On the Road with the Grape Guy

Montefalco Winery Visits – an honest take - 1

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

The next edition of A Montefalco (Anteprima Montefalco) is next week (June 16-18) … on the eve of that event, I thought I’d look at some of my winery visits from last year. 

The highlight of A Montefalco, besides the day of tasting, are the days leading up to, and the days afterward. These are the days for visiting the wineries and getting to know the producers. One of the days is a prescribed list of wineries – the other days you have free rein to visit whomever you want; which is helpful, especially post-tasting, when you've made a discovery of an up-and-coming winery you want to learn more about. I have discovered many producers with great passions this way. 

This year, there were a few changes to the program, but all-in-all it was pretty much as described above. I found myself at 11 wineries. Some had large vertical tastings, others toured and tasted through their facilities, and some prepared a lunch with their tasting. Each was a unique experience; each showing their generosity and hospitality. 

Some even sat down with me to discuss Montefalco, Sagrantino and other subjects for the Two Guys Talking Wine podcast (listen here).

I have highlighted six wineries this year ... And all their wines: the good, the bad, the ugly. Three appear in this article, the rest will follow in the next.
 
Wineries appear in alphabetical order - not in order of visiting day; while the wines themselves are presented mainly in date order (oldest to youngest).

Let's get tasting...

ALZATURA

Let’s call this your father's Sagrantino ... The Sagrantinos feel old school, lots of wood that will never resolve into fruit. The whites and rossos save the day- with the rosso and spoletino being the standout wines.

Alzatura 2010 Montefalco Sagrantino 
(Grape: Sagrantino) - A lesson in wood, alcohol and maybe a little licorice.

Alzatura 2015 Montefalco Sagrantino
(Grape: Sagrantino) - There's a lot of wood and tannins.

Alzatura 2017 Montefalco Sagrantino
(Grape: Sagrantino) - A little too harsh.

Alzatura 2021 Montefalco Bianco    
(Grapes: White Blend) - It's white wine - good and tasty white wine. It won’t blow you away, it does what you want a white wine to do: refreshing and easy-drinking; but it’s basic white wine.  (***+)

Alzatura 2021 Montefalco Rosso    
(Grapes: Red Blend) - Soft and gentle red, with good fruit and flavours devoted to black cherry, spice and a hint of vanilla.  (*** ½+)

Alzatura 2023 Cortili
(Grape: Trebbiano Spoletino) - Fresh, bright, easy-drinking - honey, lemon curd, almost feels like there are tannins on the finish – and maybe some citrus pith.  (*** ½)

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BOCALE

This winery has been dialling back on its wood program from small barrels to big - increasing the juice to wood ratio and it shows: the wines are becoming more fruit-forward, bright and elegant. Rosso's are consistently good and their spoletino is usually a favorite. 

Bocale 2009 Montefalco Sagrantino
(Grape: Sagrantino) - Barrique focused - musty, oaky, fruitless. 

Bocale 2014 Montefalco Sagrantino
(Grape: Sagrantino) - Move towards bigger barrels is afoot - fruit is still lively, though the oak still has taken purchase within the wine. Drink now. (*** ½+)

Bocale 2019 Montefalco Sagrantino
(Grape: Sagrantino) - Fruit is forefront, oak still around, and tannins quite present; but there’s a juiciness to this wine that adds pleasure to its enjoyment.  (****)

Bocale 2021 Montefalco Rosso
(Grapes: Sangiovese 70 / Colorino 5 / 10 Merlot / 15 Sagrantino) - Three harvests to make this wine: Colorino and Merlot in September - Sangiovese in late Sept - and Sagrantino at the end of October. Red-berry fruit, subtle oak notes, and a quick finish. Very drinkable.  (*** ½+)

Bocale 2023 Spoleto
(Grape: Trebbiano Spoletino) - All stainless ageing. Light, fresh with green melon, lemon curd and a subtle saltiness. This is not Bocale’s best effort, but it’s solidly good.  (*** ½)

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CESARINI SARTORI

Each year, I have a surprise find - this year it was Cesarini Sartori. It was my last winery visit, and it was done on a whim … and I had time to kill before leaving for Tuscany. 

The two sisters, who took over from their father, were a delight and we tried everything. They were unabashedly proud of each and every wine, and there are some real gems here.

Cesarini Sartori 2003 Sagrantino di Montefalco
(Grape: Sagrantino) – Older notes, due to its age (of course): coffee, butterscotch (a little odd), good tannin structure, with even some licorice poking through.
        
Cesarini Sartori 2013 Amedeo
(Grape: Sagrantino) - Special Selection - 1 barrel, 2 years old (20HL) - 9 yrs in bottle. They use looser bunches of grapes. The wine still has plenty of fruit, along the lines of smoked cherry, mocha, chocolate, spice and acidity - good finish. There was a lot to like here.  (**** ½)

Cesarini Sartori 2016 Semele - Passito    
(Grape: Sagrantino) - Dry, black cherry – backed by some pretty floral note.  (****)

Cesarini Sartori 2016 Villarode - Montefalco Sagrantino   
(Grape: Sagrantino) - Silky, smooth, cassis, black cherry, cranberry cocktail, nice complexity with spices and oak.  (****+)

Cesarini Sartori 2020 Benozo (IGT)
(Grape: Sagrantino) - Sweet fruited, and easy drinking with black cherry and vanilla notes.  (*** ½+)

Cesarini Sartori 2020 Ripenre - Rosso Riserva    
(Grapes: Sangiovese / Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Sagrantino) - Largely on the elegant side and yet shows signs of ruggedness - the red fruit comes thru with some good tannin that have a tendency to bite back.  (****)

