Italian Diversity by Vinitaly International Academy

9 Nov 2018: To assign one hour for a seminar on the diversity of Italian grape varieties and wine styles was indeed a challenge for the speakers, Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar, of the Vinitaly International Academy Faculty. With such tight schedule, the pair managed so gracefully to present to the curious audience six indigenous and lesser-known varieties amongst Italy's overwhelming number of indigenous varieties. Depending on who counted them, the number could be different. In the book "Wine Grapes" by J Robinson, J Harding and J Vouillamoz, the authors attributed 377 indigenous varieties to Italy out of a total of 1,368 from around the world (I guess if the authors were to include any more, this book would need to be presented in two volumes!) Anna Schneider, Italy's eminent ampelologist as quoted in "Native Wine Grapes of Italy" by I D'Agata, counted over 2,000 grape cultivars.  Whatever the number, it's impressively vast! Most of us would be lucky to have tasted 50 of Italy's indigenous varieties!


The seminar highlighted the biodiversity of Italian viticulture, citing the unique organoleptic qualities of Italy's grape varieties and how they have adapted over thousands of years to the local terroir. Although they express regional identity extremely, they do not travel so well, hence there are very few successful examples of Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Aglianico (amongst others) grown in regions outside of the grapes' comfort zones in Italy, even less so in other wine regions around the world.


Apparently, the top 75% of Italian vineyards are grown with 80 varieties, whereas the top 90% of Italian wine production comes from just 30 varieties. In France, the top 90% of French wine is made from 15 varieties and in the US, only 9 varieties. Just think about that for one moment.


We tasted 3 white wines and 3 red wines at this seminar.

Verdicchio: La Staffa, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico Superiore 2017According to our speakers, the indigenous grape variety from Le Marche, Verdicchio, is usually a cheerful wine to accompany seafood. However, this superior version by La Staffa is vinified in casks of acacia and cement, aged on fine lees for a few months. Bright freshness and complexity of flint, herbal (fennel), green apple, citrus, with some notes of yeast. Crisp finish that lingers, a beautiful expression of Verdicchio from this coastal region. Our readers reminded the participants that there is also another version of Verdicchio from inland where it enjoys bigger diurnal ranges, resulting in fleshier and riper fruit wines: Verdicchio di Matelica DOC.


Fiano: Ciro Picariello, Fiano di Avellino DOCGFiano is a thick-skinned variety from Campania. Its natural high acidity allows it to ripen well, given its late ripening tendency. This wine is made from grapes from two parcels, one parcel at Summonte (650 metres above sea level) and the other Montefredane (around 500 metres). Vinified in stainless steel, and aged on fine lees for about 10 months. Bottled with minimal sulphur, with no fining or filtration. This wine shows its typical character of almond, citrus and a delicate fruit character, almost star fruit-like. There is also an underlying mineral/flint character. Fiano has a great ageing ability - this wine can be cellared for a further 8 - 10 years, with very interesting evolution.


Timorasso: Vigneti Massa, Timorasso Derthona, 2016
Contrary to the last grape variety, Timorasso, a native of Piemonte, which was almost abandoned for 'dead', and was revived by Walter Massa, has much thinner skin. Therefore, skin contact is essential to help the skin release its aromatic compounds and a phenolic quality to the wine. To make this wine, the grapes typically undergo skin contact of 48-60 hours before fermentation. There is an unmistakable apricot, orange blossom and honey tone to the aromatic complexity.  With age, petrol-like character can develop, according to the speakers. The acidity is vibrant, that balances well the fleshy body.  It is a textural wine, but beautifully balanced. This wine is almost too young to enjoy properly at the moment.  Another 1 - 2 years will see it unfurling its potential to charm the palate.  Definitely a food wine!


