The making of the Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon

Monte Bello is the Ridge Vineyards property located in the Saratoga/Los Gatos sub-region of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA where the combination of high elevation, decomposing limestone soil, and cooling ocean breezes yield Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that produce impeccably balanced, long-lived wines. The construction of these wines are explored herein.

When the three SRI scientists purchased the old Torre Ranch property from Frank Short in 1959, they did not intend to become winemakers. Rather, the purchase was predicated on a plan for all three to build houses on the land after retirement from SRI and, in the meantime, they could camp out on the property with their families on weekends. There were some grape parcels on the land (with the produce sold to local wineries) and it was from the 1959 harvest of those parcels that Dave Bennion (one of the partners) held back enough to make a 1/2 barrel of wine. 

David Bennion, Founding Partner
and first winemaker at Ridge Vineyards

Bennion had no formal winemaking experience so the production of that early wine was inherently fundamental. Yet the quality so impressed the Partners' wine-drinking friends that the team broadened its horizons as regards the end goal. The first commercial vintage was made in 1962 and Bennion continued in the role of winemaker until Paul Draper was hired in 1969. Draper assisted with the 1969 vintage and made every subsequent vintage until he handed over the reins to Eric Baugher in 2001.

Paul Draper, the face of Ridge Vineyards winemaking

As regards his hiring, Draper recounted that Bennion had heard him speak to a Stanford group in 1967 about the winemaking approach that he was pursuing in Chile. The partners were interested in his "traditional" approach as it aligned with their thinking. When Draper left Chile, they offered him the job as winemaker. 

What were Draper's thoughts on winemaking that made such a favorable impact on the SRI Three. Draper was not formally trained as an enologist but he had a lot of practical experience, inclusive of his stint running winemaking operations at an estate in Chile. Draper had also spent a lot of time tasting old Bordeaux and pre- and post-Prohibition wines and had come to the conclusion that these old wines were intrinsically more complex than the wines that were being produced by contemporary UC Davis graduates. The formally trained Enologists were producing cleaner and less fault-prone wines but these wines were also less interesting. They, in Draper's opinion, emphasized the role of the winemaker rather than the features of the "place." He referred to this as "industrial winemaking."

Instead he espoused  "pre-industrial winemaking" which "let the vineyard site create the wine, accomplished through a  combination of natural, low-tech, hands-off winemaking techniques":

• Keeping all grape varieties and parcels separate
• Fermenting in small fermenters using only natural yeasts
• Transferring the separate lots into air-dried American oak barrels to undergo full, natural malolactic fermentation
• Taste each lot at many points along the way and assess its individual qualities.

The philosophy does allow for minimal addition of sulfur to avoid the risks of wine oxidation or spoilage (at crush, after MLF, and at quarterly rackings) and fining with fresh egg whites if a wine had excessive tannins.

All varieties used in the Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon are sourced from the named vineyard. According to the estate, the parcels can be divided roughly in half based on the style of wine produced through the years: (i) More approachable and develops its full complexity early and (ii) begins to develop its full depth, complexity, and superb quality after a minimum of 10 years aging. The first is bottled as the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon while the second is the Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon. A specific parcel's destination is determined by the rigorous tasting regime employed at the estate.

The grapes are hand-harvested by parcel and transported to the cellar where they are de-stemmed then whole-berry fermented with native yeasts. Alcoholic fermentation is followed by natural malolactic fermentation.

The wines are aged in 100% new oak barrels (92% American, remainder French) for 19 months with quarterly rackings. The final wine is assembled as follows:

• First assemblage -- early February
• Second assemblage -- May. This assemblage considers press wine and lots that were not yet stable at the time of the first assemblage.

The varietal contribution to the final wine is characterized thusly:

• Cabernet Sauvignon -- shows cassis; adds tannin
• Merlot -- plum character and a bit of softness
• Petit Verdot -- dark color and earthiness
• Cabernet Franc -- Fragrance and a hint of spice.

According to the Vinfolio blog, "the minerality, acidity, and structure of these wines are what sets them apart from many of their California peers.

On to the tasting.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Ridge Vineyards: Monte Bello grape-growing environment and farming practices

The Orlando Friends Tasting Group will be tasting selected vintages of Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon this upcoming weekend. I have previously described the Monte Bello home AVA (Santa Cruz Mountains) and will continue that enlightenment herein with a discussion of the estate's positioning within that space.

