Garantito IGP: Gewurztraminer From the Alto Adige - Not Just for Italians

This time Carlo Macchi takes the stand, and says,

With this piece "Garantito IGP" takes a step forward. Indeed, we expand our "One For All And All For One" collaboration to cover select events at which only one of the Giovani Promettenti was present, thus providing simultaneous coverage on all of our sites.

A picture postcard world always pleases the eye, especially if several hundered traminers are seeing to nose and palate. This (in a tight nutshell) could be the summary of the International Gewurztraminer Symposium held in Bolzano on June 1 and 2. The symposium was part of a considerably larger happening, the Festival del Gusto dell' Alto Adige 2011 (from June 2 to June 5), which featured a tremendous number of events.

Let's get back to Gewurztraminer (GW for friends), which the German city of Tramin rightly claims as its own. We are thus before, rather than an autochthonous vine, an honest-to-God Prodigal Son that left home many hundreds of years ago to later return and reestablish itself to the great joy of everyone. Joy of the winemakers of the Alto Adige, who are concentrating heavily on this varietal (with almost 600 hectares planted, it accounts for almost 10% of the total vineyard area in the region; it's also the second white varietal of the region and in steady expansion), joy of consumers, especially Italians, who greatly appreciate it, so much that in the Alto Adige they call it the "wine for the Italians."

This "wine for Italians" is, as I said before, actually a varietal grown in many parts of the world, and the strongpoint of the symposium was to show how, depending upon where and how it is grown, its nature changes. Over the space of two days we were able to taste, in addition to all of the local production, a great many GW from almost the entire enological world: Alsace, New Zealand, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Germany and the United States.

From this comparison I concluded there are significan diffences in GW from various, which may seem obvious, but I think is not. If one wants a GW in the Alto Adige style one has to look for a wine from the Alto Adige, and not one from elsewhere. Indeed, many of these wines display distinctive characteristics that only emerge in particular geographic areas.

Let's begin with bouquet: It seems easy to say that GW smells of flowers, spice and tropical fruit, but the aromatic intensity of the wines form the Alto Adige is clearly greater than that of wines made in places much further from us that have higher average temperatures. They may display less depth than the German and Austrian GW, and be less fresh, but they certainly have more body and fullness while maintaining the same amount of residual sugar. And residual sugar is an important subject: the vast majority of GW from the Alto Adige has residual sugar contents between 6-7 and 10-11 g per liter; a small percentage has much higher residual sugar contents, but it is difficult to find wines that are almost dry or dry. This is because in the Alto Adige Gewurztraminer tends to develop bitter accents that need residual sugars to become pleasing and harmonious. This happens less in other parts of the world.

In summary: after attending this symposium I can say the Gewurztraminer from the Alto Adige is not just one of the many, perhaps interchangeable GW of the world, but a wine with characteristics that make it distinct from its foreign and even Italian cousins. Characteristics that can be defined as tremendously aromatic, drinkability, balance, and pleasant; they don't include (as a rule) ageworthiness.

We alas reached this conclusion from one of the organized tastings, which featured the most recent to the oldest GW of several wineries. With a few exceptions it became clear that old Gewurztraminer was "aged" and not mature; they didn't develop tertiary aromas or complexities, but rather shrank on the palate and the nose. Let's say that the lifespan of a Gewurztraminer from the Alto Adige is between 3 and 6 years.

I started out speaking of a postcard world: This time, perhaps more than others, I realized just how important the spectacular panoramas of the Alto Adige are, because almost 50% of the wine is bought and drunk in loco. And this thanks to the tremendous appeal of these mountains, which draw visitors from all over the world.

And it is precisely through confronting themselves with the rest of the world that the wines of the Alto Adige can grow and improve, because winemakers can only determine what steps to take when they try other wines. I therefore applaud this symposium, both for the Press, which had an opportunity to gain an understanding of the state of the art, and for the winemakers, who had an opportunity to decided what steps to take in the future.

A future that should allow the Gewurztraminer of the Alto Adige to expand into foreign markets, an almost completely virgin territory today due to the fact that sales are divided between direct sales and sales in the Italic Boot.


Published Simultaneously by IGP, I Giovani Promettenti. We Are: Carlo Macchi Kyle Phillips Luciano Pignataro Roberto Giuliani Stefano Tesi

Cesari: Lugana & Valpolicella

The day trip I took with Michele Shah and a group of English-speaking journalists after the Amarone Anteprima finished with Cesari.

The estate, which was founded in 1936 by Gherardo Cesari, is a sizeable winery, and in addition to making wine from grapes from proprietary vineyards, they also purchase grapes from growers whose production they oversee. We started out with a Lugana, which was a welcome change of pace, and then continued with reds.


Cesari Cento Filari Lugana DOC 2009
95% Trebbiano and 5% Chardonnay; they cut the grapes, leaving them in the vineyards to dry for 20 days, and then harvest them. The goal is to increase the body of the wine; considering that it ferments in steel the color suggests the goal has been reached -- it's brilliant brassy gold with slightly greenish reflections. The bouquet is powerful, with bitter almonds and pleasant heather with some sunny acidity as well. On the palate it's full, with fairly rich lemony fruit supported by savory notes and some delicate soft white grape tannins that have a slight burr and flow into a clean fairly bright fresh citrus laced finish with some greenish accents. It will work nicely as an aperitif and with hearty flavorful fish, including fish stews and flavorful grilled fish, and it has the body to work well with white meats too.
2 stars

Cesari Mara Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2008
Deep black cherry ruby with cherry rim; it's close to poured ink. The bouquet is fairly intense, and fruity - plum cherry fruit - with some floral accents and hints of dark chocolate supported by slight cedar and sandalwood. On the palate it's quite approachable, with fairly rich cherry fruit supported by moderately bright berry fruit acidity and by tannins that have a warm greenish burr and flow into a clean slightly sour burr with some leafy undertones that emerge in the finish. It's a bit more direct than the Bosan Ripasso (see below), and a little fresher, something that also depends upon its younger age.
2 stars

Cesari Bosan Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2007
This is made using the skins from the Amarone Bosan. It's deep cherry ruby that has very slightly more brick to it, and this reflects its greater age. The bouquet is fairly powerful, with berry fruit supported by a fair amount of cedar, and some cedar as well, with underlying sandalwood. Harmonious in an international key. On the palate it's quite approachable, with fairly rich cherry fruit that gains definition and is supported by cedar-laced tannins that also have some sandalwood bitterness and mineral acidity; the tannins are quite smooth, and the wine is very approachable in an international key; it will drink well with stews or roasts, and if you like the style you will like it very much.
2 stars

Cesari Jemma Corvina Veronese IGT 2005
This is a new wine that they decided to make to understand Corvina on its own. They didn't want to recreate Amarone, but did dry the grapes for 20 days. It's impenetrable pyrope with cherry rim, and has a fairly rich bouquet with fresh berry fruit supported by cedar and tart berry fruit acidity with some nutmeg spice and hints of sandalwood. On the palate it's full and rich, with powerful cherry and forest berry fruit supported by deft acidity and by tannins that have a fair amount of cedar to them, and flow into a clean rather bitter cocoa laced finish with berry fruit underpinning. It's pleasant in a very international key, and if you like bright fruit driven wines in this style -- it's not the least bit overripe -- you will enjoy it considerably. It will work very well with stews or roasts, and also with braised meats.
2 stars