Nerello Mascalesse + Nerello Cappuccio: Girolamo Russo, Etna Rosso 

Nerello Mascalese, the high-toned indigenous variety of Sicily has always been compared to Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo for its delicate red fruit and linear structure. It makes a perfect couple with its cousin Nerello Cappuccio in this almost "Burgundian-like" Sicilian red wine. This is typically a blend of 94% Nerello Mascalese and 6% Nerello Cappuccio, vineyards grown on ancient lava flows with varying age, mineral content and topsoil composition, giving the wine much complexity.  The wine is made with indigenous yeast, with no temperature control during fermentation.  No fining or filtration before bottling.  This wine exudes red fruit and rose-like aromatics (strawberry and raspberry) and a minerality underlines its core, soft tannins still showing some youthful astringency. This is an attractive wine and it is only the entry level for this former pianist turned winemaker!


Dolcetto: Cigliuti Dolcetto d'Alba 2016
The Cigliuti family has been living in this Piemontese region since the 18th Century.  Renato Cigliuti was the first member of the family to begin bottling his own wine in 1964.  Their vineyards are planted on the Serraboella hill, looking over Neive from the east. Their signature wine is Barbaresco but they also have the Dolcetto grapes planted in this Barbaresco region.  There is a nice taut astringency to this youthful expression of Dolcetto, but the tannins are beautifully managed.  Violet, plum, mulberry with cherry fruit completes the aromatics for this generous and charming wine, designed to be drunk early, within the next 12-18 months. A great lunch wine with good friends. 


Sagrantino: Arnaldo Caprai, Sagrantino di Montefalco Collepiano DOCG 2010
Sagrantino from Puglia is probably the most tannic red grape variety of Italy.  Arnaldo Caprai has invested a lot of time, energy and resources into the research of this indigenous variety to tame its tannins and to showcase its inner charm. This wine was aged in French oak barriques for around 22 months, with six more months in bottle before release.  This 2010 version has started to show some tertiary character, dusty and savoury notes, with ground coffee, mocha, dried flowers, some notes of vanilla "creme brulee" rounding off the finish.  This is a broad-shouldered wine, that has had its tannin structure tamed by age, now showing a firm but elegant presentation, with soft acidity just gliding off the palate.

This seminar was like taking a peep inside Italy's vinous treasure trove, but it was a very well-structured and educational introduction to Italy's diversity.  I believe it has left us all wanting to learn more about Italy's rich wine heritage. Our speakers on behalf of VIA extended a warm welcome to the audience to join its growing family of Italian wine ambassadors and experts!

The Majesty of Soldera: A Tasting of Five Vintages

10 Nov 2018: Widely acknowledged as a cult wine, Soldera (the wine) rarely features at wine tasting dinners. A conscious and defiant decision in 2012 to become an outcast of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino by bottling his 2006 vintage wines as Toscana IGT has no doubt elevated the cult status of the wine and the celebrity image of its owner, Gianfranco Soldera, whose genius and temperament divides opinion.

But Gianfranco was already an outsider before he even started. A native of Veneto and a former insurance broker working in Milan, he was determined to make the highest quality wine in this prestigious region. He purchased the 23-hectare estate of Case Basse located in Tavernelle, southwest of Montalcino, Tuscany, in July 1972. Located at an altitude of 320 metres, the Soldera property is adjacent to Gaja’s estate Pieve Santa Restituta which was purchased by Angelo Gaja in 1994. The area has long been recognised as an ideal region for Sangiovese. Kerin O’Keefe particularly noted the advantageous microclimate of this region in her book, "Brunello di Montalcino: Understanding and Appreciating One of Italy's Great Wines". She wrote “Averaging between 300 and 350m above sea level, fresh nocturnal breezes cool down hot daytime temperatures during the growing season, generating aromas and complexity. The vineyards are also elevated far enough above damaging spring and autumn frost and fog, but when compared to higher areas are just low enough to enjoy warmer temperatures that guarantee more consistent ripening. In fact, most producers in this area feel they have the best of everything: perfect altitude combined with complex and predominantly rocky, well-draining soils as well as warmer temperatures.”


