Wine Notes | Spring 2020 Wine Club 1 | Roscioli

Grapes: Caprettone (Coda di Volpe) 90%, Falanghina 10%
Region: Boscotrecase (Napoli) - Campania
Pairings: Fresh cheeses, ricotta and aromatic erbs savoury cake, souteed seafood or mussels. Pairs perfectly with spaghetti (especially linguini) with clams.
Drink By: Ready.
Notes: Biological treatment in respect to the unique vulcanic soil of Vesuvio, consisting of multiple lava layers. Native grape varieties, ungrafted vines. Charmat method which lasts 8 months, and then ages for 7 months in the bottle before release.
Description: The soil, essential and central in this story is made of Vesuvian lapillus, we are in fact on the volcano slopes, that gives lots of fertility and minerals. Remarkable action of the sea breeze that comes from the gulf of Naples. Everything is well protected from an organic winemaking process, that preserves the natural balance.

Grape: Riesling 100%
Region: Stroncone (Terni) - Umbria
Pairings: Hot plated fish, seafood pasta, but you can also enjoy it with a legumes and pork soup. Stunning if paired with smoked salmon canapè or handmade fried cod bites.
Drink by: Ready.
Notes: No chemical treatments nor sulphites added. They let the wine stay at least 1 year in anphora to have the best microoxygenation and natural conservation. The vineyard is grassed up and self-controlled. Limestone and clay structure.
Description: Before 1824 in France, sugar and selected yeasts were not added to Champagne. The second fermentation from which the bubbles were born spontaneously started in the bottles and carbon dioxide naturally preserved the wines. But at that time, the bottle glass was less resistant to the pressure generated by the refermentation. Imagine how many bottles burst in the cellar. So we moved on to the classic method that we all know today. Dosing meant being sure that this was no longer the case. That old method is nowadays called "Ancestral", which has no oenological meaning but is simply the last part of a natural fermentation in a bottle. La Palazzola company, a few kilometers south of Terni, in the province of Umbria, produces Riesling Brut from this ancestral method. Stefano Grilli during our chat, talks about a significant difference between a product whose disgorgement takes place "à la glace" and one in which he is in the mood for how much the first modality influences the flavor, giving scents of ​​wet paper, but how much more practical it is. This is a special edition, created especially for us, la Rimessa: only 700 bottles from the 2014 vintage with disgorgement to the volee at the end of 2019. Clean, creamy, bitter, saline, soft and genuine. The vine fully expresses itself without restrictions. It's a unique experience for a unique wine.

Grape: Verdicchio 100%
Region: Cupramontana (Ancona) - Marche
Pairings: Gratinated and stewed fish. Vegetables and mushrooms. Pairs perfectly with homemade "Trofie" pasta with basil pesto and cherry tomatoes. White meats as chicken and turkey.
Drink by: Ready.
Notes: Biological without synthetic treatments on 40 years old vineyards. South exposure with mainly limestone land. There is a gentle breeze coming from the Adriatic sea.
Description: Ca’ Liptra is a small organic winery created in 2012 by Giovanni Loberto and 3 other winemakers to create wines strictly connected to the area of San Michele, in the heart of Castelli di Jesi area. The name identifies the portion of the flower which contains the inflorescence until the blooming, when the grape start to develop: this shows a deep connection between vines and soil rich in clay and chalk. Every phase of the winemaking is handmade: from the vines to the cellar there’s only one creed: wine must reflect the real and pure identity of Verdicchio. Kypra was born even before the winery, when Giovanni and his friends were attending a winemaking internship in Jesi. They wanted to create their own version of Verdicchio, so they bought grapes from 3 different vines situated in the Cupramontana area and began to make experiments in order to understand every single feature of this variety. Since 2012, when they built the winery, Kipra represents the soul of the production and embodies their idea of how the perfect Verdicchio should be: it's a blend of 6 wines coming from 6 different vines which ferment for 8 months in concrete tank to give a complete idea of how a San Michele’s pure Verdicchio could be. Producer suggests to drink it between 14 and 16° Celsius and save some wine for the following day, in order to fully appreciate its aromatic evolution.

