Donnas 2009, Caves Cooperatives de Donnas

Dear readers,

Today I propose a review of an Aosta Valley native wine, the Donnas produced by Caves Cooperatives de Donnas.

We are in Donnas, in Aosta Valley, and the vine is Nebbiolo (from which Barolo and Barbaresco): here Nebbiolo “gets” the nickname “Nebbiolo of the mountain”, given by the proximity of the Aosta Valley to Piedmont and by the vineyards placed at the foot of the mountains.

The Donnas by Caves Cooperatives de Donnas is an austere wine, with an elegant character, dry, with a good body and structure. This wine is aged in large oak casks at least for 12 months, giving the tannin roundness and pleasure at every sip!

I tried the Donnas 2009.
At the nose, perfumes of small red berries, cranberries, currants, raspberry, black cherry, cloves and black pepper.

On the palate the Donnas is dry, quite rounded, quite tannic, with a good freshness.

I recommend it in pairing with medium-aged cheese and hard cheese, red meat preferably not grilled, stews and, according to local tradition, the Carbonada (link here).

Baccanera 2011, Lo Zoccolaio

Dear readers,

Today we begin the week with a very interesting and affordable wine, the Baccanera produced by Lo Zoccolaio.

The Baccanera is a wine made in Pedimont (the world-famous Italian region for the Barolo and Barbaresco) from a blend of Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon and Nebbiolo: it has a notable body and an excellent consistency, especially in the mouth. Baccanera is aged in Barriques for 18 months, giving the wine an important and rounded tannin on the palate.

I tried the Baccanera 2011.
At the nose, perfumes of blackberries, plum, cherries in brandy, white pepper and a slight hint of hay.

On the palate, the Baccanera is fresh, quite sap and very charming.

I recommend it in combination with first courses of meat, braised meat, stews, red meat roast and medium-aged cheeses.

Barbacarlo 1996, Azienda Agricola Barbacarlo

Dear readers,

Today we’re talking about the Barbacarlo: a wine with a very distinct nature.

We are in Oltrepò, just a few minutes walk from Pavia, exactly on the hills of Broni, particularly suitable for producing high quality wines. Even Napoleon knew that: in fact, he appreciated wine from these hills.
The actual name, Barbacarlo, was born later in 1886, when the great grandfather of Lino Maga bequeathed the hills to his grandchildren: the uncle Carlo had the title of “Barba”, so, in his honor, the grandchildren called that territory Barbacarlo.

The Barbacarlo consists of three grapes, a blend quite variable in percentage from vintage to vintage: Uva rara, Croatina and Barbera.
I was lucky enough to find on the internet a 1996 vintage bottle and I was very happy to try its resistance to aging: still, I’m enraptured by the complexity of the evolution of this masterpiece.
The 1996 vintage is slightly sparkling, with a great freshness and flavor: a 1996 vintage wine with this kind of freshness is very difficult to find.

At the nose, aromas of vinyl glue, ripe red fruits, compote of candied fruits, nutmeg, slightly earthy, camphor, spices and a hint of mild green bell pepper.

On the palate, this wine is rounded, with a good length, persistence and elegance. The tannin is very well educated.

I recommend to try it alone, without pairing food, to better understand its complexity and harmony; but if you really want to enjoy it with food, I recommend you to pair it with aged and hard cheese, game, braised meat and stew.

What a wine, guys!

Rollhütt 2013, Peter Zemmer

Dear readers,

Waiting for the weekend, I tried a good Pinot Noir. This time, we’re in Südtirol, in northern Italy, where it’s produced the Rollhütt of Peter Zemmer.

The Rollhütt is quite interesting, with an elegant character and a medium body. It is a wine that ages in a elegant and traditional way, not being aged exclusively in small French oak barrels (barriques): the 70% of the Pinot Noir is aged in big French oak barrels for 12 months and the remaining 30% of the Pinot Noir is aged in small French barriques.

I tried the 2013 Rollhütt.
At the nose, aromas of blueberries, red currants, cherries in brandy and a light note of white pepper.

On the palate, this Pinot Noir is elegant, quite tannic, rounded and fresh.

I recommend it in pairing with the chicken cooked in the oven and other kind of white meat, red meat, preferably not grilled, and medium aged cheese.

Have a nice weekend!