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La mia passione per il vino

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La mia passione per il vino

Category Archives: Toscana

Valentine’s day wine pick

15 Friday Feb 2019

Posted by productionslevin in Italy, Toscana

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Le Vin Dans le Voiles, St Valentine's day 2019

I spent a very pleasant St Valentine’s day evening in the company of my wife and daughter. Being a weekday, we decided to stay home. To please the two femmes of my life, I cooked salmon fillets poached in butter with a spinach, mushroom and bacon saute.

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My wife is not a big wine drinker. She occasionally enjoy a glass of vino once in a while. Her favorites grapes are Pinot Noir and Gamay and she is not into too much into natural or biodynamic wines.

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Stefano at RAW Montreal 2018

I pushed my luck and decided to pair my dish with the rosato of Stefano Amerighi in Tuscany. Stefano has the best Syrah in Tuscany and even in Italy. This rosato is strictly made with Sangiovese and it was just so harmonious with the dish. It was richer and more complex than other rosatos from Tuscany. After some instropection on, it brought to mind a Tavel. It had a dense core of strawberry laced with raspberry, leather and a hint of spice. Structured with enough body to balance the richness of the dish.

My wife really enjoyed and I knew for sure because she had 2 full glasses which is rare. She kept saying it was so good. I was very happy and relieved at the same time. I was concerned whe would dislike the wine because it is biodynamic.

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This rosato is available privately by its importer: Le Vin dans Le Voiles. This agency has really a very interesting Italian wine portfolio. It retails for $29.84 and comes in 12 bottle case. Sadly, it is not available at the moment, so you better reserve with the agency for the next arrival.

Salute!!. What was your Valentine’s vino?

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A tasting from Italy ( Part III)-Saffredi, a Supertuscan from the beaten path

27 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by productionslevin in Italy, Toscana, Tuscany

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Italian trade tasting 2018

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The Italian trade tasting held this past October in Montreal  may be all forgotten to many of my wine colleagues but it stills resonates in my mind.

The first time that I tasted Saffredi was in the New Years Eve 2003 with my Italian family in Loreto Aprutino. In a context of a luxurious supper with many other bottles that included Querciabella, Massetto, Tenuta di Trinoro and a Petrus!!!, Saffredi stood out. Sadly, I cant remember the vintage in question  but I do remember how beautiful it paired with a black truffle risotto

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After Sassicaia, Saffredi is my favorite Supertuscan. This powerful Tuscan blend evoques in my mind a richer version of a Chateau Lafite. What it is that makes so special?. It is the proportion of Petit Verdot that complements the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Petit Verdot is a grape native to the Médoc area, in France, where it is used for the production of Bordeaux, and is also common in California. In Italy, the Petit Verdot manages to express itself in a truly magical way in Tuscany, in the Maremma area of ​​Livorno, in the Grosseto and in the Agro Pontino in Lazio.

elisabetta

Saffredi is the grand vin of Fattoria Le Pupille, own and managed by Elisabetta Geppetti ( a.k.a the lady of Morellino) near the village of Magliano within the Morellino di Scansano DOC. From its first vintage in 1987, the wine was destined for greatness. Giacomo Tachis consulted on the project followed by Riccardo Cotarella and Christian Le Sommer, ex-technical director of Chateau Latour. However, the driving force of the wine has  always been the tenacious and passionate character of the Signora Gepetti.

Saffredi is crafted  from a tiny  six hectare vineyard planted to mostly Cabernet and Merlot, although the first vintages used Cabernet from vines grafted onto existing Sangiovese rootstocks in one of the family’s original vineyards.

With time, the property gradually expanded, and today has 75 hectares of vineyards across five sites. They lie at elevations between 200 and 280 metres, on mostly stony clay-limestone soils. Sea breezes from the shore, only 10 kilometres away,cold down the baking summer temperatures.

The 2016 vintage in Tuscany is similar to 2015 in terms of outstanding quality. Similar to Bordeaux, the 2016 vintage could well surpass the 2015.  It is often too easy  to compare vintages, yet 2016 is being compared to great vintages such as  2006, 2008 and 2010 – the new wave great classics.

The 2016 Saffredi blew my mind off at the Italian trade tasting. It had a glorious nose reminiscent of cassis, mint, black truffle and dry lavender. On the palate, it was quite opulent making me think of a Lafite with a Ferrari coat. The flavours were exquisite redolent of  savoury notes of tobacco, dark chocolate and coffee beans with sambuca. The finish was incredible long and harmonious much like Mahler Symphony 5

Saffredi is imported in Quebec by Montalvin. It is not very expensive retailing close to $100 per bottle, considering the much higher price of other Supertuscans. For more information on availability please contact the agent directly. I highly recccomend that you buy at least 6 bottles and let this wine unfold with time in the cellar.

Cheers!!

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2017, time to open the 2007’s in my cellar

11 Wednesday Jan 2017

Posted by productionslevin in Italy, Toscana, Tuscany

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Felsina, Italy, Rancia

It is a tradition, that I try to keep more every January of a new year. I go to my cellar and uncork a bottle that has reached its 10th birthday. It might sound like a silly tradition, but my drinking window is around 10 years. It is kind of fun, sort like a wine inspection. Get to see how some bottles are doing in their evolutionary stage and see if they are approaching maturity or not. Of course, there are some exceptions for certain wines in my collection. For instance, I am not popping yet my 2006  Brunellos or my 2005 Bordeaux. For 2017, I am going to try for every month of the year to open a 2007. This way, I keep a bit of the excitement factor.

For January, I decided to open a bottle of one of my favorites Chianti Classico estates, Felsina. This is one of the greates estates in Italy and among the elite in Chianti.It is an heritage estate. In fact, just the origins of the name come from ancient Etruscan times meaning ” a halting place, where hospitality was offered.

Back in 2011, in my last trip to Italy, I had a chance to visit the estate while vacationing in the Chianti Classico region  with my wife. What I really love about Felsina is their classy and austere style. So much different of so many overextracted and jammy chiantis. I picked up a pair of their Rancia Riserva 2007 along with their most expensive cuvee, Fontalloro.

Felsina underground cellar

The estate is at the southern limit of the Chianti Classico appellation, in fact, half the estate lies in the Chianti Colli Senesi appellation. 90 hectares of the 500 hectare estate are planted to vineyards, the rest are left for olive groves and hunting wild boar. The estate is farmed organically with some biodynamic principles as well.

The Rancia vineyard is in the Chianti Classico, in the commune of Catelnuovo Berardenga, north east of Siena. It is situated at 400 metres above sea level, facing south. Soils are quartzitic blue-grey sandstone with layers of sand and calcareous albarese with pebbles and galestro. The soil characteristics impart that cool and austere  characteristic of the Rancia wine.

Any serious Italian wine lover, will have some bottles of Rancia in their cellar. Is a classic with a friendly price that can age at least for 2 decades.The 2011 retails at the SAQ (  12625411) for $49.00. In the LCBO ( 82362) , it is more expensive at $69.95  However, most of the time, is is snatched pretty fast by seasoned Italian collectors.  I got mine in Italy because in Quebec, Canada, it was pretty difficult to find. Here are my tasting notes:

Terrific. Aromas of espresso beans, licorice, cocoa, cassis and plenty of red fruitIn addition, tamed leather with a delicious animal nuance. On the mouth, elegant, racy and well structured. Very good acidity that will allow the wine to age gracefully. Secondary notes of development such as dead leaves and porcini mushrooms. Fine, grainy tannins. Still a baby and can age for a good two decades.

Its a great wine to have with roasts, specially rib eye or wild game. It will also be fantastic with homemade sausages. Recently, I was talking with my aunt Emma in Italy and she was preparing liver sausages and a side dish of chicory with with white beans. This is one of my favorite dishes from my region of Abruzzo. Only, if i was there…

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This is a fantastic winter dish. Have it with crusty bread and good olive oil. Yumm. The simplicity of Italian food.

I would love to have your comments. Do you have any 07’s that you will open this year?

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Sassicaia, The Original Supertuscan

30 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by productionslevin in Italy, Tasting Notes, Toscana, Tuscany

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Bolgheri, Sassicaia, Toscana

My love affair with Sassicaia, started in my early twenties. My introduction with Supertuscans was with this bottle and i feel in love right away.
The vintage that i tried was 1998. A great year for Sassicaia and Bolgheri. Compared with Ornellaia, I prefer it because of its Bordeaux Graves character. No doubt, Ornellaia is a great wine but it could be a bit flashy or flamboyant. To put in other words, it is like Valentino versus Versace.

As the years passed, i had the chance to taste other vintages. My favorite include 2001, 2004 and 2008. All those three have long persistance, marvelous fruit and structure. These traits are what makes Sassicaia a great wine.

The 2010 vintage was a bit like the 2001. It was uneven season with poor weather during flowering and a bit of rain during harvest in September. The blend has always been 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.

