers of Orange) DOCG appellation. And judging from Maeli’s 2016 Bianco Infinito ($14) Dilavanzo is succeeding. The golden-straw colored wine – 100 percent Moscato Giallo – is very aromatic. It opens with orange blossom and lemon grove scents leading to heady citrus flavors that swirl joyously on the tongue. A trace of saline minerality emerges on the lingering. Bianco Infinito is a crisp, refreshing wine that can lift spirits after the work day or to accompany a first course at dinner.
Maeli also produces a Moscato Giallo sparkling wine – Dila Classic Method Brut ($37) – and spumante ($15). Its lone red is Rosso Infinito ($14), a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere.
Bisol/Jeio by Bisol
Gianluca Bisol’s family has been making wine in the Veneto region since 1542. He’s now president and his brother Desiderio is chief winemaker for Bisol’s world-renowned Prosecco, including Crede Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG ($16) and Cartizze Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG ($30). The former is a blend of Glera, Pinot Bianco and Verdiso; the latter is 100 percent Glera grapes. These are sleek, fruity, zesty, and high quality wines that excel in this price category. Bisol also produces the Jeio Brut Prosecco line. The new Jeio Brut Cuvee Rose` ($10) is a Merlot-Pinot Noir blend that glows pink with orange hues in the glass. I found it very appealing.
Venissa
The white-skinned Dorona di Venezia grape was headed for extinction when, in 2002, the Bisol family rescued 88 surviving plants and restored Venissa, a “walled vineyard” located on the island of Mazzorbo in the Ventian Lagoon. Dorona is the 100 percent essence of Venissa Bianco Veneto ($133, 500 ml.) which exhibits peach, honey and spice traits and a velvety soft texture. The dark-colored bottle is wordless, defined by a designer label of three gold sheets of paper. Venissa also crafts Rosso Veneto ($112, 500 ml.), a Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend that captures a streak of alta acqua minerality among its supple dark fruit flavors. Only 3,000 bottles of each wine are produced annually.
Castello di Volpaia/Prelius/Nika`
Castello di Volpaia’s 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva ($35 SRP) made Wine Spectator’s 2018 Top 100 list at No. 3, and the 2016 vintage presented at Tour Italia tasted exquisite, so more top honors can be expected this year too. The Riserva DOCG is 100 percent sangiovese with grapes sourced from eight vineyards in Radda. The wine is complex, juicy, and brings out the best in sangiovese’s sour cherry and plum flavors. Federika Stianti Mascheroni is a member of the family that’s been working the Volpaia winery since 1966. She’s also the winemaker and director of the family’s Prelius vineyard in Tuscany’s Maremma region. Both wineries employ organic farming methods. Federika said Volpaia’s philosophy is simple: Leave Mother Nature to produce the best grapes possible and bottle wine that captures the historic Chianti Classic’s sense of place (terroir). To make her point, she poured the 2013 Coltassala, a single-vineyard Chianti Classico Riserva ($50), and the 2013 Il Puro (The Pure) Gran Selezione ($150). The former is 95 percent sangiovese and 5 percent mammolo and it radiated in flavorful depth and balance. The latter is 100 percent sangiovese from the cooler climate Casanova vineyard (1,400 feet above sea level). It is ruby red, silky smooth and elegant. Gran Selezione represents the top of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid. Wines must be at least 13 percent alcohol and be aged 30 months. The 2013 vintage is the first to be released.
The Prelius brand of wines takes its name from a coastal lake in the Maremma region. It was drained in the 1930s, opening the way for vineyards to be planted on the hillsides of sand, clay and silt soils. Prelius produces a 100 percent Vermentino ($12) of zesty, citrus fruit and minerality; 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon ($12) and 2015 Prile ($36), a Cabernet Sauvignon-Sangiovese-Merlot blend.
Nika` is a sweet dessert wine, called passito, made from the ancient Zibibbo grapes grown on the tiny island of Pantelleria, located off Sicily’s west coast. The grapes are air-dried before pressing – similar to appassimento for making Amarone. The process dilutes the liquid and creates higher sugar levels and concentrated extract. I found the “Passito di Pantelleria” to be fabulously luscious. The candied honey and citrus fruit kept coming in waves of velvety sweetness that extended long after the finish. The rare wine costs $30 per 500 ml.-bottle and is made by Nicolo Mascheroni Stianti of Castello Volpaia.
