Feudi Cavalieri: Old vines on Etna’s southeast slope

Brandon, Lidia, and I were in the midst of a glorious week of rest and relaxation at Portopalo di Capo Passero when I received a message from Frank Morgan (@drinkwhatyoulike) indicating that he would be on Mt Etna as a part of the Etna Days congress and that we should try to connect. During the course of our communication I was able to determine that he would be visiting Feudi Cavalieri on the day of our return to Mt Etna and I communicated same to Brandon. Margherita Platania, owner of the estate, was a very good friend of Brandon and Lidia. Brandon called her up and arranged for us to visit simultaneously with the Etna Days crew.

We arrived at Feudo Cavalierei prior to the Etna Days guests and were welcomed by Margherita's husband and son and the latter proceeded to describe the estate to us.

The estate has been owned by the Platania D'Antoni family since 1880. Wines were originally bottled by Margherita's great grandfather but he eventually ceased that activity to concentrate on grapes and bulk wine. Through the years the property had been divided up between various family branches. When Margherita's father passed away, she inherited his share and used that as a platform from which to acquire the parcels that she did not own in order to recreate the original holding. 

The 20-ha property is located in Contrada Cavaliere (in the Comune of Santa Maria di Licodia) at elevations ranging between 900 and 1000 m. Of the 20 ha, 10 are planted to vines with the remainder occupied by woods and fruit trees. Plants and vines are underlain by black sandy soils and ripiddu, rich in minerals and tending to acidic, which are coralled by lava stone terraces.

Feudi Cavaliere resident in Contrada Cavaliere

By this time the Etna Days crew had arrived and, after the appropriate salutations and greetings, we broke off into two groups to tour the vineyard.

Margherita welcoming the Etna Days group

During our walk, Margherita's son went over some of the material that he had already shared with me but also added additional material. The vineyard is planted to Nerello Mascalese (60%) and Carricante with vines being trained either Alberello or spurred cordon. Some of these vines are 200 to 300 years old. Newer vines are sourced through massal selection. 

The estate is farmed organically with Margherita herself taking care of the trees and vines. 

Upon completion of the vineyard tour, we did a walk through the cellar and tasted a selection of the estate's wines. Wines made from the pre-phylloxera vines are bottled under the Millemetri label while newer vines are bottled under the Contrada Cavalieri label.

The first wine tasted was the 2020 Etna Bianco Contrada Cavaliere. This wine spent 1 year on its lees. Herbs, salinity, minerality and citrus skin on the nose. Lime, minerality, salinity, and pepper on the palate. Marked intensity to the pepper and salinity. A drying finish.

The 2016 Millemetri Etna Bianco was an absolute gem. This 100% Carricante is sourced partly from old vines and partly from newer plantings at elevations ranging between 950 and 990 m. The wine was aged on its fine lees in stainless steel tanks for 1 year. 

Herbs, citrus skin, salinity, and mint on the nose. The wine forms a small, compact ball of citrus and salinity with a juicy undertone on the palate. Lengthy finish.

The Millemetri Red is 100% Nerello Mascalese sourced from grapes grown at 950 m. The wine was aged 15% in new oak and the remaining 85% in second- and third-pass barriques. The wine spent an additional 12 months in bottle prior to release on the market. 

The 2018 version of this wine had a slight muskiness accompanying elevated strawberry aromas and potpourri. Light on the palate but with some spice. Firm tannins.

Brandon Tokash, Frank Morgan, and the author.

We attempted a tasting of the Rosé, but the wine was defective. The star wine of the tasting was the 2016 Millemetri Bianco and this further reinforced my developing bias for Carricantes from Milo and the southeast slope of the DOC. The age of the wine only served to accentuate the quality of this vintage for this producer.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

A vertical tasting of the wines of Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande: 1975 - 2010 (selected vintages)

With the background out of the way, I now turn to the actual tasting of the Pichon Comtesse wines. The vintages chosen for the tasting reflect the will of the participants. Once an attendee identified the vintage he/she would be bringing, that particular vintage was removed from the pool of allowables. The table below illustrates the vintages that made the final cut. The table also shows how the wines were arrayed, as it relates to flights (by decade, with the two pre-1980 wines pooled), and varietal contribution, both in terms of percentage and characteristics, to the blend.

