NobleRottersSydney - Paul's Italian tour

Paul returns from Italy and generously provides a curated all-Italian night for our indulgence, matched with a multi-course Italian offering (including a to-die-for duck ragu) from the Glass kitchen. All reds double-decanted just prior to dinner; the Ornellaia stayed in the decanter until service. Eleven Rotters & one guest, so limited chances to re-taste wines. Wines tasted more-or-less in matched pairs. Picks of the night seemed to be the Casanova, the Bolgheri (obviously!) and the Ben Rye sweetie. But, honestly, it was all good.

• NV Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Prestige 47ª Edizione Extra Brut

  Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG

  {12.5%, cork} [Paul] Lemon yellow colour. Gentle strawberries-and-cream nose. On the palate a little more citrus comes through, but it still has a tropically luscious character, while remaining properly dry. Super-fine, delicate bubbles and light/medium weight – it does sit a bit towards the front of the tongue and maybe finishes a little short, but it’s still a fine sparkler. Pinot blanc is the surprise bonus grape at just 3%; chardonnay 79% and pinot noir the rest.

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• 2020 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Sauvignon Blanc Poggio alle Gazze Toscana IGT

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  {13%} [Paul] Very sauvignon, with vermentino & verdicchio. Gooseberry, lychee hint, touch of cat pee, but also green pea. Way better than it sounds. Palate offers just a touch of earth character as well, which takes the edge of what could be a quite tart character – it’s not just a fruity drink. Light/medium weight, with a hint of fruit-salad about the flavours. No oak apparent, although I could concede there might be a little in there for structure. Dry, with medium acid. Short/medium finish. An individual expression of the grape; about ready to drink I’d say, and fairly expensive for what it is.

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• 2023 Tabarrini Umbria Adarmando

  Italy, Umbria

  {14%} [Paul] Sweaty, mango-like nose, seemingly without oak. Medium-bodied presence, some vanilla character, and surely there’s a bit of oak is filling out the palate. Low powdery tannins seem grape-derived. It has medium acidity and a warm, medium length dry finish. Surprisingly dark colour and mature mien for such a young wine. The trebbiano spoletino seems to be a genuinely different variety to old-fashioned, dull trebbiano. This wine certainly has enough character to justify that claim. Best in the short term I think.

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• 2017 Michele Chiarlo Barbaresco Asili

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  {cork, 14%} [Paul] From one of the best-known Crus of Barbaresco. Old-style, leathery, advanced nose. Some black fruit, also tar. Maybe some floral, rose character on the palate too, but it’s quite aging and earthy, with a soft caramel flavour as well. Medium powdery tannins, medium acid and weight; it finishes quite warm and just lacking in freshness I think. Seems very old school indeed.

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• 2014 Orlando Abrigo Barbaresco Riserva Rongalio

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  {cork, 14.5%} [Paul] Dark ink/ruby colour. Iodine sort of nose, with some blackberry. Medium/high chalky tannin with medium acidity. There are black fruit flavours, with tobacco on the palate, and the promise of earth to come. Medium/full weight. Warmly alcoholic on the medium/long, and evenly balanced finish. In a great place now, may keep. Very much fresher than the younger Chiaro wine, but still staying true to the style

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• 2013 Agricola Fontanelle Stiglianese II Toscana IGT

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  {cork} [Paul] Sangiovese. Hint of mustiness on the nose for me. Duty, plummy-ripe fruit on the nose. Fairly astringent palate, with fine gritty tannins and medium/high acidity. Medium weight overall, but strident in the mouth, with a bitter almond character and pithy black cherry fruit. Tends to sit towards the front palate. Medium-length dry and drying finish. Drink now before it dries out further.

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• 2019 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Riserva

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  {cork, 14%} [Paul] Developing nose of your standard cherry and white pepper. The palate is all about that savoury tartness of Sangiovese in this guise. Really needs food! Clearly ripe enough, with low chalky tannins, light/medium weight and a just-medium length finish. Dry, subtle oak. Needs another 3-5 years for best effect I think.