The below chart shows Monte Bello's positioning within the confines of the AVA, revealing that it is (i) on the eastward (inland) side and (ii) more specifically, in the Saratoga/Los Gatos sub-region. Our earlier reporting has shown the conditions experienced by inland vineyards as well as vineyards within the Saratoga/Los Gatos sub-region. Those conditions are reprised on the chart. 

Fruit for the Monte Bello wines are sourced from four vineyards ranging in elevation from 1255 feet at the lowest point to 2664 feet at its highest.

Each of these vineyards had its own unique history prior to being merged into a common whole when brought into the orbit of the Ridge Vineyards founding families. These histories are captured in the following timeline array.

The chart below is a composite of screen shots which shows block maps for two of the Monte Bello vineyards: Perrone and Rousten. First, the chart shows the estate's practice of block-based farming. Second, it indicates that all of the blocks are farmed organically. Third, the chart shows the dominance of Cabernet Sauvignon in the plantings. Of the 25.66 acres planted in Perrone, 14.3 acres are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon while the remainder is spread between Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Merlot. Two acres lie fallow. In the Rousten vineyard, 17.7 acres of the 28.29 acres of vineyard blocks are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder planted to Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, and Zinfandel.

The no-interventionist approach to winemaking that is practiced by Ridge Vineyards requires that the highest quality grapes be delivered to the cellar door. For example, the winery eschews commercial enzymes or nutrients during the winemaking process meaning that the grapes have to come equipped with the stuffing to carry it through to the end of fermentation. In Ridge's view this quality of fruit is delivered through a comprehensive and responsible farming approach built around Sustainability and Organic Farming.

The grapes for the Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon are sourced from four vineyards, each at differing elevation levels in the Saratoga/Los Gatos sub-region of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, and each having its own distinct history prior to being pulled into the estate's orbit. The environmental conditions surrounding these vineyards, and, hence, the conditions under which the grapes are grown, yields high-quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to the cellar door.

In my next post I will discuss the Ridge Vineyards process for converting these grapes into the exquisite wines for which the estate is known.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

California's Santa Cruz Mountains AVA

The Orlando Friends Tasting Group has, over the past year, held events focused on Constellation's To Kalon wines. Continuum, Tignanello, the slopes and terroirs of Mt Etna, Chateau Montelena, and the 1997 Napa Vintage. Next up in the series is Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon and, as per custom, I will be providing some background material for the consideration of the participants. I begin herein with a discussion of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, the home appellation for the subject wine.

Ridge Monte Bello is produced within the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, an altitude-delimited appellation extending over 130,000 ha in San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties. The AVA, established in 1981, was the first California appellation to be recognized on the basis of its geographical location rather than its political or administrative borders. The early history of the AVA follows.

Early History

In 1804, Spain created separate administrations in the Province of the Californias along a line dividing the Franciscan missions in the north from the Dominican missions in the south. The northern section was named Alta California and the southern portion Baja California. Alta California included what is now the current states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona north of the Gila River, as well as parts of Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. 

Franciscan missionaries settled in the Santa Cruz Mountain area in 1804, continuing the northward California expansion that had begun with the founding of the mission San Diego De Alcala in 1769.  The missionaries had historically planted Mission grapes to produce sacramental wines, a brandy, and a wine for local consumption. The cooler temperatures yielded a bitter, inferior wine from the Mission grape so Black Muscat was planted instead and produced a sweet, port-like wine. 

Logging the mountain Redwood forests was a thriving industry during the mid-1800s and the clearings thus created provided fertile land upon which homesteaders planted vineyards and food crops. The first known of these vineyards was planted by a Scotsman named John Burns. He called the mountain near his vineyard Ben Lomond. 

By 1875, records indicate that 262,275 vines had been planted and 70,000 gallons of wine were being produced annually.  By the mid-1880s, the region was producing award-winning wines but was devastated by a 1889 forest fire that destroyed many wineries and most of the vineyards. 

In 1896 the famed Frenchman Paul Masson planted 40 acres of vines above Saratoga. He opened a production winery in 1901. 

Prohibition shut down production in 1920 but winemaking regained some momentum in the post-Prohibition era. The first winery to emerge from Prohibition was the Bargetto family winery in 1933. 

Paul Masson sold his vineyards to Martin Ray in 1936. Ray promptly pulled out the Masson vines, replacing them with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Ray was the first known California winemaker to produce single-variety wines. Ray eventually sold this vineyard to Seagrams and purchased property at a higher elevation.

