Wine of the Week – a delicious and great value Chenin Blanc

As some of my regular readers might know, I am not especially fond of Chenin Blanc. Indeed much of the time I choose not to drink it. However recently I re-tried a Chenin Blanc from one of my favourite South African producers – Kleine Zalze.

Kleine Zalze is an old established, family owned winery in Stellenbosch, just a couple of kilometres southwest of the town in fact. This is an incredibly beautiful wine region and the traditional hub of the South African wine industry. The first Europeans to settle the Cape were the Dutch – the British took the colony over during the Napoleonic Wars – and a lot of Protestant French Huguenots washed up in South Africa where they helped develop the wine industry that had been started by Simon van der Stel. Deer Steel was the first Dutch governor and Stellenbosch,  as well as nearby Simonstown, are named after him.

Kleine Salze was founded in 1695, so dates from these early days of South African wine. However it really received a new impetus to produce high quality wines when businessman Kobus Basson and his family bought the estate in 1996.

I have known the wines ever since then and have visited a couple of times and they are a very impressive outfit that turns out some brilliant wines from a wide range of grape varieties and blends. In my opinion their top range Family Reserve Pinotage is one of the very best examples of the grape, but I think that everything they make is really good – have a look at this wine.

Wine map South Africa’s Western Cape – click for a larger view.

Anyway recently I had a bottle of their Zalze Old Vine Chenin Blanc and it was so delicious that I have made it my Wine of the Week.

Kleine Zalze in winter.

2016 Zalze Bush Vine Chenin Blanc
Kleine Salze
WO Coastal Region
South Africa

The Zalze range from Kleine Zalze are akin to entry level wines, but they are very high quality and this wine really proves that point. It is made from old bush vines that are dry farmed, so not irrigated. Old vines produce smaller crops of more concentrated fruit, which is why old vine wines are usually considered to be that bit finer. Most of the fruit comes from the Kleine Zalze estate in Stellenbosch, but some is sourced from other places like Swartland, which is why the wine is described as coming from Wine of Origin / WO Coastal Region and not Stellenbosch.

The fruit was hand harvested in the early hours to keep the fresh acidity. The grapes got a bit of skin contact to add texture and complexity and after the fermentation the wine was aged on the lees for four months, which also added complexity.

Kleine Salze in winter.

The wine is fresh and lively, but with a lovely soft, round and ever so slightly creamy quality. The natural high acid of the grape shows through, while the Mediterranean climate of the Cape adds the richness and softness that makes it so succulent and moreish – be warned the bottles empty very fast.

Bright, crisp lemon and lime citrus give a lovely refreshing quality. That freshness wraps around rich tropical guava and pineapple fruit and there is a touch of stony minerality that gives the wine focus and poise.

This is not complex wine, but it is very, very drinkable, delivers great value for money and is really versatile too. It goes well with almost anything, from the simplest fish and chips to salads, Mediterranean style food and spicy oriental dishes. I think it’s really delicious and will make a perfect house wine for the summer – 88/100 points.

I would also mention that Stellenbosch is a wonderful place to visit. In fact from a wine point of view South Africa’s Western Cape is one of the best places to see, as everything is so compact and the wineries are really well set up for tourism. As well as being a great winery to visit to taste the wines, Kleine Zalze is home to the wonderful Terroir restaurant.

Available in the UK for around £8 per bottle from:
Waitrose Cellar, Morrisons, Asda Wine Shop, Tesco, Booths.

 

 

The Marche – a region awakes: Part 2 – the red wines

A few weeks ago I was on a wonderful trip to the Marche region of Italy, some of you will have read Part 1 of my thoughts on the trip, well here is Part 2 and it focuses on a couple of producers whose red wines really stood out for me.

Beautiful vineyards in the Marche.

I saw so much that excited me on my trip to the Marche, it is a beautiful landscape with much to enjoy and incredible variety, borne out by the many different wine styles. However it is the quality of the DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi whites and the lesser known, in the UK anyway, Cònero Rosso DOC and Cònero Riserva DOCG that must be the region’s vinous calling cards.

I was hugely impressed by the modern examples of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, they were totally different from the thin and harshly acidic wines of my youth.

In truth I had no idea what to expect from the reds, so really enjoyed the experiences of tasting the wines. They were so varied, from deliciously fruity and modern wines, to rich and powerful examples and refined elegant wines. It seems there is something for everyone here.

We tasted good red wines at pretty much every where we went, but these are the ones that moved me the most.

Wine map of the Marche – click for a larger view.

