Italy: North West Flashcards
Piemonte: Climate
- moderate continental climate with cold winter and hot summers
-region is protected from the north winds and excessive rainfall in the shadow of the Alps
-Sunject to thunderstorm, hail and fog and late frosts
-Low rainfall - June to September allows grapes to ripen with low fungal disease
-Rainfall increases in Sept/Octo when they pick Nebbiolo
Piemont: Nebbiolo
- Early budding, ( spring frosts ) , late ripening, and vigorous
- Mainly gronw in Cuneo , Langhe and northern Piemonte
-Wines are pale ruby, turning to garnet in 3-5 yrs
Pronounced intenstiy of violet, rose, red cherry, plum
a full body, high tannins and high acidity ( sometimes high abv% )
SOILS: finest, most perfumed are grown on calcerous soils and its given south and south west facing slopes to fully ripen
-vines have to be pruned high as the first buds are infertile and more buds at the end will result in more fruit
Single guyot is the most common as it facilitate mechanical trimming
Excessive exposre to sun can be a problem
Nebbiolo is vigorous and need regualr canopy management and for best cluster thinning ( time consuming)
Clonal research has been aimed at producing darker colour so its doesnt fade but may lose aromatic intensity
eg. Gaja prefer mass selection to propogate new vines with low vigour and open bunches and small berries to aid in concentration , reduce disease, and deepen colour
Barolo DOCG : General
- village is called Barolo
-is a dry, tannic wine made from 100% Nebbiolo - came to fame with the local royal house of Savoy - the wine of kings, the king of wines
-Vineyards are planted S and SW facing slopes
200-400m = good sunlight and cooling influence = aromatic intenstiy and high acidity
DOCG MAX YIELD 56h/L
increase in plantings of 90% since 1990 due to great success
SOILS :
- villages with Blue- grey marl in the north and west eg. La Morra , that produce lighter more aromatic wines , drinkable after a few years
-Villages with less fertile , yellow grey compacted sand and clay in the South and East eg. Serralunga D’Alba , wines are more closed and tannic and should be cellared for 5-10 yrs
- historically blended with different vineyards for more complexity
eg. Mascarello
-single vineyards / subzones are also know for very high quality wines - pioneers
eg. Gaja and Giacosa
Barolo DOCG : WineLaw
Barolo DOCG has to be aged for 3 yrs and 2 months from November 1 of the years of harvest, including 18 months in wood
Barolo DOCG has to be aged for 5 years and 2 months with a min. 18 months in wood
Very good to outstanding and prem to super prem in price
- 2010, official subzones system
Menzioni Geographiche Aggiunitve MGA
with rules:
-enitre villages eg. Barolo del comune di la Morra
-specified subzones eg. Bussia
The word Vigna plus registered vineyard name can only appear if the name of the MGA is also stated
Small amount sof sweetned, infused wine is made, Barolo Chinato
Barbaresco DOCG : General
- 100% Nebbiolo
-named after the Village and includes villages to the east of Alba
-1/3 of Barolo DOCG
-many of the same characteristic but it is warmer and flatter
-Harvest can be a week earlier
-Riper style
2 yrs and 2 months from Nov1 the year of harvest for Barbaresco DOCG and 4 yrs ans 2 mnts for Riserva
Both 9 months in wood
MAX YIELD is 56hl/ha
MGA started in 2007, and introduced rules of DOCG
Very Good to Outstanding Prem to Super Prem
Barbaresco DOCG : Modern Winemaking
- 70-80’s , group of young producers eg. Altare and Gaja , sought wines with deeper colour and softer tannins with less need to be aged and new oak flavours
( very long maceration , five to eight yrs of ageing in old wood vessels was the old way ) - picking grapes with riper skins and seeds to eliminate aggressvie tannins , macerate of skins for 3-4 weeks for top wines and age the wines in either large format oak or combo of large and small oak ( 500L ) with only a small new portion
Most agree the vanilla and sweet spice mask the delicate aromas fo Nebbiolo
Barbaresco DOCG: Regions
- RoeroDOCG , Gattinara DOCG and Ghemme DOCG - north of Tanaro River , closer to Milan
continental climate with greater diuranl variation than Barolo , wines are higher in acid
South Facing sites at 300-400m enable fruit to ripen.
