March 6, 2013 · 2:23 am

Luciano Sandrone

One of the things I want to write in summarising my trip is to talk about some of the amazing people I met who imparted some of their wisdom and experience in wine and life. I am still in the process of looking back upon my blog archive which is taking me a lot longer than it should. But as it happens one of the people I intended to write about is making his first ever visit to Australia and I was lucky enough to be invited to a masterclass showing his wines here in Melbourne by the importer Bibendum Wines. This man is Luciano Sandrone, and after introducing him I will talk about why he had such an effect upon me.

Luciano Sandrone and myself when I visited in April 2012

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March 6, 2013 · 2:20 am

Luciano Sandrone – 4/3/2013

Dolcetto d’Alba 2011
Lovely and floral, brambly pomegranate, spicy sweet green pepper. Bright clear and fresh, wonderful acidity, nice tight clean finish, structure very fine but full of flavour without being simple.

Barbera d’Alba 2010
Denser and more intense, earthier and more savoury red fruits and violets. Focused yet round, clean lines yet nice and broad, tight focused fruit.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2010
Very aromatic intense floral dark fruit. Explosive structure, very intense fruit acid and tannin structure, very long and fine on the palate, very tight with plenty of aging potential.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2009
Hauntingly soft nose, very complex with cherry anise and delicate roses. Bright fresh and lively on the palate yet soft and intense, bombastic tannins yet refreshing acids, delicate structure and plenty of red fruits.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2008
Earthier darker and softer fruit, more focused mushroom savouriness, opening up over time. Very tight yet soft sweet fruit tannins, showing some chocolate and caramel notes as it develops.

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba 2007
Falling away a bit, drinking very well now, not a keeper. Possibly a product of the vintage it is lovely and soft and approachable but won’t improve much more in the bottle.

Le Vigne Barolo 2008
Some savoury Japanese sauce notes, intense ripe red fruits, very ruby. Tight and intense, packs a punch on the front palate, delicate and clean on the mid and back. Classic.

Cannubi Boschis Barolo 2008
Darker and more intense complexity. Softer warmer tannins yet explosive mid-palate, brooding tight tannins, bright dark red fruits. Needs plenty of time in bottle.

Le Vigne Barolo 2004
Softer and earthier with age, chocolate dust, soft red cherry and plum. Sleek and silky on the palate with plenty of tannins and acid, very bright red with tight focused freshness.

Cannubi Boschis Barolo 2004
More intense and masculine broody darkness, less fruit brightness on the nose. Richer, fuller and darker on the palate, bolder but softer structure, more tannin yet somehow more approachable than the ’04 Le Vigne.

Le Vigne Barolo 2003
Soft bright and a little simple in a closed way aromatically. Hot full soft and forward with some dense red fruit but lacking extension on the palate.

Cannubi Boschis Sibi et Paucis Barolo 2003
Slightly more foresty and chocolate on the nose. Denser and more expressive, holding together much better, darker fruit and sweeter tannins still with plenty of acid.

Le Vigne Sibi et Paucis Barolo 2002
Insanely complex intense yet shy on the nose. Showing very young despite age, still plenty of life in it, very tight structure and acidity.

Le Vigne Barolo 2001
Soft round red fruit earthiness on the nose. Dense and a little aggressive on the alcohol.

Bottles of Sandrone wine

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February 22, 2013 · 6:24 am

Re-adjusting

It’s an odd feeling looking back on a sixteen-month trip and trying to remember the places and experiences. Of course the further back I go the blurrier it tends to be, but there are still very clear and strong memories right from the beginning. I also have the benefit of a chronicle to refer to, which I am now in the process of doing. With roughly 200 entries to read through that’s likely to take me a while, and so I’m going to ask you to be patient as I’m also trying to organise my life and try and find sources of income.

Petaluma Riesling 1998
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February 22, 2013 · 6:21 am

February tastings

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 1998
Subtle dried coconut, lemon butter, creamy oily nuts. Subtle rich and creamy texture, oily and dense. Soft mid palate, exceptionally long.

Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 1998

Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling 2004
Very oily and keroseney, kumquat quince and orange blossom. A little closed flat and thin, creamy oily lanolin, lemon butter.

Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling 2004

Josef Chromy Pinot Gris 2012
Light crisp and spicy on the nose, a little orange rind and cinnamon. Full oily and a little sweet, warmish and a little aggressive, not enough fruit to support the weight.

Josef Chromy Pinot Gris 2012

Teusner ‘The Empress’ Riesling 2011 (Eden Valley)
Lovely crisp fresh citrussy lime and lemon, hints of white peach and green apples, slight flicks of minerality. Very vibrant fruit, juicy and full, bold in flavour and lacking in zingy acids compared to European examples, nice breadth and extension on the palate.

