Tasted at Vinitaly: Duca Carlo Guarini

Duca Carlo Guarini is an estate in the southern half of Puglia, about half way between Lecce and Santa Maria di Leuca. They make a number of wines, primarily from autochthonous varietals, and though they do use some oak much of their production is in steel, and to be frank doesn't miss the oak at all.

In addition to wine, the estate makes all sorts of foodstuffs, from olives in brine though artichokes and more, which makes a visit -- it's quite pretty -- doubly interesting.

Duca Carlo Guarini Burdì Bianco Salento IGT 2010
Lot BB1 2011 (the first bottling of 2011)
This is a Bombino Bianco, and is brassy white with some greenish reflections. the bouquet is fresh and quite savory, with bright minerality and some greenish accents as well. Pleasant and refreshing, and impressive for a just bottled wine. On the palate it's light, and fresh, with lively mineral laced lemony fruit supported by deft mineral acidity and flows into a clean fairly crisp citrus laced finish with underlying savory accents that provide depth and continue at length. Quite pleasant in a light simple key, the sort of wine one can drink by the bucket with no ill effects, and that will go well with all sorts of summer things. Expect it to go quickly and you will want more.
2 stars

Duca Carlo Guarini Murà Sauvignon Salento IGT 2010
Lot M 1 2011
Beassy yellow with bright slightly greenish highlights and white rim. The bouquet is pleasant, with classic sauvignon aromas, though not as wild as some; it revolves more around gooseberry and lemon than the more animal notes sauvignon can reveal. Fresh, and still developing, but pleasant. On the palate it's bright, with rich lemony fruit supported by greenish vegetal accents and tannins that have hints 9of artichoke greenness to them, and flow into a long warm sour lemon finish. It's pleasant in a vigorous key, and will drink well with grilled fish, including more flavorful fish such as salmon, and also be a nice accompaniment to fried fish and vegetables during the summer months.
2 stars

Duca Carlo Guarini Campodimare Salento IGT 2010
Lot CP2 2011
This is an organic wine --not the only one they make -- and by 2013 all of their wines will be certified organic. It's pale salmony rose with brilliant pink reflections. the bouquet is fresh, with mineral laced raspberry fruit supported by heather and savory accents. Fresh. On the palate it's bright, with fresh raspberry fruit supported by clean sour berry fruit acidity and warmth, and by intense savory minerality that gradually emerges in the finish. Quite fresh, and peasant, and will drink nicely with picnic foods in the summer, or light dishes. Versatile and will go quickly.
2 stars

Duca Carlo Guarini Nativo Salento IGT 2009
Lot NB 1 2011
This is a Negroamaro in purezza, and is certified organic. It's deep ruby with black reflections and almandine in the rim. The bouquet is intense and still coming together -- it was recently bottled -- with berry fruit supported by leather, and needs time; as it opens dusky berry fruit emerges supported by some vegetal notes and balsamic accents. On the palate it's fresh, with bright cherry fruit supported by deft acidity and by tannins that are slightly splintery, and have some coffee ground bitterness to them, and it all flows into a berry fruit laced finish with some vegetable underpinning. The palate is well ahead of the nose and pleasant; it needs a few months for the nose to catch up, and will be quite pleasant with simple grilled meats or light stews, and also could be pressed into service with fried meats and vegetables. Expect it to go quickly.
88-90

Duca Carlo Guarini Malìa Salento IGT 2008
Lot MA 1 2011
This is Malvasia Nera; it's elegant almandine cherry ruby with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is powerful, with rich slightly vegetal laced jammy red berry fruit supported by spice and some alcohol and pleasant underlying herbal notes. Impressive for a wine just bottled. On the palate it's bright, with lively sour cherry fruit supported by distinctive savory accents and a pleasant mineral underpinning that carries into a long savory finish with some peppery accents. It needs another few months, but will be quite pleasant and work well with either meats or with rich legume-based dishes, along the lines of fava bean puree with chicory.
2 stars

Duca Carlo Guarini Pìutri Negroamaro Salento IGT 2008
Lot P1 2011
This is in part barriqued, for about 8 months, while the remainder aged in steel. It's deep cherry ruby with black reflections and has a fairly rich bouquet with berry fruit supported by greenish leather accents and some cedar, and also by some vegetal notes. On the palate it's bright, with lively sour cherry fruit supported by fairly brisk acidity, and by tannins that are nicely polished, and smooth, and display a slight cedary overlay that wasn't present in the non-oaked wines, flowing into a fairly long rather tart berry fruit finish with a cedar and coffee ground underpinning. It's quite elegant and also quite approachable, with the brightness of Negroamaro's acidity smoothed but not hidden by the oak. Enjoyable, and will work very well with grilled meats or roasts. A nice introduction to Negoramaro if you are new to the varietal.
88-90

