Category Archives: Italian wines

Mosnel, Franciacorta Brut

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The 44th cuvée embodying stylistic consistency,vision and a deep connection with the land

In Franciacorta, there is plenty of wine to talk about and many other bottlings that, year after year, tell their own story due to their consistent style, longevity and unmistakable character. This is certainly the case for Franciacorta Brut Mosnel, the family’s first Franciacorta, dating back to 1979 and since then the messenger of a long story of elegance and a deep connection with the land.

Franciacorta Brut Mosnel embodies the philosophy of the Barzanò family and a winery that produces Franciacorta through dedication, proportion and a real agricultural spirit. “We have always worked to communicate our connection with the land through the quality and enjoyment in the wine,” explains Giulio Barzanò, who leads the family-run business with his sister, Lucia.

Mosnel, a long-established winery in the appellation, was one of the first to believe in organic grape growing and preserving local identity. The winery consists of 42 hectares under vine and, although Chardonnay remains the main varietal, Pinot Bianco has always been a trademark of the house style.

This 44th edition is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco (naturally), Pinot Nero and, for the first time, a touch of Erbamat, a native grape from the Brescia area that was recently reintroduced into the production regulations and that grows in a hectare of vineyards. “Including Erbamat in the cuvée of our Brut goes far beyond experimentation,” continues Giulio Barzano. “This grape is known for its standout acidity and neutral aromas. It brings a natural freshness to the base, reinforces the local identity of Franciacorta and helps to combat the effects of climate change.”

Approximately 30% of the base wine ferments and ages in barriques and spends 30 months on the lees, considerably longer than the 18 months required by the production regulations. This duration enables the wine to acquire complexity and depth, while keeping its energy intact. “The outcome is a very precise and fine Franciacorta, in which the elderflower and hawthorn nuances blend with citrus, white and yellow fruit, herbs and almonds. The perlage is subtle and velvety, while the wine is balanced and refreshing to taste, in addition to having a taut and enduring finish. This is a wine that isn’t searching for the spotlight. Instead its true nature is revealed naturally, like everything with authentic roots.”

Accompanying this story in a bottle, throughout the spring and summer, Mosnel continues to extend a warm welcome to the winery with an events lineup featuring wine, the local area and social moments through vertical tastings, vineyard walks and picnics, as well as new seasonal formats aimed at offering a true immersive experience that respects the rhythm of nature. 

All experiences are booked in advance. The full programme is available at https://visit.mosnel.com

Isole e Olena Chianti Classico 2022

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Artisanal and pioneering, elegant and anti-conformist: Isole e Olena’s Chianti Classico classically embodies all these qualities, amply confirmed by its 2022 vintage.

“Our Chianti Classico exhibits a continuously dynamic equilibrium”, comments Isole e Olena Technical Director Emanuele Reolon. “Its fulcrum always remains tradition, which we see as a privileged observation point from which to interpret the future. In addition, however, each new vintage constitutes an advance over preceding vintages in reflecting its origins in our roots, memory, and the terroir itself”.  

From its debut in 1969, Isole e Olena Chianti Classico, predominantly Sangiovese with a small amount of Canaiolo, has been the beating heart of this San Donato in Poggio-based wine estate and proud ambassador of its denomination and winegrowing heritage.

With a vision centred on the human, its close bond with nature and its innate flair for unblinkered thinking, Isole e Olena has always been ahead of its time, as well an example of a distinctive yet terroir-faithful Chianti Classico. 

That identity was on rich display in the 2022 growing year, whose stages developed with admirable rhythm. Ushering in the season was a nicely-balanced spring with well-spaced rains, cool nights, and warm, breezy days, which favoured a rapid, textbook-perfect flowering and fruit-set. Temperatures gradually rose from mid-June until mid-August, when welcome rains brought relief to the vines and set up conditions for an early harvest. Harvesters found clean, sound clusters at peak ripeness.

The must fermented in steel, then the wine matured for 12 months in large oak ovals, followed by 6 additional months in the bottle before release.

