Fortified wines, Cave de L’Abbé Rous Banyuls Rimage and Thasos Moscatel De Setubal

 Two fortified wines from France and Portugal. The first wine is the  La Cave de l'Abbé Rous Cornet & Cie Banyuls Rimage 2017. Banyuls is an AOC that produces fortified or dessert wines in Rousillion in France. The production process is similar to that of port wine with alcohol added to stop the fermentation. The wine is then matured in oak barreles of glass containers which allows for some oxidisation. Rimage is a catalan word which means vintage so this is a vintage wine.  La Cave de l'Abbé Rous is a producer of wine in Rousillion and incorporates 750 smaller producers. It is hard to find information as usual about Banyuls wines as most of the information is in French and is not easy to find but I read that the grape used should be Grenache.

In the taste I get plum. red cherry and chocolate with sweetness. A very good fortified wine that goes down too easy. 

The next wine is the Thasos Moscatel De Setubal 2010. This is a fortified wine from Portugal and also here the wine is stopped fermenting by adding alcohol. The grape used is Muscat and then it is stored in oak barrels. This wine is produced by the Enoport group in Portugal.

The taste is of oranges and honey. For me it is lacking some acidity to lift it up A nice wine but nothing that I remember.

 

Bartoli Giusti Tenuta Comunali, Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva 2010

Bartoli Giusti Tenuta Comunali is an estate in the Montalcino region of Tuscany, Italy. Its main wines are Sant’Antimo Rosso DOC, Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. The Bartoli Giusti family has deep roots in Montalcino and a long history of cultivating vineyards. Wine has been made here by the family since the 1700s, as a map found whilst renovating the cellars shows. Today the company is run by siblings Gino Antonio and Anna Maria Focacci. I bought several of bottles from them when I visited Montalcino in 2016.

The wine Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva 2010 is made of 100% Brunello grapes.  The ABV is 14%. The taste is quite strong of sour cherry, black currants and some plum. Very strong despite the age and with a long aftertaste. A very good Brunello.

Amarone x 2, Castelforte and Ca'Mantini

 Amarone is a popular wine in Sweden but I don't drink it that much. It is from the Veneto region and is made by partially dried grapes of the varieties Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella. This process will give a wine that has full flavours and has an high ABV around 15%. The first Amarone wine is the Castelforte Amarone Della Valpolicella from 2010. It has been stored for six years before being drunk. The ABV is 15%. In the taste I get cherry, black currant and rose hip in a good mix. Quite elegant after six years of ageing. Very good.

The next wine is the Ca'Montini Valpolicella Della Amarone. It is of the vintage 2014 and has an ABV of 15%.In the taste I get black cherry, red cherry and tobacco. Very good also. Although this has more power while the Castelforte is more elegant.

Fondo Antico, Memorie 2010

The wine Memorie 2010 is a rose (rosato) wine from the producer Fondo Antico in Sicily, Italy. It is a very special kind of rose wine. It is made of 100% of the grape Nero di Avola. This wine is then aged in oak barrels for a year and from what I understand the following the following four years the maturation is done in Acacia barrels before being bottled. This is done to give the wine an oxidative character So this makes the wine have a more amber rose colour that showcased the age of the wine.

Because of the oxidisation this wine feels like a lighter sherry. It is very interesting and this wine feels bone dry. This is not a wine for normal rose wine lovers but it is a wine for people who likes the dry sherry styles with a hint of rose mixed in. For me this is a good wine which is very interesting.

Leacock's ten year old Sercial Madeira and Blandy's 2010 Colheita Madeira Malmsey

One type of wine that is many times overlooked are Madiera wine. Once you get by the cheaper cooking wines you will find a lot of very good Madeira wine.

Leacock's is part of the Madeeira wine company, this company also includes Blandy's and Cossart Gordon and is run by the family of Blandy's. The Leacock's ten year old Sercial is not for sale at the moment as I bought it several years ago and it has been replaced by a Tinta Negra ten year old dry in the wines from the company.
What is Sercial? It is a green grape grown on the Island of Madeira. It is considered one of the four classical Madiera grapes. This Madeira wine is ten years old and the ABV is 20%.
I get a dry nutty taste with some citrus and some oak. This is true to its name, dry Sercial as the wine is very dry. I had a 10 year old Sercial from Blandy's a couple of months ago and that one felt sweet compared to the Leacock's Sercial. It is very good and I feel that this wine should be more as an aperitif or as a wine during some anti pasti dishes.

Net up is the Blandy's 2010 Colheita Madeira Malmsey which was bottled in 2017 giving it an age of seven years. Malmsey also known as Malvasia is also one of the four classic grapes of Madeira and these grapes gives an extremely sweet Madeira wine. A colheita wine must be at least five years old and older, however after twenty years a colheita wine can be called vintage wine and then the name colheita is dropped. The colheita allows the producers to showcase one year without having to wait 20 years for a vintage.
In the nose I get a nutty caramel smell. In the taste a deep lingering taste of nutty caramel and raisins. A very good dessert wine. It is a bit different from the ten year old Malmsey from Blandy's that I tasted a few months ago and it is a very good Colheita and showcases a good style from Blandy's.

Two older red wines from Italy, Capo di Terra and Syrah Maroccoli

Time to taste two older red wines from Italy. The first red wine is the Syrah Maroccoli from the producer Planeta in Sicily. The grapes for this wine comes from the estate Cantina Ulmo near Menfi in Sicily. It is made of 100% Syrah grapes and the vintage is 2010. The ABV is 14%. It has been two years ago since I tasted this vintage so it will be interesting to see how two years has changed the wine.The spicy tones in the wine remains but the extra two years has toned down the strength a bit leaving a more complex wine. Very good.

Next up is a wine from Valtellina in Lombardy. It is the wine Capo di Terra from the producer Conti Sertoli Salis. The ABV is 12,5% and the vintage is 2009. The grapes used are Nebbiolo. I get black currants, plum and some tannins. A bit lighter than I expected maybe due to the 12,5% ABV. A nice wine that is easy drinkable despite the age.

As a bonus review a younger red wine from Sicily. The de Aetna from Terra Costantino is made of 90% Nerello Mascalese grapes and 10% Nerello Cappuccio grapes. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. In the taste I get strawberry, oak and red cherries all superbly balanced by a high acidity. A very good younger red wine.

Ponka 2010 from Paraschos

The wine Ponka from 2010 by producer Paraschos in Friuli is what people would call an orange wine or natural wine. This wine is done without any sulphurs, filtration and things like that, therefore this wine is orange. It is only the third orange wine that I have tasted.

The colour is definitely orange. I get minerals and apricots in the taste. Quite a mature wine at nine years old. Not much acidity but a powerful taste. A bit simpleminded and it screams out for food. The verdict is that the wine is nice but not worth the cost which is way too high for a wine with this quality. Fans of orange wines will love this one.

Let us go back to Friuli and for a normal white wine called Ribolla Gialla from producer Villa Chiopris. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 12%.  In the taste I get grapefruits pear and some minerals. A nice white wine.

Two red wines from Adanti in Montefalco

Cantina Adanti is a family owned winery near Montefalco in Umbria, Italy. This winery started in the sixties and nowadays they own 40 hectars of land of which 30 is used for vineyards. They make several wines, both red and white wines. When I visited Umbria in 2016 I bought several of their wines typical of the region. One each of their Montefalco Rosso, and Montefalco Rosso Riserva. Both of these winetypes must contain 60-70% Sangiovese, 10-15% Sagrantino and the rest of the grapes can be any red grape variety. For the Montefalco Rosso it must be aged for 18 months before being sold, while for the riserva it has to be stored for 30 months being sold with at least 12 months in wood.

First up is the Montefalco Rosso from 2011. It has an ABV of 14,5%. It has the following grape composition: 70% sangiovese, 15% sagrantino, 5% barbera, 5% merlot, 5% cabernet. This is a rich red wine with some strong tannins. In the taste I have cherries, some earthy notes and rich black currants. Very good but you need some strong food with it.

Next up is the Montefalco Rosso Riserva from 2011 with an ABV of 14,5%. It has the following grapes: 70% sangiovese, 15% sagrantino, 15% merlot. On the nose a lot of cherry. The taste is of dark cherry and some black currant with some plum and some lingering tannins. Very good and feels very elegant. I could have mistaken this for a very good Brunello in a blind tasting. This is a wine which would have been fun to have 12 bottles of and drink one each year just to follow the progress of the wine.