There was a resurgence in winemaking in the mountains in the 1960s and 1970s. So much so that two of the region's wines were included in the 1976 Judgment of Paris Tasting: The 1973 David Bruce Winery Chardonnay (10th in the white wine tasting) and the 1971 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon (5th in the red wine tasting). An application for an AVA designation was made to the Federal Government in the 1970s and was approved and so designated in 1981.

Environment

Santa Cruz Mountains vineyards are not distributed uniformly across the surface area; its disjointedness does not so allow. The mountains are riven with faults which break the surface into a series of elevated ridges and steep/sheer downslopes. The San Andreas Fault is a major factor herein, as its presence in the mountains separates the North American Plate on the east from the Pacific Plate on the west. Land available for farming is discontinuous, relatively small in size, and separated from each other by both distance and elevation.

The region is considered Mediterranean but, on the ground, is defined by diverse microclimates. It is warmed on the eastern side by high daily temperatures and low wind while being cooled on the coastal side and ridge tops by ocean breezes and fog.

The tectonic forces which formed the mountain also surfaced a variety of soils (limestone, sand, clay, shale, granite, decomposed rock, sandstone, schist) and minerals (cinnabar, talc, gypsum, graphite). Soil complexity is greatest near the tops of ridges where soils made of clay and Franciscan shale can be found layered on bedrock comprised of decomposing limestone.

The AVA is divided into six sub-regions with Ben Lomond the only one with an AVA designation. The characteristics of the AVA and its sub-regions are summarized in the chart below.

The AVA is the coldest Cabernet Sauvignon producing region in California. The distribution of varieties is as follows: Cabernet Sauvignon - 25%; Pinot Noir - 25%; Chardonnay - 25%; and 25% for all other varieties with Merlot and Zinfandel foremost among these.

Currently there are 70 wineries processing fruit from 300 vineyards spread over 1500 acres. The combination of free-draining soils and exposure to sun and wind stresses the vines, resulting in small, concentrated berries and "intense, concentrated flavors in the fruit." The lengthy growing season and slow ripening yield "complex, nuanced flavors and a lengthy finish on the palate."

It is in this environment that Ridge Vineyards crafts its Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon. I will cover the Ridge Monte Bello specifics in my next post.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Tenute di Nuna: Straddling the Milo-Sant'Alfio borderline

Tenute di Nuna is a Sant'Alfio-based winery operated by Marina Novello Trantino and her partner, the lawyer (and self-taught agronomist) Fabio Percola. The winery currently owns 5 ha of land in Sant'Alfio and 1 ha in the neighboring comune of Milo. Four of the Sant'Alfo hectares are planted to Carricante (Guyot-trained) while the Milo Carricante vines are Alberello-trained.

View of the Sant'Alfio vineyard from the farmhouse

Fabio in the vineyard

The Sant'Alfio property was purchased in 2006 with the encouragement of Maria's Mother. The property was originally an apple orchard but, at the time of the Trantino purchase, was an abandoned, bramble-filled parcel resting on remnants of the 1971 lava flow. The family jokes that the only inhabitant at the time of purchase was a stray cat and that cat's memory is honored by a whimsical reproduction on the label.

A fair amount of work was required to get the vineyard ready for grape-growing. For example, the land below the terraces had to be built up. The first 75 m had to be filled in so the soil is very deep. The final section, on the other hand, has soil that is only 1 m deep. This section has less water so the plants suffer from dehydration (In the early days, this section had to be irrigated). The yields from the deep-soil section are higher than from the thinner-soil area.

The Sant'Alfio vineyard (840 m asl) was planted in 2000 and the first grapes harvested in 2015. The Milo plot (900 m asl) was purchased in 2017 and the first Etna Bianco Superiore was produced therefrom in 2020. Both vineyards are farmed organically.

While the Sant'Alfio property is being renovated, the Tenute di Nuna wines are produced at Cantina di Nessuno in Trecastagni. Nuna produces two commercial labels (Etna Bianco and Etna Bianco Superiore -- both 100% Carricante) and an experimental Spumante. A young Sicilian winemaker named Benedetto Alessandro assists in the process.

The base wine for the Spumante is sourced from Cantina di Nessuno and includes 15% Nerello Mascalese. The wine does not meet Etna DOC requirements. It will eventually be sold to visiting winelovers rather than being placed into distribution.

The 2020 Spumante that we tasted exhibited breadiness, salinity, and high acidity. It has potential but either needs to be later-picked or have higher sugar levels at dosage in order to offset current acid levels. It should be noted that Cantina di Nessuno picks the grapes for its base wines earlier than it does for its dry wines.

