Italian Varieties in Australia Tasting @ Mezzo Restaurant 28/07/12



The place to be on this cold afternoon.

Having done quite a focus on Italian wines over the last few months, I thought it was time to bring it closer to home and show some Australian interpretations of Italian varieties. Teaming up with Silvio at Mezzo Restaurant we selected seven wines from interesting Australian producers making excellent examples of Italian varietals. The team at Mezzo put on a spectacular spread of food and so all we needed is some willing participants! On a cold and rainy Melbourne afternoon we were warm inside Mezzo munching on amazing wild boar ragu, mussells, arancini and salmon tartare and sipping on some Australian wine gems.
You can see the notes I made for the tasting and if you are keen the order form is here.

The challenge for those who attended.

Three whites and four reds was the assignment. We started off with a new wine from the Chalmers Heathcote Vineyard Montevecchio Bianco 2011. A field blend of Vermentino, Fiano and Moscato Giallo this wine was crisp, clean and dry with nice amount of yellow fruits, floral notes, grapiness and citrus. Perfect for uncomplicated but satisfying drinking. Next up was Mac Forbes Arneis 2010. From the Yarra Valley, this Arneis showed all the hallmarks of great examples of the style; lovely aromatics, textural mouthfeel and clean finishing. It was very hard to have just one glass of this wine (luckily I got to take home the 'dregs'). The final white was the Freeman Fortuna Pinot Gris Plus 2010 a wine that manages to straddle the rich and textural side of Gris while avoiding oily/cloying characters. Melons, grapes, fleshy stone fruits and a nice hint of spice. The addition of small amounts of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Aleatico seem to be a masterstroke!


Me (Phil) setting up. So much romantic screwcap crackle!

While the whites were well received the red bracket was definitely the favourite of those who attended. We tasted Montevecchio Rosso 2011, also from Chalmers' Heathcote vineyard this was a field blend, containing Shiraz (yes there is some Shiraz in Italy), Lagrein, Nero d'Avola and Sagrantino. It was spicy, red fruited, mid weight and a hint savoury. Nice easy drinking and really showed well for the price. Staying  in Heathcote we tasted Greenstone Rosso di Colbo Sangiovese 2011. The Greenstone story is fascinating to hear but the wines are just delicious! This is their entry level Sangio and it had all of the cherry, earthy and hint of meat and oak characters with the clean and dry elements celebrated in Chianti. This is an excellent wine! Building up in weight we went to Freeman Secco 2008, made in the style of Valpolicella and Amarone this uses Rondinella and Corvina grapes that are run through a prune dehydrator to concentrate the flavours (Amarone use an air drying process to achieve a similar result). There was plenty of red and blue fruits, a full weight in the mouth but a nice freshness and great balance with the acid and tannin elements and a dry finish. Finally we had a variety that I think has a lot of potential for Australia Beach Road Aglianico 2010. Beach Rd make a great range of Italian varieties from Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale, This is one of their best (in my opinion). I've recently been getting excited by Aglianico and this offers a lot of their big red and black fruit, leather notes, spice and a herbal edge. Nice palate length and very drinkable.

This is one of the most interesting tasting I've hosted as all these wines were so different from what we normally taste in Australia. There was almost a dead heat between the last three reds for most popular wine with Mac Forbes Arneis following close behind. Thanks to those that came out and hopefully we can top this tasting next month.

A Tale of Two Regions: Piedmont at Chianti Tasting 30/06/12

Mezzo in all its glory

Yep, it has been a busy week and very much focussed on Italian wines, it has been fun and informative.

On Saturday TWD teamed up with Mezzo Restaurant to host a tasting that featured wines from two of Italy's premier red wine producing regions. Piedmont – the foggy, hilly region in the North West and the centrally located Chianti which has captivated wine lovers for many years. It was a free event that saw us taste six wines that represented the regions.

Farnetella - My favourite of the Chianti wines.