“Thanks to our history, our values, and our legacy, Isole e Olena’s journey continues today towards a new genesis, without ever compromising its style and quality, eloquent proof that it is perfectly possible to be a pioneer and innovator while at the same time serving as a guarantor of tradition”, concluded Emanuele Reolon.

Marcella Caimi

Ornellaia Announces Release of the 2022 Vintage

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“La Determinazione” (“Determination”in English) is the character selected to describe the 2022 vintage.

“La Determinazione”  is the character selected to describe the 2022 vintage, which saw both the technical team and the vines excel during a year of unusual contradictions in the weather. It is a result born out of resilience in a nuanced and stylish expression from the winery.

The 2022 vintage proved to be the driest in the last four years from February to June as well as one of the hottest between May and September. Rainfall arrived later in August and September, an aspect that was important for this vintage of two extremes. The dry conditions resulted in slower growth, which led to low yield and smaller, more concentrated grapes, while the rain towards the end of the vegetative cycle restored the correct balance. The technical team carried out a strict selection in the vineyard, in addition to double sorting upon the arrival of the grapes in the cellar.

“Just the right concentration and character distinguish this vintage,” remarks Marco Balsimelli, Technical Director. “All of the positive attributes of the sun are felt alongside a convincing freshness. The conditions were interpreted best by the Petit Verdot, which features in a slightly higher percentage in this year’s blend. Linear and forthright in style, Ornellaia 2022 again demonstrates vibrancy and elegance, characteristic of the terroir we have here at Ornellaia.” 

Internationally renowned Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou was chosen to interpret the vintage character for the 17th edition of the Vendemmia d’Artista project. For the 750ml labels, his vision for Ornellaia 2022 “La Determinazione” is a design based on concentric circles formed by a series of signs of different colors. These represent the energy generated by the union of many individual elements when they form a single whole. One artistic label will be included in each case of six 750ml bottles of the vintage.

Ornellaia 2022 is set to make its debut on the market on April 1.

Marcella Caimi

Siepi 2022, thirty years of a Tuscan icon

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An icon does not emerge out of the blue. Rather, it is the fruit of a unique hic et nunc: an extraordinary vineyard, a one-of-a-kind wine, and the spark of an intuition that unexpectedly takes flight. All of this is Siepi.

“Siepi is the quintessential union between our family’s winemaking traditions and the revolution unleashed by our father’s vision”, explained Filippo and Francesco Mazzei. “We have proudly made his far-seeing gift our own, and today we are delighted to celebrate the 30 vintages of a wine that is like our own brother: we have watched it grow and evolve, and we have had the honour of being at its side on the path that has led to its becoming the ambassador to the world of Tuscan winemaking”.

1992 saw the selection of Sangiovese and Merlot as the protagonists of the Siepi cuvée. The marriage of these two varieties achieves a perfect equilibrium between firm structure and stylish elegance, while ensuring that the blend speaks with an authentic Chianti voice.

“The vineyard has been in the family’s hands since 1435 and was mentioned by name in Madonna Esmeralda’s dowry. And yet it has always enjoyed independent status, like some precious jewel”, commented Filippo and Francesco. “There had to be a reason for its standing out so clearly. There was, and still is”.

Siepi is above all the concentrated expression in a bottle of a breathtakingly beautiful corner of earth. This vineyard-island, lying at elevations ranging between 220-310 metres in Castellina in Chianti, is surrounded by protecting woodlands. Its complex soils, a combination of limestone, local Alberese marl, and Pliocene clays, all lying on a thick bed of rock, make possible a capillary drainage providing the vines with a perfectly-balanced water supply. The Galestro allows the grapes to achieve incredibly nuanced aromatics and an impressive, firm structure, delivering a blend of unexpected delicacy and surprising longevity.   

“The 2022 growing season, Siepi’s 30th, started off with a mild winter and little rainfall”, explained Gionata Pulignani, Castello di Fonterutoli agronomist and winemaker. “Temperatures in the spring rose gradually, encouraging consistent canopy growth, while the hot conditions in the summer caused the skins to thicken considerably, which in turn provided what the grapes required to complete the ripening process”.  

