Monte del Fra, Ca Del Magro 2018

The producer Monte del Fra was founded in 1958 by Massimo Bonomo and his two sons Eligio and Claudio. The company is situated near Verona in the area Bianco di Custoza where they have most of their vineyards, however for about ten years they also have a an estate in Fumane, Lena di Mezzo in the heart of the Valpolicella classico area. The company produce many different wines and the Ca Del Magro I have tried the 2016 vintage before but now it is time for the 2018 vintage.

The wine Ca Del Magro Custoza Superiore of the vintage 2018 and has an ABV of 13%. This wine is from the heart of Custoza in the hills near Sommacompagna. Grape varieties are 40% Garganega, 10% Trebbiano toscano, 15% Trebbianello, 35% Cortese and Incrocio Manzoni. In the taste I get apples, peach and minerals and with a citrus acidity that binds it all together. This is an excellent vintage that is a wee better than the 2016 vintage. I think can be stored for a couple of years before drinking and gain some complexity.

Panizzi, Vernaccia di San Gimignano

 Vernaccia di San Gimignano is both a grape and and a DOGC wine from Tuscany in Italy. Maybe San Gimignano is most famous for the many towers that the city has of some can be seen in the picture below.

The wine producer is Panizzi and the vineyard is called Vigna Santa Margherita. In 1979 Giovanni Panzzi bought Vigna Santa Margerita. He worked there until 2005 when he left the vineyard to his son Niccolai. This wine contains 100% Vernaccia di San Gimignano. The vintage is 2018 and the ABV is 13,5%. Half of the wine is stored in barriques and half of the wine is stored in steel tanks. On the nose I get grass and Butter. In the taste I get  citrus, mineralic stone and and apple. Very good structured and I like this one a lot. 

Four Sangiovese wines from Umbria and Tuscany

Time to catch up on some new vintages from some producers that I like.

First up is Lungarotti from Umbria in Italy. Their wine Rubesco is made from mostly Sangiovese grapes and some colorino grapes from the Torgiano area in Umbria. Compared to the 2015 and 2016 vintages  the 2018 vintage has more red berries and less black currant. A very good Sangiovese.

Antonellis Rosso di Montefalco is of the vintage 2012 and I have stored it for five years. The grapes used are 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Montepulciano. In the taste I get a lot of red cherry and some sour cherry with black currants and some tannins. This red wine can handle several years of ageing very well. Still well structured and quite powerful.


For the next two wines we move from Umbria and travel to Tuscany. Forst up is the Cold D'Orcia 2018 Rosso di Montalcino. Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. This is a quite a multifaceted wine.  Red cherry and red currants first on the taste followed by blask currants and tannins in the back. Quite a long aftertaste. A very good expression of a Rosso Di Montalcino.

Last up is the Chianti Classico wine from Terreno of the vintage 2017. It is made from Sangiovese grapes and a little Merlot grapes. In the taste I get red cherry, red currant and some violet. Some smooth tannins in the back. Better than the 2013 vintage.

 

Ferrari Perle 2015 and Maschio Dei Cavalieri prosecco

Ferrari is a big sparkling wine producer in the Trento region in Northern Italy. It is made with 100% Chardonnay picked by hand. It is aged at least 50 months on the yeast before being bottled. The ABV is 12,5% and the vintage is 2015. The nose is very fresh. The taste is of brioche, citrus and  apple. A very good sparkling wine.

Next up is a prosecco from producer Maschio Dei Cavalieri. It is a Rive di Colbertaldo 2018 and is a Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore. Rive is like a quality designation. It demands that the grapes are handpickes, the grapes are from the same farm and that they are from the same vintage. Here the grapes used are 85% Glere and 15% other grapes. Maschio Dei Cavalieri is a big producer of wine but they don't grow any wine. They buy grapes from different growers in the area. In the taste I get pear, apple and citrus in  a good and fresh mix. This is an excellent Prosecco.

La Corte Del Pozzo Bardolino 2019

La Corte Del Pozzo Bardolino 2019 is from the producer Fasoli Gino. They are a producer of wine in Veneto region in Italy. This wine is from the slopes facing the Lago del Gardas east side. The mix of grapes are Corvina (60%), Corvinone (30%). and Rondinella (10%). The vintage is 2019 and the ABV is 13%. The grapes that are used for this wine are the same as they use for the more famous ripasso and amarone wine but here they have been grown in Bardolino and here the wine will get another character. The wine is fermented in steel tanks and then is stored also in steel tanks until bottling. So no oak character or any ripasso character here.

This wine is quite light and young but shows off the grapes used in the wine. in the taste I get strawberry and red cherry with some black pepper at the end. Interesting and a fresh young red wine which is very good.