A batch of white wine from Italy

Some of these white wines I have tried before but there are some new vintages and it is interesting to see how wines change of the years and also how ones taste can change.

Mezzacorona in Trentino has a new vintage of the Chardonnay from 2017. It is a quite light Chardonnay with notes of apple and some grapefruit. A decent white wine but the 2015 vintage was better.

Torrebono has a Vernaccia di San Gimignano of the vintage 2018. In the taste I get citrus, almond and some pear. A nice light Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

The third white wine is the wine Monteoro from the producer Sella&Mosca. It consists of 100% Vermentino grapes. The vintage is 2017 and I tried this vintage one year ago. One more age of ageing has brought out honey in addition to the apple and grapefruit. Even white wines can gain complexity by being stored.

Fontanafredda Langhe Chardonnay with the vintage 2017 I have tried before and this one remains the same with apples, gooseberries, minerals and citrus.

The last wine is a Pinot Grigio from Santa Margherita. The vintage is 2018  and I get apples pear, citrus and some honey. A very nice Pinot Grigio.

Fontanafredda and their Alta Langa sparkling wines

Fontnafredda is  big producer of wine in Piemonte and they make very good Barolo wines for example. But this time I have tried of their two sparkling Alta Langa wines. Alta Langa is a DOGC for Piemontese sparkling wine. It is made with Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir grapes. It can be white or rose and has to be aged on the leese for at least 30 months. Also an Alta Langa sparkling is always a vintage wine.
The first sparkling wine from Fontanafredda is Hundred Sixty which is of 2007 vintage and the ABV is 12%. This wine was released to celebrate 160 years of Fontanafredda. It is made of 100% Pinot noir and it was on the leese for seven years. In the taste I get citrus, pear and grapefruit. Very nice older smoother Alta Langa.

The Fontanafredda Alta Langa limited edition is of the vintage 2014 and the ABV 12%. It is made of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This is a high acidity sparkling with apple and citrus and with a nice long aftertaste.

Alta Langa is one sparkling wine region to explore in the future.

Fontanafredda and their wines Barrbaresco, Pradalupo and Raimonda

Fontanafredda is a big producer in Piemonte who produces many different wines. They have 122 ha of land of which 100 hectares is vineyards. Fontanafredda produces many different wine but here I have only tried three.

Pradalupo is a white wine made from 100% Arneis grapes with an ABV of 13,5% and the vintage 2017. Arneis is the grape and for this bottling all the grapes has come from the Roero hills in Piemonte and therefore the wine is a Roero Arneis DOGC. Unfortunately the grape Arneis production areas continues to decrease but hopefully the world will see what a good wine this grape can give. The Pradalupo wine has a taste of apple, grapefruit, minerals and some citrus. Quite a sharp wine but goes excellent with spicy food.

Next up the the wine Raimonda which is a Barbera D'Alba wine with an ABV of 13,5% and the vintage 2016. This is made from 100% Barbera grapes. Part of the wine is matured in larger oak casks while the remaining wine is matured in smaller barrels (225 l) of medium tosted French and American barrels. Before bottling these two parts are the blended. In the taste I get black currant, plums and then some oak and soft tannins with some bitter almonds at the end. Quite an interesting Barbera and a very good food wine.

The last wine is Barbaresco of vintage 2013 with an ABV of 13,5%. Despite being a famous wine I have drunk very little Barbaresco. As with the more famous Barolo a Barbaresco is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes. This wine is aged for 12 months in oak barrels and then 12 months in the bottle before being sold. One thing I noticed with this wine was that this Barbaresco gained a lot by having air contact. So I would suggest to open the bottle one or two hours before being served or to decant it. In the taste I get  black currants, leather and some tobacco with tannins at the end. This is a wine that is still developing and is quite strong. Good now and will gain a bit extra with two-three more years of ageing.

White wines from La Staffa, Fontanafredda and Rocca di Montemassi

This time I have one new wine and two wines with a new vintage.

First up is the new experience and that is the wine Verdicchio from La Staffa. This wine is produced by Ricardo Baldi who is a wine producer near the village of Staffolo in the Marche region and makes about 2500 cases of wine a year. This Verdicchio is of the vintage 2017 and the ABV is 13%. This is a very fresh Verdicchio. I get apples and minerals in the taste. Probably the best Verdicchio that I have ever tasted.

Next up is one favourite producer for me, namely Fontanafredda situated in Piemonte. I have tasted this wine before but it was another vintage. The vintage is 2015 and the ABV is 12,5%. This is a white wine made of the grapes Chardonnay and Nascetta. Being a rare grape is true of Nascetta as at one time it was only grown around the hamlet of Novello in Piemonte. Now it is more spread around in Piemonte.How is the taste? It is a very fresh wine with some tropical fruit, honey, apple and some acidity. As last time it was very good.

Driving from Montalcino towards Pitigliano in southern Tuscany one passes by the town of Montemassi. It is situated on top of a hill and is dominated by old Rocca (castle) looming over the village. Here they produce a wine called Calasole made of Vermentino.I have tasted several vintages of this wine such as 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 and they have all been good. The 2018 vintage gives me green apple, papaua, citrus ad some almonds in the taste. A very fresh and fruity wine. This is the best vintage that I have tasted from this producer.

Gavi and Chardonnay from Fontanafredda

Fontanafredda is a big producer of wines from the Piemonte are and especially Barolo and Barbaresco. However this time I have tried two white wines from Fontanafredda. First up is their Gavi wine from 2016 which contains 100% Cortese grapes. The ABV is 12% and the grapes were harvested in mid September. In the taste I get apples, minerals and some citrus. A very good and well balanced wine.