The main grape in the Marche for red wines is Montepulciano and the most important wine that it is used for is Rosso Cònero DOC and it’s big brother the Cònero Riserva DOCG. Both of these must contain at least 85% Montepulciano and can have up to 15% Sangiovese.

Montepulciano is a grape that struggles with its image I think. For a start there are the cheap and cheerful wines from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. I know there are good wines made down there, but most of the examples that we get are somewhat jammy and easy drinking. Well most of the Rosso Cònero and Cònero Riserva wines that I tried were nothing like that. They were very enjoyable to drink, but they were layered and complex wines that really excited me.

The other problem for Montepulciano, which can cause confusion, is that in Tuscany there is a town of that name that produces a wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Sangiovese grapes.

I was really astonished by how good these Cònero wines were and very disappointed that are very hard to come by in the UK.

Cònero DOCG covers the same area, but has lower yields and is aged for at least 2 years.

Fattoria La Terrazze

Fattoria La Terrazze from the air showing the proximity to the sea – photo courtesy of the winery.

My second winery visit in the Marche was to Fattoria La Terrazze in the Rosso Cònero area. The setting is so lovely, 10 km or so to the south of Ancona and only a kilometre or so inland from the Adriatic Sea and Mount Conero which gives this small wine area its name. The mountain is a promontory to the south of Ancona (there is a slight bulge out into the sea on my map) and is the only high point on the east coast of Italy and at 572 metres it really stands out. In ancient times it must have been a welcoming marker to tell sailors that they had made it safely to Ancona.

Antonio Terni.

The estate has been here since 1882 and is still owned by the founding Terni family, although its reputation is all recent. Today it is run by Antonio Terni and his charming English wife Georgina. I liked them, their beautiful winery and all the wines. Antonio is something of a music fan and his rosé is rather memorably called ‘Pink Fluid’. We even tried his bulk wine that is sold to the locals by the litre – they bring their bottles and jars to be filled. The red was a Montepulciano and the white was a Chardonnay and they were very nice, drinkable wines, however, some of his finer products really stood out.

2014 Rosso Cònero
DOC Rosso Cònero
Fattoria La Terrazze

100% Montepulciano grapes are fermented in stainless steel and then aged in huge, 2000-4000 litres wooden barrels for 15 months.

The colour was a mixture of damson and dark cherry, while the nose gave off wild fruit of the forest and light smoke notes together with something a little salty or soy sauce-like. The palate is medium weight with nice acid balance, herbal flavours, salty, mineral and spicy flavours and some coulis like brambles fruit together with a very long finish. I liked this a lot. It was my first wine of the region that I can remember tasting and it was pretty impressive, a worthy alternative to Chianti or something like that – 89/100 points.

The road to Fattoria La Terrazze, that is Monte Cònero and the sea in the distance..

2013 Sassi Neri
DOCG Cònero Riserva
Fattoria La Terrazze

This wine is named after a beach below Monte Cònero which is called black or neri because it is covered in mussels.

This is also 100% Montepulciano grapes that are very carefully selected for this wine, picked later and riper are fermented in stainless steel and then aged in 225 litres wooden barrels for 18-24 months depending on the parcel of fruit. It is also aged for a further 6months in bottle before release.

The colour was attractive, deep, and plummy. The nose was earthy, smoky and savoury in a really attractive way. Then the palate was rich and intense with smoke, herbs, sweet liquorice, a sweet and sour umami thing, rich cooked dark fruit, spice and some pretty big, drying chalky tannins in a good way. My I liked this, it really is beautifully made  – 91/100 points.

Antonio also shared bottle of the 1998 Sassi Neri with us. This was much more developed with more prune-like fruit, fig notes, dried raspberry, as well as rich umami, coffee,muchroom and salty flavours on the lovely finish.

Some of the Fattoria La Terrazze wines are available in the UK from Tannico.co.uk and Italvinus.

Azienda Agricola Moroder

Aerial view of Azienda Agricola Moroder -photo courtesy of the winery.

Azienda Agricola Moroder is another winery in a magnificent setting. It’s in the middle of Conero National Park, just 5 km inland from the Adriatic Sea and the glorious Mount Conero which gives this small wine area its name.

Mattia and Marco Moroder.

The estate today is run by Marco and Mattia Moroder whose family have owned the site since the late eighteenth century, but who turned it into a dedicated winery in 1837. The winery is still in the cellar of the beautiful original farmhouse. The Moroder name is actually Ladin and Germanic and originates in the South Tyrol, indeed the brothers told us that Giorgio Moroder is a relative. They also explained that the name came from bands of fighting men who were left behind, making it strikingly similar to ‘marauder’ in English.

