BORGO PAGLIANETTO “VERTIS”
Matelica, Marche 2018
VERDICCHIO [ver-dikkyo]
“Verdicchio is arguably Italy’s greatest native white grape variety” Ian D’Agata
Although this is no secret to those who have dug deep into this subject, Verdicchio still does not yet enjoy the spotlight perhaps as much as it deserves. There were years and years of rather vapid wines sold in bottles shaped like a fish that may still be emblazoned in too many critics’ memories, but the number of high quality and incredibly age worthy Verdicchios just get stronger every year. There are two very distinct appellations in Marche (that recently have both been elevated to DOCG status) Verdicchio di Matelica produces wines that are fresh and crisp, as opposed to the rounder wines from the neighboring Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. The difference is evident in the soil as well as the altitude: Matelica is rich in mountain minerals where Jesi is rich in coastal clay.
Borgo Paglianetto makes several bottlings of Verdicchio and is pushing the envelope on site specific wines with terroir transparency. Organically farmed vines cover about 60 acres that extend over the Matelica hills into the unique north-south oriented Valle dell’Esino. The majority of which is dedicated to the Verdicchio grape that seems to love both the elevation and shift from sunny exposure to cooler nights resulting from the Apennine Mountain range. The winery has only been around since 2008, but has quickly become amongst the better producers amongst the small number of producers in the small Matelica growing region.
A reminder that not all white is created to pop and enjoy immediately. Let this breath a bit, let it warm up just a little in the glass as well. As it opens up, the layers of minty mandarin marmalade, dried mango and earthy green nettles begin to express themselves. Pithy pomelo and bright star fruit is balanced perfectly with a touch of clean wool, cheese rind complete with a complex phenolic and peppery edge.
TENUTA DI TAVIGNANO 'MISCO' VERDICCHIO
Castello di Jesi, Marche, Italy 2018
VERDICCHIO [ver-dikkyo]
“Verdicchio is arguably Italy’s greatest native white grape variety” Ian D’Agata
Although this is no secret to those who have dug deep into this subject, Verdicchio still does not yet enjoy the spotlight perhaps as much as it deserves. There were years and years of rather vapid wines sold in bottles shaped like a fish that may still be emblazoned in too many critics’ memories, but the number of high quality and incredibly age worthy Verdicchios just get stronger every year. There are two very distinct appellations in Marche (that recently have both been elevated to DOCG status) Verdicchio di Matelica produces wines that are fresh and crisp, as opposed to the rounder wines from the neighboring Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. The difference is evident in the soil as well as the altitude: Matelica is rich in mountain minerals where Jesi is rich in coastal clay.
A small family property in Cingoli in central Marche run by Ondine de la Feld, passed down to her from her Aunt and Uncle. Although the property has been managed with minimal environmental impact in mind since 1975, Ondine has taken the steps to be a certified Organic winery starting with the 2019 vintage. The steps towards Organics have been more than just a trend in Le Marche, Ondine has worked with many other producers on the importance of moving that direction as a region: Could Le Marche be the first Italian Region to fully embrace Organic farming? Be still my heart. Verdicchio is Tavignano’s primary focus but they also make delicious Rosso Piceno from the classic blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano grapes.
This too benefits from a spot of air and warmth. A blanket of citrus, rinds and all, with even a kiss of kumquat and a lick of lemon curd. Dried flowers and green mango and a zip of chalk-dusty minerality, but the palate shows more of a velvety almond texture than it does a hard edge. Salty herbs make for a subtle and refreshing backbone as this wine reminds you that it’s grown less than 20 miles from the Adriatic Sea. This contrasting richness / tension balance is very similar to Chablis and that is the type of lofty praise that can be found over and over these days in Marche.
ROOTDOWN GRENACHE BLANC
GRENACHE [gruh-NAWSH]
REBEL GRAPE SOCIETY
THE PANACHE OF GRENACHE
Grenache is a very old traveler, traversing the globe as one of the world’s most planted varieties. It may originally be Spanish (Garnacha) or may come from Italy’s Sardinia; both countries mention a Grenache-ish grape in the 1500s and argue the name comes either from Italian vernaccia for “vernacular” aka “local grape” or from Catalan garnaxa for “regal gown”. Whatever its roots, it’s been around long enough to mutate a few times and create distinct varieties- most notably Grenache blanc, which is actually genetically identical to Grenache Noir. It shares the exact same DNA make-up but expresses itself as a white grape–ain’t nature grand?
Grenache truly loves the Mediterranean sun, showing its best in the Châteauneuf- du-Pape blends of the Southern Rhône, on the eastern shores of Spain, and on sun-baked Sardinia, not to mention how expert it is at playing rosé! It tends to be a heavy producer and late ripener, making higher alcohol wines that are usually light on color, soft on tannin and acid, but big on aromatics and velvety texture.
Grenache is no new-comer to California either, the first recorded plantings were made in the 1850s and then it boomed post-prohibition. Those hearty yields and ample sugars made it a super star throughout the Central Valley and a major piece of the sweet jug wine fad of the early 20th century. Grenache, along with its Rhôney blending buddies, gained new respect and notoriety in the ‘90s thanks to the Rhône Rangers movement, led by Randall Grahm (and a handful of other folk) who especially believed in the flash and sassy panache of Grenache.