Vines were planted between 1972 and 1973 at Case Basse and the slightly lower altitude Intistieti. The soils are low in fertility, well-draining, allowing the roots to access depths of around 10 metres. Only around 10 hectares are planted with vines to ensure that all the vines receive the best possible natural vinegrowing and winemaking from vineyard to cellar. After fermentation with native yeasts, the wine is aged in large (50-85hl) Slavonian oak casks for an extended period (typically between 48 and 70 months, much longer than the 2 years oak-ageing requirement by the Consorzio) in the underground cellar built of natural materials 14 metres below ground maintaining consistent temperature of 13°C and humidity of 85%. The wine receives minimum intervention with racking being the only intervention. No pressing, fining or filtration, and only minimal sulphites are added. Gianfranco and Graziella Soldera believe in respect for the soil and the biodiversity and sustainability of the environment to nurture healthy vines. At Case Basse the vineyards are planted in a complex ecosystem, made up of a wide variety of other plants, animals and insects. The botanical garden created by Graziella is widely acclaimed to be of extraordinary beauty.


The first vintage of the Soldera Brunello was 1977, commercialised in 1982. Soldera also produced a Brunello di Montalcino Riserva in the best vintages, until 2006. In 2008, a group of prominent producers were accused of blending other grape varieties to make Brunello, which by law should be a 100% Sangiovese wine. This became known as the Brunellogate. As a defiant gesture to protest against the Consorzio, Soldera decided to bottle his wines as Toscana IGT Soldera 100% Sangiovese dall’Azienda Agricola Case Basse® from the 2006 vintage (commercialised in 2012), as a message that the winery’s name was sufficient guarantee of quality.


Approximately 600 hectolitres or the equivalent of 85,000 bottles of wine from the vintages between 2007 and 2012 ended up on the floors of Soldera’s cantina in December 2012 as a result of an act of vandalism committed by a disgruntled employee who opened the valves of 10 casks of wine and drained these casks. The 2010 vintage suffered the most. Only 450 litres were left of the 2010 vintage. As a result, Gianfranco decided to only bottle the 2010 vintage in large formats (3,5, 6, 9, 12 and 15 litres) to be sold at specifically held auctions in aid of sick and poor children. Prices for Soldera wines (particularly for these vintages) skyrocketed as a result. (To illustrate, according to wine-searcher.com, a bottle of 2013 Soldera would cost around US$435, cf Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta 'Sugarille' at around US$ 135 a bottle or 2013 Castello Banfi Poggio alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino DOCG at around US$55 a bottle.  But price for wine is such a subjective measure!  These prices are for illustration only.)


Our very special wine dinner featured Soldera wines from the vintages 2006 to 2012, with the noticeable absence of the 2010 vintage, for the reason explained above. And to make it more special, we paired with Chinese dishes!

We started with a magnificent magnum of 1996 Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Réserve. A beautifully aged champagne, with layers upon layers of umami and sweet spicy nuances, revealing notes of field mushroom, toast, honey, nougat, pear compote, marzipan and hint of candied ginger. The creamy mousse caresses the palate and leaves with a persistent finish. Glorious champagne, gracefully mature and deftly balanced. At a most harmonious place now! 19/20

 

The next wine was 2011 Meursault Clos des Bouchères, Roulot. I paired this wine with a curry-flavoured crab meat baked in its shell. This bottle showed much more ripe/bruised fruit than the bottle of village Meursault of the same vintage by Roulot that we opened earlier in the week. There is a moderated freshness despite the rounded texture of the wine, showing notes of hazelnut, cardamom, curry and honey. Overall, it lacks energy and seems much more evolved. But the coincidentally perfect pairing with the curry-flavoured crab meat was serendipity! Based on this bottle, drink now! 16.5/20