Two very good wines from Cantina Adanti. Both highly recommended.

Col D'Orcia Brunello Di Montalcino 2010

I have tasted the Col D'Orcia Rosso di Montalcino but I have never tasted their Brunello before. Col D'Orcia is one of the biggest producers of Brunello but is still family owned. The vintage is 2010 and it is not that old for a Brunello wine. The ABV is 14,5% and the colour is red with some brownish tints. The growing of the grapes have been done at an average height of 300 meters. The grape is Sangiovese and this clone used has been specialy selcted by Col D'Orcia. The wine is stored in oak casks for three years before being bottled and let it rest for one year before being sold to the public.

So how is the taste? I get cherries, currants, some oak and hints of tobacco. It is elegant and complex and with a good nose. The soft tannins are in a perfect balance with the wine. A wonderful Brunello which showcases the Sangiovese grapes perfectly. 

Montalcino in Spring.

Ferrari Perle, another chance

Last time I tasted a Ferrari Perle I found it lacking and I wondered if I had gotten a bad bottle or if the vintage maybe was not so good. This time I had the chance to try the Ferrari Perle 2010. Now this was completely different than the 2008 vintage that I had tried before. The taste was full of citrus, apples and bread and it felt quite fresh for being seven years old. I liked this vintage a lot. As usual it is made of 100% Chardonnay.

Three reds from Italy

Italy produces much good red wine. Some of it are made with indeginous grapes while other are made from international grapes.

The wine Syrah Maroccoli from producer Planeta is made using 100% Syrah from the vineyard Maroccoli situated at 400 meters height near Menfi in south western Sicily. The winery is Cantina Ulmo. The wine is matured in oak barriques of which 30% is new. The ABV is 14% while the vintage is 2010. The taste is rich and spicy, some black pepper. I think that this wine would go very well together with Oriental spicy food.

The wine Un Poco is a red wine from Puglia. It is made of the primitivo grape, in USA it is known as Zinfandel. This wine comes from producer Cantine San Marzano, however this is not written on the label. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. The nose is very good on this wine. The taste is spicy and cherries with some soft tannins.A good wine.

The last wine comes from the one of the most famous wine districts in Italy, namely Chianti. Terreno Chainto classico from 2013 has and ABV of 13,5%. The grapes used for this wine is Sangiovese and Merlot.  The fields are located at a height of 350 meters above sea level. The smell is of red fruits. The taste is of cherries with some violets, a bit softer than expected. Some mild tannins. A nice wine.

Wine from Marco Donati and Lungarotti

In Italy there are so many grape varieties and in the northern region of Alto Adige there are many that are indigenous to the region. When I hear the grape name Teroldego I always think of Alto Adige. And the origin of this grape is clouded in mystery but some its relatives are Syrah and Pinot Nero.

Producer Marco Donati makes a wine Teroldego Rotaliano, I have sampled the vintage 2015. This wine is made of 100% Teroldego grapes from the Mezzacorona-Campo Rotalino wineyards. The ABV is 13%. The colour is ruby red. The aroma of the wine is rich and intense. The taste is dry, dark fruits and cherries. It is rich and intense. A very good wine.

Going down to Umbria there are certain grapes that are only common here. One of them is the grape Grechetto. This is one of the grapes in the wine Torre Di Giano Vigna il Pino from producer Lungarotti. It contains the grapes Grechetto and Trebbiano. It is of the vintage 2010 so it is a white wine that can be stored for a very long time. The ABV is 13%. The nose is very good. The taste is deep and fruity. Some acidity with a bit of grapefruit in the aftertaste. This is definitely a food wine. A rare white wine that can be aged for a long time. Lungarotti produces so many good wines.