Year	Cabernet Sauvignon (%)	Merlot (%)	Petit Verdot (%)	Cabernet Franc (%)
2010	66	24	3	7
2003	65	31	4
2002	51	34	6	9
1998	55	30		15
1996	75	15	5	5
1995	45	40		15
1989	45	35	8	12
1988	45	35	8	12
1986	N/A
1975	45	35	8	12
1969	N/A
Varietal Contribution	Full-bodied, deep-colored red wines with fine, silky, delicate tannins	Elegant, well-balanced, full-bodied sensual wines	Deeply colored wines with complex spicy and floral aromas underpinned by highly concentrated tannins	Less tannic. Contributes superb aromatic finesse with elegant, fresh, floral notes

The wines were tasted from youngest to oldest overall and within flights. The tasting team is shown below.

Photo used with permission. Courtesy of Marc.

Participants notes on the tasting, if secured, are reported below.

Flight 1: The 2000s

2010 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

This was a legendary vintage for Bordeaux.

Sean -- Pressed faded flowers in a book (roses and violets?). Lovely bouquet. Some slight smoke and spice; cloves maybe. Super long finish. A wow wine. Soft on the palate. Smooth and balanced. Good fruit. Black fruits, dark cherry, plum. Wine of the flight. Impressed enough with this one to go bid on a couple.

Brian --You can easily tell that this wine has been refined and polished with all the improvements at the winery.  While it needs air, and can easily go for 10 years more or more, it’s not in a bad place at all.  This is a hallmark wine of a superior vintage.  Perfectly balanced fruit and tannins…. silky smooth.

Theresa -- Integrated, elegant, pencil lead, black fruit. Delightful, but could go a lot longer.

2003 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

The heat wave was the defining hallmark of the vintage. Far riper, fruitier wines.

Sean -- Floral nose, more violets and roses. Slight smoke. Sous bois. Mouth - good longer finish. Dark fruits again. That graphite and lead pencil typical of Pauillac. Good, but slightly off perhaps, or just missing something the 2010 has. 

Brian -- Was shocked this was not as good as the bottle we had 3 months ago. Fruit is not pronounced.  A very simple wine; closed off and not expressing the hot vintage of 2003.

Theresa -- Nose and palate so balanced, elegant, and smooth. Still tight but complex. Pencil lead. Could last a long time.

Author -- A little more structure than the 2002. And livelier. Dark fruit and unresolved tannins.

2002 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Bordeaux good, not great. Cool, damp year.

Sean -- Dark flowers on the nose along with truffle and cedar. Mouth - graphite, some minerality along with dark fruits.  Light, but some tannins, less structured, shorter finish. Surprised for a 2002 which isn’t known for the best vintage, but quaffable. I had thought this one wouldn’t show that well and while it isn’t the best of the flight it isn’t terrible either. 

Brian -- Tight and simple wine.   Expressing the vintage troubles.  The fruit was lackluster and very light.  Medium tannin and acid.

Theresa -- A bit of fruit on nose. Mostly damp, wet cellar. Single-note palate. Lack of tannin and acid. Disappointing.

Author -- Beautiful flowery nose. Graphite on the nose along with coal. Dark fruits on the palate. Lean. Finish not the longest I have ever encountered.

The 2010 was deemed to be the Wine of the Flight

Flight 2: The 1990s

1998 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Varied in quality. Right Bank starred for Bordeaux.

Sean -- Nose:  dark cherry and some flowers, but light. Mouth:  soft, but lacking depth. Some dark fruits again. Slight sour note. A bit tangy. Perhaps at the end of its life.

Brian -- Burgundy-like nose … forest floor. Shrooms. Massive tannins and acid and not long-lasting but enjoyable.

Theresa -- Dusty cherry fruit dominated along with mulch and forest floor .

1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Fantastic for most of Europe. Bordeaux had an incredible vintage for dry reds and whites.

Sean -- A favorite Bordeaux vintage. Never disappoints and again it is singing. Nose: something truffle. Sous bois. More dark dried flowers. Mouth: very elegant. Loooong finish, which I love. Good tannins and acid all balanced. Sooo silky and velvety on the mouth. Tannins resolved but there. Stewed cherries and plum. Pencil lead. Best of the flight. Best of the night also. I’ll have to keep an eye out for more of this online.

