The 2007 Harvest Has Begun!

Yes, already -- this has been a very strange year, with the mildest winter and spring since people began taking records more than a century ago: No snow, few frosts, and day-time temperatures in the 50s and 60s F (10-20 C) for much of the time. It was so mild that the vegetative cycle began quite early, especially in the north, where the vines emerged from dormancy at least a month ahead of schedule.

Since then the cycle has followed its normal path, and now the vines in much of the north have reached the stage they usually reach at the end of August: The white grapes are ripe, as are the preconscious reds, and people are either actively harvesting or getting ready to do so; yesterday's TV news showed footage of people in the Oltrepo Pavese clipping bunches of grapes.

Interestingly enough, some parts of the south are less far along than the north, perhaps because the southern varietals took the milder than normal conditions in stride and followed a more typical growing cycle.

The quality of the harvest?
People are quite optimistic: Though we did have a couple of torrid weeks early on, in May, and a couple of very hot weeks in July, this has been a less extreme summer, with brilliantly clear hot days, cool nighttime temperatures, and sufficient rainfall to prevent drought stress.

Getting down to what I can report personally, Central Tuscany, which does get hot -- Florence consistently registers some of the hottest summer temperatures in Italy -- has had daytime temperatures in the mid-high 30s (low-mid 90s F), and night time temperatures in the low 20s (low 70s F).

Ideal conditions for ripening, but not overripening, while the good temperature excursions will produce good bouquets. The bunches I see on the vines as I drive home look ripe, and if conditions continue I expect to see harvesters here too soon.

Bottom line: If the weather holds, 2007 should be rather nice. We won't know for sure until the grapes are in the cellar, but have reason to be cautiously optimistic.

Olive Oil Fraud
Moving in a very different direction, this week's New Yorker has an in-depth look at the Italian olive oil industry, which has long been bedeviled by fraud. It's not nice reading, but these are good things to know.

New and Old Style Barolo: A Comparison

It's probably quite obvious to anyone who reads what I write that though I can (and do) appreciate a well-made international-style wine, given the choice I prefer well-made traditional, or old-style wines. This is especially true for Barolo and Barbaresco, where the new or modernist current carried things to extremes in the 1990s, aiming for concentrations and color that could rival those of new-world reds, coupled with ready drinkability from the time of release, or pretty close to it.

To obtain the color and the concentration the modernists had to extract as much as possible from the grapes, and to do this they employed what are called rotofermentatori orizzontali, horizontal fermentation drums that almost look like they could come from giant washing machines: The must goes into the drum, which slowly rotates, thus eliminating the need for pushdowns or pumpovers, while the seeds, which settle to the bottom of the tank, drop into an underlying tray. With the seeds, and the greener, harsher tannins they contain out of the way, the winemaker sees to extracting as much as possible from the must in the tank, jacking the temperature up to 36-37 degrees. This is enough to draw most everything from the skins, while the fermentation runs its course in just a few days. The new wine is inky purple, but if left to its own devices will rapidly shed the color - color extracted this way is inherently unstable.

Unless the wine goes into small oak, which releases substances that interact with and fix the color, and therefore those who use rotofermentatori at high temperatures are then obligated to put the wine into barriques, where it acquires the smooth oaky overtones of bouquet and fruit, firmly controlled acidity, and smooth velvety sweet tannins that are hallmarks of the new style.

To be frank, new-style Barolo and Barbaresco are much more approachable when young than traditional Barolo and Barbaresco, which are fermented for longer periods at lower temperatures, in tanks that do not drop the seeds out; the newly fermented wines generally then go into botti, large oak casks that allow micro-oxygenation but have much less impact upon the wine they contain. Upon release the tannins of the traditional wines tend to be much more aggressive than those of the new-style wines, there's considerably more acidity, and the fruit is usually nowhere near as lush.

However, with time the traditional style Barolo matures, the tannins smoothing and becoming velvety while the fruit becomes gracefully ethereal, the acidity helps maintain longevity, and the transformations can continue for decades.

The new style Barolo and Barbaresco?
The first great vintages to be made with the innovative techniques were the 88, 89 and 90, and in the early 1990s they garnered considerable praise and acclaim from the wine press. However, by the middle of the decade there were worried mutterings about how well the wines were holding up, and by the end of the decade many were falling apart -- just as the traditionally made wines of the same vintages were beginning to come into their own.

