Rose Champagne for the New Year!

What better way to ring in the New Year then with Rose Champagne? Every year the December tasting and lunch of the Wine Media Guild at Felidia is Champagne. The speaker is always Ed “Champagne” Mc Carthy, author of Champagne for Dummies. This year Ed chose Rose Champagne, non-vintage and vintage, for the tasting and lunch.

 Champagne NV

Ariston Fils Brut Rose, NV. It is about 50% Pinot Noir with a very high percentage of reserve wines (30%) from older vintages. This makes it very consistent from year to year and gives it mature flavors. The wine has good bubbles and aromas of wild strawberries. Ed said that this was a very traditional producer with a long history though not well known in this country. This was the first time I had tasted this wine and felt it was a great buy for $40.

 Ayala Brut Rose “Majeur” NV. This is made from 45% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier. Ed said that it had “Latin Roots” as the founder came from South America. Ed liked it and felt that it was an elegant, light style champagne. He also recommended their Dosage Zero NV. I agree with Ed and the Rose is another good buy for $50.

 Piper-Heidsieck Brut Rose “Sauvage” NV. It is made from 45% Pinot Noir and $40% Pinot Meunier and 15% Chardonnay. Ed said the wine was very fruity (which may be accounted for by the 40% Meunier) lots of ripe berry fruit flavors. He believed the wine was aimed at the “young market” $45.

 Nicholas Feuillatte Brut Rose NV. Made from 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier and 10% Chardonnay. This is a dry light wine but with a lot of fruit. It was the lightest wine in the tasting, the least expensive, and should be drunk young. $39

 G.H. Mumm, Cordon Rouge Brut Rose NV. Made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Ed really likes this wine. He said it was “excellent” and a great buy at $60

 Bruno Paillard Rose Brut Premiere Cuvee NV. Made from 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay grapes. Ed said that the wine was light bodied, with very little dosage, delicate in flavor, elegant and easy drinking. It goes very well with food. He liked it and so did I. $70

 Henriot Brut Rose NV the wine is made by adding vinified Pinot Noir as a red wine tothe assemblage. It is mostly Pinot Noir with some Chardonnay. It contains about 25% of reserve wine. I liked it. $58

 Delamotte Brut Rose NV. It is mostly Pinot Noir with some Chardonnay. It had aromas and flavors of raspberry and I think it would make a great aperitif or dessert wine. $85

 Charles Heidsieck Brut Rose Reserve NV. Mostly Pinot Noir with some Chardonnay. This is a big wine but elegant at the same time with hints of strawberries and spice. $70

 Bollinger Brut Rose NV. Made from 62% Pinot Noir (6% finished Pinot Noir wine),24% Chardonnay and 14% Pinot Meunier. 5-10% of the blend comes from reserve wines and it is aged from 5-15 years in magnums under natural cork. Hints of strawberries and raspberries. $80

Vintage Champagne

 For the vintage champagne Ed said that 2001and 2005 were not very good years. Look for 2002, 2004 and 2006.

 Deutz Brut Rose 2006.  Made from 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay. This is a well balanced wine with aromas of cherries, red currents and pomegranates, and hints of strawberries in the aftertaste and finish. Ed thinks that this is one of the most underrated Champagne Houses and he really likes their wines $76.

 Louis Roederer Brut Rose 2002. 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. 20% of the wine is vinified in oak barrels with weekly batonnage and there is no malolatic fermentation. They use the saignee method for their Rose. Ed said they now make the wine in a more fruity style than they did in the past. This was a full bodied wine, and elegant with delicate red fruit aromas and flavors. 2002 was an excellent vintage. It is a very good buy for $65.

 Perrier-Jouet “Fleur de Champagne” Brut Rose 2002 To the basic blend of 50 percent Chardonnay (from Cramant), 45 percent Pinot Noir and 5 percent Pinot Meunier, about 14/15 percent Pinot Noir wine (from Bouzy) is added. The Cramant dominates the style.   This is a complex wine. It is light and elegant and very subtle but as Ed pointed out it will be able to age for a long time. It was the most expensive wine at the tasting $275.00

 Gosset “Celebris” Rose Brut 2003. Made from 68% Pinot Noir (25% is Grand Cru) with an additional 7% of still Pinot Noir added, and 25% Chardonnay. There were red berry flavors and aromas with a very pleasing finish and aftertaste.  2003 was a difficult vintage in champagne but Ed said they did a very good job with this wine. $199.00

 Tattinger Comtes des Champagne Brut Rose 2004. It is 100% Grand Cru Pinot Noir. They use the more difficult skin contact method to obtain the exquisite salmon-pink color. This is everything Rose Champagne should be and more. This is a wine with wonderful red fruit aromas and flavors, full bodied, subtle and elegant with a great finish and aftertaste. It is a Rose that can age. $225.00 and worth it!

 Paul Roger Brut Rose 2002. 60% Pinot Noir (15% of Pinot Noir added as a still wine from the same vintage for color) and 40% Chardonnay. This is a light elegant wine with good red fruit and a very nice finish and aftertaste. This is the champagne that Michele and I will ring in the New Year! $95

 Charles Heidsieck Brut Rose 1999. Made from 75% Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier in equal percentages and 25% Chardonnay, with the addition of red Pinot Noir wine for color. Ed described this wine as having rich red berry flavors, and good acidity with a lot of character and I think it was his favorite of the tasting. I also liked the wine and was surprised that it was still in excellent condition for a Rose almost 12 years old. $90

 Ed said that because of the higher percentage of Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier, Rose Champagnes have a slightly lower acidity than other Champagnes. This makes them age faster. With the exception of the prestige cuvee roses, Rose Champagnes should be drunk while they are still young and fresh and aromatic.

 Happy New Year!

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A Unique White And Traditional Barolo At The Elvio Cogno Winery

Azienda Agricola Cogno

The View from the Cogno Winery on a Clear Day

The fog had lifted and it was a bright clear day as we arrived at the Elvio Cogno winery at the top of Bricco Rivera, near Novello, one of the eleven communes in which Barolo is produced in the Langhe region of Piemonte. For many years Elvio Cogno had been the winemaker for Poderi Marcarini in La Morra where he produced some of the best Barolo’s that I have ever tasted.  Cogno’s family has been making wine in the Langhe for four generations and in 1990 when his relationship with Marcarini ended, he bought a farm, restored the property, and added vineyards and a winery.  Today, Elvio Cogno is very proud that his family’s winemaking tradition continues with his daughter Nadia and her husband, winemaker Valter Fissore.

Valter and Nadia

I have known Valter and Nadia for a number of years and this was not the first time I had been to the winery. Every time I come to visit, Valter is always trying to tell me or show me something new. This time he pointed to a fence that was just built and with a big smile on his face said, “I have finally found a good use for my barriques.” It was a beautiful fence made from the staves of the barriques. He knew that this would make me happy.

We tasted a very interesting white wine, Langhe Bianco Anas- Cetta DOC 2009

It is made from Nascetta (autochthonous Novello Bianco). Valter said that this grape is of Mediterranean origin and might have originated in Sardinia. He believes that this is a white wine that can age. He opened a bottle of this wine the night before we came and it was ten years old and showing very little sign of age. He said that it has a mineral character but when it ages, it resembles Riesling! It was a very elegant wine with good fruit, a long finish and great aftertaste. He said that they first produced the wine in 1994 and there are records of it going back to the 19th Century, but he is one of the few that make it now.  Interestingly, he said that the wine is aimed at a younger market!

The Nascetta vineyards are at 350 meters and the 4,000 vines per hectare are vertical trellised with Guyot pruning. Harvesting is at the end of September. The wine is vinified in 70% stainless steel and 30% in barriques. It is aged 6 months in stainless steel and 6 months in barriques and is 180 days on the lees. After 3 months of bottle age it is released. 10,000/12,000 bottles produced. $30

The next wine we tasted was the Barbera d’Alba “Bricco dei Merli” DOC 2008.  The vineyard is 300 meters above sea level and there are 4,500 vines per hectare. Harvest takes place from the end of September to the beginning of October. Fermentation is in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks with controlled automatic pump-over. The wine is aged in large Slovenian oak barrels and barriques. It remains on the lees for 60 days and in bottle for 6 months before it is released. This is a more “modern style” of wine, he said, but thankfully, I could not taste the wood and found the wine very nice. 10,000 bottles produced. $30

However, when it comes to his Barolo, Valter is very traditional.

