Frescobaldi’s Tenuta Perano Chianti Classico

The Frescobaldi Family has eleven estates in Italy, ten of which are in Tuscany. Tenuta Castiglione in Chianti Classico is the point of origin of wine production for Frescobaldi and documents indicate that wines were produced there as early as 1300.

The family traces its roots back 700 years in Florence through 30 generations.  They began in banking and played an important role in the political, economic, cultural and social life of Florence.  Today the family family operates the wine producer Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi and is behind the Laudemio brand of Italian olive oil.

I have enjoyed Frescobaldi wines for many years and recently had an opportunity to taste wines from Tenuta Perano which they also own.

Tenuta  Perano is located in Gaiole in Chianti, in the Chianti Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. The vineyards are at 500 meters. Steep slopes and stony soils characterize the landscape.

Chianti Classico 2020 made from Sangiovese and complementary varieties. Grapes are harvested by hand. Vinification is in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. Then maceration on the skins with a controlled and careful pumping over. The different grapes were aged separately in wood, then further aging in bottle until the wine is ready for release. The wine has hints of red berries, cherries, plums, violets, floral notes and a touch of spice. $27

Chianti Classico 2016 Riserva Chianti Classico Made from Sangiovese and Merlot. The vineyard is at 500 meters. Grapes are carefully selected and harvested by hand. Fermentation is in stainless steel at a controlled temperature. The cap formed on the surface is broken frequently to ensure perfect polyphonic extraction.  The wine is aged in oak barrels for 24 months and for a time in the bottle before release. The wine has hints of violets, red berries, and leather with floral notes and a touch of pepper. $46

Chianti Classico 2018 Riserva made from Sangiovese and Merlot same as above $46

Chianti Classico “ Rialzi”  Grand Selezione 2018 Made from 100% Sangiovese from the Rialzi vineyard at 500 meters and higher, laid out over three terraces with alberese soil and a southern exposure. At harvest the grapes are carefully hand picked and at the winery there is another selection process. Fermentation is in temperature controlled  stainless steel vats, with skin maceration and gentle pumping over. Aging is for 36 months in which 24 were in barriques. Then the wine is aged in the bottle until it is ready for release. This is a full bodied wine with hints of cider, cinnamon, sweet spices, plum, fig and a touch of tobacco. $51

Both 2016 and 2018 were excellent vintages in Chianti Classcio

 

Entertaining with Cheese, Olive Oil and Wine

Around this time of year, a great and easy way was to entertain guests is with a cheese plate or charcuterie board.  Recently, I tried some cheeses that were new to me.  They were made by Monti Trentini, a family-run business located in the Trentino Region of Northern Italy.  The company was founded in 1925 and there have been four generations of cheese makers.

The company’s exceptionally long tradition in the production of cheese made from the milk of mountain grazing cows from the Dolomites Mountains gives the cheese a unique fragrances of herbs and a distinctive yellow color.  Here are the three cheeses that I tried.

LagoraiThe Lagorai Mountain region of the Dolomites gives this traditional cheese its name.  It’s texture is semi soft and the flavor is mild and pleasant with the subtle aromas of herbs and mountain flowers.  Lagorai is produced with full-fat milk and aged over 40 days. The rind is thin and elastic while the cheese is pale yellow or white with distinctive irregular holes.  Serve it at room temperature with fresh or dried fruit and nuts.

Mountain Herbs Caciotta

This delicious cheese is made from cow’s milk and flavored with aromatic mountain herbs.  It is a semi-sweet cheese and is aged for at least 5 days.  Serve it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or honey.

Sharp Provolone PDO

This Italian classic  sharp cheese is aged for 6 months and has a strong and partially spicy taste. This provolone comes from cow’s milk from a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), ensuring excellent quality.  Serve provolone with salami or other charcuterie.

 

Frescobaldi Laudemio Olive Oil

I have been drinking the excellent wine from Frescobaldi for a number of years now and Michele likes to use their Laudemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the kitchen.  Laudemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil has aromas of just mown grass, artichoke hearts and notes of green olives. There is a nice balance between a notable bitterness, spiciness, and a long lasting fruitiness.  Full flavored Laudemio olive oil from Frescobaldi is the perfect oil to use with fresh cheeses, as well as a finishing oil for salads, soups and other dishes.

In the Middle Ages, Laudemio was the name of the best part of the harvest, destined for the landlord’s table. It comes from the Latin word “laude,” meaning praise or excellence.

The symbol on the label is that of an Etruscan athlete signifying health and fitness  though a healthy lifestyle.  The ancient Etruscans lived in an area roughly corresponding to today’s Tuscany.

On the Frecobaldi Estate in Tuscany  there are 300 hectares of olive groves at altitudes between 200 and 500 meters. The olive harvest begins in October and stops before the end of  November. The olives are pressed within a few hours from picking in the Frescobaldi mill in Castello Nipozzano. A rigid selection is made and only the finest extra virgin olive oil is selected to become Laudemio Frescobaldi.

Frescobaldi Wines

Nipozzano Vecchie Viti Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG 2020 Frescobaldi. Made from Sangiovese and complementary varieties from the oldest vines on the Castello Nipozzano estate which have a very deep root structure. After harvesting, the grapes are transferred to the cellar immediately. They are destemmed and spontaneous fermentation takes place in cement tanks. Maceration is for 20 days with frequent pumping over of the must.  The wine remains in the vats to complete maceration.  The wine is aged for 24 months in oak barrels according to the ancient Tuscan tradition, then bottled for a time until it is ready to be released. This wine has hints of cherry, blackberry, blueberry, balsamic, and a touch of violet.

Entertaining holiday guests is easy with Montini Trentini cheeses, Frescobaldi Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Frescobaldi wines.

Frescobaldi Wines and an “orange” Pinot Grigio

Two wines made from the same grape by the same producer that are so different in style is uncommon.  It is even more unusual when the grape is Pinot Grigio.

 Alessandro Lunardi, the representative in America for the wines of Marchesi de Frascaboldi, invited me to a tasting that he was conducting on these wines. I expected all of the wines would be from Tuscany but it seems that the company is involved with wineries in other parts of Italy.

The producer of the Pinot Grigio is Attems in Friuli-Venezia Gulia and the estate is located in Lucinico in the Gorizia area of the Collio. The Collio Goriziano comprises a series of descending slopes (from which it derives its name) facing south, protected on the north by the Julian Pre-Alps, which act as a barrier to the cold north winds.

 

Attems Pinot Grigio 2010 IGT

2010 was a very good vintage for white wine in Friuli.  The Pinot Grigio grapes for the wines come from the area between the Collio and the alluvial area of the Isonzo. This wine is fermented in stainless steel and barriques. Fermentation takes place for 15 days. There is no skin contact and malolatic fermentation does not take place. It is a crisp wine with floral notes, fruity with hints of apple and pear. $19

Orange Wine

This wine goes back to the way Pinot Grigio was made during the time of the Republic of Venice. Ramato, meaning copper,  was the term used to describe the color of the wine. Some clones of Pinot Grigio can also be copper in color. The traditional vinification process led to the use of this name. The must remains in contact with the skins for 36 hours and this gives the wine a very distinctive coppery hue. The term “orange wine” is used to describe white wine where the juice has had skin contact.

Cuppa Ramato 2009Venezia Giulia Pinot Grigio IGT 2009.

The harvest took place near the end of September and the grapes were harvested by hand. Vinification in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature. Fermentation lasted for seven days. For this wine the skins remained in contact with the juice for 12 hours and the wine did not undergo malolatic fermentation. The wine is aged for four months in barriques and two months in stainless steel and one month in bottle before release. It has the color of a blush wine. The aroma is very aromatic with hints of strawberry and cherry. It is quite firm on the pallet with a nice fruit in the finish and aftertaste. It is a most interesting wine! $19

 The Frescaboldi wines

 Remole 2009 IGT Tuscany

The wine is mostly Sangiovese with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. Alessandro pointed out that the wine that goes to make Remole comes from the Frescobaldi vineyards in central Toscana. It is the wine that is not selected to go into the estate wine. There is a second selection when the wine from the different vineyards is going to be blended together to make the estate wine. Alessandro said that all the grapes used in the Remole are from the estate vineyards and it was a bargain at $10.  I had to agree.  Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks for 10 days and maceration for seven days. It is aged in stainless steel for five months and 2 months in bottle before release. This is a wine with fresh red fruit flavors and aromas that should be drunk young.

 Nipozzano Chianti Classico Riserva 2007 DOCG

Made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% from grapes such as: Malvasia Nera, Colorino, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  2007 was a very good vintage in Tuscany. The estate lies in heart of the Chianti Ruffina area, covering 626 hectares at elevations between 250 and 400 meters. The soil is rich in clay and limestone. They use the “Nipozzano clone” of Sangiovese. Nipozzano means “no well” and they do dry farming and by law can only irrigate in an emergency. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel for 13 days and each variety is fermented separately. Maceration takes place for 25 days. Alessandro said that the wine is aged partly in two and three year old barriques and partly in large barrels 30 to 50 HL for a total of 24 months and three months in bottle before release. The wine tastes like Chianti with aromas and flavors of blackberries, blueberries and hint of pine and violets and good acidity. It is a wine that will age. This is an exceptional wine given the fact that 1,000,000 bottles are produced and it sells for $22

Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglione 2008 IGT
Made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Sangiovese. The Castiglione estate lies at an elevation of 200 to 250 meters and is composed of 513 hectares in the Chianti Colli Fiorentini zone in the Montespertoli area. It is the oldest Frescobaldi estate. The soil is composed mostly clay and sand. Fermentation takes place for 10 days and the wine is aged in barriques for 12 months and in bottle for two months before release. This was a little more modern in style than the other wines with a deeper color and aromas and flavors of mature black cherry and plum. $25

A few days later the American Institute of Food and Wine was doing a seminar and tasting with the title- Olive Oil: Complexities and Clarifications. Among the panelists were Loius Coluccio of Coluccio and Sons Inc. and Michele Scicolone author of The Italian Slow Cooker. We tasted eight olive oils from different countries and the best one in my opinion was the Marchesi de  Frescobaldi “Laudemio” (Tuscany) made from Frantoio, Moraiolo and Leccino olives. $38