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

 

The True Italians

Last month I looked at the Italian varieties in Australia so this month I thought it would be good to see what was happening back in the home land. Many of these imports can be found cheaper than what you would have paid for them 10 years ago due to the economic climate in Europe at the moment.

Francesco Scanavino Moscato D’Asti

Moscato D’Asti is a traditional North-Western dessert wine that is sweetly fruited and extremely low in alcohol. The D’Asti region sits in between Alessandria, the third largest region in Piedmont, and Coni which is the last region before it turns into France. In Australia many people use this style of wine as an aperitif or even as a drink throughout the meal.  Either way it doesn’t matter as this style is something to really get your teeth into.  Neville Yates from Eurocentric imports this wine exclusively so it might be easiest to get it through his website. Francesco Scanavino is a small family run Estate run in the heart of Langa. They make wine from a variety of indigenous Italian grape varieties. This Moscato D’Asti is highly fragrant and inviting with aromas of musk stick and lychee filling the room. On the palate these flavours lead the way but they are joined by lemon rind and a rice bubble note. The palate weight is thick yet lively with the flavours attacking the front of the palate and then finishing with a wedge of acidity.

Alcohol: 5.5%

Price: $29

Rated: 86

Drink: While the sun shines.

Cantine Pra Soave Classico Superiore 2011

Soave or Garganega is the primary white variety that is grown in the Veneto region. Mainly it is dry and alluring with no oak influence at all. Some producers produce a reserve label that may see a proportion of the wine aged in older oak barrels but these wines still feel lively and engaging. The grapes that comprise this wine are grown on the hillside near the town of Verona. These soils are infertile thus the vines have to work hard to produce anything. The Classico area only comprises 2,700 hectares of vines but it produces almost 100% of the top quality wines. The Estate of Cantine Pra is breathtakingly beautiful and is run by brothers Serge and Graziano Pra. The Estate is run conventionally and year in year out produces benchmark wines for the region. Cantine Pra is imported by Negociants Australia, who brings in so many bench mark wines it is scary. Many of these wines are easily accessible which is great for the wine consumer.  This Soave Classico taste of pears and almond meal but it is the transition from lightness to richness then back to ultra-lightness that is the most appealing. There is a textural component that kicks in on the mid-palate and then disappears before a lemon blossom note takes over. The whole package of this wine is beautiful as it offers texture and flavour complexity with a hint of richness on a mainly refreshing palate. All this for only 30 bucks? Well the RRP is that but I bet you could find it for less.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $30

Rated: 91

Drink: Now or over the next 6 years

Tenuta San Guido Le Difese 2010

Tenuta San Guido is located in the Bolgheri region in Tuscany. This maritime area is known for the development of the Super-Tuscan wines which command huge price tags.   The region is rather impressive with many castles jutting out from the forest areas. In the old days the aristocracy would have ruled this area which might be why they had time and resources to develop vines. The Tenuta San Giudo Estate is another import from Negociants Australia and is the leading light of the area and each year they produce a wine, Sassicaia, that ranks in the top 5 best wines produced in Italy. In some years, like 2006, they produced one of the best wines in the world. The Le Difese label is their entry level wine and is supposed to be drink young and fresh. The aromas of this wine are rustic and wild with notes of black and red currants, savoury cherries, fresh cut herbs, iodine and spicy earth. The flavours mix well with the chalkiness of the structure and the medium palate weight.  I could see myself ploughing through cases of this as it is light enough to pair well with a variety of foods yet could still hold its own by itself.

Alcohol: 13%

Price: $32

Rated: 89

Drink: Now – 2015

Occhipinti SP68 2011

This maker is located in Sicily which is a Mediterranean Island just of the coast of most southern Western area in Italy. This area is pushing the boundaries in term s of natural wine-making with most of the producers focusing on the native grape varieties of the region. Addley Clark in the importer for this producers and they have amassed a large portfolio of highly sort after interesting wines. On the palate this wine tastes of dried licorice and herbs mixed with plum skin and dried clay. These savoury flavours flow easily as they attack my front palate and there are moments of sweetness thrown in. The wine drops away on the mid-palate before a lemon rind component kicks in on the back end. While this wine won’t be for everyone, I loved the flow of the wine and the easiness that I could suck down a glass.

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: $45

Rated: 86

Drink: Now – 2016

Pizzini Per Gli Angeli 2006

Now I know that this wine isn't an Italian but it was just so good I had to add it in. There are not many Vin Santo style wines made in Australia and this is the best of them all. This wine spends so much time in barrel that it is a wonder why anyone would make it in the first place. The initial aromas smelt like a sherry but then on the palate notes of chocolate covered caramel and lemon pith carry the wine from the mid-palate on. The wine balances richness and lightness extremely well with the wine mainly feeling sweet yet doesn't leave me heavy or tired.

Alcohol: 14.1%

Price: $65 (375ml)

Rated: 92

Drink: Now - 2022

Barone Ricasoli Castello di Brolio 2006

Barone Ricasoli has been through a few hand changes but it is now back in family hands and the wines they are turning out are either great value or jaw dropping in quality. This wine is both.

Barone Ricasoli Castello di Brolio 2006

This wine is not quite ready to drink as it took three days to fully open out and show it true colours. For a Tuscan wine this is full bodied with flavours of blackberry and dried daisies flowing from the glass. These flavours dangle in an alluring manner before my eyes and then they transform into balsamic vinegar and crushed earth which takes their place with a little spice adding interest on the back palate. The depth of flavour is specular and the textural component are magical, to say the least. I sat their with this wine marvelling at the quality and precision that has been etched into this vinious sculpture. Italy is leading the pack for top quality wines in the world with price tags that are stupidly low.


Alcohol: 14%
Price: $99
Rated: 96+
Drink: 2016 - 2028
Importer: Bibendum Wine Co.

Isole e Olena Cepparello 2007

Tuscan is rich in its cultural and gastronomic history.  In the 15 century the area was dominated by a group of wealthy families.  Due to the amount of money in the area and a love for all things beautiful, the arts and architecture began to flourish. During this period people like Dante, Da Vinci and Michelangelo produced their greatest works which we all can experience today.  Most of the traditional foods are still cooked today using the freshest local ingredients.

Isole e Olena Cepparello 2007

Pure gold resides within this wine.  The wine is a lot broodier than the 05 and 06 version but you still get the dark cherries rolled in dirt and spring flowers dipped in exotic Asian spices.  The palate seems to be more intense than usual but everything is in perfect balance.  The interplay between a riot of flavour and the rambunctious tannins is something to stand back and watch.  They both are melted together providing depth and spectacular length at the same time. If you want to see what a wine tastes like that I have given a score of 97 which sells for less than 100 bucks, go crack this tonight!

Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $99
Rated: 97+
Drink: 2016 - 2030
Importer: Negociants

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2006

Tenuta San Guido and the Bolgheri region reside close to the coast near Pisa.  It was here, in the 1940s that Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchette took cutting from Bordeaux, it is rumoured that they originated from Chateau Lafite but the Italian estate disputes this,  to plant his original vineyard with eighty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon and fifteen percent Cabernet France. As the first commercial or public release was in 1968 one can imagine that for a large proportion of Sassicaia’s life it was a homebrew for family members.  Now that’s good homebrew! On many occasions older bottles of Sassicaia have be mistaken for Mouton-Rothchild and Chateau Lafite which leads me to my fascination with this estate.  I have a love for Bordeaux and Italian wines so I thought why not combine the two.  Compared to top Bordeaux’s this is cheap but at $220 its not like you can splash it around too often, except if you earn big bucks. There are now three vineyards, the original which contributes much of the Sassicaia blend, on a variety of soils and elevations that contribute to the three Tenuta San Guido labels. 

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 2006

I had high hopes for this wine as it comes from a much hyped vintage but does it live up to expectations?  The wine is very reserved and focused but as the wine opens you get a rainbow of flavours cascading over your mouth.  There is a bergamot tea taste that is very enchanting that shows its head every now and again through the essence of blackcurrant, fresh violets, fresh fired clay pots (ok so I liked my pottery teacher when I was young) and hickory smoked leather and while these are inviting flavours it is the spectacular length and mouth feel that leave you breathless.  You may need to drink this standing next to a wall just encase you faint! The wine is a conundrum in that you have elegance, structure and intensity. This makes the Tignanello 2007 look clumsy.

Alcohol: 13.5%
Price: $220
Rated: 97 +++
Drink: 2021 - 2035

Importer: Negociants

Antinori Tignanello 2007

Antinori, along with Sassicaia, must be regarded as one of the pioneers not only in the Tuscan region but also in the resurgence of Italian wines world wide.

Tignanello first made its debut in 1971 but really started hitting its straps in 1982.  From then on it has been a blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc.  

Tignanello 2007

There has been a lot of talk that 06 and 07 are two great vintages in Chianti, and while I mostly like the 06’s compared to the 07’s this wine changes my view all together. It is so calm and controlled yet mouth watering and seductive. Flavours of cassis, dirt, spice, cherry balm and balsamic vinegar pervade every aspect of my mouth while the Dutch liquorish tannins pull the wine exceptionally long. This is the first wine that I’ve had that the tannins tasted like Dutch liquorish, mmmm. I wouldn’t touch another until 2020, and by then it should be humming! This is my young wine of the year and for that matter the best young wine I’ve had in a long time. I'm thinking i need more than a six pack!

Alcohol: 14%

Price: $120

Rated: 96+

Drink: 2020-2030