Vinitaly 2011, Part 5

Saturday morning we did our best to get up and out the door early, as we knew that not only did we have a lot of ground to cover, but that the crowds would be bigger. The latter was confirmed when we arrived at the shuttle bus stop to find not just a dozen or so people, but a small crowd and multiple buses lining up. When we arrived at the Veronafiere, lines were already formed trying to get in, though due to this I did manage to run into a friend from Atlanta who was also attending. Once we finally got in, I was glad we had a plan, and that it included trying to hit some of the more out-of-the-way spots.

Our first destination was the Veneto winery Marion. We'd had their 2006 Valpolicella at lunch Wednesday, but our first introduction to the wines came after reading about them in the Wine Advocate two years ago. Due to that writeup, we sought them out on our prior trip to Vinitaly and were rewarded with a great visit. This time, things were even better. Husband and wife Stefano and Nicoletta Campinelli welcomed us, remembering our prior introduction. However, before we tasted through their wines, they asked if we'd like to try one of the wines from the Soave producer Nardello, who was sharing their booth. Nardello's 2010 Soave was a nice way to ease into our Saturday before we got into the wonderful Marion lineup. We began the Marion tasting with the 2009 Valpolicella, followed by the 2007 Valpolicella Superiore, which is among the best Valpolicellas around (outside the Dal Forno/Quintarelli pair of course). Next we had a trio of IGT wines, the 2005 Calto (a blend of Corvina and Teroldego), the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2007 Teroldego, which was quite impressive. We then finished the tasting of new releases with a wonderful 2007 Amarone. The tasting wasn't done though, as we were treated to the 1998 Valpolicella Superiore, which was still fresh, and finally the 2002 Passito Bianco, a white dessert wine. Overall, this was one of the most impressive visits we had for the week, illustrating that Marion is certainly a producer to watch. I really think they are on the verge of becoming one of the true stars of the Veneto with their amazingly diverse lineup.

From Marion, we then went to visit one of our other favorite Veneto producers, Tommaso Bussola. As in prior years, Tommaso's wife Daniela hosted us, and as in the past she was initially a bit withdrawn, but quickly warmed. We began a deep lineup with the 2009 Valpolicella, the 2007 Ripasso, and the 2006 Valpolicella TB. After the 2004 L'Errante IGT, it was time for the Amarones. We had the 2006 Amarone, the 2006 Amarone TB, and the 2006 Amarone Vigneto Alto, each more opulent than the next, before finishing with the 2008 Recioto and the 2004 Recioto TB. These are all more modern-styled wines, but all impressively done from one of the best producers in the region.

With our last venture into the Veneto complete it was time to begin out random trek through the remainder of our list. With lunch looming soon at our usual spot in the Tuscany pavilion, we had the opportunity to make two more stops in the region. First up was Tua Rita, one of the top producers of Supertuscans. We had a phenomenal tasting, as we were offered the entire lineup from this great producer. After starting with the 2010 Rosso di Notri, we then had the 2009 Perlato del Bosco, a great IGT blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. We then went into the 2008 vintage, with the 2008 Giusti di Notri, the 2008 Syrah, and finally the 2008 Redigaffi, the 100% Merlot that is the star of this winery. All were impressive, and it was definitely a highlight that a winery such as this would offer these great wines for tasting.

Our final stop before lunch took us back to the Brunello Consorzio one last time. This time our destination was Uccelliera, a winery we had not visited on previous trips. We were to quickly discover that this had been a major oversight, as the visit was as good as any. Hosted by the Swiss wife of proprietor Andrea Cortonesi, we had a wonderful time. We began with both the 2008 Rosso and the 2009 Rosso, before trying the 2008 Rapace IGT. We then got to taste an excellent 2006 Brunello before being offered a barrel sample of the 2007 Brunello, and finally the 2005 Brunello.

