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Italy Producers
Name: Italy
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As my colleague Zoë said once about Stefano Inama- `well, he puts the suave into Soave!` But there is much more to Stefano than the role of charmer. Much happier as farmer, he manages the family domaine with meticulous farming practice.
Whenever I want to show a foreign visitor just how good Soave wines can be, I never hesitate to open any of the estate’s very fine white wines, especially the Soave Classico du Lot (rich, deep, judiciously oak-aged, and of a Burgundian complexity) or the Soave Classico Vigneti di Foscarino (leaner, crisp, lemony, mineral).
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Andrea Mantengoli is adamant about a lot of things, but particularly about his Brunello. You must be organic, is one essential part of his philosophy. He explains that the terroir is so good that not only don’t you need ‘chemical poisons’ to produce fruit, but that they’ll destroy the identity of the wine.
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Oriental carpet traders Luigi and Paola Lorenzi bought a holiday house in the commune of Gavi and it is easy to understand why. La Zerba is the highest estate in the area with incredible panoramic views surrounded by vineyards. They have since given up the day job and converted the garage into a winery to produce excellent Gavi from 30 year Cortese vines planted on iron-rich soils. The wine is aromatic and refreshing yet rich in personality. The Lorenzis are exceptionally generous hosts and Paola is the most fantastic chef.
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The most striking thing about visiting the home vineyard of Le Potazzine is the sense of altitude; at 507 meters it is higher than most Montalcino vineyards, exposed and open to the winds from every direction. Some modern-styled Brunellos don`t taste as if they have been made with Sangiovese; but no danger of that here, where the high vineyards bring a welcome freshness and balance to the final wine.
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Lisini is among Montalcino`s most respected estates. They are also one of the most traditionalist, as befits a family who have a history that goes back to the time of the Medicis; they are proud to say they are the last of the region`s founding families still making wine here. Their estate is one of the few in the south-west of the region, surrounded by woodland and wild scrub; it is a warm area, but their vineyards are high up, and the combination of altitude, complex soils and low-yielding, old-vine Sangiovese gives a wine of rare expression. -
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It is common to classify the big names of Barolo by whether their winemaking is traditional or modern, but Sandrone like to think of themselves as bridging the gap. This is a first generation winery; in 1977 Luciano Sandrone bought a small patch of the Cannubi vineyard, and has been gradually adding to it ever since. He made his first wines in his parents` garage. From humble beginnings have come great things. The Sandrone Cannubi Boschis was one of the first Italian wines ever to get 100 Parker points, and remains Sandrone`s flagship bottling.
