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NORTHERN ITALY 3
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- NINO NEGRI
 The
Valtellina is probably one of the least-known wine areas of northern
Italy. It's in Lombardia and is a mountainous region north of
Milano.
The main grape variety is Nebbiolo. If you can read the town names on
the map to the left, you'll see one is called Chiavenna. To confuse
unsuspecting American wine drinkers (and even those who might actually be
suspicious), they change the name of the Nebbiolo grape here to Chiavennasca. The
name is said to be a corruption of the dialect words "Ciu vinasca,"
translating to "the best for wine."
The most normal bottlings are "Valtellina" while a step up
gets you "Valtellina Superiore." The best of these take a
site-specific name such as Grumello, Inferno, Sassella or Valgella.
One of the most prestigious wines of the area is the powerful Sfursat or
Sforzato wine. This is the Valtellina's version of an Amarone.
The wine is made of dried grapes and has higher-than-normal
alcohol.
One of the most prominent, if not the most important cellars in the
Valtellina is Nino Negri. It's no longer owned by the Negri family,
but the place is in good hands and run with an eye towards quality.
This old advertisement is displayed in the courtyard near their offices
and cellar.
We made the pilgrimage to visit the Nino Negri winery and were greatly
impressed by the terroir of the region and the dedication to
excellence.
Lots of "inox" (stainless steel tanks)...
Large, neutral cooperage.
This is quite a showplace, but it's far from a museum.
That's an oak barrel adorning the wall in the cellar
room.
The cellar full of small French oak has a wonderfully spicy and woodsy
fragrance.
Yet, when we tasted their famous, lavishly-oaked "Cinque Stelle"
Sfursat, the wine was not woody! The Nebbiolo character took center
stage.
Paolo Bombardieri pours several Nino Negri wines.
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A view from the hills looking at the Valtellina vineyards.
Nino Negri's grapes are often ferried to the winery during the harvest by
helicopter!
We typically have Nino Negri's "Inferno" wine in the shop.
This is a nice example of Nebbiolo and has more interest (to us) than many
costly Merlot wines made north of the border in Switzerland. I am
often surprised at how many people actually know this wine. It's got a
really "retro" label and isn't a wine for those who are just
getting into Italian wines, yet people routinely pick up this interesting vino
rosso.
The Inferno wine takes its name from the steep slopes and rocky
soil...the rocks reflect the heat and make the place rather hot.
In the grand scheme of things, Inferno is a small production item and not
something they make a lot of, despite it being priced as their entry-level
wine.
Negri's Inferno displays a light garnet color with a hint of rusty
brown/orange on the robe. It's a bit leathery in fragrance and has a
mildly tannic 'bite' on the palate. This is a traditionally-styled red
wine, so if you're looking for a "gobs o' fruit" sort of bottle,
this won't be a good choice. On the other hand, a plate of a wild
mushroom pasta or grilled sausages and you're living right!
Having such a traditionally-styled red, I was totally unprepared
for their white wine blend called "Ca' Brione." The name comes
from a vineyard site in the Fracia zone within the village of Teglo (like you're
going to remember this and recite it for guests at the dinner table!). The
wine is based on two, maybe three, familiar grape varieties. Most
well-known are the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. But they pick these
early and dry them a bit...a process which would horrify most U.C. Davis-trained
enologists. Then, when they're ripe, Nino Negri harvests its Nebbiolo
(yes, the red grape Nebbiolo plays a supporting role in this show) along with
the grape known as Incrocio Manzoni, an old hybrid from the Veneto. It's a
cross (incrocio) of Riesling and Pinot Bianco. The wine is
fermented in French oak and spends more than half a year following in
wood.
We have the 2006 and it's amazingly good. There are not many Italian
oak-aged whites I find to be sufficiently interesting to warrant forking over
much money...but this wine gets my commendation.
I served this with an antipasti plate and it was superb.
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 The
"Cinque Stelle" (5 Star) Sfursat that's in the shop is from the
2003 vintage. Where to start? Nebbiolo, 100%. A long
fermentation period on the skins, so the wine has plenty of structure and
can age well. It spends about a year in new French oak. It's as
intense as a good Barolo, but there's less tar and more 'sweet' notes.
Clove spice, vanilla, violets, etc.
This is now in the same price neighborhood as many Amarone wines and it's as
costly as a good number of Barolo and Barbaresco wines. This will
probably come as a shock to old-timers (of which I am one), since these
didn't use to cost an arm and a leg.
Deep, rich, mildly jammy and showing
a touch of oak, you'll want to pair this with some sort of rich cheese or a
regal roast of lamb or beef. Be sure to give the wine an hour in a
decanter...that's ideal.
Currently in stock: 2004 Sfursat 5 Stelle $84.99
Inferno $17.99
- 2006 Ca' Brione White SALE $39.99
- ADRIANO GIGANTE
 Though the
winery is called "Gigante," it's actually a rather small estate
in Friuli.
The Gigante family cultivates approximately 20 hectares of vineyards on a
hill called Rocca Bernarda in the town of Corno di Rosazzo.
The winery was started in the late 1950s when Adriano's grandfather, a
miller by trade, made his first wine in 1957. It turned out so well,
he quit his job and devoted himself to cultivating grapes and making wine.
In tasting through the various bottlings made by Gigante, one finds
well-made wine with a lot of character. They are good examples of
what you can obtain from well-farmed vineyards, made with a minimum of
technology and by someone who's not seeking to please wine critics.
The vineyards, I believe, are farmed organically, though they don't make
that a marketing feature.
Adriano learned his craft from his father, not from studying enology at a
local wine school. At one point he felt, perhaps, he should hired
someone who has studied enology and who does have a more scientific
background. The enologist came and tasted the Gigante wines and
began asking a lot of questions. After several days of dealing with
the enologist, Adriano says he realized it was he who was
"teaching" the enologist how to make these wines and he had
gained very little in the way of insight and enlightenment. So much
for learning by the book!
After tasting the Gigante wines in Verona, I decided to make the trek to
the place and see if it's a 'real' winery or some sort of wine
factory. There are some really strange wines coming from this part
of Friuli and on into Slovenia which get a lot of attention from serious
wine geeks. But, having paid $50-$75 for some of these bottles, the
notion of making "old fashioned" wines which resemble Fino
Sherry is a bit lost on me, frankly.
The Gigante azienda strikes me as a vineyard first and foremost and
a winery second. It's a far cry from the showplaces of Bordeaux or
the tourist attractions in California (and other New World
locations).
If you made wines of such good quality, you'd be smiling, too!
There's a small 'tasting room' in the Gigante cellar.
Presently we have but one wine from Gigante, but more are
coming.
We like his "Tocai Friulano," which is now labeled simply
"Friulano." That's due to some legal entanglements with
Hungarian vintners over the name "Tocai" and the small chance some
consumers will confuse it with Tokaji. Gigante makes two bottlings of
"Friulano" and we have the 'regular' bottling. It displays a
lovely floral note, but the locals describe it as showing fragrances of
almonds. We find more apple and pear fragrances with a faint floral
tone. The wine is dry, non-oaked and medium-bodied without being heavy or
alcoholic. This is a good choice as an aperitif wine and it pairs well
with starters, simple pastas, seafood or chicken.
We'll post further notes on additional Gigante wines once they
arrive! Stay tuned. Verduzzo and Picolit are on the horizon!
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Currently in stock: 2007 GIGANTE Colli Orientali
del Friuli "Friulano" $19.99
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- POJER & SANDRI
 This
is a famous, highly-regarded winery located way up in the hills overlooking
the Trentino region.
We first visited this estate in the early 1980s and they were nearly
"cult" figures back then. Today our European friends, all of
whom are fans of this winery, must reserve their purchases long before the
wines are even bottled!
The climate in this area is varied and the list of varieties made here is
impressive. For years Pojer & Sandri were thought of as bianchisti,
or white wine producers. But they even make impressive red
wines. So impressive, in fact, that they were invited a couple of
years ago to come to Oregon's famous International Pinot Noir
conference!