Once again, lunchtime had arrived and we were right next to our usual spot. Saturday morning had been a great success, not just because of all the great wines we had tasted, but also the time we had spend visiting some wonderful people. Marion, Bussola, and Uccelliera not only make great wines, but the people at each are warm and welcoming. They are what make Vinitaly so special. We still had the Saturday afternoon marathon to go, but the morning session had been as rewarding as any.

Vinitaly 2011, Part 2

After a refueling stop at our favorite Vinitaly eatery (the Pad 8 cafeteria), we were ready for a busy afternoon. With about 4 hours of time remaining, we decided to spend a little more time in Tuscany before heading to the Veneto. Our first stop was another of Chianti’s top estates (though one better known for their Supertuscans than Chiantis), Castello di Rampolla. We began with the 2008 Chianti Classico, then followed with the 2009 Chianti Classico before moving to the big guns. The 2006 Sammarco was solid as usual, but the real star was the 2006 D’Alceo, which had lots of dark fruit and a long finish. It was definitely one of my top wines of the week.

Our final stop of the day in Tuscany was Il Poggione. I had met assistant winemaker Alessandro Bindocci at a tasting in Atlanta a few months ago, and he was nice enough to take a few minutes of time out from a group he was already with to speak with us. We discussed my initial thoughts on the 2006 in Atlanta (which had been delayed from his visit, but tasted on a Friday night later with the 2003 and 2004 Riservas) and Alessandro made sure we were taken care of before returning to his meeting. He continued to check up on us as we went through the lineup of the 2009 Rosso, the 2006 Brunello and the 2005 Brunello Riserva, which were all very good.

At this point we were close to our appointed time to meet friends in the Veneto pavilion so we began to head in that direction. Along the way, finding out they were a few minutes away still, we stopped in at the Campania producer Terredora di Paolo. I’ve become a big fan of their red wines, but we actually decided to start with their whites. We went through a trio of very nice wines, the 2010 Falanghina, the 2010 Greco di Tufo, and the 2010 Fiano di Avellino. These are all whites I’d buy to accompany a light seafood dish, though I preferred the Falanghina and Fiano. After the three whites we realized we needed to head on, so we did not get into their excellent lineup of reds, instead promising to return. Alas, we never did, as we just ran short on time on the week.

Finally, we made it over to the Veneto pavilion, and specifically a group of smaller producers. We met our friends Dominic and Roberta, and went to visit Dominic’s client Tiziano Accordini. Tiziano was busy, so we took the opportunity to first taste the wines of Lorenzo Begali. Lorenzo’s son Giordano began with us, pouring the 2010 Valpolicella and the 2009 Ripasso. Giordano’s sister Tiliana then took over, offering us the 2007 Tigiolo IGT, the 2007 Amarone, and the 2006 Amarone Ca Bianca. Lorenzo himself actually stopped by before we finished with the 2008 Recioto. Overall, it was an impressive lineup once again from this family operation, and I look forward to searching out several of these wines.

Tiziano was now free, so we moved across the aisle to taste the latest wines of Stefano Accordini, which Dominic imports. Here we again started with the brand new 2010 Valpolicella, followed by the 2008 Ripasso. We then had the 2008 Passo IGT before moving to the big guns. We had the 2007 Amarone, the 2004 Il Fornetto Amarone, and finally the 2007 Recioto. The whole lineup was good, with the Passo a great QPR option, while the Il Fornetto is definitely one of the top Amarones anywhere below the Dal Forno/Quintarelli level. As always Tiziano was great to visit with, and his son was also there with him. Like the Begalis, they are a family-run operation, and extremely gracious. It is wonderful to be able to taste great wines made by such great people.

Our last two stops were with larger producers, though the first of these can still seem like a smaller family operation. Anyone who is familiar with my prior visit to Vinitaly knows about our meeting with Giuseppe Campagnola, who was so nice to us at dinner one evening and then spent a great deal of time tasting with us at Vinitaly two years ago. When we stopped by the booth this time, he was initially busy, but eventually found his way over to us and was as friendly as ever. We began our tasting with the 2009 Valpolicella, followed by the 2009 Ripasso. We the moved to the 2008 Valpolicella Caterina Zardini before trying the 2007 Amarone. We concluded with a very good 2006 Amarone Caterina Zardini and the 2009 Recioto. This was another good lineup from Campagnola, once again reminding me of how disappointed I have been in trying to find their wines here in the US. The Caterina Zardini wines are definitely top-quality wines that are among the upper tier of Veneto wines in my opinion.