The cellar dates back to 1700 and was originally used as an ice store and to keep food in good condition. Although they have a long history here, their reputation is much more recent and Marco and Mattia’s parents, Alessandro and Serenella Moroder can pretty much be credited with revitalising the red wines of the area.

Azienda Agricola Moroder.

The estate has a huge terrace with beautiful views out over the vineyards making it seem very restful. It covers some 120 hectares, but only 50 are planted with vines. The rest being forest, olives and fruit trees, all of which helps with bio-diversity and other products like oil, jam and truffles. The brothers are keen to have a light impact on nature and since 2010 the estate has been certified organic.

Azienda Agricola Moroder.

We tasted a wide range of their wines, including a sparkling, but it was the reds of the Cònero Rosso DOC and Cònero Riserva DOCg that really got to me. All of these are made from 100% Montepulciano grapes.

They produce a comprehensive range too starting with two very different Cònero Rosso DOC. The fresh, unoaked Aiòn was a great start, but the botti aged Moroder Cònero Rosso was a real step up in complexity.

Botti in the cellar of Azienda Agricola Moroder.

2013 Rosso Cònero
DOC Rosso Cònero
Azienda Agricola Moroder

100% Montepulciano long macerated on the skins to give good colour and flavour, then aged for 24 months in botti, large barrels of 2700 litres.

The nose is lovely with one leafy notes, chocolate and ripe red fruit. The palate is beautifully structured with delicate oak, ripe fruit and tamed tannins. There is plenty of fruit with earthy and mineral flavours. I loved this wine and think many others would too if we could just buy it – 89/100 points.

2004 Rosso Cònero
DOC Rosso Cònero
Azienda Agricola Moroder

100% Montepulciano aged for 24 months in botti, large barrels of 2700 litres.

As you might expect this was much more developed than the 2013 version. The fruit had turned much more savoury, earthy and leathery with a meaty and tomato stem quality. It was a splendid wine, a bit of a treat really, but needed food. The younger, brighter wine was more for me – 89/100 points.

2012 Cònero Riserva
DOCG Cònero Riserva
Azienda Agricola Moroder

This is their standard Cònero Riserva DOCG, the grapes are carefully selected, with low yields and the wine is aged for 30 months in oak, half in 10,000 litre botti and the other 50% in barrels.

The nose is gorgeous, with lifted damsons, sweet cherry and smoky, coffee / mocha notes. The palate is full, smooth and rich with some intense dried fruit characters, fresh acidity and a lovely earthy, savoury character leading to a very long finish. I was hugely impressed by this wine, it was concentrated and intense, with lovely mineral, earthy notes and a wonderful backbone of fresh acidity – 90/100 points.

Azienda Agricola Moroder.

2011 Dorico
DOCG Cònero Riserva
Azienda Agricola Moroder

This is their top wine, a Cònero Riserva DOCg called Dorico in celebration of the Greeks who brought grape growing to the Italian peninsula. This cuvée is made by a very careful selection of the best fruit that is left on the vine for 2 extra weeks to get even riper. The wine is aged for 36 months in barriques, 225 litre barrels.

The nose is gorgeous, with lifted damsons, sweet cherry and smoky, coffee / mocha notes. The palate is full, smooth and rich with some intense dried fruit characters, fresh acidity and a lovely earthy, savoury character leading to a very long finish. I was hugely impressed by this wine, it was concentrated and intense, with lovely mineral, earthy notes and a wonderful backbone of fresh acidity. It was one of my two favourite reds of the trip, beautifully balanced with tension between the richness of the fruit and the grapes natural acidity and the minerality of the style. Again the tannins of this famously tannic grape were very well tamed – 93/100 points.

Some of the Moroder wines are available to be shipped to the UK – until Brexit ruins everything – by Uvinum.

Umani Ronchi

Massimo and Michele Bernetti.

Umani Ronchi is one of the really famous names from this part of Italy, but despite the scale on which they operate, everything of theirs that I tasted was very good indeed. The company was created and is still owned by the Bernetti family. Michele Bernetti is the CEO while his father Massimo is the chairman. It’s a pretty large estate run on several different sites as they produce Verdicchio wines and wines in neighbouring Abruzzo as well as in Cònero and all their vineyards are farmed organically.

Some of Umani Ronchi’s Cònero vineyards.

2016 Serrano
DOC Rosso Cònero
Umani Ronchi

85% Montepulciano with 15% Sangiovese fermented in stainless steel aged in stainless steel to preserve the juicy fruit.

