Best wines tasted during 2017 winery visits

During the course of 2017, I made a number of trips to various wine regions around the world. In this post I present the best wines tasted at wineries during those visits. The wine regions visited include:

• Napa -- during the Premiere Napa Valley event as well as a subsequent trip to a Clark Smith winemaking seminar
• Mt. Etna -- visits before and after Contrada dell'Etna
• Tuscany -- extension of the Sicily trip
• Barolo
• Virginia -- multiple trips into the region during the latter par of the year. Notes from my most recent visit remain uncompiled at this time and are not considered herein

The best wines tasted are grouped by region.

Napa
Dalla Valle 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon PNV lot
We tasted a number of high-quality wines at the Spottswoode Open House, one of the official events in the 2017 Premiere Napa Valley calendar. The one which stood out for us though (and the lot that we eventually bought) was the Dalla Valle 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon (their previous auction lot was 10 years ago and this was the youngest Cabernet Sauvignon that I saw on offer). The Dalle Valle was a superb wine. Drawn from Isabella’s Vineyard of the Maya Block, this wine, as described by my colleague Andres Montoya, has a “knockout nose of wildflowers, iron, smoke, blackberry, bramble, liquid graphite, and layered complexity that keeps going on and on …”

Author, Naoko Dalle Valle, and Ron at 2017

Premiere Valley post-auction

Macdonald Vineyard 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon
I visited the MacDonald vineyard as a side trip while attending a winemaking seminar. I was interested in this property due to its heritage as part of the original Crabbe To Kalon Vineyard. At the end of an extensive and informative tour of the vineyard with Graeme MacDonald, I was given the opportunity to taste the then-unreleased 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon.

According to Graeme, 2014 was the earthquake vintage and the wines had started to shut down to conserve energy. The wine had a perfumed nose along with dark fruit and spice. Light on its feet and perfectly balanced. This was a beautiful wine. I have tasted many To-Kalon wines; and this is competitive. I have tasted many Napa wines; and this is competitive. I kept asking Graeme for seconds. I did not spit.(the sense of this being one of the great Napa Cabs was re-inforced when I tasted this wine out of bottle a few weeks ago.).

Graeme MacDonald, grower/winemaker

Mt. Etna
As usual, my good friend Brandon Tokash shepherded me around the mountain on this trip to Contrada dell'Etna.

2014 Vinudilice Metodo Classico

This Salvo Foti sparkling wine was stunning but, unfortunately, is not produced every year. This is, without a doubt, the best sparkling wine I have tasted on the mountain to date and I have not been so excited about a non-Champagne sparkling wine since I tasted the Xinomavro-based Karanika. Fresh and attention-grabbing. Mouth-filling mousse and great persistence. The world deserves to see more of this wine.

Salvo Foti and Author (Picture credit Lidia Rizzo)

Pietradolce Etna Rosato 2010 

A Nerello Mascalese wine which saw no maceration. Perfumed cherry nose along with spice and butterscotch. Focused, with great acidity and a lengthy finish. Slight yeastiness attributable to lees with no battonage. Beautiful wine.

Vini Franchetti

Two wines stood out for me during my visit to the Franchetti estate. The 2014 Contrada G was elegant. Smoke, tobacco, leather, and sweet tobacco. Savoriness. Complex, big fruit but balanced by acidity. Silky tannins. Long finish.

The Franchetti 2014 is a blend of 70% Petit Verdot and 30% Cesanese d' Affile. Sarah called this a winemaker-oriented wine. Yields of 17 hl/ha. Fermented with selected yeasts in stainless steel tanks for 10 - 15 days.  Malolactic and 8 months aging in barriques, followed by 10 months in cement and 2 months in bottle. Bentonite fining. Rich, inky, with herbs and smoky barrel notes. Powerful. Not a classic Etna wine but I loved.

Barolo

Four of us spent a week in Barolo in the middle of May and visited a number of the region's leading estates.