Cesarini Sartori 2021 La Randa
(Grapes: Grechetto 90 / Sauvignon Blanc 10) - Fermentation in new American oak ... there's a weight to the wine which over-shadows the fruit a bit, though there are signs of bitter melon – it’s more a food friendly white.  (*** ½)
        
Cesarini Sartori 2021 Terrebianche - Montefalco Rosso    
(Grapes: Sangiovese / Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Sagrantino) - Smooth, lush, lots of dark fruit, spice, and great acidity.  (****)

Cesarini Sartori 2022 Grechetto    
(Grapes: Grechetto 90 / Sauvignon Blanc 10) - All stainless ... leaving this wine fresh with notes of citrus and apple.  (*** ½)

Cesarini Sartori 2022 Olmobuco
(Grapes: Trebbiano Spoletino 95 / Malvasia 5) - Three months in American oak which helps derive sweetness. This wines fights with itself - sweet notes upfront with a dry finish - fun little wine - lots of fruit, but that finish is dry as a bone.  (****)

Cesarini Sartori 2023 Peperosa
(Grape: Sagrantino) - Lovely strawberry and cherry – those tannins from the grape come thru, but do not get in the way: grilled meat would be a perfect pairing.  (*** ½+)

Cesarini Sartori (Signae) 2019 Merlo --- see the video review
(Grape: Merlot) - Lush, plush, sexy and beautiful - a real pleaser - lovely acidity, blueberry, black cherry, cran-cherry, smoke ... spends 1-year in French barrique ... has lots of character. A special wine that shows a passion for the grape.  (**** ½)

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To see my notes from A Montefalco tasting visit these links:

Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG – Annata 2020
Montefalco Sagrantino Vintage Wines
Sagrantino: Tasting on Tannin Strength and Positioning
Montefalco Rosso and Riserva Report
Montefalco White Wines Report

Cyprus 2024 - Day 2

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

Day 2 started much like day one, in a bus going to a winery. After day one, I realized that Cyprus wine principals prefer to talk about the whole of Cyprus and not just about their contribution to this piece of the wine world. It seems like every winery principal we meet picks up a storyline and adds another nugget of information. Today we started in the hills. 

Tsiakkas Winery 

Here we learn much about Cyprus's phylloxera free status, as quoted by a winery principle here, "We do not have phylloxera. Not because we are smart, we just got lucky."

Today, there are quarantine laws, but previously, as Cyprus was reshaping their wine landscape, there were none - making it the wild west of vine importation. 

Cyprus has four PGIs and five AOCs. 

This winery started with Riesling, then the father visited Germany, came back and ripped out all the Riesling confessing: "what we make is a disgrace to Riesling." The winery was established in 1988 and their first vintage was the same; they started with international varieties, but it was the second generation that brought about the shift to indigenous varieties: it took 12 years. Today, 25 hectares spread over four vineyards with mainly sandy, and volcanic soils - all with very low nutrients. Their highest vineyard site is at 1480 m and is populated by Sauvignon Blanc and Xinesteri - their furthest vineyard from the winery is 40 minutes away. 

In the wine making process, they use a 90% French / 10% American oak regime - with a goal to dial back on new oak to less than 20%: "Fruit evolves, spice does not; if a wine smells and tastes like fruit, it will age."

The Wines ... 

Tsiakkas 2021 Vamvakada
(grape: Vamvakada / aka: Maratheftiko)
A fruit forward wine loaded with sweet cherries and red plum, floral, elegant, and really pretty – there is also a really good tannin structure.  (****+)

Tsiakkas 2021 Yiannoudin
(grape: Yiannoudi)
Blackberry, black raspberry, and subtle spices, combine with notes of leather. Tasty and tantalizing with good tannins structure that eventually mellows out: heftier wine than expected, but those tannins silken with time in glass making it very appealing.  (****+)

Tsiakkas 2023 Xynisteri
(grapes: Xynisteri 98% / Malaga 2%)
Two months on lees gives this wine a nice texture and flavour: floral and citrus, with gentle acidity and a touch of salinity.  (*** ½+)

Kyperounda

Established in 1998, their first vintage appeared 4 years later in 2002. Vineyards range in height from 500 m to 1500 m, some of the highest in Europe. Their production is about 300,000 bottles annually with 50% of that being their flagship wine: Petritus.

Minas Mina, GM and winemaker, covered the climate aspect of Cyprus wine making and what climate change has meant to the island's wine industry: less snowfall, no change in temperature, but more storms occur during harvest – bottom line: Cyprus has become very erratic. 

The highest vineyard they farm is located at 1535 m above sea level and contains Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, it's a mineral-rich soil but at that elevation irrigation is a must; though across the island 90% of all vineyards do not have irrigation. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay all grow well at 1400 m. 

Red varieties face the South; while whites face North and East. 

Interesting to note that Cyprus seems reticent to go screwcap; Kyperounda is the second winery that poo-poos screw caps when asked about it. Not sure what to make of that - it would seem to me that some of the whites and those fresh reds would benefit from this closure. 

The Wines ... 

Kyperounda 2022 Petritis
(grape: Xynisteri)
20% of this wine sees oak maturation; but all starts with stainless steel fermentation and resting on lees 6 months. Citrus notes with good acidity, some grapefruit rind slips in and so does some subtle floral notes.  (*** ½)

Kyperounda 2022 Epos White (high altitude)
(grape: Chardonnay)
With 9-month ageing in bottle and two years in 300L barrels there is surprisingly still a brightness to this young wine.  (*** ½)

Kyperounda 2021 Epos Red (high altitude)
(grapes: Syrah / Cabernet Sauvignon 50% each)
To preserve the fruitiness and juiciness of this wine it spends 12 months in barrique and 6 more months in 600L barrels: fresh fruit shows through, with a juicy, spicy, white pepper, blackberry, cassis, and even some graphite. It has a freshness with really good acidity.  (****)