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.

 

Rosenberg, Cantina di Ruscio, red wines from Marche

Rosenberg wines is a wine importer that imports wines from Italy to Sweden. It started when the Rosenbergs bought a villa in Marche and they discovered the wines of the winery Cantino di Ruscio. Marche is not a region which I have written so much about. Marche is situated along the coast with Emilia-Romagna above and Abruzzo below and on the west side it has a long border with Umbria.

In this blogpost I will focus on the red wines that Rosenberg imports to Sweden. For the second part I will focus on the white wines. The red wine grapes used in Marche are normally Sangiovese and Montepulciano. Rosenberg imports wines that either falls into the denominations Marche Rosso and Rosso Piceno. The Rosso Piceno has the following rules. It has to contain 35-85% Montepulciano and 15-50% Sangiovese and up to 15% other authorized red wine grapes.

The winery Cantino Di Ruscio is family owned and has been producing wine since the fifties. It is situated in Campofilone in Marche.

I have tried three red wines from Rosenberg. The first wine is Rosenberg Marche Rosso 2017 with an ABV of 14%. The grapes are 50% Montepulciano and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has been aged for 12 months in oak barrels and the at least six months in the bottle. This is quite  heavy wine with a dry finish. In the taste I get sour cherry, liquorice, violet and some oak. This is an excellent food wine and I wonder how it will do with a couple of more years of ageing.

The next wine is the Rosso piceno 2019 with an ABV of 13,5%. This is a nice red fruity red wine. Taste of red cherry, black currants and plum with some tannins at the end. Lighter than the previous wine but very good.

The last red wine is the wine Rosso Piceno del Poeta 2017 with an ABV of 14%. I have no information about the grape blend for this wine except that it should be a majority Sangiovese and Montepulciano grapes. This is a quite dry and stringent wine. Taste of black currant, plum and oak. Quite a lot of tannins at the end leaving a dry finish. Goes very well with food.

Three good red wines from Rosenberg wines with different characters. For the next blog post will be three white wines from Rosenberg Wines.

Palagetto Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Vinosia Falaghina

 Palagetto is a producer of wine situated in San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy. The winery was founded by Luano Niccolai in 1978 and today the winery is run by his grandchildren. Many asks if Tuscany can produce good white wines. The answer is yes, and from San Gimignano comes the grape Vernaccia di San Gimignano. For their wine Palagetto uses only 100% Vernaccia di San Gimignano grapes and the vintage is 2019 and the ABV is 13%. The altitude is 300 meters above sea level. Fermentation is done in steel vats and then at least two months of ageing in the bottle. In the taste I get apple and pear with some gooseberry and citrus. A very good young fresh Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

San Gimignano is also know for the many towers in the city.

 

The next wine is a Falanghina wine from the producer Vinosia located in Campania in Italy. Vinosia is a quite new producer in Campania and the owners have had a history with the big producer Feudi Di San Gregorio. Falanghina is a native grape from Campania. For this wine 100% Falanghina has been used. The vintage is 2017 and the ABV is 13%. The altitude the grapes has been grown on is 200 meters above sea level. The fermentation has been done in steel vats before bottling. In the taste I get minerals, stone and citrus in a very nice combination.

Gradis'cutta Malvasia 2017, Collio, Friuli, Italy

 

During spring 2019 I visited the producer Gradis´cutta in Friuli, Italy. Gradis'cutta is a producer which have 20 hectares of vineyards in the communes of Gorizia, Capriva del Friuli and Dolegna del Collio. 

The locations of the vineyards are at different elevations and therefore they have many different growing conditions for indigenous grapes, such as Ribolla and Friulano, and international grapes such as Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Gradis'cutta produces a multitude of wines, from white to red to sparkling wines.

The wine that I have tasted is the Malvasia 2017. This grape is a grape called Malvasia (Istriana). There are many grapes with the name Malvasia but this grape is native to Friuli. The Malvasia that is used for this wine is grown at 180 meters above sea level. The wine is kept on the yeast until bottling.

 

In the taste I get peach, apricot and some citrus and honey. A very good Malvaia that works well with spicy food.

 

Nero D'Avola from Sicily of the vintage 2016, Tolo and Principi Di Butera

Nero D'Avola is a red wine grape that is grown primarily in Sicily and is very common in that region. From what I know it is the most grown grape in Sicily. 

