Terrabianca 2006 Campaccio Toscana Red In the medieval times, Podere Terrabianca found itself in the ambiguous situation of being situated in the part of the countryside under the rule of Florence and, at the same time, also in the diocese of the Bishop of Siena. The very first documents mentioning its presence, dated 1085, describe it as being a country estate as, in fact, its name clearly implies. Today the winery Terrabianca is located at the heart of the Chianti Classico region, in the middle of Tuscany, 12 km from Siena and 50 km from Florence. The soil which consists of layers of chalk, sand and clay from the palaeozoic…
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Gemola 2007 Colli Euganei Rosso Merlot Cabernet Franc Vignalta was founded by Lucio Gomiero in 1980 who proclaimed that he could produce wines as good as anything in Bordeaux. Colli Euganei is located in the Northwest region of Italy and shares the same lines of latitude with Bordeaux. The estate is spread over 123 acres on the south facing slopes of Colli Euganei, an area with unique soil and varietal combinations. Colli is Italian for “hills” and Vignalta translates to “high vines”. The Colli Euganei, with their volcanic origin, has terrains rich in minerals, a mild climate and good thermals producing extraordinary grapes. Their wine cellar is completely dug into…
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Feudo Maccari Saia 2011 Nero D’Avola Antonio Moretti, owner of Tenuta Sette Ponti and Poggio al Lupo in Tuscany, along with his daughter, Monika, established Feudo Maccari in 2000. This 250-acre estate was assembled from numerous owners and more than 50 separate plots on the southerly hillsides near the town of Noto, Sicily. Vines existed in some parcels, and others were planted to the native Nero d’Avola and other selected red grape varieties. The wine is a brilliant deep ruby color with aromas of complex red and blue fruits. The palate shows plenty of fruit, raspberries and blueberries, a hint of dark plum with a touch of exotic spice made…
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Fratelli Alessandria 2005 Barolo Monvigliero Fratelli Alessandria produces wines only from their own grapes and continues to manage the winery as a family run operation. Fratelli Alessandria is owned by Gian Battista together with his wife Flavia, his brother Alessandro and his son Vittore. Together they proudly carry on their ancestors’ tradition and passion for wine making. Gian Battista’s belief is that “A great wine comes from a great vineyard”, and he personally takes care of the vineyards. Fratelli Alessandria Barolo Monvigliero has been aged for at least two years in oak and six months in the bottle before release. The Nebbiolo grapes used in this vintage comes from vines…
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Marchesi De’ Frescobaldi 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Castelgiocondo The history of the Frescobaldi family begins around the year 1000, during the same time period as the birth of the banking industry of Medieval Florence. The Frescobaldi’s quickly became the absolute protagonists of political and economic life earning them the right to the title “Treasurers to the English Crown”. The family’s start in wine production is documented at the beginning of the year 1300 at the historic estate of Tenuta di Castiglioni in Val di Pesa, southwest of Florence. From the beginning, the family has demanded that their wines be of quality and that they reflect the uniqueness of their…
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Castello Di Pomino 2012 Chardonnay Pomino, meaning “Little Apple” is a small DOC located in central Italy’s picturesque region of Tuscany. The classified area encompasses the town of Pomino and includes vineyards within the Chianti Rufina sub-zone in the province of Florence. Although relatively unknown, this is a premium wine producing area, and was granted its DOC title in 1983. In a decree drawn up by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1716, he declared Pomino to be one of four major areas in Tuscany that had the potential to produce quality wines. It was also hailed by the 17th-century writer and scientist Francesco Redi, who said, “The Pomino district…
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Terrabianca 2009 Campaccio Toscana In the medieval times Podere Terrabianca found itself in the ambiguous situation of being situated in the part of the countryside under the rule of Florence and, at the same time, also in the diocese of the Bishop of Siena. The very first documents mentioning its presence, dated 1085, describe it as being a country estate as, in fact, its name clearly implies. Today the winery Terrabianca is located at the heart of the Chianti Classico region, in the middle of Tuscany. The soil consists of layers of chalk, sand and clay from the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic ages which is the ideal composition to grow grapes…
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Marco Felluga 2010 Molamatta Collio Bianco More than a century has gone by since the first Felluga’s history (Marco’s Great-grandfather) started making wine. Isola d’Istria, on the coast, was the production point of origin of Malvasia and Refosco. The Great War had just finished and it was a happy destiny that made the family set foot in Grado, on the other side of the Gulf, and then in Friuli. Only a handful of kilometres, but the scenery changed radically. It was here that Giovanni’s second to last son, Marco, as his grandfather before him, discovered, fell in love with and chose to live in that area called Collio which has…
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Vietti 2010 Nebbiolo Perbacco I recently reviewed Vietti 2011 Barbera D’Alba Tre Vigne and talked about the history and roots of the Vietti Winery dating back to the 19th Century and how Mario Vietti, in 1919, made the first Vietti wines, see my July 1, 2014 review. I was very impressed with the Barbara, I decided to delve deeper into Vietti’s wine offerings. Also in the July 1, 2014 review, I described how the winemakers, in 1970, began to update their wine labels through their friendship and support of local artists and continues today. Opening a bottle of the 2010 Perbacco, which is 100% Nebbiolo grapes, that come from eight…
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Pio Cesare 2009 Barolo The Pio Cesare Winery was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio. He was one of the very first wine producers to believe in the great potential and quality of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and in the other great wines of Piemonte. Cesare Pio in the second half of the 1800s, was among the very first winemakers to produce these wines with a philosophy that was dedicated to the terroir and the strictest quality of the wine. For five generations, the Pio Cesare family has been producing traditional Piemontese wines in its ancient cellars, located in the center of the town of Alba. The cellars walls date back…