We present two very different, very fresh approaches to the ancient grape:
- Rootdown crushes Grenache Blanc grapes and soaks them on the skins for six hours before a very hard pressing in order to extract tannin, texture and aromatics.
- Birichino throws out all the rules and plays with Grenache’s ability to do just about anything; making first a red, then a rose, and then blends and bubbles them for a peculiar pet-nat.
Mike Lucia is the root in Rootdown, a truly homegrown Healdsburgundian who has dedicated his life to getting down with wine. His own label began in 2016- the culmination of years of dedication, first at the Fresno State Enology program and then making wine for Copain, Goldeneye, and consulting for small, premium brands. He began with a few bottlings dedicated mostly to rosé craft, but he has expanded to a repertoire of 9 wines along with two new labels, “Cole” and “Esokay.”
Rootdown focuses on single-vineyard, varietally-correct wines that lead with terroir transparency rather than the overtly fruity norms. With his wife and partner Jill, Mike acquired the Cole Ranch Vineyard in Mendocino last year (itself its very own wee AVA), and is planting it mostly to Savoie varieties- Jacquere, Altesse and Mondeuse- hoisting that REBEL GRAPE SOCIETY flag high up on his mountaintop. He takes an organic approach to viticulture, and a curiosity-centric approach to winemaking, always playing with “What if?” All while getting down to the root of the matter: soil, terroir, and expanding varietal potential.
GLASS:
Early spring citrus flowers open up on the nose, with a subtle fresh pink eraser underneath. Bright and zippy with crunchy bites of asian pear and white melon, along with kiwi and starfruit swirling in the glass. There is a refreshingly clean and bright river rock minerality that draws the finish to a pretty pumice-stone punctuation point, and even a note of confectionery chalkiness, sorta like the “Fun Dip” stick.
BIRICHINO GRENACHE PET-NAT
GRENACHE [gruh-NAWSH]
REBEL GRAPE SOCIETY
THE PANACHE OF GRENACHE
Grenache is a very old traveler, traversing the globe as one of the world’s most planted varieties. It may originally be Spanish (Garnacha) or may come from Italy’s Sardinia; both countries mention a Grenache-ish grape in the 1500s and argue the name comes either from Italian vernaccia for “vernacular” aka “local grape” or from Catalan garnaxa for “regal gown”. Whatever its roots, it’s been around long enough to mutate a few times and create distinct varieties- most notably Grenache blanc, which is actually genetically identical to Grenache Noir. It shares the exact same DNA make-up but expresses itself as a white grape–ain’t nature grand?
Grenache truly loves the Mediterranean sun, showing its best in the Châteauneuf- du-Pape blends of the Southern Rhône, on the eastern shores of Spain, and on sun-baked Sardinia, not to mention how expert it is at playing rosé! It tends to be a heavy producer and late ripener, making higher alcohol wines that are usually light on color, soft on tannin and acid, but big on aromatics and velvety texture.
Grenache is no new-comer to California either, the first recorded plantings were made in the 1850s and then it boomed post-prohibition. Those hearty yields and ample sugars made it a super star throughout the Central Valley and a major piece of the sweet jug wine fad of the early 20th century. Grenache, along with its Rhôney blending buddies, gained new respect and notoriety in the ‘90s thanks to the Rhône Rangers movement, led by Randall Grahm (and a handful of other folk) who especially believed in the flash and sassy panache of Grenache.
We present two very different, very fresh approaches to the ancient grape:
- Rootdown crushes Grenache Blanc grapes and soaks them on the skins for six hours before a very hard pressing in order to extract tannin, texture and aromatics.
- Birichino throws out all the rules and plays with Grenache’s ability to do just about anything; making first a red, then a rose, and then blends and bubbles them for a peculiar pet-nat.
John Locke and Alex Krause are the “naughty” boys behind Birichino (well, in Italian, at least) – an outfit that describes their approach as striving for “perfume, poise, and puckishness.” We do so love alliteration. The Birichino boys joined forces in 2008 in Santa Cruz after a (combined) four decades making wine in California, France and Italy. This sparkling is complex (both in the winemaking process and in the glass) and is a pet project (ha!) with only about 60 cases made.
The journey begins in the century-old Grenache vineyard tended by George and Martha Besson in the Hollister hills. This old vine fruit is then stored in small picking bins in a cool barn for a “rest” of 9 to 12 days. The grapes are destemmed when the stems have lignified (dried out), then blended back with the stems and fermented on skins for 6 weeks, which is about a month longer than average, then pressed and aged in old oak. This is repeated for 4 vintages, then the fifth harvest Grenache is pressed right away to make a pale dry pink- with a small amount frozen as sweet juice. The pink is blended with red “solera” wine while the frozen stuff is thawed out and starts fermenting- then the whole lot is bottled together under crown cap and refermented in bottle. Got all that? Then you do deserve a glass (or two) of this truly puckish pet-nat.
This is a quixotic wine that won’t be easily quantified, starting with a nose of fresh cut grass and feral herbs, leading to a lambrusco-like serving of juicy red berries. This tips into a flamboyant carnival ride, with fun house mirrors of red licorice and cherry fruit and wet earth tones, and complete with candied apples and cotton candy. The ride zips up tight at the finish with a touch of tannin and a pretty herbaceous bite and a touch of effervescent sweetness. Goes down too easy.