Montepulciano of the Conero in Le Marche

This past month I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to attend a few Italian wine trade tastings in the Boston area.  I’ll be sharing many of my great picks from these events in upcoming blogs including today’s feature on Rosso Conero from Le Marche wine region of Italy.

The Wine Region ~ Le Marche 

Le Marche is located in the central eastern part of Italy and is the 2nd hilliest region after Umbria.  Its capital is Ancona, which runs down to Monte Conero, the highest cliff on the east coast.  It forms what is known as the elbow of Italy or il gomito d’Italia.  Le Marche is dominated by mountains and hills and is a rather undeveloped region compared to others.  These are the ones that I love discovering.  Beautiful rolling hills, medieval villages and a long, rather flat coastline along the Adriatic.   

Many of the vineyards are located inland on the hills that climb up towards the Apennines.  As you can imagine located along the Adriatic the climate here is Mediterranean with sea breezes making ideal conditions for grape growing.   

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The Grape ~ Montepulciano 

The Conero wine area of Le Marche is entirely based on red wines.  Here is where Montepulciano shines.  In Conero you’ll find the Rosso Conero DOC and Conero Riserva DOCG.  Typical characteristics of Montepulciano include a deep ruby color in the glass.  On the palate they are full-bodied and rather fruity with cherry notes and tend to be higher in alcohol with ripe tannins.   

The Wines ~ Rosso Conero 

These wines I’m sharing today come from both the Rosso Conero DOC and Conero Riserva DOCG.  These wines require a minimum of 85% Montepulciano plus an optional addition of other reds from the region.  Many probably think of the Abruzzo wine region when they think of Montepulciano, but those produced in Conero in Le Marche are well worth seeking out.   

Garofoli  

Started in 1871 by Antonio Garofoli.  Today the winery is operated up to the 5th generation of family members.  A winery large in size producing about 2 million bottles annually and 60% of it is exported worldwide.  Although it is large in size these wines that I’m sharing today show that really large wineries can still produce great wines.  Produced in their Castelfidardo winery these wines really demonstrated to me the potential of Montepulciano in the Conero area of Le March. 

The 2015 Garofoli Rosso Conero “Piancarda” DOC Montepulciano from their “Linea Famiglia” line of wines is solely produced from the Montepulciano grape.  It’s aged 1 year in traditional oak casks.  Ruby red in color.  This wine had good fruit with ripe plums and cherries, bright acidity and silky, elegant tannins.   

The 2012 Garofoli Rosso Conero Riserva “Grosso Agontano” DOCG Montepulciano is from their “linea selezione” line and is definitely a step up from the previous wine.  Dark ruby in color also produced from 100% montepulciano.  This wine was intense and jammy on the nose.  Aged about 18 months in French barriques about 10-15% new.  A very round, fruit forward, structured and complex wine with ripe plums and cherry with notes of vanilla from the wood aging.  Even more elegant than the last.  My pick of the two!  I love when a wine changes in the glass the longer you sip it. 

Fattoria Le Terrazza 

This winery was established in 1882 by the Terni family.  Located at the foothills of Monte Conero on a hilltop about 1 mile from the Adriatic coast.  Antonio and Georgina Terni hit a turning point when they decided to experiment in 1995 with some clones of Montepulciano.  By 1999-2001 they replanted all their vineyards with the new clones.  Their principal grape production is with Montepulciano, but they also produce Syrah, Merlot and Chardonnay.   

The 2015 Le Terrazze Rosso Conero Montepulciano is made from 100% Montepulciano and spends about 15 months in large oak casks.  Deep ruby in color with some purple tinges on the rim.  A rather fruity nose of red berries.  Medium bodied with a mix of ripe red and black fruits on the palate.  Rather soft and smooth with supple tannins. 

Explore montepulciano outside of the typical “Montepucliano d’Abruzzo” and seek out those of the Conero in Le Marche.  

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Tasting Through the 9 Communes of Chianti Classico

A couple weeks ago I attended a Masters class in Boston hosted by the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico and led by Jeff Porter.  It was a horizontal tasting discussing the diversity of Chianti Classico and its 9 communes including:  

• San Casciano in Val di Pesa   
• Tavarnelle Val di Pesa   
• Barberino Val d’Elsa   
• Poggibonsi   
• Greve in Chianti   
• Castellare in Chianti   
• Gaiole in Chianti   
• Radda in Chianti   
• Castelnuovo Berardenga

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Tuscany is one of the regions I have traveled through the most and understand the lay of the land the best.  Plus, sangiovese is one of my most favorite if not my most favorite grape of Italy.  I was thrilled to attend this class to get a better understanding of the different communes comparing their styles of Chianti Classico. 

Gallo Nero representative of Chianti Classico

We tasted through 10 wines so I honestly can’t say coming out of the event that I can completely tell the difference between the communes since we didn’t taste through every commune.  Without also trying multiple wines from each commune it would be hard to characterize them right here and now.  Many of the owners were in attendance each representing their winery giving a lay of the land to best describe what makes them unique.  What was completely evident from the tasting was even when we compared wineries from the same commune some were very different in comparison.  With some it was the variety of grapes used, the altitudes of the vineyards or the soils in which the grapes are grown.  This to me is one of the most fascinating aspects of wine. 

