“Wine is sunlight held together by water.”
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de’ Galilei
I have such fond memories of the wines and the friends I have been writing about. It’s almost as if I can still hear their laughter as we swirled, smelled, and tasted the wines, even though some were enjoyed many years ago.
61. Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Falletto Asili Riserva – This is a stunning Barbaresco from Italy’s Piedmont region.
I learned so much about Italian wines from my dear friend Cesare Vicario. Cesare was one of those whose greatest joy was sharing a great meal with friends and introducing them to an exceptional bottle of wine.
We were in Turin, which is the capital city of the region of Piedmont. Piedmont is in northwestern Italy. Switzerland is to the north, and France is to the west. We arrived in Turin in the late afternoon. Here is a bit of historical trivia: The Metropolitan City of Turin was the first capital of unified Italy from 1861 to 1865 and is sometimes referred to as “the cradle of Italian liberty.”
I had never been to Turin, so Cesare gave us a tour before we checked in to our hotel. Turin is a picturesque city on the banks of the Po River. We passed a beautiful building, and I remarked how old the building looked. Cesare responded, his Italian accent still ringing in my head, “That building is not very old. It is only about 200 years.” He explained that Turin is a relatively new city as it was heavily bombed during World War II. I said that I live in Las Vegas where we tear buildings down when they are about 30 years old.
Food and wine were two things Cesare took very seriously. He took our group to dinner at a charming restaurant that evening. He always took it upon himself to order dinner and the wines for the table. Cesare believed in pairing local food with local wines. Piedmont is home to two of the most acclaimed DOCGs in Italy: Barbaresco and Barolo. We had both that evening. I do not recall previously having had wines from either of those DOCGs. This time was certainly the most memorable, if it was not my first.
Cesare selected the most incredible Barbaresco. Our first Barbaresco was Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Falletto Asili Riserva. I started at the top of the hill. This is a gorgeous wine. The DOCG requires that Barbaresco, like Barolo, must be made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes. Nebbiolo is ubiquitous and is thought of as the Pinot Noir of Italy.
This is the beauty of Barbaresco. DOCG Barbaresco must be aged a minimum of two years, with a minimum of one year in oak. The Falletto Asili is aromatic and a complex mélange of black raspberries, cherries, cigar box, and liquorice, with a hint of road tar, and a striking touch of red curry and fennel on the nose. As if that is not enough, there is a gentle undertone of fresh oregano. The wine has a very deep, full-bodied, unmistakable intensity on the palate. Ripe Marasca Luxardo cherry, baking spice, vanilla, truffle, and a hint of coffee give way to velvety tannins and a polished, balanced mouthfeel.
Cesare introduced me to many Italian wines over the years. He only came to the United States a few times before he died. Fortunately, I got to share some American wines with him, which he enjoyed, but his wheelhouse was Italian wines.
I have had many Barbaresco wines since that evening in Turin, and I have never had one that I did not enjoy. Cesare may no longer be with us, but the memories of the wines he introduced me to will be with me forever. The Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Falletto Asili Riserva is the best Barbaresco I have ever had to date.
Barbaresco is a wine that everyone should experience, especially if you love aromatic and complex wines.
62. Fontodi “Flaccianello della Pieve” Toscana – A brilliant wine from the heart of Chianti Classico.
Another trip to Italy called for our board meeting to be held in Florence, my most beloved city. Florence is a beautiful, historic city perched on the banks of the Arno River. One of my fondest memories is driving to Florence from Sienna, which is only about 52 kilometers (32 miles) away. I looked down from the hills as we drove in as the monochromatic red rooftops of Florence came into view. I thought the city looked so beautiful, especially the towering dome of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi.
I am a student of history, and the Italian Renaissance is my favorite European epoch. Walking down the streets, you will pass public artworks by Cellini, Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli, and Raphael. There are also works by Botero and Keith Herring, if something more modern suits you. There is Palazzo Vecchio, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi Gallery, and of course, Galleria dell’Accademia, where you will find Michelangelo’s David.
Florence is the city where the Renaissance began, and the Borgias and di Medici families took it upon themselves to drag Europe out of the Dark Ages. One of my favorite films is Orson Welles’s 1949 film noir classic, “The Third Man.” In it, Welles, as Harry Lime, took just 54 words to very succinctly sum up why I love Florence. He said, in one of my all-time favorite movie quotes:
You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock….
Florence also has magical Tuscan food and wine. This is the heart of Chianti Classico, a region that has been a distinct DOCG since 1996, with a winemaking tradition that dates to the 8th century. One of the best wines in the region is Flaccianello della Pieve, another wine introduced to me by my friend Cesare Vicario. Flaccianello is a wine that should be considered a Chianti. However, the Manetti Family that produces the wine classifies it as a Super Tuscan, and I would never deign to argue with them. It is considered one of the first Sangiovese mono-varietal Super Tuscans. The vines of the estate are grown on the gentle sloping hills of Tuscany. The wine estate itself dates to the 16th century, although the Manetti family has only owned the estate since the late 1960s.
Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT), meaning “Typical Geographical Indication,” is a broad designation that requires all the grapes to come from the IGT region stated on the label. Otherwise, the wines do not have to conform to the strict standards regarding the style of wine mandated by DOC and DOCG classifications. Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT, which means “Hills of Central Tuscany IGT,” is a classification established in 1995. IGT was established to accommodate the growing number of wines produced from international varietals that were not covered by the established DOC and DOCG system. These are wines that would otherwise be designated as Vino da Tavolos, or “Table Wines” under Italian mandates of Denominazione di Origine Protettiva, which in English translates to “Protected Designation of Origin.”
The Chianti Classico region is the heart of the Super Tuscans, as most, but not all of them come from there. Super Tuscans from Montalcino use the Sant’Antimo DOC classification, as an example. The appellation Colli della Toscana Centrale is a narrower form of the Toscana, or Tuscan, IGT. The Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT is a production zone that covers wines produced in the broader Chianti Classico provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Pistoia, Prato, and Siena.
You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock….
Flaccianello’s profile is ruby-red in color with an extreme bouquet of violet with additional notes of cinnamon, cloves, new leather, eucalyptus, vanilla, tar, sandalwood, liquorice, tobacco, and plums that caress the nose. The palate has a medium body with hints of cassis, blueberry, plum, and some minerality, with grippy tannins, all leading to a lengthy finish.
Flaccianello is an amazing wine that is worthy of the love I have for my favorite region in my favorite European country.
Allora, cin cin ragazzi, alla vostra salute!
Very well and concisely written!
Eli