The producer Tola I have tried several of their white wine expressions but their Nero D'Avola is the first red wine from them. It is of the vintage 2016 and has an ABV of 13,5%. The grapes are picked in September. The wine is aged first three months in steel vats and then stored in the bottle for three months before sale. In the taste I get red fruit with some violet and a few tannin in the back. A nice easy drinking Nero D'Avola.

The next wine is a Nero D'Avola called Amira from the producer Principi Di Butera. This producer is owned by the family Zonin who owns several vineyards all over Italy. Half of the wine was stored in 350 l Tonneaux and the rest of wine in large bottis. It is a very good structured wine. In the front I get red cherry and some blackberry before the taste brings out some black currants with some tannins in the back. Quite elegant and a very good Nero D'Avola.

Agliancio and Falanghina from Fattoria Pagano

Fattoria Pagano is a producer in Campania in Italy. The vineyard is situated in the area of Casale di Carniola in the sout of Campania. The company was founded by in 2001 by Antonio Pagano. The vineyards are situated on a height of 270-300 meters above sealevel and the soil is old volcanic soil.

The first wine is a young Falanghina wine from 2019. It is made of 100% Falanghina grapes which is a white grape that is common in Campania. Before being bottled it has been aged two months in steel vats. In the taste I get apple, pear, grapefruit and some minerals. A nice good Falanghina which is very easy drinking and is perfect for an aperitivo or together with fish or spicy food.

The second wine is a bit more mature. It is an Aglianico from 2017 made from 100% Aglianico grapes. Agliancio I have talked about in my previous posts and it is the red wine grape of southern Italy. This wine has been aged 6 months in steel vats and then 10 months on the bottle before being sold. One year ago I tasted the same vintage so it will be interesting to see how it has changed. In the taste I get cherry, black currants and with big powerful tannins. One more year of storage has integrated the flavours in the wine and I think one more year would make this wine even better.

 

Gricos, Aglianico Del Vulture from Basilicata

Gricos is a red wine from the Aglianico Del Vulture area in Basilicata and the producer is Gricfalco, which is is a produer i Basilicata. The Grifalco company was founded in 2004 by the Fabrizio and Cecilia Piccin after having been a wine producer in Montepulciano, Tuscany, for 20 years. They wanted to forge a new path and start producing Aglianico wines in Basilicata. Thi project is run by their sons Lorenzo and Andrea. Grifalco has 16 hectars of vineyards with different age of the vines. They have five different vineyards around the extinct volcano Vulture in the wine area called Aglinico del Vulture. 

The grape that Grifalco is focusing on is the Aglianico grape. Which is one of the best red wine grapes of southern Italy which requires a long ripening time with an harvest in early November. They produce only wines using the Aglianico grape, no other grapes. Currently for red wines and one rose is produced using the Aglianico grape. The wine Gricos is a basic Aglianico and is normally produced using the grapes of the youngest vines coming from Venosa, Maschito and Forenza vineyards. They produce 40000 bottles per year of this wine. The altitude of the vineyards are at 450-550 meters a.s.l. The wine is fermented in steel tanks and then aged in reused American oak barrels and French oak barriques. The vintage is 2017 and the ABV is 13%.

On the nose I get black and red currants. In the taste plum, black currants and some tannins. This is a good wine and I believe that with 2-3 more years of ageing this wine will be even better and more complex. Works very well with food.

Bepin De Eto, Greccio Rosso 2012

 Three years ago I drank Greccio Rosso of the vintage 2012 for the first time from producer Bepin De Eto in Veneto, Italy. That time I thought that the wine was good but it probably needed some more ageing.  The Greccio Rosso is a Colli Di Conegliano DOCG. The grapes used for the wine are Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Marzemino. So mostly international grapes. The wine is then stored in wood for 12 months before being bottled. The extra years of ageing has brought out some more complex  and integrated flavours. Red currant, black currant, plum, some oak and tobacco. Excellent.

Villabella Morlongo Bardolino classico 2017

Bardolino DOC is a wine region In Italy in the province of Verona on the south eastern shores of Lake Garda. Like in Valpolicella the three main grapes of Bardolino are Corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone, but Bardolino wines normally uses less Corvina and more Corvinone. The producer Villabella was founded in 1971 and makes wine from all over Veneto but the major part is Bardolino wine. The Morlongo Bardolina classico 2017 has an ABV of 13%. For the production of this wine no oak was used instead the wine is stored in stainless steel tanks.

