Vodopivec Vitovska Origine 2009

I have always considered the Vitoska of Paul and Valter Vodopivec, the best ever and even this bottle confirms me.

 

In the beginning, a finely chiseled nose, dynamic and very clean.

 

Fresh attack, known as broom, and then with fruity sensations - white peach, apricot and pear - followed by tones of clay and delicate minerality that will accumulates massive stony doses.

 

On the mouth it is just elegant, vertically elegant and with precise acid-tannic tone.

 

The fruit merges wonderfully with the mineral propensity, which, here, flows into salty-iodated territories, giving it complex and immense pleasure.Remarkable tasty progression and marked persistence, it ends resuming salty tones, apricot and almond.

 

I repeat, and I emphasize, in my opinion, the best Vitovska ever.

Absolutely.

Agrapart & Fils Champagne Minéral 2003

More than years since the disgorgement (october 2008), than on yeasts, much more time under the lights of Lafayette Gourmet in Paris, than sheltered from the light, in my cellar.

Agrapart means an inseparable link with the Côte des Blancs, and its grape variety, the Chardonnay. In this case, with an extra brut dosage, in a vintage where very few Champagne Houses have tried, because of the heat wave.

Anyway, no worries, because Monsieur Pascal, did not put the heat in the bottle!

The absolute purity of Chardonnay comes from the old vineyards - 40 years aged - of Cramant, first fermentation half-steel and half oak barrels, malolactic fermentation, more than 4 years on yeasts, with manual riddling.

Very fine and harmonious bubbles and a great vertical nose, initially sleepy, but which leaves his relax quickly, on a strong aromatic expression and showing a very gourmand side.

You start with aromas of pastries, almond paste, dried fruit, even grilled, light floral notes, candied lemon, Granny Smith apple, with light touches of vanilla. A truly lively design, supported by a saline and chalky texture and a well-marked flinty notes.

A chiseled, “fat” and full of matter mouth, confirms, simply, all the olfactory extension, while the aromatic intensity develops continuously, then it extends on oxidative flavors without compromising, altogether, freshness and balance.

Tense and vibrant finish, on strong mineral expression, with a long length.
A pure-terroir wine that the Côte des Blancs only can give, thanks to the refined iodine and to the energy of the chalky cliff.

Jacquesson Champagne Cuvée n° 732 n.v.

It is a blend, based on the vintage 2004, and composed by 39% Chardonnay grape, 36% Pinot Meunier grape, 25% Pinot Noir grape, an abnormally low percentage (21) of reserve wines, dosage 3.5 gr.lt. and disgorged in 2008 2nd quarter. In other words, that is almost how to say a kind of “homemade dégorgement tardif” - please permit me the stretch - which gave emotions, confirming, punctually, a classic and full of charm bottle.

Almost symmetrical nose and mouth. Mature expressions, masterfully supported by a dynamic acid adhesion, true motor sips.

Grilled butter and hazelnut, candied lemon and apricot, elegant chalky connotations, are the precise olfactory interpreters that I have found regularly in the mouth, sometimes even amplified.

A complex and growing taste bow, by long and exciting chalky finish, salty flow sensations, custard and ginger.

Hard to get nowadays, be prepared and very fast in buying it!

Terre di Toscana 2018 | Lido di Camaiore

The Una Hotel Versilia, at Lido di Camaiore (Tuscany), will host the eleventh edition of Terre di Toscana wine fair, on Sunday 4th and Monday 5th March.

A real full immersion in the excellence of Tuscan wines production, which will be attended by 130 producers, with more than 600 wines for tasting.

Also, as usual, the show cooking pavilion “Golosizia”, which will see, six chefs at work, 3 on Sunday, 3 on Monday.

The list of companies, wines tasting and the full program, by consulting the website Terre di Toscana and following their social pages fb and twitter.

Not to be missed.

Cantina Giardino Aglianico Drogone 2008

The Aglianico is the most common dark variety grape in southern Italy. And I like it. The Cantina Giardino’s, from old wineyards, I love it too.

It’s ruby, almost dark. The smell sticks, fresh, full of fruit - a beautiful cherry, plum and blackberry - and then embraces oregano and mediterranean sensations. Subsequently, mineral and spicy progressions saturate the nose.

The palate is solid, full and rich of minerality and fruit. A marked acidity and alive tannins, for a dry sip, complex and high voltage taste. Very concentrated is a mineral presence from volcanic stone, which rivals and prevails, harmonically, on the fruit. Extreme balanced bottle briding elegance with high drinkability, despite the 14.5 percent alcohol, absolutely unnoticed.

The bottle, unfortunately, ends fast, with long and tight aromatic persistence and returns of china, tobacco, pepper and graphite.

A great drink, really

Champagne R&L Legras Saint-Vincent 2000

It is the R&L Legras’s cuvèe de prestige - Chardonnay grape 100% - created in honor of the Saint Patron of the winegrowers, which saw light in 1964 and nowaday 13 vintages only have been considered worthy to be millesimate.

7 years have passed, but it would seem to have disgorged yesterday, seen the energetic freshness it communicates. That same freshness that favors the cleaning of fragrances that gradually emerge and remain in the nostrils for a long time: bread crust and biscuit, citrus peel, hazelnut and jasmine, with a dynamic and solid salty-iodine structure, which recalls, the inimitable craie of the Côte des Blancs.

The first sip is sharp, lively, even with aggressive bubbles. But in a few minutes that effervescence is transformed and reborns by putting on the great occasions dress, looking like a classy Lady.

The acidity is kept really scathing and explosive, with valuable citrus and spicy cues, while the sip is enriched, both in width and in depth.

In the end of the bowl, the mineral-iodate character explodes, leaving a sapid mouth, mixed with oysters. Long finish, vibrant persistence, about marine sensations and shades of amaretto and tobacco.

Precision sips and stylistic rigor like it was a great maison cuvée.