Wine is Serious Business

A VISIT TO VIETTI – Vietti, Castiglione Falletto (11/6/2012)

Last November, I had the chance to visit the Vietti winery in Castiglione Falletto Italy. A trip to Piedmont had been in the works for a while, and I was happy to connect with Luca Currado through Twitter during the Wine Blogger’s Conference.

While I have had great experiences with Italian wine in the past, my knowledge is still very limited. I don’t know many producers, and if I don’t know specific bottles, I have very little confidence in my ability to pick something I like off of a shelf. Vietti has been my one of my go-to producers for the past few years. The beautiful labels make them easy to remember, and even if I’m not familiar with the vineyards or vintages, I know I can count on high quality. I was very excited for the opportunity to visit their facility and to taste a line up of their wines side by side.

After driving through the dramatic landscape of Piedmont and winding up the hills to village of Castiglione Falletto, I was greeted at the gate by Elena Currado, Luca’s wife, who would be guiding the tour and tasting. A few other tourists had also arrived, and we all talked a bit while enjoying the broad view from the courtyard.

After an introduction, and a discussion of the surrounding landscape, it was time to visit the winery. We walked straight down some stairs set in the middle of the courtyard and discovered that the bulk of the winery was right below us!

This area looked quite modern with many barrels, hoses, and fermentation tanks set upon spotless floors and surrounded by walls that appeared to be made of modern material. A short walk led us to a different area, where Elena pointed out an old beam from the 1500’s. She remarked that they tried to preserve as much of the original structure as possible.

It was great to see this in action as we continued the tour. We saw a number of rooms in the old castle that were now used to age wine in barrels large and small.

We were also shown to a tunnel with a tiny entry, gravel floors, and a variety of things growing on the ceiling. It was peaceful, cool, and quiet in there, as well as quite old. It was definitely made for people smaller than me.

It was impressive to see the size of the building, and how much of the original structure they have put to use for making wine.
We were then shown to the tasting room, where Elena poured us a number of current releases. It was great to see my respect for Vietti re-enforced, and to get a little more insight into the complex world of Nebbiolo. It was fascinating to learn more about the character of the tannins in Nebbiolo, and to see flavors underneath them that were very sublte now, but gave me exciting clues about what they could reveal in the future.

The Tasting

We were then shown to the tasting room, where Elena poured us a number of current releases. It was great to see my respect for Vietti re-enforced, and to get a little more insight into the complex world of Nebbiolo. It was fascinating to learn more about the character of the tannins in Nebbiolo, and to see flavors underneath them that were very sublte now, but gave me exciting clues about what they could reveal in the future.