Brandon and Fabio tasting the Spumante

We did not taste any of the DOC wines during our visit but tasted both during VinoMilo events during its two-week cycle. The 2020 Nuna Etna Bianco was tasted at the "In The Steps of Mario Soldati" event and showed green herbs, mint, salinity, and a savory character. On the palate, golden apple, lime, and salinity along with an almond-pit bitterness on the finish.

The 2021 Nuna Etna Bianco Superiore was tasted at the Etna Bianco Superiore event and was the third wine in the third of four flights. The hurried nature of the event did not provide the opportunity for a full-on assessment of the product. My notes speak of sweet white fruit and "perfumed on the palate." In my ongoing survey of the top Etna Bianco Superiores, however, one of my respondents has characterized this wine as one of the top four Superiores with "freshness, elegance, minerality, and big structure in the mouth ..."

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Tenute di Nuna is a small, young entity that is led by an enterprising couple who have strung together the pieces of a puzzle to make quality wine while building towards a more integrated, comprehensive outcome. They focused initially on property acquisition and development and then utilized available resources (outsourced production, local oenologist, in-house agronomic expertise, non-estate base wines) to develop quality products. This resourcefulness will be further manifested in the estate and its products with the passage of time.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Tenuta Boccarossa: All roads lead (back) to Mt Etna

In a prior discussion of winemaking on Mt Etna, I characterized the environment as "a patchwork of identities and experiences ... directly correlated to the origins of the parties." The chart below summarizes the owner origins that I have detected to date, along with representative markers in each space. The subject of today's post, Tenuta Boccarossa, currently helmed by Michele Calabretta and his wife Claudia, is shown as being positioned in the Comeback Kid category. I will explore that positioning in this post as well as the current standing of the winery and its wines.

Claudia and Michele

First, lets trace the familial steps along the Mt Etna vinous road. The charts below illustrate the early Calabretta history on Mt Etna and the point of vinous departure of two major branches of the family tree. Our focus in this post follows the path taken by the patriarch's son Michele. Michele took over the winery and set up the local distillery once Gaetano left center stage.

Agriculture on Mt Etna took a dive in the early 1970s, leading to the family giving away all of its land. Gaetano (father of the current operator) tried to maintain the remaining structures but his only association with the old ways eventually was confined "hobbydom" as he turned his focus to being a High School Physiscs teacher.

With Gaetano's move to teaching, the vinous link had been broken on this side of the family tree. Michele extended that fissure by studying engineering at University and then leaving Sicily to work for Ferrari and then Lamborghini. While employed at the latter, he made a number of trips to Germany where he met his future wife, Claudia. At the time she was completing her doctorate in International Copyright Law.

They discussed the family tradition and the possibility of making wine on the volcano.  They made an experimental wine on Etna in 2010 and in 2011 Michele moved back to Sicily to take a position with a Catania-based automotive microelectronics producer. This move opened the door to making their dream a reality.

The first step was the purchase of a 1-ha Nerello Mascalese vineyard. In 2018, they made their first commercial wine under the Boccarossa label. This 600-bottle run was produced and aged in rented cellar space and sold to local restaurants.

From that initial purchase, Boccarossa holdings have grown to 10 ha, 7 of which are organically farmed vineyards. The distribution of holdings are illustrated in the chart below.

The Boccarossa philosophy, as regards winemaking, is as follows:

Wine is the product of good work done in the vineyard with minimal processing in the vineyard, and with the aim of expressing in each wine, in the best possible way, the characteristics of the grape, the articulated environment and its specific microclimate.

Towards that end, only eco-compatible products are used in the vineyard and all work done therein (pruning, weeding, hoeing, harvesting) is done by hand. Michele is assisted in these efforts by his dad Gaetano. Some of the fruit grown on the estate are sold to other producers.

Michele and Gaetano

While the vineyards are certified organic, the cellar operations are not. The winery is currently working towards gaining such certification. Boccarossa wines are made under the direction of the oenologist Alessandro Biancolin.

The estate currently produces two red wines (Etna rosso, Terre Siciliana) and one white (Etna bianco). Brandon and I tasted these wines during our visit with the family. 

Michele at one of the ViniMilo2024 events

The 2022 growing season was hot. The Carricante grapes for the Etna bianco were handpicked, pressed (pneumatic press), and then fermented (selected yeasts -- pied a cuvée) in stainless steel. The wine was aged in stainless steel for 7 months and then bottled.

On the nose, hint of white flowers, tropical fruit, minerality, green herbs, and salinity. High acid level on the palate, citrus, green and dried herbs, black pepper, and a long cupric finish.

The 2022 Etna rosso showed mint, red fruit, balsamic, green herbs, and forest floor on the nose. Sour cherry, green herbs, and great persistence on the palate. A certain richness. Textured. Mineral with a slight bitterness. I liked this wine.

Michele characterizes 2021 DiRampanti as having greater density than the Etna rosso. Balsamic on the nose along with petrol, mint, spice, and ripe fruit. Complex and layered. Aromas arrived in waves.

The nose  carries through to the palate. Broad-based with fine tannins. Pepper on finish along with long, rich creaminess. 

According to a subsequent communication with Michele, this wine will be renamed DiRompente from the 2022 vintage on “… because it breaks all concepts” in terms of altitude, very old wines, and very few bottles.

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While the Calbretta family has historically been associated with Passopisciaro on the north slope, Gaetano's wife's family is from Milo and he ended up living in that comune. Michele and his family also currently live in Milo and the Boccarossa entity owns 6000 m of land there. While Boccarossa makes an Etna bianco from grapes grown on the north slope, they understand the importance of having a winemaking presence in Milo; and fully intend to accomplish that.

It was very pleasing to have spent some time with Michele, Claudia, and Gaetano during my time in Milo (Brandon and I spent an entire morning walking with Gaetano in the mountain around the commune and he is a fount of information on the history of lava flows thereon.) and to see the dedication and passion with which they are approaching this project. In my estimation, the red wines are of especial quality while the white wine has some ground to make up.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Tasting selected Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the 1997 vintage, one of Napa's best

Our team was so impressed with the 1997 Chateau Montelena at our last tasting that we immediately decided to explore that Napa vintage in greater depth. The results of that exploration are reported herein.

The Vintage

We were not the only ones impressed by the 1997 Napa vintage. According to Vinfolio Blog, the 1997 vintage is considered "nearly perfect" by most critics in that "it is rich and concentrated, yet it balances those flavors with plenty of complexity and nuances ..." A summary of the vintage notes from three sources are provided in the table below.

The Wines

Attendees were instructed to bring at least 1 bottle of 1997 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon to the exclusion of the 1997 Chateau Montelena. The wines brought are shown in the chart below, along with their geographical distribution and selected characteristics.

The Tasting

The wines were divided into flights based on geography depicted in the chart above and fell naturally into the following categories:

• Knights Valley, Sonoma (Peter Michael Les Pavots)
• Northern Napa Valley (Philip Togni, Beringer Private Reserve, Viader, Spottswoode)
• Upper Central Napa Valley (Beaulieu Vineyard, Heitz, Insignia)
• Lower Central Napa Valley (Opus One, Dominus)

Tasting Team: The Herbst view

Tasting Team: The Wittenstein view

Flight 1: Peter Michael Les Pavots

Author -- Beautiful nose. Dark fruit, red fruit, baking spice, clove, and some sapidity. On the palate, creaminess, forest floor, good acid, and drying tannins. Balanced.

Sean -- Tobacco and dark fruit on the nose. Palate was smooth with nicely resolved tannins. Balanced. Elegant with more dark fruit on the palate with something green, perhaps green peppers. Pleasantly surprised by this since I haven’t had too many stand out Peter Michael wines; this one did stand out.  

Flight 2a: Phillip Togni 

Author -- Black currant, blackberries, sandalwood, forest floor, herbs, and mint on the nose. Rich black fruit, spice, and resolved tannins on the palate. Balanced.

Sean -- Nice balance and long finish. Spice box on the nose along with dark berry fruit, a hint of clove perhaps. On the mouth loads of dark cherry. My favorite of the flight. 

Flight 2b: Beringer Private Reserve

Author -- Elegant. Plum and dark fruit. Soft finish.

Sean -- Immediately hit with fruit, so quite fruit forward for its age. Plum on the nose, some blackberry with a hint of something smoky. On the mouth more blackberry and plum as well as some coffee. Good finish. 

Flight 2c: Viader 

Author -- Phenolic, acetone, VA

Sean -- Bottle flawed with VA, so nail polish on the nose. Had thought maybe it would blow off, but never did. First sip or two I thought was drinking, but never really did. 

Flight 2d: Spottswoode -- Dark fruit on the nose along with leather, cedar, and mint. Dark plum, mint,  and cherries on the palate.  Balanced. Long finish.

