VOS Italian Portfolio Tasting

I just attended the VOS Italian Portfolio Tasting and here are my notes.

I started with an entire table of what seemed liked the full gamut of Italian whites. The Beato Bartolomeo Pinot Grigio had a lot more flavor than I am accustomed to tasting with Pinot Grigio. I enjoyed the Poggio Argentiera Vermentino, although I have difficulty discerning a flavor profile of that grape in general. As always, the Janare Falanghina from Calabria is a nice alternative to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The Fazio Grillo had a nice saline quality to it. The Tola Catarratto was a bit oxidized, but I enjoyed it.

Then we moved on to some sparkling. The star here was the Rocchi Vernaccia di Serrapetrona Spumante Dolce. Unlike Lambrusco, which often tastes like sparkling, moderately alcoholic red grape juice, this wine had an unmistakably identifiable nose of still red wine. The attack was fruity, but there was a lovely, intense mid-palate of darker fruit, and it lingered on the finish. In my opinion, an absolutely incredible bottle.

Next stop: Sicily. The Tola Ner D'Avola was unremarkable except for the typical pruny finish. I was underwhelmed by Fazio's lineup of Nero, Nerello, and the whites (Grillo and Catarratto). Tenuta Gatti offered two reds that were Nocera based, my first foray into this obscure Sicilian red varietal. I enjoyed the wines to some extent, but my palate detected acetone, which turned me off. The winner for Sicily (by a landslide) was the 2007 Muglia Castello Solicchiata, the winery's interpration of a Bodeaux blend: 70% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a nose that made me not want to drink it, it was so beautiful. Overwhelming notes of pomegranate. A truly rarified perfume. On the palate, bright red fruit with a darker, perhaps even balsamic vinegar quality. This wine is exceptionally balanced and drinking very, very well.

I was disappointed by the lineup of Calabrese wines, especially the Aglianicos. I am a huge Aglianico supporter, and recommend it to people who are looking for Barolo or Nebbiolo at a more modest price point. Janare and Carbone did not impress me. To be honest, I would have never imagined that these wines were Aglianico. The Giovanni Zullo Primitivo had nice notes of prose petals but a bitter finish. At $8 a bottle at cose, I would entertain the idea of bringing it on as an entry-level Primitivo (is there anything but an entry-level Primitivo?), but my mind is not made up. I enjoyed trying Petrilli's lineup of Pugliese reds, including their Nero di Troia and their Nero di Troia blend (including Sangiovese, Montepucliano, and Bombino...what is Bombino??), but it wasn't good enough to include it on my list of things to buy. Also, I wasn't pleased with the Scala Gaglioppo. I'll stick with Statti.

Omero Moretti offered a nice lineup of Umbrian Sagrantino-based reds. The 2008 Sagrantino di Montefalco was a gorgeous bottle, offering tannic structure that would put Barolo to shame. In my opinion, these wines are still too young. I'd give them another 4-5 years before partaking.

I was grateful to re-introduce myself to Marco Zanichelli, winemaker of Badia di Morrona in Tuscany. I very much enjoyed his more high-end red blands. The 2009 Taneto is Syrah-based, which I love already simply because it's difficult to find a bottle of Italian red that is based on Syrah. It has nice creamy notes to it. I feel Syrah fares much better than Cabernet and Merlot in Tuscan soils, but I know that there are those who disagree with me on that point.

The wines of Fattoria di Petroio were nice, if not textbook. Unfortunately (or forunately?!), the winemakers, Diana Lenzi, was also playing chef for the day, and offered a delicious spread of Italian classics, from risotto to polenta to faro with basil pesto to foccaccia. I cannot complain. Her Chianti are softer and less tannic than I expected.

Poggio Argentiera. Morellino has a reputation of being softer than Chianti or, say, Bolgheri or Maremma, and this stereotype holds true of these wines. I guess it's common to blend Ciliegiolo with the Sangiovese here. They bottle a 100% Cigliegolo, which offers bright notes. I wanted to enjoy this wine, given the fact that I love obscure Italian varietals, but I can see why they rarely use this grape by itself. It functions better as a complement to Sangiovese.

The Mate Rosso and Brunelo di Montalcino were fine. Presumably these vineyards sit right next to those of Gaja. Alright, fine. Did I get the complexity of, say, Camigliano? No.

Next we move on to the Vallee D'Aoste. La Juiva offers a red made postly of Nebbiolo, which the locals call Picatendro.