The taste is of cherry and some spice. Quite a nice easy drinking wine which showcases the grapes used in the production.

Monte Vibiano, wine producer in Umbria

Monte Vibiano is a wine producer in the green heart of Italy, Umbria, and I have tasted some of their wines before and this time I have tasted three of their wines. First up is the Villa Monte Vibiano Bianco of the vintage 2017. This is a white wine with the ABV of 12%. The grapes used are 40% Trebbiano spoletino, 35% grechetto di Todi, 15% sauvignon blanc och 10% viognier. The storage is done in steel tanks to preserve the freshness of the wine. In the taste I get pear, citrus and grapefruit. When I had this wine two year ago I found it a bit unbalanced but two more years in the bottle has brought out a more harmonious wine which I find now to be quite good. Lovely to have with some spicy food.

Villa Monte Vibiano Rosso is from 2017. The grapes used for this wine is the following. 55% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon och 5% Cabernet Franc. It has been stored in steel tanks for six month before being bottled. In the taste I get cherries, some coffee and some soft tannins at the end. More easy drinking than the 2016 vintage. Very good.

The last wine is the red wine Monvi from 2014. The grapes used here are 52% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot och 8% Cabernet Franc. The Sangiovese were stored for 15 months in steel tanks while the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot grapes were stored for 15 months in oak barrels. So this should have more oak character compared to the Rosso. Here I get cinnamon, red fruit and dark fruits in the mix with tannins in the back. I like it and it is quite structured and it gets better with food. Takes some time to open up so open the bottle one or two hours before dinner.

Manzone Dolcetto D'Alba and Cantina di Gasorga Barbera D'Asti

Nebbiolo is the famous grape from Piemonte but two other good grapes are Dolcetto and Barbera. Manzone is a producer in Monforte D'Alba. The Manzone Giovanni winery was founded in 1925. The production is limited to about 50000 bottles per year. The bottle I have tried is their Dolcetto D'Alba Le Ciliegie with the vintage 2016 and an ABV of 13,5%. It consists of 100% Dolcetto grapes which are harvested in the beginning of September. The ageing is all done in steeltanks for 11 months after which it is bottled. So this is a Dolcetto which is to be enjoyed young. In the nose I get a lot of red fruit. In the taste I get blackberry, plum, sour cherry and tannins in the back. Quite a punchy straight in your face Dolcetto which I love.

The next wine is a Barbera D'ati from producer Cantina di Gasorga. It is made of 100% Barbera grapes and the vintage is 2017. This is a very much berry driven wine. In the taste I get  a lot of cherry and red currants. Nothing wrong and it is drinkable but a bit one dimensional for me. For those who love a lot of red fruits this will be a winner.

Bocale Montefalco Rosso and Villa Poggio Salvi Caspagnolo

Bocale is a producer in Montefalco, Umbria. The Valentini family created the Bocale winery in 2002. This winery produces several different wines such a Sagrantino di Montefalco and Montefalco Rosso. For their Montefalco Rosso the following grapes are used, 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, 10% Merlot and 5% Colorino. The ABV is 15% and the vintage is 2017. The wine is aged in Bottis and Barriques for 12 months before being bottled. In the taste I get black pepper, dark sour cherry, some blackberry and tannins. Very well integrated and the taste is very good. Yet again a wine from Montefalco delivers. And as always I would recommend to visit Umbria, one of the hidden gems of Italy.

The next wine is the wine Caspagnolo from producer Villa Poggio Salvi. This wine is from the Chianti Colli Sienesi. I have tasted one wine from Villa Poggio Salvi earlier and that was their Brunello di Montalcino. So it will be interesting to see how a non Brunello tastes. This is a Chianti wine and the grape composition is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. The vintage is 2016 and the ABV is 13,5%. This is a nice light red wine. I get cherry, some strawberry and some tannins in the end. Very good and it looks like Villa Poggio Salvi delivers all across the board.

Three wines from Abruzzo

Abruzzo is a region in Italy which is famous for two grapes. The green grape Trebbiano and the red grape Montepulciano (not to be confused with the wines made from the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany).

