Barolo Paiagallo vs. Stonyridge Larose Waiheke Island

Waiheke Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zeland about 18 km from Auckland. Maritime climate with ancient soil structure alluvial valleys with layers of clay and ancient rock strata from 100's years old Jurassic era with heavy cracking which encourages deep root penetration.
Waiheke Island is strongly influenced by the sea. The ocean acts as fan and an insulator, there is a warm effect in winter and a cool effect in summer which allows late varieties to ripen fully over an extended period. Thus the blending is suitable for the terroir driving, different varieties permitted flower and ripen at different times, which means that one bad frost or heavy shower is unlikely to ruin an entire crop.
Stony Ridge Vineyard La Rose 2001 Bordeaux blend with 56% of Cabernet Sauvignon 

La Rose is the name from a single spot where this wine comes from, also is a tribute to the rose, the most  aromatic, colorful, intense and beautiful of all flowers.
The yields are 20 hectoliters per hectare, grapes are hand picked, crushed and de-stemmed and pumped into stainless-steel. Two week maceration before basket-pressed, malolactic fermentation is completed in barrel and the wine aging in french and american barriques for over a year, racked regularly.
The wine show on the nose dark berries, juice plum and licorice, sweet spice and cedar oak, tobacco all well composed. Elegant chalky fine tannins ripe dark berry with a long finish in the palate. Chalky and sandy minerality.

Paiagallo cru from Giovanni Canonica in Barolo, a wine for the naturalist movement, almost impossible to find even in Italy all his production land in Japan. I was lucky enough to try it last night in the restaurant where I work. Close to 2 hectare of vines make just 5000 bottle of wine.
Giovanni Canonica is a perferct "tradizionalista" of the Langhe region, his Barolo fermented up to 30  days and aging in large cask slavonian italian big barrel.
The 09 wasn't an easy vintage for the Barolo makers however Gianni turned it into a beautiful gem of wine  
The nose was packed and close with great red cherry and strawberry under spirit very tar, the minerality attacked my nose with its reductive aroma of iron and stony, violet and licorice and some crush warm leaves. The palate the tannin was firm and sturdy sometime pungent and balsamic great finesse and with a line of power.
ps.
single cru Paiagallo on the heart of Barolo district just outside of the town of Barolo, only wild yeast and no temperature control.

Kampae 













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