2006 Soldera: The earlier reductive note slowly dissipated with aeration in the glass. This is a wine of immense proportions that have now settled into a beautiful harmonious vinous state, showing velvety texture of well-honed freshness and supple tannins. Complementing the fruity notes of kirsch, dark plums and damask rose, are savoury and spicy notes of bacon, tar, cigar tobacco and liquorice. It is sensual and seductive, intense and persistent. Drink now and over next 10-15+years. 18.5/20


2007 Soldera: Here we find more herbal (tea leaves and mint) and dusty notes amidst the vibrant fruity notes of cherry, pomegranate and cranberry. The tannins were more delicate here but well-integrated into a silky texture. This made a strident contrast with the 2006. There was a ballerina elegance, aromatic purity and subtlety that transcended the appreciation of the wine. Drink now and over next 8-10+ years. 18/20


2008 Soldera: This demonstrates a return to the 2006 style. At this stage, it shows a hefty structure with a concentration of supple tannins, ripe and intense fruit flavours of dark cherries and plums, overlaid with savoury and wild herb notes. A distinct minerality fills the core of the wine, throughout the palate, that belies its bold and opulent first impression. This is a wine for the very long haul. Drink now and over next 15-20+ years. 19/20


2009 Soldera: Despite the warm vintage, there is a vibrancy and fruit purity that seems at odds with the vintage characteristics. The redcurrant and cherry fruit is ripe and succulent, but not overripe. Herbal and savoury notes adorn the layers, adding tea leaves, heather, violet and an exotic mocha nuance to the wine. This wine has an energy, purity, precision and finesse that makes it so enigmatic. Drink now and over next 10-15+ years. 18.5/20


2011 Soldera: A plethora of aromas and flavours leap out of this beauty. Red plums, kirsch, black cherries, blackberry, damask rose, tea leaves, wild herbs, sweet earth and liquorice are the immediate characters as the wine continues to evolve in the glass. Everything is in perfect proportion here giving a very harmonious picture of beauty and gratification. Underlying it all is a masterly crafted precision and balance that is so well managed in this warm vintage. This wine kisses the palate and leaves with a persistent aftertaste. Not quite in the same style as the 2006 and 2008 but I find a much more harmonious equilibrium here without losing the Soldera qualities. Drink now and over next 15-20+ years. 19/20


2012 Soldera: very sadly this met the fate of cork taint!


I thought it would be hard to ask everyone to come up with his/her top wine, but trying to come up with two top wines seemed equally challenging! In the end, 2006 and 2011 received the most votes, with 2008 closely following.  Were they Burgundian in style?  I would say they have their own unique elegance, finesse and harmony.  They are creations of passion and respect, crafted in this particular piece of Tuscany with its distinct terroir and ecosystem. 


Not having tasted these wines before, it was difficult to try and pair dishes exactly with each vintage.  So I put together a menu with a selection of dishes that could possibly work with most of the wines. The pan-fried Angus beef with garlic was a China Club signature dish that went particularly well with the 2006 and 2008 Soldera.  I thought there was a nice complement between the pork and lotus root patties and the 2007 Soldera. The chicken baked in rock salt was simply too succulent and delicious to complicate it with any wine!!!  The stir-fried string beans with minced pork and fermented beans did a nice job with the 2009 vintage, but equally it could have worked with the pork patties.  The stir-fried flat noodles with beef in satay sauce was an inspired choice to finish with - for me, it worked rather well with the 2011 vintage too!


Memory of this dinner and the superlative wines will stay with us for a long time!  And I have to thank The China Club for a fabulous job with the food and wine service! 

Building the case for Chablis Premier Cru

8 November 2018:
Chablis Premier Cru Seminar
Chablis Climats & Vintage Variations: Why They Matter?


Around 50 local and international trade representatives attended this edition of the Chablis Premier Cru seminar presented at the HK Wine & Spirits Fair 2018 by Chablis Wines (www.chablis-wines.com). The focus of this seminar was to highlight the diversity of Chablis Premier Cru wine styles across climats and vintages. Formally recognised on 4th July 2015, the climats of Bourgogne are specific terroirs, each possessing a unique identity based on the altitude, orientation, degree of shelter, soil type and structure, and expressed by a grape variety.