He said that the only problem in the past with using traditional methods was that the large barrels might have been “dirty” and had bacteria. He has two special machines to clean the botte grande. One cleans them with steam – 30 liters of steam per minute. After that it is treated with ultra violet rays. He said he was “traditional but clean”. Once again he showed me something “new”.  Valter uses square stainless steel tanks because they take up less room.

The “Suqare Tanks”

Valter also worked for Marcarini.  He said that in 1984 they harvested the Nebbiolo grapes on Nov 2nd. Now they harvest the grapes in the middle of October. However the last two harvests have been later than in previous years because it has been colder.

We tasted two vintages of the same wine from the barrel: the 2009 and the 2008 Barolo “Ravera’ DOCG. Both wines are aged in 42 HL Slovenian oak barrels. The 2009 was very fruity and was just starting to show some Nebbiolo characteristics. I was not prepared for the 2008 because it had the aromas and flavors of Pinot Noir. Often I have heard it said that Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir are similar. This was the first time I tasted Nebbiolo that remained me of Pinot Noir but it would not be the last. A few days later at the Giovanni Manzoni winery I tasted their 2008 Barolo from botti grande and again it reminded me of Pinot Noir. Walter said it was the vintage and aging in botti grande the aromas and flavors of this young wine were not masked. Never before had I tasted Nebbiolo from barrel or bottle that resembled Pinot Noir. Walter said that 2008 and 2009 were two very different vintage. In 2008 the winter was very cold and the wine has a higher ph. He said it would be a more elegant wine than the 2009. The 2005 is $65

Barolo “Vigna Elena” DOCG 2005. This wine is made from 100% Rose a sub-variety of Nebbiolo. Walter said he was one of the few, if not the only one, to do a Barolo with 100% Rose. The vineyards are 380 feet above sea level and face southward. There are 4,000 vines per hectare. The vineyard is 1 hectare. The harvest is in October and the grapes are fermented in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks with automatic pump-over, a post fermentation maceration of 30 days and submerged cap. The wine is aged for 36 months in 40HL Slovenian oak barrels. Valter said the he only uses native yeasts. On the lees for 60 days and 12 months bottle aging before it is released. Walter pointed out that this wine is only made in great vintages. He also said that in his microclimate, 2005 was an excellent year and it made a very traditional style Barolo. The wine had typical Nebbiolo aromas of roses, tobacco and a hint of liquorice. 5, 000 bottles produced. $80

 

Barolo “Ravera” DOCG 2007. It is made from the Lampia and Michet, sub varieties of Nebbiolo. The Vineyard is 380 feet meter above sea level, with 4,000 vines per hectare and faces southward. Fermentation in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks with automatic pump over, maceration for 30 days with submerges cap and it is on the lees for 90 days. 24 months of aging in 25/30HL Slovenian oak barrels and six months in bottle before it is released. He called Ravera the most important Cru in Novello and went on to say that the mostly calcareous soil ( classic blue clay) of this vineyard adds elegance and structure to the wine, making it ideal for aging. 15,000 bottles produced. $70

The “Classic Blue Clay”

The 2010 of the same wine would only spend 18 months in wood because of the character of the vintage. He said in 2010 he had to prune 40% of the grapes from the vines. It was a long very cold winter, with many cold days and less production. He felt the 2010 would have hard tannins. Then he went on to say something very interesting. It the case of 2010 it was up to the wine maker to produce a better wine. It would take all the skill of the producer to accomplish this.

He also felt that if there is a long maceration of 40 days it makes the tannins softer. He will only use botte grande for his Barolo. Barriques extract too much from the wood into the wine and he would not use them for Barolo.