First up is the white wine Mario's 45 made with 100% Trebbiano from the producer Tenuta Terraviva. The Trebbiano grapes for this wine is grown in the traditional Pergola Abruzzese. Harvest time is at the end of September. The wine is aged 12 months in casks, 6 months in steel containers and finally six months in the bottle before being sold. The vintage is 2017. In the nose I get pineapple and in the taste I get pear and grapefruit, It is a nice wine that goes perfectly with spicy food due to the acidity. Will also go very well together with fish.

The next two wines are red wines made from the Montepulciano grapes. First up is the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from producer Umani Ronchi. The vintage is 2018. In the taste I get some oak or dark chocolate with dark cherries  and some blackberry. A very fruity wine. Nice for the price.

The last Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is the Annata Historica from the producer Ripresa. This is an older expression from 2012. The colour is quite dark. The nose is quite soft. In the taste I get cherry, blackberry, violet and some tannins in the back. It has a medium finish, Very nice and I think it will get better with a few more years of ageing.

Three red wines from Italy: Kellerei Bozen, Terre di Giurfo and Zenato

Kellerei Bozen is located in South Tyrol in the far north of Italy. It is located in the town of Bozen which is the German name, for Italians it is more known as Bolzano. From what I could read with my school German Kellerei Bozen is a cooperative started to promote the wines of the region. The wine I have tasted is a Lagrein wine called Perl from the vintage 2018. Lagrein is a hard grape to grow but the wine it produces is very good. This particular Lagrein has been grown in Bozen at the height of 250m and the grapes are picked at the end of September/beginning or October. It is fermented in steeltanks before being stored in big oak casks before being bottled. In the taste I get cherry, plums and some tannins. A very nice and well structured Lagrein.

Next wine is the Valpolicella Classico Superiore from the producer Zenato in Veneto of the vintage 2017. Zenato is a quite big producer and is run by Carla Zenato together with her children Alberto and Nadia. This Valpolicella wine contains 85% Corvina Veronese, 10% Rondinella, and 5% Corvinone. In the taste I get a mix of red and black fruits and berries with some oak in the back. A nice Valpolicella.

The last wine is a Frappato from Sicily. The wine is called Belsito Frappato DOC Vittoria by the producer Terre di Giurfo of the vintage 2016. Terre di Giurfo is situated in Ragusa in Sicily and specialises in native grapes from Sicily. Frappato is not a known grape and it is native to Sicily. It is mostly grown in Sicily and has been mostly used for blending and there has not been many monovarietal wines made from Frappato. This frappato wine is harvested in the middle of September from vineyards at a height of 500 meters above sea level. It is then fermented and stored in stainless steel tanks before being bottled.  In the taste I get cherry, strawberries and some acidity with a hint of tannins. Quite light and good,  quite a typical Frappato.

Two Vermentino from Italy

Vermentino is a grape that I like and it is especially grown in the areas of Sardinia and Tuscany in Italy. The producer Sella & Mosca in Sardinia I have tasted several Vermentinos from but the wine Cala Reale is a new wine that I have not seen before. It is made from 100% Vermentino and is the vintage 2019. It is a nice vermentino with a huge pear taste and grapefruit with some honey in the back.

The next Vermentino is from the producer Col D'Orcia in Tuscany. It is of the vintage 2017. This is a good solid Vementino with a taste of green apples, citrus and some minerals.

Two red wines from Langhe, Marchesi Di Barolo and Giacosa Fratelli

Langhe area has three main red grapes. The famous Nebbiolo, the less famous Barbera and the little know grape Dolcetto. Marchesi Barolo is a producer in Langhe that produces several kind of wines such as Barolos and Barbarescos. They also make a wine called Langhe Rosso. It is of the vintage 2017 and has an ABV of 13%. It consists of 45% Dolcetto, 40% Barbera, 15% Nebbiolo. The colour is almost purple. The taste is of violet, leather and dark cherry with some black peppar. Quite strong and one can feel the influence of Dolcetto here.

The next wine from Langhe is the red wine Leunin from the Giacosa Fratelli. It is made of 100% Nebbiolo and the vintage is 2018. In the nose I get a lot of fruit. In the taste I get cherry, red currant and some spices with almost a pepper and possible some oak. A bit lighter than I imagined.

