The Piasa di Rischei vineyard, surface area 2.273 acres,n(~ 1 hectare) altitude 1.540 feet, gradient 35%, South-West exposure (240 wind rose); training system low Guyot with 8.000 plants/hectare. Average production 22 hectolitres/hectare. The vineyard, which already existed in 1874, is bordered by walls, surrounded by plum trees and almond trees. lt is a vineyard of long standing…
Month: January 2018
The greatness of Nerello Mascalese – 2014 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso
It’s a rare thing to come across a wine as wonderful as this. Perhaps it’s even more rare then that this is a producer’s ‘base’ wine. I’d opened a bottle, and was able to take my time with it over three nights. The journey was magical, and more than I could have imagined. It would…
Nicely mature, with elegance and modesty – 1997 Tenuta di Ghizzano Terre di Pisa Veneroso
Flamboyance in wines (and life?) is a turn-off for me. An honest sense of place, combined with balance and freshness on the other hand, now that’s a turn-on. This wine, at twenty years, represent all that I like in mature, reasonably-priced wines that pack enough structure and freshness to withstand the talons of time; eventually…
Brilliant farming you can taste – 2006 Agostina Pieri Brunello di Montalcino
Reconciling a perceived preference with reality can be a humbling, powerfully educational experience. For instance, if someone were to ask me about my preferences for wine/winemaking, I’d include, among other things, the lack/restraint of oak usage in the cellar as an important factor. Or, if oak is used, I’d say I (generally speaking) prefer older…
Beautiful sophistication – 2011 Giuseppe Quintarelli Secco Cà del Merlo (bianco) Veneto IGT
Giuseppe Quintarelli was known for his dedication to his land, his craft, the vines, and…for his patience. Quintarelli stressed the importance of patience, and tonight, my patience was rewarded. I say my patience, but really, having consumed 5 of my 6 bottles within the first three years after release, I wasn’t that patient (but they…
Checking in – 1998 Travaglini Gattinara
I’m trying to remember the first time I had a Travaligni wine, it may have been just before or around the time the grapes for this wine were grown. I recall what I tasted (I wasn’t such an obsessive about keeping/writing notes, I just enjoyed it back then – and that’s where it began and…
Exceptionally beautiful, 2012 Cascina Chicco Barolo Rocche di Castelletto
I’ve not tasted this wine since its release. At that time, the wine was, not unexpectedly, a bit closed. In the interim, I’ve had many 2012 Barolo wines from a good cross-section of producers. Results have been, for me, generally quite good, with very few falling into an exceptional category; I’ve only come across a…
Wine and Lottery tickets – 1973 Rivera Castel del Monte DOC
I haven’t purchased many lottery tickets over the past 30 years. Maybe a few when the jackpot gets above $300 million, or something; maybe I’ve purchased twenty tickets in my life. But, when I do buy the tickets, my mind starts to wander (and wonder!) toward the possibility of such a thing actually happening –…
Tuscan Masterpiece – 2013 Il Palazzone Brunello di Montalcino
My nearly one month stay in Montalcino zone last year produced some really eye-opening moments. Specifically, the careful, and clever, attention that some winegrowers (and that number appears to be growing, an uplifting thought) are paying to their land and vines is exciting. It’s almost as if there’s a revolution underway – a campaign where…
The Falkenstein Farm Winery & Vineyard, Alto Adige goodness
I first had this wine, the 2013 Falkenstein Riesling about a month ago. It was one of those wines that lingered in my thoughts even after several days. Purity, beauty, powerful but balanced flavor – these things, to my mind, anyway, can do this sort of thing, affect me for well after I’ve had the wine. Such…
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