Grapes: Caprettone (Coda di Volpe) 80%, Falanghina 15%, Greco 5%
Region: Boscotrecase (Napoli) - Campania
Pairings: Fresh cheeses, like buffalo mozzarella. Baked and "al cartoccio" fishes such as rhombus with potatoes or sea bream with some citruses. Great also with white meats, for example a vegetable stuffed rolled chicken.
Drink by: Ready or before 2022.
Notes: Matrone wants to valorize the traits of Vesuvio wines, just like it already has been done on the Etna vulcano. They have been the first to use sapling vine. Thanks to 2 additional days of skin contact for the Caprettone variety, you will have a better expression of the grape and a more intense texture.
Description: Two volcanoes, two types of lava, two different climates but the same idea of ​​enhancing the territory. Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio is defined as the peasant's wine par excellence. The Matrone Winery decides to use it as a mirror of the minerality that only a volcanic soil can give and produce the white and red versions, nothing more. In total 10,000 bottles. We are in Boscotrecase, few minutes from the center of Naples but out of its chaotic world, with a view of the gulf which influences with its mild climate. Around the vineyards, the presence of the forest creates the temperature range that makes the wine elegant. 2017 was a hot year for everyone and in this wine the final result is given by a lower acidity of the Caprettone grape which being neutral, gives the "volcano" sensation because it is from there that it takes character, helped by 2 days maceration and fermentation without temperature controll.

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon 70%, Merlot 15%, Cabernet Franc 10%, Petit Verdot 5%
Region: Stroncone (Terni) - Umbria
Pairings: Rare meat, wildpig stews, beef liver, sausages and aged cheeses like a "Pecorino di Fossa".
Drink by: Ready or before 2024.
Notes: No chemical treatments nor sulphites added. The vineyard is grassed up and self-controlled. Limestone and clay structure. Ages for 12 months in oak barrique.
Description: La Palazzola winery is in one of the most suited areas for viticulture in the municipality of Terni (Umbria). In addition to this, the vineyard is grassed up from 20 years, letting it self-control and there is a good soil composition with clay notes. In summer a wonderful breeze surrounds the vineyards. Man also has a role and Stefano Grilli is the owner. He has decided to use a technique called "minimal pruning" as a response to climate change that allows him to have a perfectly balanced and mature grape.
Rubino is a Bordeaux cut of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a little bit of Petit Verdot with intence notes of violet, berries. The barrique smoothes the green tannins and gives it rounded notes of vanilla and tobacco. You will probably notice a slightly smoked flavor that makes it a perfect barbeque wine!

Grape: Sangiovese 100%
Region: Castellina in Chianti (Siena) - Toscana
Pairings: Perfect with Cinta Senese pork, a Fiorentina style steak and fatty aged cheeses.
Drink by: Ready or before 2024.
Notes: "Wine comes from the territory" so every year is a different wine due to a different terroir. Spontaneous fermentations, not selected yeast nor temperature controls. Long maceration for a wine that can tease your palate.
Description: Chianti Classico is one of those wine areas you don't forget. What you see is so beautiful that time seems to stop, put your hands close to your face as if you are taking a photo, you can print that image in your mind with a click. In the locality of San Donatino, the homonymous company has as its guideline the idea of ​​making a different wine every year since every vintage is a different expression of the territory. The wine is made in the vineyard, the vintner defines himself as an obstetrician ready to help her bear fruit. In the cellar there is no imposition of temperature, the yeasts are not selected and the grapes ferment spontaneously. The aim is to give a wine to enjoy and without realizing it unconsciously gives you that extra smile. This wine is awakening your senses from a numbness due to the static and flatness of most of the wines you don't even care about the vintage. Unpredictability opens up new emotions and you learn to rediscover yourself.