Commenting upon the situation a few years ago, a well-respected American colleague remarked to me that he thought the modern style and its proponents were the worst thing that had ever happened to Piemontese winemaking.

I filed his comment away for further thought, and the opportunity presented itself this year during an afternoon tasting held in Barbaresco in the course of Alba Wines. Among the producers was Rocche dei Manzoni, whose rotofermentatori greatly impressed me when I visited them in 1997, as did their bariccaia; I'm certain I've seen greater numbers of barriques in one place since then, but it struck me as palatial at the time. And I much liked the wines, which were quite international in style.

They were pouring three vintages of the Barolo Vigna Cappello Santo Stefano Riserva, which were quite interesting:

Rocca Dei Manzoni Barolo Vigna Cappello Santo Stefano Riserva 1997
Lot 007 19
Deep almandine ruby with almandine rim. The bouquet is fairly rich, with earthy notes and underbrush mingled with balsam and savory accents; the impression is big, almost hulking. On the palate it's ample, and quite smooth, with full rich berry fruit supported by clean slightly leathery tannins and moderate acidity that flows into a clean lengthy tannic finish with moderate acidity to keep it up. Though it is elegant, I got the impression that it had peaked, and was in the holding pattern that precedes decline; if I had a bottle I would therefore drink it sooner rather than later.
2 stars

Rocca Dei Manzoni Barolo Vigna Cappello Santo Stefano Riserva 1998
Lot 109 11
Almandine ruby. The bouquet is fairly rich, with leathery accents and some leaf tobacco mingled with spice; the overall impression is fairly direct, with not as much finesse as I'd have hoped for. On the palate it's ample, and smooth, with fairly rich leathery berry fruit supported by clean velvety tannins with some leaf tobacco overtones that also have savory accents, and flows into a clean tannic finish. It's elegant, and though its being not as rich as the 97 wasn't a surprise, I had hoped that the less charged nature of the wine would have allowed greater finesse to emerge with time. It doesn't seem to, however, and I again got the impression that it had peaked.
2 stars

Rocca Dei Manzoni Barolo Vigna Cappello Santo Stefano Riserva 1999
Lot 209 24
Lively ruby with ruby rim. The bouquet is delicate and fairly rich, with berry fruit supported by pleasant acidity and some smoky accents, and by comparison with the 1997 it's much more alive. On the palate it's ample, with fairly rich berry fruit supported by smooth sweet tannins that have leather accents and flow into a clean tannic finish that's fairly smooth. It displays considerable grace, but again isn't quite as refined as I might have expected form a 1999, it gives an impression of having been polished and buffed smooth, and this has flattened it. It's not failing, but I think it has gone as far as it will.
2 stars.

Taken as a group these were obviously very fine wines upon release, but with the passage of time they have begin to stumble in a way one simply wouldn't expect from Barolo, a wine renowned for its ability to age, after just 10 years. Of the three the 99 has held the best, both because it is youngest and because the 99 vintage, by comparison with the 98 and 97, is more elegant and yielded wines that display greater depth and finesse.

Traditional Barolo, you wonder?

At a nearby table Tiziana of Aurelio Settimo with the

Aurelio Settimo Barolo Rocche Riserva 1999
Lively garnet ruby with black reflections. The bouquet is powerful, with leaf tobacco and deft acidity mingled with rosa canina and some underlying berry fruit; though it's quick to write there's a lot going on, and one could swish and sniff it at length. On the palate it's full and rich, with direction of the fruit, berry fruit with some hints of goudron, coming from bright acidity, while the tannins are fairly sweet, and clean, with a warm burr that flows into a long bright clean finish. It displays great vitality and considerable depth, and is also very young, bringing to mind a teen who has grown enough that one can anticipate the nice picture the future will hold, but needs to finish developing. Most impressive.
92

Put simply, I find the modernist or international style Barolo and Barbaresco of the 90s to be rather like the hare engaged in the race with the tortoise: It was quick out of the blocks and more approachable at the outset -- smoother and less skittish. By comparison, a freshly released traditional wine was (and is) a bundle of nerves, and, like someone who is having a bad day, is best left alone. However, like the tortoise, it advances steadily towards maturity, and by the time a decade has gone by -- this isn't a race, and therefore there's no finish line -- it has surpassed the international style wine, and from that point on they're on divergent paths, one still climbing while the other slowly begins to descend.

