Last Week's Tasting Notes (8.23.19)

​de Bernard Cuvee Prestige Millesimato Prosecco ($13.99)
Veneto
From the producer:
"Tasting notes: very clear, pale straw-yellow tending to green, with a fine and persistent fizz.

The aroma is intense, persistent and fruity, exceptionally refined, with dominant notes of ripe golden apples and banana.

This medium sweet, fresh wine is pleasantly light and low in alcohol. It is also very soft and balanced with a long fruity finish.
Serving recommendations: best served at a temperature of 5-7°C, pouring immediately after removing the cork.

Recommended with: excellent as an aperitif. Goes well with fruits and delicate salty foods."

From me:
This is a bit unusual in that the producer is actually a Grappa specialist who also only makes Prosecco and no other wine. Though it has a little residual sugar, it still drinks fairly dry, and wow, does it go down easily! It's a nice example of a slightly more elegant Prosecco.

Terre del Fohn Müller Thurgau ($12.99)
Trentino
From the producer:
"Named after the grape variety form which it comes and which was bred by the Swiss researcher Doctor Hermann Müller in 1882. This is a white-grape variety which comes from the crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royal. It is adaptable to the cold climate of mountain areas and ripens early. For these reasons cultivation is widespread in Trentino, where it has found an ideal habitat on the slopes at an altitude of 500-700 metres a.s.l. where the microclimate conveys special organoleptic qualities to a 'high-flying' wine.

TASTING NOTES
Colour: pale yellow with greenish tints. 
Bouquet: fruity and floral with notes of sage, slightly aromatic. 
Palate: dry and pleasantly acidulous.

FOOD MATCHING
Elegant starters, fish, first-courses with vegetable and seafood. It is exceptional as aperitif.
Well structured."

From me:
As most of you know, I like to introduce you to lesser-known wines, and this varietal is certainly one of them. This is a mineral, light, bright wine that has undertones of green fruit. It's tart, but has low acidity, so it's not cheek-puckering. If you like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, I suspect you will like this wine.

Goretti Grechetto ($17.99)
Umbria
From the producer:
"Goretti cellars have always been at the forefront of environmental protection.
Every business choice is inspired by obtaining the best quality of the grapes without undergoing excessive stress neither the vine plant nor the soil.

The cellars do not produce certified organic products but have always paid attention to the environmental impact that the winemaking production of companies can have, knowing that to make the difference of the products is the protection of their territories from which the vines are born and grow.
Environmental sustainability is therefore intended for Goretti wineries as the best way to transfer to a new generation a company and a territory that is not impoverished and excessively exploited but still rich in natural and human resources.

On 9th July 2013 the Goretti wineries received the Cifo prize “excellent footprints: sustainable agronomic techniques for a valuable viticulture”, dedicated to good environmental practices in the vineyard and in the cellar.

As evidence of the continuous search for innovation in respect of the environment, the cellars continue to invest in renewable energy through a photovoltaic system and operating in the local market with 100% electric means.

COLOUR 
light straw-yellow with faint greenish reflections

BOUQUET 
deep and elegant with fruit notes, in particular,
on the nose, are notes of pineapple, banana, yellow peach, Scotch broom flowers and almonds

TASTE 
fresh and full flavoured. Well-balanced with lingering
personality

HOW TO SERVE, SERVE WITH 
as an aperitif, excellent with many dishes, fish and white meat."

From me:
This is another new wine made from an indigenous Italian varietal. It is fresh with a little body and a distinctly fruity character. The acidity and minerality keep it lifted on the palate and the finish lingers. Sauv Blanc drinkers will especially appreciate this style of wine.

Cantine Monfort Terre del Föhn Marzemino ($12.99)
Trentino
From the producer:
"The Marzemino grape occupies a prominent place in the wine growing world in Trentino thanks to its excellent quality. The origins of the vine are lost in history but it is likely that it comes from Marzemin, a village in Carinthia. Currently Marzemino is cultivated in particular on the right bank of the river Adige and, especially in the foothills of Nomi, Pomarolo, Isera and Mori. In the Vallagarina the variety has found ideal soil and climate conditions which lend it its unmistakable organoleptic characteristics. To distinguish it from other similar wines it is called 'Marzemino Gentile' where 'gentile' (gentle) is justified by the matchless delicacy of the wine.

WINE MAKING METHOD
Brief red wine fermentation on the skins, malolactic fermentation and refining in stainless steel vats. Brief ageing in bottle.

TASTING NOTES
Colour: bright ruby red . 
Bouquet: delicately fruity (fruits of the forest) with floral notes of  sweet violet
Palate: dry, harmonious,  pleasing for its fruity notes and slight almond finish.

FOOD MATCHING
First courses with meat sauces, white meats, poultry, cheeses.
This wine is famous  for its fruity taste. It is an indigenous wine mentioned in the Opera 'Don Giovanni' of Mozart."

From me:
I'm really into indigenous grapes and wines that are off the beaten path, so for me this is a really compelling one. It drinks a bit like a Pinot Noir in that it's light-bodied and brightly fruit-forward. I think at $12.99 it's a great alternative to Pinot, but it also stands on its own as a cool climate red. Organic.

Famiglia Losi Chianti Classico Millennium Gran Selezione 2010 ($39.99)
Tuscany
​From the producer:
"The Chianti Classico LOSI Millennium was produced for the first time in the year 2000 with the exceptional vintage 1997. The production has been subsequently repeated with selected grapes only in the best vintages. In the sixtieth anniversary of our foundation, the Chianti Classico Losi Millennium obtained the new higher appellation “Chianti Classico Gran Selezione” and had its world’s preview on 17th February 2014.

Grapes: Sangiovese 90%, Canaiolo 5%, Malvasia Nera 5%

Vineyard: The best grapes are carefully hand-selected from the oldest family vineyards, which are situated at 300-350 meters above the sea level, experiencing one of the best south–southwest facing, thus allowing a regular optimal ripening of grapes. Hilly slopes, medium–mixture sandy and clayey soil, with typical Galestro marl and Alberese limestones. Grape selection, exposure and soil composition considerably contribute to the highest result.

Wine-making: Alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature lower than 27° for 15-20 days, which is the average suitable time for extraction of colour, polyphenols and tannins from the skin. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine is placed in cement –vitrified tanks for the second fermentation, until the malic acid gets totally exhausted. Only at this moment, the wine will be ready for aging in wood.

Aging: About 36 months 10 hl French oak casks.

Tasting Notes:
Colour: intense ruby red, tending to garnet with age,
Bouquet: very intense, long persistent, with plum and balsamic hints.
Flavor: dry, warm, charming ripe tannins, soft and velvety, elegant and long finish."

From me: 
This is the star of this tasting. I am very picky about Chianti in general, and this winery does a great job across all of their wines, but this one is stunning. The quality of winemaking is high, the aging is long, and the result is elegant, a bit lush, and an ideal expression of the style.