Our final stop of a wonderful first day was at one of the biggest names in the Veneto, Zenato. Our group of five (Dominic and Roberta were still with us) was welcomed graciously and brought into the booth to sit at a table for tasting. We decided to begin with their whites, a 2010 Lugana and 2008 Lugana Sergio Zenato. I’ve had very little Lugana, but these were enjoyable, and wouldn’t be the only Luganas we tasted on the trip. Following these whites, we moved to the reds with two of my favorite QPRs, the 2008 Valpolicella and 2008 Ripasso. I buy these wines in most vintages, and the 2008s are once again solid performers. We then jumped up to the 2006 Amarone, the 2005 Sergio Zenato Amarone, and finally the 2006 Recioto, the first Zenato has ever made. The 2006 Amarone is great (and available at some US retailers for a steal) and the Recioto is outstanding – I hope it ends up as widely available as most of the Zenato line.

At this point it was past 6 pm and we had dinner reservations at 7 pm at the Bottega del Vino with a great group of folks, so it was time to go. There was some scrambling to be done though, as we needed to find Mario (who was joining us for dinner) before heading out. I’ll just say it was a blur of Mom, Dad, and I running about for 20-30 minutes, finding Mario but not all of us getting back, and finally getting on a shuttle bus, where we somehow managed to get to the restaurant right at 7. I’ll detail that dinner in a later post recapping the meals of the trip. Next up will be the recap of Friday morning, where we returned to the Tuscany pavilion.

Vinitaly 2009, part 4

It has been quite a while, but finally I am catching up with the last of the Vinitaly reports. Saturday was an amazing (and long) day, and by the end we had tasted an incredible number of wines.

The day began in the Veneto pavilions again, first at a new producer we sought out, Marion. A newer small, family-run production, Marion's wines have been getting great reviews, but are still quite unknown and difficult to find. We began with the 2007 Valpollicella Classico, and then the 2005 Valpolicella Superiore, which is dried for 40 days, and thus really a step up toward Amarone. We then moved to the 2005 Teroldego IGT and the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon IGT, which is also made with a partial drying of the grapes. The 2004 Calto, a blend of Valpolicella and Amarone, was next before finally getting to the 2004 Amarone, which was quite good. We finished with the 2002 Passito Bianco, a sweet white dessert wine that was different but quite good. Overall, this was a great tasting from an up-and-coming producer that I hope to be able to drink more of in the future.

Next we finally made our visit to our friend Tiziano Accordini of Stefano Accordini. After meeting Tiziano last year, Dad was soon contacted by his new importer and they have been able to set up tastings of his wines in Pensacola and get the wines in stock there. Since our return this year, Tiziano has made a visit to the States including a stop in Pensacola where he dined at my parents' house before hosting a tasting the following night. Tiziano has quickly become a good friend, but he also makes some fantastic wines.

We began with the 2008 Valpolicella, which is still very young, but has some potential. Next was the 2006 Ripasso, which is a definite step up. The next wine was the 2006 Passo IGT, which includes 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot in the blend. We then moved on to the Amarones, with the 2005 Amarone normale followed by an outstanding 2001 Il Fornetto Amarone. We finished with the 2005 Recioto, a great example of this type.

Our final stop of the morning was with Tommaso Bussola and his wife Daniela. We met Daniela last year, and she was again a gracious host this year, along with her husband, who is an amazingly talented winemaker. Again, we tasted through an incredibly deep lineup of wines. Up first was the 2006 Valpolicella, followed by the 2004 Valpoliicella Ca del Laito Ripasso, and the 2004 Valpolicella Superiore TB. Unfortunately, this final Valpolicella had some sort of issue, whether there were bad corks or some oxidation that occurred. The Bussolas are very disappointed and not sure what happened, but it only happened with this wine in 2004. From there we quickly rebounded with the 2004 IGT L'Errante, which is modeled on the Quintarelli Alzero (but not quite to that level yet). The Amarones were up next, beginning with the 2003 Amarone Classico. It is a good wine, but the 2004 Amarone Vigneto Alto raises things to another level, though it is a little on the sweet side. The best of the group was the 2004 Amarone Riserva TB, which is a little more balanced and a truly great Amarone. To conclude, the Bussolas had three dessert wines for us, starting with the 2006 Passito Bianco Peagna. We then has the 2006 Recioto and the 2004 Recioto TB Riserva, which is quite sweet, but really a great Recioto.

After all this, we were certainly ready for lunch. Not only were we hungry, but we also needed to refresh our palates as we began what would be an epic afternoon.

Vinitaly 2009, Part 4

Saturday morning we were back for our final day of Vinitaly 2009. Dad and I would have to make it on our own without any translation help from Megan, and we had a lot of wineries we still wanted to visit. With more crowds also expected, it was imperative that we maximize our time to get to as many producers as we could.

We began our morning back in the Veneto region, as we needed to get by to see our friend Tiziano Accordini. He was initially busy and asked if we could come back in about 30 minutes, so off we went to find a way to kill a bit of time. One winery we had both been hearing about but had not actually tasted their wines was Marion, so that's where we decided to stop. It turns out that Marion is a small, family-run operation headed by Stefano Campedelli and his wife. We began our tasting with their 2007 Valpolicella, followed by the 2005 Valpolicella Superiore (some grapes for this are partially dried for 40 days, with the others late-harvested). From there, we were offered a trio of IGT wines, the 2005 Teroldego, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, and the 2004 Calto. These wines all have some interesting traits, as the first two are monovarietals where the grapes are partially aged, while the Calto is a "blend" of Amarone and Valpolicella. We then finished with a very good 2005 Amarone and the 2002 Passito Bianco. Overall, this is a winery to look out for - they are doing some different things, and seem to be hitting on most of them. If you find any of these wine sin the US, I'd definitely recommend them.

After this great start, we returned to meet with Tiziano. The Accordini lineup was stellar once again, with the 2008 Valpolicella starting us off, followed by the 2006 Valpolicella Ripasso and the 2006 IGT Passo that includes 20%Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot in the blend. After that, we moved on to the 2005 Amarone, followed by the excellent 2001 Amarone Il Fornetto, and finally the 2005 Recioto. Again, these wines are all great examples of the Veneto, and are very reasonably priced where available.

Our last visit of the morning was with another Veneto favorite, Tommaso Bussola. We had tasted with Tommaso's wife Daniella last year and she was there to welcome us again this year, along with Tommaso himself. Once again, we were treated to a great lineup from this top-notch producer. We began with a trio of Valpolicellas, the 2006 normale, the 2004 Ripasso Ca' del Laito, and the 2004 Superiore TB. Unfortunatley, something has happened with the TB, as the wine seemed a bit tainted or possibly oxidized. The Bussolas are unsure what has happened, as no other wines of theirs are showing this. Next up was the latest vintage from the always interesting IGT, the 2004 L'Errante before moving on to the Amarones. We began with the 2003 Amarone Classico, followed by the 2004 Vigneto Alto, which was very good but a little sweet, before finishing with the 2004 TB Riserva, which I thought was the best of the group. Finally, there were three sweet wines, the 2006 Passito Bianco Peagna, the 2006 Recioto, and the 2004 Recioto TB, which is very sweet but great. Overall, another great lineup from Bussola that in my opinion affirms this winery's standing among the top echelon of the region.

At this point, it was a natural spot for lunch before beginning our afternoon. A break following some very sweet Reciotos would help the palates as we moved on to other regions, and we needed time to set a plan of attack for what would be an epic afternoon.

Vinitaly 2009, Part 1

And now, we finally get to the real meat of the Italy trip, our 3 days at Vinitaly 2009. Thursday and Saturday were two full days, and we really put up quite a pace. There is just so much there, and though you try to make sure to get to as much as you can, you know that it is absolutely impossible to get to everything you would like to taste. Having experienced things once, I even tried my best to have some sort of plan of attack for us, but we would still not even come close to getting through all I had hoped. Thursday morning's start was somewhat slow as we got into the swing of things, but we spent a great deal of time visiting some of the wineries at the top of our list. We were also trying to make sure that we were able to see several of the people we had met previously, and that we could spend some time with them discussing their latest releases.

As we did last year, we began our first day in the Veneto pavilion after finally getting inside. We met up with Megan, and made out first stop at Giuseppe Campagnola. Of course, we had met Giuseppe the previous evening, and he was there to greet us upon our arrival. We sat down and began our tasting through his wonderful lineup of new releases. We started with the 2006 Caterina Zardini Valpolicella, then move don to the 2007 Corte Agnella, an IGT that is 100% Corvina. Next up was the 2005 Campagnola Amarone, which was still a bit tannic, followed by the 2004 Caterina Zardini Amarone, which we had drank the prior evening. It was just as good as the prior night, fully deserving of the 3 Glasses from Gambero Rosso. We then finished with the 2006 Recioto and the NV Fortificato, also tasted the prior night. Having Giuseppe there to walk us through everything of course made it an even better experience, and it was the perfect way to start out at Vinitaly.

Next we made a quick stop at Brig'aldara, where we tried the 2007 Valpolicella (still a bit young) and the 2004 Amarone Case Vecie. As mentioned in other posts, we had plenty of Brig'aldara wine on the trip, and they remain a favorite of mine from the Veneto.

Our next stop was one of the biggest names of the region, Zenato. Amazingly, last year we did not make it here, so this was a new experience for us. I'm pleased to say it did not disappoint, as we went through a great lineup of wines. We actually began with the NV Lugana, a sparkling white similar to Champagne. From there, we went into the reds with the 2007 Valpolicella (a little better than the Brig'aldara), the 2006 Cormi IGT (a blend of Corvina and Merlot), and the 2006 Ripassa, a favorite of mine in most every vintage. The next wine was a new one for us - the 2006 Cresasso IGT, a 100% Corvina Veronese selection that was quite nice. Finally, we were able to taste two Amarones, the 2005 Amarone normale and the 2003 Riserva Sergio Zenato, which was really amazing and one of the best Amarones we would have.

After Zenato, we proceeded to Lorenzo Begali, where son Giordano was once again there to host us (along with his sister Tiliana). We started here with the 2008 Valpolicella, then the 2007 Ripasso and the 2005 Tigiolo IGT. After that came a trio of Amarones, starting with the 2005 Amarone normale. We then tried two vintages of the Ca' Bianca Amarone, the 2004 and 2003. The '03 is already drinking well, but the younger 2004 has all the potential of a real blockbuster. We finished with the 2005 Recioto that was sweeter but still not overpowering.

All in all, it was a great start to the day. At this point, we went ahead and took our lunch break before embarking on an afternoon in the Toscana pavilion, which will come in the next entry.

More from Vinitaly - Veneto

A rather nasty cold has curtailed my wine intake over the past week, so I'll use this time to try to catch up with more notes from Vinitaly. Today I'll tackle the Veneto. Rather than one massive day of tasting from the home region of Vinitaly, we spread these out over the full 5 days. Unfortunately, my Thursday notes were a bit incomplete, so I've not got much other than the producers for the first few.

Our initial tasting at Vinitaly was with the wines of Brig'aldara. From my recollection, we tasted their Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Amarone. All were solid if not spectacular, though I must also note here that we drank the Valpolicella with lunch one day on the trip (by the glass), and also the 2003 Amarone at dinner one night in Venice. The 03 Amarone especially was quite good.

