Ferraris Malvasia di Casorzo 2015
| Country: | Italy |
| Region: | Piemonte |
| Grape Type: | Malvasia |
| Winery: | Ferraris Agricola |
Ferraris Malvasia di Casorzo is made from 100% Malvasia.
Malvasia is a pleasant, sweet wine, low in alcohol content, that can be enjoyed at any time of day. Made exclusively from grapes grown in the hilltop vineyards of Casorzo and neighboring villages, it’s the pride and prestige of the area. It has always been the star wine of all local festivals. A comfort wine for all seasons and reasons, it has an aroma evocative of roses. The rich, aromatic wine is ruby-red, vibrant and slightly frothy. lt can be paired with desserts, fruit salads and sweets, but it can also be enjoyed as an aperirif or as a drink for any party occasion.
Color: Vibrant Ruby red
Bouquet: Sweet and aromatic, floral
Taste: Aromatic with rose frangrances
Alcohol: 5 %
Residual Sugar: 115,8 g/l
Total Acidity: 7,33 g/l – tartaric acid
Grape Varietal: Malvasia 100%
Production Area: Castagnole Monferrato, Asti District
Soil: Limestone and tuff
Growing System: Long Cordon Spur
Yield: 10 tons/ha-150 meters above sea level
Alcoholic Fermentation: Charmat Method
Fruit tarts, wild berries, hazelnut cake, chocolate lava cake, syrupy fruit and cookies.
Ruchè Clasic is obtained from grapes coming from the best-exposed vineyards, which means the southwest side of the hills. Because a heavy pruning, these vineyards never produce more then seven tons per hectare. Fermentation is done in 54-hectoliter temperature-controlled French oak vats for 15 to 20 days, according to the quality of the grapes at the time of pressing. A controlled temperature of 23 degrees enables the fermentation time to be lengthened and to keep the must in contact with skins for longer. During this period, the skins give the must more structure, tannin and color. This is important, particularly for Ruchè, whose precise aromas are its main characteristic. Once fermentation is finished, the wine rests for six months in the same vats where malolactic fermentation also takes place, perfect containers because they allow the exchange of oxygen necessary for a quicker maturation of the wine and for developing more elegant scents without imparting too much oak flavor.
Color: Ruby red
Bouquet: The wood is perfect for providing a natural level of oxygenation, without much oak flavor, very intense aromas of flowers
Taste: Also at the palate, intense aromas of flowers, balanced, elegant, with tannins that work hard at being soft
Alcohol: 14 %
Residual Sugar: 1.17 g/l
Total Acidity: 4.74 g/l
Grape Varietal: Ruchè 100%
Production Area: Castagnole Monferrato, Asti District
Soil: Clay and tuff
Growing System: Long Cordon Spur
Yield: 6 tons/ha-260 meters above sea level
Alcoholic Fermentation: In temperature controlled stainless steel rotofermenters for 10-15 days
Malolactic fermentation: In 54 hectoliters oak foudre
Truffles, game, medium aged cheeses, red and white meats, pasta
IMPORTER SALE!
Dark ruby color. Aromas of cherry, currant, vanilla bean and hint of tar. Full-bodied, with flavors of cherries, cocoa powder and oak. A touch of sweetness on entry with a little bit of air with soft tannins that are starting to integrate well.
The latest step in the project is Vinsacro (formerly Valsacro) Dioro. The earlier Valsacros were made from a field selection of the older vineyards. Now, thanks to the new facility Amador has been able to build an upmarket version of Vinsacro (formerly Valsacro) with a four-stage selection process that includes an initial field selection of the fruit followed by a second table selection as the grapes come into the winery. After fermentation wine from selected tanks is transferred to new French oak barrels for 12-14 months of barrel age. Finally, the best barrels are set aside for Dioro and the remainder used to "upgrade" the normal Vinsacro.
Vinsacro Dioro is a blend of grapes from 100+ year old "vidau" vineyards where many varieties were planted together in the same plot.
Today the grapes are harvested and vinified separately. The final blend depends on the vintage but typically it's Tempranillo (50%), Garnacha (20%) and remaining 30% is a mix of mainly Graciano (10%) & Mazuelo (10%) with a little of Monastrell (5%) & Bobal (5%).
