Rinascimento - Harvest Update from Az. Ag. Cirelli in Abruzzo!

From Francesco Cirelli . . .

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

"Ciao!

Here I am with a short update concerning vintage 2012 @AgricolaCirelli.
On sept the 26th I harvested the montepulciano grapes for making the cerasuolo amphora. Outside temperature 25 degrees C, nice and fresh with a morning fog which has been blown away too soon unfortunately.

Going into the anfora (amphora)

Grapes were is a good shape and health; 20 babo grades. The colour of the must is simply charming and I felt in Provence for a while… I used the free-run must only.

On sept 27th and 28th I harvested the grapes for the montepulciano amphora instead. Outside temperatures went up to 29 degrees (S#]t!)  Again: healthy with a well balance; 20 babo grades as well and free-run must only.

Free run juice

During the night of the 27th the cerasuolo and the montepulciano musts have naturally started the fermentation;

Fermenting must

great emotion this early morning to see the bubbles bubbling within the amphoras…" Un abbraccio, Francesco

Looks fun.  Wish I could be there.  A huge hug to Francesco and Michela from the West Coast!

Wine Group Recap - 09.24.12

Clear and bright with a pale gold core out to a watery rim. Clean with medium aged aromas of cheese rind, lemon rind and a waxy apple aroma. Clean and dry in the mouth with medium plus acidity and a long finish. Excellent length a little alcoholic but a-okay. Tasty. 2008 Vouvray?
2006 Brokenwood Semillion Reserve $39.99  and 11%

(only one of our group got this wine right and it was a good job, too.)

Deep gold color out to a bubbly rim. Slightly earthy and loamy with a funky long waxy finish.  Bret?  Finishes dry with lots of acidity and sparkling. Ultimately not supposed to sparkling. Grand Cru Alsace Pinot Gris?
1998 Zin Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Vendange Tardive Riesling

(I was the closest to this one but I didn't get that it was Riesling.  It was funky and weird.  Totally refermented in the bottle and slightly oxidized.)

Clear with pale gold core out to a watery rim. Clean and salty with green apple notes with citrus lemon and medium plus acidity and a long finish. A little hot in the mouth. Pretty simple. Stainless steel chardonnay? Chablis?
2009 LaRoche Grand Cru Les Blanchot in screw cap

(This was nailed by a few people in the group and it showed well.  I really like screw cap wines from France.)

Clear and bright with a deep core of ruby out to a watery rim orange rim. Clean with pronounced developed aromas of soy, cedar, cranberry, sawdust, undergrowth, licorice and spice and pencil lead and iron. Dry with plummy notes of green tea and medium plus tannins and a dark finish. Bordeaux. 1998 or maybe older? Excellent. Pommerol?
1987 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 13.5%

(This was the surprise of the night.  I would say that no one was even close.  We all thought it was Bordeaux.  All of us.)

Clear and bright with a medium ruby core out to an orange rim. Clean with pronounced developing aromas of dill and plummy flavors of plum. Lots of truffle. Excellent acidity and long finish.  Rioja for sure.  Vintage?  Older.
1995 La Rioja Alta Gran Riserva

(Everyone picked up on this wine right away because of the American oak.  It was pretty tasty wine, too.)

Clear with medium ruby core out to a watery orange rim. Pronounced developing aromas of cedar and spice and rose and lavender and plummy and slightly hot and and a spicy long finish. Soy, tobacco. Lots of tannin and rough finish. Needs so much time. Barolo?
2001 Altesino Brunello Montosoli 14.5%

(We all thought this was Barolo although a few thought it would be from something else in Italy, but no one guessed even remotely that this was Brunello.  Good wine but a little rough for the money.  I think it was $135 or something?)

Overall, a fantastic tasting with great wines.  There was a Smaragd Gruner Veltliner from Knoll that we didn't try because it was corked but besides that and the Vendange Tardive from Zind Humbrecht, all the wines were tasting fantastic.

And as I said, the shocker was the elegance and power of the La Jota 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cheers.

More photos from harvest 2012 @ G.D. Vajra . . .

Dolcetto grapes from the Fossati vineyard in Barolo

A wasp is always a good sign as it means the juice inside the grape is sweet!

Fermentation is going on!

Az. Ag. Favaro gets 3 Glasses for 2nd straight year for their Erbaluce di Caluso Le Chiusure!

Az. Ag. Favaro gets 3 Glasses for 2nd straight year for their Erbaluce di Caluso Le Chiusure!

Az. Agr. Favaro Benito ~ Caluso

(sustainably farmed)

The small family-run Benito Favaro estate was established in 1992.

"My father, Benito, as well as being the one who had the intuition 15 years ago that this adventure was worth embarking upon, still looks after the vineyards and is the real heart and soul of our operations. My brother Nicola helps him in the highly complex and fundamental work of tending the vines. I do my best in the cellar, steering our wines in what we are convinced is the right direction. Mama Rosanna, like all mothers, does a bit of everything, always with great enthusiasm. She's our jack-of-all-trades, without whom the squaring of the circle would be missing. My sister Elena, with her partner Claudio, cultivate all the vineyards planted with red grapes that are then vinified in our cellar. It may seem like a fairytale existence, but it is really just the simple story of a family who produces wine and firmly believes in what they do, following sound and healthy principles. Our vineyards are located in Piverone on a hill of glacial origins, the true home of our vines." Camillo Favaro