From Chianti we had a lovely progression that featured an entry level IGT wine Il Corzanello 10 - a blend of Sangiovese with Cabernet and a hint of Merlot. This wine showed some nice juicy red berry fruit, mid-weight palate and generous flavours. It really highlighted the fantastic savoury and clean nature of Sangio with the plump and vibrant Cabernet. Next we had a fantastic wine from just South West of Chianti Classico being Farnetella 2009 from Chianti Colli Senesi. This is my sort of wine. 95% Sangiovese with a little bit of Merlot this is dry, savoury, clean, refreshing, elegant and with just a hint of dry tannins on the finish. This wine is really drinkable and the sort of wine that sees you finishing the bottle and looking for a second before you realise. The third wine from the line up was Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico 09. This was quite well received at TWDs recent Chianti dinner and showed the Chianti Classic style really well. A bit more flesh and vibrancy than the Farnetella but still having that savoury, cleansing charm that is the hallmark of great Sangio. The journey from entry to Chianti Classico was great fun. Check out the dinner notes to see where the next stops on the journey take you. Mmmmm Brunello!

My wine of the day. I do love Barbaresco.

Next we switched to wines from Piedmont. Some of these we had already featured at TWD's Piedmont Dinner. First up we had the delicious Brezza Dolcetto d'Alba 2008. There is a lot to love about Dolcetto, it is fruity and aromatic with a savoury and structured palate. It goes great with slow cooked meals in winter! Brezza is a seriously good producer of Piedmont wines and this was a highlight. After Dolcetto we tasted the seriously amazing Produttori del Barbaresco DOCG 2007. I've recently tasted a range of their single cru wines. This was my favourite wine of the day but it was also the youngest and most ungiving. I had more than a few people almost choke on their wine when I suggested it needed another 15-20 years. Even after they confirmed I said 15-20 I think they still thought I was pulling their legs. I think Barbaresco (and its close cousin Barolo) are some of the best wines in the world and should be part of everyone's cellar. And of course, if you are tasting Piedmont wines you have to have Moscato. Patrizi Moscato d'Asti is one of the best because it is so clean and fresh with nice light bubbles that dance on your tongue. This is a wine of balance and charm not overt sweetness.

Of course all of these wines are available for sale if you are keen to taste them. And if this sounded like fun, TWD and Mezzo should be teaming up regularly for tastings of this style. Email me for more information

WINE OF THE WEEK

WINE OF THE WEEK
Patrizi Moscato d'Asti 2011 - One of my (surprisingly) favourite wines from the Piedmont Dinner I hosted in May http://winedep.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/piedmont-dinner-and-masterclass-at.html

Patrizi Moscato d'Asti

Moscato is the traditional way to cleanse the palate after a meal before getting stuck into the Grappa (which is what we did). I was a hint sceptical at first, but after tasting it I have seen... the light. This is a really lovely, fresh, vibrant slightly fizzy drink that is so refreshing. There was great balance between the grapey, floral notes, the light sweetness and the soft fizz. Contextually it was perfect and really easy drinking.

 $19.95ea cheaper by the dozen.

You can order this divine and slightly indugent wine by emailing me at philip@thewinedepository.com.au

Patrizi Moscato d'Asti - Hero of the Day.

Piedmont Dinner and Masterclass at Scopri 15/05/12

It is with a lot of pride I can write about the inaugural Wine Depository dinner which took place on Tuesday 15th May 2012.

The private room at Scopri. An ideal setting.

The goal was to have a casual and informative night on one of the worlds great regions: Piedmont. In many ways it is the Italian equivalent of Burgundy, but has a style and charm of its own.

The wines are imported by Peter Johns from Deja Vu and he kindly donated his time and came along to discuss the wines we had selected.

Scopri put together a magnificent menu to match the wines and came to the party by supplying a lot of glassware. Their wine service was second to none and I highly recommend a visit for any wine lover (yes they allow BYO).

You can see the brief notes I prepared for the evening and the order form if you are seriously tempted by what you've read. Orders can be emailed to philip@thewinedepository.com.au

Pira - One of the modern masters of Piedmont.

On Arrival Zeppole al Formaggio - Parmesan Fritters

Paitin Roero Arneis 2009 Lovely drinking. Appley, floral, mealy, nice mid weight palate, zesty acidity and clean finishing. This matched brilliantly with parmesan fritters and showed the strength of the whites in the area.

