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Felsina
Felsina is one of the winery I visited during a weekend in Tuscany .first of all I want to thanks Irene that took care of us during the visit that was in a public holiday day.
Felsina is an other winery that pay a particular attention to the Sangiovese,without precluding the possibility of experiencing other vineyards. But let’s start from the visit of the cellar. The aging cellar, is made from an old barn and I appreciated very much the fact that the barrels used for Chianti, in order to comply with the size of the winery that receives them, are tailor-made to be positioned between the niches and columns of the building. A good example of how to do things well, respecting or improving what was already there. But let’s get to the most interesting: wines. We got to sample almost all the wines and bought others. Quite interesting Chardonnay Sistri, exotic fruits and peach are perfectly integrated perhaps the note given by didi vanilla wood is a little strong but not too disturbing and fits very well in wine. 3/5
Very good also the Chianti Classico, which despite being the base wine surprised me for its good persistence, the taste reminded me a lot the blackberries. 3/5
The Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia however, is the wine that surprised me more than they tasted in the cellar. Soft and velvety, persist that starts with hints of wild berries and currants to finish on the spicy notes which reminded me of the cloves. Really good.
I had to bring home a bottle of Fontalloro, 2 to be honest, I opened the bottle just bought a 2009 if I remember correctly, and another of 1996 i owned! It is a confirmation in both the versions, the youngest perhaps a little immature and the older a wine truly exceptional. Powerful and elegant with strong tannins and soft on the palate at the same time, with the fine spicy notes of cloves still, tobacco, licorice. Simply fantastic. 5/5.
And now the surprise. I’m not a great lover of Cabernet, I confess, I usually find the vegetal notes of Cabernet a 
little unpleasant, and for that I had not bought any bottle of Maestro Raro. I was wrong! So then I had to try it and I must say that this wine is really very good. The plant is known but it is not strong and indeed is very well integrated in tobacco and wood. In the mouth it is robust with a persistent aftertaste. 4/5
To conclude, excellent hospitality and fantastic wines perfect visit. The vote and the visit to the winery is 5/5
P.S. I have not tasted the Chianti Classico Riserva and Vin Santo. Sorry but I had to drive 
Castellare in Castellina Wines
As promised in the article A weekend in Tuscany – the Chianti Classico Area , let’s begin the articles relating to the wines of the wineries visited, starting with Castellare in Castellina. Having previously had the opportunity to taste these wines I made immediate attention, and even my purchases to be honest, to 3 wines in particular Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggiale. I must say that I also tasted their fantastic top wine, I Sodi di San Nicolò, but strictly for economic reasons, the wine costs about € 70 a bottle, I decided to bring home a few bottles in more rather than spend so much on a single one.
Of course, this effort is commendable but you may wonder: How do you reflect on this wine? Ideally, they are excellent. If you really want to find a touch of modern style Castellare in Castellina in reality there one, the use of barriques, but the game they do using new barrels but especially second or third passage ones, create wines so well balanced that perfectly hide this concession. But back to the wine. You can immediately recognize the high quality of the work done by the tasting their Chianti Classico, the base one let’s say. There is exactly what you would expect from an excellent Chianti Classico, blackberry and red fruits on the nose very well defined and balanced in the mouth with good acidity to persist even if not very long. Rate 3/5 .
The Chianti Classico Riserva Castellare, very similar to their base, hit for the long persistence in the mouth and an acidity less pronounced and more delicate, soft. As we said no Merlot and Cabernet, only Sangiovese, Canaiolo and other native complementary, which surprised because most of the international varieties are used to give roundness to the wines based on Sangiovese, while here Castellare can not make regret the presence, and indeed leads to think that if we can do without. it 4/5
With this riserva Chianti Classico Riserva Il Poggiale, Castellare excels. Made from a single vineyard is the squaring of the circle. 90% Sangiovese – Canaiolo 5% – 5% Ciliegiolo. well balanced on the nose with red fruits, blackberry jam while in the mouth soft, velvety from the right by the excellent acidity and persistence. An example of how the Chianti Classico should be really good. 4/5.
One last thing, the hospitality was excellent, friendly, patient and kind. Just what you would expect from a fantastic cellar like this.
Here their website.