Sean -- I’m typically a fan of Spottswoode, having had a few 07s in the past. This wasn’t one of the better Spottswoode bottles I have had. I believe most appeared to enjoy it, but I thought it average at best. Had some spice box on the nose, some bell peppers, and forest floor, which is something I like in a wine. On the palate though, it felt off. It was a bit tangy, tart, or sour. Not sure if I took much from the taste, but maybe some dark cherry and coffee, chocolate, but that is about it. 

The Philip Togni was the consensus wine of the flight.

Flight 3a: Beaulieu Vineyards Georges de la Tour

Author -- Black cherry, blackberry, allspice, leather, and mint. Nose carries through to palate. Medium finish. 

Sean -- Lovely nose, very perfumed, spicy, earth and cedar, but not sure I picked up that famous Rutherford dust, which I took to mean like a cocoa powder, but a nice nose nonetheless.  On the palate big fruit, dark cherry and other dark fruit was prevalent. 

Flight 3b: Heitz Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Author -- Mint, eucalyptus, cedar, cigar box, black olive, and tea on the nose. Rich dark fruit on the palate along with mint, licorice, and eucalyptus. Long finish.

Sean -- This was a show stopper for me. Easily the best wine of the flight and the best wine of the tasting. Older Heitz is always interesting. Lovely nose, spices and herbs, a bit of that eucalyptus one finds in their Martha’s Vineyard wine. Very much a smooth operator. Nicely balanced with a great finish and on the mouth dark cherry and blackberry, black currant, and something anise, or licorice maybe? Just a lovely wine. Makes me want to attend a Heitz tasting next (hint-hint). 

Flight 3c: Insignia

Author -- Somewhat disappointing as, back in the day, this would have been in the upper echelon of the wines on show here tonight. Black fruit, iodine, tea, leather, and earth. Black fruit, leather, and herbs on the palate.

Sean -- Big Cali wine. Typical of what one comes to expect from California in terms being a massive wine. On the nose I was hit immediately with smoky meat, which put me in mind of a Northern Rhone as well as that was like fruitcake (I hate fruitcake). Felt that on the mouth it was a bit off. Had a bit of a sour quality to me. I wonder if it would have benefited from more air? What I could taste was big dark fruit, some hints of chocolate and mocha. Wasn’t terrible, but not my favorite. 

The Heitz was the wine of the flight.

Flight 4a: Opus One

Author -- Black currant, pencil lead, cassis, leather, tobacco, and spice on the nose. Dark fruit, cassis, tobacco, and leather on the palate. Medium tannins and acid and a long finish.

Sean -- Very much like a Bordeaux on the nose with forest floor, some hint of graphite, and something smoky, or tobacco-like, and perhaps leather later on as it sat in the glass. Tasted a bit young or more tannic than I thought it would be. Not sure if it needed more time in the bottle or more air in the decanter. Left me wondering how it would be in another year or two. Taste of dark red fruits, but while not bad at all, wasn’t as good of an Opus One like I’ve had before, but decent. 

Flight 4b: Dominus

Author -- Dark fruit, leather, cedar, and graphite on both the nose and palate. Additionally earth and mint on the palate. I am partial to Dominus and Trotanoy so I was rooting for this wine. It delivered complexity.

Sean -- Big wine, but in a good way. Paired nicely with the food, which was a short rib. On the nose was graphite, some spice box, and smoke. On the mouth, big red fruits, currants, dark cherry and just a touch of coffee. Of this flight I enjoyed this the most, so giving the wine of the flight to the Dominus.

Dominus was indeed the wine of the flight.

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The full Monty

We set out, in this exercise, to explore the character of 1997 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, based on our very positive experience with a Chateau Montelena Estate Cab of a similar vintage. The vintage did not disappoint, providing high-quality juice from the first bottle we tasted to the last (The exception to this rule was the Viader which had succumbed, somewhere along the way, to the vagaries of volatile acidity.). Complex, balanced wines with dark-fruited noses, accompanying tertiary aromas and flavors, richness on the palate, with great acid levels, resolved tannins, and lengthy finishes were the order of the day (night, actually).

Surprisingly for me, the wine of the night was the Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon. This was not one of the vaunted single-vineyard offerings of the estate; rather, it was the remnant of the single-vineyard-offering construction process. Not only did it represent its estate well, it trounced, in the estimation of this group, some big guns along the way.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Milo (Catania, Sicily) context: The physical environment

In this post I continue to provide context on the comune of Milo. I kicked off this series with an overview of the history and economics of the comune and continue herein with the physical aspects of the winemaking environment.

