A Tale of Two Regions: Piedmont at Chianti Tasting 30/06/12

Fast becoming my second home!
Mezzo in all its glory

Yep, it has been a busy week and very much focussed on Italian wines, it has been fun and informative.

On Saturday TWD teamed up with Mezzo Restaurant to host a tasting that featured wines from two of Italy’s premier red wine producing regions. Piedmont – the foggy, hilly region in the North West and the centrally located Chianti which has captivated wine lovers for many years. It was a free event that saw us taste six wines that represented the regions.

Stunning example of Chianti. Great value too.
Farnetella – My favourite of the Chianti wines.

From Chianti we had a lovely progression that featured an entry level IGT wine Il Corzanello 10 – a blend of Sangiovese with Cabernet and a hint of Merlot. This wine showed some nice juicy red berry fruit, mid-weight palate and generous flavours. It really highlighted the fantastic savoury and clean nature of Sangio with the plump and vibrant Cabernet. Next we had a fantastic wine from just South West of Chianti Classico being Farnetella 2009 from Chianti Colli Senesi. This is my sort of wine. 95% Sangiovese with a little bit of Merlot this is dry, savoury, clean, refreshing, elegant and with just a hint of dry tannins on the finish. This wine is really drinkable and the sort of wine that sees you finishing the bottle and looking for a second before you realise. The third wine from the line up was Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico 09. This was quite well received at TWDs recent Chianti dinner and showed the Chianti Classic style really well. A bit more flesh and vibrancy than the Farnetella but still having that savoury, cleansing charm that is the hallmark of great Sangio. The journey from entry to Chianti Classico was great fun. Check out the dinner notes to see where the next stops on the journey take you. Mmmmm Brunello!

A whole lotta Barbaresco love!
My wine of the day. I do love Barbaresco.

Next we switched to wines from Piedmont. Some of these we had already featured at TWD’s Piedmont Dinner. First up we had the delicious Brezza Dolcetto d’Alba 2008. There is a lot to love about Dolcetto, it is fruity and aromatic with a savoury and structured palate. It goes great with slow cooked meals in winter! Brezza is a seriously good producer of Piedmont wines and this was a highlight. After Dolcetto we tasted the seriously amazing Produttori del Barbaresco DOCG 2007. I’ve recently tasted a range of their single cru wines. This was my favourite wine of the day but it was also the youngest and most ungiving. I had more than a few people almost choke on their wine when I suggested it needed another 15-20 years. Even after they confirmed I said 15-20 I think they still thought I was pulling their legs. I think Barbaresco (and its close cousin Barolo) are some of the best wines in the world and should be part of everyone’s cellar. And of course, if you are tasting Piedmont wines you have to have Moscato. Patrizi Moscato d’Asti is one of the best because it is so clean and fresh with nice light bubbles that dance on your tongue. This is a wine of balance and charm not overt sweetness.

Of course all of these wines are available for sale if you are keen to taste them. And if this sounded like fun, TWD and Mezzo should be teaming up regularly for tastings of this style. Email me for more information

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