• 2011 Vietti Dolcetto d’Alba Tre Vigne – Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Dolcetto d’Alba
  This was a “pop and pour”. Cranberries, plum skins, and woody stem scents all blend together on the nose. Ripe strawberries start things out on the palate, and a touch of darkness appears shortly afterward. Dark cherries with a touch of stem character show on the mid palate. Crisp acidity is strong on the finish, and the tannins are full but not overwhelming. (89 points)
• 2010 Vietti Barbera d’Alba Tre Vigne – Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d’Alba
  This bottle had been open for a while before it was poured for us. Fantastic strawberry scents show in the glass accompanied by cherries, a touch of candy, and stones resting in dark earth. The wine is gentle and floral on contact with the palate. The tannins quickly exhibit a wonderful round texture. The strawberries from the nose deliver on the palate, and they are as good as the scents suggested. A touch of candy transitions into cherry liqueur toward the finish and some very nice mineral sensations are firm on the mid palate. Wonderful fruit sits high in the experience, and it lingers long on the finish. 91+ (91 points)
• 2010 Vietti Barbera d’Alba Scarrone – Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d’Alba
  The nose shows lots of complex spice with raisins and dark cherries working together with cinnamon and hints of vanilla. When tasted, the wine is immediately juicy, full, and showing plenty of strawberry fruit. The strawberries have a touch of sweet candy to them that lingers above the other flavors as the wine evolves. Even acidity keeps everything bright and a touch of minerality gives a sense of purity to the mid palate. The tannins are slow to evolve, and they settle into the molars to provide structure without disrupting the rest of the wine. (91 points)
• 2009 Vietti Barbera d’Alba Vigna Vecchia Scarrone – Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d’Alba
  This has a dark and spicy bouquet that stands out in contrast to the earlier Barbera wines. The main fruit component seems to be blood oranges wrapped in the spice of molasses, nutmeg, and a touch of smoke as well as a bit of toasty pie crust. It’s very smooth across the palate. Crisp cherries lead the way and great acidity shows itself fully in the middle. The acidity persists as a touch of sweetness appears on the cherries. This tart sweetness evolves suddenly, giving a celebratory feeling to the mid palate. The smoke from the nose is realized toward the finish and lingers long. (92 points)
• 2009 Vietti Barbera d’Asti La Crena – Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d’Asti
  The nose suggests dried wood sitting in black earth with lighter scents of tobacco and cherries showing as well. It’s immediately friendly on the palate. Light but delicious fruit and lovely acid show themselves right away. The fruit starts out with raspberry flavors and evolves toward richer strawberries and cherries. Gentle acidity hangs with the fruit on the long finish. There is a great sense of purity and delicacy here. The wine delivers fantastic length on the finish as all of the components continue to dance together. This is an eye opening Barbera! (94 points)
• 2009 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco – Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
  The nose is very spicy, showing notes of cloves, black pepper, and orange peel atop a dried out forest floor. Cloves show right away on the palate too, along with dark cherry flavors. The cherries go through a slow and enjoyable evolution on the mid palate. Ripe cherries linger on the finish as well as firm but approachable spice. The tannins take on a bit of dust character very late in the experience. 89 (89 points)
• 2008 Vietti Barolo Castiglione – Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  Dark strawberry and maple syrup scents settle above spicy notes of grapefruit and cinnamon. When tasted, there’s a great burst of dark strawberry flavor on the mid palate. The length on the finish is impressive. Big acidity and vanilla stick around for the full experience. It runs across the palate in three layers, with the nice strawberry flavors sitting upon a structured center of firm tannins and underlined by some vanilla from the oak. Small sips in quick succession make the tannins grip too tightly for my taste, but slow sipping allows everything to work pretty well together. I think this will be very significantly improved with a bit of age as the tannins back off a bit. That said, the complexity and fruit flavors are still quite enjoyable now. (92 points)
• 2008 Vietti Barolo Rocche – Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  When smelled, the wine has a musky character with roasted nuts and toast in the forefront and some cherry scents underneath. Cherries and strawberries make up the fruity core on the palate. Lemony acidity supports the fruit well. Everything is surrounded by huge structure that delivers a fully drying grip on the finish. It’s like a ball of dry vines surrounding the cherries and strawberries. This is a powerful beast right now. 90, and improvement seems inevitable with a little more age. (90 points)
• 2012 Vietti Moscato d’Asti Cascinetta Vietti – Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Moscato d’Asti
  When poured, our hostess remarked that this is “wine for our babies”. With the low alcohol and enjoyable sweetness, I can see that making sense. Bright scents of honeydew melon, floral scents, and lemons rise from the glass. When tasted, lime flavored acidity delivers a bright and sunny mouth feel. Honey flavors linger, and they only provide a little weight on the palate. Juicy apples show with good orange flavors and sweetness on the mid palate. It lingers well on the finish too. (90 points)

The Barbera d’Asti really knocked my socks off, and I’m very happy that she chose to share that wine with us. The Barolo wines got me thinking about the layers in Nebbiolo, and the hints of what the wine can become in time. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and tasting, and would highly recommend a visit if you take a trip to Piedmont.

Notes by Dan from Wine Is Serious Business

Posted from CellarTracker