“Siepi has taught us to look beyond the obvious, to dare, to experiment, and to launch ourselves confidently into the future”, concluded Filippo and Francesco.

Adorned with a label that commemorates its 30th anniversary, Siepi 2022 will be available in the finest wine shops and on the wine lists of top international restaurants starting from September.

Masseto, the fullest expression for the 2021 vintage

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The harvest at Masseto, a name that conjures up a wine, a vineyard and an estate, finished yesterday. While the just-picked bunches rest in the concrete tanks for the first stage in their long journey to become wine, down in the Caveau bottles of the 2021 vintage are beginning to set off around the world as ambassadors of the Mediterranean magic that can be discerned in the vibrant and intoxicating aromas.

In the glass, Masseto 2021, elegant and enticing as ever, fills the mouth with a certain corpulence and endurance. 

“The vineyard has interpreted 2021 with personality,” explains Marco Balsimelli, Production Director of Masseto “adding a range of emotions to a vintage that has proven to be beautiful and balanced, also due to the spring water reserves that helped the vines during the long summer months of sun and dry weather.”

After all, the uniqueness of Masseto derives from the distinctive soil, in which blue Pliocene clay veins resurfaced from the sea meet the water needs in the vineyard. “Again, this year, the soil stopped the vines from enduring too much water stress and helped them to grow concentrated berries with potentially high levels of quality,” confirms Balsimelli.

“Masseto 2021 is a wine that knows how to wow, ever present during tasting, dry on the finish, and the fullest expression.”

“We are thankful for this rich and powerful vintage,” confirms Lamberto Frescobaldi, President of Marchesi Frescobaldi, to which Masseto belongs. “We played our part by looking after each micro-parcel individually in this vineyard. All the same, without the complicity of nature, the sun and constant sea breezes from the Tyrrhenian, humans would be unable to create such harmony.”

Once harvested and selected, the grapes are gathered in the cellar carved deep into the hillside and designed to be at one with the surrounding clay. The smooth grey surfaces create a feeling of suspension as the bunches benefit from optimal conditions and technology, beauty and silence to be turned into bottles of rare prestige.

This is the 35th edition of Masseto. From September onwards, the 2021 vintage will be distributed in Italy and all around the world.

The red grape harvest is underway at Ornellaia

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The sun has just started to light up the vineyard and the harvesting teams are already busily gathering the first few bunches that will become the estate’s reds. One by one, the bunches are placed in 15-kilogram crates and, in under an hour, they will be escorted to the cellar, where they will be selected for a second time on the sorting table before passing through the optical sorter and embarking on their journey to become part of the Ornellaia legacy.

“The harvest is always a wonderful and crucial time,” remarks Marco Balsimelli, Production Director at Ornellaia, “but every time of the year is important in the vineyard. 2024 has been both positive and challenging. Between March and June, frequent rainfall replenished the water reserves, while every vineyard parcel required constant care, which naturally is what we gave them.”

The summer arrived suddenly at the end of June, giving Bolgheri two months of sunshine and dry weather, which provided optimal conditions for the vines. “The arrival of the hot weather enabled us to reverse a difficult situation, laying the foundations for a fantastic vintage. In mid July and early August especially, we had 20 days of very intense heat,” explains Balsimelli. “This context of slight water stress allowed the vegetative growth to stop and saw the beginning of the actual ripening process with a concentration of sugar, aromas and polyphenols.”

Completing the perfect summer, the microclimate at Ornellaia ensured cool breezy nights for the vineyards with temperatures between 19 and 22 degrees Celsius. Lastly, on August 15, the Italian midsummer holiday, between 10 and 20 millimetres of rain brought relief to the vines. “It was timely because the rain restarted the ripening, giving the grapes just the right profile.”

Lamberto Frescobaldi, President of Frescobaldi, to which Ornellaia belongs, is delighted by the end result. “The grapes were perfectly healthy and ripe upon picking. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes, which were harvested on separate occasions between 12 and 30 August, are already fermenting in the cellar, and now it’s time to continue with the other white grapes as well as our red grapes. Meticulous attention to detail and a dedication to the vineyards – more than 700 hours of manual labour per hectare every years – rewards us with the admirable equilibrium of the vines that never fail to convey the profoundly unique terroir of Ornellaia in sync with the vintage.”

Given that first parcels of Merlot began to be picked in the last few days, the harvest is expected to continue until early October, culminating in the final bunches of Cabernet Sauvignon.

I SODI DEL PARETAIO RISERVA 2021

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Badia di Morrona’s silk-smooth Sangiovese

To truly experience the pleasantness conveyed by the Sangiovese grown by Badia di Morrona, an estate that languidly extends over the hills of Pisa, all one has to do is uncork a bottle of I SODI DEL PARETAIO Chianti Riserva. 

Fragrant notes of ripe berryfruit and wild herbs pour out, while a velvety tannic weave and sea-brine finish convey a light-hearted feeling, and its firm body and intense sip beautifully heighten the flavours of traditional dishes.  

The multi-layered complexity of this winery’s standard-bearer is due to its broad, comprehensive reflection of the vineyard exposures and diversity of the estate soils. 

Badia di Morrona grows its wines on 110 hectares of vineyards, more than half of which are dedicated to Tuscany’s sovereign grape variety. The vines, surrounded by woods of cypress, holm and pedunculate oaks, ascend the gently-rolling hills between the towns of Terricciola and Casciana Terme Lari.

Contributing to its uniqueness as a “geological treasure” are its soils, predominantly rock-poor clay alternating with sand, stones, friable grey rock, river cobbles, and alberese marl, as well as fossils, evidence of the ancient presence of the sea, and even slabs of travertine thrusting up to the surface.   

In 2021, the winemaking team produced I SODI Riserva in only a limited quantity due to the challenging initial period of the growing year, but the quality of the grapes turned out to be quite impressive. 

The weather in late September and early October brought good day-night temperature differentials, which allowed the Sangiovese to achieve optimal sugar and phenolic levels, and the grapes arrived in the cellar sound and healthy.  

I SODI DEL PARETAIO Chianti Riserva ferments in steel, then spends 18 months in large 44hl French oak ovals; it is bottled following a brief stay in concrete vats.  

I SODI DEL PARETAIO Chianti Riserva 2021 is being released in Italy and markets abroad.

La Massa: Dream of a lifetime

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The history of Tenuta La Massa can be summed up in one name, Giampaolo Motta. With his twin passions viticulture and winemaking formed in France then definitively rooted in Italy, he was on an adventuresome search of a dream terroir. Not a family patrimony, then, but a terra electa decided upon with love, a true lieu-dit. That finally came to fruition in 1992, when Motta, Neapolitan by birth but Tuscan by adoption, found La Massa. That encounter cemented an indissoluble bond between man and terroir.

Lying in the magnificent Conca d’Oro of Panzano, in the heart of Chianti Classico, the wine estate extends over 25 hectares of southwest-facing vineyards. In the 1990s, Motta launched an impressive, lengthy vineyard reclamation project, followed by an in-depth zonation study, and then construction of a wine cellar. All these tesserae were designed to give definitive shape to his dream, to make La Massa a compact paradise, whose quintessence would be shared with the world through its wines: Giorgio Primo, Asiram, Carla 6, and La Massa.

The viticultural and oenological pathways La Massa adopted “break” with traditional Tuscan practices, inasmuch as the sapient hand of the winemaker shapes what Nature gifts each year and ensures that the wines convey the interpretive force of the estate soils, which are the true genius loci.

La Massa, the first wine produced, is a symbol of the estate’s growth and research. It is a fitting representative of the emphatic character of a rugged area like Panzano, but at the same time it displays the elegant oenological personality of its creator-winemaker. Here Sangiovese dialogues with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Giorgio Primo, in memory of his grandfather, is the Grand Vin, the essence of the estate. It is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot that synthesises the estate as well as its uninterrupted, near- obsessive striving for perfection, both in the vineyards and in the winecellar.


From La Massa’s viticultural heritage comes the collection of the crus: Carla6 and Asiram. Carla 6: dedicated to the daughter Carla and to plot number 6, 100% Sangiovese, it is a tribute to a grape variety that embodies the Tuscan land. Asiram: an expression of Merlot, which will debut in 2023. Dedicated to Giampaolo’s mother, Marisa, it derives from vineyard number 4, where this grape variety gives its unique and singular result.

Soils and their crucial role, fulcrum of growth and creation of wines


“After 15 years spent in walking my vineyards, only now do I feel that I am at the beginning of an enormously long process of understanding. Knowing the relationship of each separate soil complex to the local climate and weather is the absolute foundation of putting together a faithful interpretation of a great terroir. In order for any great terroir to fully express itself, one must possess a deep humility and have the willingness to do everything possible/ give one’s utmost to influence as little as possible what nature must bring to completion. That is a marvellous challenge that repeats itself afresh each year. We must never forget that we are “fruit producers”, and that without great grapes there can never be a great
wine.”
— Giampaolo Motta

Wines: A touch of Bordeaux in Chianti Classico


“I wanted to make a wine that would be the expression of my passion for the land, which I first experienced in France, a passion free from pre-conditioned directions and formulas. This wine would be an offspring of a land that welcomes its children and shapes them. I achieved just that, working together with a smoothly-functioning team that believes in our common project, namely, wines that are international in spirit while speaking the language of their Tuscan land.”
— Giampaolo Motta

La Massa is the estate’s eponymous and initial wine a cuvée of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouschet and Petit Verdot. Born rebellious but classic in essence, La Massa was the first wine produced in 1992. Today, the 2020 vintage is on the market, while the 2021 vintage will debut in a few weeks.  In these days, “La Massa” 2019 was awarded the first place in the “Best Tuscan Wines 2024” ranking for value for money from Wine-Searcher, the international platform comparing ratings and prices of wines worldwide.  Giorgio Primo is the quintessence, the matchless summation of the study and consequent understanding of this unique locus. Here, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon seamlessly complement each other, in a multi-layered, refined symphonic score expressed in aromas. These two wines and their vineyards gave birth, in turn, to two soloists, a collection of cultivars: Carla 6, a Sangiovese 100% that pays eloquent, and dignified homage to the
grape that embodies the Tuscan terroir and Asiram, a monovarietal Merlot from a vineyard whose interpretation of that variety is so one-of-a-kind that its wine is perforce equally unique.

FERRARIS AGRICOLA : SIXTY YEARS OF RUCHÈ

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In 1964 Don Giacomo Cauda redesigned the modern history of Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato by planting “La Vigna del Parroco”, today the only Cru of the denomination enhanced thanks to Luca Ferraris

A modern and extraordinary story that begins with a parish priest, Don Giacomo Cauda, the mastermind behind the rediscovery, in the early 1960s, of Ruchè, a small oenological gem that knows no crisis.

A figure somewhere between Dom Pérignon, who legend has it was the man behind the birth of Champagne, and Don Camillo, because of his eccentric personality, Don Cauda gave new hope to a small area of Monferrato that was in danger of being abandoned.

This is the story that Vigna del Parroco Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG – a wine from the appellation’s only Cru, recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, spreading over just over 1 hectare – is celebrating today. Celebrating this milestone is Luca Ferraris, who inherited it almost “as a dowry” in 2016 with a promise to carry on and continue to enhance this vineyard.

<< If it were not for Don Giacomo Cauda, Ruchè would not exist today. – Says Luca Ferraris, owner of the winery of the same name – This wine has a growing success and knows no crisis, despite the moment of reflection for the wine sector. Today a little more than 1,000,000 bottles are produced and sold all over the world at an ever-increasing price. Merit also goes to the introduction of the Riserva type, which as producers we strongly wanted>>.

Today, Vigna del Parroco is a complex wine whose bottle reproduces the original shape of Don Cauda’s one. To celebrate the 60th anniversary, this year, it will be sold in a special box containing a vertical of 4 vintages: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020.

Don Giacomo Cauda was an experimentalist priest. Upon arriving in Castagnole Monferrato, he found as a “dowry” to the parish a few rows of a vine that was rough at the time but which, over time, he transformed into an extraordinary product, unmistakable for its spicy and floral notes. The beginnings were not easy so much so that, upon purchasing the Vigna del Parroco, he made parishioners promise that, if necessary, they would have bought ten vintages of the grapes so as not to bankrupt the church. Working hard, even getting on the tractor on Good Friday, and devoting every spare moment to the care of the vineyard, he was able to build services for the local community with this wine, making the village flourish again. A commitment that led him to go all the way to Rome, to the Ministry, to apply for the DOC, which evolved into DOCG in 2010 thanks to the Mayor of Castagnole Monferrato Lidia Bianco.

Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato is a small DOCG that covers seven municipalities in the Asti area-Castagnole Monferrato, Grana, Montemagno, Portacomaro, Refrancore, Scurzolengo and Viarigi-included in the roster of appellations managed by the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato. A special denomination because Ruchè is one of the rare grape varieties that can only be produced and listed on the label in the territory authorized by the DOCG.

Siddura, Sardinia in purity

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Siddùra is not just a place: it is a story of love for wine, which begins centuries ago. Evolved winemaking techniques intertwine with ancient Sardinian traditions, creating an indissoluble bond between past and present, telling a story of knowledge, commitment and taste, to be savoured in purity.

SPÈRA

The proximity to the sea, the Mediterranean climate, the granite of Gallura, and the mistral wind are the ingredients that give rise to Spèra, a fresh and fragrant white wine, moderately alcoholic, that is best appreciated served as an aperitif, but also as an ideal accompaniment to delicate seafood dishes.

Vinification takes place with grapes harvested by hand in small baskets. After a gentle pressing, the must ferments in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks.

Straw yellow with characteristic greenish reflections. Fine and intense nose. Delicate fruity notes of citrus fruits and Mediterranean scrub. In the mouth it is dry, savoury and fresh, with a good balance of taste and pleasant persistence.

NUDO

The result of years of research and experimentation, a Cannonau rosé with heady aromas and an attractive colour that entices you to drink it. New packaging enhances the aesthetics of the bottle and the wine as never seen before in Siddùra. A perfect blend of tradition and innovation in the field of viticulture and oenology, where all the experience and strategies are put into action to enhance the aromas first in the grapes and then in the wine, giving a young and fresh product to be tasted right away.

In the vinification process, the whole grapes are pressed immediately after the harvest and then vinified in white. After soft pressing, the must rests at a low temperature for a few days in stainless steel tanks before fermentation begins.

The wine has a soft pink colour and is intense, characterised by notes of exotic fruit, pink grapefruit and pineapple. Slightly citrusy and characterised by hints of small red fruits. Dry, with a fresh, savoury character. well balanced, moderately warm and persistent.

FÒLA

Fòla is the essence of Cannonau. Vineyards that the winery follows directly from an agronomic point of view, monitoring the ripening of the skins and the gradation through sensory and laboratory analyses. This vine has found its ideal habitat in Sardinia and only in this land does it achieve the aromatic and polyphenolic richness that make it the prince of all the island’s reds. A complex wine, warm and rich in extract.

The hand-picked grapes are selected, destemmed and macerated for a medium-long period. Subsequent barrel ageing completes the rich organoleptic picture.

Ruby red in colour, it has a rich bouquet of ripe fruit, plums and sour cherries that blend with spicy notes and a finish of cherries under spirits Warm, soft and harmonious. With good aromatic persistence and a silky tannic texture. Goes well with stewed lamb and roast meats. Medium and long matured sheep’s milk cheese with honey.

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