Arriving early Sunday morning in Verona by road, traffic was to be less manic than previous years, parking was a dream and access to the entrance was not the usual mob scene…So off to a great start! First up:
La Spinetta
Mirko Bessi, enologist and soul of La Spinetta’s Tuscan venture greated us warmly. We started the tasting with:
Barolo Campè 2015
Fresh black fruit mixed with heady blue flowers. Showing layered complexity unusual for such a young wine. Fine round tannins, then the exceptional balance and long finish. Wow!
Points 96 TW
Barolo Campè 2014
This wine is 100% Nebbiolo from south facing vines around 50/60 years of age grown in calcareous soil. Deep garnet red in colour. Black fruits, balsamic notes, spice, dried herbs. Fresh, clean and powerful.
Points 92 TW
Barolo Campè 2009
Led by dark fruits, then red cherry. Earthy with black truffle, spice and faint violet notes. Structured.
Points 93 TW
Barbaresco Vigneto Starderi 2007
Deep garnet red in colour. Rich soft plum, aromatic notes of pennyroyal. Linear. Fine integrated tannins.
Points 94 TW
Sassontino 2007
95% Sangiovese. 5% Colorino from 50 year old vines. Dark cherry, leather, mint. After alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation aged 12/14 months in French oak barrels, then three months in steel vats before bottling, unfiltered. Wine rests for 10 years in bottle until the 10th anniversary of the harvest, then is released.
Points 93 TW
Rosé di Casanova 2016
This is great, and correctly served at the end of the tasting. Light salmon pink in colour. Pineapple, melon, grapefruit. Dry, fresh. Great texture with blanched almond finish. Different, but a beautifully crafted wine.
Points 92 TW
The wines of La Spinetta are consistently good, but this flight was way above the norm. My thanks to the Rivetti family, especially Giorgio the leading winemaker.
Elio Grasso
Francesca Grasso welcomed me with a broad smile, perhaps comfortable in the knowledge that her wines were more than up to the mark. I tasted four wines:
Elio Grasso Barbera D’Alba Vigna Martina 2016
Deep bright ruby red in colour. Black berries, aromatic with a mixture of floral and eastern spice. Rounded and quaffable.
Points 90 TW
Elio Grasso Barolo 2014
Ruby red in colour. Soft red berries, dried blue flower notes. Spice. Intense. Tannic and full bodied.
Points 91 TW
Elio Grasso Barolo Gavarini Chiniera 2015
Extreme floral bouquet of predominately rose petal.
Dark berries. Great texture, dense, complex. Full bodied. Broad finish. Needs time to relax as a bit taught. A beauty though!
Points 96 TW
Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra Casa Maté 2015
Deep garnet red in colour. Floral aromatics, rich red fruit, underbush. Earthy. Great balance. Intense, Needs bottle time (4/5 years)
Points 95 TW
Barolo 2015 single crus show so much promise but patience is required to fully appreciate the quality of these wines.
Conterno Fantino
A recent departure from the 7 days on the skins in rotary tanks method, to an extended 12/15 days for the Barolo Castelletto Vigna Pressenda and Barolo Mosconi, then: one year in barrel, second year in cask. As opposed to the two main crus, Barolo Vigna del Gris and Barolo Sori Ginestra are aged in French oak, but not in new barrels. I think its too early to tell wether this will greatly improve the quality of these wines.
Barolo Ginestra Vigna Sori Ginestra 2015
Incredible bouquet of fruit and alpine forest, melted liquorice, cherry, saddle leather. Deep, rich and layered. Super soft tannins. Nearly ready…1/2 years in the bottle will help. Best here.
Points 95 TW
Barolo Mosconi 2015
Dark black fruits interlaced with liquorice, baked earth, burnt cedar smoke. Huge disposition. Brooding. Luscious. Great texture.
Points 94 TW
Massolino
Owned and managed by brothers Roberto and Franco. Their wines are very distinctive, very well crafted and the 2015 did not disappoint. Roberto hosted the tasting:
Barolo Serralunga D’ Alba 2015
Welcoming with red berries, violet, aniseed. Fresh. Medium bodied. Round and drinkable.
Points 90 TW
Barolo Parafada 2015
Fresh ripe cherry, rose petal, dried sage and mint. Smoke and spice on the back end. Gently structured. Fine tannins. Great texture. Needs time, 3/4 years.
Points 95 TW
Barolo Parussi 2015
Parafada’s big brother. Massive expanse of dark cherries, blackberries, liquorice and earth, aromatics from dried Mediterranean herbs. If you like your Barolo with structure and fortitude…look no further!
Points 94 TW
Next were the wines from Aldo Vacca…who? did I hear you say. If I mentioned the wines of Angelo Gaja, there would be no problem recognising him. For fifteen years Aldo Vacca was the valued assistant to the great man, and since 1998 has been the senior director of
Produttori del Barbaresco
One of the greatest cooperatives in the world of wine encompassing Nebbiolo grapes from 50 families spread over 110 hectares. In the best vintages 9 Barbaresco are produced by the cooperative and marketed as Barbaresco Riserve; Asili, Ovello, Rabajà, Pajé, Pora, Rio Sordo, Montestefano, Muncagota, Montefico.