Since I think Barolo and Barbaresco really become interesting with time, this is why I prefer wines made in the traditional style: They have the endurance necessary to go the distance. And to be quite honest, I think producers of the modernist school have reached the same conclusion; I found considerably less extraction and oak in the more recent vintages of many producers who were standard bearers for the modernist movement a decade ago. Some of their wines, in fact, now seem quite traditional.

Bottom line: if you collect Barolo or Barbaresco and have bottles from the great vintages of the late 80s-90s (88, 89, 90, 96, 97, 98, 99), you should consider drinking them if they are from producers of the international or modernist school, especially the older bottles. If you instead have bottles from traditional producers, the early ones will be ready, though they can also age longer, while the more recent vintages will be just beginning to blossom, and will richly reward those with the patience to wait for them to reach maturity.

Monteraponi: Wines from Chianti Classico

One of the nicest things about living in an appellation is that one can keep one's ear to the ground. Monteraponi is a welcome discovery; the owners, who started out by restoring a medieval hamlet in the Comune of Radda that once belonged to Count Ugo, Marquis of Tuscany, have also turned their attention to wine, with quite interesting results.

Production is limited, on the order of 25,000 bottles per year, and traditional, for want of a better term.

• They use the classic Tuscan varietals; their Chianti Classico is made with Sangiovese and Canaiolo, and a little Colorino in the Riserva, and they also have an IGT that includes the Malvasia and Trebbiano, white varietals now banned by the Chianti Classico Disciplinare.
• Fermentation is in cement tanks, and they let it go as it will, with the autochthonous yeasts present on the berries, and no temperature control.
• The malolactic fermentation is also spontaneous, and again in cement; it is followed, for the Chianti Classico, by12 months in a mixture of 2-year old barriques from Allier and 25-hectoliter casks made from Slavonian oak, and, for the Chianti Classico Riserva, by 24 months in 25-hectoliter Slavonian and Allier oak casks. Following assembly, both wines spend 3 months in cement and three in bottle.
• No filtration.

The wines:

Azienda Agricola Monteraponi Chianti Classico 2003
Lot 0105
Deep black cherry ruby with black reflections and ruby highlights. The bouquet is rich, with jammy forest berry fruit laced with some bing cherry, and supported by deft raspberry acidity. Powerfully fruit driven with slight cedar-spice underpinning that adds depth, and though there is quite a bit of alcoholic warmth, one wouldn't necessarily guess it came from one of the hottest vintages in recent memory. Nice balance. On the palate it's full, and smooth, with rich slightly sour cherry fruit supported by smooth sweet tannins that have slight savory accents, and flow into a clean smooth berry fruit finish with a tannic underpinning that provides depth without distracting. Quite pleasant, in a fairly soft key, and this is also the heat of the summer that reduced grape acidities; one could sip it by the glass, though I would be tempted to enjoy it with nicely seasoned, not too fatty grilled meats. Well made burgers, even, if you're of a mind to have a cookout. Expect it to go quickly, and you may want a second bottle.
2 stars

Azienda Agricola Monteraponi Chianti Classico 2004
Lot 0106
Deep black cherry ruby with black reflections and ruby highlights. The bouquet is fairly rich, with slightly balsamic berry fruit that has savory accents as well, and sandalwood spice that adds an unusual something. Intriguing. On the palate it's medium bodied, with fairly rich cherry fruit that has pleasing tart accents and flows into a clean fairly tart cherry finish; the tannins are lighter than those of the 2003, and by comparison the wine is much more acidic -- the grapes ripened more normally, and he wine has a scrappy grace to it that brings a tomboy, all knees and elbows, to mind. It's not a wine that will work well far from the table, unless you like the style, but it will contribute considerably to a meal; it will work well with red sauced pasta dishes, and will also drink quite nicely with simple grilled meats, at a cookout, say, while the acidity is such that I might also be tempted to pair it with fried meats and vegetables. In short, a versatile, pleasingly brash wine that you can expect to go quickly.
2 stars