The wineries present included:  

• Castello di Gabbiano (San Casciano in Val di Pesa)   
• Casa Sola (Barberino Tavarnelle)   
• Cinciano  (Poggibonsi)   
• Il Molino di Grace  (Greve in Chianti)   
• Castello Vicchiomaggio (Greve in Chianti)   
• Famiglia Cecchi (Castellina in Chianti)   
• Fattorie Melini (Poggibonsi)   
• Cantina Castelvecchi  (Radda in Chianti)   
• Felsina (Castelnuovo Berardenga)   
• Vallepicciola  (Castelnuovo Berardenga)

Although I’m sure many folks know, the wine region of Chianti Classico is located in Tuscany, which is in central Italy.  It is almost the same size as Burgundy, France and is home to about 600 producers with 7,200 hectares total (almost 18k acres).  Interesting fact is that about 40% are certified organic or eco-certified.

   

The history of Chianti Classico  

• 1716 the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III de Medici defined the Chianti Classico territory   
• 1848 Baron Bettino Ricasoli created the recipe for Chianti Classico including primarily sangiovese with canaiolo, malvasia and other local red grapes   
• 1924 the Chianti Classico Consortium was created   
• 1932 the term Classico was added to distinguish those wines from the rest of Chianti   
• 1984 Chianti Classico becomes a DOCG   
• 2006 trebbiano and malvasia are banned from production of Chianti Classico   
• 2014 Gran Selezione is born

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The soils of Chianti Classico 

For those that love the chemistry of the land and geology this part is for you.  Understanding soils is very important and something I myself need to dig into more.  It will help you understand what lends certain characteristics to the wines.  The soils of Chianti Classico I learned mostly consist of galestro, albarese and macigno.  Galestro is a highly powdery clay schist that is hard and compact.  It forces the vines to struggle resulting in wines with power and intensity.  The albarese soil is a hardened marl stone and limestone that results in wines with high acidity and finesse.  Lastly the macigno, a sandstone, dusty rock lends aromatics and florality.   

Types of Chianti Classico 

There are 3 levels of Chianti Classico including the annata, riserva and the new Gran Selezione created in 2014.   

Annata is the standard wine that requires a minimum of 12% alcohol and 12 months of aging.  These wines are fruity, approachable, fresh and pleasant.  Jeff mentioned that he has had 20 to 40 year old annata that were “stunning” proving the impressiveness of these wines even at the basic level.   

The Chianti Classico Riserva wines require a minimum of 12.5% alcohol with at least 2 years of aging with 3 months in the bottle.  These wines are fruity, consistent and persistent, well-integrated with the oak to go along with its structure.   

The new Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is based on single vineyard sites or the best selection of grapes from a particular winery.  The alcohol minimum is 13% with 30 months aging with 3 months in the bottle.  Wines of fruit, spice, depth, elegance and a balance of acidity and tannins. 

The wines of Chianti Classico’s 9 communes 

There were many styles of Chianti Classico portrayed across these wines and since I love sangiovese I can appreciate them all.  Jeff Porter described it best by saying “there is a chianti classico for everyone”.  Here are my favorites in ranking order. 

1. 2016 Cantina Castelvecchi Capotondo Chianti Classico DOCG – Located in Radda in Chianti in the Siena province.  With altitudes from 400-600 meters the soils here consist of mainly albarese and galestro.  Consisting of 88% sangiovese and 12% canaiolo.  A deep, rich and darker fruit on the nose than some of the others.  A wine with bright acidity which Jeff called the tell tale of Radda.  Notes of tobacco, deep cherry notes, elegant with silkier tannin on the finish. 

2. 2016 Castello Vicchiomaggio Chianti Classico DOCG – Located in Greve in Chianti in the Florence province located just outside Florence.  This wine is made of 100% sangiovese with vineyards at about 228-280 meters.  Soils are made of 35% clay, 40% marl and 25% sand.  Aromatic, ripe cherries on the nose.  A nice balance with moderate tannin and good acidity finishing with a beautiful elegance. 

3. 2016 Casa Sola Chianti Classico DOCG – Located in the northwest part of Chianti Classico in the Barberino Tavarenelle commune.  This wine is made of 90% sangiovese, 4% caniolo, 4% cabernet sauvignon and 2% merlot.  A winery located on rolling hills consisting of galestro and albarese.  Rich cherry with nice tobacco and cedar notes on the palate with silky tannins.  

4. 2016 Fattorie Melini Terrarossa Chianti Classico DOCG  

5. 2016 Famiglia Cecchi Villa Cerna “Primocolle” Chianti Classico DOCG 

6. 2016 Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico DOCG 

7. 2016 Vallepicciola Chianti Classico DOCG 

8. 2016 Cinciano Chianti Classico DOCG 

9. 2016 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico DOCG  

10. 2016 Il Molino di Grace Chianti Classico DOCG 
    
    

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