Everything about this wine is fresh, juicy and lively. The colour is vibrant like liquified raspberry. The nose gives bright, fresh lively raspberry fruit together with a touch of herb and pepper. The palate is plump, chunky, smooth and supple with loads of bright, rich fruit and a light touch of chalky tannins on the finish. This is a happy wine that is very modern, very fruity and beautifully made – 89/100 points.

The Umani Ronchi barrel cellar in Cònero.

2011 Campo San Giorgio
DOCG Cònero Riserva
Umani Ronchi

100% Montepulciano grapes carefully selected from the San Giorgio vineyard which was planted around 2000 and is trained into bush vines in order to stress the plant and produce small yields. Everything is done by hand in this vineyard and everything is done to ensure a small crop of concentrated fruit. The grapes are fermented whole, but without the stalks, using the natural yeast to give a spontaneous fermentation. The wine is aged in new oak barriques for 12-14 months depending on the parcel the barrel. They only make around 4000 bottles of this wine. 

The ageing and the maturity really show here, it has an earthy, garnet colour. The nose delivers salty, tangy, earth,  sweet cherry and raspberry notes.
The palate is lovely and supple with a fresh, breezy feel, the oak makes it mocha infused and there is a wonderful concentration of fruit. All in all it has a lovely balance between lightness and richness. There are nice fine grain tannins on the finish, while the minerality and freshness give it great elegance. A very fine and very beautiful red wine – 94/100 points.

I also tasted the 2010 Campo San Giorgio which was also very good, but I thought the 2011 just had the edge – although I would happily drink either.

Some of the Umani Ronchi wines are available in the UK from Tannico.co.uk.

It does seem very strange to me that these are so rarely available in the UK. They deserve to be more widely seen here as the general quality seemed to be very high indeed. The style struck me as being very accessible and would prove popular with anyone who enjoys Chianti, Rioja or Bordeaux. There was nothing odd, rustic or quirky about these wines, they deserve to be widely known and enjoyed and not just treated as an obscure oddity. As you can see I liked some of these very much, the best of these red wines were as good as anything I have tasted this year.

I will leave it at that for now, but I have more to say about the wines of the Marche, some more producers and styles to mention, so will return to the region soon.

 

The Marche – a region awakes: Part 1 – the whites

A few weeks ago I was on a wonderful trip to the Marche region of Italy. This lovely region is in central Italy on the Adriatic coast and the capital is the bustling port city of Ancona. The name of the place, Le Marche, has always intrigued me. It’s pronounced Mar-Kay – and comes from the plural of the word March, which is an archaic term for a borderland. Orginally there was the March of Ancona, the March of Camerino and the March of Fermo, together they were described as Marca or Marche. So when they were put together to form a single region that is the name it was given – Marche or the marches.

The beautiful countryside of Marche.

The region has interested me for quite a long time, but life has prevented me from actually getting there before, so I was quite excited to see the place for myself. Of course I was primarily there for the wine and I was very pleased to be there too, because I had the feeling it was going to be an exciting place.

I wasn’t wrong. The Marche is an exciting wine region. In fact it seemed to me that the whole place is a bit of a sleeping giant that is only just beginning to get really ambitious and to realise just what a good wine region it can be. The wines might not be as well known as those from Tuscany, but I rather think they should be.

For quite a while now I had been convinced that the wines were worth reappraising. That is because all the books still describe the most famous wine from here – Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi – as it was 30 years or so ago, light acidic and bland, but in truth they aren’t actually like that – not anymore.

Staffolo, a hilltop town near Cantina Cológnola.

The countryside is very beautiful and very varied too and well worth a visit if you would like a more unusual corner of Italy to explore. Inland the landscape is very attractive and gentle – not unlike Tuscany – with appealing hilltop towns and villages standing guard over the valleys.

The coast at Sirolo some 10km south of Ancona.

Sirolo.

The coastline too is attractive, with a rugged and wild quality as the beaches are usually at the bottom of coastal cliffs, while the seaside towns are delightful places to stroll around – I was there in May, but I was warned that they are very busy in the summer.

Of course I was there for the wine and there is a lot of wine going on in the Marche. It is a region where a lot of PDOs / appellations / DOCs – call them what you want – overlap each other and cover much of the same territory. I know this as I have just drawn a wine map of the region and it took some working out as it is very complicated.

Wine map of the Marche – click for a larger view.

From an export point of view the 2 most visible wines are both white and made from the Verdicchio (pronounced Ver-dick-ee-oh) grape variety. Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is the most famous and enjoys the biggest production, so is the wine that you will come across more than any other. The other leading white wine is Verdicchio di Matelica, which only produces a tenth of the amount of the other Verdichio, so tends to be more artisan production.

