Wine Notes | Spring 2020 Wine Club 1 Reds Only | Roscioli

Grapes: Nebbiolo 100%
Region: Treiso (Langhe) - Piemonte
Pairings: Pasta with game meats, roasts and braised red meat. A tagliere of salami and cheeses. Pairs perfectly with home-made Tagliolini ("Tajarin", in Piedmontese dialect) with alpine butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Alba's white truffle.
Drink By: Ready or before 2023.
Notes: White marl clayey- calcareous soil. Nebbiolo grape treated in respectful way, expressing the elegance of this wine and the excellence of its terroir. Ages 12 months in oak barrels then rest a few months in bottle before the selling.
Description: Nebbiolo is one of the greatest italian grapes, and surely is the king of Piedmont. There are different stories about the meaning of the name, especially the correlation with word “nebbia” that means fog, due to the mists that envelop the hills of Langhe, creating a mystical landscape that is worth to see ones in a lifetime. Rizzi winery is a family company that leads from passion and the purpose of letting the wine fully express the climate, the territory and the Nebbiolo grape. Here you have a proof in their Langhe Nebbiolo. You will be amused by the elegance of this wine, the nose of violets and roses, some crispy red fruits and then what goes out is the liquorice note, deep and intense.

Grape: Nero di Troia 100%
Region: Corato (Bari) - Puglia
Pairings: Grilled pork ribs, aged cheeses and cured meats.
Drink by: Ready or before 2025.
Notes: Cool climate, sea winds blowing during the harvest time, a soil rich in minerals and 80 years old Nero di Troia vines are the main features of this wine.
Description: Carpentiere winery lies on the beautiful Castel del Monte hills but if you could make a travel back in time you would find here a different scenario: you would probably see Federico the king of Sicily playing with his hawks here in the 12th century or understand how hard was farming here during that period. Today Luigi proudly admires his vineyards, but the echoes of ancient times is still there. This area benefits from cool climate, soil rich in minerals and the maestrale wind blowing constantly during harvest times, here in late October. All this condictions allow the producer to harvest full ripe grapes. Nero di Troia generally ripens late and gives strong and full bodied wines with sharp tannins. Armamentario is different: lighter luminuos colour, elegant minerality, gentle tannins and freshness. Thanks to the perfect environmental conditions and a 24 months period of ageing in large oak barrels, the wine is beautifully balanced. Luigi’s creed is to make a authentic wine, mirror of the territory, without following standard “fashion“ rules.

Grape: Piedirosso 100%
Region: Boscotrecase (Napoli) - Campania
Pairings: Grilled chicken meat, "Cacciatora" rabbit, beef meatballs with tomatoes sauce, eggplant or courgette parmigiana.
Drink by: Ready or before 2027.
Notes: The vineyard is oriented toward the Gulf of Naples from one side and Vesuvius on the other, vines are pre-philloxera and the roots sink into complex and fertile soils formed by lapillus, black sand, pumice and ash (volcanic sandy soil), Here rules the organic agriculture. The vinification occur in steel cask and ages for 12 months in Allier oak barrels and then three months in bottle before leaving the cellar. Native varieties. Ungrafted vines.
Description: Paolo Sorrentino and his wife Angela inherit the family vineyards and with dedication for the production of Vesuvian wines, for fruit and vegetable cultivation, they recover all the varieties preserved by their ancestors. Thanks to Benny Sorrentino, Paolo's daughter, some changes happened in the last 15 years to a gradual shift in the vineyards breeding methods, in their management and in winemaking techniques. They switched to guyot and, to recent experimentation with the double inverted and the spurred cordon. The management of soils and vineyards has turned towards organic and bio-sustainable, with a recent experiment of composting the prunings enriched with manure and left to ferment.

Grapes: Croatina 100%
Region: Tortona (Alessandria) - Piemonte
Pairings: Montebore Cheese and Salame Nobile del Giarolo.
Drink by: Ready or before 2023.
Notes: Dark clay soil, warm and dry climate. Archè is a 100% Croatina which makes the first fermentation in stainless steel tanks and ages in large oak barrels to avoid the excess of woody flovours both on nose and palate.
Description: Colli Tortonesi (Tortonian Hills) are situated in the southest part of Piedmont, a wonderful natural amphitheater near the city of Tortona. The climate is warmer and drier than the rest of the region, while the soil is rich in dark clay. The Semino family owns 20 hectars of vineyards and produces 60000 bottles per year mostly whites (Timorasso is the true king of the winery) but reds are gaining ground. All grapes belong to native varieties coming from a specific and area to intensify authenticity and connection between soil and vineyard. Croatina grape is diffused in the whole north of Italy but in the Tortonian Hills it finds the best conditions to perfectly express its best features. Cherry taste with notes of tobacco, dark chocolate, dark spices and round tannins make this wine the perfect match for aged cheeses and cured meats.

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.