Duca Carlo Guarini Vigne Vecchie Salento IGT 2008
Lot VV1 2011
This is a Primitivo; it's deep slightly almandine ruby with white rim. The bouquet is moderately rich with berry fruit mingled with orange peel and some spice, supported by a fair amount of alcohol. It's still coming together. On the palate it's ample and rich, with powerful plum fruit supported by savory tannins that have a slight burr and flow into a clean warm plum finish with savory tannic underpinning and lasting tannic warmth. It's quick to write and the wine is very young, but it's pleasant and shows considerable promise; it needs a few months to get its bearings, and will then drink nicely with rich stews.
2 stars

Duca Carlo Guarini Boemondo Salento IGT 2007
Lot bo 1 2011
This is Primitivo; it's made with about 30% dried grapes, and spends a couple of years in tonneaux. It's inky pyrope with black cherry rim. The bouquet is elegant, with rich prune plum fruit supported by some cedar and hints of scndalwood, and by some sweetness as well. On the palate it's full and rich, with warm sweet prune fruit supported by sandalwood laced tannins and rune acidity with underlying warmth that flows into a long warm prune laced finish. Quite elegant, and very pleasant; it's a wine that still coming together but already displays considerable depth and complexity, and is a wine you should think about if you like Primitivo. In addition to the standard roasts and stews, it will also work well with aged cheeses thans to the sweetness that derives from the dried grapes. Very pleasant.
90-92

Duca Carlo Guarini Ambra Passito Bianco Salento IGT 2009
Lot not on label (bottled for Vinitaly)
This is a Sauvignon. It's brassy gold with brilliant brassy reflections. the bouquet is powerful, and sweet, with some gooseberry accents and some dried white fruit, supported by quite a bit of sugar. On the palate it's rich, with powerful dried apricot fruit supported by dried apricot acidity and sweetness, which confers a rich languor to it, while there are some spicy mineral accents that gradually emerge in the finish, which is warm and very long. Quite elegant and with considerable depth, while the richness of the fruit and the sweetness are balanced well by acidity, which keeps the wine from being cloying.
90-91

Duca Carlo Guarini Rarum Passito Salento IGT 2008
Lot 1p 11
This is a blend of Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera fermented in steel (as was Ambra); it's deep pyrope with black reflections and cherry rim. The bouquet is powerful and elegant, with sweet prune fruit supported by bitter chocolate of the Modicana sort and pleasant spice, also some vegetal notes and some alcohol, and some dark brown sugar. Quite a bit going on. On the palate it's ample, rich, and sweet, with full bright berry fruit supported by dusky brown sugar sweetness that confers a certain languir, while there is also deft warmth and the tannins are smooth and again cocoa laced, flowing into a long smooth finish. Very pleasant and though it needs another year to come together fully is a wine that you should definitiolay look for if you like passiti; it's very different in terms of flavor registry from the classic north Italian passito (i.e. Recioto), and well worth seeking out.
92

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Torrevento: Fine Wines from Puglia

Torrevento is one of the largest Puglian wine producers, with holdings in all the major , and about 400 hectares under vine. Like most large Puglian wineries, they started out selling cistern wines, inky tannic things with high alcohol contents that other winemakers further north would buy by the cisterna (a tank truck is an autocisterna) to bolster whatever it is that they were making where they happened to be.

However, when the younger generation joined in, in 1990, they decided to start putting their own name on the bottles. It took a while for the established wine press to notice this new development, but with time a steady stream of successes has ensued.

Francesco Liantonio told us that they were among the first to work seriously with Nero di Troia, the northern Puglian grape that is currently attracting a great deal of attention. It hasn't always, however, because, by comparison with some of the other southern red varietals it gives low yields: At the most 95 quintals/hectare, and though this is a lot by the standards of quality wine making (especially further north, where the sun is less intense), those in the business of making blending wines needed more to turn a decent profit.

So while others were stripping it out, Francesco and his associates were among the few who were looking at it with a different eye, and liking what they saw. They also grow other autochthonous southern varietals, and in the course of a meal at Florence's Ristorante Oliviero we were treated to a very pleasant sampling of their production. We began with:

Matervitae Bombino Bianco Puglia IGT 2007
Brassy gold with brassy reflections. Rich bouquet with considerable citrus that gains depth from herbal accents and some green apricot. On the palate it's fairly rich with clean rather languid lemony fruit with green apricot accents flowing into a long green apricot finish. Pleasant in a direct, up front key, and will work well as an aperitif, or with fish or cheese-based antipasti, and also with fish-based pasta dishes or risotti, or with grilled or roasted fish or white meats. In short, versatile, and impressive for an entry-level wine.
2 stars

Followed by Reds:

Torre del Falco Murgia IGT Nero Di Troia 2006
This is another entry-level wine; it's deep pigeon blood ruby with cherry rim, and has a direct, fairly rich bouquet with jammy red berry fruit supported by some spice and hints of caramel from the grapes (no wood). On the palate it's medium bodied, with fairly rich dry cherry fruit supported by underbrush and moderate acidity, while there is also considerable graphite bitterness in the tannins that's typical of Nero di Troia, and provides both backbone and depth. Direct, up front, and will drink nicely with meat-based pasta dishes, simple grilled meats, and other like dishes. A wine that doesn't demand attention, but rather supports what it's served with, and will go quickly.
2 stars

Vigna Pedale Castel del Monte DOC Rosso Riserva 2004
This is a Nero di Troia, and is deep pigeon blood ruby with lively cherry rim. Poured ink; Francesco tells us some of the vineyards are 30 years old, and that they're trained in part to the traditional Alberello style (free standing bushes) and to Spalliera, rows with strung wires providing support. Returning to the wine, the bouquet is delicate, with fairly rich floral accents and clean forest berry fruit -- currants in particular -- laced with spice. Nice depth and pleasing elegance. On the palate it's ample, with clean rich forest berry fruit supported by moderate blackberry acidity and by tannins that are ample, with clean graphite bitterness that continues at length, becoming dusty as it fades, and this is a factor of youth; the wine will become silky with age, and has the capacity to age well for many years. It will work well with succulent, not too fatty red meats, or white meats too, for example turkey or roast beef sliced fairly thick. 200,000 bottles of this wine are produced yearly, and to be frank I'm impressed. This sort of quality usually comes in smaller volumes and at less favorable quality/price ratios (we were given cellar prices, which I am not passing on since the path a wine takes en route can have a tremendous impact upon price).
90-91

Sine Nomine Salice Salentino DOC Rosso Riserva 2003
A more southerly Puglian wine that's 90% Negroamaro and 10% Malvasia Nera; it's impenetrable pigeon blood ruby with cherry rim and has a vinous bouquet with jammy berry fruit and some gum Arabic mingled with wet earth and moderate spice. Very young. On the palate it's full, ample, and very smooth, with rich clean cherry fruit that has some balsamic accents mingled with underbrush, and is supported by clean sweet smooth tannins that flow into a smooth berry fruit finish. Graceful and elegant in a very approachable key; it doesn't have quite the depth of the Vigna Pedale, but is quite enjoyable and will drink very well with drier meats, for example roast turkey or an arista (roast boned pork loin). Again, excellent quality/price ratio.
88-90

Kebir Puglia IGT Rosso 2002
Puglia was one of the few parts of Italy not to suffer from the dreadfully wet summer weather in 2002 -- simply because it didn't rain, and hasn't rained much any summer since then either, with the result that Torrevento is sinking deep wells from which to provide the water necessary to keep the vines alive. Returning to the wine, Keber, which means sovereign in Arabic and is a bow to Federico II, the Holy Roman Emperor who was excommunicated for his openness with respect to Araby: It's their one nod to international tastes, a blend of Nero di Troia and Cabernet Sauvignon that spends 14 months in barriques, and is inky pigeon blood ruby with violet highlights. Deft bouquet, with forest berry fruit supported by some grassy herbal accents, spice, and hints of underbrush. Inviting, and the Cabernet is quite apparent, but doesn't overpower the Nero di Troia. On the palate it's smooth, with fairly rich red berry fruit supported by moderate spice and very smooth ample tannins, while there is sufficient acidity to provide direction, and it flows into a smooth finish. Quite elegant in an approachable international key, and is a wine you will enjoy greatly if you like large, smooth fruit driven wines. It will work well with flavorful, fairly dry meats, or also by the glass farther from the table. As with the others, fine quality/price ratio.
2 stars

And Finished With Another White:

Dulcis in Fundo Moscato di Trani DOC Dolce 2006
This would be more alcoholic, but they interrupt the fermentation when it reaches 12%, leaving sufficient sugar to produce another 3-4% alcohol were it to ferment. It's brassy gold with slight apricot highlights, and has a pleasant bouquet that combines rich honeydew melon with green apricot and quite a bit of sweetness. On the palate it's fairly rich, with languid full honeydew melon fruit that gains depth and contrast from bitter accents that gradually emerge, coming to overshadow the sweetness in the finish. Pleasant and will work quite well with dry patisserie, and is also a wine one could meditate over.
2 stars.

Bottom Line: I'm impressed. They have done a fine job of converting from vini da taglio, blending wines, to first-rate south Italian wines, and have done so while keeping a tight rein on prices -- though I won't give exact figures, everything we tasted sells for under 10 Euros, and most considerably under -- making the wines quite attractive to consumers.

In addition to making wine, Torrevento also makes olive oil, which they are not yet selling, and they grow durum wheat and make high quality pasta, which is for now aimed at the restaurant trade, though with time they hope to expand to quality retailers too.

Want to know more? Check out Torrevento's Site.