This is a really small winery, but they’re producing some big results. I have to ask myself, is the quality so good because there’s just 3Ha to farm (i.e. because it’s possible to give greater attention to the vines/land than if there were, say 20Ha), or, what might be possible if there were 6Ha, and…
Month: July 2017
Le Pianelle – another great gem from the Alto Piemonte
Recently, I had the chance to taste the wines of Le Pianelle. Since that time, I’ve had a chance to further investigate this project – what I’ve learned so far points in a few directions, consistently: it’s a story of quality, fortitude and vision. You can find plenty of good information on Le Pianelle HERE…
La Prevostura – four wines you need to know
I recently attended the first of what I genuinely hope becomes an annual event, TasteAltoPiemonte, 2017, in Novara, in the northern half of Piemonte. The setting was in the Castello di Novara,; once inside the tasting area, there are few vestiges of a ‘castle’, as the room is clean, bright and modern, i.e. the opposite…
Podere Salicutti – humility and genius
At this year’s VinItaly, I had a chance to spend some time with Francesco Leanza, after 20 minutes of talking about some his past vintages that I’ve enjoyed, I also had some time to taste his newly released wines. My experience with the Podere Salicutti wines prior to meeting him prepared me, if just a…
2015 Casa Emma Chianti Classico – yes, please!
I’m just getting started processing the 3000+ tasting notes during my recent (March-June) trip to Italy’s wine regions; it’s going to take a while. This was a trip that spanned from Aosta to Apulia, and back again. There were multiple (including #VinItaly) wine fairs, etc. I tasted a lot of wines. Most of them were…
2010 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino Riserva – sheer joy
If you’re lucky enough to be one of the few people on the planet that owns this wine, congratulations, you’ve hit pay dirt, as they say. The air is rather thin here, not so many have risen so high. From the very first smell, and right through to the final sip, you’re patently aware of…
2007 Az. Agr. Montevetrano IGT
It was only two months ago that I spent a perfect spring afternoon with Silvia Imparato, the vision and force behind the wines of Montevetrano. My time with her, roughly three hours, fills my heart and mind to this day, to this minute. Silvia is an astonishing woman, larger-than-life, a blend of education, wit, ambition,…
2011 Tenuta di Biserno Biserno, superb
The Alta Maremma, or Upper Maremma is probably not an area that too many are familiar with; this wine gives them very good reason to become not just familiar, but very good friends. It so happened that I tasted this wine not too long after tasting some sparkling wines and a few white wines while…
2009 Selvapiana Vigneto Bucerchiale
Bucerchiale (boo-chair-key-al-ay), a name you need to know, even if you can’t pronounce it. The same goes for the tiny sub-region of Rufina, and the tiny area of Selvapiana within that tiny sub-region. The maps below should give you an idea of this sub-region, one of Chianti’s smallest, just east of Firenze (Florence), far in…
G.B. Burlotto – 2013 Barolo wines, and more
I’d contacted Fabio Alessandria, winemaker at G.B. Burlotto, several months in advance of my trip to Langhe – I know how busy he is, not only in the vineyards/cellar, but also marketing the wines in London, New York City, etc. And even though I saw Fabio on 2 April, at the Grandi Langhe 2017 event that morning…
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