Wines are light and perfumed
Langhe DOC Nebbiolo and Nebbiolo d’Alba -
made from young vines or less favoured sites
Winemaking -
Maceration last for 7-10 days and wines are aged for up to a year in neutral containers
Top producers use Nebbiolo DOC Langhe to bottle parcels of Barolo or Barbaresco that do not meet the quality they require and to offer wines at more accessbile prices
These wines are cheaper and mid -prem priced
Piemonte : Barbera
- most planted black grape
-3 times more than Nebbiolo
-Concentrated around Asti and Alba
-Best wines come from Asti and subzones eg. Nizza DOCG - also Barbera from Langhe
-early budding and rone to srping frost
-Very vigourous and disease resistant
except for fan leaf virus
High yields are acceptabel to good and good quality are pruned hard for concentrated wines
Ripens late , just before Nebb
- Wines are high in acid , and low in tannin
Range of styles inc Sparkling
Drink now : Medium to deep ruby in colour, medium intensity of red plum and red cherry and black pepper , high acidity, medium tannins and medium abv%
Good to very good and inexpensive to mud price
Some prem / super prem examples that are very good to outstanding
Lower yields , wines are aged in French oak barriques with capactiy to age
**Barbera ASti DOCG - **
MAX YIELD 63h/L aged for 4 months
Superiore - Min 14 months , 6 in wood
**Nizza DOCG-
**MAX YIELD 49h/L
must be aged for 1.5 yrs , 6 in wood
**Piemonte DOC -
**MAX YIELD 84h/L -wines are low in concentration
Piemonte: Dolcetto
- ripens early
-grown on cooler sites - Fragile and susceptible to disease
- low vigour and ripeing is blocked by cold weather
-MAny vines replaced with Nebbiolo
-Reductive in the winery, needs frequent pump over and punch down to avoid off flavours
Mid range temps are needed for fresh primary fruit and maceration on skins is 5-10 days due to high tannins
Wines are aged in SS or cement to preserve fruit
-good to very good and inexpensive to mid priced
Some very good to outstanind commanding prem prices
*Best Areas :
Dolcetto d’Alba DOC - MAX YIELD 63h/L
Dogliani DOC - and Ovada DOC
The wines are deep ruby, medium plus intensity cherry and floral notes , medium minus acid, medium plus tannins
eg. Macarini and Abbona
Can be made at higher yields in Piemonte DOC at 77h/L
Piemonte: Cortese
- Gavi DOCG must be 100% Cortese and MAX YIELD 67h/L
Riserva wines limited to 45h/L
and must be aged 1 yr in any vessel
eg. Bergaglio or La Scolca
-high yielding
- light intenstiy lemon, apple,pear, white flowers , high acid and medium body
-Thin skinned, grey rot an issue
Pressing, must is fermented at mid range temps ( top quality wines may undergo a few hours of pre-fermenation maceration )
Aged in SS to preserve fruit
Early drinking with some ageworthy examples
Good to very good with som prem examples
Piemonte: Arneis
- grown in Roero area
Roeo Arneis DOCG. - must be 95% Arneis and MAX YIELDS 70h/L
Became popluar in the 80’s onward
eg. Giacosa and Vietti
-wines are light intensity with complex aromas of white flowers , chamomile ,white peach and lemon
Medium minus acid
Good to very good with some prem examples
Grapes must be picked as soon as ripeness is reached as acidity drops out
-care needed to minimise oxygen
as it oxidises easily
Piemonte: Wine Law and Business
- Piemonte does not have any IGT wines
Simple wines are in the DOC /DOCG’s
Piemonte DOC has a wide range of internation and local varieties
-For historical reasons, the Langhe and Piemonte region has remained family owned with small holdings weith little consolidation
Most market and bottle their own wines instead of using Merchants
-80% is exported to USA , UK, Scandinavia and Germany
With prices less than Burgundy and Bordeaxu , collectors have been looking to Barolo for the ability to age in bottle
New focus on subzones is gaining traction in the market
Most looking to Langhe DOC Nebbiolo for a good value option