Verdicchio is a grape that has really captured my imagination in recent years. It is somewhat written off by most wine books, certainly the ones that I have, but deserves to be taken much more seriously. From my experience, even cheap versions of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi have more about them than most books and wine courses let on. I am sure this is because the wines, like so many, have improved out of all recognition over the last 15 years or so. They are no longer pale, lemony and thin, but have some texture and weight to them and the cheaper versions can often be very inexpensive and pretty good quality too – click here for an example.

Beautiful vineyards in Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.

The finer bottles of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Verdiccio di Matelica are very different though. I found them to be quite beguiling with taut, crisp acidity and minerality, with mouthfeel and texture showing good weight of fruit, although they are fresh rather than fruity, and complexity. They were seriously exciting wines and the best ones that I tasted are as good as a good Chablis and very much in that style. What’s more, again like a good Chablis, fine examples of Verdicchio are not just fresh, crisp wines, they can be aged to develop more complexity and character. Ian D’Agata, in his book Native Wine Grapes of Italy, states his belief that ‘Verdicchio is arguably Italy’s greatest native white grape variety’ – which is high praise indeed as there is some serious competition from the likes of Fiano and Greco. Verdicchio is also used to make Lugana near Lake Garda, another excellent Italian white wine.

Beautiful vineyards in Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is a Denominazione di Origine Controllata / DOC for white wines only. They have to be made from at least 85% Verdicchio grapes with the rest being most likely Malvasia or Trebbiano, although most that I have tasted are 100% Verdicchio.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico, shown in deep yellow on my map, comes from the historic area of production and has to be made with lower yields than the wines labelled purely as Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Superiore wines are also made using lower yields and can be made anywhere in the region, while Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore are made from lower yields in the Classico zone.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Spumante are sparkling wines from the region and can be very good indeed, as can the dessert wines made from dried grapes, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Passito.

The pinnacle of production is Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva. These wines have enjoyed the superior classification of Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita / DOCG since 2010. They are produced in the Classico zone with lower yields and have to be aged for at least 18 months before release – this does not have to be in oak, but some are oak aged.

The soils here seem to be a mix of sandy, chalky, stony and limestone which together with the sea breezes and cold north easterly winds from the Balkans makes for wines with fresh acidity and a note of minerality, which sort of defines the finer wines here.

Inland there is another Verdicchio area. Verdicchio di Matelica DOC is a much smaller zone of production and is away from the coastal influence, so has a continental climate that is cooled by the winds coming down the valley from the north. In order to refresh the grapes further, they are planted high up at 500 metres above sea level. Again sweet, Passito, versions are made, as are sparkling, Spumante. Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva DOCG is made using lower yields and with longer ageing.

Sadly we only tasted a handful of wines from the Matelica zone and they did not stand out. However I would recommend this one, this one and especially this one, which is an especially good wine.

For me the standout producers and wines from Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi were the following:

Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone

Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone.

My first visit got off to a very good start at Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone. The estate is a few kilometres south west of Jesi, roughly where the ‘e’ in dei is on my map. It’s owned by the charming Darini family and the winemaker is the very humble, but clearly gifted Gabrielle Villani, who kept saying that he just wanted to make better and better wine.

2016 Via Condotto
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore
Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone

I really liked this bright, fresh and focussed wine. The colour was bright – it was sealed with a screw cap – honey tinged straw, while the aromas offered rich lemon zest, floral notes and straw. There was no malolactic, so the acidity was vibrant and forthright. It is aged for a few months in tank before release and it has lovely natural balance between nicely textured palate and the freshness. A terrific wine with an incredibly long finish – 88/100 points.

Interestingly when I asked Gabrielle why it was so very different from the bland and dull Verdicchios of my youth he explained that they now do not use Trebbiano – this was 100% Verdicchio, as were most of the others I tried, they use much lower fermentation temperatures in stainless steel tanks, so keep the wine fresh, they age the wine for less time, they site the vineyards more cleverly for freshness, they plant with lower density, use lower yields and harvest later. So that combination of things reduces the yields and increases the concentration of the grapes, so adding flavour, while the fermentation techniques and the site selection adds freshness and balance. The result is a wine that bears no relation to the Verdicchios of the past.

2016 Ghiffa
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore
Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone

Much as I liked the Via Condotto, and I did, this really made me sit up. It is also 100% Verdicchio, but picked later, to let the sugars build, then a rigorous selection of the fruit makes it more concentrated to start with and then it was aged for 12 months on the less. The lees are the yeast sediment left over from fermentation and give the wine more complexity and can give it a richer texture too.

This had a deeper colour from all that ageing, a lemon curd, creamy and herbal aroma, while the palate was textured and succulent, with peach, apricot, honey and even nougat flavours, while the acidity and saline minerality really gave freshness and balance. This is a serious wine, rich and tangy with a stony mineral finish – 91/100 points.

Gabrielle also makes 2 excellent quality sparkling Verdicchio wines that I enjoyed very much indeed:

Gabrielle Villani.

2014 Musa Brut
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Spumante
Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone

This is 100% Verdicchio grapes made sparkling by the Traditional Method, as used for Champagne. The wine was aged on the lees for 9 months.

The colour is quite golden while the aromas give a biscuity note as well as ripe each and apples. The palate was surprisingly rich, but balanced with lively, fresh acidity – 89/100 points.

Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone.

2012 Darina Brut
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Spumante
Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone

This is also 100% Verdicchio grapes made sparkling by the Traditional Method, but this richer wine wine was aged on the lees for 24 months.

This is a very serious sparkling wine with a rich colour and has a powerfull, leesy, biscuity, flaky pastry sort of aroma with nuts, caramel, cooked apples and cooked peach. The palate is soft and rich with a rounded mouthfeel balanced by refreshing acidity. The wine is rich and complex and tasting it blind I would never have imagined it was from a region so unknown for sparkling wines  – 91/100 points.

Some of the Cantina Cológnola – Tenuta Musone wines are available in the UK from Tannico.co.uk.

Società Agricola La Staffa di Baldi Riccardo

The entrance to La Staffa.

This beautiful little estate is near Staffolo, so not far from Cantina Cológnola and is universally known as La Staffa. The Baldi family started it in 1994, because of the rising reputation of the local wines, but it is now run by the charming, energetic and remarkably assured Riccardo Baldi. Riccardo is only in his twenties but clearly understands this piece of land and how to make wines from it. The estate is now 7 hectares with some vines going back to the 1970s and Riccardo farms biodynamically with no use of chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. It is a wonderful place, very peaceful and utterly lovely. Standing there it felt very much like being in Chablis, but a Chablis vineyard that had somehow been plonked down in the Mediterranean – which is very much how the wines feel too.

Interestingly the wines all have a salty, mineral quality. All the water used in the vineyard comes from a well on the site and I got to taste that water and it was salty.

La Staffa.

If you have never tried a Verdicchio, or have not had one for a while, Riccardo’s wines may well be the best place to start as they are exemplary.

2016 La Staffa
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore
Società Agricola La Staffa

100% Verdichio from 12 year old vines fermented in a mixture of stainless steel and cement tanks with a spontaneous fermentation using the wild yeast, 12.5% abv.
The colour is very pale and pure, slightly silver.
The nose gives salty peach skin aromas and the palate is juicy, there is a lovely sweetness of ripe fruit there making it surprisingly surprisingly succulent.
However it feels very fresh with a long salty, pretzel like finish with lively citrus acidity and a mineral quality. The acidity is on the high side, but not too dominating. This is a beautiful wine, pure and lively, but with some weight too. I loved this wine – 89/100 points.

The wonderful Riccardo Baldi.

2011 Rincrocca
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore
Società Agricola La Staffa

Rincrocca is the name of a hill next to the winery. This wine is 100% Verdichio from 45 year old vines fermented in cement tanks with a spontaneous fermentation using the wild yeast. It was aged in concrete tanks on the lees for 12 months –  14% abv.
Very rich amber honey colour shows the development.
The nose is salty and mineral with apple compote and some mushrooms that again show the development.
The palate is full, rich, honeyed and creamy with mealy texture – but bone dry. The salty purity of the young wine returns on the long, long finish and there is plenty of fruit, peach, peach skin, apple and even some rich citrus like tangerine. Oh I loved this wine, it is quite magnificent like a really good Premier Cru Chablis – 93/100 points.

Some of the stainless steel tanks at La Staffa.

I was also fortunate enough to taste this:

Some of the cement tanks at La Staffa, they are quite old and came from another winery.

2013 Rincrocca (from magnum)
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore
Società Agricola La Staffa

As you might expect this was not quite so developed, but it was superb. The colour was honeyed, the nose gave complex herbal, camomile, sage, sea salt, sweet dried apricots, toffee and orange zest notes.
The palate was fabulous, round and succulent with ripe peach, peach skin, dessert apples, herbs, honey, caramel and then smoke and salt. The finish was incredible, it just went on and on like a prog rock drum solo – 94/100 points.

These were magnificent white wines that can hold their heads up in any company.

Some of the La Staffa wines are available from Berry Bros & Rudd and Amazon.