Giacomo Conterno

At this estate, we tasted 2013 Cerretta and Francia out of barrel. According to Roberto Conterno, 2013 was a great vintage for Barolo. Normally Nebbiolo likes cooler temperatures, which 2013 was, resulting in a more structured wine. The Barolo Cerretta showed mint, herbs, and eucalyptus. Huge structure and lots of tannin. Excellent weight on the palate. Balanced. The Barolo Francia was perfumed, floral and restrained. Hay, sweet fruit, and spice. Silky, mature tannins resulting from, according to Roberto, being picked at ultimate ripeness.

Bartolo Mascarello
The final wine tasted was the 2013 Barolo. This was a cool, classic vintage. After 21 days of maceration, skin contact was terminated. The estate expects this wine to begin closing down temporarily sometime in the near future. Strawberries and roses. Honeyed nose with a hint of balsamic. Concentrated yet balanced. Lengthy finish. A wine to be aged and for the ages.

G. B. Burlotto
We tasted 2013 versions of the Acclivi, Monvigliero, and Cannubi Barolos. The Acclivi showed tar, roses, blackpepper, cherry-strawberry, and sweet fruit on the nose. Restrained. Burgundian. Menthol on palate. Perfectly balanced. Gentle tannin structure. Elegant.

The Monvigliero had an almost see-through color, Cinnamon, raspberry, strawberry, rhubarb, green herbs, and black olives. Stems on the palate. Fruit concentration balanced by acid levels. Pure. Will have a long, fruitful life.

Photo Credit: Ron Siegel

The Cannubi showed violets, minerals, herbs, and iodine on the nose. Fresher than the Monvigliero. Red fruits and lengthy finish. Most structured of the three Barolos.

Elio Grasso

We did three vintages of the Casa Maté: 2013, 2007, and 2004. The 2013 showed spice, tar, baking spices, and an earthiness. Depth and structure. Great mouthfeel. The 2007 showed obvious development. Tar, waxiness, honeyed fruit, mint, eucalyptus, herbs, florality, and curry. Tar on the palate along with a long, caressing finish. The 2004 also showed curry and tar on the nose. Great weight on the palate. Beautifully balanced.

Elio Altare

The 2013 Cannubi was floral on the nose along with red fruit, spice, and blackpepper. Beautiful weight on the palate and excellent finish.

E. Pira e Figli
The Barolo Via Nuova 2012 had a beautiful nose with slight florality and tar on the nose. Tar carries through to palate along with spice. Elegant. Cherry, plum, tar and herbs are the hallmarks of the 2012 Barolo Cannubi along with a waxiness and massive tannin structure. This wine will last for a while. The 2012 Barolo Mosconi showed tar, roses, and a savoriness on the nose. Sweet fruit on the palate. Powerful.

Virginia
I have recently begun a survey of the wines of this region and have been encouraged at the quality encountered in the wines of the leading producers. Frank Morgan has been instrumental in getting me in to see the producers mentioned herein.

Barboursville Vineyards

We tasted the 2012 (50% Petit Verdot, 50% Merlot), 2010 (60+% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) and 2004 (70+% Merlot) Octagons.

The 2012 showed coffee, berries, cedar, and baking spices on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate with a medium-length finish. The 2010 was elegant. Berries, cassis, mocha, and baking spices on the nose. Medium-bodied with a long, creamy finish. The 2004 was phenomenal. Red fruit, tar, chocolate, and baking spices on the nose. Balanced with a lengthy finish.

RdV

We tasted the 2012 and 2013 Rendezvous and the 2013 Lost Mountain. The 2013 Rendezvous showed smoke, red fruit, and baking spices on the nose. Red fruit and dark chocolate and elegance on the palate. The 2012 Rendezvous had the 2012 characteristics plus cigar, leather, licorice, and tar. Sweeter fruit and concentrated but not as focused. Great acid levels. Great finish.

Linden Vineyards

The 2015 Petit Verdot exhibited spice, darker fruit, a rich, smooth mouthfeel with good acid levels. Rich, mineral finish. Delicious.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme