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

Barbaresco Dinner at Mezzo 02/07/12

That is right folks, it has been an Italian-a-thon in my tasting circles. But far out it has been a great adventure. This was my third Italian wine event in a week and while I was a bit tired, my enthusiasm for their wines is as strong as ever.

This dinner revolved around the 2001 vintage of Produttori del Barbaresco. Last month we tasted a range of their magnificent 2007s at Matteo's.

2001 was an excellent vintage in Barbaresco and we were all keen to see if an extra six years meant the wines were softer and more seductive.

The short answer is not yet. Like the 2007s they were tannic, acidic and chewy. But they did possess an impressive core of densely packed fruit. They just need a lot of time. And by that I mean 15 or more years. Which for some people is a scary prospect. Which is why you have to start your cellar when you are young.

We had quite a long chat about the value of the wines and if people would be willing to cellar them. The consensus was no. Because people are not sure the wines will come around. I love these wines and feel they are as good if not better than a lot of Bordeaux and Burgundy. They are also significantly better value in my humble opinion.  

So the challange has been laid on Patrick to find some really lovely older examples to prove just how good these wines are at their peak.

Until then I can reminisce about the good times I had with these wines.


A likely looking lot. This was all the 2001s we tasted with 2007 'minders'

Charles Orban Blanc de Blancs NV A lovely, fresh, clean and crisp Champagne that went perfectly with yummy oysters from Merrimbula and my favourite Mezzo starter arancini balls.

The six wines from Producttori del Barbaresco we tasted below were all from 2001. Patrick put them in order from most elegant to the beefiest (that is an authentic wine term!). These were all dry and savoury wines with long and clean acidity and hefty tannins. They were all so young and vibrant but tightly packed.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Moccagatta' Red, currants, stoney, hint of rubber and spice. The palate was spicy, with hints of oak, pepper, rocket and brilliant length. Definitely the lightest of the line up in terms of weight and tannin intensity but probably one of the best balanced.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Rabaja' Oxy dark berries, olives and a hint of oyster shell. This wine was a bit shy at first but eventually jumped out of the glass and was one of the favourites of the night. The palate was beautifully sweet with red fruits, floral - rose petal notes. Very long and refined. This was a pleasure to drink.


The sleek and sexy wine. It was lovely drinking.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Pora' This wine had the most overt nose. Cardomom, floral/roses, aniseed, smoke/flint and jubey fruit. In the mouth it was dark, smokey/flinty/stoney, very long, vibrantly fruited on the finish and firmly acidic. This was the most complete and the best balanced of the wines. It really showed well on the night and was my favourite for drinking. 

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Asili' Initially this was my favourite wine. It showed lovely dense smoke, dark fruits, plums and toasty/spicy oak notes. The palate showed red and jube like fruits, tea leaf and was long and dense. But as the night wore on it became apparrent this wine was suffering from cork taint and by the end of the night it was definitively corked. Shame because this was the third vintage I had tried of this wine and the previous two were awesome. This will require re-tasting because it had so much potential!

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Ovello' This guy was a monster. Dark, earthy, dense with a hint of grapeyness. The palate was the tightest, most tannic and muscular. Great if you want to put a wine away from 25 or more years but once the food was gone it was pretty hard work to drink now.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Montestefano' It was almost perceptible the minute I sat at the table but this wine was so corked that it was DNPIM (Did Not Put In Mouth) and everyone was subtly pushing their glass as far away from themselves as they could. Stupid cork. Such an attention seeker!


Not sure why I always end up with bottles in front of me...

Seppeltsfield Rare Tokay In a break from two traditions we had no mystery wine and didn't have a Port. I have to say I missed the mystery wine experience sorely. However I was happy to be drinking such a classy fortified. Rich, silky, dense with lots of layers for flavours. This sort of wine really needs a nice hunk of blue cheese though, as I find the sweetness gets a bit much for my savoury obsessed palate.

As we were leaving Mezzo's owner Silvio gave me a taste of a mellow, elegant and vibrant Willows Cabernet 2002 and a caramel, stoney fruity and mid-weight Moss Wood Chardonnay 2010.  Not a bad job if you can get it.

Barbaresco Dinner at Matteo's 04/06/12

Continuing my Italian Odyssey (sadly without leaving Melbourne) Patrick's group assembled to taste most of the Single Cru wines from one of the worlds best cooperatives Produttori del Barbaresco
from the fantastic 2007 vintage.

It is a sight of beauty.

Barbaresco is in the region of Piedmont in North West tip of Italy, you can read a general overview of the region I wrote for TWDs Piedmont Dinner. Barbaresco is made with 100% Nebbiolo, a variety that packs a fair punch with tannin and acid power. They are notable for their ability to age and evolve very slowly for a very long time. The classic descriptor for the variety is "Tar and Roses" supported by a lot of savoury characters with some red fruits.
The 2007 vintage was celebrated for its long ripening season that allowed the grapes to reach maturity and therefore the resulting wines to be aromatic with plentiful but ripe tannin and a rich core of fruit. Something that was a common theme amongst the wines we tasted on the night.

None of these nights would function without Champagne. Happily it was the same one I loved at our last dinner at Mezzo Bar.

Lanson Gold Label Vintage 2002 Zesty and citrus with strong autolytic undertones. Really refreshing and enjoyable.

