Alto Piemonte Tasting

This little area in the north part of Piemonte region is a land where the Nebbiolo drive on particular climate condition and soil type; give a different expression of this King grape varieties. Heroic viticulture (terrace vineyard) with high phosphorous, lime and clay soil. The Nebbiolo locally called Spanna made here, it is still having a great aging potential, however the different soil and this more austere climate definitely 100% continental, will give to the wines fresh crispy tension acidity but with more fine elegant tannin with the core of minerality your aspect on the brother Barolo and Barbaresco.
This area is encapsulated near the Maggiore lake and the Monte Rosa a mountain of 4600 meter which is very important to determine the microclimate of this wine regions; this mountain is the second biggest in Europe. Help to stop the cold current air from northern Europe and in the hottest summer bring fresh air to optimize the ripeness of Nebbiolo at night time, also circulate the air to avoid humidity and so disease problem.

Lately, I had the pleasure to test a few wines from this area:
the first bracket was a Boca DOC from Conti Cantine del Castello a small family grower born in 1963 in the city of Maggiora near the city of Novara.
Boca DOC is made by Nebbiolo (Spanna) minimum 70% to 90%, other varieties can be part of the rest maximum 30% this is the local Vespolina and Uva Rara (Bonarda Novarese). The area of the denomination is all around the commune of Boca and part of the communes Maggiorana, Cavallirio, Prato Sesia, and Grignasco. Before release, the wine needs to aging 34 months with minimum 18 months in barrels. For the Riserva is 46 months aging with 24 months in barrels.


1987 the color was bright ruby with translucent garnet on the rim, tertiary notes as a dry rose petal, licorice, tar minerality hint of smoke tobacco and dry cherry. The palate is very silky textural with yet development but lots acidity freshness and good polymerized tannins. 
1989 was a bit more on the tertiary notes but still showed fresh palate with complexity, mainly element was this smoky slightly meaty dry minerality. Palate was pretty violet and licorice with an elegant tannin smoother with a nice long finish.
1991 had a salty minerality with clay ferrous nuance. Palate silky long but less acid structure of the other 2 vintages.
When we reveal the vintage we didn't believe they were so fresh and pure and definitely we didn't except to be so old. A kind of surprise and a great experience.

2nd bracket we tasted the wines of Massimo Clerico from the Lessona DOC one of the oldest producer of this denomination.
Lessona is a narrow tongue of marine sediments, with a bed soil of high calcareous with sandy clay on the topsoil, the minerality of this wines is particularly fine.
Lessona DOC  is made by Nebbiolo (Spanna) minimum 85%, other varieties can be part of the rest maximum 15% these are Vespolina and Uva Rara (Bonarda Novarese).
Time of ageing is 22 months with 12 in barrels.
2012 Lessona was very bright cherry notes along with raspberry, rose petals hints of tar and limestone mnerality, the tannin of the Nebbiolo were present silky sandy with an astonish acid structure. The wine was aristocratic elegant and complex.
The next producer was Antoniolo from the Gattinara Denomination:
The Antoniolo started by the Cav. Mario Antoniolo in the 40s and his daughter Rosanna later. Now the nephews Alberto and Lorella taking care of the production.
The wines produced by this grower are distinguished by austerity and elegance. The original winery was inside a monastery of the fifteenth century, owned by the family, then in the 70s, due to logistical needs, it was moved in a different area of the Gattinara, private tasting is still held in the monastery.
Currently, they own 14 hectares with an annual production of around 55,000 bottles. A natural approach in the vineyard, through the use of non-invasive methods and the adoption of exclusively natural practices in the cellar as wild yeast and long natural fermentation.
Gattinara DOC is composing of 90% Nebbiolo with the rest 10% can be the local Vespolina e Bonarda. 47 months aging requirement with at least 36 in barrels.

We tasted the 2013 Gattinara and the single vineyard Osso San Grato
Both were a pure expression of the Nebbiolo here the tannin were very masculine present with a good bite considering the young aging.
On the Osso San Grato I find more depth and complexity with a very long lasting finish, this is a wine with power but without weight, very elegant and rustic at the same time. The mineral core is very austere with an acidity super energetic. This single vineyard was a pretty good drop. 

Thanks so much for the Australian importer LA CARTA to organize this amazing tasting.

Last thing, those were a completely old fashion producer, so only Big Slavonian Barrel with no use of new oak or small format as barrique.



raffaele mastrovincenzo
--------------------------------------
wine / spirit / lambic / drinker


Comments

Post a Comment

A drinker

Chablis Climats and Lieux-dit

Image
Climat: from the Greek Klima via the Latin Cliamtis.  Precisely delimited plots of land which benefit from specific geological and climate conditions...  Lieux-dits a designated area of land with a historical particularity from a topographical point of view of an ancient story... These two terms in wine always as an interchange used; however, you can find several Lieux-dits within a single Climat... Chablis is a really good example of how these two concepts work together.   See the map above and you can see how many Lieux-Dit compose a climat, in this case, 1er Cru. For example Montmains 1er Cru, a famous block of vineyard on the left bank of the Serein river at the bottom holds two famous Lieux-dit called Forets and Butteaux; according to the INAO, this can be a label on his own or as Montmains 1er Cru.  Vaillons 1er Cru got several different names, those are: Sechet, Les Lys, Les Epinottes, Ronciers, Mellinots, Beugnons and Chatains....
Podcast

Brunello based on a map….

Image
Brunello di Montalcino is one of the most famous and prestigious italian wine. All Brunello di Montalcino wine is made exclusive from Sangiovese grapes grown on the slopes around Montalcino a classic Tuscan hilltop village 30 km south of Siena. The world Brunello translates roughly as "Little dark one", and is the local vernacular name for Sangiovese grosso, the large-berries form of Sangiovese which grows in the area. The climate in the production zone is Mediterranean. On the lower slopes the soil is clayey marl, higher up a combination of limestone and marl with some tufaceous volcanic stone. The best soil are "galestro albarese" clay with carbonate of lime and friable rock. The harvest go between the latter part of September and the middle of October. Subdistrict of the Brunello zone Brunello production zone can be divided into three district. The first district takes in the area north and to the east of the town of Montalcino, including the town of Tor...
Podcast

Cahors Simon Busser - Corbières Maziere Fabrice Monnin

Image
SIMON BUSSER from the village in Prayssac, in the AOC Cahors: Cahors is a small town in southwestern France, located 160km to the east of Bordeaux. The climate here is subject to multiple influences; from the Atlantic coast which bring a continental climate, and the Mediterranean from the south which gives a maritime influence. We can divide the AOC into two different terroirs the "Causses" based limestone plateau that produces more tannic, mineral lived wines. The other vineyards profile is the one that influenced by the river Lot with a more gravelly slope which makes more approachable wines on the fruity spectrum profile.  Cahors is home of Malbec, Bordeaux grapes mainly Merlot, and also a small amount of Tannat more present in the neighborhood Madiran AOC.  Simon Busser has been training with Olivier Cousin in the Loire. He returns to his village Prayssac and start to looking after his father’s vineyards. He works his small vineyard with a horse, as Cousin taugh...
Podcast