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• 2015 Castello di Volpaia Chianti Classico Il Puro Casanova

  Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

  {cork, 14.5%} [Paul] Notwithstanding the extra age, this is a huge step up over the standard ‘riserva’ bottling. There’s black cherry jam fruit, medium/full weight, with plenty of chalky tannins, minimal oak flavour tannin. Almost seems made in a different style altogether. A nod to raisin and prune characters, although the alcohol seems mostly under control. Chianti with a nod to new world styles, perhaps? To me it’s blending the best of both worlds. A little soft on the back palate, but otherwise no complaints. Might have been the pick of the Sangiovese wines tonight.

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• 2016 Cantine Leonardo da Vinci Brunello di Montalcino

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  {cork} [Paul] Mature, black-edged dusty blueberry fruit with a hint or caramel. Fairly lean and savoury on the palate. Low dusty tannins, only really light/medium weight, medium acidity. A little bit translucent in both colour and palate presence. Low-key palate; fruit is ripe enough but seem drying out a little. Lighter style, ready to drink.

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• 2016 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  {cork, 14.5%} [Paul] Rich black fruit, hint of liquorice. Modern sort of style with ripe blackberry and plum fruit, medium weight, with low/medium gritty tannins. Spicy berries on the palate. Low/medium acid, slightly thick sort of texture, subtle oak. Medium length, quite even finish. Pretty tidy all round; could use a few more years to deliver some maturity.

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• 2015 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  {cork, 14.5%} [Paul] This seemed much lighter than its 2015 sibling in the previous bracket. Dusty nose of light red, spicy fruit. Similar age characteristics. Almost medium weight palate, with medium chalky tannins, medium acid. Savoury, cherry-infused flavours, with an earthy touch. Perhaps a level below the 2016 for overall satisfaction.

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• 2015 Capanna Brunello di Montalcino Riserva

  Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

  {cork, 14.5%} [Paul] Bottle 4288 of ~13,000, so this riserva runs about a third the volume of the standard bottling. In some ways this has a more restrained nose than the standard bottling; it has similar qualities of muffled plum and blackberry fruit, with a hint of earth. There is greater depth to the palate though; medium/high chalky tannin, medium/full weight. Altogether it’s more tightly packed, with a medium length finish. Probably not worth the price premium at the moment, but I think this will be longer-living and ultimately provide more depth and interest than the standard (and more lightly-packaged!) offering.

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• 2020 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Le Volte Toscana IGT

  Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

  {diam, 13.5%k} [Paul] Merlot, Cab sav and Sangiovese, so the archetypal super-tuscan. Still seems Sangiovese dominated to me, with pepper and cherry up front. It’s fairly youthful on the palate, dry, and quite astringent, although not especially oaky. If anything, seems a little stretched, despite an even palate presence and what was ripe fruit, if perhaps on the dilute side. Surely you pay something for the name here? Medium length finish but doesn’t quite hit the spot.

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• 2004 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia

  Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore

  {cork, 14.5%} [Paul] First taste of this famous wine for me, and I’m shocked to find it so completely different to everything that’s gone before. Makes sense, though – I never realised it was all all-Bdx blend; a four way effort from cab, franc, merlot and PV in the ratio 60/12/25/3. It has a rich jammy nose of blueberries, currants and sweet cedar. The medium/full-bodied palate is almost sweet with rich fruit, and indeed oak; there’s a merlot-plummy richness and perfect current underpinnings. Tastes like a top Bdx with an exotic twist somehow (or a splash of Napa cabernet in there). Even palate, medium length finish. Very seductive indeed. No sign of falling over on this tasting.

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• 2022 Donnafugata Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé

  Italy, Sicily, Passito di Pantelleria

  {cork, 14.5%} [Paul] From Zibbibo grapes. Quite a deep gold colour, but also light and transparent. Fabulously exotic nose of figs, caramel, honey and some kind of exotic green (spearmint?) aroma. There’s lots more here too – rhubarb, orange peel – and it all carries through on the medium-sweet palate, of medium weight and medium/high acidity. It has a syrupy texture that’s constantly fresh with the acid, and the spiced honey and tropical notes all culminate in a lengthy finish that is a delight. About as far from those nasty vin santos as you can get. Why isn’t this Italy’s greatest sweet wine? I couldn’t even predict aging; this is so good to drink now.

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