Tour of Sicily 12-Cottanera

Masters of Wine Tasting-Cottanera

What a pleasant day to visit the Cambria family, makers of Cottanera, on a sunny spring morning.

Etna was behaving itself though there was a thin cloud of steam emitting as one looked across the nerello mascalese vines towards the south.

This visit was hailed as a property taking the international approach-the philosophy focussed on international varietals and a more international style of winemaking.

Cottanera today is reversing its trend and philosophy, and I was there to investigate. We were in Castiglione di Sicilia.

This brand is current in Australia and is becoming well known.

The welcoming party was extensive-principal Vincenzo explained the wines, assisted by Enzo, Emanuele, Francesco and Mariangela.

I took to the Etnabianco immediately because the grape used is really going to be the white face of Etna in future-carricante. It just loves growing at this elevation and produces great results.

Etnabianco 2011 (88) 13%; DOC Etna is pale, not an aromatic or tropical wine, its making in stainless steel actually preserves its terroir; its all about the taste, the minerally, stony notes, long and lean, mouth salivating and delicacy to boot.

The international winemaking here is all about the cool ferment-it preserves fruit and the delicate notes which the grape possesses.Curiously there is is ten percent catarratto included (the western Sicily white used in Marsala) which must be an experiment to see how it performs on Etna. Good so far.

The more international style white is Barbazzale Bianco 2011 (88) 12.5%; IGT which blends a terrific local white-inzolia with Rhone-origin viognier, and gives it a big slap of skin components.

The word barbazzale means golden beard for those curious about the naming.

This looks like work in progress as both varieties have a tendency to taste chewy. This is a step up in body over the loveable, racy, carricante.

Classic Etna Red

The Barbazzale Rosso 2011 (89) 13% DOC Etna is back to traditional Etna red grapes-nerello mascalese and nerello capuccio housed in some new French oak which was evident; these grapes have a lovely texture and softness, even at entry level wines.

The internationalisation of Etna’s prima red grape, nerello mascalese goes one stage further when blended with merlot and shiraz at 15 percent.

That makes Fatagione 2009 (93) 13.5% IGT; a hybrid of flavours which captures the silkiness of nerello with the bigger and fleshier merlot and shiraz; it works well in a new French oak barrel for a year.

The key to this style appears to not being heavy handed with the international pair-keep them in small proportions so the long fleshiness of nerello is not interrupted. Other vintages 2008 (90) and 2010 (92).

Cottonera make a big monster chewy Merlot called Grammonte 2008 (87) 14.5% IGT; other vintages 2007 (90) and 2009 (88). And a curio variety, a savoury Mondeuse called L’Ardenza 2007 (90) 13.5% IGT.

Finally I had to deal with how cabernet sauvignon grows on this mountainside. Cabernet is a very important grape, and the better ones around the world become the domain of collectors. It’s a variety with a great capacity to age and also excite.

This was my first Sicilian cabernet. It did not come across as a cool climate style (Yarra Valley) so I had to make warmer regions-McLaren Vale comparisons.

Nume 2007 (90) 14.5% IGT is a big chunky style of rich and ripe cabernet, has fifteen percent franc, ample layers of ripe cassis and minty fruit, powdery tannins and plenty to satisfy hearty drinkers. Other vintages 2006 (90) and 2008 (91).

The verdict: international versus indigeneous varieties; both types are well-made wines, people chasing honest and original wine will ask for carricante and nerello; new drinkers will just buy international if they are allowed to do so.

A true test of the winemaking is in the straddle of international varieties with local so that the wines produced become the unique personality of the property, local terroir and therefore the lasting and distinctive part of branding.

Owner Vincenzo Cambria (right) | Etna smokes

Etna has special values-it’s a great destination.

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uncorked No Comments June 13th, 2012 Italy Tour Visit Post

Tour of Sicily 12-Tenuta di Fessina

Federico Curtaz

What a lovely place Etna. And in the spring is better as flowers along the vines make me happy.

I have arrived at Contrada Rovittello and Tenuta di Fessina, an increasingly important area as it becomes known for Etna Rosso DOC wines, and I am here to taste those of Federico Curtaz (pictured) in Castiglione di Sicilia.

The hero wine is Musmeci, clearly made from the star grape on this hillside (665 metres), the nerello mascalese. Federico’s Tuscan owners Silvia Maestrelli and Roberto Silva have taken over vines in 2007 planted over thirty years ago, and some 60-100 year-old “monuments”. The winery building is older however at 240 years.

Of course these 7 hectares of old plantings are mixed variety, mostly mascalese but also a small percentage of nerello capuccio (5-8-10%, depending on plot), and the occasional white vines of both carricante and catarratto are found.

The soil is poor; it is heavily eroded lava stone, drains freely and has no clay layers. The wine is essentially a product of the soil, neatly captured and showing some amazing characters. Etna naturally blasted this vineyard as a “clos” or enclosed vine space about 130 years ago.

Tried were 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007 bottlings of Musmeci (named after a former vine tender). The 2010 (92) 14% is looking young, so closed on the day, nice fruit, even passionfruity that the flavours are some delicate-light; tannins still furry, mineral and fine; 2009 (89) 13%, looks tops in colour, just a more solid drink, sturdy, a mix of green mint and green herbs, quite austere now; 2008 (91) 14%, is a drinking wine now, quite aged to view, honied, some volatile bits, chunky, grippy tannins tending green, powdery, will live a little, not sure how; 2007 (88) 14%; top colour, aromas of dried herbs, dusty nose, and drying out on palate, developing interesting feral notes, powdery (elevation thing).

Musmeci

In summary these wines have great texture, weight but not overtness, presence but not any brutish parts; they stand subtle and shape your mouth. Tasting them demands patience and the best comes out as a mouthful of food blends with the nerello. Oak aging is behind the wines, not obvious, and I discovered 3-4000 litre barrels, some new, is the choice of container.

The remaining taste was bizarre:Puddara 2010 (88) 12.5%; large barrel-aged carricante, for a wine style that is slim and acute in acidity, sometimes mean in the mouth, whereas this is mineralised by taking on funky notes from the barrel phase (and lees); made from 60 year-old vines.

Old Nerello-alberello trained

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uncorked No Comments June 7th, 2012 Wine Review

An Old Lady returns-Seppeltsfield

For years I have driven past the Seppeltsfield property and always had the same personal thoughts-what an under-utilised site.

Well that has changed. The big ticket item from this Barossa gem has been the 100 year-old vintage dated fortified tawny wines.

Since inception they were under the care of the Seppelt family until being laid at the feet of corporate ownership whereby the necessary investment in its future could not be met. The last owner being Fosters Wine Estates

A few years ago ownership changed hands to interests associated with the Clare brand Kilikanoon.

Management of this property needs buckets of money, and many in the past have looked hard to find any part of a bucket extra called profit.

About two years ago McLaren Vale grape entrepreneur Warren Randall appeared from over the Adelaide Hills to take a majority stake and has been the driver in setting Seppeltsfield’s new direction.

My first taste of a wine from this property with ancient grapevines is the Grenache Shiraz Touriga 2010 (AUD 29); 14%, a wine with more colour than the usual Barossa-based grenache. It reeks of chunk. Big boy there.

Seppeltsfield Grenache Shiraz Touriga 2010-from historical bushvines

The Seppeltsfield activity is very similar to the region-wide investments of the past two decades which have occurred in northern Sicily (Etna Rosso DOC) around the volcano.

Here new investors have purchased 100+ year-old gravity-fed wineries (palmentos) and refitted them with modern equipment.

On Etna the vineyards surrounding these properties are 60-90 years-old to go with the package. Of interest though Seppeltsfield have re-commissioned their original gravity flow red production facility whereas the Italians chose to go new.

So I like the red blend, it’s got density from the shiraz (and touriga, a fortified variety known for colour), and it does not let out much generosity. The tannins are soft but it stays composed-its keeping the best flavours close to its chest at present.

Seppeltsfiled’s other red blends are equally engrossing. Maybe there are two buckets of money to be made from these excellent reds. Look out for them and buy one.

Last year’s Barossa Valley Wine Show Trophy

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uncorked No Comments April 6th, 2012 Wine Review

On the prowl of Cabernet Sauvignon

Had the opportunity to train an eager palate this week, so the lineup was a batch of six Aussie cabernets.

The wines were masked so the taster was forced to go back to basics and use the principles of taste assessment-forget the guessing part.

And the tasting sequence was 2010 vintage (warm climate-McLaren Vale) followed by five cool region grown wines from the 2009 and 2008 years.

The McLaren Vale boomer was a richly-textured Kangarilla Road 2010 ***; 14%, AUD 20, probably as many wines of this region do, tasting a little like full flavoured shiraz with just a bit more dryness.

Kangarilla Road Cabernet 2010

Cooler climate cabernets show more of the grippy tannin that cabernets must have and these five were really good drinks.

First was Leconfield Coonawarra 2009 ****1/2, 14%, AUD 29, colour a little aged, great florals and blackcurrant juiciness, drying, elegant, lots of flavour backbone and just drinkable powdery tannins.

Leconfield Cabernet 2009 Coonawarra

The next Coonawarra was Koonara Ambriel’s Gift 2008 ****1/2, 13.5%, AUD 30, a knockout nose of great ripe bits-licorice, jam, oak sweet nuance, then a sweet mint, spicy and big-flavoured memory.

Koonara Ambriels Gift Cabernet 2008 Coonawarra

Coonawarra number three was Di Giorgio Family 2008 ***1/2, 14%, AUD 26, a wine smelling of black fruits, chunky, angular, lots of grunt but not the elegance of wines prior.

Di Giorgio Family Cabernet 2008 Coonawarra

The last was Zema Estate Cluny, Cabernet Merlot 2008 ***1/2, 14%, AUD 26, a tad expensive, a spicy style, easy, lots of aroma and equally soft and supple in the mouth.

Zema Estate Cabernet Merlot (Cluny) 2008 Coonawarra

To complete the cabernet expose, an outstanding Margaret River cabernet sauvignon was exposed-Cape Mentelle 2009 *****, 13.5%, AUD 89, was just heavenly.

The beguiling features of this wine-spice and cedar oak, a very sexy smell, including the telltale bayleaf nuance,long and lush tannins, powderyness, and juiciness despite the fair barrage of tannin that cabernet gives.

Cape Mentelle Cabernet 2009 Margaret River

Just a total wine.

And what is the take home story?

1. Warm climate cabernet is fuller bodied that cool climate cabernet, the former may not even show much “cabernet” character!

2. cool climate wines are medium bodied with an associated whack of natural tannin which is drying yet a major part of the character of the wine.

Two renowned Australian areas where it grows well are Coonawarra (South Australia) and Margaret River (Western Australia). Never ignore these two regions when looking to appreciate cabernet sauvignon.

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