Casa Vinicola Gioacchino Garofoli Spa

Frankly I feel a bit mean putting Garafoli here as they make wonderful red wines too, but it was the whites and sparkling that especially captured my heart. They are a big producer for the region as they farm 50 hectares and they make many of the different wine styles found in Marche.

Daria Garofoli showing me some of their wines.

They were founded in 1901 and are still owned and managed by the Garofoli family. My tasting here was led by the charming Daria Garofoli who is charge of exports and she claims that they were the first commercial producers of Marche wines. I can well believe that as for most of Italy – apart from Tuscany and some Piemonte wines – selling bottled wine is almost entirely a post WWII enterprise in most of Europe.

Today they have a winery in the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi zone that makes those white wines and a winery in Cònero that makes everything else.

Daria explained that until well into the 1970 yields remained high and the wines were quite ordinary from here, often with other very bland grapes blended in with the Verdicchio. In those days, and to some degree it continues formally of the more everyday wines, the wines were bottled in a special amphora shaped bottle. Garafoli were one of the very first to bottle wines here and to export their wines. They were also among the first to realise the great potential for quality here, by more carefully siting vineyards, lowering yields and focussing on the mineral quality that Verdicchio can bring.

An old amphora shape bottle of Garofoli’s Verdicchio, it’s from 1964, so even older than me.

2010 Podium
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore
Casa Vinicola Gioacchino Garofoli Spa

This is a premium selection of 100% Verdicchio grapes that are picked slightly overripe. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks for 15 months on the lees.

As you might imagine, the colour is a little deep with a peach skin hue. The aroma is wonderfully lifted with creamy, leesy notes competing with fresh citrus, salty sea shore notes, a stony tang and some peach and peach skin. The palate has a lovely succulence and a creamy, mealy feel. There is a salty, mineral quality, rich citrus and a wonderful intensity that balances the lithe freshness and vice versa. A great white wine – 93/100 points.

Beautiful Verdicchio vineyards.

2008 Podium
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore
Casa Vinicola Gioacchino Garofoli Spa

This is a premium selection of 100% Verdicchio grapes that are picked slightly overripe. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks for 15 months on the lees.

Another stunning white wine with an amazing balance between the fresh and the linear and the richer and weightier. There is more salinity here and creamer, curdy texture with rich lemon and almost a touch of beeswax – 93/100 points.

That beautiful rainswept beach.

2012 Garofoli Brut Riserva
DOC Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Spumante
Casa Vinicola Gioacchino Garofoli Spa

This is a premium selection of 100% Verdicchio grapes that are picked slightly underripe. The wine is made fizzy by the traditional method and is aged on the lees for 48 months.

This was either really, really good, or I really really wanted some fizz at the end of a long day. We were tasting this at a beautiful, if rainswept beach and it was a great experience. The wine had a lovely peachy, apricot, citrus and biscuity aroma, while the palate was silky and refined – 90/100 points.

Some of the Garofoli wines are available in the UK from Tannico.

So, there you are, a little snap shot of some of the white wines and sparkling wines that stood out for me on the trip. There were a few more producers of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, but I think that is quite enough for now, so I will return to the subject.

You never really hear anyone extolling the virtues of Verdicchio, but I think they should, because as you can see the wines can be very high quality indeed. So, the next time you want a sappy, saline, mineral, dry white wine with real complexity and character, try a Verdeicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. I think you’ll like it.

Wine of the Week – a lovely red wine for Summer

The beautiful south facing slopes at Domaine de Noblaie.

I know we are all supposed to drink rosé wines in summer, and why not, there are some superb rosés around, but even in hot weather you shouldn’t ignore reds completely.

All sorts of red wines are suitable for summer drinking, sparkling reds for instance and smooth fruity red wines with a barbecue, but the most fun style is light red wines.

A lot of people rather poo-poo light red wines, in the UK anyway. Too many people buy into the theory that unless a wine beats you up as you drink it then it isn’t any good. Which is a great shame as lighter red wines can be utterly delightful.

There are many more light and lightish red wines than you might think too, Beaujolais of course, but Valpolicella, Bardolino, Rioja Joven, Swiss Dôle and Gamay, Touraine Gamay, Alsace Pinot Noir, Austrian reds, German reds, red Vinho Verde (if you dare), red Mâcon and a lot of the world’s Pinot Noir.

Any, or all of those, especially New Zealand Pinot Noir, can be perfect in summer. Serve them with lighter food and lightly chilled and you will have a lovely time.

I say lightly chilled, but it depends on the day really. WSET say light reds can be chilled down to about 13˚C, but on a 34˚C day, you might want it cooler than that. It’s up to you.

