2016 Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva

 

Heavenly white from Alto Adige. Can't wait to visit once travel is feasible.

More playful than the 2015 with gorgeous intensity in the fruit.  Haven't tried the 2017 yet.

Paired deliciously with fried oysters (garnished with dill yogurt and Calabrian chile oil) and duck fat fried potatoes (garnished with crab fat mayonnaise)..

Producer notes:

Terlano is far from your average producer of Alto Adige wines. With a history of production, varied terroir and time-honored traditions that date back to 1893, Terlano is unique in many ways. The goal at Terlano is to make wines that will stand the test of time. In the cellars of Terlano you’ll find vintages going back to 1893, with 1955 marking the first year that they began to hold back bottled wines in quantity. Beyond that, the winery currently has sixteen steel tanks which house vintages going back to 1979. These wines were vinified and refined for one year in large oak before being placed into steel tank (2,500 liters) and allowed to mature on the lees for ten years or more. These tanks represent future vintages for their Rarity Selection, a limited annual release (around 3,300 bottles), and only when the winery deems the vintage to be showing well. Again, the test of time is paramount at Terlano. Speaking of wood, all of the whites are refined in large cask and stainless steel. All the smaller oak and tonneaux is saved for their selection of red wines, such as the old vines Lagrein Riservas from the Gries vineyard in Bolzano. Talking about the future is difficult with an estate that prides itself in twenty-to-forty-year-old vintages, yet what Terlano is sure of is that the wines they make today will go on to stand tall amongst them. It was also very interesting tasting Terlano samples from the dry and hot 2017 vintage. I mention this mainly to point out the success they had in spite of the vintage conditions. However, variability can be witnessed when comparing the 2017 Lagrein Porphyr, which showed more wood and overripe fruit, to the Lagrein Gries, a wine in perfect balance. -- Eric Guido, November 2020

2010 Gravner Ribolla

 Sometimes you are fortunate to enjoy a bottle of wine that has close to perfect pitch. This is the best bottle I've ever had from Josko Gravner, the Maestro.

Subtle aromatics, but the complexity of the palate is wonderful at this stage of development. White peach, almond, pit and a honeyed (but not sweet) viscosity on a lengthy, beautifully alluring finish that draws you in. Don't drink this too cold. It unfolds beautifully in the glass.
I look forward to the release of the 2010 Gravner Ribolla Riserva in 2024. Paired nicely with grilled salmon.



Producer notes:

Roughly thirty-two hectares (of which eighteen are under vine) located in the high quality area of Oslavia in the Collio, a true if unofficial grand cru for Ribolla Gialla. The estate is arguably Italy’s best (by far) at making minimal intervention wines, with long macerations, was one of the first to turn to amphoras as an aging vessel. There is simply no comparison between Gravner’s wines (in matters of texture, cleanliness, precision and depth) and similarly made wines by practically anyone else in the region or the country, for that matter. That fact recognized, I want to stress that the talent level has always been extraordinary here, such that the wines have always been outstanding, and this was true even long ago when long macerations and amphoras weren’t an issue. Witness for example the magnificent 1983 Ribolla Gialla that I remember well from my university days in Rome. Today the estate is all about trying to re-establish a natural balance in its vineyards (for example by creating ponds on the property and by planting olive, wild apple trees and cypresses to create a habitat for different animals), moving away with as much technology and equipment and utensils as possible, such as barriques. Over the years the estate has also moved away from a lot of the different varieties it had planted, so there are no more Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Grigio wines produced, for example. The Ribolla Gialla wines age extremely well and though you have to like white wines being treated as reds, it’s hard to argue with their quality. Even more impressive is the Rosso Breg, made with Pignolo (the only red grape left on the property), a variety that gives “tough tannins” a whole new meaning, yet Gravner’s version is remarkably complex and smooth. -- Ian D'Agata, May 2018

Great videos:

https://www.gravner.it/en/home.html#vino

I'd really like to visit someday...

Day two notes:

The palate has continued to blossom with enhanced depth and complexity. I can understand why Gravner sees the framework for a  Riserva release in 2024 in this vintage. It is a truly beautiful wine.

Gravner's winery and vineyards are located just north of the town of Oslavia in the Collio Goriziano DOC.

2006 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia

 In a somewhat disjointed phase (or perhaps bottle variation). Too tannic on the first day, then better on day 2 and day 3. Deep black cherry fruit up front giving way to some heat and not a lot of complexity on the finish. Definitely not in the same league as the legendary 2004 vintage Rancia, which has been beautiful throughout its life.  The 2006 may be in a race to see if the fruit outlives the tannins. 

2014 Marie Courtin Efflorescence

 Deg. Dec 2018, 12% abv

100% Pinot Noir. 
Lovely stuff, drinkly nicely now. Marie Courtin and Bérêche are two Champagne producers that I am very fond of.

Producer notes:

"...Champagne Marie Courtin is located in the village of Polisot in the Côte des Bars (often referred to as the Aube), in the southern part of the Champagne region. With its slightly warmer temperatures, this area is particularly prized for its Pinot Noir grapes. Combined with the Kimmeridgian limestone sub soils, Aube champagnes retain a freshness similar to Chablis, which is more of a neighbor to Polisot than Epernay or Reims! In fact, many of the Grand Marques source their Pinot Noir from the Côte des Bars because of this unique combination of texture and delineation that the sub-zone provides.

Dominique Moreau created the estate in 2005 with a vision to produce a series of single-vineyard, single-variety, single-vintage Champagnes from Biodynamically-grown grapes that are farmed and elaborated with meticulous care. This philosophy is in stark contrast with the predominant mindset in Champagne which has historically focused on blending grapes, vineyards and vintages to achieve a consistent product or "house style", and with a tendency towards very high yields and full-on chemical treatments. For Dominique Moreau and likeminded growers, their house style is their terroirs, and is influenced by important factors such as massale selection clones and the ecoysystem of which their vines are a part.

Most of Dominique's wines come from a hillside vineyard of 40-45 year old, massale-selection Pinot Noir in Polisot (located the next town over from Celles-sur-Ource, where Cédric Bouchard lives and works). The combination of low yields, clay-limestone soils with bands of Kimmeridgian, and an east/southeast exposure gives the wines both power and cut, with an intense brininess and minerality at their core.

At harvest, the grapes are all harvested by hand. The wines are fermented with natural yeasts that have been selected from their vineyards and cultivated separately. These native yeasts are used for both the primary and secondary fermentations. Lastly, there is no dosage added upon disgorgement.

Dominique makes several cuvées, but the bulk of her small production is split between her cuvées Résonance and Éfflorescence, the former fermented in stainless steel and aged sur lattes for 24 months, and the latter is fermented and aged in used barriques, followed by 36 months sur lattes. The grapes for Resonance are from the top of the slope, whereas Efflorescence fruit comes from the bottom of the hill, which she says “has greater power and potential”. The third Blanc de Noirs is a zero sulfur cuvée known as Concordance, which minted Dominique's reputation as a deft vinifier.

“Efflorescence” means "to evolves in perpetuity”. Starting with the evolution encouraged by the small oxygen exchange in barrel, she feels that this wine in particular will show a very different face at each stage of its development in bottle..."