Some Italians from 2010

Twenty ten is my daughter’s birth year so I needed to think hard about the wine or wines I would lay down for her. Not only could it shape her wine habit in the long run but it meant I had to look at the wines ability to age.

 

The weather conditions in Tuscany and Bolgherti was characterised as a challenge with mildew pressures in Tuscany. The slow start to the season was brought on by a lower than normal temperature during spring which resulted in small bunch sets and eventually bunch weights. The sun shone brightly during the critical months but the vines handled it well due to the large amount of reserves they had from the wet and snow seasons. The sorting table must have been used to make top quality wines.

 

 

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2010

 

From perspective I wanted this to be the all-time best wines that I could lay down for Amelie. It is the estate’s history and the link that they still have with the founding family that is most satisfying.

This year’s wine is savoury as hell with nuggets of fresh cut flowers, brambles, plum skin and spice on a medium bodied frame with elegance to burn. There is a moment of cassis and clay on an otherwise extremely long and svelte train of tannins. They just keep going and going but this is not the little train that could. This is a beautiful piece of artwork bottled.

 

Alcohol:

Price: $199

Rated: 95

Drink: 2017 - 2034

 

 

Tenutadell'Ornellaia Ornellaia 2010

 

This wine is the 25^th anniversary from this winery so I guess they had an extra degree of expectation on them. The estate was founded by Marchese Antinori in 1981 with the first vintage in 1985 off of 4 year old vines. In 2002 the Estate was acquired by Mondavi along with the completion of a few newer vineyards. Out of the three wines this has the most power and intensity. Yes it is monumental with 55% Cabernet, 39% Merlot and a nudge of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot bringing up the tail end. The Merlot lead the way with its flavour of chocolate coated plums and tobacco before the Cabernet kicks in. What this wine does is balance out the massive structure and flavour with the lightness of the Cab Franc adding interest.  This is still a baby but it is massively long in the mouth and so exquisitely put together.

 

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $260

Rated: 97

Drink: 2018 - 2035

 

 

Isole e Olena Cepparello 2010

Like always this year’s wine is 100% Sangiovese but this version sees 25 new oak for 18 months before bottling. Initially this wine was more about savoury characters than the normal cherry fruit that comes through. Think more along the lines of roasted spices from the Turkish bazaar mixed with dried earth and fresh twigs but as the wine uncoils itself from the tannins there are moments of blood plums and wild cherries. The intensity of the wine is most impressive, even more so than the 04 or the 06, while it still is only medium to full in weight. At the moment I would be scared to open this as the tannins are ferocious and primal. Patience is the key.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $100

Rated: 96 +

Drink: 2020 - 2040

Importer: Negociants Australia

 

Pipoli Vigne Del Vulture Bianco 2013

The Basilicata area in Italy is renowned for Greco and Fiano which is perfect as they blend well for this little summer quaffer.  

 

Pipoli Vigne Del Vulture Bianco 2013 

 

Once the grapes for this wine hit the winery they are pressed off and cooled in large stainless steel tanks. The juice is then allowed to warm up and fermentation is kicked off. Basically this wine is a pure expression of the grapes and the vineyard without all the tricks thrown in. What the blend does is offer texture, length, acidity and flavour all in one. This is what I think entry level wines should be, blends that is. The wine is savoury yet has sweeter flavours of peach and apricot skin before the lime and lemon drops slice their way through the back end. Lovely 

 

Alcohol: 12% 

Price: $18 

Rated: 89 

Drink: Now – 2018 

Importer: Mondo

 

Cantine Pra Otto 2013

Cantine Pra Otto 2013

God I love Soave as it seems to combine food friendly flavour that has interest and a textural element that is not common for other easy going varieties.  This wine was picked and genteelly pressed to tank and allowed to ferment quickly. The wine then spends three months in tank before being bottled. Talk about getting this wine into bottle early but it does mean that all the lovely flavours are captured in their youth. The first thing I notice is honey suckle and pears dipped in cut quartz and spice. These transfers well with a little lemon curd and pralines on a medium boded framework and a fresh cut of acidity. 