Next up is Fontanafreddas Chardonnay from 2017 which has an ABV of 12,5%. This wine has a quite varied taste. Some apples, gooseberries, minerals and some citrus. A good Chardonnay.

Two white wines from Langhe

Langhe in Piemonte produces several good white wines, some based on local grape varieties and others on international varieties. This time I will focus on two white wines with international varieties.

First up is a favourite producer of mine called Fontanafredda, they are one of the biggest private producers in Langhe. The grape is Chardonnay and the vintage is 2017. The ABV is 12,5%. This wine a quite varied taste with some apples, gooseberries, minerals and some citrus. A good wine.

The last wine is a Riesling wine from producer Saracco also located in Langhe. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. I get some apples, minerals and some citrus. A bit different from a German Riesling. Also a good wine.

Red from North and white from South

Let us start with the wine from the north. It is a Barbera wine from producer Fontanafredda and it is called Briccotondo. The wine is from Piemonte and the vintage is 2016. The ABV is 13,5%. The taste is smooth and red fruits and some tannins in the end. A good table wine from Fontanafredda, showcases a good young Barbera wine.

Then we go south to the heel of Italy and the region Puglia. Here we have the producer Paololeo which makes a Fiano wine called Cala Luna. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. It is a very fresh Fiano, with an aromatic and elegant taste.

Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga d'Alba

Barolo, the district in the region of Piemonte Italy, famous for the wine Barolo made of the Nebbiolo grape. I had the pleasure to visit Barolo this year and the district is so beautiful. The vineyards are situated on the Langhe hills and everywhere there is small beautiful villages.

The Serralunga d'Abla village in the Barolo district has a beautiful castle and the village is situated in a circle around the castle.

From the castle tower all the vineyards around Serralunga d'Alba can be seen. The Barolo wines from Serralunga D'Alba is know to be complex and powerful.

Fontanafredda is a big producer in Barolo and the estate has approximately 100 hectares  of vinyards. They have a Barolo that comes from Serralunga d'Alba. This wine is made of 100% Nebbiolo that was harvested at the beginning and middle of October. After fermentation in steel jars the wine is stored for 12 months in barriques from Allier and two year in oak casks still from Allier (2000 lt). Then the wine is stored in a bottle for 12 months before being sold. the vintage that I have tried is the 2009 vintage. The ABV is 14%.
The colour is garnet-red with some ruby. The nose is complex. In the taste I get spices, liquorice, dark red berries tannins and sage. It is strong, full bodied but has an excellent balance. A wonderful wine that need food. I think that this wine would have increased in complexity with 5-7 years more of ageing.

Barolo and Barbaresco , a comparison between two Fontanafredda wines

Barolo and Barbaresco are two famous wine producing regions in the north of Italy in the province of Piemonte. Barolo is situated southwest of Alba while Barbaresco is northeast of Alba. The saying is that Barolo is the king while the Barbaresco is the Queen. The king is more powerful and the Queen is more elegant.

I had the chance to try two wines from Fontanafredda. One Barolo from 2011 and one Barbaresco from 2012 so I could compare them. Both are made from 100% of the grape Nebbiolo. The grapes for the Barolo wine was picked in beginning of October while the grapes for the Barbaresco were pickes at the end of September. Also the rules for a barolo stipulate at least three years of ageing while for barbaresco it is two years.

I had tasted the Barbaresco a couple of months earlier so the Barolo were news for me. Both wines have an excellent taste but the difference between them is that the Barolo is more powerful and lacks some of the elegance of the Barbaresco. I also felt that I should have stored the Barolo maybe two more years before drinking while the Barbaresco is ready for drinking now.

So right now I prefer the Queen. Maybe that will change in two years time when I make another comparison.

Fontanafredda Barbaresco 2012

The Fontanafredda wine Barbaresco 2012 is my first ever barbaresco. I have tried other wines from Fontanafredda but never a Barbaresco. The alcohol level is 13,5% and the grape is 100% Nebbiolo. It has an elegant structure and everything goes so well together. Tannins and the different tastes blends together. Excellent wine. Will definitely not be my last Barbaresco. One day I have to travel to Piemonte to visit the Barbaresco area.

Wine made of rare native grapes from northern Italy

Two regions in the north of Italy are Piemonte and the small neighbouring mountainous region of  Vallee D'Aoste. They both have a lot of grapes which are native of that region.

First out is the wine Marin from producer Fontanafredda in the Langhe area of Piemonte. This is a white wine made of the grapes Chardonnay and Nascetta. Being a rare grape is true of Nascetta as at one time it was only grown around the hamlet of Novello in Piemonte. Now it is more spread around in Piemonte. The wine Marin is fresh and clear and taste of honey, some citrus and some oak. A very good wine. Next time I will try to get a wine that only consists of Nascetta.

A regions that has a lot of naive grape is the small small mountainous region of  Vallee D'Aoste. The wine Torette superieur  from producer Grosjean. It consists of the rare grapes Petit Rogue, Furmin, Cornalin and Premetta. All native grapes of Vallee D'Aoste. This wine has a good strong taste with a long after taste, very good.

Nebbiolo and Nero D'Avola, great red wine grapes

Nebbiolo is a red wine grape grown mostly in the Piedmont region where it is used to make Barolo and Barbaresco wine. But no such monster wines this time, just a Lange DOC wine from producer Fontanafredda. The wine is called Ebbio and is from 2013. The smell is nice and the taste is very subtle. Strong taste of viols and some cherries. A good drinking wine.

Nero D'Avola is a red wine grape mostly grown in Sicily. This grape makes good wine which I like. The wine Regieterre Nero D'Avola from 2012 by producer Musita is made from 100% nero D'Avola grapes. There is a sharpness in the taste and I can feel liquorice, black currants and cherries. A good wine and the third wine from producer Musita that I like.