Country: | Italy |
Regions: | Campania Falanghina del Sannio |
Winery: | Fortezza Societa Agricola |
Grape Type: | Falanghina |
Organic: | Yes |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Fortezza Falanghina del Sannio Taburno is made from 100% Falanghina - 25 years old
No oak.
Straw yellow color with greenish reflections. Fresh and floral scents, citrus aromas, apple, pear and mineral notes. Round, smooth and juicy with high acidity, yet well balanced with rich flavors.
Southeastern exposure with an altitude of 300-450 meters above sea level.
Planting density: 3,500 vines per hectare on average.
Training system: espalier with Guyot pruning.
Manual harvest in small crates between the end of September and beginning of October.
Winemaking in white in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature.
Pairs well with seafood, mozzarella cheese, risotto, white meats.
Fortezza Fiano DOC Sannio is made from 100% Fiano - 20 years old
No oak.
Straw yellow color with light green reflections. A rich bouquet of white flowers with mineral notes, freshnesss and elegance, good acidity and good body.
Southeastern exposure with an altitude of 250-350 meters above sea level.
Planting density: 3,500 vines per hectare on average.
Training system: espalier with Guyot pruning.
Manual harvest in small crates end of September.
Winemaking in white in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature.
Pairs well with seafood, grilled tuna, white meats.
Review:
" Clean and fruity with aromas of chopped apples, sliced pears and white peaches. Medium-bodied with a juicy, simple and refreshing palate. Drink now.”
- James Suckling (August 2022), 90 pts
Fortezza Greco DOC Sannio is made from 100% Greco - 20 years old
No Oak
A gold color; complex aromas of ripe fruits, candied fruit, honey. Soft and well-structured.
Southeastern exposure with an altitude of 250-350 meters above sea level.
Planting density: 3,500 vines per hectare on average.
Training system: espalier with Guyot pruning.
Manual harvest in small crates end of September.
Winemaking in white in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature.
Pairs well with fresh cheese, pasta with vegetables, vegetable soups.
Fortezza Greco DOC Sannio is made from 100% Greco - 20 years old
No Oak
A gold color; complex aromas of ripe fruits, candied fruit, honey. Soft and well-structured.
Southeastern exposure with an altitude of 250-350 meters above sea level.
Planting density: 3,500 vines per hectare on average.
Training system: espalier with Guyot pruning.
Manual harvest in small crates end of September.
Winemaking in white in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature.
Pairs well with fresh cheese, pasta with vegetables, vegetable soups.
G.D. Vajra Bricco Delle Viole Barolo is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo.
The Barolo Bricco delle Viole shows the signature verticality of its vineyard. The wine is beautifully layered and - while restrained as it’s always the case in the youth of Bricco delle Viole - it also shows a complexity of layers with purple flowers, sweet spices and mineral tones. The palate is noble, with a refined acid spine and profound tannins that promise a long aging potential.
Among the historical vineyards of Barolo, Bricco delle Viole is the highest and the closest to the Alps. It rises from 400 to 480 meters above sea level, on the Western ridge of the village. Its name, “Hill of Violets”, originates from the flowers that blossom early here due to the perfect south exposure. Up above the fogs, Bricco delle Viole enjoys the earliest sunrise and the last sunset every day. Thanks to its vines dating back to 1949 and -now- 1931, a dramatic diuturnal temperature range and this pure light, Bricco delle Viole generates a sophisticated and profound Barolo DOCG of bright aromatics, chiseled tannins and subtle minerality. 2018 is a vintage that shows many nuances of Bricco delle Viole: beyond the signature verticality of this site, the wine offers high tones laced with mineral nuances and plenty of energy and youth.
Review:
The 2018 Barolo Bricco delle Viole is not super intense, but it is balanced in its own way. The wine is subdued but complete with softly yielding tannins to support an elegantly streamlined mouthfeel. Bricco delle Viole is a high and cool growing site in Barolo at 400 to 480 meters in elevation with characteristic Sant'Agata marl soils with fossils. The wine represents a selection of fruit from over seven hectares. With fermentation in steel tank and aging in large Slavonian oak, you are invited to a silky, lifted and beautifully delicate experience with an accessible personality.
-Wine Advocate 95 Points
An elegant version, this red features rose, black currant, cherry, mineral and a hint of eucalyptus aromas and flavors. Linear in profile, this is solidly built on a graceful frame, with finely woven tannins and vibrant acidity.
- Wine Spectator 95 Points
Anne Delaroche Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge is made from 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault
Very deep garnet red color. Bouquet of small red berries and hints of spices. Rich, round and full in the mouth with a long finish.
Pairs well with game, duck, guinea fowl, pigeon, osso bucco, eggplant cake and flavorsome cheeses.
Fortezza Falanghina del Sannio Taburno is made from 100% Falanghina - 25 years old
No oak.
Straw yellow color with greenish reflections. Fresh and floral scents, citrus aromas, apple, pear and mineral notes. Round, smooth and juicy with high acidity, yet well balanced with rich flavors.
Southeastern exposure with an altitude of 300-450 meters above sea level.
Planting density: 3,500 vines per hectare on average.
Training system: espalier with Guyot pruning.
Manual harvest in small crates between the end of September and beginning of October.
Winemaking in white in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature.
Pairs well with seafood, mozzarella cheese, risotto, white meats.
La Fortezza is located in the heart of Sannio Benevento and spreads over a total of 20 hectares of vines. The winery is born from the great passion of the founder Enzo Rillo for his land. “La Fortezza” was built on the belief that making great wines starts in the vineyards and that the strength of the estate lies on the quality soil, sun exposure, altitude and care of the vineyards.
The project is based on the strong belief that producing a very good vintage is to express great love and strong passion for what they do, and to ensure the customers receive high quality wines with a stylish appeal.
Torrecuso, where La Fortezza is located, extends on the eastern side of the Regional Park of Taburno-Camposauro: the slopes are a continuous alternation of vineyards, woods and small fields, to which only in the last hours of the day the profile of Mount Taburno subtracts light and heat. Here the work of man - the diligent action of the peasant - has not ravaged, invaded nor defaced. A territory that is harsh yet generous, and that has decided to understand, deepen and know within the attachment we have for our land what the deepest meaning of the Samnite pride is: awareness and dimension of a freedom that once was only a desire to defend their land from the Roman armies, but that today is an attachment for what it represents and expresses in terms of culture, folklore and productions.
The province of Benevento has for centuries produced excellent grapes for excellent wines and represents about 40% of the vineyard area of the Campania Region. While they believe that "wine is made in the vineyard", their real strength actually consists of a mix of soil quality, sun exposure, altitude and care of the vineyard. Their vines Aglianico del Taburno are in such quantity that they permit them a careful selection in the vineyard for the different range of wines and guarantee the production of wines of the highest quality such as the Reserve, whose grapes come from a vineyard about seventy years of age.
Falanghina del Taburno benefits from a good sun exposure that brings an optimal result in terms of sugar content, aromas and acidity of the wine.
The cellar is located at the very heart of the vineyards. It is completely covered with stone and well-integrated into the surrounding landscape. It consists of two separate bodies. In the upper part is an enchanting place with a wonderful view towards the Apennines that separates Campania from Puglia. The underlying body opens over two medieval-style doors that are rigorously carved in solid wood, and it is home to the production activity - a perfect blend of tradition and modern technology. The barrel vaults are part of the aging room that is entirely covered with terracotta bricks and partly excavated in the tuff. This brings us back to the idea of the old "cellars" of the rural farmhouses - the places that were destined to conserve both wine and food. The processing room, the winemaking equipment, the bottling and labeling room, the steel tanks and the warehouse complete the cellar, with a potential production of about two million bottles.
Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers.
Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members of the Vinea Wachau. The wines must have minimum alcohol of 12.5%. The grapes are hand-harvested, typically in October and November, and are sent directly to press where they spontaneously ferment in stainless-steel tanks.
Zwerithaler is a sub-site of Buschenberg and sits to the east of Weißenkirchen. The name Zwerithaler, meaning "nestled between the valleys," is a near monopole of Weingut Prager. It has a complex soil of paragneiss with alternating layers of dark and calcareous rock. Zwerithaler Kammergut is a 0.34-hectare parcel planted before WWI. The wine from these ungrafted, 100-year-old vines was bottled separately by Prager for the first time in 2015.
Light greenish yellow, silver reflections. Fine savory, delicate nuances of anise, tobacco notes, delicate yellow fruit, a touch of mango and honey blossom. Full-bodied, juicy white apple fruit, well-integrated, silky acidity structure, finesse and long persistence, saline finish, lingers for minutes, Veltliner at its best.
-Falstaff 99 Points
"The aromas of this old-vine gruner veltliner leap out and shake you to the core. Full-bodied and full of weighty and balanced layers of papayas, mangoes, nectarines, chives, white tea and oranges. Fantastic concentration, giving so much pleasure already, but it will keep blossoming if you give it time. From vines planted in 1907. Sustainable. Drink or hold."
-James Suckling 98 Points
This is a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with an opaque purple color and perfumed aromas of blackberry compote, orange blossom, cassis, creme brulee, and cocoa. On the palate the wine is plush and concentrated with well-integrated tannins and a vibrant finish. Lush enough to be consumed now and structured enough to hold for decades thanks to the mountain heritage of this beautiful wine.
Review:
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain is an incredible wine, and it flirts with perfection. Full-bodied and concentrated, it has flawless balance and elegance as well as just textbook Howell Mountain notes of blue fruits, cassis, violets, graphite, and background oak. I love its tannins, it has remarkable purity of fruit, and a great, great finish. It has some appeal today yet deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and should have over two decades of longevity.
-Jeb Dunnuck 98+ Points
Winemaker Sean Capiaux has crafted this Howell Mountain staple for more than two decades. In 2019, he's made a knockout! Explosive aromas of ripe, black fruit, wild mountain sage, turned earth and toasty oak. Enveloping on the palate with an intricate mix of black cherry, blackberry and blueberry fruit moving quickly into more savoury notes of crushed stones, cassis, wildflowers. Finishing long and with vibrancy and lift. A powerful core of firm fine-grained tannins are nicely integrated. Great cellar potential.
-Decanter 97 Points