December 2015 - Uncorked and CultivatedUncorked and Cultivated

We are driving on the flat out of Alba besides hazelnut plantations, the small Piedmontese town wedged between a series of two wine hills: Barolo and Barbaresco, viewing the Roero hills to the north as we speed west for just ten minutes.

The converted farmhouse is in sight at San Cassiano; the family Ceretto’s main property, Monsordo Bernardina cantina since 1989, originally built in the 1880s. The Cerettos own 160 hectares of vines.

We are here to understand what the Ceretto success is all about for there is a murmur about a dominant white wine and an international red Monsordo turning the minds of drinkers. Nothing better from this organic maker.

And indeed, an Australian assists in the making of wines here. Formerly McLaren Vale based David Fletcher is assistant winemaker to chief Alessandro Ceretto, keeping an eye on production at wineries in Castiglione Falletto (Barolo), here at Monsordo Bernardina (Langhe) and smaller needs at Bricco Asili in Barbaresco. This is estate production taken to completion! The fourth, the bubbly winery is further east in Santo Stefano Belbo.

Host Alessandro Ceretto

I am totally amazed looking west towards Grinzane Cavour, the towering castles overlooking vines, and learn of non traditional Piedmontese grapes planted here. In the craze to plant French grapes through the 80’s, Ceretto found their newly minted wine to be vividly popular.

Tried was Monsordo 2013 Langhe DOC, packed in a thoroughly hip bottle, an admixture of cabernet (50%), merlot and syrah, quite bizarre to encounter, very much cedary from careful oak application and fruits of spice, spearmint and licorice. Bravo, a winner in USA.

But we were present to taste the local hero grape, nebbiolo. And that was a hoot as the Cerettos served the young then a mature vintage from the same place; a sort of fast track tasting to see the wines develop glass by glass. Fab.

The Ceretto family are traditionalists so the New World style wine Monsordo ages in 300 litre French forest-origin containers called hogsheads while the nebbiolo is found in some 300/500 litre oak but mainly larger vessels, 2500 litres upwards made of the more neutral white oak from Croatian trees. Of interest though is the renewed interest to move to Austrian-sourced oak for coming maturings.

Nebbiolo must not smell of its oak habitat at making to be right on style. Unlike Napa Valley cabernet, too much oak detected in high end nebbiolo is deemed a fault. Dave Fletcher adds that the sweet spot is only 10-15% new wood so it is easily covered by blending later. But 3 years is a long time in barrel. So no faults here.

First wine is single vineyard 2008 Barbaresco Bricco Asili (1.2 ha, 39 year-old-vines) , fresh in its nebbiolo purity, licorice, sweet, it feels good in the mouth, classic tannin which remains as a long sensation; just starting to age, 10-15 years will hold it.

Ceretto Barbaresco Bricco Asili 2008-from Treiso

Ceretto Barbaresco Bricco Asili 2008-from Barbaresco

Then single vineyard (1.2 ha in Castiglione Falletto) 2006 Barolo Bricco Roche (one of four, also Brunate-La Morra, Cannubi San Lorenzo-Barolo and Prapo-Serrulunga), has begun aging also, shows mushroom, bitumen, strength, then great sweetness impressions alongside its firming tannins. Great.

Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche 2006 from Castiglione Falletto

Finally the last, aged Barolo, 1993 Bricco Roche, all tertiary so the fruits have been consumed by the aging aromas, truffle, fungi, tar, sweet aldehyde, tasting very dry as a 12 year-old, right in the middle of its aging end-point, and now a mature wine with little more to give than what it has. All was revealed: very dry red wine, silky, mushroomy and cheese loving. Mature.

Ceretto Barolo Bricco Rocche 1993

Alessandro Ceretto noted that 50 years ago the annual rainfall was 1200-1300 mm with often soaking rain, now it has reduced to 800 mm with a deal of it delivered by storms. Heavy rain downpours cause vineyard erosion on the steep slopes causing a move to grass more vineyards. Climate swing.

And about Ceretto’s famous white wine, first made in 1985. It is varietal arneis, wildly popular now in Italy, all organic, fashionable in taste and easy to drink, all 600,000 bottles of it from 80 hectares of vines.

Aussie David Fletcher-custodian of Arneis

Uncorked and Cultivated Wine and Food Tours visit Ceretto at Monsordo Bernardina in San Cassiano, Alba.

The long line of approaching pines is quite amazing. Cypress trees, over a century-old have been so close planted that light is partially blocked. The sandy road, slim butts, a half-kilometre of single lane driveway just rubs into our mind how history stamps out Brunello country.

Here we arrive at the originator of Brunello, the famous, beguiling, long barrel-aged red from sangiovese, at the Biondi Santis. The family has records that it was planted in the region in 1827; before then wine from the white grape moscadello (muscat or moscato) was served to the courts in Florence and Turin.

Ancient Biondi Coat of Arms-moscadello growing!

The buildings are original, just as Franco Biondi Santi chose to harvest his first crop of a special selection of sangiovese, sangiovese grosso, now propagated all over the DOCG Brunello di Montalcino; that’s all you can grow, and the wine must be 100% that grape.

Up above, about several hundred metres on the cliff face lies the hill town of Montalcino, once a fortified outpost towering over southern Tuscany’s patchwork of green vines and grey olives. We are touring during the harvest, the bus groans up the hill, beside us locals are spreading canvas to collect deep green olives for the year’s oil extractions (frantolio variety mainly for extra virgin).

If Ferruccio Biondi Santi crushed his first grosso berry in 1883 then this makes his vines over 132 years-old. Well not quite as phylloxera struck and by the early 1900s vines were cured by grafting and replanting. So the oldest of the 25 hectares are 80 years, planted circa 1935.

Even more astounding is the aging barrels; the oldest was built in 1900 during phylloxera recovery time, there are no new barrels, no wines with wood perfumes, no wood influence, just 1.7-3 kilolitre neutral botti constructed of Croatian forest oak. They look old too, so preservation both inside and outside is the job of the repair staff (coopers).

Tour host Yana explains with passion and carefully-chosen phrases which separates the historical Biondi Santi aging systems from neighbours now selling wines from the same grape. Since the 80s there has been an explosion of new brands and vineyards, but we chose to visit the seat of all this Brunello history.

The wine company makes four red wines but may not classify four wines every year. That is best interpreted by the Riserva only being offered in the best years determined by the cantina’s tasting panel. So back to three wines a year!

The rarest wine though is the Rosso di Montalcino (grey label, red stripe) made from vines over 10years when a Annata (vintage Brunello) is not made, as in the wet years, 2014 and 2002. So in a usual, modest season two wines are made, Annata and normal Rosso.

Rosso di Montalcino-stripe bottling

To keep the story of selection going, only wines made from vines over 25 years are considered for Riserva standard; and the wine still spends three years in barrel like normal Annata, but is released close to a 6 year-old wine. Current is 2010, and before then 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2001.

If you really love Biondi Santi Brunelli di Montalcino or have a momentous occasion to drink one, there are Riservas from great past years available for sale on the property: 1990, 1982, 1964, 1955 and on request I guess, 1945, 1925, 1891, 1888 are listed on the private, direct sales sheet.

So as my great host Yana says “our quality outcome relies on what the weather gives us”. On my 2014 vintage visit the persistent rain spoilt the harvest while the 2015 drive down the cypress drive heralded a hot season, great wines and an early start to harvest in late September.

Traditional neck labelling

Brunello di Montalcino Annata 2008

How did the 2008 taste (AUD 275)? Well there is a maker’s style here; as it is not decorated with oak aromas or tastes or characters there is a preservation of grape character be it of a seasoning contribution from the barrel environment. Look for nose strength, unleashed power of wild herbs, thyme-scent, mushroom, then controlled palate power, savoury first, recognise the earthiness, white pepper, powdery tannins, all building to a medium bodied power-pack of wine with backbone, spine, longevity. Drink 2020 onwards. The property suggest a shelf life of 35-45 years, so wine for another generation yet fun to drink now.

The every year wine, Rosso di Montalcino (AUD 90), is less complex but of the same ilk, released younger, drinking 2011 today, less savoury, more fruity, all oak aged, fruit sweet, red berries, drying, no deep wine colour, in fact semi-pale, always a little browning so as to be natural sangiovese.

Rosso di Montalcino Annata 2011

Rosso 2011

Expect the baby Brunello-Rosso-to span 15 years though its point of enjoyment is youth, while Riserva is the opposite, 55-80 years a normal cellar span, and 1888 is a great memory wine as an example of this grape on this property aged this way.

Current & Past Generation: Jacopo e Franco

Since establishment successive owners Ferruccio, Tancredi, Franco, the latter deceased in 2013, ran the property, now with Jacopo assuming this great responsibility to preserve the history.

Uncorked and Cultivated Wine and Food Tours visit Tenuta Greppo in Montalcino.