 

Chablis is not just Chardonnay. Chablis is a matrix of diverse styles. We start from the three appellation levels (from Petit Chablis to Chablis & Chablis Premier Cru and finally Chablis Grand Cru), understanding that the specifications for AOC Chablis Premier Cru are covered within the AOC specifications for Chablis. Then we qualify their identities with 47 individual expressions at the Premier Cru and Grand Cru level, including 40 Premier Cru climats and seven climats for Chablis Grand Cru. We then add to this complex matrix individual house styles and vinification preferences by over 300 estates in the region. Finally we take into consideration vintage variations and harvest dates for different producers. There is a Chablis wine for each occasion, and there is a style for individual preference, whether for the consumer or the trade professional. Each side of the Serein Valley is made up of a number of side valleys, each bringing to the picture their own orientations, altitudes and soil types.

 

The aim of the seminar was to emphasise this very point, as the audience was guided through a tasting from Beauroy to Vaillons to Montmains on the left bank, then from Fourchaume, to Montée de Tonnerre to Vaucoupin on the right bank. Vintage variations were explored through the tasting of wines from the vintages of 2014, 2015 and 2016. 2014 and 2016 both had difficult growing seasons, but 2014 vintage was saved by September, after a gloomy and damp summer, producing wines of precision and crispness. The beautiful summer of 2016 turned the vintage into a success in 2016. 2015 however was one of the earliest vintages, with wines of perfect maturity. Except for hail-affected areas in Les Clos, Blanchot and Montée de Tonnerre, 2015 produced accessible wines with good maturity and balance.

 

Although there are 40 climats at the Premier Cru level, 17 climats are considered the main ones, with a number of them being flag-bearer climats. For example, Fourchaume is the flag-bearer climat for the sub-climats of L’Homme Mort, Vaupulent, Côte de Fontenay and Vaulorent. Eight of the 40 climats are considered to be the most famous: Fourchaume, Montée de Tonnerre, Mont de Milieu and Vaucoupin from the right bank, and Beauroy, Côte de Lechet, Vaillons and Montmains from the left bank. At this seminar, we would be tasting a wine from six of these eight climats. In terms of production level, eleven climats produce about 80% of the total Premier Cru production.


The wines were divided into three flights. The audience was asked to choose their favourite wines for each flight and finally, they were asked to suggest a dish to pair with their favourite wine out of the seven wines.

 

Despite the terroir diversity, all the wines clearly showed the hallmark of Chablis: freshness, purity, elegance and the unique marine minerality. This marine minerality is closely associated with the region’s geological make-up that dated 150 million years in the Upper Jurassic period, where rock movements resulted in a ‘millefeuille’ of soil formations alternating between Kimmeridgian marl and limestone, embedded with a myriad of Exogyra virgula (oyster fossils).

 

The tasting:
Flight 1: This flight compared two wines from the same vintage, produced by different producers, hence different vinification techniques. They were also from different banks and different orientiations, one facing east on the left bank, the other south west on the right bank.

Wine 1: Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys, 2016, Domaine William Fèvre 
Les Lys is a climat under the flag-bearer Vaillons on the left bank. 40-50% of this wine was vinified in French oak barrels, with average age of 6 years, and the rest in stainless steel vats. The portion in French oak barrels was aged 5-6 months on fine lees. A total of 13-14 months of ageing, with the last few months of the ageing in stainless steel vats.

Food Pairing Suggestion: Seabass or yellow tail ceviche with lime and coriander dressing


Wine 2: Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume, 2016, Maison Simonnet-Febvre 
Fourchaume is on the right bank, with a south west exposure, hence a sunny terroir. This climat produces wines that are floral and accessible when young. They have a rounded texture and tend to be very charming. This is one of the smoothest climats.

The vinification of this wine saw no oak but long ageing on fine lees was preferred, with the wine spending 10-12 months on fine lees in stainless steel vats. The location of this climat makes it easily accessible.

Food Pairing Suggestion: I would recommend a Cantonese styled steamed garoupa.


Flight 2: Two vintages from the same climat of Montée de Tonnerre and same producer were tasted. Montée de Tonnerre is a west-facing climat on the right bank, well-protected from the east winds. The strong presence of marine minerality is explained by the concentration of Exogyra virgula and blue clay. Refined and elegant, the wines also have a powerful element, vibrancy and aromatic persistence. A prestigious Premier Cru climat with probably the greatest ageing potential.

The vinification method again differed from the previous two wines. Here the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations both took place in new barrels, with the wine then aged in stainless steel vats.


Wine 3: Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, 2016, Charlène et Laurent Pinson Food Pairing Suggestion: Grilled lobster with butter sauce (the participant particularly referred to superior harmony, elegant structure and understated power of this wine that could only be paired with the delicate but fleshy texture of lobster with the richness of the butter sauce)



Wine 4 : Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre, 2015, Charlène et Laurent Pinson
Food Pairing Suggestion: Roasted chicken with black truffle (again the participant who suggested this dish visualised a perfect pairing, invoking the earthy notes of the truffle, married with the richness of the roasted chicken, that would pair so well with this deftly balanced while beguilingly accessible 2015 wine, with the freshness so well disguised by the opulent texture and well-portioned structure)

 

Flight 3: The last flight compared three wines from the same vintage but from different producers and different climats. All three wines were vinified in stainless steel vats, with no oak influence at all. 2014 was a tough vintage and one that could be called a vigneron vintage. It was a vintage that allowed terroirs to express themselves.


Wine 5: Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy, 2014, Domaine Sylvain Mosnier 
Beauroy is the northern most climat on the left bank, very exposed to the dry winds from the east. The slopes are very steep. Generous wines are produced here, but the smooth texture gives the impression of lower acidity and earlier approachability. The wines show more fruity character than floral.

Food Pairing Suggestion: Chiu Chow style cold crabs with be perfect with this wine. The crabmeat has a natural sweetness and the wine’s rounded texture and moderate acidity would pair extremely well. I would also add steamed har gau (Cantonese prawn dumplings)!


Wine 6 : Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux, 2014, Domaine Servin 
Butteaux is a climat under the flag bearer climat of left-bank Montmains. Butteaux is at the highest point of this side valley and has good exposure to the sun, but is also a cooler microclimate. The wines show strong minerality and generosity, but restrained by a tension that is uniquely Butteaux.

Food Pairing Suggestion: A participant said this wine took him back to an earlier Chablis and oysters experience. Nothing would pair better with this wine than the best oysters from Marennes-Oléron!


Wine 7: Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin, 2014, Château de Chemilly
This is naturally a warm terroir on the right bank, with exposures due south and west. However, this is also extremely exposed to wind. Here the wines are powerful and persistent, with a good volume, vibrant acidity and minerality. Citrus, white flowers and dried herbs are characters of the younger wines. A powerful wine that will evolve over time.

Food Pairing Suggestion: I loved this one. A participant suggested grilled mackerel (with horseradish). The fattiness of the fish would work very well with the acidity of the wine and yet the minerality of the fish would go so well with this broad-shouldered wine.

 

One hour was not enough time to realistically explain properly the diversity of Chablis premier cru climats and vintage variations. As the Bourgogne Wine Official Ambassador, I could only remind the participants that there was not just Chablis Premier Cru, that there were 40 climats across both left and right banks, and that vintages mattered, sometimes much more than others!

Please keep exploring to find your favourite style!