October WINE BOX: small terroirs, great wines
Step #19
Chosen by Guido Beltrami
October 2019
Vigneti Massa , Monleale (AL)
The centuries-old history of the Vigneti Massa company, a company in the Monleale area of the Tortonesi hills, is condensed today in that of the current owner Walter, in his total dedication to the family business. Walter's genius in realizing how much Timorasso could be a basic grape variety for a great wine is matched by his determination to carry forward and spread this extraordinary white first outside his area, then the region and finally beyond the borders national. The same standard and dedication that Walter applies to Barbera, Croatina and Freisa, which he has always tried to vinify in the most noble way possible. Walter's history is closely linked to that of his territory, where with a "lighthouse" attitude he is working together with many "vertical" companies like his to inextricably link Timorasso to the Colli Tortonesi: Derthona is the nickname which we must learn and know more and more to identify Timorasso in its terroir of choice.
Fiorano , Cossignano (AP)
The history of the Fiorano Agricultural Company is a modern success story, oenologically speaking. Paolo and Paola, professionals in a large metropolis, decide to follow their dream of a farm and agritourism, and to do so they choose - falling in love with it - an extraordinary territory like the Piceno, and an even more extraordinary part of it: Cossignano and the surrounding municipalities. Their ability and determination did not take long to bear fruit: after less than twenty years it is a wonderful place, where the sinuosity of the hills planted with vines and olive trees are enough in themselves to satisfy the senses. The wines, needless to say, are of the highest level: from the great work on the native Pecorino, of great quality with disarming regularity, probably in its most suitable terroir , to Sangiovese and Montepulciano based reds with exceptional elegance and balance.
Le Calle , Cigniniano (GR)
Le Calle is the prototype of the 360° agricultural company, a model that is now very rare but expressed in a way that is absolutely in step with the times: viticulture, olive growing, arable land, livestock farming, agritourism and everything that comes from it, a happy island proudly run by Riccardo Catocci and his family in the internal Maremma on the slopes of Mount Amiata.
Ecosystem where contact with nature takes you back to the essence of the concept of cultivation and the excellence of artisanal production. The company wines are no exception: Vermentino and Sangiovese above all, favored by generous soils and the favorable microclimate that the sea on one side and the Amiata on the other help to create.
Torre degli Alberi , Ruino (PV)
The history of the Dal Verme Agricultural Company is that of a family business strongly rooted in the territory: we are in the Torre Degli Alberi area, in the municipality of Ruino, in the high hills of the Oltrepò Pavese. Here the company has represented a cornerstone of the life of the area for decades, with various activities in the field of agriculture and livestock, all always strictly organic, carried out by Camillo and Filippo, together with their respective sons Giacomo and Luchino. The latest, the wine one, has materialized in the last ten years and is a demonstration of clarity of ideas: Pinot Noir planted at almost 600 meters above sea level on company land with southern exposure for the exclusive production of bubbles. Today Torre degli Alberi represents the pinnacle, geographically speaking, of a denomination that is increasingly pushing in the direction of the classic method.
ENTHUSIAST BOX
Petit Derthona - Massa Vineyards
Petit Derthona presents itself as the smaller brother of Derthona, and tries like a good second son to find its way and its peculiar characteristics: always 100% Timorasso grapes, with more energetic pressing and coming from cooler exposures, the macerations are more limited. On the nose it presents marked white pulp fruit and good minerality. In the mouth it reaches balance more quickly and is available for consumption when young, with good structure, freshness and great drinkability.
Recommended pairings: fresh cured meats and cheeses, vegetable-based first courses.
Pecorino Offida DOCG Donna Orgilla - Fiorano
Pecorino, despite its enormous diffusion in the last ten years, not always in high-profile versions, is a great white grape variety, and the area where Fiorano grows it is certainly one of the most interesting. A symbolic wine among the company's wines, harvested at full maturity and vinified in steel at a controlled temperature, Donna Orgilla is a typical and original Pecorino at the same time: typical in the notes of ripe, exotic fruit and minerals, original in the opulent mouth, with great structure , but at the same time perfectly balanced and streamlined. Surprising in bottle refinement.
Recommended pairings: medium and long-matured cheeses, shellfish, fish soups.
Montecucco Rosso DOC - Podere Le Calle
Sangiovese is one of the most widespread vines in our country, but it is also extraordinarily different depending on the soil and climate conditions in which it is grown. The Montecucco DOC is certainly one of the least known and most interesting. Located at the foot of Mount Amiata, the Azienda Agricola Le Calle looks inland towards Montalcino, with noble and fine wines, and towards the sea it sees the Maremma coast with more concentrated and powerful wines. I believe that Riccardo's Sangiovese are an excellent synthesis between the two conditions, and that Campo Rombolo expresses these characteristics excellently. Sangiovese 90% and Ciliegiolo 10%, vinification in steel with medium-long macerations. Ripe cherries and spices on the nose, in the mouth the great structure and the fine but vigorous tannin make the drink harmonious and very long.
Recommended pairings: Stewed rabbit, legume soups.
EXPERT BOX
Croatina Colli Tortonesi Pertichetta - Vigneti Massa
Declaring that Croatina can be a great grape variety for aging wines might be shocking to some. Those like me who have known this vine in its less noble expressions have had to slowly assimilate the opposite, that is, that the polyphenolic richness and the elegance of its sensorial characteristics can give life to truly sensational wines. Perhaps this is precisely why I am so passionate and fascinated by it. Fortunately, in all the areas where this vine is grown there are great interpreters. Vigneti Massa is one of these realities: the Croatina Pertichetta opens immediately on the nose, with herbaceous notes that have become balsamic, ethereal and blood-like (if I may use the term, which identifies elegant mineral sensations), in the mouth the structure what is important is the well-smoothed tannin and the elegant finish.
Recommended pairings: stews, roasts, mature cheeses.
Marche Rosso Ser Balduzio - Fiorano
We know that Montepulciano can be a great aging grape, or in any case we have sometimes noticed it. However, the fact that he can express himself with the power and finesse of Ser Balduzio di Fiorano at the same time leaves us amazed. Paolo and Paola's care for this wine is evident and is incredibly constant over the years: 100% Montepulciano grapes from old vines, fermentation in steel with long macerations and aging in 10 hl Slavonian oak barrels for around 3 years. On the nose it is cherry jam, enamel, leather and tobacco, in the mouth great structure and softness, ripe and well integrated tannins, for a long and very elegant finish.
Recommended pairings: grilled meats, roasts.
Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Noir Classic Method DOCG Pas Dosè - Torre degli Alberi
It is said that Pas Dosé sparkling wines show the characteristics of a sparkling wine in a more authentic and natural way: in fact the absence of sugar in the so-called "liquer d'expédition" does not alter the intrinsic characteristics of the wine with sensations of softness , and often for this very reason the best cuvées are those reserved for zero dosages. The Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico Pinot Nero Pas Dosé by Torre degli Alberi is no exception. On the nose the fruit is ripe and accompanied by fine pastry notes that tell of the 36 months on the yeasts. The structure is firm and robust, well balanced by a non-sharp acidity which, despite the cultivation rate, is softened by the malolactic fermentations which the wines are allowed to undergo during the winemaking phase.
Recommended pairing: lard or salami, fried foods, fatty fish.