For me drinking a bottle of Sassicaia, it is always a grand affair. My special occasion was the visit of my aunt Giuseppina from Venezuela. I decided to pull a bottle of the 2010 from my cellar to see how it was doing:

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia. SAQ # 743393. LCBO Vintages #480533. The 2012 vintage retails in the Canadian provinces of Quebec for $183.50 CAD and $199.95 CAD in Ontario

Aromas of green peppercorns sauce with cigar box aromas. In addition, ripe cassis with blackcurrant and cocoa. On the mouth, structured , racy and very long. Polished and sweet tannins. Retronasal flavors bringing to mind earth, mineral and animal nuances bringing to mind wild boar.  Oak is very well integrated. Overall, it is a stunning wine. In the spirit of Graves, Bordeaux but with Tuscan roots. If you can, leave it on the cellar for another 7-10 years. 95/100

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We had this wonderful bottle with some good steak such as Sirloin and Filet Mignon on the BBQ cooked medium rare. When I am pairing wine of this caliber, I like to my simple food so the wine can shine. The match was perfect, as the wine’s tannins picking up the blood of the steak and the combination of flavors yielding a very complex taste. But what was really stunning, is how the texture and lenght of the wine changed. Morsel of steak and wine sip, it was an infinite experience.

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Ciao and until next time.

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Ornellaia, an Italian Grand Cru

22 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by productionslevin in Toscana

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Bolgheri, Mark Anthony Brands, Ornellaia

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Recently, I am supposed to affirm that I am becoming again quite a bit of a traditional wine drinker when it comes to grape varieties and regionality. Over the years, I have become a little bit bored of the “international style” of wines that are leading the way at so many wine tastings these days. The biggest culprit for me is Cabernet Sauvignon; I have tasted so many well made, but super-extracted, super-concentrated, super-oaked wine, but they could come from anywhere. These wines are coming from Bordeaux, from Rioja, from Ribera Del Duero, from California, South Africa; they are brilliant wines… but they don’t scream about place.

It is for this reason that I have stopped focusing my attention on Super Tuscan wines. . I have not ignored the wines but simply, I just have not made a big effort to seek them out again. However, when a tasting invitation from Mark Anthony Brands ( Ornellaia Importer) came up recently, I decided it was time re-explore again at the deep end; the tasting was the complete range of wines from Ornellaia.

Before we get into the wines, here’s a quick history lesson and some facts. Along with Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia), Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia has defined winemaking in Bolgheri (Tuscany) for more than thirty years now.

Until the 1970’s, Tuscany was only famous for the Sangiovese-based wines of Chianti, Brunello, and Montepulciano, which rivalled  with Nebbiolo of Piedmont for the title of the greatest red wines of Italy. But all was not well in the region. In 1971 the Antinori family, whose Tignanello estate was one of the jewels of the Chianti DOC, produced a wine that included Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend and was aged in small French barriques. The scandal was heard all over the wine world and Antinori withdrew from the Chianti DOC, deciding to sell their wine under the lowly “Vino di Tavola” classification.

Further west on the Tuscan coast in Bolgheri, Nicolo Incisa della Rocchetta, a cousin of Antinori was also experimenting with international varieties at Tenuta San Guido. The first release of Sassicaia was the 1968 vintage (released in 1971) but it wasn’t until the 1985 vintage which was awarded 100 points by Robert Parker, the wine world started to really take notice of the Super Tuscan revolution.

In 1981 Lodovico Antinori, from  the same family bought 41 hectares of land adjacent to Tenuta San Guido, and Tenuta dell’Ornellaia was born, releasing its first vintage in 1985. For such a young estate it sure has endured some turbulent times. Robert Mondavi took control of the estate in 2002 and formed a partnership with the Frescobaldis (a famous wine family in Tuscany), who assumed full ownership in 2004 when Mondavi was bought by Contellation Brands. Since 1991, the one constant has been the involvement of Michel Rolland as consultant winemaker.

Today the estate consists of 100 hectares, growing a wide variety of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Interestingly no Sangiovese is grown at Ornellaia but a quantity is purchased from a neighbouring vineyard after each harvest; the soils at the estate are clay/gavel and clay/limestone, Sangiovese thrives on land with a far higher limestone content.

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From left, Veronique Rivest, Jacques Bélec and Alex Belson

Like I said before I recently tasted the ranges of Ornellaia wines in the company of Jacques Bélec, director of specialty products from Mark Anthony Brands and Alex Belson, Marketing & Sales Director for Ornellaia. Like me, Veronique Rivest was also a guest of this tasting. By the way,  if you do not who she is, Miss Rivest is the 2nd best world sommelier and owner of the wine bar Soif in Gatineau.