 

Barolo “Bricco Pernice” DOCG 2006 100%.  It is made from a sub-variety of Nebbiolo called Lampia. The vineyard is 300 meters above sea level with 5000 vines per hectare and faces southward. The grapes are from the finest vineyards in Novello, in the most historic part of the Ravera cru. Harvest is in October. Fermentation in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks with pumping over and 30 days maceration with submerged cap. It is aged for 24 months in large Slovenian oak barrels 25/30 HL. It remains on the lees for 90 days and spends and 12 months in bottle before it is released. This is a well structured and elegant Barolo. 9,000 bottles were produced. $85

“The Fence” A Good Use for Barriques

Visiting Cogno was in some ways like going back in time. The dedication and focus on producing Barolo that shows all the characteristics of the terroir, without adding extraneous flavors, reaffirmed for me that great honest Barolo will continue to be made. Attention to cleanliness and the newer technologies used are all subservient to this focus on tradition and quality.

Clavesana: Siamo Dolcetto

Clavesana- Siamo Dolcetto – We are Dolcetto

It was a typical day in Piemonte in early November–fog and rain with a chill in the air as we headed for the town of Clavesana in Dogliani and the Clavesana winery. I was glad that I was not driving; Ernie and Louise DeSalvo joined Michele and I on our trip and did all the driving.

 This was very different from the hot June day when I first tasted four Dolcetto’s from the Clavesana winery in a New York City apartment with Anna Bracco, Clavesana’s Director. I liked the wines so much that I told her that next time I was in Piemonte I would visit the winery. This time I was as good as my word.  At the winery, Anna introduced us to Giovanni Bracco (no relation) who has been the Clavesana Coop’s president since 1987.

When they say Siamo Dolcetto – We Are Dolcetto — they really mean it.  Last year the coop sold over 300,000 cases of Dolcetto, over 90% in Italy. The Co-op was founded in 1959 by 32 growers and today there are about 340 members.

 Anna then told us more about Clavesana.  Their logo, she said, features the ten landmark “campanili’ (bell towers) of the towns where the growers (shareholders) live. These are the towns of Dolcetto’s homeland. The keys on the logo are the symbol of the town of Clavesana, which has been named the gateway to the Langhe. Some of the growers have other jobs and can only look after the vineyards part time and their agronomist Carlo Arnufo gives extra help to these growers so they will not feel alone and abandon the land. She went on to say that they are trying to keep young people from leaving the area and the land and are doing everything possible to help them to stay. One such young man was Guiseppe Bracco, the nephew of Giovanni, and we had an excellent lunch with him and his fiancée Fiorella. One of the highlights of the lunch was a quiche topped with shaved white truffles, a first for me; it was a perfect combination with the Dolcetto. In fact the Clavesana Dolcetto went very well with all the local specialties that we had.

Quiche with White Truffles

 Anna made a point of saying that they pay the growers according to the quality of the grapes and will pay them as much as 20% higher than the market price. This she says is another incentive for the growers to produce superior grapes.

 Giovanni Bracca explained some of the Italian terms they were using including the idea of “singular-plurality”:

 Clavesana’s microvinification is called Vinification alla Giornata, and Allagiornata are the single vineyard Doglianis—Dolcetto DOCG.

 Allagiornata – A day’s work from the single vineyards of Clavesana’s stakeholders. When two Piemontese bulls are finished for the day, they have worked one “giornata”, nearly one acre (3,310 meters). This is the root of Clavesana’s singular plurality. He went on to say that even though they are a co-op, some growers bottle wine from a single vineyard. Day in and day out they live “Allagiornata”. They are identified on the label of each bottle by the stakeholder’s number and name. On Google Earth, it is possible to zoom in on the exact location of the vineyard by entering its single vineyards’ coordinates from the label. For example:  Giovanni explained that his vineyards are at 571 meters above sea level and his single vineyard wine is 110 Dogliani DOCG delle 3 Giornate di Socio 110 a Calvesana 44º 27’ 59.76” N 7 56’ 54.26’’ E. which we drank when we visited his nephew Giuseppe Bracca for lunch in Pra Del Pozzo one of the ten villages in the heartland of Dolcetto. We also had the  474 Dogliani DOCG  2008 from the 5.5 Giornate of Socio 474 in Clavesana-Marco Beccarai  44º 27’ 42.55’’N 7 55’07.34’’E.  I enjoyed this wine at Del Posto in NYC where I was able to discuss it with Clavesana’s oenologist, Roberto Boeri.

 

Sig. Bracco further explained the difference between the Dolcetto di Dogliani DOC and the Dogliani DOCG.  The old winery, the heart of Clavesana, was originally built only with cement tanks. Later, stainless steel tanks were added but mostly on the outside of the winery.  Dolcetto di Dogliani 2009 and Piemonte D’OH 2010 were vinified in stainless steel tanks and are left here or transferred to cement tanks for a few months. For these last two wines, there is no minimum aging.

 Dogliani DOCG/ Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore– The DOCG has the lowest yields in liters(wine)/ hectares 4.760 of all the different zones of Dolcetto production in Piemonte. The minimum aging is 12 months from Oct 15 of the year of the grape harvest. The minimum alcohol is 12.5%. It is interesting to note that if vineyard and geographical names are on the label, the yield is reduced to 4284 liters/hectare (wine) and the minimum alcohol content is increased by 0.5%. Il Clou Dogliani DOCG is vinified in stainless steel but is aged in botte grande (large oak barrels of oak 50hl).

Allagiornata Dogliani DOCG (Socio 110 for example) are the only ones vinified in cement. The length of time depends on the vintage, 4/6months.

 Dolcetto di Dogliani DOC –  With geographical and vineyard names on the label the yields are reduced to 5040 liters/hectare (wine) and natural alcohol content is increased by 0.5%.  All of the wine is made from 100% Dolcetto grapes

 The name Dolcetto means sweet little one but the wine is dry. It has medium alcohol, tannin and a deep ruby red color. They can be light wines fresh and fruity like the “D’HO” Piemonte Dolcetto DOC 2010 that are meant to be drunk young and has written on the label “You D’OH Something TO ME” Or they can be full bodied and well structured like the “Il Clou” Dogliani DOCG 2008, aged for a short time in botte and the Allagiornata vinified in cement and aged in botte grande that can age for several years. All of this depends on the area of cultivation and how the grapes are vinified in the winery.

  Dolcetto is 90% of their total production, though Clavesana also makes other wines. When we were taking a tour of the winery Giovanni Bracco said that they were experimenting with different woods for aging wine. He pointed out 500 liter barrels made from local acacia wood that was aging Nebbiolo from the 2009 vintage to be made into Barolo. They also were experimenting with local oak.

"Vino Sfuso"

Giovanni Bracco offered us a taste of the “Vino Sfuso”, a wine that the local’s buy. They bring in large plastic bottles and fill them from a barrel that had a hose attached.  The wine is very young and very inexpensive but both Ernie and I liked it. We were told it was the same wine that they bottled, but this way they could sell it for less.

 I have heard it said that the best Dolcetto comes from the Dogliani zone and after tasting and drinking the Dolcetto from Clavesana I agree. Even their “D’HO which is a Piemonte DOC (meaning the grapes can come from any Dolcetto area) is a bargain at $10.99 as is the Dolcetto di Dogliani. The Dogliani DOCG, both the regular and single vineyard, are a great buy at $16.99.

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Lunch with Barone Francesco Ricasoli at Daniel Restautant

The name Ricasoli has been tied to Chianti from the time Bettino, known as “the Iron Baron”, developed the blend for Chianti Classico in the 19th century. Francesco is the great grandson of the Iron Baron. The family traces its involvement in wine back to 1141 and is one of the oldest wine estates in the world.

 250 hectares of vineyards surround the castle of the estate which is the largest in Chianti Classico. The 1,200 hectares between the villages of Gaiole and Castelnuovo Berardenga include valleys, oak and chestnut woods, and 26 hectares of olive groves.

 Francesco took over the running of the family firm in 1993 and with the collaboration of universities and a key scientific research center he began to look more closely at his estate and what he could do to improve it.

 He wanted to know what the best clones of Sangiovese are, what is the best soil for that specific clone to be planted, and what is the best wood for it to be aged in. Beginning in 1995 the ancient Brolio vineyards were gradually being replanted. Francesco started a research project to study and select biotypes of Sangiovese and other typical Chianti varieties. In 2005 12 were identified, considered to be the best with the most potential for the purpose of selection, and good candidates to become new clones together with those already officially recognized. Three years later, the rootings obtained from these clones were planted.  Francesco told me that there was an independent institute working with the clones and trying to have them certified by the Ministry of Agriculture. He added that all the grapes were picked by hand.

Picking the Grapes by Hand

Terroir has a most important role to play. They are making a map containing all the data for each vineyard: physical-chemical composition, elevation, sun exposure and micro-climate to select the most suitable rootstock, the appropriate variety to plant, and the best row orientation. This has become known as the Cru project. Three of the wines involved at the moment are Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico DOCG, Casalferro IGT and Colledila Chianti Classico DOCG.  In 2002 they introduced stainless steel for vinification. Francesco led us through a tasting of the three wines in the Cru project. 

Colledila, Castello di Brolio and Casalferro

 

Colledila Chianti Classico 2007– 100% Sangiovese

Francesco said in 2007 the grapes ripened early and were ripe at the end of September. The harvest took place in the last ten days of September and the first 10 days of October. The vineyard is at an elevation of 380 meters and faces southwest. He felt that this was the most beautiful and representative part of the estate. It is the right combination of Sangiovese clone in the right soil which gives you the best grapes. $65

 The land is Paleocene-Eocene in origin and forms part of the geological formation “Monte Morello” The soil is brown with a fine clay structure, very chalky, with a fine clay structure, subalkaline pH and little organic material. It is well drained and very stony. The grapes are destemmed and fall by gravity into special fermentation vats with a conical shape that are open at the top. During the alcoholic fermentation and the maceration period, a soft pressing is carried out between 2 and 6 times a day as well as the delestage. The maceration on the skins is between 5-9 days in stainless steel vats. Malolatic fermentation is in stainless steel vats. Francesco went on to say that the wine is aged in new barrels and casks for 18 months.

 Francesco made a point of saying that the choice of wood used is the result of experiments using 20 different types of the best French oak from different geographical areas (Vosges, Troncais, Nevers, Allier, and Limousin) with medium and medium-plus toasting levels and standard to tighter grains.

 Because of all of this, he felt that this wine was the top expression of Sangiovese at Brolio and that the aroma is so specific, intense and typical that it could not be confused with any other wine. $65

 Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico 2007 Sangiovese with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Vinification in stainless steel tanks with 7-9 days of skin contact and 18 months in barriques and new casks. $65

 Casalferro IGT 2007 100% Merlot The vineyard is at 400 meters and faces south. Each small plot in the vineyard is vinified separately. The grapes are vinified in open fermentation tanks. Thermo-regulated fermentation takes about 9 days during which soft pressing and the delestage are carried out. The wine in aged in new oak barrels 90% French and 10% American for 18 months. $65

He said that in this particular terroir the Merlot “is “Sangiovized” meaning that in this harsh but generous territory it takes on sangiovese-like qualities.  Because of this for the first time the wine is 100% Merlot.

Francesco added that he did not consider this wine a Super Tuscan, in fact he felt the time of the Super Tuscans had passed- it was a wine of the 1990’s. I could not have agreed with him more but for me it did not pass soon enough.

Rocca Guicciarda

 Rocca Giucciarda Chianti Classico Riserva 2005 Sangiovese and other grapes. Vinified in Stainless steeltanks with 16 days skin contact and 16 months in barriques and tonneaux $30.  This was also one of my favorite wines and went very well with the “Abbaye de Tamie Agnolotti” with Fontina and Porcini.

 

Brolio Chianti Classico 2007 Vinified in stainless steel with 16 days of skin contact and 9 months in large barrels and barriques $23

 

Castello di Brolio 2006, Magnum. $138/ 750 $65  Another of my  favorite wines of the afternoon, it was a perfect combination with the Trio of Veal: Crisp Sweetbreads with Black Trumpets, Braised Cheek with Jerusalem Artichokes and Braised Tenderloin with Wilted Spinach.

  Castello di Brolio Vin Santo 2003 375ml 100% Malvasia di Chianti. The grapes are dried for about three months. 24 months of slow fermentation in wood and followed by at least 24 months of maturation in caratelli (oak casks) of 225 liters $45. The Vin Santo went very well with the dessert Rivesaltes Roasted Black Mission Figs Caramelized Cashew Biscuit, Fromage Blanc Sorbet a perfect way to end an interesting and informative afternoon.