More Barolo 2006 and the rest - Days 3 & 4

Great Barolos, Serious Soaves and excitment in Valpolicella

Excuse the radio silence, two and a half days of tasting young Barolo followed by a three hour journey east towards Treviso can take it out of you. Day 3 was a very spoiling one, visits to Roberto Voerzio, Paolo Scavino and Gaja. Our tasting with Enrico Scavino was sensational, a producer seemingly at the top of his game. After a brooding start to life, the 2005s seemed to have quickly come a long way after a couple of years in bottle, they will drink quite beautifully before too long, while we wait for the 2004s and 2006s. Their 2006s were intense, structured but always showing Scavino polish, they will be up there with the vintage's best. Gaja was everything I expected, great wines of huge intensity and length of flavour. The 2007s were luxurious and heady, the 2006s more restrained but highly sophisticated. However, the single most impressive array of wines during the Piedmont leg of our trip hail from Roberto Voerzio. From Dolcetto to Barolo, these are naturally made and very intense wines produced with unstinting attention to detail. The picture shows bunches from their Barbera Pozzo vineyard, they cut the bottom off all of their bunches, as the finest grapes are to be found at the top or "ears", where ripening takes place first. There is no La Serra 2006, the Voerzios weren't happy with the wine's aromas during ageing and so sold it off, this tells you all you need to know about them. The rest of their 2006s are impeccable - precise, ripe and definitely built to last.

A long hike east takes us off to the pretty Colli Asolani to our Prosecco producer, Dal Bello, a thoroughly refreshing change from young red wine that gets day 4 off to a good start. Then we head west again to the hills of Mazzano in Valpolicella and its quite breathtaking views. 450 metres above sea level in the hills overlooking the town of Negrar are the Vivianis, a charming husband and wife team. Such pure, elegant and drinkable wines, be it simple Valpolicella classico, Amarone or Recioto. They have cast their spell. A very exciting find, I feel. Finally we end our trip with a visit to the affable and quite brilliant Gini family. 2009s are richer than 2008s but show great acidity and finesse too. Any wine lover can not fail to be enchanted by these fruity, zesty Soaves. La Frosca proves that Italian white wine can genuinely be great: Along side the young vintages we tasted a 1997. Like a mature Riesling on the nose, all honey and minerals on the palate but still youthful and refreshing , with a remarkably long, mineral finish. Exquisite.

Alas, like all good things, my short but sweet taste of Italy must come to an end. Now back to earth, via Milan Malpenza.

Barolo 2006 - day 2

Super Serralungas !

After last night's belly full of Elio Altare's bread, Sicilian Terre Nere olive oil and wholesome array of vegetables, we were fighting fit for a day's tasting up and down the Barolo region, away from the comfort zone of La Morra and its refined, perfumed wines. We started off in the 'dark' corners of Barolo: At Azelia in Castiglione and Clerico in Monforte, followed by Giacosa in Neive and finally Sandrone in Barolo itself where they have made some extremely polished wines.

Some massive but excellent 2006s overall, Monfortes and Serralungas are not for the faint-hearted but the best examples have such great fruit, flesh and minerality to carry you through the explosive tannins of their young wines.

Just as Altare's Ceretta did yesterday, the Serralunga single crus impressed most, particularly the 2006 San Rocco from Azelia and the new vineyard from Clerico, 2006 Aeroplan Servaj (wild plain), as well as the Rocche del Falleto Riserva 2004 from Giacosa. That said Clerico's Monforte, Ginestra, was also a monumental effort.

Luigi Scavino of Azelia has made some excellent 2006s and a superb Voghera Brea Riserva 2004 (another Serralunga.) This is an estate that is starting to get showered with plaudits and deservedly so.

Apart from Azelia, the other highlight was Clerico. Despite the big structures, his wines have a clarity and precision that really put them at the top of Barolo's first division. A long tasting here finished with an incredible flight of 1992, 1998 and 1999 Pajanas, proving how sweet, spicy and seductive these big wines become with age.

The day ended, fittingly, on a bottle of Marenca 1998 from Luigi Pira of Serralunga, another excellent wine from this great commune. All sweet spice and liquorice but with sufficient mineral vitality.

Time to pull out the toothbrush, more tomorrow

2006 Barolos - day 1

For the first time in 10 years of coming here to Piedmont, there is snow in March. Apparently half a metre fell two days ago. It's a great opportunity to visually pick out the top vineyard sites, where the snow has already completely melted away.

Aside from tasting the new young wines, sumptuous and easy 2009 Dolcettos and Barberas, our main purpose here is, of course, to taste the latest Barolo releases. We have covered good ground today, most of it in and around La Morra - Marco Marengo, a Corino double header (Giovanni and Renato), Elio Altare, Matteo Correggia in Roero, finishing on a high with the trip up towards Asti to visit La Morandina, whose delightful Moscato d'Asti must be one of the best there is.

On today's evidence 2006 is a very good Barolo vintage indeed, the wines taste well now but clearly have great ageing potential. They have robust structures without being austere, crisp red fruit acidities, and that enchanting Nebbiolo aroma and ripeness. A classic style vintage, akin to 1996 but sweeter, fleshier and less chiselled, an extremely interesting proposition particularly for the purist.The only negative so far seems to be that very localised but devastating hail towards the end of the 2006 season meant that some wines have not been made, Arborina from Renato and Elio Altare, for example.

Today also saw our first glimpse of Elio Altare's new cru Barolo, Ceretta, a vineyard from Serralunga. We tasted 2005 and 2006, both very complex and moreish wines, different to the La Morras but every bit as impressive. Alas the 2005 will not be released until next year.

Now the hamlet of Annunziata La Morra beckons, where I will wash away a day's worth of tannins with some of Elio's, apparently very good, home made bread.

A presto !

Winemaker's Series: Voyager Estate

Steve James' latest report is just in and things continue to look good for the Voyager harvest...

"Monday 15th March 2010

All of our white grapes have been harvested with our final white harvest of Chenin Blanc completed last Thursday evening. The Chardonnays are close to finishing fermentation and the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are ticking away nicely. It is always a great feeling to have the whites into the winery and safe from any of the impacts that nature can bring at this critical period. We are really happy and excited by the quality of the whites and I believe we will make some outstanding wines - particularly Chardonnay which looks exceptional.The first of our reds will be hand picked tomorrow morning with the eastern side of our Ullingers Block 2 Shiraz ready to go. The flavours in the reds look fantastic with lower than normal sugar levels and fine, physiologically ripe tannins. I suspect most of our Shiraz will be harvested by the end of this week and we should be starting Merlot and some Cabernet Sauvignon next week. Again - if the wonderful weather holds out we will be in for an exceptional red wine vintage. The slightly cooler conditions forecast for this week are great for slowly finishing the reds off."