Il Roncal, wine from Friuli part 1

Il Roncal is a wineproducer situtated in Cividale del Friuli in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia-Giulia close to the border of Slovenia. This wine producing area is know as Friuli Colli Orientali. Il Roncal own 20 hectars of vineyards on the Montebello hill. The winery name comes from a local Friulian expression meaning “estate on a hill cultivated in terraces” (also known as “ronchi”).Il Roncal was founded in 1986 by Roberto Morealo and is run today by his wife Martina Moreale. They produe several different wines and here I will focus on two white wine and one red wine.

The first wine is a red Merlot wine from 2015. For this wine 20% of the wine has been aged in oak tonneaux for one year before being mixed together with the rest of the wine. The wine then rests for three months on the bottle before being sold. In the taste I get black currant with some earthy notes and tannins in the end. A nice Merlot.

The second wine is a Friulano from 2018. Friulano is a native grape to Friuli Venezia Giulia. For this wine only steel tanks are used for storing and fermentation. In the taste I get honey, lime and tropical fruits in a good light fresh white wine.

The third wine is the the white wine Ribolla Gialla from 2017. Also Ribolla Gialla is a native gape of Friuli Venezia-Giulia and also here steel tanks has been used for fermantation. The taste is of pear, minerals and this wine is fresh and quite harmonius.

Three very good wines from Il Roncal and in the second part I will go into their sparkling wines.

Pinot Grigio, Collio, from Alessio Komjanc

One year ago I visited Friuli Venezia Giulia and visited the producer Alessio Komjanc near the Slovenian border in the area of San Floriano del Collio. It is a family owned business. The winery Alesssio Komjanc was founded in the seventies by Alessio Komjanc. When visiting this winery the one showing us around were Roberto Komjanc, one of the four sons of Alessio Komjanc. This winery has 24 hectars of vineyards. And they focus on many of the grapes used in Friuli Venezia Giulia. For white wines Komjanc uses regional grapes as Ribolla Gialla – still and sparkling; Friulano, Malvasia Istriana, Picolit and the international grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon and Traminer Aromatico. Komjanc also produces some red wines on grapes such as Schioppettino, Pinot Nero, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Also there is a production of olive oil.

In the last blogpost about Komjanc I wrote about the native grapes and this time I will look at one international grapes, Pinot Grigio. It is a white wine grape that is grown internationally and can make bad to excellent wines but in Friuli Venezia Giuli it makes very good wines  The wine that I have tasted from Komjanc is their Pinot Grio from 2017 which has an ABV of 14%, which is a bit stronger than your usual Pinot Grigio. In the taste I get pear, lime and some honey. A very nice smooth Pinot Grigio whih is very good.

Toso, Nebbiolo D'Alba and Montepulciano D'Abruzzo from Cantina Zaccagnini

The wine Marne Forteí is a Nebbiolo D'Alba from the producer Toso. It is of the vintage 2016 and the ABV is 13%. The grapes are 100% Nebbiolo.  In the taste I get black currant with spice and some earthy notes with some tannins and oak. A nice Nebbiolo.

The next wine is Montepulciano D'Abruzzo from Cantina Zaccagnini. It is of the vintage 2017 with an ABV of 12,5%. I get a lot of red fruits on the nose. On the taste I get dark cherry and plum with some vanilla. A lovely wine.

Two wines from the mountains of Italy

Several mountain regions of Italy produce good wine. Two of them are Valle D'Aosta and Trentino-Alto Adige. The first bottle is the Petit Arvine from Les Cretes in Valle D'Aosta. Petit Arvine is a grape mostly planted in Switerland but also in Valle D'Aosta due to the close proximity to Switzerland. I have visited Les Cretes and it is situated in a beautiful spot in the valley of Aosta. The wine is of the vintage 2018 and the ABV is 13,5%. I get pear, lemon and some grapefruit on the taste. Powerful but quite fresh.

Next up is a wine from Trentino-Alto Adige and the producer Abbazia di Novacella or Stiftskellerei Neustift as it is known in German. The wine is Praepositus Riesling of the vintage 2017 and the ABV is 13%. There is a lovely smell on the nose. On the taste I get minerals, some peach, honey and some citrus, Lovely clean riesling.