Il Poggione Vertical

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

One of my favorite Brunello producers for years has been Il Poggione, located just below the town of Sant' Angelo in Colle. Owned by Leopoldo Franceschi, the wines are beautifully made by Fabrizio Bindocci, a strict traditionalist. He ages his Brunello only in large casks (botti grandi); a few years ago he switched coopers and now uses French oak rather than Slavonian.

Bindocci and his son Alessandro hosted several journalists including myself for a wonderful vertical tasting at the winery this past February. Not only was it a rare opportunity to try several vintages of this great Brunello at once, it was also a chance to taste what Brunello was like more than 40 years ago. As Brunello has become a collector’s item, many new estates have sprouted up over the past 10-15 years. When the Il Poggione wine was made in 1966, there were only 26 producers of Brunello; today there are over 150. The local wine scene has certainly changed, but the outstanding quality of Il Poggione has not!


1997
Deep garnet with a brick edge. Aromas of cedar, orange marmalade and a hint of truffle. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Earthy finish with very good fruit persistence. This should drink well for another 10-12 years. Outstanding

1991
Deep garnet with aromas of still fresh cherry, a hint of strawberry and cedar. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Long finish with beautiful acidity, subtle oak and refined tannins. Gorgeous wine – still with another 12-15 years of life to it. Outstanding

1988
Deep garnet with aromas of cedar, dried currant, sage and dried truffle. Medium-full with very good concentration. Very good fruit persistence and a long finish with a light herbal note. Lively acidity and subtle tannins. Drinking beautifully now, this should offer pleasure for another 7-10 years. Outstanding

1970
Pale garnet with a light edge. Aromas of dried currant, truffle and a hint of marmalade. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Quite elegant, this is beautifully balanced with subdued tannins. Nearing peak, this will drink well for another 5-7 years. Excellent

1966
Pale garnet with a brick edge. Aromas of cedar and truffle. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Lengthy finish with pinpoint acidity. At peak- enjoy over the next 3-5 years. Excellent


I tasted the 2004 at a separate event. Here is my review of that wine:
As this is one of my favorite producers of Brunello di Montalcino, I expected an outstanding wine from the 2004 vintage; I was not let down. Deep bright garnet with aromas of red cherry, wild strawberry and cedar. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Generous mid-palate and an elegant entry on the palate. Long, long finish with excellent fruit persistence, lively acidity and young, refined tannins. Typical class! Best in 15-20 years. Outstanding

Fabrizio Bindocci, Winemaker, Il Poggione (Photo ©Tom Hyland)

So much goes into making a great wine. Certainly having great material in the vineyards helps; Fabrizio Bindocci mentioned that as the local weather has been getting slightly warmer over the past few years, they have been planting new clones specifically created to work better at higher temperatures.

But perhaps the principal reason the Il Poggione team succeeds so brilliantly is their humility along with a constant belief that they can always improve the quality of their products. "I never think I make the best wine," Bindocci told me. "That way I can make better and better wine every year."

The Faces of Piemonte

For me, many of the best wines are intertwined with the people that make them. Perhaps that’s my primary reason why I love the wines of Piemonte so much (there are many reasons, of course). This is a land where third, fourth and fifth generation farmers and vintners are growing grapes and making wines that reflect their viticultural area as well as themselves. These aren’t wines made by committee that are market-driven; rather these are individual offerings that speak to producing what the land offers.

There are numerous personalities in Piemonte who have impressed me with the straightforward approach they lend to their work. Take a look at the photo above of Sergio Barale – here’s someone you can trust to deliver honest wines. His Barolos (Barale Fratelli) from the Castellero vineyard – and now from the famous Cannubi vineyard - are steeped in tradition. Aged in large wood, the wines have excellent varietal purity, refined tannins and healthy acidity; they will age gracefully. Barale puts just as much effort into his Barbera and Dolcetto as well; elegant and tasty, these are ideal wines to accompany local cusisine. Even his Chardonnay, a grape not widely planted in Piemonte is refreshing and attractive, as he avoids wood aging, preferring to let the fresh fruit shine through. Sergio is also quite humble; if he gets a good score in a magazine, well that’s fine, I guess, but I’ve never heard him talk about that subject. For Sergio, it’s all about making authentic, subdued wines.


How about Matteo Ascheri – is this the face of someone who enjoys what he’s doing? Matteo is the proprietor of Cantine Giovanni Ascheri in Bra, located just outside the Barolo zone. He produces a wide range of wines, from a complex Arneis to intensely fruity and wonderful bottlings of Dolcetto to two gorgeous Barolos from his Sorano vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba. While these Barolos do share many traits of a typical Barolo from this commune – beautiful structure for long-term aging - these are a bit more perfumed than the typical Serralunga Barolos. Keep an eye out for these wines; his bottlings from the 2004 vintage were remarkably elegant with lovely red cherry and cedar aromas backed by silky tannins. If you’re ever in Bra, make sure you visit the cellars and plan on enjoying lunch at the osteria Matteo owns (Osteria Murivecchi, right next to the winery), which offers extremely well prepared pastas and meats. Keep room for the outstanding selection of cheeses, especially the local toma.



Many vintners have graciously spent plenty of time with me during my visits, answering my seemingly endless questions over a glass of wine in their cellar or at a local trattoria. Alessandro Locatelli of Rocche Costamagna has been one of the kindest, showing me around not only his vineyards, but those of his neighbors in La Morra as well. Along with detailed cellar tours and tastings at his winery, Alessandro has been instrumental in helping me understand the local terroir, so I can see why his Barolo tastes quite different from one produced in a different commune. He was awarded the prestigious Tre Bicchieri rating from Gambero Rosso for his 2004 Rocche dell’Annunziata Barolo. Certainly in my eyes, this award was both for the wine and for the vision he has had for many years now of crafting the most elegant, authentic Barolos (as well as some tantalizingly delicious Dolcettos) he possibly can.


Finally, Pietro Ratti has been invaluable to me regarding the history of Barolo. His father Renato was one of the most respected vintners of this area, especially for his work in mapping out the indivdual crus and sub-zones of Barolo back in the late 1970s. Pietro today carries on the message of the importance of these sites, telling me the work in Barolo today, “has moved from the cellar into the vineyards.” Energetic, positive and graceful, Pietro always seems to have a smile on his face. Perhaps that’s because he recognizes how fortunate he is to carry on the tradition of his father.

There are so many more people in Piemonte I am indebted to – and I didn’t even mention the vintners in Barbaresco or Asti! I guess I’ll have to write about them in a future post.


One final note- I am off to Puglia for several days, so no new posts for the next week or so, but I’ll report on these wines next time.