- The Badina Lessona Got 95 Points
- We Have a Group of Producers at That Level
- In Every Sub Region (Gattinara, Boca, Bramaterra, Lessona, Carema, Sizzano, Fara...)
- Today's Producer May Be the Leader of Our Gang of 5
- He is Mascarello-ish (Bartolo of Alto Piemonte!)
Stefano Dorelli
- An Incredible Winemaker
- Ridiculous Levels of Transparency
- His Wines Express The Naked Soul of Nebbiolo
- Old School, But Perfectly Made Every Year
- A Legend in the Making - I Mean This Literally
2017 Cantina Del Signore Gattinara "Il Putto"
- The Most Delicious Wine He's Made
- A Gattinara That Will Utterly Blow Your Mind
- His Wines Are Usually on the Geeky Side
- 2017 Handed Him Luscious, Sexy Fruit
- And He Made a Sexy Librarian
- Nose: So Fresh
- Hand Crushed Cherry Juice
- Blckberries
- Almost a Bit of Game
- Intense Spice
- Palate: Incredibly Fresh Cherry Juice
- A Hint of Cherry Licorice
- High Level Deliciousness
- Almost Sticks to the Lips
- Darker Fruits as it Opens
- Cinnamon, Clove
- Grabs the Palate on the Swallow
- Utterly Hedonistic
- But, Of Course, the Dorelli Balance and Elegance
2019 Cantina DelSignore La Crotta Coste della Sesia Spanna
- One of the Most Interesting Wines I've Had This Year
- Coste della Sesia Wines Are Becoming Underpriced Superstars
- Nose: Really Unusual but Utterly Captivating
- Herbs, Plummy Notes, Perfumed Fruit, Flowers
- Palate: Really Nice Dark Fruits
- Terrific Balancing Acidity
- A Swirling Range of Licorice and Spices
- Incredible Structure
- Very Cerebral
Our Alto Piemonte Portfolio
We've been pushing on Alto PIemonte hard since we started our Italy portfolio. We have a firm conviction that with higher temperatures, this will be the center of modern nebbiolo that has the profile of the great Baroli of yesteryear. We have looked under every rock and found small producers that didn't make enough wine for the big guys. And we have wines that are as good as anything made in Alto Piemonte. And we have them in every sub region.
And it is starting to pay off. La Badina Lessona 2013 got 95 points from Vinous (Antonio Galloni). Other producers have gotten high scores as well from America's most recognized Italian critic.
I'm writing this not to brag (ok maybe a little) but to let you know that you really need to try these wines and perhaps none moreso than today's producer Stefano Dorelli. His 2013 and 2014 Gattinara were works of elegant magic. In 2015 and 2016, he worked the vintages to make some of the best wine in all of Piedmont. In 2017 he made a wine that was atypical for him in that it it is so hedonistic, but if you focus,
the elegant Dorelli style is recognizable,
the elegant Dorelli style is recognizable,
The Cantina Delsignore Style
The wines of Stefano Dorelli can normally be described as some of the most elegant, aromatically-driven Italian wines in my book. Dorelli creates wines of supreme elegance and finesse. These are wines that I can sit with over an evening and just marvel at his winemaking skills. Having said that, they are wines that appeal to consumers who enjoy appreciate more elegant/aromatic wines.
What Does Mascarello-ish Mean?
I am, of course, referring to the brilliant wines of Bartolo Mascarello, considered to be either a top 5 producer in Barolo or the absolute best, depending on your perspective. What makes these wines great is that they are the most Burgundian of wines in Piedmont. A certain level of fruit magnitude is unavoidable these days but it is secondary characteristics and remarkable balance that make these wines what they are. I simply love them.
The Wines
Up first is the 2017 Cantina Del Signore Gattinara "Il Putto," for $37.99 on a 4-Pack, which is just a ridiculous wine. Wow, wow, wow this blew me away. This is a super brilliant wine
Nose is so fresh. Just the freshest cherries that smell like you just crushed them in your hand and jammed your nose into it. As the wine opens, you get some game and the cherry becomes more dense. You get some blackberry. Some intense spice. Some elegant library book. The wine totally changes from 0-30 minutes.
Palate has insane fruit saturation and concentration but also remarkable detail. On open you get that fresh cherry juice. A hint of cherry licorice. Intense density. Almost sticks to the lips. Very mineral. Silky tanins. Talk about palate staining. Insane acidity, freshness but man what length. It just clings onto your palate with such unreal intensity and never lets go. The fruit is just absolutely perfect cherries. Incredible density. The fruit is clean and pure but you can feel the depth as you taste it.
After 2 hours this crossed the crucial 9.4/9.5 Delectable barrier for me as the fruit is just unconscious but framed but absolutely sick minerality and tannins have velvetized. Awesome. Really great juiciness that balances the power of the fruit. It becomes VERY intense as it opens. Spice. Concentrated fruit. Cinnamon. Clove.
On a very simple level, you can drink this off of it's fruit, there is a serious, serious fruit soak. But there is another level to this wine when the secondary flavors kick in. Wine geeks will really appreciate the balance and texture but also the way that the fruit sets the table for the secondary flavors to shine through. This is more a typically Gattianra made by Dorelli than previous vintages which I found more Dorelli wines that happened to be made in Gattinara. But make no mistake - this wine is a an abolsutely stunning hedonistic wine that is also incredibly well made.
The tannic structure is there and will allow this wine to age for medium term consumption.
The second wine is truly fascinating. The 2019 Cantina DelSignore La Crotta Coste della Sesia Spanna for $27.99 per bottle on a 4 pack. Most of the wines that we sell at this price point are more on the delicious side. And this wine is certainly on that and on one level you can enjoy with abandon. It's utterly delicious, but more importantly for a wine geek like me, it's one of the most interesting wines I've had this year. Don't let the price fool you as the Spanna is one of the more interesting wines in the whole Fass Selections portfolio.
The nose is really unusual but utterly captivating. Herbs, plummy notes, perfumed fruit, flowers and a faint hint of fresh zucchini (in a really good, interesting way, trust me)
The palate has really nice dark fruits with some terrific balancing acidity and a swirling range of licorice and spices. Super interesting. This is another wine that you can enjoy off of the delicious balanced fruit. But the aromatics are really what the game is about. Incredible structure on this wine - it should age well for at least 5 years if not longer. This is a very cerebral wine which is very unusual for a wine at this price point. This is aged 6 months in barrel and 6 in bottle. This is 100% Nebbiolo (Spanna is the local name for Nebbiolo).
Stefano Dorelli is the grandson of the winery's founder, Attilio Delsignore. They bottled their first wines in 1960. Stefano took over winemaking in 2001, and installed modern winemaking equipment. There are a good number of vines that are still 50-70 years old. Vineyard work is aggressive to control yields and cellar intervention minimal.
2017 Cantina Del Signore Gattinara "Il Putto" - $39.99 ($151.96 4-Pack)\
2019 Cantina DelSignore La Crotta Coste della Sesia Spanna - $29.99 ($111.96 4-Pack)
No comments:
Post a Comment