Birthday and wine from Montefalco

For my birthday I always try to celebrate with good food and wine. This year I choose wine and food from Italy and especially Umbria. All the wine were from Umbria and from the town of Montefalco. The town Montefalco is famous for their Sagrantino ´grapes that are used in the Montefalco wine. Sagrantino is a grape that is indigenous to Umbria and has a very high tannic level. First up for the evening were the the Montefalco Rosso DOC wine Cocchino from producer Podere Castorani and the vintage 2006. The taste is of spices and richness with huge tannins that are well structured. A very good wine.
Next up were the Sagrantino Di Montefalco DOGC wine from producer Cantina Fratelli Pardi and the vintage 2011. This wine is made with 100% Sagrantino. Like the previous wine one can feel the tannins and in this wine they are even stronger but the tannins are very well structured and the taste goes very well together. One could always store this wine for several years. An excellent wine.
The last wine were the Sagrantino Di Montefalco DOGC passito wine from Cantina Fratelli Pardi from 2010. This passito wine is quite a rarity and is very hard to find outside of Umbria. This wine is spicy, sweet but still a bit tannic and is very interesting. A lovely passito wine that is a must if one can buy it.

And if you happen to be in Umbria. Take the chance to visit Montefalco as it is a lovely small medieval town.

Montefalco Sagrantino by Le Cimate

Montefalco is a lovely small town in Umbria, Italy, which I visited in April 2016. It is worth a visit for several reason. One is that the town has a great view over the plains in central Umbria.

Another is that the town has a lovely mediaeval feel with the small streets.

The reason that I went there is that Montefalco produces several different wines such as Sagrantino Montefalco and Rosso Montefalco.

All around Montefalco one can see wine producers and in the town there are several stores just selling wine from Montefalco. One producer is called Cantina Le Cimate and they produces several different wines and the one that I have found is a bottle of their Montefalco Sagrantino which is from the DOGC Montefalco Sagrantino. This wine is made of 100% Sagrantiono grapes and the wine must be aged for 30 months and at least 12 months is in oak barrels. For the Le Cimate Sagrantino wine it has been stored 24 months in barrels and 12 months in bottle before going for sale.
Sagrantino is a special grape is an Italian grape variety that almost is only grown in the Montefalco area. It is one of the grapes that has the highest tannic levels in the world. So when I was in Assissi in Umbria a waiter warned me that drinking Sagrantiono Montefalco was like eating a lemon.
The Le Cimate wine has an alcohol level of 15% alcohol and is of the vintage 2010. The colour is very dark, almost reddish blue. The smell is strong The taste is of black currants and some liquorice with some more dark berries. It has tannins but they are quite structured and together with strong food it is very good. But be warned, this is not an easy drinking wine. It need some food with the wine. After the food was finished I continued drinking the wine and one could feel the tannins in the mouth. An excellent and lovely wine but not for those who are looking for a light and easy drinking wine.

Magliocco, a rare grape from Italy

Magliocco is a red wine grape that grows almost only in Calabria in Italy. I had the chance to try the wine Magliocco from the producer Cantine Lento which is run by the Lento family. The wine Magliocco from 2010 is made by magliocco grapes which is grown on soils at 500 meters of height. The aging is done one year in French oak. The color is dark red and the taste is quite strong with a taste of cherries and some black berries. For me it would have tasted better with two-three years of storage. Quite interesting grape and one worth checking out.

The producer Falchini is situated in San Gimignano, Tuscany, which is famous for the many towers of the town. Their wine Falchini Chianti Colli Senesi is made of 100% Sangiovese grapes. It is a bit lighter than the Magliocco. The taste is of red currants, light cherries and is very nice. I have earlier tried their 2012 vintage and their 2013 vintage keep up the quality but I think tat the 2013 vintage is a bit lighter than the 2012.

Visit to the mountains and the good wine

In Italy many good wines produced in lesser known mountain areas such as Valle D'Aosta and Trentino. When I visited Valle D'Aosta  had the chance to visit the La Grotta Di Vegnergons store and I wish i could bring a lot of their wines back to Sweden. The white wine Chambave Mucat from 2013 by La Grotta Di Vegnergon I received as a gift. This is the perfect aperetif wine. It is a very fresh aromatic wine with taste of yellow peaches and thyme. Very good.

In the dolomites in the Trentino region the native grape Lagrein is very popular. I have tasted this grape before and liked it. The wine that I have sampled is from Cantina Mori in Trentino which I had the chance to visit in 2013.  The wine is called Terra Di San Mauro and is from 2010. It is very good. Not to heavy as some red wines can be but has a taste of plums, red cherries and dark currants. Some tannins to round it out.

