Natural Wine Wars: War of the rosés

Rosés from Italy's Alto Adige and France's Languedoc region go head to head in today's battle.

Azienda Agricola COS 2008 Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico

Come along as we travel to Sicily and taste our first wine of 2012 here on The Grapes of Rand.  Biodynamically produced by friends who set out 35 years ago to make wines in the traditional way from indigenous grapes the way their ancestors did it, this is also the only DOCG designated wine on the island.  

Vietti 2006 Barolo Castiglione

Well wine-lovers, we have arrived at the last leg of our journey through my four most beloved grape varieties.  Oddly, I have found telling you why I love these grapes a bit like telling someone why I love my kids more than someone else's.  It's one of those things you can't quite put your finger on...but I do because they are a part of me, I understand them, and I simply love everything about them.  To me they are perfect.  So it is with the three grapes we have explored so far, and so it is with our last grape - Nebbiolo.  It is a grape that just suits me in every way.  Just as my whites, Riesling and Chenin Blanc resemble each other in character yet each have their individuality, Nebbiolo has much in common with my other red, Pinot Noir.  Both grapes are rather finicky and extremely sensitive to soil and climate, both budding early and thus susceptible to spring frosts.  Like Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo can display some of the most haunting, complex, tantalizing perfumes, displaying a range of aromas from roses and violets, to forest floor, tea leaf to wood smoke, truffles to tar, incense, and the list goes on.  At it's best, Nebbiolo, like Pinot noir, also develops powerful yet sophisticated tannins and good acidity, giving it the ability to age long and gracefully, and making it one of the most perfect food wines.  

The wine we will be tasting today is from Barolo, Nebbiolo's traditional and most celebrated home in Italy's Piemonte.  It comes from Vietti, one of Piemonte's largest, oldest and most traditional producers.  This is a Barolo that leans toward a more delicate traditional style, being aged in large casks rather than new oak barrels.  Luca Currado, who runs the family owned estate today,  considers himself first and foremost a farmer, and is very particular about how his grapes are grown in order to produce the most characterful expression of terrior.  As part of this emphasis on the vineyard Currado eschews the use of chemicals, and has begun a move toward organic and biodynamic methods.  Join me now as I taste what I hope will be a beautiful wine from the last of my four favorite varieties - Nebbiolo.  

Castello dei Rampolla 2007 Chianti Classico

Today we're tasting a Chianti Classico from one of Tuscany's great old family owned producers Castello dei Rampolla.  The estate near Panzano in the heart of Chianti Classico is run today by Luca and Maurizia di Napoli who are extremely committed to creating exceptional wines employing low yields and biodynamic methods.