Teusner The Empress Eden Valley Riesling 2011

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February 15, 2013 · 12:35 am

Return to Oz

A few days ago I stepped onto Australian soil for the first time in 500 days. It is a pretty surreal experience returning home after having been on the move for so long, and seeing so many amazing and different countries. Firstly there is the fact that I have returned from sub-zero and icy temperatures in South Korea to warm and dry 30+ temperatures in Melbourne, and I can actually walk around in shorts and T-shirts like a proper Australian. I am also experiencing a kind of reverse culture-shock, as I had got so used to being in foreign and fascinating cultures and being somewhat out of my element. It probably doesn’t make sense to feel so out of place in my own home town.

I stopped in Seoul on the way home to visit a friend

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January 20, 2013 · 8:00 pm

Not what you think (Avellino, Italy)

One of the many things I’ve learnt on my journey has been to not make assumptions about things, wine or otherwise, the best thing is not listen to white noise or demons and angels on shoulders. This is one major reason I prefer to ignore a lot of wine critics and marketing hype as they can tend to cloud my judgement and enjoyment of things, in essence by not reading ‘professional’ assessment of wines or wineries, nor by reading much on wineries’ websites. What I have preferred to do is to visit a winery and establish my own impression and feel for the philosophy, approach and practices and then determine what I feel is important and good about the winery whilst avoiding the negative and generally unimportant things. A perfect example of an assumption I made was about the region of Campania, which I didn’t have the chance to visit when I was here previously, simply passing through from Puglia on the way to Sicilia when I stopped for a night in Napoli before boarding the ferry to Palermo. Not unlike every other region in Italy Campania has it’s own wine history, traditions, grape varieties and styles which it is deservedly proud of, but I was very wrong in my generalisation of this region as being warm and Mediterranean like much of southern-Europe. In fact it has a more continental climate thanks to the elevations and weather patterns provided by the mountains so close to the coast. On the only occasion that I had to visit wineries in Campania I chose to do so in Avellino which according to Jacopo Cossater is where some of the best white wines of the south come from, and I met with the two largest and most important representatives of the entire Campania region; Feudi di San Gregorio and Mastroberardino.
A model of the only thing to survive the 1980 earthquake in a nearby village, the abbey

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January 20, 2013 · 7:50 pm

Feudi di San Gregorio – 17/01/2013

Serrocielo Falanghina 2011
Lovely and bright, very fresh and aromatic, classic citrus and tropical melon fruits, clean and fruity. Balanced bright fresh and pure, light bodied and fresh, good minerality, straight-forward and approachable.

Pietracalda Fiano di Avellino 2011
More closed and less fruity, slightly more floral elements, honeyed lavender and musk, more seashell influence, a little iodine. More intense and full on the palate, textural and expressive, denser and longer on the palate, more complexity, warmer and more orchard fruit than citrus or tropical notes.

Cutizzi Greco di Tufo 2011
More basalt and dark minerality, rich ripe red citrus notes, ruby grapefruit and elderberry. Slightly wilder and almost earthier in nature, stone and orchard fruits, denser and masculine, a lot of dark minerality and some warmth and volume as well.

Aglianico dal Re 2010
Nice and dark, slightly dusty, fresh blackberries, some . Quite intense and tight, plenty of drive and focus but a little tight, not enough softness. Nice and light and approachable, fresh and clean. A tad green and undercooked.

Piano di Monte Vergine Taurasi 2007
Certainly more oaky and dark, reflections of the modern style but not too obvious, has had plenty of time in bottle to soften out the edges, need to see more aglianico to know if this is the right expression. Core of sweet dark concentrated fruit, bold and full but relatively soft and velvety, a touch sharp and also warm, intense and a little fiery, but good tannins and some sharpness. Not the style I would go for though.

Serpico 2008 (Irpinia Aglianico)
Tight and closed, intense but also brooding and shy, better integration of oak but somewhat muted fruit. Soft farily light but intense and fresh, not sweet or syrupy, quite intense warm and sharp focused tannins, long but good finish. More interesting and characterful than the previous wine, perhaps thanks to vintage.

Basilisco Aglianico del Vulture 2006
Very stinky rustic, possibly suffering some faults, bottle fault or wine fault?

Basilisco Aglianino del Vulture 2007
Not much better to be honest. Rustic and wild, sharp tannins, quite different and unique. Not bad as much as hard for many to understand and appreciate, and easy for people to say it is fantastic as it is so undeniably rustic and old-world.

Mastroberardino Greco di Tufo

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January 17, 2013 · 6:48 pm

Mastroberardino – 17/01/2013

Morabianca Irpinia Falanghina 2011
Citrus mineral freshness, bright juicy and a little salty, a little floral with also some tight tropical notes. Lovely balance, wonderful freshness, full of life and character but also exceptionally easy-drinking friendly and approachable. Nice lines with a small hint of musk.

