Rogers & Company
Vinitaly 2012 Verona, Italy
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Greetings!
Every other year our team makes a pilgrimage to Verona and the Vinitaly fair, the largest gathering of Italian wineries on Earth and this year I was delighted to be included. Talk about a perk of the job! It is a truly head-spinning event, literally hundreds and hundreds of producers pouring dozens of wines each. Each wants you to taste "just one more, just one more.."
As fun as the experience was, it was surprisingly tiring. A 15-wine marathon 30 minutes after breakfast is a real shock to the system. I did however have a number of epiphanies, and some wines are so fresh in my mind that I feel compelled to write about them.
Here's a selection that really made an impression on me. Please visit our new website for more information on all our producers and current price lists. We're on facebook now as well  . Have a great week,
Chris McLean.
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La Giustiniana "Gavi di Gavi" Cru Lugarara 2010
$23.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
I am absolutely in love with this wine right now. The grape is Cortese, grown nowhere else but Piedmont. If you enjoy Chablis, this might be the Italian wine for you.
It has an intense liquid minerality, the flavours and aromas float between lemon meringue pie, pear, baby lettuce and hay, the finish has a perception of spritz, but finishing dry.
As for food pairings, try cold seafood or sushi or pasta with pesto.
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Nino Franco Prosecco di Valdobbiadene "Primo Franco" 2011
$24.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
 "Nino Franco is one of the top names in serious Prosecco. At their best, these wines will make readers reconsider the conventional wisdom that Prosecco is a simple, straightforward aperitif wine."
Wine Advocate, February 2011
To me, the mark of a high quality sparkling wine is bubble size and clarity of flavours. Nino Franco's Proseccos produce microscopic bubbles and translucent fruit flavours, which are further enhanced by extended lees aging and in the case of the Primo Franco, a little residual sugar. In Nino Franco's portfolio the Primo Franco is amongst their top bottlings.
A nice core of ripe grape and apple flavours gain complexity leading into the finish, which is intense and persistent. It is an aromatic and rich Prosecco with fruity and balanced flavours. A perfect apertif wine especially when serving rich hors d'oeuvres. |
Falchini Chianti Colli Senesi 2009 "Titolato Colombaia"
$18.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
This incarnation of Sangiovese delivers everything I could hope for at this price point. Tremendous richness, moderate-plus acidity and an extremely velvety, dry but not "too dry" finish.
I scored the 2010 91 points at Falchini's stand where we tasted through their lineup of outstanding Vernaccias; multiple vintages of Paretaio, their hyper-value super-Tuscan; Campora, their velvety Cabernet Sauvignon; and their exquisite Vin Santo. We have a parcel of Paretaio 2007 arriving soon, please feel free to call me about it.
Michael and Christopher Falchini continue to build on their late father's legacy. Their wines over-deliver at every price point and this Chianti Colli Senesi is an excellent example of that.
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Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico 2008
$26.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
The Castello di Volpaia is an 11th century village located in Radda, Chianti. Within its ancient walls one finds state of the art wine making equipment and cellars, along with restaurants, an olive oil mill, vinegar and honey production.
The name derives from the della Volpaia family. Lorenzo della Volpaia was a mathematician, goldsmith, artist and engineer who specialized in clocks and scientific instruments and who was close friends with Leonardo DaVinci.
Raffaello Stianti, one of Italy's preeminent printers and bookbinders bought the Castello and gave it to his daughter and son in law, Giovannella Stianti-Mascheroni and Carlo Mascheroni for their wedding gift, and by the mid 1970s they were producing world-class wines.
Despite the ancient surroundings, Volpaia remains on the cutting edge. Volpaia was the first producer in Chianti to install temperature controlled fermentation tanks and every five years they look to innovate their current technology. Riccardo Cotarella is the consulting enologist, acknowledged as the best in Italy, and the wines have earned a reputation for elegance and purity.
"Volpaia's 2008 Chianti Classico is a pretty, mid-weight offering informed by tobacco, flowers, herbs and cherries. As is often the case in cooler years, these high-altitude vineyards tend to yield a more ethereal style of wine. Still, this Chianti Classico finds its balance nicely with time in the glass. It is a model of restrained elegance. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2014."