Azienda Agricola Monteraponi Chianti Classico 2005
Lot 0107
Deep black cherry ruby with black reflections. The bouquet is elegant, with rich violets mingled with red berry fruit and some underlying sandalwood spice, while there are also savory accents that provide depth. Deft, and shows nice balance. On the palate it's medium bodied, with rich berry fruit supported by smooth sweet tannins that have some nutmeg and sandalwood overtones, while direction comes form clean slightly sour berry fruit acidity that flows into a deft sour berry fruit finish with tannic underpinning. It's pleasant, in a light, slightly scrappy key -- it's rounder than the 2004 -- and will drink nicely with hearty legume-based soups or dishes (fagioli all uccelletto, tomatoey beans with sausages come to mind), red sauced pasta dishes, quickly cooked meats, including heartier fare such as lamb chops. In short, a versatile food wine that will drink quickly, and you may want a second bottle. Worth seeking out.
2 stars

Azienda Agricola Monteraponi Il Campitello Chianti Classico Riserva 2003
Lot 02 05
Deep black cherry ruby with black reflections and ruby rim. The bouquet is powerful, with jammy cherry fruit that has some red currant and raspberry accents, supported by slight sandalwood and hints of mentholated acidity that add depth and direction, while there is also a fair amount of alcohol -- the vintage -- and some underlying pencil shavings. Quite a bit going on, and it's nice to listen to what it has to say. On the palate it's full, with rich red berry fruit supported by smooth sweet almost chewy tannins that have some underlying warmth to them, and flow into a long clean slightly tart berry fruit finish. The first impression is that it's fairly direct, but there is considerable depth hidden under its exterior, and repeated sips reveal new facets. It is a child of the vintage, with a degree of alcoholic warmth and a softness that one won't find in other vintages, laced also with slight vegetal notes that are related (in this case) to the way grapes ripen under hot conditions, and as a result I wouldn't be too tempted to drink it far from the table. I would on the other hand eagerly break it out with a thick steak or a hearty roast, and think it would also work very well with flavorful stews, including venison and other game. It will also age nicely for at least 3-5 years, and probably more. In short, a fine expression of a difficult vintage, and one that you will much enjoy.
2 stars

Azienda Agricola Monteraponi Il Campitello Chianti Classico Riserva 2004
Lot 02 06
Elegant cherry ruby with black reflections and cherry rim. The bouquet is elegant, with bright red berry fruit that gains depth from some mentholated accents and peppery spice that has hints of cumin, and underlying warmth. Considerable harmony. On the palate it's deft, and graceful, with rich red berry fruit that's supported by moderately intense smooth sweet tannins, while direction comes from vivacious slightly greenish raspberry acidity, and it all flows into a clean tart berry fruit finish with tannic underpinning. This is quick to write, but there's considerable depth and elegance in a light, decidedly traditional key; it's quite agile, and in a way brings a slender dancer to mind. It's one of those wines that can expand one's horizons, and even if you prefer more concentrated, fruit driven wines that have a considerable underpinning of oak, you will find things to appreciate and enjoy. If you're already a traditionalist, you will greatly enjoy it, and though it is a fine food wine that will contribute considerably to succulent red meats or game, you may be tempted to drink it with like-minded friends far from the table. It will hold nicely for 3-5 years, and become lacy with time.
90

Taken as a whole, Monteraponi's wines are clearly cut from the same cloth, focusing more on finesse than power, and displaying fruity grace in a rather lacy key, while acidity, though present, complements rather than overpower. One thing I did notice in the bouquets of all the wines are faint hints of cumin, which may be derived from the autochthonous yeasts responsible for the fermentations of the wines.

Bottom line: If you like the lighter, traditional-style Chianti, you will like these wines, especially the Chianti Classico Base. The Riserva is richer, with more powerful fruit, but maintains the same lightness of step. Nothing heavy or pondered here, and considering that their first vintage was 2003, I am impressed.

Winding down, as I said, Monteraponi is also a hamlet, and as you might expect, in addition to making wines they run an agriturismo. It would be a nice place to spend a few days relaxing.

For more information about the wines, or the agriturismo, check their site.