Treasure Trove

I’ve made 40 trips to Italy and during those visits, I’ve been able to meet so many wonderful people throughout that beautiful country. For me, this is the best way to learn about the wines of a particular region or country; head there and meet with the people who grew the grapes or harvested them or made the wine in the cellar. Pairing the wines with local foods has been icing on the cake. I wouldn’t trade these journeys for anything in the world.

However, there are still some great wines from Italy I’m managed to miss while I’ve been over there. You just can’t be everywhere, so there are some famous bottlings I’ve never had, as a particular producer didn’t participate in a wine fair or tasting and I didn’t get the time to visit him or her. When that happens, I’ve had to taste them at events in this country. It’s not Italy, but the opportunity to try these wines is too good to pass up.

Recently, I had the good fortune to catch up on some great Italian wines I wasn’t that familiar with when I attended the Domaine Select Grand Tasting, held at The Four Seasons Restaurant in New York City. This was the 10th anniversary of the company, founded by Paolo Domeneghetti and his wife Allison. Together with a committed team, thay have assembled an outstanding portfolio of artisan Italian estates (they also represent some great producers from Germany, Austria, France, Chile, Argentina and a few other countries). Here are just a few of the Italian producers they represent: Massolino, Fontanafredda, Villa Sparina, Il Palazzone, COS, Le Macchiole and J. Hofstatter.

If that wasn’t enough, they also have some true gems that I think are among the best wine estates in the world. Foremost among these is Soldera, the great Brunello estate operated by Gianfranco Soldera, who labels his Brunello di Montalcino as Case Basse. Soldera is committed to traditional winemaking, in the sense that he ferments and ages his wine in large wooden casks – no small oak here. Yet, he also ages his wines for various periods of time, usually surpassing the minimum time frame necessary in Montalcino. Thus while the current release of Brunello from almost every Brunello producer is the 2004, the newest release from Soldera is the 2002 Riserva. I sampled that wine at the event along with the 2001 and was truly amazed at these wines. Both offer great varietal purity; these wines are all about red cherry fruit with light cedar and spice notes – no toasty vanilla notes in these bottlings! Soldera’s 2002 is clearly the finest Brunello I’ve tasted from that rather dull vintage, while the 2001 Riserva is a spectacular wine, with great concentration of fruit and textbook structure. All of those producers that think they need to wow consumers with flashy wines need to taste these bottlings. Why go for the instant gratification of super ripe fruit and big oak when you can make a wine in this fashion? Thanks to Gianfranco Soldera for making these wines and thank to Domaine Select for tasting them out.


I also tried one exceptional white wine I’ve never had before and it was quite rare; the 2005 Vitoska from Vodopivec aged in amphora. Vodopivec specializes in this rare variety, grown in the Carso district of the Friuli region. This zone is located in the far southeastern reaches of Friuli between the Adriatic Sea and the border with Slovenia. This is natural winemaking at its most intense, as the grapes are kept in contact with the skins for six months in amphora pots buried underground. Afterwards the wine is then aged in large casks for two years; the final result is magnificent. This is a richly textured white with an explosion of pear and melon fruit on the palate and a rich, lengthy finish with bracing acidity. It’s quite a statement and it’s a testament to the philosophy of brothers Paolo and Valter Vodopivec and of course, the growing area of Carso.

Both the Soldera and the Vodopivec were served later that evening at a superb dinner at the Four Seasons; the Brunello acompanying Filet Mignon, while the Vitoska was paired with Brooklyn Ricotta Ravioli (yes, you read that right!). Each course was served with four special wines from the portfolio of Domaine Select, so the filet was also matched with the Le Macchiole Paleo (Cabernet Franc) along with two other wines while the ravioli could be tasted with the unique 2003 Ribolla Gravner, an “orange” wine if there ever was one (I’m referring here to the cult craze of wines such as the Gravner, which have very deep color; the orange hue is not a flaw in the wine.)

In closing, thank you to the vintners who made these special wines and thank you to Paolo and Alison Domeneghetti for arranging this wonderful day and congratulations on ten successful years!

Bolgheri - Part One - The Establishment

Sebastiano Rosa, Winemaker and Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, owner, Tenuta San Guido (Photo ©Tom Hyland)


This is part one of a two-part series on my recent visit to Bolgheri - Tom Hyland


Ah to be in Bolgheri in February! February you say? While it’s a time of the year than can be a bit cold and overcast and while the buds have yet to bloom, it’s a great moment to be in this area. The air is crisp, the nights are clear and best of all, the tourists haven’t taken over the environs. So I get to visit estates, taste the latest releases and talk with the vintners, all at a leisurely pace.

During my two full days in Bolgheri along Tuscany’s west coast, I worked in a nice mix of famous producers as well as some smaller, lesser-known ones. Tenuta San Guido, where Sassicaia is produced, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia and Le Macchiole fit the former description while Guado al Melo and Enrico Santini represent the estates that are not household names, yet produce some excellent wines, several of which are fine values.

I'll discuss the latter two estates in my next post on Bolgheri; for the time being, let's talk about the big boys. There has been so much written about Sassicaia and Ornellaia over the years that it’s difficult to come up with anything new. In this case however, that’s a good thing, as the wines remain as great as ever. At Tenuta San Guido, winemaker Sebastiano Rosa and owner Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta led me through a tasting of four different vintages, from the 2005, released last year up to the 2008, which will not be in the marketplace until 2011. Each wine is outstanding; the standard blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc creates a ripe, gusty, spicy, powerful wine that ages for 20-25 years. The current 2006 is impressive in its complexity and the 2007 and 2008 promise even more with slightly higher acidity. This is clearly a case of “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.” The producer’s other wines, “Le Difese,” a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese and Guidalberto, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend, are also beautifully crafted and are meant for consumption within 5-7 years. (note- legendary winemaker Giacamo Tachis still acts as consulting enologist here; Sebastiano Rosa has taken over the everyday winemaking duties.)

At Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, the signature wine also remains one of the best reds of Italy. This is a slightly different blend than the Sassicaia, as Ornellaia is a cuvée of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot. As powerful as Sassicaia, it is a bit more polished than that offering. This is not to say the wine is better, it is just a bit more subdued in its approach, though hardly less powerful, as the new 2006 bottling will age well for 20 years plus. The second wine, “Le Serre Nuove,” a blend with a greater percentage of Merlot and slightly less Cabernet Sauvignon, is a marvelous wine with sumptuous aromas, great complexity and marvelous Bolgheri terrior. Retail prices vary for any wine in the United States, but I’ve seen an average price for this wine between $60-$65, making this a relative bargain. It’s a wine you can store for 7-10 years and it’s a great choice to show off Bolgheri without getting into $100 and higher.

Bottles of Ornellaia and Masseto (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

One final note from Ornellaia and it’s the 100% Merlot known as Masseto, produced from a gorgeous 18 acre vineyard at the estate. This is a magnificent wine, full-bodied with tremendous concentration and remarkable structure. It’s a good a Merlot as I’ve had from anywhere in the world; I expect the 2005 bottling to be at its best in 25-30 years. Some writers have compared this wine to Chateau Petrus; while I rarely get a chance to try that wine, I’m not about to argue with this assessment. It’s difficult to find this wine, as most of it goes to a few select restaurants and it is quite expensive – it retails for over $300 a bottle – but it is one of the world’s great red wines.



Cinzia Merli, owner of Le Macchiole (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

I mentioned the big boys of Bolgheri, but you need to add at least one dynamic woman to that list. Cinzia Merli has been running Le Macchiole for several years since her husband passed away and she has performed her duties brilliantly. Her wines are beautiful with deep fruit and elegant structure and most assuredly belong in any discussion of Bolgheri’s best. She has been producing 100% varietal wines for some time now; according to regulations, she has had to label them as IGT Toscana Rosso, as Bolgheri DOC wines must be blended. But now these laws are changing and Merli will be able to sell these wines as Bolgheri DOC. These include Scrio, made exclusively from Syrah, Messorio, a monovarietal Merlot and her finest wine, Paleo produced solely from Cabernet Franc. This last wine (2005 is the current release) is a superior effort with enticing aromas of lavender, pink peppercorn and chocolate and excellent depth of fruit. Cinzia Merli is such a delightful person – it’s so nice to see her doing so well!

3-liter bottle of Paleo, Le Macchiole (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

A Dinner to Remember

Leopoldo Franceschi, owner of Il Poggione (Photo ©Tom Hyland)


I just returned from nine days in Toscana, tasting new releases of Chianti Classico, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino (the oustanding 2004 vintage) and Bolgheri. There were many highlights, including visiting Ornellaia, Sassicaia and Le Macchiole on the same day as well as meeting many long-time (and several new) friends in various locales along the way. Over the next few weeks, I’ll report about my experiences; today my first post about the trip regards a wonderful dinner I attended near Montalcino.

The dinner was held on February 19 at the winery of the famous Brunello producer, Il Poggione. Joining that producer as co-host of the dinner was Col d’Orcia, a nearby estate that shares a similar history. Both produce Brunello in a traditional style – aged in large casks – and both have been producing Brunello for more than 40 years. Today there are more than 150 producers of Montalcino’s most famous wine, but in the mid 1960s, when these two estates were going strong, there were fewer than 30.

The dinner was a great opportunity to compare both new and old wines from these houses. The first pairing was of the 2007 Rosso di Montalcino; we then moved on to the newly released 2004 Brunellos from both. Each Rosso is full of fruit with only subtle wood notes, while their respective bottlings of 2004 Brunello were first-rate. The Il Poggione is a touch riper and fuller on the palate with beautiful acidity, while the Col d’Orcia is a bit more subdued with stronger tannins; both should be drinking well in another 20 years.



Chef Roberto Rossi of Silene Ristorante (Photo ©Tom Hyland)


To show off the evening’s wines to perfection, the winery principals hired a superb chef, Roberto Rossi, who practices his trade at his own restaurant called Silene in nearby Monte Amiata. I was assured by several locals that this restaurant is a true destination in the area and given this dinner, it’s easy to see why. Like most great Italian chefs, Rossi’s talent lies in the simplicity of his dishes combined with tremendous flavor. We enjoyed raviolini stuffed with pigeon and parmesan cheese with the current Brunellos and went on to dine on duck breast and veal with the older bottlings. There was a tremendous variety of gourmet delicacies served that night and most of us enjoyed every bite.

The final wines included two excellent pairings: the 1999 Il Poggione Riserva with the 2001 Col D’Orcia Riserva “Poggio al Vento” and the 1980 Il Poggione with the 1979 Col d’Orcia Riserva. What a treat to try these wines, as we were given a brief history lesson in how these gorgeous wines drink after a decade or more. The 1979 Col d’Orcia was particularly remarkable with striking fruit depth and beautiful acidity; I wouldn’t be surprised if this wine were drinking well in another ten years on its 40th birthday.

The last course was an incredible warm flan of pistacchio which was quite rich yet so delicate at the same time. The dessert offerings from the wineries – Moscadello di Montalcino made from the Moscato grape – were lightly sweet and beautifully suited to this treat. Of course, grappas were offered, but I was stuffed (to say the least) by this time, so it was time to say goodbye and thank my hosts, Leopoldo Franceschi of Il Poggione and Edoardo Virano of Col d’Orcia for their invitation to a dinner I will not forget any time soon!