90 points, Wine Advocate, August 2010
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Ponchione Barbera d'Alba "Donia" 2008
$25.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
Ponchione is a small family estate located in Govone, two miles northeast of the town of Alba. Only 10 hectares in size, it was founded by grandfather Gundin and is now directed by grandson Maurizio Ponchione. They produce traditional Piedmontese varietals like Nebbiolo, Roero, Bonarda, Grignolino and this Barbera.
This wine is grown in the Donia vineyard, a sandy limestone vineyard that faces southeast so as to receive copious amounts of early morning sun. Crop thinning is done to retain only one bunch per vine, or 7-8 per plant. The wine is fermented and raised in stainless steel to retain its intense floral bouquet and ruby red colour. On the palate the fruit profile is modern and forward - black cherry, raspberry, black currant, it is smooth, round and elegant with low tannins and moderate acidity, a very easy wine to enjoy with all sorts of foods.
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Vietti's stand at Vinitaly is one of the busiest and strictly by appointment only. Director Luca Currado is an easy going, personable man - an ambassador for Barolo. Their holdings of Cru vineyards is unmatched in Barolo and tasting these as well as his spectacular Barberas is a life-changing experience. Barolo is not an easy wine to understand or appreciate young, but tasting his Grand Crus side by side makes the inherent differences pronounced, and one can see why they receive the reviews and command the prices that they do. "....the Barolos are now among the elite wines of the region in virtually every vintage. In short, there seems to be no end to this estate's ambition. Frankly, I wish there were more wineries setting their sights on this level of quality." Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate, February 2010 The two wines we carry with regularity from Vietti are blends of these 11 Grand Cru vineyards. Once fermented, Luca selects which vineyards will contribute to Castiglione and which to Perbacco. For Castiglione, it tends to be from his top vineyards; Brunate, Rocche, Lazzarito and Villero, which usually are also bottled independently. Castiglione is an excellent value in Barolo. As the Cru vineyards are harvested, and fermented lot-by-lot, Luca decides which lots will become the Cru wines and which will become Castiglione - usually from younger vines. These lots are then aged in oak cask for 24 months and then blended and aged in stainless steel for an additional eight before bottling. It is an expression of the entire region, a complete wine balanced to age but accessible in its youth. To me it best captures the essence of the Barolo region. In contrast, Perbacco is a wonderful introduction to the Nebbiolo grape. It is designated Langhe, the area which encompasses Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba and Dogliani. The lots for this wine also come from Vietti's single-Cru vineyards, but it is labeled Langhe because it is not aged long enough to qualify for Barolo designation, otherwise, it is all Barolo fruit. Nebbiolo produces very dry wines with aromas of truffles, plums, roses and red berries, usually accompanied by youthfully chewy tannins, but Perbacco is aged in large oak casks to soften these tannins and make the flavours of Nebbiolo more forward and enjoyable. Barolo "Castiglione" 2008 $73.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case The 2008 is not yet reviewed, but the 2007 received the following:
"The Barolo Castiglione deftly balances the open, radiant personality of the vintage with considerable underlying structure. Warm, dense and full-bodied, the Barolo Castiglione flows effortlessly across the palate with generous fruit and fabulous overall balance. The wine was even better when I tasted it from bottle a few months later. It is another overachieving wine from Vietti and a bottle that is exceedingly fairly priced". 93 points, Wine Advocate, February 2011 Langhe "Perbacco" 2009 $30.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case The 2009 is not yet reviewed, but the 2008 received the following: "Moderately deep medium red. Lovely earthy perfume of cherry, leather, smoke, rose petal and minerals, with an exotic whiff of peach. At once sweet and bright, with vibrant acidity giving shape and precision to the dense earth, saline and floral flavours. Finishes with firm tannins, lovely lift and verve, and noteworthy length. Perbacco means "wow" or "surprise" in the local dialect. This 100%-nebbiolo bottling includes fruit from numerous Barolo crus; in fact, much of this juice used to go into Vietti's entry-level Barolo Castiglione." 90 points, International Wine Cellar, Oct/Nov 2011 |
Our meeting at Altesino was also a highlight for me personally. Over the years I've tried all their Brunello di Montalcinos and IGT wines, but never all at once. Director and winemaker Claudio Basla believes that new oak masks the true character of the Brunello grape, which is a regional clone of Chianti's Sangiovese. Because they use only aged casks for the Brunello program, Altesino's wines are regarded for their elegance and finesse, while they still retain Brunello's characteristic dark, spicy cherry flavours and firm tannins. French oak barriques are used only in the production of the IGT wines, which feature Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blended with the Brunello. "Montosoli" is Montalcino's most famous vineyard, the first ever to be bottled as a single Cru. It is a high-altitude, hill-capping, south facing "solar panel" in the north of the region that receives extra sunlight and cooler than normal temperatures. I scored it "somewhere north of 95 points" and used some colourfully exuberant language in my notes because descriptors were beyond me, except that it had "tannins like a fine mesh that dissolved" on my palate, and "keep indefinitely". Rosso di Toscana IGT 2009
$20.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
A silky blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot, aged in stainless steel tanks and six months in bottle. Perfect wine for the dinner table or just sipping on a weekday night.