Cesari Amarone Classico della Valpolicella 2007
This sends a year in large wood. Deep black almandine with black reflections and almandine rim. The bouquet is moderately intense, with leathery notes and greenish accents mingled with brown sugar sweetness and some prune plum fruit, while there is also some sandalwood, and a fair amount of peppery spice. On the palate it's full and fairly sweet, with prune fruit supported by greenish acidity and tannins that have a warm burr, and flow into a clean fairly sweet prune finish. It's typical of the vintage, in a softer riper key, with less acidity and brightness to the fruit than I might have liked. This said, it will age nicely for a few years, becoming lacy and rather austere with time.
1 star

Cesari Bosco Amarone Classico della Valpolicella 2004
This is from a vineyard near San Pietro in Cariano, and spent 24 months in wood, 12 in bariques and 12 more in large oak. Poured ink; it's deep black almandine with black reflections and cherry rim. The bouquet is fresh, with fairly rich cherry and forest berry fruit supported by bright berry fruit acidity and some sandalwood, with underlying jammy accents and slight nutmeg as well. Pleasant, and quite fresh. On the palate it's full, with fairly rich, fairly bright cherry and forest berry fruit supported by bright berry fruit acidity and by tannins that have a warm peppery sandalwood burr that flows into a fairly long berry fruit finish with peppery tannic underpinning. Pleasant, and much, much brighter than the 07; it's more what I would hope for from an Amarone, and to my mind much more successful.
2 stars

Cesari Bosan Amarone Classico Della Valpolicella 2003
This spent 36 months in wood, 18 in bariques and another 18 in large oak. Impenetrable black cherry ruby with black reflections and cherry ruby rim. The bouquet is powerful, and frankly oaky, with a great deal of licorice and chocolate that comes from the oak, and also warm bright greenish notes with some cedar, and a fair amount of alcohol as well. It's quite charged, and the fruit is generic red berry fruit more than some thing specific, and this is an effect of the vintage's considerable heat. On the palate it's sweet for an Amarone, with moderately intense generic berry fruit supported by warmth and acidity that's warmer and more fruit driven than I had expected, and by smooth soft tannins that flow into a fairly long warm finish. It's a nice expression of a difficult vintage, and though it does suffer the limitations -- the grapes weren't as properly ripe nor as complex as a better vintage's would have been, it is pleasant and will drink nicely with succulent roasts or stews, and braised meats too, or even a bollito misto.
2 stars

Want to know more about Cesari? Their Site.

Vernaccia Di San Gimignano: Calce, Older Wines, & The 2010 Vintage

San Gimignano's Vernaccia producers have continued with their custom of meeting with white wine producers from other regions, this time selecting the wines of Calce, a town in the Pyrenees whose wines are Vins de Pays des Cotes Catalanes, made with Grenache blanche and Greanche Gris, and Macabeu.

I confess I am not familiar with the appellation, but the folks at the Consorzoio said they weren't either; rather, a winemaker happened to taste a wine from Calce and they decided to contact the appellation and went to visit. The region, which is surrounded by mountains, but is only about 15 km from the sea, has a very long tradition of winemaking, with vines, many of which are trained to what is essentially the Alberello or bush system, planted in stony parcels of land protected from the winds, which blow furiously, by stone fences. The appellation comprises about 400 hectares of vineyards at altitudes ranging mostly from 50 to 200 meters, though some sections reach much higher elevations, up to 6-700 m. There are three sets of soil conditions: a swath of schists, a swath of calcareous soils, and the a swath of marls.

The varietals are aromatically fairly neutral, and though not exceptional, are able to transmit the characteristics of the terroir quite well. In other words, they speak of the land, and if the land is good give excellent results. The wines from the calcareous terroirs are mineral but light, while those grown on gray shits have a much duskier minerality to them. We tasted 6 wines from Calce, and then 6 from San Gimignano:

VDP des Cotes Catalanes Horizon Blanc 2008 - Domaine de l'Horizon
Brassy white with brilliant golden reflections. The bouquet is moderately intense and spicy with a fair amount of gunflint and mineral acidity supported by hints of gunpowder and slight smoke, with slight sour citrus as well that gains depth from just a hint of the mold that sometimes grows on oranges. Bracing and very fresh. On the palate it's bright, and fresh, with powerful minerality with sage and lemon essences, and underlying savoriness, supported by resinous accents that gain in intensity as the wine flows into the finish, which also has brambly, almost barky accents that emerge with time. It's a step in a very different direction (for me), but quite pleasant to drink, and will work very well with grilled or roasted fish, and will also work well with fried fish or meats and vegetables; because of its structure and the savoriness will work well with oriental dishes.
2 stars

VDP des Cotes Catalanes Matassa Blanc 2007 - Domaine Matassa
Rich brassy gold with slight pinkish accents and brilliant brassy reflections. the bouquet is fairly intense, with savory sea salt mingled with sage and other herbs, some citric notes, and gunflint that gains in intensity as the wine opens. On the palate it's quite mineral, supported by lemony acidity and slight hints of resin -- not as powerful as those of the Horizon -- that flow into a clean mineral finish that gains depth from sour lemon acidity and is quite long. A zesty wine that is a little more polished than the Horizon, mostly because it's a year older, and will work very well with grilled or roasted fish, and would also be nice with creamy flavorful risotti or pasta dishes. A great deal of power and will age well too. And it gets better and better in the glass.
92

VDP des Cotes Catalanes La D 18 2008 - Domaine Olivier Pithon
Pale brassy white with slight pinkish overtones, and brilliant golden reflections. The bouquet is mineral with some acidity and as it opens granitic accents. Quite harmonious. On the palate it's more delicate than the first two, which are from calcareous soils, though from the same cloth, with savory minerality supported by acidity, and by a slight languidity that has something cheeky to it, and flows into a mineral finish with moderate acidity and some brambly accents. It's less extreme, and more approachable, and will drink well with grilled fish or roasted fish, and will drink quite quickly; because of its approachability it will work well with oriental foods as well.
2 stars

VDP des Cotes Catalanes La D 18 2005 - Domaine Olivier Pithon
Deep, almost tawny brassy gold with some pinkish highlights and brilliant old gold reflections. The bouquet is elegant, with considerable granitic minerality and some tree bark, with slight bitterness, and hints of struck flint as well. Co9nsiderable harmony. On the palate it's full and rich, with bright lemony acidity and considerable granicic minerality that flows into a long, very mineral, rather tannic finish. They say 2005 was a hot vintage for them, but one wouldn't guess it; there's no ripe softness to it, and the gunflint and sea salt in the finish lasts and lasts. We are far removed from oaked whites of the new world here, and the wine displays tremendous character. If you like powerfully mineral wines that do their own thing, you will enjoy it.
90-91

VDP des Cotes Catalanes Coume Gineste 2008 - Domaine Gauby
Pale brassy white with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is fairly intense and quite fresh, with terrific minerality -- it's like sniffing crushed rocks -- supported by some mineral acidity and by hints of petroleum and beeswax (which are pleasant) as well, and heather as it opens. Quite harmonious and a great deal of depth, and very different from Horizon, which is the same vintage. On the palate it's elegant, with rich savory minerality supported by slight lemony accents and hints of resin and slight hazelnut skins that flow into a fairly long finish with savory mineral accents that lay a burr over the tongue, and slight hints of hazelnut. Quite elegant and quite approachable, and will drink very well with grilled or roasted fish, and also with fried fish or meats and fried vegetables. Quite pleasant, and if you like the style, with is unabashedly aggressive, you will enjoy it.
88-90