Alcohol: 12%
Price: $22
Rated: 89
Drink: Now – 2018
Importer: Negociants Australia

Croci Colli Piacentini Monterosso Val D'Arda sur lie Spontaneamente Frizzante 2012

Whoa that is a long name! The wine is made from three varieties and undergoes bottle fermentation. The is a blend of Malvasia, Trebbiano and Marsanne which makes this very different beast.


Croci Colli Piacentini Monterosso Val D'Arda sur lie Spontaneamente Frizzante 2012

This is a sparkling orange wine that is alive and kicking. It has a unique profile of banana skin, apple cider, baked pear and spice with a slight tannin dryness that is running through the wine. The bubbles are fine and are balanced well by the flavours. I liked this a lot but it did have a few people that thought it wasn't wine. Open your mind and you will be amazed.

Alcohol:
Price:
Rated: 90
Drink: Now

Gravner Ribolla Gialla Anfora 2006

The area of Friuli Venezia Giulia is located on the north eastern corner of Italy bordering Slovenia and Austria. While many consider his winery the birth place of natural wine he makes quality wine with the addition of sulpur. He is more of a proponent of expressing the vineyard by any means possible than adhering to any ideological doctrine .


Gravner Ribolla Gialla Anfora 2006

The weight of the orange wines are definitely in the red wine end of the spectrum and this is no different. Well except for the fact it is more polish and higher quality than any other wine of this style I have tasted. The wine was fermented in clay amphora's for one year before being transferred to barrel. These extended maceration white wines need a long time to show their full potential which means only the best grape will handle the amount of time required.

On the nose this smells of shoe polish, sea spray and an open fire. You know the one you used to make when you went camping with your teachers on that school trip you had to do once a year. Once the wine hit my palate the intensity and textural element takes over. The thickness of the wine, along with the tannin profile, are balanced well by nice acidity on a monumentally long palate length.

Just for my own memory the flavours that I listed are as follows; warm honey, dried orange peel, gun powder, poached apricots, fresh hay and Indian spice. Perfectly balanced.

Alcohol: ?
Price: ?
Rated: 96
Drink: Now - ?
Importer: Addley Clark Fine Wines

Chaffey Bros. Wine Co. The Killer Pinot Grigio 2012

The label for this wine is very smart and makes it attractive when it sits on the wine shelf. The variety was first introduced into Australia by James Busby back in 1832. The variety is living the high life at the moment as it seems to be on the by the glass list in many restaurants and wine bars. Personally I think the Mornington Peninsula is doing the best in Australia but Italy is still the king.

The Killer Pinot Grigio 2012

The flavours are good for a wine under 10 bucks with a slight difference than I am used to for this variety. This profile is slightly sour but still retains the lovely pear flavour with the palate heaviness sitting at around the light weight end of the spectrum. The flavours hit the front palate well but stop at around the mid-palate which means this would work well at a barbeque but not at a high class wine snob party.

Alcohol: 11.3%

Price: $9

Rated: 82

Drink: Now

Artigiano Vendemmia Grillo 2011

Grillo is not a very common variety but it seems to love the heat of Sicily. The variety is commonly associated with Marsala but that style is on the decline. The styles that are now coming out of the area are so varied it is scary. They can range from crisp and zesty not unlike rizza or sav blanc to the more full bodied styles with extended periods of fruit hang time and/or barrel work.  What that means is it can look however the wine-maker wants it to look. It might be worth while taking a look at this variety as it will offer a large variety of flavours and textures.  

 

Artigiano Vendemmia Grillo 2011 

 

The main interest factor for this wine is the mid-palate as it is thick and rounded yet stays zesty and vibrant. The flavours transition from lemon balm, granny smith apples to the richer banana skins, crushed violets and pineapple. The wine has good complexity and nice weight for a wine of this price and is a steal at 15 bucks.  

 

 

Alcohol: 13% 

Price: $15 

Rated: 85 

Drink: Now – 2016