Brunello di Montalcino 2006
$65.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
$32.95 per 375 ml bottle, 12 bottles per case
"Medium red. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, blood orange, minerals, mocha and cocoa powder: I was reminded of Burgundy. Wonderfully tight and perfumed in the mouth, with superb youthful definition to the raspberry and floral flavours. Perfumed and light on its feet. Finishes sharply delineated, firmly tannic and impressively long. With three full days in the recorked bottle, this wine became denser and more minerally, offering a leathery hint and terrific sexy breadth."
94 points, International Wine Cellar, July/Aug 2011
Brunello di Montalcino "Montosoli" 2006
$103.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
"Perfumed and fruity, with dried cherries and citrus fruit. Wow. It really opens on the nose giving so much gorgeous fruit. Full body and very dense with dried cherries, cedar and hints of coffee bean. Powerful and rich. Try it after 2015"
96 points, James Suckling, online
(also 94+ IWC, 93 WS and 92+ RP)
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Giovanni Manetti is the charming director of Fontodi. He welcomed us warmly to his stand early in the morning of day one with a glass of Meriggio Sauvignon Blanc 2010. It's a beautiful, clean and fresh wine that had me day dreaming about oysters shortly after breakfast!
And then the reds....what a way to kick start the week! Fontodi's wines are some of the finest Tuscany can offer. The wines are grown in the Conca d'Oro, the prime area for Sangiovese in Chianti Classico. Consider it akin to Burgundy's Montrachet. A shell shaped concave slope that faces due south. The soil here is galestro, a loose marly limestone in which Sangiovese hits the heights of quality.
We have three wines from the 2008 vintage available, a cooler vintage than 2006 and 2007, but which produced fabulously aromatic wines. It's nice to finally be able to enjoy the exotic Flaccianello young, as the previous recent vintages are so well structured that long term aging is required before they can be properly enjoyed.
Chianti Classico 2008
$31.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
"The 2008 Chianti Classico is very elegant and restrained in this vintage. Sweet red cherries, flowers, tobacco and incense float on a core of bright, persistent minerality. This is a rather Burgundian styled vintage for the Chianti Classico. Readers who may have found the 2006 and 2007 too rich will flip over the 2008. It is a model of precision and elegance. Menthol, spices and a host of balsamic aromas and flavours add complexity on the delineated, precise finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020.
89 points, Wine Advocate, August 2011
Chianti Classico Riserva "Vigna del Sorbo" 2008
$71.95 per bottle, 6 bottles per case
"The 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo is beautiful in this vintage. It shows gorgeous mid-palate depth and pliancy, with wonderful richness in its sweet dark fruit, smoke, licorice and grilled herbs. The 10% Cabernet Sauvignon works particularly well in this vintage, as it seems to give the wine a measure of depth and delineation that is less obvious in the Flaccianello. Higher toned floral notes add lift on the finish. The Vigna del Sorbo is a touch restrained in 2008, as are most wines, yet it shows fabulous balance and tons of personality. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2028."
93 points, Wine Advocate, August 2011
Flaccianello delle Pieve IGT 2008
$99.95 per bottle, 12 bottles per case
"The raspberry, cherry, floral and spice aromas and flavours in this classy red show harmony even at this early stage. Fresh and focused, with a vibrant finish. Sweet fruit, mineral and spice notes resonate on the aftertaste. Sangiovese. Best from 2014 through 2025. 4,000 cases made."
93 points, Wine Spectator, December 2011
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Chris McLean
416 961 2294 x 29 |
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