Recently I was presenting a red wine to big group of people and I really liked it and so did they. It was a Chinon made from Cabernet Franc grapes in the Touraine district of the Loire Valley and although it was pretty light in body, it was very fruity and delicious. What’s more it was a very hot day and so I served it chilled and it went down a storm. I liked it so much that I have made it my Wine of the Week.

Wine map of the Loire Valley – click for a larger view – non watermarked PDF versions are available by agreement.

In my experience the three best appellations for red wines made from Cabernet Franc in the Loire are Saumur-Champigny, St Nicolas de Bourgueil and Chinon. The last of the three actually makes white wines from Chenin Blanc grapes too, but only in tiny quantities, so it is the red wines that we actually see in the shops. Red Chinon has long been a favourite of mine as it is pretty reliable and very good value for money. Chinon is something of a secret in the UK, most consumers simply don’t know about it, but there is usually one on the wine list of any decent French bistrot or brasserie, whether here or in France, and I always order it.

Chinon castle where Joan of Arc met the Dauphin and persuaded him to let her lead the French army against the English.

Although it is in the Loire region, the town of Chinon sits on the north shore of the Vienne River. It is surrounded by 18 other communes (villages) that can make wines that are labelled as Chinon. These estates are on both sides of the Vienne, Domaine de La Noblaie is on the south bank.

It is worth mentioning that Chinon is a delightful town to visit. It is a very beautiful place with lovely little streets, half-timbered buildings, bustling squares lined with cafés, fabulous restaurants and much to see. The Castle sits on the hill above the town and you really do feel as though you have stepped back in time. A visit to the castle is a must. It was once home to Richard I – who together with Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine is buried at the nearby Fontevraud Abbey, which is stunning and even boasts a fine restaurant – it was also where Joan of Arc met with the French Dauphin and there is a museum dedicated to her. Rabelais was once mayor of Chinon and they are rightly proud of him. He was born nearby at La Devinière, where there is a museum dedicated to him and his writings.

2014 Le Temps de Cerises
Domaine de La Noblaie
AC / PDO Chinon
Touraine
Loire Valley

This is an old domaine. The site was originally home to some crusaders and was a taxing station used to finance the Crusades. The current house was built in the fifteenth century and it commands a hilltop site some two and a half kilometres south east of Chinon itself. The rock is a chalky limestone called tuffeau and the property has old cellars duck into this rock, perfect for ageing wine. They still use a vat carved into the stone in the 16th century, so wine has clearly been made here for a long time. Further proof is in the name of the hamlet, Le Vau Breton. Breton is the old local name for the Cabernet Franc grape, so it is called Cabernet Franc Valley.

Jérôme Billard.

The grapes are carefully hand harvested, with ruthless selection of the fruit first. The bunches are then carefully laid in plastic hods so as not to bruise or damage the grapes.

Today four generations farm here, but the estate is run by Jérôme Billard who is considered to be one of the great, young talents of Chinon. For a young guy he has quite a career, with stints at Château Petrus, Dominus in California and Sacred Hill in New Zealand before going home to run the family property. They have been certified organic since 2005 and all harvesting is done by hand. Fermantations are spontaneous with the indigenous yeast and the fermentations vary between stainless steel, barrel and that chalk, limestone vat.

That stone vat, used exclusively for his top red cuvée Pierre de Tuf.

The cellars carved into the limestone hillside at Domaine de Noblaie.

Le Temps de Cerises is Jérome’s lowest tier wine, his calling card if you will. It is made from 30 year old vines blended from across the estate. The grapes are hand picked and rigorously selected by the harvesters and everything is done to keep that Cabernet Franc ‘greeness’ at bay, but to preserve the freshness and vitality. The wine is fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks and aged in them on the fine lees for 8 months.

I love this wine, it is delightfully fresh and appealing. It smells of fruit, cherries especially – it has to live up to its name after all – and raspberries with perhaps a dash of blackberry in the mix. There is something leafy and herbaceous there too, but not too much, just enough for interest. On the palate it is juicy and ripe with loads more cherry, some plums and raspberries, a light touch of tannin, fresh acidity and a leafy quality. Overall it feels very smooth, soft and supple, silky even. Serve it cool and enjoy it with almost anything inside or out this summer. It is especially good with cheeses and charcuterie. This is a delicious and very accomplished, simple, little wine that delivers a lot of pleasure – 89/100 points.

Available in the UK for around £10-£13 per bottle from:
The Wine Society (2015 vintage), Hayes Hanson & Clark, Adnams, Frazier’s, Hawkshead Wines, Gusto Wines, Slurp.co.uk.

For US stockists contact European Cellars.