In a good year 500,00 bottles are produced, divided between: Barbaresco 40%, Riserva 35% and Nebbiolo Langhe 25%
I tasted two from the range of 2015 Riserva (barrel samples)
Produttori del Barbaresco Ovello Riserva 2015
Even in its youth this is a gracious, fruit laden offering. Medium bodied. Red fruits, mint.Great minerality. Balanced. A little closed at this stage, but showing enough to be another great wine from this producer.
Points 94-96 TW
Produttori del Barbaresco Pora Riserva 2015
I recall the Pora Riserva 2014 being one of the finest wines from Produttori del Barbaresco, but the 2015 eclipses it! Dark sweet fruit start the journey then, the texture and depth come into play, never deviating from its course, broadening in its linear path. Its hard to believe this is a cooperative wine. Needs time. (2024- 2044)
Points 95-97 TW
G.D. Vaja
G.D.Vajra wines are expressive, bountiful, honest and really great value:
G.D.Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo 2017
Fresh, alert. Naturally forward tannins, Cherry, plum, a little closed.
Points 90 TW
G.D.Vajra Barolo Albe 2015
Rounded, open. soft. Red cherry, hint of blue flowers. Drink or hold.
Points 92 TW
Then a surprise a new wine which sits between the Barolo Bricco delle Viole and Barolo Ravera in style terms:
G.D.Vajra Barolo Coste di Rose 2015
Meticulous fruit selection. Red cherry, pomegranate, dried orange peel. Fine tannins help up by a shaft of minerality, rose petal, truffle. Beautiful showing. Not as textural as Ravera, but a joy all the same.
Points 94 TW
G.D.Vajra Barolo Ravera 2015
Red fruits, wonderful heady spring flower notes, sweet blood orange. Rich, complete. Phenomenal balance. Great texture. Do not miss this!
Points 96 TW
I felt a change was required so I looked for some Sangiovese and decided to try the wine of Stella di Campalto a lady who’s wines are difficult to find in the market place because of low bottle numbers.
Stella di Campalto
Her charming assistant Michela offered me a single tasting of Rosso di Montalcino 2014. The ‘Rosso’ and ‘2014’ on a Montalcino label does not enthuse but… “never judge a wine by its label” was so fitting in this instance!
Stella di Campalto Rosso di Montalcino 2014
Striking cherry, sweet tobacco, dried orange peel, a mineral undertone carries the fruit forward. Elegant. Complex. Linear. Such structure and yet graceful. Wow!
Points 95 TW
Allegrini
The Allegrini family have been producing wine for over four hundred years. Today Allergrini is a consolidated group of companies, its roots lie in Fumane di Valpolicella, where in 1854 the Azienda Agricola was founded in the Valpolicella Classico area. Allegrini farm some 100 hectares within this estate where the great crus of La Grola, Palazzo della Torre and La Poja all stand within the birthplace of Amarone.
Other notable purchases by the family include Poggio al Tesora in Bolgheri founded in 2001, San Polo in Montalcino Tuscany, purchased in 2007.
Although this is a monolithic conglomerate producing zillions of bottles, this is a company dedicated to producing individually crafted wines, its driving purpose being to excel.
The architectural masterpiece that is known as Villa Della Torre in Fumane di Valpolicella has become the official headquarters of the company.
Over the past year I have been truly Impressed by Allegrini’s wines:
Il Seggio from Poggio al Tesoro, a Bolgheri Rosso (40% Cabinet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot), along with Sondraia a Bolgheri Superiore D.O.C. (65% Cabinet Sauvignon,25% Merlot,10% Cabinet Franc.), are both very well crafted and enjoyable.
San Polo Brunello Di Montalcino improves with every good vintage the 2014 ( probably the worst vintage due to inclement weather since 2002) was one of the best wines produced in the entire region.
Today they have kindly invited me to lunch prepared by a Michelin starred chef. The wines offered were a joy but I must mention two:
Poggio Al Tesoro Solosole Pagus Camilla 2015
Pear, dragon fruit, white flowers, undertone of lemon zest. Medium bodied. Refreshing. Delightful.
Points 91 TW
This single cru is so named because Pagus is the name in ancient Roman to indicate a plot and Camilla is a small river that is adjacent to the plot.
Allegrini La Grola Limited Edition served in Magnum 2016
Bright ruby red in colour. First black fruits then red plum, black tea. Balsamic notes. Sweet spice. Full bodied. Fresh. Savoury. Traces of wood on the end. Great wine. Great value.
Points 94 TW
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Allegrini for their hospitality over two days in Verona and the informative time spent with their staff and especially Leonardo Vallone, director of sales Italy.
Speri
Finally no visit to Vinitaly would be complete without seeing my friends at Speri. Seven generations of wine markers cultivating exclusively Valpolicella native grape varieties. Fine wines that have enormous bottle life:
Speri Vigneto Monte Sant’ Urbone Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2000
Rich and fresh. Full bodied with a lightness of texture. Powerful. Layered. Complex with great balance. Although nearly 20 years of age has another two to three decades left to enjoy.
Points 94 TW
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