Grape: Cannonau 100%
Region: Mamoiada (Nuoro) - Sardegna.
Pairings: Red meat and game meat, pasta with ragout. You can try a traditional match with a spit roasted piglet. Aged cheeses as a good Pecorino or a Fiore Sardo.
Drink by: Ready or before 2022.
Notes: In Mamoiada you have a perfect balanced granite soil. Looking for quality, not quantity. 10.000 bottles produced. Spontaneous fermentation with a biodynamic philosophy.
Description: Mamoiada is a small town in the Sardinian Barbagia, in the middle of the mountains, with not even 3000 inhabitants. Here the vineyards are mainly cultivated in Cannonau, few people have decided to create their own company and bottle for a larger audience. The perfect harmony between this territory and this grape make it a completely different wine from the other Sardinian Cannonau. This seems like a blessed land and thanks to the altitude that reaches up to 800 meters, the balance of the mainly granite / sandy soil and the climate, here the craftsmen have the opportunity to naturally make their wines in a "natural" way, without need of interventions in the vineyard, without adding selected yeasts and with a negligible quantity of sulphites. A small corner of paradise where the vineyards come to be centennial on a land that has never been chemically treated. VikeVike is a Mamoiadine family company that recognizes this gift and uses it to give us a Cannonau full of elegance.

Grape: Barbera d'Alba 100%
Region: Neive (Langhe) - Piemonte
Pairings: Roasted or boiled meat with a well flavored sauce. A bowl of stracciatella soup. Aged and spicy cheeses.
Drink by: Ready or before 2022.
Notes: A family business that makes organic agriculture, respecting the soil. 10 months of large oak barrel not affecting the real taste of the wine but softening it a little. 8500 bottles produced.
Description: The winery is located in Neive and is owned by the Busso family since 1953. Here wine is a family affair since every single phase of winemaking from vineyard to the cellar is handmade by Piero Busso, his wife and sons. Busso’s creed is to make wine respecting the environment, vines and soil. So they don’t use chemicals, herbicide and fertilize soil only with natural products which cost double but they don’t care because they feel “ clean” doing that! In the cellar the fermentation and maceration are made in stainless steel and controlled temperature with native yeasts only. The ageing proces is made in large oak barrels to avoid excess of woody flavours. Barbera vineyard is very small (only 1,5 heactar) and the soil is rich in dark clay and limestone and the vines are 15/30 years old. The production is around 8500 bottles per year.

Grape: Sangiovese 100%
Region: Montalcino (Siena) - Toscana
Pairings: Red meat, salami. Pasta with ragout or legume soups.
Drink by: Ready or before 2023.
Notes: Organic farming guidelines without chemical or fertilizers, spontaneous fermentation in concrete vats and long maceration, around 40 days to give more complexity and elegance. The soil consists in sandstone and limestone with fractured clay.
Description: Riccardo Campinoti is a young winemaker who owns “Le Ragnaie“, an organic winery in the highest part of Montalcino hills. He gets Sangiovese grapes from 6 different vines planted on different soils: this allows him to produce different Sangiovese wines which express the pure identity of the territory. There’s a deep connection between wine and the environment and Riccardo believes in his own strict rules in winemaking: he follows organic rules to fertilize soil using only natural minerals and fermented herbs, no chemicals allowed. This helps the environment biodiversity, which is an important feature for a healty vineyard. Troncone‘s grapes come from vineyard situated close to “Brunello di Montalcino” area. Initially it belonged to the DOCG Chianti Colli Senesi but two years ago the commission didn’t allow him to use this denomination because the wine was too light in colour! So he bottled it as an "IGT", because what interests him the most, is quality and genuineness rather than burocracy.