Finally summer and another batch of wines

Finally the sun arrived this summer and parts of the summer were saved. This time I have tried three Italian wines and a German wine.

The most interesting wine is the red wine Torrette Superior from Valle D'Aosta in Italy. It is the first time that I have been able to buy a wine from this region in Sweden. Valle D'Aosta is a region that has many local varieties of grapes of which many were close to extinction bur fortunately many of these grape veracities have been saved for example Fumin. The Torrette Superior is from producer Maurizio Fiorano Chateau Feuillet. It is made by the grape Petit Rogue which is only grown in Valle D'Aosta in Italy. It is not a heavy wine but a medium bodied wine with a taste of cherries and liquorice. Very good wine.

Next are the wine Coste Di Riavolo by producer San Fereolo whoch is from the Langhe DOC Bianco. This is a wite wine and since it is from 2010 I had high expectations from it. But I were dissapointed, a weak taste and not to my liking.

South Tyrol or Alto Adige as it is called in Italian makes very good white wines. A new producer for me is Peter Zemmer. I tasted the wine Chardonnay from 2010. this were better than the previous wine. Nice wine but I had better Chardonnays from Alto Adige.

I don't drink so much wine from Germany but when I see wine from Franken I usually try to buy a bottle. Producer Brennfleck has made a wine which is by the grape Silvaner and it is a dry one. It is from 2013 and the taste is of Peaches, hoey and spices. Very good wine.

From Austria to Italy

I have tried the riesling wine from weingut Stadt Krems in Steinterrassen earlier, now I have tried the vintage from 2011.  It is still excellent. The colour is straw yellow with some hits of green.  A lot of acid, excellent structure and so good. I wish I had more bottles at home. Despite the alcohol level is only 12,5 % it goes well together with heavier food such as schnitzel.

The region of Trentino/Alto Adige produces some of Italys finest white wines. I have tried the producer Mezzacorona white dry wine PG. The grapes for this wine is Pinot Grigio and are from the wineyards in the dolomites in the Trentino area. It has an alcohollevel of 13% and is from 2013. The taste if of pears, citrus and some grapefruit in the aftertaste. A good wine.

One place in Italy I would like to visit is the island of Elba, until then I have to do with wine from the island. I have tasted an Elba Bianco from producer Aquabona. It is from 2010 and with an alcohol level of 12,5 %. It is flavourful, some acidity and have a taste of peaches. A very good food wine.

Vermentino, a grape that has promise

I have tried the grape Vermentino once earlier and now I have the chance again with the wine Papiri from Sardinia of vintage 2011. It is a wine from producer Cantina Santa Maria La Palma and the DOC is Vermentino Di Sardegna. It is a flavourful wine with citrus and grapefruit. Almost some minerality and tastes very good.  I must now try more wines by Vermentino to see if I have found another favourite grape.

A Soave wine which goes well with food is Esperia made from the grape Garganega from 2010. It has a taste of fruit, grapefuit and some minerality. A bit one dimensional if drank without food but very good with food.

Planeta and Fonterutoli, two producers from Italy

Planeta started their production of wines in 1995 and they have been producing many good wines since then. They have many different wineyards in Siciliy. On a airplane trip I found a bottle of Planeta Syrah Maroccoli from 2009. It is produced in the wineyard Maroccoli in the south western corner of Sicily near lake Arancio. The grape is Syrah which I have never drank so much of before. The colour is very deep red. The taste is of black peppar and red cherries. A very strong wine with long aftertaste which can handle spicy food very well. And I can imagine that this wine can be stored for several years before drinking.

I have not drank so much wine from Tuscany as there is so much different wines produced in Tuscnay. I received information that the Fonterutoli No 10 was a very good wine so I decided to try a bottle. Fonterutoli is owned by the Mazzei family and is situated in the heart of Chianti Classico. The No 10 is made of Merlot grapes with a small amount of sangiovese grapes added and it is from 2012. The colour is deep red and the taste is of red cherries with herbs and soft tannins. Very nice.

Two very good red wines from Italy.