Their wines used to be more easily available here in the U.S., but their
importer has encountered difficulty in convincing local distributors to buy
wines which are known to but a small number of fans. This means, of
course, the distributors would have to learn about the wines and then, in
turn, go out and attempt to educate their customers. Since most people
simply want to know "how many points did this wine receive?," few
have interest in the esoteric wines coming from this gem of a
winery.
 The
simple fact that YOU are reading this indicates a "smarter than the
average bear" level of intelligence, so perhaps you will be interested
in these wines.
On our last visit to the hillside town of Faedo we tasted an impressive
array of wines. Especially good was a blended white wine called
"Besler Bianck" which comes from the "Maso Besler" in the
nearby Val di Cembra. Besler refers to "sheep" and
stems from a Latin word.
The wine is remarkable. First, it's a five grape blend featuring Pinot
Bianco, Kerner, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Incrocio Manzoni.
Everything is harvested at the same time and the juice is then fermented in
wood: French oak and barrels made of Acacia! The wine
spends a year in wood and they keep the spent yeast in contact with the
wine, stirring it from time to time. I find it to be reminiscent of
some of the wonderful (and costly) white wines of the Pessac-Lognan
appellation of France's Graves region. There's a wonderful fresh
citrus note, along with peach and some stony elements. Quite dry, this
has a long finish. Perfect for seafood. And it's quite
reasonably priced given what's in the glass.
 While
they're not making large quantities of sparkling wines, they do make an
excellent bubbly which is extremely dry. Like French Champagne, the
wine is made of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The wine is a blend of two
vintages, in this instance, it's 1995 and 1996 vintages. The wine
spends about two and a half years on the spent yeast before
disgorgement. No sweetening dosage is added, so the wine is too dry
for most people.
Rosso Faye is a very fine Cabernet-based red. It's Cabernet Sauvignon
blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and a local variety called
Lagrein. As a result of the addition of Lagrein, this doesn't taste
like a Bordeaux or Napa Cabernet, yet it's delicious! There are red
fruits and black on the nose, along with a brown spice character from the
French oak aging. The 2001 is drinkable now and ought to cellar nicely
for 5-10 more years. Elisa Sandri mentioned serving this with a veal
shank and polenta. Lamb isn't a bad match for this,
either.
Rosso Faye seems to be a very highly-regarded wine in Italy, so it's nice
that they actually send some bottles to California!
They also make some top distilled products, grappa and various fruit
brandies. We currently have some 375ml bottles of their fine
Traminer grappa. This is surprising gentle (many taste like rocket
fuel) and wonderfully aromatic.
CLICK HERE
TO SEE SOME PHOTOS.
- Currently in stock: 2001 Rosso Faye Sold Out
2003 BESLER BLANC Sold out
1995-1996 EXTRA BRUT SPUMANTE $35.99
2004 SAUVIGNON BLANC Sold Out
Their grappa is currently sold out.
- BOLOGNANI
 Diego
Bolognani runs a large winery, vinifying grapes from area growers and selling off the
wine, in bulk, to neighboring wineries. It is only in the recent past that they've
hit upon the notion of putting wine in a 750ml glass bottle, slapping a label on it and
selling the wine to private customers.  Located in Lavis between the main road
and the train tracks, this winery has a couple of interesting offerings.
The Bolognani family makes a special effort to produce a wine of Mller-Thurgau grapes
grown in their Trentino vineyards "Valle di Cembra," a terraced, old
viticultural area. Growers who continue to toil in this region have to drag the soil
from one terrace to the next after thunderstorms wash it away!
The winery is located
down below in the town of Lavis.
Bolognani also makes a fantastically sprightly and
bright
Moscato Giallo, an aromatic wine which teases with sweet, intensely fruity aromas, only to
be bone dry on the palate. We had a delicious bottle of this alongside a terrific
honey-dew melon over which Bob draped some sweet Prosciutto. These are delicious
wines and are best consumed in their youth.
- Currently in stock:
- 2006 Moscato Giallo $16.99
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