Milo is the only area within the DOC where Etna Bianco Superiore can be produced. The eastern slopes are unprotected from the autumn and winter rains but the combination of rapid runoff and early morning sun contribute to their attractiveness as growing regions (especially for whites). This comune, as described by Salvo Foti, lies between the mountain and the sea and the warm air from the latter meets with the cold air from the former over Milo with the result being significant rainfall (average 1500mm/year) over the entire growing area.

In addition to the rain, growers have to contend with year-round winds which can attain speeds of as much as 50 miles/hour. There are beneficial aspects to the winds, however. Moisture dries out rapidly, keeping vine diseases at bay and allowing vineyards to make it through the growing season with only sulfur and copper sprays. 

According to Salvo, the sea and wind combine to imbue the Carricante grown on this side of the mountain with a saltiness that is not evident in Carricantes grown on the north face. According to Benjamin North-Spencer (New Wines of Mt Etna), the soils have a high mineral content but, in addition, breezes coming in off the sea are trapped at altitude and the salt moisture they contain come back to earth with the rain. These mineral, saline wines are endowed with incredible acidity and longevity and, if produced well, can age for 15 to 20 years.

The Valle del Bove, the horseshoe-shaped structure that dominates on this side of the volcano, is, according to Ben, the original shield volcano's crater. This crater blew the top (15,000 years ago, according to Ben; 8,000 and 60,000 years according to other sources) off the mountain and then fell back in on itself. It collected snowfall from the mountain, forming a glacial lake and decomposing the volcanics that were the core of the seven volcanoes that comprised the Elliptico (The decomposition of volcanic material forms allophane, a type of primordial clay, which is sticky for nutrients and holds water temporarily so that it can be accessed by the vine roots. The allophanes, due to their construct, provide a much greater surface area for nutrient attachment than does other more traditional clays.).

The eastern flank of the volcano was involved in a landslide that deposited water and eroded volcanics over the slope where we find Milo located today. These eroded volcanics were distributed over a very steep and plateaued environment. 

The soil is sandy and of volcanic origin with a substantial portion of ripiddu (lapilli and eruptive pumice) intermixed with red soils from the Sahara Desert deposited here by the aforementioned winds. The sandy soils drain rapidly, forcing the roots to dig deep in search of moisture and nutrients. 

The EtnaDOC Consorzio recently introduced a new DOC map with 142 contrade, eight of which are located in the Milo comune. The map, with an exploded Milo section, is illustrated in the chart below.

Information source: Ugo Nicosia (Marketing and Communications Director, Azienda Agricola Iuppa) communication with Brandon Tokash

This map is a work in progress and will be updated with info as our knowledge base expands. That being said, the differing elevations stipulated in each contrada aligns with a vineyard location. Based on the data, the soils are similar across contrade, except for some increased soil complexity in areas proximate to the path of the ancient landslide. The key contributor -- from the physical aspect -- to differentiation among wines made from grapes grown in these contrade are elevation effects. As pointed out in the previous chart, both the visual and olfactory wine profiles at Milo are affected by changes in altitude.    

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Maugeri: Reclamation of a Mt Etna patrimony

In February of this year, in a Wine Spectator article titled "What is Etna's Next Wine Wave?", Robert Camuto identified Carla Maugeri as one of the producers to watch.

Carla Maugeri

According to Robert, Carla has teamed up with Tuscan-born winemaker Emiliano Falsini in order to realize a dream first pursued by her father (Renato) and his siblings 50 years ago.

Maugeri enologist Emiliano Falsini with 
author

The author with Renato Maugeri and
Brandon Tokash

Maugeri is the effort by Carla and her sisters (Michela and Paolo) to restore their -- as they see it -- patrimony.

Brandon and I paid a visit to the estate and were guided through the lands and the wines by Gea Cali, the winery's Export Manager.

Gea welcomed us on to the property and first took us on a tour of an "eno-lodge" construction site. During the tour we encountered the remnants of the family's unsuccessful attempt at the winemaking business 50 or so years ago. A cellar full of bottles from the 1973 vintage bear testament to the futility of that effort.