Radici Fiano di Avellino 2011
Much more oily and stone fruit aroma, quite mineralic and almost kerosene-like, Lovely and fresh, a little fuller and longer on the palate, deeper fruit, tighter and very focused, wonderfully balanced, nice density and viscosity but not cloying.

Nova Serra Greco di Tufo 2011
Denser orchard fruits, darker deeper florals, more clay derived earthiness, The most dense and concentrated, very powerful but also subtle expression of fruit, builds wonderfully on the palate, structured and earthy, mineral texture and complexity.

Lacrimarosa 2011
Nice clean fresh red fruits, cherry strawberry. A little fruit sweetness to keep things pleasant, but nice and dry with a very slight savoury edge, a slightly creamy finish.

Radici Taurasi 2007 (Aglianico)
Very dense dark and a little smoky, round ripe rubbery, slightly oaky. Soft intense tight focused tannins, bold and powerful expression but still plenty of freshness and well integrated oak. Wonderful balance, focus and drive, expressive and fresh now with plenty of ageing potential. Lot’s of tannin.

Radici Taurasi Riserva 1998
Wonderfully bright and fresh with fruit for a wine of this age, subtly rustic in a very complex integrated way, showing some lovely bottle-aged characters as well. Amazingly focused yet complex, balanced soft yet intense and full of character, gentle supple and velvety tannins, amazing length and elegance. Lively and plenty of acid to keep things all integrated.

Mastroberardino

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January 15, 2013 · 2:20 pm

Polarising (Umbria, Italy – Day Three)

I have had the pleasure of meeting a great many people who work in wine over the course of my journey who have all imparted wisdom to me, and I hope that I have given some small amount in return as this is the essence of wine communication, that in travels in two directions. Most of the people have been hosts at wineries that I have visited, but a few of them I either met also visiting wineries or simply in unconnected situations, like a woman who consults business strategy and communication to small wineries in Italy whilst having lunch in Beaune, France. Someone I met whilst in Sicily was a wine journalist and blogger originally from Verona but now living with his recently married wife in Perugia. At the time he was making a much smaller version of my own journey in the south of Italy, including Campania, Calabria, Molise and Abruzzo. His name is Jacopo Cossater and he not only contributes to the most important wine magazine in Italy and the most visited wine website in Italy, but he also regularly writes on his own site enoicheillusioni. We met whilst visiting one of my favourite winemakers in Italy, Arianna Occhipinti, and shared some discussions over several meals whilst in Sicily. I was thrilled to catch up over dinner with Jacopo and his lovely wife Laura with my parents when we visited Perugia, and even more so when he invited me to visit a few of his favourite producers around Perugia in Montefalco and Spoleto. Regretfully I forgot to bring my camera so the images in this post have been taken with many thanks from the websites of the producers in question.
Vines are only outnumbered by olive trees here

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January 12, 2013 · 5:13 pm

Collecapretta – 10/01/2013

2012 Trebbiano Spoletino
Again, lovely floral aromatics, juicy fresh musky, clean salty stone fruits. Some sharpness but also crispness, sweet core of fruit with lots of body and weight, nice roundness and density, not too fruity but generous and full of character.

Terre dei Preti 2011
Same orange colour, skin contact and oxygen contact. Honeyed syrupy dried floral, glazed apricot, betrays the wine as it smells like a dessert wine. Syrupy and weighty like a dessert wine, textural and full in flavour, consistent with aromatics. Sharp and plenty of acidity, but not a commercial wine in my opinion. Too different.

Il Rosato 2011
Apparently closed initially, tight and savoury at first, a little wild and earthy, very interesting for a rose wine, expect more fruit. Full warm and dense, very ripe and rich in darker fruit, certainly savoury with some sharpness to it but a fascinating style of rose. Great food wine, opening up over time. Raspberries and red apricots, plenty of acidity.

Le cese Sangiovese 2010
Deep dark earthy and intense, full rough around the edges, savoury and rustic, oodles of black fruit. Sweet core of black fruits, dark molasses consistency, very late harvested and quite hot. Not heavy or aggressive tannins, but extremely hot, hiding a lot of the other components of the wine.

Selezione Le Cese 2007
Wild earthy savoury meaty and leathery, dark red fruits, oxidatively old-world. Intense bright and fresh on the front, wonderful fruit and density, plenty of tannin and warmth, intense round and generous, extremely high quality, a product of the vintage and the vines, delicate and very long finish.

Le Cese 2005
Tighter and more focused, earthy and sharp, dusty and the character of bosco, a tad green, lean and mean. Fresh and intense, good sound dark fruits, round and dense with plenty of depth. Concentrated full and warm. Lovely generous tannins, nice and round, less characteristically old-world, could possibly come from anywhere. Great with parmigiano.

Copyright Az.Agr.Mattioli Vittorio Aprile 2011

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