Brian -- WOW.  Elegant and refined.   One of the best left bank wines I have had in years.  Perfectly balanced fruit, tannin, and acid.  Bing cherries and raspberry-like fruit.  The epitome of class.

Theresa -- Acid, cherry, tannins, integrated, cigar.

Author -- Balanced. Cigarbox and savoriness. Goo acid level. Silky tannins.

1995 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Overall a great year.

Sean -- Tight. More tannic on the mouth. Not much on the nose. Some flowers. Dusty and mineral. Drinking well. If not for that 1996 I’d give this the wine of the flight. Mouth: plums, dark fruits, dark cherry. 

Brian -- Good, not great, versus the 1996.  Had a little more tannin and acid than the 1996.  Fantastic fruit.

Theresa -- Acidity, some tobacco, earth, light cherry, raspberry, and a long finish.

The 1996 was adjudged to be the Wine of the Flight.

Flight 3: The 1980s

1989 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Fantastic vintage year for Europe. Bordeaux had no faults with reds. Abundant harvest of excellent quality.

Sean -- Nose: perfume. Floral with violets. A touch of clove or spices, tobacco, graphite. Mouth: dark plum, black currant. Smoother drinking and balanced. Very good. 

Brian -- Another great wine in a stellar vintage with great balance.  A little past its prime but very enjoyable. 

Theresa -- Balanced. Earthy with some floral notes.

1988 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Overall a great year.

Sean -- smelled of weird stuff.

Brian -- Dead .. shame.

Theresa -- Old leather, like really old. Smoky cigar box.

Author - This wine was universally panned by attendees. And rightly so because it seemed to have some storage issues. The cork did a deep dive aftr only a slight touch with the wine keey and it went downhill after that.

1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

Great vintage for St. Julien and Pauillac where many wineries produced deep, concentrated wines. Vintage has a reputation ofr tannic wines.

Sean -- Interesting nose. Different. Perfumed. Dried dark flowers. Slight smoke and clove and spice box. Mouth: dusty cherry, stewed cherries, and a bit like cherry syrup. Wine of the flight. Surprising so naming it wine of the flight over the 1989. 

Brian -- All tertiary notes such as herbs and greenery. Light red fruits were slightly present. Very acidic. 

Theresa -- Acid outlasted the fruit.

The 1989 was the wine of this flight.

Flight 4: The 1960s and 1970s

1975 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

A hard, brutal, tannic year. Difficult vintage where, in most cases, the tannin outlived the fruit.

Sean -- Color looked good. Garnet and bright for its age. My nose may be shot after smelling all these wines, but something green there, green peppers perhaps? Nose opening up after few minutes and improved and moved more to the floral similar in other bottles. Mouth: dusty soft cherry. Plum. Very nice. Wine of the flight. Umami and savory as compared to earlier bottles. Different from the rest. Surprised how well this bottle drank considering the age and the vintage. 

Brian -- The shock of the evening.  Extremely refined and smooth tannins.  Plums and raspberries and the fruit were very intact.  My second-place wine.  There is a reason why the folks in Bordeaux called this vintage the “vins de garde” or the wine to keep. 

Theresa -- Vibrant acid, tannins, fruit.  Great maturity. Nice savory finish. Iincredibly surprising and great.

1969 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande

The end of the decade was not the best for Bordeaux. Heavy rains diluted the wines.

Sean -- Nose: cherry cough drops. Tangy and somewhat sweet-like. Not bad. Past, but yet still there. Still drinking, which is surprising, but on the downside.

Brian -- Almost a light beef stock undertone with the fruits.  It had a massive amount of acid and was past prime.  All tertiary.

Theresa -- savory, smoky tobacco, graphite. Not great. Showing its age. Rustic and very earthy.

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In summarizing the tasting Richard first apologized for his medical treatment potentially screwing up his tasting ability. That being said, the 1975 was by far his favorite: It still had a lot of the acid and tannins; the color was deep Garnet; and it had all the characteristics of a Left-Bank Bordeaux. With the exception of the 1988 (which was deeply flawed), the wines were exceptional. "We saw dark fruit with cherries and plums. There was earth, tobacco, and forest floor for aromatics. Alll in all an exceptional tasting."

By the way, the 1996 was deemed the Wine of the Night.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme