We are just back from our trip to Umbria. The itinerary was chosen with a view to light exploration of the unfamiliar wine regions of Ticino, Romagna and Valle d’Aosta as well as of Umbria itself. The more familiar (and classier) regions of Tuscany and Piedmont were by-passed this time. In the event only the Umbrian exploration was reasonably satisfactory for reasons which I will outline below.
The return through France was programmed to take in the unfamiliar Aube Champagne district and the slightly more familiar Jura but in the event I had to be content with the familiar Chablis; it was, however, undoubtedly the vinous highlight of the trip.
We were lucky with the weather in Italy with bright skies and daytime maxima of 25°C. Since we left temperatures have plummeted and rain has arrived. On the other hand, I had forgotten how stressful driving in Italy can be, particularly on the six (in some places eight) lane highway between Milan and Bologna. Heavy goods vehicles in the right hand lane frequently pull out to overtake with little warning while BMWs, Mercedes, etc. are coming up from behind at 160 kph (100 mph) plus in the left hand lane (NB almost complete absence of fast Italian made cars nowadays). As the years pass, we relish this sort of challenge less and less. This, therefore, may have been our last visit to Italy by car. By contrast, motoring through France, where cut and thrust used to be ruthless, was now a restful and comparatively civilised experience with very few motorists exceeding the speed limit of 130 kph (same as in Italy) by more than about 10 kph.
Ticino
Our first overnight stop was at Airolo by the Southern exit of the St. Gothard road tunnel. We did, however, take an hour’s breather at Ribeauvillé in Alsace where my Wine Probation officer successfully kept me away from the Trimbach premises. (My restraint is rewarded; part of the Trimbach range was on show on Saturday afternoon at Rob.) Hotel Forni at Airolo has a very decent restaurant and excellent wine list with a lot of French and Italian classics with older vintages at very reasonable prices but we chose to stick with the Swiss wines proposed with the gastronomic menu, only one of which was from Ticino.
Chardonnay AOC Neuveville (Swiss Jura) 2005 - Domaine Frôté was very attractive with generous body, notes of white fruit and tobacco and only hints of butter; 15.5/20.
Pinot Noir 2006 - Christian Herman (Graubünden) showed quite pale colour but a surprisingly rich nose of sweet cherry with kirsch notes emerging on the smooth palate slightly marred by a slight pastiness in mid-palate; 15/20+.
Syrah VdT uve del Mendrisiotto 2005 – Angelot Delea (Losone - TI) was only slightly deeper in colour than the pinot and quite light in body; there were pleasing notes of plum and sweet cherry but also a slight hollowness in mid-palate and a short finish; 14/20. (Devotion to local colour turned me away from a Montus 99 at the same price which I would undoubtedly have enjoyed a lot more.)
Romagna
I hesitated between visiting an estate and calling in at the Enoteca Regionale at Dozza. Finally I opted for the latter which I now think was the wrong choice. Its location in the bowels of a castle is spectacular and the range of local wines on offer is very wide, but I was denied the opportunity of tasting any; the staff were almost as inept in English or French as I am in Italian; the dour manager spoke nothing but Italian and the lady assistant knew little about the wines and her spoken English and comprehension were stumbling. (Visiting the Enoteca's website just now, I read that in order to taste it is necessary to purchase a cardkey at the entry which allows drawing off measures from bottles held in a temperature controlled and inert gas protected dispenser; nobody there told me that.)
Disappointment also awaited us at our overnight stop in Ravenna. On arrival at our hotel in the “centro storico”, we were informed that our room had been flooded by rain and had a musty smell, so we were transferred to a soulless business hotel in the suburbs well out of walking distance from the famous mosaics and other sights and from the town’s best restaurants and trattorie. The first wine below was the best feature at the hotel’s boring restaurant; the other two bottles were purchased at Dozza and opened upon arrival at our rented cottage near Orvieto.
Sangiovese di Romagna “Notturno” 2007 – Drei Donà Tenuta La Palazza was served too warm but, in spite of this, it was nicely nervy and tangy with medium/full body, dark fruit, minerals and structure; 16/20.
Sangiovese di Romagna “Torre di Ceparano” 2005 – Fattoria Zerbina showed greater richness and sweeter fruit than the previous but less minerals; 15.5/20+.
Albano di Romagna bianco secco “Azdora” 2008 – Fattoria Camerone was smooth and agreeable with a slight but lively sweetness; 14.5/20.
Umbria
Orvieto is a fascinating hilltop town with a stunning beautiful cathedral, narrow streets full of interest and a museum with Etruscan relics as well as some good restaurants. I was, however, disappointed by the enoteche which I visited; I saw and felt no sign of air conditioning in the one with the most impressive stock, including an old Barolo Monfortino from Giacomo Conterno (1964 I think) at over €500; I would not take the risk of buying an old bottle stored in such a way, where summer temperatures regularly exceed 30°C.
The girls wanted to see and buy ceramics at Deruta and I was able to combine this trip with a visit to hilltop Montefalco and the Adanti winery at nearby Bevagna, which I had visited and bought from with delight three years ago. There is also a well stocked enoteca in the Montefalco main square which practices fair prices (the same as at the wineries he says) and where thick mediaeval walls afford some protection from the heat. We also visited the beautiful Tenuta Le Vellete winery which enjoys a stunning view across the valley of Orvieto.
We had a beautiful demonstration of courtly Italian manners from Andanti senior, aged 74, who paid court to my Italian speaking 38 year old daughter with lovely compliments, confidential sips of certain wines and open invitations to visit; Catherine was not impressed saying that this was common Italian practice and meaningless. Nevertheless rather charming, I think.
I start with wines drunk in restaurants and then move on to wines tasted at the two wineries visited.
IGT Umbria bianco 2008 – Decugnano dei Barbi, drunk on the terrace at Giglio d’Oro facing Orvieto cathedral, was delicious with creamy white fruit, a lot of peach, touches of spice and Mediterranean herbs; 16/20. (The website http://www.decugnanodeibarbi.com/english/vino.htm gives details of the 2007 which was classified as Orvieto Superiore; I do not know in what way the 2008 differed so as not to enjoy the appellation.)
Rosso di Montefalco 2007 – Lungarotti at the same restaurant was anonymously international and oaky; 13.5/20.
IGT Umbria Vitiano 2007 – Falesco, Merlot, CabSauv and Sangiovese, showed slightly jammy sour cherry and a certain bitterness on the finish; I have liked previous vintages better but this may have its fans; 14/20.
Ferentano (vintage not noted) – Falesco, made from a Lazio indigenous variety Roscetto and drunk in the garden at I Sette Consoli in Orvieto, was another delicious white which combined fleshiness, freshness and creaminess with notes of exotic fruit in way which made a good pairing for foie gras; 16/20.
Sagrantino di Montefalco 2004 – Colsanto also at I Sette Consoli was surprisingly open and approachable for this often forbidding and slow maturing wine type showing expressive dark fruit with touches of tar and oil and a firm but ripe tannic structure; 16/20+.
Adanti http://www.cantineadanti.com/eng/
Prices here are very reasonable. Additionally Adanti rounded €22 off my bill and added two extra bottles into my case.
Arquata Montefalco bianco 2008, from Grechetto, Trebbiano and Chardonnay, was more complex than the next which I preferred for its greater purity and freshness; 14.5/20.
Arquata Grechetto Colli Martani 2008 (€6) is fresh, smooth and delicate with bacon, apple and rose aromas; delicious for quaffing young; 15.5/20+QPR!.
Arquata Rosato 2008 was fresh and fragrant avoiding boiled sweet aromas common in many pinks; 15/20.
Arquata Montefalco Rosso 2006 (€8), from Sangiovese, Sagrantino, Merlot and Barbera, showed plenty of body and savoury dark fruit but was more tannic than the deliciously balanced 2004. I am confident though that it will provide robust drinking with hearty Italian inspired food; 15.5/20 QPR.
Arquata Rosso dell’Umbria 2003 (€13,50), from Barbera, CabSauv and Merlot, was not yet (if ever) the fragrant, refined and round rose filled drink that the 2001 has become but has negotiated well the 2003 heat showing smooth texture and round plum fruit with just too much vanilla for my ideal; 16/20.
Arquata Sagrantino di Montefalco 2004 (€17,50) has again not yet come together like the 2001 but shows every prospect of doing so with its full body, rich dark bramble fruit tempered by tar, leather and firm tannic structure; a definite touch of class here; 16.5/20++ with potential.
Arquata Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito 2004 (€25) was fetched by Adanati to please my daughter and it pleased me too with its complex deep fruit and slight sweetness made virile by firm structure and similar tar notes to the dry wine; 16.5/20++ with potential.
Fattoria Le Velette http://www.levelette.it/english/index.asp
Excellent QPR here too as well as a beautiful location and the only fluently (American) English speaking vintner met on this trip.
Orvieto Classico 2008 (€4,50), from Trebbiano, Grechetto and others. The owners of our cottage had thoughtfully placed a decanter of this in the fridge; it was fresh, fragrant and fruity with an attractively wild touch; 15/20++ QPR!!.
Orvieto Classico Superiore “Lunato” 2008 (€5,10), from Trebbiano, Grechetto, Verdello, etc., was smoother and richer than the previous with most attractive notes of oriental spices; to be drunk quickly, I think, before it loses this exceptional charm; 16/20++ QPR!!.
Rosso Orvietano “Rosso di Spicca” 2007 (€4,40), from Sangiovese 80%, Lanaiolo and Merlot, shows dark tangy fruit and firmer tannins than the 05 which I bought it Belgium; another robust wine for Italian inspired food; 15.5/20 QPR!.
IGT Umbria “Calanco” 2004 (€10,90), from Sangiovese 65% and CabSauv, showed medium body, dark tangy fruit but rather too much vanilla from its oak ageing for my taste; we will see how it develops; 15/20.
IGT Umbria “Gaudio” 2006 (€10,90) from Merlot, was most attractive with round ripe fruit, good freshness and gentle structure avoiding the jamminess which is the besetting sin of much mono-varietal warm climate Merlot; 16/20+ QPR!
Valle d’Aosta
I was looking forward to making the acquaintance of the wines of this Alpine valley and tried to make an appointment for Saturday afternoon at the respected Les Crêtes winery http://www.lescretes.it/LESCRETES_depliant_eng.pdf but they were unwilling to accommodate me. No matter; I would have time to explore the enoteche in Aosta.
Sadly my curiosity remains unsatisfied because all was changed by the unmistakeable rattle of a broken exhaust pipe as we drew up at the Aosta toll gate. The rest of the afternoon and much of the evening were spent trying unsuccessfully to arrange for help from an ACI mechanic. We had to stay over until Monday morning when I was lucky enough to find a helpful garage with the required Land Rover parts in stock. The bonus was that we had Sunday to explore Aosta which turned out to have some very well preserved Roman remains, beautiful Romanesque churches and a dignified central square with the dated but picturesque Caffe Nazionale, which is classified as a national monument. Those enoteche which I did manage to find open did not impress me with their range of Valdostan wines and their prices were high. Les Crêtes are open on Monday afternoon but by then we were in a hurry to get as close to home as possible. The hotel where we stayed only offered an open Valdostan white and red which were both quite rough. The following was drunk with a pizza at Caffe Nazionale.
Gamay Vallée d’Aoste 2007 - Le Clocher showed aromas of reduction which did not dissipate but the palate was quite freshly fruity and mineral; 14/20.
Another interesting feature of Valle d’Aosta is its autonomous status and Italian/French official bilingualism which is reflected in a lot of French place and family names. However, I gathered the impression that French is dying out there. I am ambivalent about whether, as an admirer of French culture, I should deplore this decline or, as a hater of the absurdities of linguistic radicalism such as we find here in Belgium, applaud it. There is no doubt the Italian state’s tolerant attitude to the French element has prevented any obvious cultural tensions. I don’t think that matters are quite so sweet in German speaking Alto Adige, where the German speakers are much more fundamentalist about their cultural identity, but I think that they are far from being so stupid and potentially oppressive and destructive as here in Belgium.
Chablis
Our intention had been to stay in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises (which happens to be in the Aube Champagne area) at Michelin starred restaurant and to visit the former home of President de Gaulle after stopping off at Arbois in the Jura where a good caviste is open on Sunday afternoon. These plans were, of course, ruined by the broken exhaust but we did manage to reach a small town called Chablis on Monday evening where we stayed at the Michelin starred Hostellerie des Clos (good but not outstanding food and polished but rather formal French service). The first two wines were drunk at the hotel’s restaurant, where there is an encyclopaedic wine list presided over by a young and competent sommelier.
Chablis 1er cru Vaucoupin 2006 – Domaine Grossot. The sommelier steered us towards this 2006 rather than to a more tense and mineral 2007 because he recommended the tenderness and soft roundness of the vintage with the first dish which contained small squares of foie gras. He was right, I think, and the wine had good purity and enough minerality and finesse to complement those other attributes; 16/20.
Irancy Mazelot 2006 (red) – Domaine Colinot, though quite light in colour, had enough tannic backbone, minerality and richness to be a good pairing with pigeon; 15.5/20++.
Chablis town is full of shops owned or leased by growers and, while the attention of my Wine Probation officer was distracted, I managed to visit two close to the hotel. This is enough to convince me that 2007 has produced just the sort of Chablis which I like; pure, tense, mineral, mouth-wateringly acid and deliciously crisp with good substance. I picked up half a dozen 07s from each of the following where I expect to be able to follow fascinating development.
William Fèvre
Virtually no new oak is used here (1% was quoted) but the wine sees varying amounts of second plus used wood increasing with their rank in the hierarchy. All the wines below were from the Domaine except Montée de Tonnerre, which was négoce.
Chablis 2008 (c.€13) was sacrificed as a mouth wash after a sweet breakfast on Tuesday but I re-tasted it today at the Belgian importer; crisp, fragrant and mineral but a tad less so and a tad more tender than the 2007s; 15.5/20++.
Chablis 1er cru Montmains 2007 (c. €23) immediately showed more depth than the previous as well as plenty of substance, nervy minerality and backbone; 16.5/20.
Chablis 1er cru Montée de Tonnerre 2007 (c.€23) was maybe a tad smoother; 16.5/20.
Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte de Bouguerots 2007 (c.€43) had remarkable purity, intensity of fruit and mineral matter with great potential richness which may need a few years to open up; potentially 18/20+.
Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses 2007 (c.€38) was in a similar vein but maybe a touch less massive and more approachable; potentially 18/20+.
Denis Race
This is a much more modest producer who is frequently recommended in Guide Hachette though he hasn’t made it to the more prestigious Bettane/Desseauve and RVF annual guides.
Chablis 2008 (c.€7) was a lightweight coming straight after the WF Grands Crus.
Chablis 1er cru Montmains 2007 (€9,80) was a different matter; more approachable at present than the WF version and the VV following but showing plenty of crisp minerality, backbone and length; 16.5/20++ QPR!!.
Chablis 1er cru Montmains Vieilles Vignes 2007 (c.€12) was several notches up in intensity and needs more time; 16.5/20++ with further potential QPR!.
Chablis 1er cru Mont de Milieu 2006 (c.€10) was softer and more tender and seemed slack after the nervy and mineral 07s. I suggested to Mme. Race that it might have been better to serve this before the 07s but she thought that progression in that direction would also present tasting difficulties; 15.5/20.
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