Historical evidence of "ancient"
Maugeri winemaking efforts

More historical evidence of past Maugeri
winemaking efforts 

We ventured into the vineyards after leaving the construction site. According to Gea, the Maugeri holdings are comprised of 83 terraces on 7 ha stretched between Contrade Volpare and Praino at 700 m elevation on Mt etna's eastern slope. The property -- 6 ha in Volpare, 1 ha in Praino -- is enclosed within an unbroken line of 28 km of lava dry stone. The amphitheater-shaped construct is constantly washed by sea breezes which contribute significantly to the health of the grapes.

The soils in the two contrade are similar -- sandy volcanic with high organic content and rich in minerals -- but Gea contends that the soil in Praino is more "tufa-like."

The Carricante grape is the heart and soul of the estate being, as it is, the basis of all wines with the exception of the Bianco Catarratto and the Etna Rosato (Nerello Mascalese). Vines are alberello-trained and are planted at 6000/ha.

Gea Cali and Brandon Tokash

The Maugeri Carricante vines attain their highest quality levels in the Frontebosco and Frontemare vineyards in Contrada Volpare and Contrada Praino, respectively. Frontebosco is south-facing and, as such, has the highest number of hours of sunlight of any area of the property. Frontemaro faces the sea, while Frontebosco faces the forest. Both are moderated by their respective environments.

Frontebosco (Screenshot from maugeri.it)

Frontemare (Screenshot from maugeri.it)

In addition to Carricante, Catarratto (0.5 ha) and Nerello Mascalese are planted in Contrada Volpare. The Catarratto is planted on north-facing slopes while the Nerello Mascalese is planted in rockier areas.

The distribution of Maugeri wines by contrade and grape variety is shown below.

We repaired to the tasting room to taste these wines and to sample some of the Maugeri fare.

The first wine tasted was the 2023 Etna Bianco Superiore. That growing season was hot but with some rain in July. The vines were green-harvested in September (Historically, the fruits of the green harvest had been left on the ground but they are now being vinified.). The grapes were cryomacerated for 3 hours after which they were vinified in stainless steel tanks using selected yeasts. The wine was aged on the lees for 8 months in 60% French oak barrels and 40% stainless steel tanks. No malolactic fermentation or batonnage. The wine was fined and filtered prior to bottling. In the future this wine will be aged for a full year, 90% in steel tanks and 10% in oak barrel.

Sweet white fruit on the nose, along with a savory character, herbs, and salinity. Broad-based acidity on the palate which, over time, morphs into a fine-boned citrus. Persistence.

The Etna Bianco Superiore Frontebosco 2023 was treated differently in the cellar due to the added hours of sunlight that this south-facing vineyard received during the course of the growing season. Cryomaceration was extended to 8 hours. Vinification in stainless steel tanks followed by lees-aging in 60% Frenck oak barrels (old and new) and 40% steel tanks. No malolactic or batonnage.

Salinity, sweet white fruit, and green and dried herbs on the nose. Fuller bodied. Slowly enveloping salinity on the palate along with lime and a juiciness.

The grapes for the Etna Bianco Superiore Frontemare 2023 were cryomacerated for 3 hours prior to fermentation, 30% in stainless stell, 70% in French oak tonneaux.

Sage herbs, sweet white fruit, herbs, and mint. Rustic on the palate with some heat.

The Etna Bianco Catarratto 2023 (IGT Terre Siciliane) was fermented in stainles steel tanks and aged on its lees for 4 months with an additional 2 months in bottle. The wine is Catarratto in purity

Full round mouthfeel. Palate-engaging. Persistent.

The 2023 Contrada Volpare Etna Rosato represents a firming up of the fermentation process for this wine. In 2021 this wine was fermented in oak while in 2022 it was fermented 50% in tonneaux and 50% in stainless steel. In 2023, after a few hours of cryomaceration the wine was fermented as it was in 2022. The wine spent 4 hours on its lees.

Red cherries, spice, blackpepper, and a long, sour finish. We also tasted the 2022 edition of this wine and it had similar characteristics except for a little more salinity.

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Maugeri is a relatively young estate -- the vines are 6 to 7 years old -- but they are, in their focus, exhibiting a maturity beyond their wine years. As newbies , they could attempt to force things and try to be everything to everybody. But no. They are making white wines on Milo. Fullstop. And that focus will stand them in good stead; especially in these formative years. Get really good at one thing before expanding into new areas.

In addition, because the vines are so relatively young, the wines will get better naturally (And they are pretty darn good at this time). According to Salvo Foti, Carricante vines need as much as 15 years to begin producing the highest quality wines. So Maugeri's future is ahead of it.

Excellent wines from an excellent team. 

©Wine -- Mise en abyme