Val di Suga Montalcino
The Val Di Suga estate has a special distinction: It owns vineyards on three unique slopes of the hilly town of Montalcino where the best Sangiovese Grosso grapes are grown to make Italy’s prestigious Brunello di Montalcino DOCG red wine. Bertaini Domains Pietro Roccobono was on hand to pour and explain Val Di Suga’s single-vineyard Brunello cru wines – Vigna Del Lago, Poggio al Granchio, and Vigna Spuntali. All were from the 2013 vintage and are 100 percent Sangiovese Grosso.
Vigna Del Lago Brunello ($70) is named for a 57-acre vineyard located near a small lake on the estate. Clay soils and moderate temperatures help to produce harmonious, elegant dry wines with citrus and spice notes.
Vigna Spuntali Brunello ($80) is named for a 37-acre vineyard of limestone and clay soils that picks up Mediterranean sea breezes that help ventilate the vines and protect them from disease. The terroir produces high alcohol and robust Brunello with complex candied fruit and tobacco and chocolate flavors.
Poggio Al Granchio Brunello ($62) comes from a 45-acre vineyard boasting the highest elevation – 550 feet above sea level. It features the traditional Tuscan galestro soil of crumbly, metamorphic rocks, along with clay, limestone and sandstone layers. Sangiovese Grosso responds well in this terroir, producing a fruitier, richer, longer-aging Brunello.
The wines were difficult to separate for a preference, and I found all to be of top quality.
Elvio Cogno
What would an Italian wine tasting be without a Barolo from the Langhe? The Elvio Cogno Winery is located in Novello where it produces Barbera, Barbaresco, Barolo, and Dolcetto red wines and one white, Langhe Nascetta, a native varietal. The 2015 Cascina Nuova Barolo ($45) and 2013 Ravera “Bricco Pernice” Barolo ($77) both were 100 percent Nebbiolo. I also tasted the exciting Anas-Cetta Nascetta di Novello ($23) which is made from the native Nascetta varietal. According to Valentina Sanna, Elvio Cogno’s sales manager, Cascina Nuova represents a fine introduction for those getting familiar with Italy’s big, bold, powerful Barolo wines. It is very approachable when young. I found it to be soft on the palate with appealing dark fruit and citrus flavors. Ravera “Bricco Pernice”, on the other hand, delivers more complexity, It is made from the Iampia clone of Nebbiolo. The wine is aged for a total of 48 months, 30 months in old Slavonian oak barrels and 18 months in bottle. The result is a silky, elegant Barolo of violet and plum aromas and spicy black fruit flavors. The bottle label features a drawing of a partridge (pernice). “Bricco Pernice” is a special vineyard plot where birds would make their nests among the rocks.
The Nascetta grape was headed for extinction when rediscovered in the mid-1980s by Elvio Cogno and several other producers. Cogno’s experimentation led the way to the first harvest in 1994. As Nascetta’s quality improved so did its standing. It is now considered Langhe’s greatest white wine and in 2010 was recognized for its own Nascetta di Novello Lange DOC appellation. Cogno’s Anas-Cetta Nascetta is golden-straw colored, highly aromatic, and exotic in bright nectarine and honey flavors. In a word, it was fascinating.
Dal Forno Romano
The Val d’Illasi is often described as the land of paradise, and it is here east of Verona where the Dal Forno Romano family grows the essential grapes for its stunning Valpolicella and Amarone wines. Marco Dal Forno, one of three brothers who help run the operation launched by their father Romano, said the Corvina, Rondinella, Croatina and Oseleta grapes reach their peak in the sunny, sloping vineyards that rest between the valley’s hills. Cypress, olive and cherry trees surround the vineyards, he said. A beautiful setting for beautiful wines. Marco poured the 2013 Valpolicella Superiore DOC ($72) and the 2013 Amarone Della Volpolicella DOCG ($270). Dal Forno is known for producing dense, saturated wines of the highest quality, and these two were stunning in style and scope. While tradition is important, Dal Forno employs a modern production facility where the appassimento process (grapes are air-dried to dilute liquid and increase sugar and extract) is conducted in underground, ventilated chambers. Consistency is maintained and quality enhanced, said Marco. Both wines tasted were exquisite but the Amarone, which is aged longer, was my favorite. It’s a powerful wine and exhibited layers of savory dark fruit, espresso and herbal flavors on a silky, elegant frame. Dried fruit also is used in the Valpolicella Superiore which,in my mind, expresses itself as a baby Amarone in its concentrated dark berry flavors and velvety structure. According to Marco, the family eliminated the use of Corvinone in its wines years ago, relying on Corvina, Croatina and Oseleta to shore up ripeness and character.
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