The tasting took place at Maison Boulud, one of the best Montreal restaurants at the moment. The wines tasted were complemented by the magnificent gastronomic creations of Riccardo Bertolino, head chef of Boulud. The wines served include Poggio Alle Gazze 2012, Le Volte 2012, Le Serre Nuove 2004 and 2012, Ornellaia 2011, Masseto 2011 and Ornus 2010. With the exception of Poggio alle Gazze and the very limited Masseto, most of the wines will be available as of this time, just in time for Christmas. Readers following my column at the Montreal Times for the last year, might be familiar with my past articles, The Classical wines of Bolgheri, in which I review Le Serre Nuove 2010. Following are the  tasting notes of the all the wines of Ornellaia available in Quebec.

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Riccardo Bertolino’s braised deer Tagliatelle was a stellar match with Ornellaia and Masseto

I have to say that I was really impressed by level of professionalism shown by Miss Belson, the manager of Ornellaia. Despite the high profile of this grand cru estate in Italy, She showed a magnificent humbleness and easygoingness. In my years in the wine industry rarely I have encountered this type of behaviour among managers of prestigious wine estates.

I would like to express a very warm thanks to Mark Anthony Brands and Ornellaia for this lifetime opportunity to taste such brilliantly made wines.

Poggio Alle Gaze 2012

On the nose a panopy of aromatic herbs with fine notes of smoky oak and spices. In addition, apricot fruit with lovely nuances of spices and just a hint of green pepper. All this wrapped up in a fantastic minerality. In the mouth, medium to full body, graceful and elegant displaying an complete zen harmony between concentration of fruit and acidity. Greatlength with a beautiful aromatic precision. Drink now or keep in the cellar for the next 10 years. 95\100

Le Volte 2012. IGT Toscana. SAQ Code: 10938684. Price: $29.95

On the nose a bouquet of great depth. Lovely leafy blackberry fruit, spiced red fruit and roasted bell pepper. On the mouth, the wine is full body with character and depth. Taste remind me of black fruit bringing to mind ripe cassis, black cherry with pleasant earthy nuances. Elegant with ripe tannins and a long finish. Drink now or keep for the next 5 years. 90\100

Le Serre Nuove 2012. Bolgheri Rosso.  SAQ Code: 10223574. Price: $60.00

Multilayered black fruit aromas reminiscent of cassis, prunes and black cherry. In addition, pleasant roasted herbs aromas that brings to mind licorice and spearmint. In the mouth, full body, racy and tightly knit. Long but austere afterstate redolent of new oak. Shows lots of promise but needs between 10-15 to fully reveal itself. 95/100.

Le Serre Nuove 2004

A complex bouquet starting to show sign of tertiary aromas development. Dry black plums, chinese ink with lots of lead pencil and graphite character. In addition blackcurrant and burning cigar tobacco nuances. In the mouth, concentrated and chewy revealing complex flavors of flowers and black bean hummus. Focused structure with an austere finish. Delicious to drink now but in another 7-10 years will be even better. 95\100

Ornellaia 2011 Bolgheri Superiore. SAQ Code: 11973238. Price: $189.25

Young and austere primal nose reminding of dry black fruits with Indian spices. Also graphite with expresso beans and dark chocolate notes. In the mouth, rather lush but in a brilliant way. Great intensity of flavors, tannins combined with a fresh acidity, give this wine the tools to evolve into something more beautiful in the next two decades away. 98\100.

Masseto 2011 IGT Toscana. SAQ Code: 10816636. Price: $525

French in spirit but with solid Tuscan roots. This monovarietal merlot display a breathtaking tour de force bouquet of considerable dimension. Difficult to put into words, the nose reveal an infinite continuum of mineral of iron slate aromas gunpowder and black truffle. It is just the prelude for the deep layered, luxurious, vivid black fruit that comes and makes waves in your head. The end, if there is really an end brings to mind disconcerting notes of mediterranean herbs, lavish oak and ethereal animal notes. In the mouth, this work of art presents a magnificent deepness of concentration, glossy tannins an a perfect acidity. Masseto 2011 will outlive all of us. 100\100

Ornus 2010 IGT Toscana. SAQ Code: 11624142. Price; $ 80.00

On the nose, this beautiful sweet wine presents notes of roasted citric fruit peel with spices and vanilla. In the mouth, sensual and opulent presenting layers of sweet white fruits. Amazing elegance with a sublime peach aftertaste. 95\100

 

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Marco Giovanetti

Wine expert and lover of life's nicest pleasures

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