Grape: Nerello Mascalese 80%, Nerello Cappuccio 20%
Region: Randazzo (Catania) - Sicilia
Pairings: Grilled meat, juicy stew. Grilled pork, better if comes from Monti Nebrodi. Pasta with ragout. Aged cheeses and dry tomatoes.
Drink by: Ready or before 2023.
Notes: We are on the north-east side of Etna, in contrada Cruce Monaci. Thanks to the altitude, the exposure and the aeration there's no need to use chemical treatments. No sulphites added, letting the vintage express itself.
Description: Etna wines are nowadays among the most important and elegant wines in Italy. The context is unique and every winery has its pecularity. Valcerasa is an artisan reality carried on by Alice Bonaccorsi and her husband in contrada Cucimonaci (Randazzo). The 35 years old vineyards risen as sapling vine, the 800 mt altitude and the volcanic soil with its infinite minerality can give a very deep wine. While the decision to have spontaneous fermantations, indigenous yeasts and long skin contact give a soulful and expressive wine. All this elements combine in ValCerasa Etna Rosso, left to rest for at least 4 years.
Prickly spices, the darkness of the morello cherry, the roundness of chocolate, the intensity of tannins supported by the acidity.

Grape: Montepulciano 100%
Region: Staffolo (Ancona) - Marche
Pairings: Pasta with wild boar ragout or an homemade lasagna. Grilled sausage or roasted lamb ribs with oven-baked potatoes.
Drink by: Ready or before 2022.
Notes: Clay and calcareous soil. Great temperature range. Organic production. 2 years in oak barrels and 2 more years in the bottle.
Description: "404 NOT FOUND". That’s what will appear when you’ll try to look again for this wine. That’s because the bottle in front of you is one of the last. They are not going to produce this wine in this identical way, never again. La Staffa winery is located on the sweet hills of the Castelli di Jesi area, famous zone of Verdicchio production, in fact they mostly have Verdicchio vineyards, and just a few are from Montepulciano grapes!
The black pepper notes, with the vegetal ones, were remarkable and the tannins extremely velvety.

Grape: Nebbiolo 100%
Region: Treiso (Langhe) - Piemonte
Pairings: Game meat, stews and roasted meats. Fettuccine with wild boar ragout. Aged cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano.
Drink by: Ready, but best after 2024 and before 2031.
Notes: Rizzi Cru is one of the most famous wines in Langhe for it's particular soil made with marl clayey-calcareous and sand. Ages for 12 to 15 months in oak barrels, then concrete tanks for 8 months and 1 and a half year in the bottle before the release.
Description: From the vineyards of Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, you will find yourself in front of the spectacular Langhe view. Then  Treiso stands, a small village in the Bassa Langa. Here is where Rizzi hill is located, in the heart of Barbaresco and Langhe area. Thanks to the passion and the determination in carrying on a “human scale” activity, this family company has managed to get to this point. This feelings are trasmitted in the wines, generation after generation, expressing the season and the territory. This wine has a great texture and tannic structure, balance and persistance. 

Olive: 100% Itrana
Region: Itri, Lazio
The EVO oil of Terre del Sovescio coming from Itri is rich in polyphenols and produced with natural methods. This Extra-Virgin olive oil has fruity taste with unripe tomato essences and the slightly spicy and persistent finish. The experience starts from the nose with hints of grass, crushed olive and artichoke.  Particularly suitable for seasoning raw dishes and great for grilling fishes and squids. Cold pressed and with only mechanical methods that do not alter the product.  

Olive: 100% Tonda Iblea
Region:  Siracusa, Sicily
Harvested by hand in the first day of October. Cold extracted within 12 hours of the harvest. Always in love with their land, by family tradition, culture and education, in the 90s Antonio and Lucia Ficara bought the Tenuta Cavasecca: 50 hectares with an arboreal heritage of priceless centuries-old olive trees. This EVO oil comes from the Tonda Iblea olives, harvested in the South-East of Sicily. It is less fruity and more intense with green tomato aroma, grassy and spicy on the palate.  Stunning on top of a bruschetta, previously grated with some fresh garlic. Great with soups, legumes and grilled vegetables.