Pietramarina Vinicola Benanti
Grape : Carricante 100% (you can find this vines only in the Etna volcano area)
Alcohol : 12% -13%
Denomination : Etna Bianco Superiore DOC
Price: Around 40$
Before this wine was considered by one of the most important Italian guide the best white wine in Italy, I already had this idea. A couple of years ago I arrived in Catania, Sicily, and I rented a small fiat 500 decided to climb to Mount Etna and discover its wineries. Not having booked a visit I could not visit this winery, Benanti, but I could still buy the wines that I wanted, including the Pietramarina which usually is not very easy to find as it is produced in only 6 or 7000 bottles, if I remember correctly.
We said that the Pietramarina is considered one of the best white wine of Italy, is absolutely true.Fresh, mineral but at the same time, full-bodied and strong but balanced and with a firm yet pleasant acidity. The nose leaves a strong impression of ripe apple. In my opinion expresses perfectly the area, this fantastic volcano that gives a strong minerality to the wine.
Pietramarina can age in bottle for year, getting better and better. Be patient and you’ll taste a great wine. Anyway if you are not patient please do not open it before 5 year, you’ll waste it.
Certainly recommended
Rate 4/5
Cortona Syrah
Cortona, in addition to being a beautiful small town in the province of Arezzo in the middle between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, it is certainly the home of Syrah in Italy, precisely what is called Cortona Syrah DOC
It is sure that Syrah found here since a couple of centuries one of the homelands of its adoption in the world, less certain it’s the origin of its arrival to the hills of Cortona, which seems to dated back to the era of the Napoleonic domination, which also left in Tuscany which also left in Tuscany other heavy legacy as one of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Apart from the roots still uncertain about the origin of the Syrah in Cortona, what is certain is that the Syrah here, the home of Sangiovese, we’re pretty close to the area of the Nobile di Montepulciano and very close to those of Chianti and Brunello, here we said this vine, French in origin, has found a new home.
For sure, many wineries today have had some success with Syrah, but if you want to attribute a paternity, this would certainly goes to Tenimenti d’Alessandro.
Operational by the end of the 70s the company today is certainly the best expression with their flagship wine, Il Bosco Syrah Cortona, but it is moving quite well with the base wine, like the Borgo Syrah, an other Cortona Syrah DOC, obtained by the younger vines. and also a white one from Vignoner grapes, the Bianco del Borgo.
After a short visit in the winery, unfortunately I had the opportunity to go only the 31th of December, I was able to buy a few bottles.
I have to say that il Bosco Cortona Syrah 2007 is an amazing wine although it probably has a lot to develop in the bottle, I bought a 2003 on the recommendation of the staff of the cellar, but I must say that despite the Syrah is expressed well with the dry and arid, perhaps a year as 2003 was too hot even for this variety that generally loves the heat, and in fact the impression is of an overripe fruit that leaves a slightly unpleasant feeling, not bad at all, but a poorly defined and unrefined wine.
Worth mentioning among other companies I would say for now only one who is doing a great job and better every year thanks to the passion of the owners of Fabrizio Dionisio : Il Castagno. This wine it’s also a very pleasant Cortona Syrah DOC that certainly it will deserve us surprises over the years, being a wine which I found very harmonious and well balanced.
Good job, beautiful Cortona, fine wines, fine wineries … a trip to the area is certainly advisable to every lover of Syrah
A weekend in Tuscany – the Chianti Classico Area
Last weekend I had the opportunity to stay in Castellina in Chianti, in the Chianti Classico area in Tuscany. Together with friend we had the opportunity to visit three wineries and a wine shop. In this article I will give an overall opinion only about the winery and the visit, I will analyze the wines in separate single article for each wine.
In order we have been in:
Rocca delle Macie
Fattoria di Felsina
Castellare
and in the wine shop of Castello di Fonterutoli, which I will review in a separate article.
As usual before and during the visit I haven’t mention my level of knowledge of the wines as I didn’t mention I own a wine blog as I usually do when possible.
Let’s start with Rocca delle Macie. http://www.roccadellemacie.com/en/index.php
The winery, considering they produce around 4 millions of bottles per year, it’s huge but conversely to the other wineries in the area the do have a more industrial conception, in my view, of the production of the wines. As I said the winery it’s big, they employ 100 people, but meanwhile they try to maintain in some way the traditional way to do wines, for example the collection of the grapes is made entirely by hand but the dimension of the machines they use, does’t give the idea of a really accurate selection, but I can’t be sure because we didn’t have the opportunity to try it their selections, with the exception of the Chianti Classico Riserva, because despite we pay the visit and taste 12€ each, they didn’t open the top wines, like the Sergioveto and the Roccato, the Supertuscans they produce. Moreover the visit was quite quick, and bad thing, some people arrived without reservation, we reserved in advance, and paying only 5€ tasted the same wines we had, only they miss the visit. For this reason I bring home only 2 bottles of Chianti Classico Riserva. Overall vote 5.
Fattoria di Felsina. http://www.felsinawine.com/
We visit the winery last December 8th, when it was national holiday in Italy, but there was no problem to arrange the visit. There was no one else except the four of us for the visit, and Irene, the girl that guided us into the winery, was extremely well prepared and kind with us. The tour and the explanation was great as well as the taste, we had the opportunity to try all the wines we desire to, including the Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia and the Fontalloro. situated across the bounder between the Chianti Classico area and Chianti dei Colli Senesi area, with a production of 400.000/500.000 bottles per year, in my opinion this winery perfectly represent the spirit of the Chianti Area.In this winery it was created the magic mix of history, hospitality and quality that you expect when you visit one of the best wineries in the Chianti area. Here I bought 3 bottles of Fontalloro, 2 of Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia, One Chianti Classico Riserva and one I Sistri, their Chardonnay. The visit and taste cost 15€ each. Overall vote 8.
Castellare in Castellina. http://www.castellare.it/eng/home.asp
Really close to the city center of the town of Castellina, at walking distance, this winery is an authentic jewel. A series of old typical tuscany villas have been perfectly restored and today constitute the center of the winery. The winery covers around 200 acres of which 33 are vineyards mainly Sangiovese and produce around 250.000 bottles per year. After a detailed visit to the winery that is really linked to the traditional way of producing Chianti, with the only exception of the use of the barriques, we have a fantastic explanation and wine tasting. all the wine, including the famous Sodi di San Nicolò were available for tasting. considering that was a bank holiday day and that we didn’t reserve the visit in advance we can’t expect any better. The cost of the wine tasting was 15€. At the end I bring home 2 Chianti Classico and 2 Chianti Classico Riserva. Overall vote 8
I am drinking those wines and you’ll find the relative review, one by one, here in the blog soon.
Chardonnay 2009 – Planeta
Grape: Chardonnay 100%
Alcohol : 14%
Denomination : IGT Sicilia
I think that after my review of Chardonnay Tasca d’Almerita, if you have read it, you already understood my passion for international vines, planted in Sicily, from those that can be undoubtedly considered the cellars protagonist of the Renaissance, with the capito R, of the Sicilian wines in Italy and worldwide. Among these varieties, in my opinion the one that really impress with specific outcomes is precisely the Chardonnay. Generally Chardonnay do not fall into my favorite varieties, but gentlemen, these Sicilian Chardonnay, which can give you these emotions. In particular, this is extremely Planeta load, to detach the nose with citrus notes at the fig tree and I feel even a hint of toasted nut perhaps due to the barrel. But in the mouth by the best, in this vintage particlare stands out in my mind for the ultimate balance that does not mask a strong flavor but at the same time elegant and fresh flavor. Interestingly this is also the wine the way of doing it infact after destemming, we have a pressing and static sedimentation at low temperatures over the clear inoculation with selected yeasts, fermentation and aging in new barrels and 50% a year for the remaining part, a part of the wine – about 15% – which is complete malolactic fermentation in barrels.
To drink and drink again, and advice to friends.
Rate 4/5
Ribolla Anfora – Gravner
Grape: Ribolla 100%
Alcohol : 12%
Denomination : IGT
Do you want to try a wine with thousands years of history? Well now you can thanks to Josko Gravner.
This winemaker years ago has taken the target to study the origins of wine and its fermentation techniques. With passion over the years through the history he created own wine, old but new at the same time, different, full of history and traditions in many ways fascinating. The first thing that came to mind tasting this Ribolla Anfora was the difference, the break. Nothing that I tried, no any other Ribolla nothing I learned over time about wine was able to harness and categorize those smells and this taste. It ‘s certainly a wine in some ways extreme and amazing since its birth.
Obviously no chemical of any kind, from the vineyard to the cellar, fermented in jars, just as the name suggests (Anfora) for about 7 months and aged in oak barrels. But as the nature this wine also change, and change from year to year aging techniques, all just for the sole purpose to indulge her nature. Giving an opinion I think it is absolutely unnecessary as being a wine so deliciously different, in some ways difficult, rough and complex and other so candid and sincere, that i really cannot explain in words. I can only tell you that gave me different emotions and personally I love it.
Discover more about the world of Gravner at http://world.gravner.it/