VDP des Cotes Catalanes Coume Gineste 2002 - Domaine Gauby
Brassy gold with brilliant brassy reflections and slight pinkish overtones. The bouquet is frankly mineral, with with gunflint and crusjed rock supported by slight sea salt and some greenish vegetal accents, though the moinerality is what carries it. On the palate it's ample and rich, with elegant savory minerality laced with sour lemon and flows into a clean sour lemon finish, and though it's quick to write it's extremely essential, and displays tremendous harmony and depth. They say the French wine writers call this wine naked -- all the unessential is pared away -- and I can understand them, If -- as is the case with all of the wines of this appellation -- you like the style, you will enjoy it very, very much.
92-3

Very impressive, and much more mineral and bracing than one would expect southern wines from hot dry areas to be. An eye-opening discovery. They are wines of tremendous character, and as such are demanding; they're not wines that will accept one's simply opening them while thinking about other things, but rather will demand and capture the attention of their drinkers.

After Calce, Vernaccia di San Gimignano:

Tenuta le Calcinaie Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2009
This was harvested a bit earlier than usual because 2009 was quite hot and the ripening was ahead of schedule, so to capture freshness he anticipated things. It's brassy white with brilliant brassy reflections and slight greenish highlights. The bouquet is fairly intense, with savory accents mingled with hops and citrus and some underlying sweetness. On the palate it's fairly direct, with bright brambly mineral acidity with some herbal accents that flows into a fairly bitter finish. Lively, and will drink well with grilled or fried fish.
2 stars

Mattia Barzaghi Impronta Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2008
Mattia is from the same town in Lombardia as Giovanni Panizzi, and started out working with him before deciding to strike out on his own. This is his first vintage, and he said he prefer to harvest sooner rather than risk overripeness, and that he doesn't like malolactic fermentation. Pale brassy white with greenish overtones and brassy reflections. The bouquet is quite mineral, bringing to mind granite struck by a hammer, and though pleasant is fairly direct. On the palate it's savory, with honeydew melon and citrus fruit supported by citric acidity and some underlying bitterness, and flows into a clean bitter finish. It's pleasant, and very nice as a first vintage; the winery will be worth watching.
2 stars

La Lastra Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2008
Brilliant brassy white with brassy reflections. The bouquet is moderately intense, with butterscotch that may be from the yeasts mingled with pineapple; it's very different from Mattia's wine, also because they prefer to overripen their grapes, and the aroma cast is much riper. On the palate it's quite mineral -- minerality eclipses fruit -- with sea salt and underlying bitterness that becomes quite powerful as it flows into the finish. Deft, and a very different stylistic approach; if you like polished white it won't work for you because the mouth is more wild, but if you like the style you will enjoy it.
88-90

Cesani Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2007
Brassy greenish gold with golden reflections. The bouquet is rather languid, with butterscotch and lemon supported by some savory minerality; there's something fairly voluptuous about it. On the palate it's ample, with rich butterscotch laced minerality and lemony fruit -- though the minerality overshadows -- that flows into a fairly long peppery finish with slight butterscotch overtones. Minerlaity in spades, and it's a well made wine; if you like the style, which revolves around ripeness and deft oak use -- not overuse -- you will enjoy it very much, though you shouldn't expect one of those butterscotch laced new world oaked wines.
2 stars

La Castellaccia Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2006
This is their first vintage, from a vineyard planted in 1999. Pale brassy white with slight greenish reflections. The bouquet is muted, though swishing brings up some minerality and slight sage and vegetal accents with underlying sea salts. On the palate it's bright, with lively lemony acidity supported by some minerality and by slight greenish accents that flow into a fairly long sour finish with some bitter mineral accents. It's quite pleasant, in a brash and rather aggressive key, and will drink very well with grilled meats or fish, and will also age well for many more years. A convincing first vintage.
2 stars

Panizzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2001
Giovanni, who was a fixture in the Consorzio and also its president for a time, left us this year, and it seemed a bit funny not to see him standing at the head of the hall. But we had his wine, I could almost see his slightly lopsided grin. It's lively greenish gold with brilliant greenish reflections. The bouquet is powerful, and elegant, with butterscotch-laced citric accents and some savory notes, and also some alcohol. Quite pleasant to sniff. On the palate it's ample, with rich butterscotch laced lemony fruit supported by slight vegetal bitterness that flows into a clean savory finish with slight butterscotch accents. Beautiful, and though it does have a slightly different feel to it -- the wood use reflects the stylistic preferences of the time -- it has a great deal to say, and is a wine with things even the more traditionally minded among us will find to ponder.
90-92

Calce's wines displayed tremendous character. So did San Gimignano's, though in a different way, and I was quite impressed by their decision to present wineries that are barely out of the starting blocks, but already doing interesting things. They only underline Vernaccia's potential, while the 2006 also brings up another point, that Vernaccia is much better suited to aging than many people give it credit for, and if consumers had the patience to give it a year or two (or more) in bottle, it would richly reward them.

After the morning session the winemakers presented their wines, and this year there was also a tasting room for those who wanted to taste in a more structured setting. I tasted a mixture, some wines from winemakers I know and others from winemakers who are unfamiliar to me. An important thing to keep in mind is that these wines -- unlike those presented in the morning session -- had just been bottled, and are therefore still coming together. The impressions should therefore be taken with beneficio d'inventario, i.e. advisedly. I am planning to taste through everything towards summer, when the wines have a little more bottle age.

Mattia Barzaghi Mattia Barzaghi Impronta Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Pale brassy yellow with brilliant brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is young, and floral, with white blossoms and hints of almonds mingled with minerality and some lemony accents as well. Nice balance and quite fresh. On the palate it's bright and rich, with lively lemony fruit supported by clean savory lemony acidity and some bitterness that flow into a fairly tart finish with underlying bitterness. Pleasant in a fresh, saucy bracing sort of key, and will drink quite well with grilled or roasted fish and will be perfect at a cookout by the sea; thanks to its lively acidity it will also work well with fried fish or meats. Simple, and fun, and if you like the style you will enjoy it very much.
2 stars

Mattia Barzaghi Zeta Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Pale brassy yellow with greenish highlights and brilliant brassy reflections; it's just a hint cloudy. The bouquet is intense, and fairly vegetal, with bitter minerality as well, and some bitter almonds, and also slight honey. An interesting combination. On the palate it's fairly full, and rather languid, with ample greenish lemony fruit and acidity supported by bitter accents and some savory notes that flow into a long bitter sour lemon finish that gains depth from savory accents and peppery spice. It's pleasant, in a vigorous way, and will drink nicely with rich fish or vegetable based pasta dishes or risotti, and also with grilled or roasted fish, and with white meats. Quite powerful, and has the capacity to age well for several years.
2 stars

Mattia Barzaghi Cassandra Vernaccia di San Gimignano Riserva DOCG 2009
Fairly deep brassy yellow with brilliant brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is powerful, with a fairly intense shot of butterscotch laced with pungency and some bitter spice; it's oaked and the oak is at present overshadowing fruit, though this is in part youth. On the palate it's fairly rich, with lively lemony fruit on the outset, which surrenders to a bitter rather savory oaky veneer that flows out and covers it, flowing into a rather bitter finish with some sour lemon accents. It needs time, at least a year, to come together and balance out.
2 stars

Casale Falchini

Casale Falchini Vigna a Solatio Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Pale brassy greenish gold with brilliant brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is rich for a just-bottled wine, and savory, with some minerality and some lemony citric acidity and slight underlying brambly bitterness. On the palate it's medium bodied in a pleasantly vegetal way, with artichoke greenness, and bright mineral acidity and a savory rather bitter burr that flows into a clean bitter finish with lasting savory accents. It's pleasant in a brash and direct sort of way, and will drink well with vegetable based risotti and pasta sauces, and fish dishes. Expect it to go quickly.
2 stars

Casale Falchini Ab Vinea Doni Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2009
Lively brassy gold with greenish highlights and brassy reflections. The bouquet is fairly intense, with deft spicy butterscotch and warm citric accents supported by some vegetal notes and slight gunflint. On the palate it's ample, with fairly rich decidedly vegetal lemon fruit, a cross between lemons and artichoke almost, supported by bitterness and mineral acidity that flow into a greenish finish. It's still coming together and needs another 6-8 months for the nose to develop, but is promising nicely It will be pleasant with flavorful fish based first course dishes, including fish stew/soups such as cacciucco, and will also be nice with grilled or roasted fish, or succulent white meats.
2 stars

Cesani

Cesani Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
A tank sample; it's cloudy yellow with brassy reflections. The bouquet is fresh and rich and in the air, with fairly bright hops (of the kind used to make beer) and greenish spice mingled with alcohol and gunflint. On the palate it's full and rather languid, with fairly rich sour lemon fruit supported by minerality and sour lemon acidity that flows into a long sour lemon finish that has intriguing salty accents, like salt crystals bursting on the tongue. It will be pleasant in a rather voluptuous, fairly international key.

Cesani Sanice Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2008
Brilliant brassy yellow with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is powerful, with fairly intense dusky butterscotch supported by vegetal and citric accents and by some spice; it shows nice polish in a fairly international key. On the palate it's full and languid, with rich soft lemony fruit supported by lemony acidity that honeysuckle had its corners buffed smooth, and by some cedary almost pencil shaving savory bitterness that gradually emerges in the finish and carries at length, accompanying the lemon as it fades into savory bitterness. Pleasant and approachable in an international key, and if you like white wines that have felt a touch of wood you will like it. If you are instead less in favor of oak you will like it less, though it is and will remain quite approachable.
2 stars

Le Fornaci

Le Fornaci Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Pale brassy white with brassy reflections. the bouquet is fairly intense, and mineral, with gunflint and some vegetal accents at the outset that are joined by the heather of a Tuscan field and mingle with savory notes and slight spice. Refreshing. On the palate it's mineral, with savory bitter sour lemon acidity that flows into a greenish bitter finish with some alcoholic warmth. It's more bitter than acidic and also quite mineral, and is a bit less approachable than some; if you like soft smooth whites it won't work as well, but you will enjoy it if you prefer more aggressive wines.
1 star

Panizzi

Panizzi Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Lively brassy yellow with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is moderately intense, with greenish vegetal accents mingled with some pungency and brambly accents. It's still coming together. On the palate it's ample and decidedly bitter with lively almost artichoke bitter vegetal accents and sour lemon fruit supported by some savoriness and brambly tannins from grapes that flow into a fairly long bitter finish. It's pleasant, in a bitter key, and will drink well with hearty fish or white meats, and will age nicely for several years.
2 stars

Teruzzi & Puthod

Teruzzi & Puthod Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Pale brassy yellow with greenish reflections. The bouquet is eye opening and gives an impression of softness, like sinking into a feather pillow, with floral accents and hints of bitter almonds, and some underlying sweetness as well, and as it opens some gunflint. It's atypical with respect to the other wines tasted. On the palate it's ample, with moderately intense lemony fruit that is supported by and then gives way to savory bitterness that carries into a long savory bitter finish. It's approachable in a richer and rather softer key, though it does display the savory bitterness typical of Vernaccia, and will be a good bet if you prefer whites that are little softer.
2 stars

Signano

Signano Poggiarelli Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Brassy white with brilliant brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is quite pleasant, with heather and some hints of bitter almonds mingled with minerality and some white blossoms. Beautiful depth and considerable finesse. On the palate it's bright, with rich mineral-laced lemony fruit supported by gunflint bitterness and some savory accents that lead into a fairly long clean bright mineral finish. Very pleasant, and will drink quite well with fish or white meats now, and also has the capacity to age well for a 5-8 years. Will be worth seeking out.
2 stars

Podere La Castellaccia

La Castellaccia Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Brassy gold with brassy highlights. The bouquet is still developing, though swishing brings up some bitter accents and some gunflint. Minerality in the making. On the palate it's fairly rich, with bright minerality that's pleasantly full and supported by slight bitterness, which is not as intense as it was in many of the other wines tasted, and by some peppery spice with mineral acidity providing direction. It's pleasant and approachable, in a softer key because there is minerality and spice from grape, but not the intense bitterness some of the other wines display. It made me think, and this is a good thing. It is also clearly developing, and will I think go interesting places.
2 stars

La Castellaccia Astrea Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Pale brassy yellow with greenish reflections and brilliant brassy highlights. The bouquet is still coming together, with fairly bright minerality supported by some bitterness and slight vegetal accents, in particular artichoke leaves, and some underlying citric acidity. On the palate it's bright, with rather languid lemony acidity and fruit supported by some dusky greenish bitter vegetal accents, and by slight peppery spice that flow into a bright savory finish with mineral and citric accents. Pleasant, in a powerful key, though it needs another year to come together, and will at that point be quite pleasant with flavorful fish or white meats.
2 stars

Pietrafitta

Pietrafitta Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Pale brassy white with slight greenish highlights and brilliant brassy reflections. The bouquet is fairly intense with floral accents and some greenish notes, and slight lemony fruit as well, and a fair amount of alcohol too. Quite approachable in a direct, rather up-front key. On the palate it's ample, with moderately intense bitter mineral laced lemony fruit supported by some savory accents that gradually fade into bitter warmth. It's direct and up front, a wine that is not long on complexity but that will work nicely with what it's served with, not demanding center stage, and will be fairly versatile because it's neither strongly mineral nor tremendously acididic. It will also work well with Chinese.
1 star

Casa Alle Vacche

Casa Alle Vacche Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Bright brassy gold with brilliant brassy reflections. The bouquet is intense and greenish, with almond fuzz and some vegetal accents supported by savory minerality and some gunflint as well. On the palate it's fairly rich, with lively minerality supported by mineral acidity and some gunflint bitterness, that flow into a clean rather savory finish that resolved into almost peppery spice. It's deft, and fairly agile, and will drink nicely with grilled or roasted fish, and also with white meats. Pleasant and if you like the style you will enjoy it.
2 stars

Il Lebbio

Il Lebbio Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2010
Pale brassy yellow with bright brassy reflections. The bouquet is smoky, with airy bitterness as well mingled with quite a bit of gunflint and some mineral acidity. On the palate it's ample, and more citric than I might have expected, with lemony fruit supported by lemony acidity and dusky bitterness that flow together into a fairly long bitter finish that does have some hints of loquat to it. Pleasant, and quite approachable; it will drink well with fish or vegetable based risotti and pasta dishes, and will also drink nicely with grilled or roasted fish, and with white meats, while there is enough acidity for it to work well with fried fish or meats and vegetables. In short, versatile.
2 stars