Entree Fettuccine al Ragu Lucano - Handmade fettuccine with traditional three meat ragu

Brezza Fossati Dolcetto d’Alba 2008 Choosen to represent the Northern style of Dolcetto. Dry, compost, spice and cloves. Very earthy. The palate was dark, earthy with a stoney minerality. Nice structure too.

Luigi Pira Dolcetto d’Alba 2008 Representing Southern Cru Dolcetto. Red fruits, rose petals, meaty with a hint of 'funky' sulphides and terracotta notes.
The palate was dry, spicy and clean. Despite being light of weight it packed a fair punch of tannins which the fettuccine soaked up brilliantly.

The first bracket of reds certainly set a high standard.

Brezza Barbera d’Alba Santa Rosalia 2009 Showing unoaked Barbera, this wine had the classic cherry & red berry with a hint of roses. The palate was plush, soft and easy drinking. It was a hint simple, but incredibly drinkable and enjoyable. |

Paitin Campolive Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2008 The superiore refers to a wine that has an extra level of ripeness - something that is celebrated in cold climates. This was definitely a step up in quality. It showed more density, earthy, graphite and tea leaf characters to balance out the red berry fruits. The palate made a nice tart element along with a pretty bergamot note. A really great example of Barbera.  

There seemed to be an even split between love for Barbera and Dolcetto at the table.

Mains Spezzatino Rustico di Capretto al Forno - Kid Goat baked 'rustico' with fresh grated pecorino.

The big show. Nebbiolo is definitely the pinnicle of Piedmont.

Bruno Giacosa Casa Vinicola Nebbiolo d’Alba 2009 A lovely entry point to Nebbiolo, but don't let that fool you. This is a seriously good wine! Cherry, roses, tar, spice, waxy apple, earth and tea leaf. The palate showed silky red fruits, tart acidity and spices. It was long, lean and elegant. This is an excellent wine for the price!

Bruno Giacosa Casa Vinicola Barbaresco 2005 Despite its age this was just a baby. Dense, tea leaf, apple skin/waxy, tart red fruits. The palate was savoury, dry, mineral laden, and structured! Young and aggressive now, it was well balanced and has a great future ahead of it. It showed a great core of fruit and a lingering floral note on the finish. This was the most expensive wine on the table and it showed its pedigree really well.

Luigi Pira ‘Marenca’ Barolo 2005 Pira is a modern producer who uses new oak barriques in production of their top wines. This was a fair shift from the much more traditional Giacosa style that uses large format old oak. This really polarised the table, some loved it, some didn't. The wine did really open up and change with air though.
Initially it showed a lot of oaky, coconut and vanilla notes. It really dominated the nose. With air some plums and cherry came through. The palate was tannic, dry and very youthful. This was just a baby and I believe it will age wonderfully. As was proved with the next wine.

So elegant and refined.

Cheese & CoffeeFormaggi Misti - Selection of Italian Cheeses

Luigi Pira ‘Marenca’ Barolo 1998 This really shows how the Pira wines change with a bit of time. It was really tart, zesty, savoury, truffle, aniseed, earth and clay. The palate was silky with a tart mouthfeel. It was still quite young, but the balance was far better. This wine is approachable now but would benefit from about 5-10 (possibly more) years to really come together.

Patrizi Moscato d’Asti 2011 The traditional way to cleanse the palate after a meal before getting stuck into the Grappa. I was a hint sceptical at first, but after tasting it I have seen the light. This is a really lovely, fresh, vibrant slightly fizzy drink that is so refreshing. There was great balance between the grapey, floral notes, the light sweetness and the soft fizz. Contextually it was perfect and really easy drinking.

Brezza Grappa di Barolo NV There were more than a few turned up noses at the poor Grappa. It showed some obvious spirit character. But once you got beyond that you could see hints of the Nebbiolo that had been used to make it. The palate was really clean and I found my self reaching for one of the rejected glasses before too long.

Sadly, that was the end of the night. Apart from our quite old Taxi driver 'educating' us on the 'brilliance' of Justin Timberlake. But that is a story for another night...