Up next at Vinitaly was Speri. Here, we were lucky enough to have one of the members of the Speri family (son Luca) guide our tasting of the La Roverina Valpolicella, the Sant'Urbano Valpolicella, the Ripasso, and the Amarone. Luca was really great at giving us lots of info on the wines as well as the Speri philosophy - they are focused on a very traditional style, producing more elegant wines that will typically require some age. I have to admit that I was not high on Speri before this, but the tasting really opened my eyes, and I look forward to drinking more of their wines. In fact, we did actually drink a bottle of their Amarone Friday night at dinner. We had plenty of choices too, as that dinner was at the Bottega del Vino in Verona, one of the great restaurants for wine you will ever come across.

Our last producer on Day 1 was Giuseppe Campagnola. There we tasted a Valpolicella, followed by two Amarones, the Amarone Classico as well as the Amarone Caterina Zardini.

Saturday, we got another treat when we went to the booth of Tommaso Bussola. After some initial difficulty, we were seated and hosted by a woman who we would discover to be Daniella Bussola, wife of Tommaso. She proceeded to guide us through an extended tasting of several wines and vintages, beginning with the 2003 and 2004 L'Errante. This wine is an IGT made with a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc varietals, and is quite good, though atypical for a Veronese wine.

We followed that with all three of Bussola's 2004 Amarones, the Amarone Classico, the Amarone TB, and the Amarone Vigneto Alto. Each presented a different profile, with the TB probably my favorite (the Vigneto Alto came across just a little too sweet for me, almost like a Recioto).

Finally, our tasting finished with two Reciotos, the 2005 Recioto Classico and the 2003 Recioto TB. These were both amazingly good, sweet and thick, like a liquid dessert. They are special wines that anyone who wants a really great sweet wine should search out. Just a note to remember - don't try drinking any other regular wine afterward (we tried and unfortunately it ruined my taste buds for some quality stuff we had later).

Sunday, we finally made it to one of the big producers of the region with a stop at Allegrini. The tasting there started with their two basic IGT's from the 2005 vintage, Palazzo della Torre and La Grola. I have always loved the Palazzo della Torre as a favrorite regualr purchase, starting with the 1998 vintage. For 2005 through, this tasting definitely favored La Grola (perhaps it was the bit of Syrah in the blend). We then stepped up to the 2004 La Poja, another IGT blend, and finally the 2005 Amarone. Both of these were very good, though not at a higher level than many of the top Amarones we tasted.

Moving back to a smaller producer, we then tasted the wines of Stefano Accordini. Tiziano Accordini (Stefano's son) was our gracious host, and one of the friendliest people we met during the trip. We tasted the 2004 Amarone Acianatico, the 2001 Amarone Riserva (very good) and finally the 2005 Recioto. We enjoyed our visit so much that we ended up stopping in for a final taste of the Amarone on Monday before departing for Milan.

Monday, we once again went big and small. First up was Masi, probably the biggest of the Veneto producers. We started with the 2005 Ripasso Campofiorin, followed by the 2003 Serego Alighieri Valpolicella. Next up was the 2004 IGT Toar, an indigenous grape usually only blended in small quantities, which was different than most anything else tasted from the region. Finally, we had two Amarones, the 2003 Costasera Riserva and the 2001 Mazzano.

We concluded our Vinitaly extravaganza with a great tasting of the wines of Lorenzo Begali. His young son Giordano led us through this impressive lineup, beginning with their 2007 Valpolicella. Up next was the 2006 Ripasso, followed by the 2005 Tigiolo, an IGT blend. We then moved to the Amarones, with the 2004 Amarone Classico and the 2003 Amarone Monte Ca Bianca, before finishing with the 2005 Recioto. This was a great overall lineup, and a producer I definitely recommend to search out (I've seen a bit of their wine in Charlottesville, but that's it in the US).

I know there's a lot here, but it should be a pretty comprehensive listing of some of the best the Veneto has to offer (well, it excludes Dal Forno, but that visit will be in its own post sometime later). There's certainly other producers we missed, but all those visited offer a wide range of classical and modern wines from a region that many Americans may overlook, but Italians recognize as one of their real treasures.