Review:
"The top of the range is the 2015 Vinsacro Dioro, a wine that is only produced in excellent vintages. It's a blend of 40% Vidau (the old field blend) plus 45% Tempranillo and 15% Mazuelo, from a slope in the south of the Monte Yerga called Cuesta la Reina, from a big, 120-hectare plot that has been with the Escudero family for generations. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel with a long maceration. It matured in new French (70%) and American oak barrels for 18 months. It's still very young and a little shy, with a reticent nose where the lactic and spicy aromas are intermixed with earthy and dark fruit aromas. The palate is full-bodied but perfectly balanced, compact, powerful and serious, with abundant tannins, extract and clout. This should develop nicely in bottle, given its stuffing and balance. An excellent, modern version of a classical Rioja. 20,000 bottles were filled in June 2017. - Luis Gutierrez"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #235, February 2018), 92 pts
Ferraris Malvasia di Casorzo is made from 100% Malvasia.
Malvasia is a pleasant, sweet wine, low in alcohol content, that can be enjoyed at any time of day. Made exclusively from grapes grown in the hilltop vineyards of Casorzo and neighboring villages, it’s the pride and prestige of the area. It has always been the star wine of all local festivals. A comfort wine for all seasons and reasons, it has an aroma evocative of roses. The rich, aromatic wine is ruby-red, vibrant and slightly frothy. lt can be paired with desserts, fruit salads and sweets, but it can also be enjoyed as an aperirif or as a drink for any party occasion.
Color: Vibrant Ruby red
Bouquet: Sweet and aromatic, floral
Taste: Aromatic with rose frangrances
Alcohol: 5 %
Residual Sugar: 115,8 g/l
Total Acidity: 7,33 g/l – tartaric acid
Grape Varietal: Malvasia 100%
Production Area: Castagnole Monferrato, Asti District
Soil: Limestone and tuff
Growing System: Long Cordon Spur
Yield: 10 tons/ha-150 meters above sea level
Alcoholic Fermentation: Charmat Method
Fruit tarts, wild berries, hazelnut cake, chocolate lava cake, syrupy fruit and cookies.
The Ferraris Estate produces about 130,000 bottles of wine (about 50,000 of Ruchè) from 18 vineyards covering 25 hectares. Luca Ferraris Agricola is the largest family owned agricultural company in the seven municipalities of the Ruchè-growing region.
Date Founded: 1999
To understand how the Luca Ferraris winery came about we must trace the story back to the nineteenth century when Luca’s great-grandfather Luigi Ferraris emigrated to America during the gold rush. Striking gold, he sent the money back to his wife Bruno Teresa, giving her the chance to realize her dream. After her husband passed away in 1921, she bought the house in Via al Castello that until recently housed Luca’s winery. Two years later, Luca’s grandfather Martino purchased II Casot, at the time nothing more than a simple rural hut in the middle of 40,000 square meters of land. Martino planted vines and bought barrels to make wine with his own grapes in his own cellar. He started by selling his wine to wholesalers in the area, then later began to increase his business by selling larger bottles to individuals traveling back and forth to Turin every week on horseback. Today on that land we have one of our most representative vineyards: Vigna del Casot.
Following the footsteps of Luca’s grandfather Martino, it was up to his father to decide what to do with the family’s passion for wine. In the time of the great industrialization by Fiat in Turin, he moved to the city as his peers did, but he also decided to keep his passion for the vineyards alive by collecting and giving its grapes to the agricultural cooperative in the village. That continued every year until 1999, when after graduation as an agriculturist, Luca began working at the family business, restoring the old cellar and starting to make wine from the vineyards. It was the turning point for the operation, and perhaps even for the Ruchè variety. In the area of the seven municipalities producing Ruchè, Luca was the first to thin vineyards to improve their quality. He wanted the company to specialize exclusively in high-quality production and also began to travel the world looking for new customers and markets. Production was raised from 10,000 bottles in the 2000 vintage to 60,000 in 2003 thanks to a partnership with Randall Grahm, the Californian winemaker founder of already famous for his Bonny Doon Vineyard. Today the Ferraris estate produces about 130,000 bottles of wine (about 50,000 of Ruchè) from 18 vineyards covering 25 hectares. Luca Ferraris Agricola is the largest family owned agricultural company in the seven municipalities of the Ruchè-growing region.
