Cascina Gentile (Capriata d'Orba, Alessandria) and its Timorasso Derthona wine

I was prompted to this exploration of the Timorasso variety and wine by the entry of a number of my favorite Langhe producers into the space. As I dig deeper, though, I am finding that "non-native" entrants are not limited to Langhians; so far I have identified two Gavi and one Monferrato producer making Timorasso wines. We can now add Capriata d'Orba's (Alessandria) Cascina Gentile to this list.

Cascina Gentile has been owned and managed by Daniele Oddone since 2009, the third generation of his family to fill that role. Daniele graduated with degrees in both Viticulture and Oenology from the Oenological School of Alba.

The estate, located between Ovada and Gavi, is 18 ha in size and, since 2015, has expanded to include vineyard space in Colli Tortonesi DOC. At this point it is not clear exactly where in Colli Tortonesi these vines reside. The Cascina Gentile Colli Tortonesi environment is characterized in the following chart.

The grapes are harvested manually and transported to the cellar for destemming and crushing. After crushing they are placed into stainless steel containers where they are macerated for 24 hours prior to alcoholic fermentation (20 mg of sulfur is added to the must).

Two-thirds of the wine is aged for 12 months in stainless steel with the remainder aged in French oak barriques. These barriques are untoasted, with the staves bent using steam.

Wine is aged in wooden barrels to: (i) enhance its flavor, aroma, and complexity through transfer of substances from the wood to the wine; and (ii) allow gradual oxidation of the wine. Due to a lack of toasting, only native aromatic compounds would be transferred into the Cascina Gentile Timorasso wine. Further, the age of the barrels will determine the extent of transfer of raw wood components into the wine.

The use of vessels other than stainless steel for aging of Timorasso wines is not "traditional." Massa aged his wines in stainless steel and, with one exception, all of the "local" producers followed suit. In the wines I have studied to date, only Vietti has veered from that path.

The stainless-steel- and oak-aged wines are blended prior to bottling and an additional 20 mg of sulfur is added. The wine is aged for  a few months in bottle prior to release on the market.

Tasting the 2017 Cascina Gentile Derthona Timorasso

I loved this wine. 

Light orange color. Complex on the nose, with aromas of Sapodilla, beeswax, honeyed herbs, custard, and hints of beer and gasoline. Great weight on the palate with bright acidity. Textured. Green tamarind and salinity with a lengthy finish.

After some residence in the glass, tangerine, iodine, salinity, and mint on the nose. The tangerine transits to the palate along with pepper spice. The wine is beginning to look and feel like an orange wine but I am not sure where that feel is coming from (Oxygen contact in barrel?) seeing that the skin contact -- at 24 hours -- is much less than the 48 to 60 hours that is common for Massa wines. And Massa wines -- at least the ones that I have tasted -- do not exhibit this much orange character.

Persistent on the palate and a long, slatey finish.

Tasting on the day after, the barrel effect becomes more evident with a leaner, spicier wine with drying tannins on the backend. Spicier, bitter finish. Will require some time to resolve the tannins.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme