Bella

Imagine an Italian wine being incredible aromatic – cool tempered like a red Burgundy, carrying 12,5% alcohol –shaping sophisticated notes like roses, nutmeg, liquorice and lavender.  It carries on with a sleek texture, refreshing and firm acidity – crushing the aromatic package into a breed like no other Italian wine I have ever tasted. A wine that grows on you – new shapes & angels, keeping you constant alert. You drink the whole bottle in one go – because you can’t resist.

I wish such a wine excited….and it does. I have tasted it three times now. I  just wish I had found out before. I have even seen the label many times before and also seen friends around social medias posting empty bottles of this wine. Yet I never bought it. I had lost faith in Italy. Hugely disappointed with their Barrique obsession, blending international grapes, masking their terroir and selling out on a wines ability to tell a story and drink well.

However – it's my own fault. I got lazy. I forgot that Italy is so diverse and much more than those wines appealing to the “rating agencies”.   

This wine is the biggest Italian eye-opener I have had in 10 years. A truly emotional wine to me, which against all odds are made in the burning hot Sicily. 

There is hope for Italy after all. BRAVO!!!!

2010 Arianna Ochhipinti “Il Frappato”

Blend: 100% Frappato di Vittoria

Terroir: Red Sand from Sub-Apennines chalk

Age of wines: 55 years

Altitude: 270m above sea level

Aging. 14 month on 25hl large Slovenia oak

Agricultures: Organic without chemical intervention

Location: Sicily – Vittoria (southwest – province of Ragusa)
Alcohol: 12,5%

Glass: Zalto Burgundy – for the aromatic threat. Zalto Universal - for an even more cool tempered expression with an overly sophisticated spice window. Compared - I preferred the Burgundy glass. 

The B-sample

 (The colour of the ’09 has a dark amber colour – really spectacular.)

One of my friends insisted I tried the ’09 Les Ursules from Cédric Bouchard again. After having tried it several times he strongly disagreed with my “closed” analysis, when I  tasted it in May-2012. He also claimed it was the finest “Les Ursules” he had ever tasted…..hmmmmm

Well actually he didn’t have to insist that hard, as I had already planned to taste it again during my summer holiday – but I was for sure even more curious now.

2009 Cédric Bouchard "Les Ursules"

Blend: 100% Pinot Noir

Terroir: Argilo-calcaire

Vineyard: 0,9721ha located in Celles-sur-Ource

Age of vines: Planted in 1974

Production: 2.500 bottles

Dosage: 0 g/l

Disgorged: July-2011

Glass: Spiegelau Adina red wine “Water goblet”

The opening was like I had imagined - in the sense of Cédric’s sleek signature with insanely gorgeous currant perfumes and terrific sensorial sweetness. However it quickly became apparent, that I had a bottle in front of me, which was far more accessible than the bottle back in May. The Champagne unfolded quite a scenery with mind-blowing complexity and depth.

The drum of currant perfumes kept its constant heart beat, but rooted deeper into dark cherries, liquorice and tarragon. It even took one step further, taking you deeper into its terroir formations and revealing scents of seashells, which I have never seen before. The taste is very deep, bombastic in the sense of the tight wrapping of the flavours, but beautiful wrapped in the sleek structure and with long perfumed mouth coating finish. Magical.

Could it be better than the ’08? Very hard choice – I think I prefer the ’08, but the ’09 is more diabolic….maybe….I will test the side by side someday.

I have to thank Ine and Ries for this bottle – you are too kind.