Winery:
The new Luca Ferraris winery was built in 2009. It was finished on August 31, just in time to press its Viognier harvest the following day. The switch to a more modern winery was necessary – despite the global economic climate, the company was growing rapidly, thanks in no small measure to the increasing popularity of Ruchè. The building, 1,000 square meters wide and three stories high, is on the main road between Asti and Castagnole Monferrato. The cellar and storage room are underground, where the temperature and humidity are constant year-round. The ground floor is where all production, from pressing to bottling, takes place. Advanced machinery allows Ferraris to produce the best possible wines without interfering with their natural characteristics. This is possible only through the combination of modern technology and the knowledge of old winemakers. Luca’s family taught him not to pander to a wider but less-educated public by producing wines that betray the typical characteristics of each variety. Also on the ground floor, behind the bottling line, are the company offices where the Luca Ferraris team meets to discuss production and marketing strategies. Above the offices on the first floor is the wine tasting room that seats up to 30 people. Large windows overlook the production area allowing tasters a view across the winery – illustrating the total transparency in Ferraris’ production.
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Bright and light golden-yellow in color. Exotic and sweet vanilla bean aromatics backed by pear and kiwi with a slight orange peel. The palate resonates with texture and depth as stone minerality and cream brioche to match. Flavors of roasted plantains, gravenstein apple, and lemon zest frame the wine for a long yet soft finish.
Planted in the early 90’s, this is the coolest vineyard site in the Russian River Valley, located at Lee Martinelli Sr.’s home ranch in Forestville, CA. After riding around with Lee in his pick-up truck when we visited his Woolsey Road, Zio Tony, and River Road Vineyards, he decided to take me to this gem. He kept this particular vineyard in his back pocket until we hit it off. We did, and I think you’ll enjoy the ride as well.
Review:
Elusively crisp and inviting on the nose, this is a thickly intriguing wine, floral in orange blossom and fresh apple. Structured and lengthy, it retains a tangy acidity and structured finish, the grapes sourced from a dry-farmed vineyard. - Wine Enthusiast 92 Points
Marcassin Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
The 2013 Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard may be even better. Notes of caramelized citrus, hazelnut, apple blossom, lemon oil and orange marmalade are all present in this wine of dazzling aromatic and flavor dimension. It is full-bodied, again shows some wet pebbles (which I equate with minerality), vibrant acidity, and no real evidence of any oak. Much like the 2012, the finish goes on for 45+ seconds. This is another killer Chardonnay from Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer. -Wine Advocate 100 Points
What an extraordinary tasting this was at the Marcassin winery just north of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County. Just when you think the duo of Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer can’t make greater wines, they bowl over the taster with an array of exquisite quality that really must be tasted to be believed. Marcassin was probably California’s greatest Chardonnay after the famous Chalone winery fell from the pinnacle and onto hard times in the 1980s (and it has yet to rebound). Moreover, Marcassin set the bar for great Pinot Noir as well. And while both their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have many competitors these days (from the likes of Harford Court, Mark Aubert, Kistler, Kongsgaard, DuMol, Thomas Brown, Peter Michael, Martinelli and Luc Morlet, to name a few), John Wetlaufer and Helen Turley remain the reigning geniuses of these two varietals in California. Certainly, their meticulous attention to detail in both the vineyard and in the winemaking and élevage account for the quality, but they were among the pioneers who saw the unlimited potential from the Sonoma Coast, now a relatively crowded neighborhood. This was a remarkable tasting that simply blew me away, and I have been following their wines since the first Marcassins were made in the early 1990s. By the way, any doubts about aging potential should be crushed immediately, as even in the most challenging vintages in California, Marcassin Chardonnays and Pinots have aged as well as, if not better than just about any grand cru white Burgundy. For example, 1995 and 1996 Chardonnays, particularly those from the Lorenzo Vineyard, are incredibly youthful and dynamic, and the Marcassin Estate Pinot Noir, even from vintages such as 1998, is simply amazing.
The three Chardonnays tasted include two perfect wines. Perhaps the closest comparison is not to anything made in California, but a Corton-Charlemagne in a top vintage from the famous Jean François Coche-Dury.