Tenute Guicciardini Strozzi

Tenute Guicciardini Strozzi Vernaccia Titolato Strozzi 2010
Pale brassy yellow with greenish highlights. The bouquet is muted, though swishing brings up floral accents and some lemon mingled with sea salt and slight butterscotch. It needs time. On the palate it's ample, with moderately intense lemony fruit supported by savory minerality and peppery bitterness that flows into a spicy bitter finish. It's quite approachable, and also fairly direct, and will drink well with flavorful fish or white meats, and also will work well with fried meats or fish because it dies have a fair charge of peppery acidity to it.
2 stars

Tenute Guicciardini Strozzi Cusona 1933 Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2009 Pale brassy yellow with brilliant brassy reflections. The bouquet is fairly intense in a greenish key, with herbal notes and hints of artichoke leaves mingled with gunflint and some bramble and tree bark. It's quite young but shows promise. On the palate it's ample and soft, with less acidity than I had expected; there's fairly bright lemony fruit supported by brambly minerality more than acidity, that flows into a smooth citric finish with a discreet vegetal underpinning. It's pleasant, in a less aggressive way, and if your preference is for white wine that are not oaked -- no butterscotch here -- but are also not aggressively acidic, but with enough acidity for good direction, you will enjoy it. It will drink nicely with the rich pasta dishes (perhaps not meat sauces, but many others) and risotti, as well as the obvious fish from the oven or grill, and also with creamy white meats.
2 stars

My overall impression was that the 2010 seems to be a good vintage, with lively minerality and considerable life. Should be nice.

Tasted at Vinitaly: Cà Lojera

I met Cà Lojera's Ambra Tiraboschi, who looks rather like Maria Callas in the photo she puts up in her stand at Vinitaly, many years ago at Bordeaux's Vinexpo: It was the end of a very long day, my feet wished they belonged to someone else, and I had stopped to say hi to Paolo Abbona of Marchesi di Barolo. Sat down too, and found myself sipping a rather nice sparkling wine that turned out to be a Lugana from the southern shores of Lake Garda.

When I asked whose it was, Ambra raised her hand and smiled. Much has happened since then; they've redone their cellars and added a restaurant, which is open for dinner during the summer months, and Ambra's daughter Alessandra has had two delightful children. I make a point of stopping by her stand at Vinitaly every year, usually managing to catch her husband Franco too (he prefers to stay out of the limelight), and have noted with considerable pleasure that since I began liking their wines others have too. In fact, AIS, the Associazione Italiana Sommeliers, declared their wines the best of the Brescano area (Lake Garda's western shore) for 2009. And well they might:

Cà Lojera Lugana DOC 2008
Brassy gold with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is deft with herbal accents mingled with some sage and tart lemony citric fruit. Nice balance,a nd pleasant to sniff. On the palate it's pleasant, with lively white berry and lemony fruit supported by deft citric acidity and by clean slightly greenish accents that flow into a long clean citric finish. Quite nice, and though it is very young, and will age well for at least 5-8 years, will drink well with fried fish, grilled fish, and also fried meats now. Expect the bottle to go quickly.
2 stars

Cà Lojera Lugana DOC 2009
They have a new label for this wine, and the wine was fermented under reducing conditions - the first time they have done this -- and stayed on the lees until bottling. It's brassy white with brilliant brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is elegant, with heather and some spice mingled with underbrush and delicate white blossoms; by comparison with the 2008 it's less acidic on the nose. On the palate it's ample and languid, with rich fairly sweet honeydew melon fruit supported by clean bright honeydew melon and loquat acidity, and some glycerin, and slight brambly accents that add depth, and it all flows into a clean slightly greenish finish. Very nice, with considerable depth, and because it is a touch sweeter and a touch more fruit-driven, will work quite well with fish, and also be a nice accompaniment to oriental dishes, especially sushi. Approachable.
88

Cà Lojera Lugana Superiore DOC 2006
Pale brassy white with brilliant brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is elegant, with fairly rich slightly greenish lemony acidity supported by some greenish vegetal accents and some spice. Nice depth and balance. On the palate it's full, with rich white fruit that's towards Regina Claudia plums, supported by savory notes and fresh slightly greenish mineral acidity that flows into a clean fresh fairly dusky finish with white fruit and lasting savory warmth. It's more confusing to write than to taste, and will drink very well with fish based risotti or pasta dishes, and also with grilled or roasted finish, and also will work nice with creamy white meats.
88

Cà Lojera Lugana Riserva Del Lupo DOC 2006
This is a vendemmia tardiva, or late harvested wine. Brassy gold with brilliant brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is intense, with greenish herbal accents mingled with sour citric acidity and some bramble, also white berry fruit and some berry fruit spice. Pleasant. On the palate it's full and rich, with elegant slightly greenish apricot fruit supported by lively acidity that has dusky overtones and flows into a clean fresh berry white berry fruit finish with a savory acidic underpinning. It's still quite young, but has considerable depth and will drink well with grilled or roasted fish, and also with creamy dishes featuring white meats. I would, however, give it a year or two to come together and show its best, because we're not there yet.
2 stars

Cà Lojera Lugana Riserva del Lupo DOC 2003
This was the first vintage of the Riserva; it's brassy gold with brassy reflections, and though it is a little darker than the 06 it's not that much darker. The bouquet is elegant, with rich white berry fruit supported by clean sour lemon acidity and dusky bitter honey, and by elegant savory gunflint that emerges as the wine opens. A lot going on. On the palate it's ample, with rich white fruit supported by strong savory accents and flows into a clean fairly sour brambly white berry fruit finish with considerable warmth that lasts, and lasts. Quite nice, and is very much alive; it has a great deal to say and one could drink it by itself (advice for hopeless wine geeks) though it will also work very well with succulent grilled fish, including lake trout, and also with roasted fish. I would also be tempted to serve it with white meats.
90

Cà Lojera Lugana Superiore DOC 2001
Brilliant brassy gold with lively brassy reflections and white rim; one wouldn't guess its age.. The bouquet is elegant, with minerality and some sour lemon fruit mingled with savory accents and clean bitter notes. On the palate it's ample though it begins to show its age, with warm decidedly mineral citric fruit supported by minerality and savory accents that flow into a clean mineral finish. It's clearly mature, but has a lacy elegance to it, and it has a story to tell. Something to seek out and listen to, even if you like young fresh whites, because the telling is interesting. It is entering middle age, but is still very fresh, and not at all tired.
2 stars

Ambra has also decided to make a Metodo Classico, and a bottle taken from the bin where they are aging shows considerable depth and elegance, and is supported by nice acidity too. It will be something to look forward to.

For more information on Cà Lojera, check Ambra and Franco's Site.

A Quick Look At Carpenè Malvolti

I have always enjoyed Carpenè Malvolti's wines, and make a point of stopping at their stand during Vinitaly to taste both their Prosecco and their Arte della Spumantistica wines, wines made form other grapes (and from other regions) that are quite interesting and quite enjoyable.

Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG Cuvée Brut 2009
Pale brassy white with intense perlage. The bouquet is clean and fresh with cut green apples and some spice; it's quite rich and is also inviting. On the palate it's ample and soft, with rich granny smith apple fruit supported by crisp apple sweetness and deft granny smith acidity that flows into a clean bright apple finish. Pleasant and extremely approachable; it will be quite nice as an aperitif, especially with sweeter antipasti, and also to drink at poolside in the hot summer months. Expect it to go quickly, and you may need a second bottle.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry 2009
Pale brassy white with fine intense perlage. The bouquet is bright, with granny smith apple fruit mingled with some dried apple and clean apple spice and acidity. On the palate it's ample and soft, with moderate apple fruit supported by some dusky minerality and some acidity that flow into a clean slightly sour apple finish. It's a bit weaker than the Dry, with fruit that's less enticing, and considering that as a Prosecco it's a wine to be opened and drunk in a simple occasion or a party, it's a bit less interesting,
1 star

Carpenè Malvolti Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG Cuvée Oro 2009
Pale brassy white with brilliant brassy reflections and fine intense perlage. The bouquet is fairly rich, with apple fruit laced with some minerality and delicate slightly sugary apples, granny smith in particular, and by airy spice. On the palate it's ample and soft, with fairly rich slightly bruised apple fruit supported by warm Delicious apple acidity and by the sparkle, which confers a creamy texture, and flows into a warm apple laced finish. Pleasant, and displays nice depth; if you like sparkling wines but don't like the brash aggressiveness that a Pinot-Noir based champagne can have, it is a good alternative, and will work well as an aperitif or with foods.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Rosè 2009
Pale salmon with fine perlage. The bouquet is moderately intense with slightly smoky red berry fruit supported by airiness and a degree of minerality as well, and airiness. On the palate it's fairly rich, with clean fairly bright red berry fruit supported by fairly bright acidity and by slight smooth sweet tannins that flow into a clean rather mineral finish with bitter underpinning. It's a pleasant rosé that will drink nicely as an aperitif, and will also work well with creamy fish or meat based risotti, and will also work well with simple creamy white meats or fish. In short, versatile.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Viognier 2009
Pale brassy gold with brilliant brassy reflections and fine perlage. The bouquet is fresh, with pleasant floral accents mingled with white berry fruit and some sweetish accents. Quite nice to sniff. On the palate it's ample and soft and fairly sweet, with rich creamy white berry fruit supported by moderately intense sour loquat acidity and sparkle, which flow into a clean bright finish that gains sour accents as the fruit and sparkle fade. Quite pleasant, and will drink nicely as an aperitif, and might, because of its relative sweetness, be a nice bet with oriental dishes, ranging from moderately intense Chinese through Sushi.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Kerner 2009
Pale almost papery brassy white with brilliant greenish brassy reflections and fine insistent perlage. The bouquet is rich, with intriguing floral accents supported by graceful spice, mint and herbal sage, and some savory notes. Quite pleasant to sniff. On the palate it's ample and soft, with fairly rich white berry fruit supported by creamy sparkle and some sweetness, which flow into a clean fresh slightly bitter white berry fruit finish in which savory notes provide a pleasant counterpoint. Very nice, and will work beautifully as an aperitif or at table, with egg or cheese based dishes, and also with creamy fish based pasta sauces; it will also be nice with grilled fish, including crustaceans. It's quite nice, and well worth seeking out unless you only look for the bracing acidity that Pinot Noir-based sparkling wines often have.
90

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Cersegi 2009
Pale brassy white with brassy reflections and fine perlage. The bouquet is pleasant, with slightly pickled lemony fruit supported by some gunflint and spice, and by some vegetal accents. Pleasing complexity. On the palate it's ample and smooth with fairly rich, fairly sweet white berry fruit that has some sour citric overtones supported by creamy sparkle and by smooth creamy acidity that flow into a fairly long finish that acquitted bitter accents as the fruit fades. Quite nice as an aperitif, and will also drink well with creamy dishes, ranging from risotti through creamy meats and fish.
88

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte della Spumantistica Petit Manseng 2009
This takes the place of Promotico, which was (I think) the weakest of the Arte Spumantistica wines. It's pale brassy white with brassy reflections and fine long lasting perlage. The bouquet is rich, with fairly intense gooseberry mingled with sweaty blonde and supported by some greenish accents. Nice depth and balance. On the palate it's ample and soft, with fairly rich citric fruit that gains creaminess from the sparkle and flows into a clean finish in which the gooseberry accents present on the nose emerge once more. Pleasant, in an extremely approachable key, and will work nicely as an aperitif or with grilled fish, and I might be tempted to serve it at a cookout too, which would be overkill but nice. A very welcome addition to the line.
88-90

Carpenè Malvolti L'Arte dells Spumantistica Dessert Prestige 2009
This is a demi-sec blend of Glera (a new name for the Prosecco varietal, to distinguish the wine from the grape) and Moscato. It's pale brassy white with brassy reflections and fine intense perlage. The bouquet is fairly intense, and rather sweet with sugary white berry fruit supported by some dusky accents and spice that gives an impression of sweetness. On the palate it's ample and quite sweet, with fairly rich honey-laced white berry fruit; by comparison with a moscato it's not quite as rich and the fruit is a bit more citric, and it flows into a clean fresh sweet slightly greenish white berry fruit finish. Pleasant and will work nicely at the close of a meal or at pool side, or perhaps in the evening on a terrace as the shadows darken and the stars come out.
2 stars

Carpenè Malvolti Metodo Classico Brut 2005
Brilliant brassy gold with greenish reflections and fine intense perlage. The bouquet is intense slightly greenish accents mingled with bread crumbs and some sour accents that provide depth, and some gunflint as well. On the palate it's fairly rich, with clean bright berry fruit supported by greenish accents and creminess from the sparkle, which lead into a clean fairly rich slightly greenish finish. Pleasant, and will work nicely as an aperitif or with foods; it's a bit less acidic than many Champagnes or other wines made from Pinot Noir, and this makes it slightly more approachable, as does its slightly greater sweetness, especially if you don't like bone dry aggressive sparkling wines.
2 stars

The 2010 Vernaccia di San Gimignano Anteprima

The producers of San Gimignano continue to march to a different drummer with respect to the producers of Tuscan reds: They have a day, and rather than spend it on the current vintage (2009 in this case), go on thought-provoking tangents. The first time, they scrounged old bottles hidden in the corners of the cellars, and assembled a vertical that went all the way back to 1974, a time when nobody in Italy even considered the possibility of making an age-worthy non-fortified white wine.

And yes, by God, the '74 was old, but it was still alive, and this caused all sorts of raised eyebrows. So then they began inviting producers from renowned French white wine appellations, showing a willingness to stand next to the stars of the Enological Firmament that few producers of reds have matched: A couple of years ago they showcased Thomas Jefferson's favorite, Hermitage, and this year was the turn of Pouilly Fuissé, a Burgundy made with Chardonnay in the southernmost section of the Burgundy production zone, just a few miles north of the Beaujolais Appellation.

The white varietal of choice in this region is Chardonnay, often planted to very high densities (8000 or more vines per hectare) and, since the climate is fairly cool, the flavor balance is decidedly mineral, with lemony fruit rather than the tropical fruit one gets from Chardonnay in hotter climates. Fermentation and aging are primarily in small oak barrels, which contribute butterscotch accents that are not cloying, thanks to the acidity of the wines.

They did things slightly differently this year, first featuring two vintages each from three French producers, and then six vintages from different Vernaccia producers.

The Wines:

Pouilly-Fuissé Chateau des Rontets Les Birbettes 2007
Pale brassy gold with brilliant golden reflections. The bouquet is intense, and quite mineral, with a fair amount of greenish gunflint that brings artichoke stems to mind. Considerable depth, and there are hints of bitter honey as well. Interesting. On the palate it's ample, with full rich lemony fruit supported by ample butterscotch laced acidity that flows into a clean vegetal vanish with bitterness and savory butterscotch underpinning. Appealing; there's nice depth, though it's still very young, and the oak it was fermented in still stands out some. It will drink very nicely in the ne3xt 3-5 years, and will be worth waiting for.
2 stars

Pouilly-Fuissé Chateau des Rontets Les Birbettes 2002
Brassy gold with brassy gold reflections. The bouquet is intense, and clearly mature, with petroleum laced picked lemon peel and a fair amount of sea salt. Quite harmonious and with more swishing the mineral elements emerge nicely, as do hints of honey derived from slight Noble Rot that came with the summer rains. On the palate it's ample, with rich bitter minerality supported by lemony fruit and acidity that flow into a clean citric lemony finish. Quite pleasant, with the rich acidity and structure that come from a cool vintage (no chance of overripeness), and it's quite pleasant to drink. Ample, and will work very well with white meats or hearty fish, and won't be at all bad with cheeses wither.
88-90

Viré-Clessé Domaine Valette 2003
Lively brassy gold with brassy reflections and hreenish highlights. The bouquet is very different, with clean spicy vegetal accents with menthol and powdery green apple bitterness that adds tantalizing depth. Intriguing. On the palate it's powerful, with fairly rich, fairly sweet dried apple fruit supported by bitter minerality more than acidity, which flows into a clean rather bitter finish. It is a hot vintage wine, one in which the acidity was knocked back by a great lot of sun. This said, it's quite pleasant in a hot weather key, and if you like the style, which is riper and less acidic, you will enjoy it. But you have to like the style. Note: It does develop considerably in the glass, especially on the palate, where intriguing iodine bitter accents emerge. Because of its development, several tasters found it to be the best of the French wines; while I agree with them about the development, it was a little softer and sweeter than I liked and that didn't change.
2 stars

Pouilly Fuissé Domaine Valette 1999
Brassy gold with greenish highlights and brassy reflections. The bouquet is decidedly mineral, with some hints of petroleum, and a fair amount of bitter minerality laced with underbrush and wet leaves. Mature, and pleasant, revealing considerable sea salt as it opens, and also intriguing honey accents, while the petroleum fades, and it becomes quite fresh. On the palate it's deft, and more about finesse than power, with clean minerality and deft savory bitterness that flows into a clean mineral finish. Quite pleasant, and nicely balanced, with harmony between mineral acidity and bitterness that flow into a clean savory finish that gains fullness form wood tannins that support but do not distract. Very nice, and very fresh; it has a vibrant and timeless beauty to it.
90

Pouilly Fuissé Domaine Guffens-Heynen 1996
Brassy gold with brassy reflections. One wouldn't guess it is 14 years old. The bouquet is fairly intense, with considerable bitterness that is mingled with overripe blossoms and bitter black pear accents; as it opens the overripeness gives way to butterscotch. Nice balance and quite a bit of depth. On the palate it's ample, with rich fairly sweet savory minerality and mineral acidity, supported by vanilla-laced tannins that flow into a clean fairly sweet mineral finish with bitter vegetal underpinning and vanilla-laced tannins from the oak. Pleasant, and graceful in a full lacy sort of way, and though it is quite ready to drink, it also has the potential to age well for another 5-10 years.
2 stars

Pouilly Fuissé Domaine Guffens-Heynen 1993
Brassy gold with brassy reflections and gold highlights. The bouquet is elegant, with slight pickled lemon acidity supported by petroleum and clean savory accents. Very pleasant to sniff, and with considerable depth. Lots to discover here. On the palate it's ample, with rich savory pickled lemony fruit supported by tannins from oak, and flows into a clean savory oak-laced citric finish. Very pleasant, with haunting distance that confers depth, and has a great deal to say. A wine one can converse with.
90

The Vernaccia:

Cappella Sant'Andrea
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Cappella Sant'Andrea Rialto 2007
Brassy gold with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is bright, with considerable greenish bitter almond blossoms mingled with minerality and some butterscotch. Quite young. On the palate it's bright, and rich, with fairly intense minerality supported by bitterness and some butterscotch underpinning that flows into a bitter savory finish. It's quite young, and zesty, with a peppery underpinning that is a bit of a surprise, while there is also an aromatic languid richness that's from the Chardonnay the wine also includes -- yes, there is 10% and it has a considerable impact. Quite approachable and quite drinkable.
2 stars

Tenuta le Calcinaie
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Tenuta Le Calcinaie Riserva Vigna ai Sassi 2006
Brassy white with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is muted with respect to the 2007, with deft bitter almond blossoms mingled with minerality and some citric acidity. Lesser key, somehow. On the palate it's ample, with fairly rich lemony fruit supported by some mineral acidity that flows into a clean finish that has hints of butterscotch to it, and also some mineral citric accents. Pleasant, and quite young; it brings to mind a teen who still has some baby fat to her. Nice, but still developing and needs to tighten some.
2 stars

Fontaleoni
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Fontaleoni Vigna Casanuova 2005
Brassy gold with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is deft, with bitter minerality mingled with greenish accents and hints of bitter honey and lemony minerality with underlying gunflint bitterness. Nice, and has quite a bit to say; it's a cooler vintage wine and there is more acidity to it. On the palate it's ample, with bright lemony minerality supported by languid hints of sweetness and minerality, with underlying peppery accents that flow into a clean bitter peppery finish. Quite pleasant, and very fresh; it's a wine that will drink well with white meats or hearty fish now, and also has the legs to age well for many more years. A fine expression of the vintage.
90

San Quirico
Vernaccia di San gimignano San Quirico Riserva Isabella 2004
Brassy yellow with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is fairly rich, with slightly bitter butterscotch mingled with hints of petroleum and minerality. It's less acidic than the 2005, and this is an effect of the vintage, which was warmer and drier. On the palate it's ample and fairly mineral, with bitter citric accents supported by some tannins with slight vanilla accents that flow into a clean rather savory finish with pleasant warmth that reflects the warmth of the summer. It's not as complex as cooler vintage are, but does have a sunny minerality to it that is quite pleasant. It grew upon me.
88-90

Poggio Alloro
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Poggio Alloro Le Mandorle 2003
Brassy yellow with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is rich, and herbal, with a mixture of rosemary and oregano mingled with clover honey and spice. Quite rich, and somehow nebulous. On the palate it's ample, with rich herbal minerality that flows into a warm clean fairly savory finish with bitter underpinning. Pleasant, and a good expression of a very hot vintage -- it's not overripe, and there is acidity, though the tannins have a cedary accent to them, and have more of an influence than they would in a less hot year. Pleasant in any case, and a fine expression of hot vintage Vernaccia. This is their only barrique-aged Vernaccia.
2 stars

Panizzi
Vernaccia di San Gimignano Panizzi Riserva 2002
Pale brassy gold with brassy reflections and white rim. Looks quite young. The bouquet is powerful, with slightly pickled lemony acidity supported by greenish vegetal accents and mentholated spice. Quite pleasant, and quite rich; it has a lot to say and is very fresh. On the palate it's full, and more languid than I expected, with ample bitter lemony fruit that has some butterscotch overtones mingled with gunflint, which carry into a decidedly bitter slightly greenish finish. Nice balance and depth, with wood contributing considerably to the wine, but finding enough sour fruit and acidity -- 2002 was one of the coldest and wettest vintages in memory -- to balance well and work. It has quite a bit to say, and will also age nicely for another decade or more.
88-90

General impression: Two very fine flights; the French wines reveal cooler temperatures and as a result have more of an interplay of minerality and acidity than the Vernaccia, which is -- with the exception of 2005 and 2002 -- a child of a hotter climate that results in greater ripeness and as a result richer fruit and less acidity. Both are quite successful, however, and offer a great deal to think about and ponder. In short, different terroirs, and different climates.

Quality?
There's no denying it; the French do have a head start, and very few 1993 Vernaccias could hope to match the 1993 Pouilly Fuissé Domaine Guffens-Heynen. But things are changing with Vernaccia, and now the gap is much narrower -- if it still exists, and to reach this conclusion one would have to taste more wines from both Appellations. In short, Vernaccia is striding forward, and the wines are displaying a capacity to age that few would have expected from an Italian white.

And that is, alas, unappreciated by Italian consumers, and to a greater degree by Italian restaurant owners: Giovanni Panizzi said he is now having a terrible time interesting buyers in his 2008 Vernaccia, which is just barely beginning to enter its adolescence, because they all want the 2009. What for, one wonders, considering how much more depth the older vintages display, especially the 2005 and 2002.

In other words, if you come across a well stored bottle of Vernaccia from years gone by, especially cooler summers (in this decade, 2005 and 2002). Take a chance. It will likely make you very happy!

Last thing: I will taste through the current vintage in June, when the wines have a few months of bottle age.

Cà Lojera: Tasty Lugana and More (Reprise)

I met Cà Lojera's Ambra Tiraboschi, who looks rather like Maria Callas in the photo she puts up in her stand at Vinitaly, many years ago at Bordeaux's Vinexpo: It was the end of a very long day, my feet wished they belonged to someone else, and I had stopped to say hi to Paolo Abbona of Marchesi di Barolo. Sat down too, and found myself sipping a rather nice sparkling wine that turned out to be a Lugana from the southern shores of Lake Garda.

When I asked whose it was, Ambra raised her hand and smiled. Much has happened since then; they've redone their cellars and added a restaurant, which is open for dinner during the summer months, and Ambra's daughter Alessandra has had two delightful children. I make a point of stopping by her stand at Vinitaly every year, usually managing to catch her husband Franco too (he prefers to stay out of the limelight), and have noted with considerable pleasure that since I began liking their wines others have too. In fact, AIS, the Associazione Italiana Sommeliers, declared their wines the best of the Brescano area (Lake Garda's western shore) for 2009. And well they might:

Cà Lojera Lugana DOC 2007
Lot TF209
Last year's wine: Delicate brassy yellow with brilliant brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is fairly rich, with minerality and some white berry fruit laced with greenish accents and moderate acidity coupled with spice. Graceful. On the palate it's full and bright, with graceful warm yellow plum fruit supported by clean acidity and savory accents that flow into a clean bright gunflint laced finish. Quite pleasant and will drink very well with fish or vegetable based first course dishes (and also creamy risotti in general), fish, and white meats that aren't too fatty rich -- a chicken pot pie for example.
87-90

Cà Lojera Lugana DOC 2008
Lot TT0309
Pale brassy white with greenish reflections and white rim. The bouquet is fresh and very young, with moderate honeysuckle supported by spice and savory notes. Nice depth in its youth. On the palate it's rich and full with yellow plum fruit and acidity supported by hints of minerality that flow into a clean slightly bitter finish. Quite pleasant, though it's going to be much better in a year's time,and is worth waiting for. Beautiful wine.
88 now

Cà Lojera Lugana Superiore DOC 2004
Lot 504
Lively brassy gold with brassy reflections. The bouquet is fresh and deft, with clean mineral accents and spice mingled with gunflint and moderate acidity. Pleasant, and mature. On the palate it's full and quite rich, with deft yellow plum fruit supported by slightly greenish acidity that flows into a clean fresh mineral finish with greenish tannic accents that become quite savory. Quite nice though not a wine to drink far from the table; it will instead nicely complement rich fish dishes, e.g. grilled sea bass or even grilled salmon. Very nice, and has a great deal to say.
90

Cà Lojera Lugana Riserva del Lupo DOC 2004
Lot LR04
Deep brassy gold with greenish highlights and brassy reflections. The bouquet is rich, with greenish gunflint accents and barest hints of butterscotch and bitterness mingled with yellow peach, and savory notes. Quite a lot going on, and it opens very well. On the palate it's full, and rich, with powerful minerality supported by clean fresh tart berry fruit acidity that flows into a spicy finish with lasting warmth. Quite elegant and rich, with considerable depth; it will drink very well with grilled fish, or other rich flavorful foods, and also has the capacity to age nicely for several more years.
88-90

Cà Lojera Lugana Superiore DOC 2001
Lot 0703
Lively charged brassy gold with brassy reflections that have brilliant golden hues; it looks its age. The bouquet is fresh, impressively so considering the wine's age, with clean lemony fruit supported by some greenish accent and deft spice with hints of butterscotch. On the palate it's full, rich, and clean, with fresh lively white berry fruit supported by considerable savoriness and by sweet tannins that flow into a clean slightly greenish finish. Pleasant and has kept very well, furnishing further proof -- if any was needed -- of Lugana's ability to age.

Cà Lojera Garda DOC Chardonnay 2006
Forgot to note lot number
Brassy gold with brilliant greenish brassy reflections. The bouquet is bright, with tropical fruit laced with some hardwood ash and greenish spice, and supported by alcohol as well. On the palate it's full and rich in a rather seductive key with swank citric fruit supported by deft acidity that flows into a clean slightly overripe tropical fruit finish. Pleasant, and has considerable life, though it doesn't display the tight control of the Lugana.
2 stars

Cà Lojera Garda Chardonnay DOC 2001
Lot 15402
Brilliant lemony yellow with brassy reflections that pale to white at the rim. The bouquet is fairly rich, with clean fresh savory white fruit supported by minerality and spice, and some pungency as well. Quite pleasant. On the palate it's ample and rich, with tropical fruit -- honeydew melon and some pineapple -- supported by warm savory accents that flow into a clean bright rather citric finish. Impressive for an Italian wine this old, but then again I have come to expect this sort of performance from Ambra's wines.
2 stars

Cà Lojera Vino da Tavola Rosato
Lot not apparent.
Lively salmon with pink rim paling to white. The bouquet is fresh and bright, with fairly rich raspberry supported by bright greenish acidity. On the palate it's full (for a rosée), with lively righ red berry fruit supported by acidity and light smooth sweet tannins that flow into a clean fresh raspberry finish. Quite pleasant and approachable.
2 stars

For more information on Cà Lojera, check Ambra and Franco's Site