Vini Corsari 2018 | Castello di Barolo

The cultural association Giulia Falletti of Barolo, with the collaboration of Giuseppe Rinaldi winery, Les amis de la cugnette and Os Goliardos, organizes the annual wine tasting (6th edition), with possibility of purchase, on Sunday 2nd and Monday 3rd Dicember, from 11 am to 6 pm, with the wines of 30 European winegrowers, which will be held in the Barolo Municipal Castle.

A lot of Italian and French winegrowers, with some presence from Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Greece.
 

For any info, see the web site as well as their fb and twitter pages.

Le Grand Tasting 2018 13th edition | Paris

Friday 30th November and Saturday 1st December, in Paris, at the Carrousel du Louvre, will be held the thirteenth edition of “Le Grand Tasting”, the annual wine tasting, organized by the journalists Michel Bettane and Thierry Desseauve, founders of the same wine guide.

 

A fundamental and unforgettable opportunity to discover and taste the French wine excellence, selected personally by Mr. Bettane & Mr. Dessauve. 

 

Focus, it goes without saying, on the oenological gems of France, starting with the beloved Champagnes - over 70 Maisons - but not only because all the French wine regions are superbly represented, with other wine companies coming from the most important countries. You have just to browse the list of exhibitors to find out what you will going to taste.

 

Last but not least, exclusive Ateliers Gourmets, Master Class and Master Class Prestige, which will allow, upon reservation, to participate in special tastings, illustrated by experts and producers.

 

Real-time updates, by following the official site, as well as their social pages.

 

 

 www.grandtasting.com

 

 

Legras & Haas Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut n.v.

Not deceive you the maison was founded only in 1991, the Legras’ are winemakers since seven generations. We are in Chouilly, one of the five Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs, where the company cultivates 15 hectares of the 35 available (the others are in Vavray, Bassu and Les Riceys). 

 

Last year, while I chatted and drank with François Legras, owner (with his wife and three children) and Chef de cave, we agreed on many issues, not least how this bdb represents the style maison. 

 

It stimulates the nostrils with chalk, followed by crisp citrus tones - lemon and citron - but also plum and pear, rosemary and thyme, with a hazelnut enchanting me. 

 

The palate is fresh and round. The taste confirms the richness of the olfactory sequence, with valuable and lively mix between minerality and a significant fruity presence. Elegant creaminess and uncontrollable drink, closing fast, with references of anise and chalk. 

 

Excellent sips as an aperitif.

Henriot Champagne Rose Noire Brut n.v.

It’s a cuvee "not for sale", reserved for the customers of the Maison Henriot.

Despite the name, which suggests, perhaps, the black grapes, this is a pure Chardonnay, whose grapes come, in large part, from the Grand Cru villages of the Côte des Blancs.

A bright gold effervescence, very fine, for a nose, sweet and quite mature. Lots of fruit, white and yellow - peach and pear, apple, melon and citrus - with a strong minerality, which also limits, the other olfactory actors, really weak or hidden.

The taste is smooth and shows itself less "mature", with high freshness and good acidic verve. A lot of fruit is mixed with chalk, for a fat sip, but a soft wire, due to a more than perceptible dosage.

Bottle “combed” and obedient to the goût maison - could not be otherwise - loving expressive sweetness. 

Vini di Vignaioli Vins de Vignerons 2017 | Fornovo di Taro (Parma)

 

Sunday 4th and Monday 5th November, back the classic appointment, in Fornovo di Taro village, near Parma (North Italy), with the unmissable event of Vini di Vignaioli, Vins de Vignerons 2017 (winegrowers wines), this year celebrating the seventeenth edition.

 

Not only tasting, but also knowing directly the winegrowers and tune into their modus, to understand their working philosophy.

 

This edition will present more than 130 winemakers, with the possibility, as usual, to purchase the wines in tasting, and there will be also a large group of high quality food, and publishing companies. 

 

As usual, you can find the list of winegrowers, and other useful information, by consulting their website and the fb page.

 

 

 vini di vignaioli

 

 

Arianna Occhipinti SP 68 Bianco Terre Siciliane 2013

This is a blend, slightly macerated, of Albanello and Zibibbo grapes.

 

It envelops the nostrils with freshness and straightness, absolutely devoid of sweetness. Dominating the olfactory spectrum is, at first, the plant connotation that is realized with hay and other herbs, bay leaf, thyme and an exuberant chamomile.

 

Later it was the turn of fruity and marine scents, with hints of citrus and peach, thwarted by seaweed, oyster and strong mineral filler.

 

The taste, giving almost complete consonance with the nose, once again, even more notably, the plant component - here the fruit pays duty - that is adequately supported by delicate mineral texture, as well as balanced acidity.

 

The sip, very wide and of medium complexity, remains dry and closes on persistent iodine notes and citrus returns.

 

High and dangerous drinkability.

 

Massa Vecchia Berace 2010

 

Not even six thousand bottles for this blend consisting of Merlot 40%, Sangiovese 40%, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

The glass has a beautiful ruby red. The nose is assaulted by red berry fruits - strawberry and blueberry, blackberry and cherry – with a pleasant hints of plant and tobacco.

 

On the mouth it is lively and reproduces, quite consistently, the smell expressions, with regard to the fruity appearance.

 

Good acidity, a balanced slender body, these are the hallmarks of this bottle, which has shown remarkable drink agility.

 

It closes with good persistence, with fruity and sapidity flavors.

Domaine aux Moines Savennières Roche aux Moines 1992

Here we are in the Loire and the Chenin grape, lends, usually very well to aging. And this bowl, fortunately, confirmed the reputation.

 

The cap does not seem new, really it is, you would give him 2/3 hours, not 23 years.

 

A golden color, light and fat. The first impression is that I stopped at a gas station: only oil, hydrocarbon, if you prefer, and a hefty sum of reduced. But I did not hurry and I am waiting for that it stretches.

 

After a few hours, it comes the finesse, with the powerful hydrocarbon tones that have given way to smoky notes, also peat, mixed with fruits confits - quince and apricot - and hints of dried flowers.

Touches of honey and beeswax evidenced by the many springs of the bottle, but winter is still far away and the evolution, at the time, does not rhyme with oxidation.

The aromas continually evolving and climbing octaves of chalky minerality, streaked with orange peel and grapefruit and hints of mushroom.

 

In the mouth it is coup de coeur and impresses me so much freshness. There are material and thickness, consistency and a lot of youth. Thanks to a sharp acidity, incredible and unexpected, herbs, dried flowers and citrus soar.

 

Sip intact and tense - a stylish concentrated mineral salt, flowers and fruit - ending, long and intense, with hints of anise, black tea and walnut.

In two words: the nose is more nuanced and "forward", while the mouth is very young, but already full. 

Merci Monique e Tessa Laroche.

 

Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2011

Thanks to Marcel Lapierre there was the relaunch, for a new life and expression, of the Gamay grape. He, in fact, was able to demonstrate that a different result was possible, compared to the "cage" in which the new Beaujolais kicked itself. 

And the results are seen in the glass and you appreciate.

There is a dark ruby, concentrated, expressing freshness, sweetness of red fruit - raspberry and cherry, strawberry and red currant - with pleasant floral notes and a precise spicy dash.

 

The taste demonstrates full compliance with the sense of smell, with fresh and sweet treats of the red fruit. The palate, little by little, is conquered by a relentless spicy and mineral profile that never abandoned the sip.

Elegant fluency, with good persistence.

 

Drinking Gamay safely, not unreasonably this Lapierre’s considered the reference.

 

Giuseppe Rinaldi Nebbiolo 2010

 

The nose is quite fruity, sweet, but not too much, sometimes; then black cherry, raspberry, blueberry, very mineral.

The sip is very dry, delicious, savory, with ground, vertical tannins, almost furious.

Long, and persistent, it closes balsamic and mineral.

What a great Nebbiolo!

P.S.: these are the notes, "live" reported, naked and raw, no frills.

Once in the life, without eloquence, cup in the right hand, pen in the left.

Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico “Cultus Boni” 2009

80 percent Sangioveto grapes, with small doses of Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Mammolo and black Malvasia.

Ruby enough load, starts with a warm nose and little else. Waiting for an half-hour and the alcohol perception slows, so there emerges, discreetly, the fruit - cherry, plum and orange - with some purple embroidery and a delicate balsamic note.

The palate sees the return, important and influential, of the alcohol weight, which shortens, concretely, the expressiveness of the sip.

Not convinced, I grant him a second pass in the evening, with the mouth that has improved significantly. Now there is more freshness, that oversees and regulates, the peaks of the alcohol content. Consequently, the sip found its fruity, floral and even spicy size, although the structure remains massive.

Cappellano Nebbiolo 2007

The oldest Piedmont's native red grape, the Neb(b)iolo, Teobaldo pronounced it as it was once called, without the double b “…because it is sweeter”.

 

In the glass meeting a garnet red transparent, diaphanous. A balsamic wave, precise and clean, with spicy bouquet, gradually reveals intense aromas of pipe tobacco in the foreground, followed by undergrowth, leather and iron, cherry, blackberry and violet.

 

These clear olfactory signs are coherent on the palate. The tasting, very fresh, is marked by the strong presence of tobacco and the recall of the other flavors respecting the nose. Bright acidity, deep tannins and whole mastership of the alcohol content – here we travel to 14,5 % - enhance the harmony and the balance, never questioned, of the sip.