Sadly we did have to sacrifice doing our regular study of Riesling for this month. But it was for a good cause. 

The next eight wines are all from Producttori del Barbaresco and the vintage 2007. They are all single cru (single vineyard). First of all let me say that they were all excellent. They all showed a common theme of savoury wines with a tight core of fruit and a firm, ripe corset of tannins. Trying to split these in terms of quality was almost impossible, but it was well worth the 'headache'.These were all stunning wines and well worth tasting. But the other theme they all had in common is they need a lot of time. Check out TWDs Produttori del Barbaresco offer for pricing and availability.

Asili defintely stood out. But it was in great company.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Asili' Dry, floral - roses, cherry, stones, rubber, limestone, aniseed.
Tart, tannic and bacon fat, fine tannins, minerals, great length, great core, spicy, meaty, long, ripe. A very majestic wine and the wine that stood out to me as being the best in a great lot of wines.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Moccagatta'  Dense, earthy, fresh red lift, smokey, blood orange, dusty.
Tart, zesty, clean, crunchy, cardamom, herbal finish, dry fruit tannins.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Montefico' Light, spice, rubber, hint of mint?, sweet plums.
Plush and silky, smoke, mineral, fruit tannins, fruit cake, chocolate, comparatively soft.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Montestefano' Red currants, tart, fine, spice, earth, black stones, soot, pepper.
Round, silky, tart, mineral, fine, hint bitter, cardamom.

So hard to separate these wines.  

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Ovello' Roses, floral, red fruits, spice and sweet spices, ripe sweet fruits.
Dry, savoury, very tannic, cinnamon.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Paje' Dark, rubber, blue and black fruit, spice, tea leaf, dense, hint of oak.
Silky, dense, dark fruits, hint oaky palate too.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Pora' Red fruits, fresh, lively, tea leaf, deep, rich cinnamon.
Silky, dense, v tart, clean, cinnamon, good length. A very good wine.

Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Rio Sordo' Floral, red fruits, stones, tea leaf.
Great balance, red fruits, dry tannins, mineral drive, density and fat. Very, very good wine.

So similar yet so different. A great problem to have.

Options Wine - This month was a good lesson in not over thinking this part of the night!
Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva DOCG 'Asili' 1997 Initially it looked really old. Cloudy, brown and a bit unappealling to the eye. The nose was quite waxy, savoury, tea leaf, hint of VA and a fair whack of aniseed.The palate had undergrowth, sweet fruits, chocolate, red apple, rose petal. Fine, balanced and long.
At first I was thinking old Chateauneuf du Pape, but after re reading my notes for this post I don't know why, it reads like all the other Barbarescos we just tried. When we were told it was Barbaresco and from the same Cru as one of the wines already on the table I remember aniseed and went with the only other wine I had tasted that had that character. So atleast I picked the Cru.

This wine really opened up with time in the glass and with more time it showed its true class and value. These wines are seriously cheap for the quality level.

Like a kid at a candy store.

Fonseca 10yo Tawny Corked - curse the silly things. Given we were already quite full of Nebbiolo it was probably a good thing.

There was also a Macedon Pinot, glass of beer and a glass of Cognac. None of which I feel the need to remind myself of.

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...

Some Wine Re-Research

So these wines were happily spruiked in my current Cellar Dozen. But I do like to be thorough... and I really enjoyed them last time I tasted them.

Franz Haas Pinot Grigio DOC 2010  - I've tasted quite a few really good Gris/Grigio wines in the recent past and this is one of the most enjoyable ones. It is quite subtle at first but certainly opens up with a bit of swilling in the glass. The perfume is quite fresh and pure. Lots of lovely floral notes, hints of spice and apple/pear. The palate is really refreshing but has nice body from the lees aging. The balance between all the factors is a real highlight especially when it is lightly chilled (too cold and you will kill all the subtleness).

Speri ‘La Roverina’ Valpolicella DOC 2009 - Valpol is not a widely drunk style, but it really should be. It has all the weight and power of good warm climate shiraz but with more savouriness, moderate alcohol and balance.
Quite dark and backwards at first - looking like oxidised blackberries. It really picked up with time, showcasing it's true worth on the table. Lots of dark fruits, plums and spice. With hints of leather and some spiced meat/salami thrown in. As I mentioned there is a good bit of body to this wine, and some firm tannins on the back of the palate. What I really love in this wine is the savoury element. The Italians sure do excel at that and makes their wines unique and enjoyable drinking prospects.

Marcarini ‘Lasarin’ Nebbiolo delle Langhe DOC 2010 - Nebbiolo is like the Italian Pinot Noir. Once you start really appreciating it, it is hard to go passed it (or stop thinking about it). Haunting perfume, elusive flavours and lots of complexity. Oh and the tannins. So much tannin.
Despite the colour looking quite light this is not a meek wine. Again, it really needs time in the glass to open up (or ideally a few years). Cherries, rose petal, pepper, hung meats, earth and undergrowth. This wine just cycles through layers of flavours. In the mouth it is all action. Those monsterous Neb tannins are somewhat tamed for this wine but they still grip onto every part of your mouth. Despite this the flavours and the acidity still cut through the tannins and make it a pleasureable drinking experience. Highly recommended.


If these guys sound tasty you can always email or call 0418230482 to place an order. And if you want to take it to the next level, all their 'big brothers' are available in our Special Bottle Club this month.