 

A nice, long, furrow minty-spicy, ends this cup by high drinkability, with lasting and admirable persistence.

Ciao Beppe

Thank you, Citrico
God bless you

Un Mare di Champagne 6th Edition 17-18 June 2018 | Alassio (Liguria) Italy

The event "Un Mare di Champagne", now at its 6th edition, will be back on 18 June, transforming Alassio into the Italian capital of Champagne.

The fair is organized by the Macramé Consortium - Dire Fare Mangiare - which since 2012 brings together a group of restaurateurs from Alassio, whose purpose is to promote their city and its excellences, with a particular focus on Food & Wine.

This year the location will be changed, in fact it will be the Diana Grand Hotel’s beautiful terrace, overlooking the sea, to host - from 12 to 20 p.m. - fifty Maison and Vigneron, for a full day about tastings and insights, dedicated in exclusive to the world of Champagne. There will be 150 labels, some of which, presented in absolute preview, for the Italian market.

The tasting, as usual, will be accompanied and illustrated by the experts of the Maison and the Fisar Sommelliers and embellished with the gastronomic specialties selected by Selecta.

For the detailed program, visit the Macramé website, as well as the social pages fb, tw and instagram.

Gaston Chiquet Champagne Special Club 1999

The "Special Club" cuvée is produced only in the best vintages and identified by exclusive bottle and label.

 

It is a blend of 70 Chardonnay and 30 Pinot Noir, coming from the vineyards of Hautvillers, Dizy and Mareuil sur Aÿ, plot winemaking, malolactic, turning 8 years sur lattes and disgorgement in 19/12/2008.

 

Golden eye, shiny, with fine and persistent effervescence.

 

The bouquet, just very cool, develops notes of custard and exotic fruit, even confit. But not only. The nostrils are captured by beautiful notes of hazelnut and almond, well embedded in a chalky watermark, winking with notes of honey and chamomile.

 

On the palate balance, elegant and creamy texture are enhanced by the freshness of the drink, however paying duty, compared to the happy hatch olfactory.Longer than wide, the mouth is more focused on aspects evolved, however a very good bottle.

 

Domaine de l’Ecu Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Blanc Cuvée Classique 2011

This is 100% Melon de Bourgogne, coming from this Loire’s company, organic since 1975 and biodynamic since 1998.

 

The nose is strongly fumée and iodine, with citrus notes - grapefruit and green lemon - well blended with hints of white flowers - especially hawthorn - resting on a slightly mineral and fruity carpet.

 

By the taste, freshness and balance, with smoked and iodine aspects, which are strengthened, while maintaining, dense and pleasant, the fruity side. Time passes and also the mineral aspect gains in quality, with salty touches.

 

The sip is very tense and opulent, whose amplitude progresses, with the increase of the oxygenation. Very persistent, with a palate insisting on brackish and grapefruit notes, with pleasantly bitter closing.

 

Try it with oysters.

 

 

Edi Keber Collio Bianco K 2013

This is a blend of 70 Friulano, 15 Ribolla Gialla and 15 Malvasia Istriana.

The olfactory theme, with good freshness, is entirely dominated by green vegetal notes – a lot of sage, thyme, rosemary, tomato leaf, chamomile and other herbs of the field - but with no hints of fruit, or minerals.

Same thing on the palate, which revives, coherently, the drafting olfactory. A lot of vegetal scents, freshness and nothing more, even if the mouth, continually, claims the cup, thanks to a good balance.

A.R. Lenoble Champagne Brut Nature Dosage Zéro n.v.

This cuvée is 40% Chardonnay, from Chouilly - Grand Cru village - 30% Pinot Noir from Bisseuil and 30% Pinot Meunier from Damery, standing thirty-six months sur lie and has disgorged one year ago.

The nose, at first, is lazy, then relaxes and modulates itself about a white fruit expression - peach, pear and a slice of grapefruit - a trace of almond, while an overflowing minerality stabbing the nostrils.

Even on the mouth has clear and overflowing chalky minerality. A relevant dorsal sour, however properly inserted and well balanced into the creaminess of the sip. The taste, straight and very intense, illustrates quite well the concept of zero dosage, without furious vehemences.

Really succeeded pairing with carpaccio of bonito and sea bass.

William Fevre Chablis Premier Cru Vaulorent 2008

It’s deep yellow, crossed by greenish glow.

 

The nose is strongly dominated by citrus sensations - lime and grapefruit - that blend with a deep iodine and mineral connotation, very typical of these vineyards located on Kimmeridgian soil.A touch of white flowers and a pleasant herbaceous vein, finish this olfactory drawing.

 

Very cool in the mouth and supported by important acidity; also here meeting mineral verticality, which occupies the length and breadth of the palate, crossed by subtle citrus references.

 

The final, not very long, but quite persistent, is enriched with salty flavors and oyster.