Pagina 1 di 9 Back to all articles Written by Walter Speller 12 May 2014 A white wine in Barolo TASTING ARTICLES PIEMONTE BAROLO As you read this, I will probably be in Alba tasting my way through the 2010 Barolo and Barbaresco. How I suffer! When I was there last year I paid a visit to the Josetta Saffirio estate in the hamlet of Castelletto in Monforte d'alba. In place of her late mother Josetta, Sara Vezza now runs this estate, which boasts one of the most recognisable labels in the whole of Piemonte because of its gnomes. Yes. Gnomes. While I am dreaming of bringing out a wine with a dog on the label (allegedly this entices consumers to buy, almost regardless of the bottle's contents) others brand them with gnomes. Clad in grey and blue and wearing bright red pointy hats, they are responsible for the estate's very distinct, immediately recognisable, labels. Those gnomes (I will stop soon) are 'the conscience of good people', the website explains. Apparently they also perform little
Pagina 2 di 9 jobs to make the life of the family easier. They have names like Runth and Alna, the latter being the name of the Alba Rosso. It is all tongue-in-cheek, of course, but it takes a little while to realise it, because it all sounds dead honest. I must admit I have never seen such striking wine marketing, even if at first you think it is all a bit bonkers. I hadn't come to the estate to talk about the gnomes, however, but to taste the wines. Although I expected a flight of Barolo, I was surprised to be poured a flight of white wine made from Rossese Bianco. The variety was not entirely unknown to me, as I had already tasted it on two occasions in Dolceacqua, the epicentre of the red Rossese di Dolceacqua zone on the Ligurian coast, in 2012. In spite of its name, Rossese Bianco is not related to the red Rossese, but is a completely independent and ancient variety which, before phylloxera struck at the end of the 19th century, was widely planted in Liguria. It crossed the border into Piemonte some 200 years earlier, but I had never encountered it here before. Although the variety historically took a liking to the Ligurian coast, it is susceptible to humidity, which, in combination with the salty sea air, can lead to poor fruit set resulting in small bunches with few grapes. In this light its relocation inland into Piemonte, where it doesn't encounter these particular conditions, seems to make complete sense. Rossese Bianco was saved from extinction in the 1970s notably because of Mario Maccario, whose family have had vineyard holdings in San Biagio di Cima in Dolceaqua since the 19th century. He planted Rossese Bianco in vineyards that were originally designated for the production of Rossese di Dolceacqua, sacrificing a higher economic return in the process. Owing to the fact that Rossese Bianco was not officially registered
Pagina 3 di 9 in Italy's National Catalogue of Grape Varieties, Rossese Bianco could be labelled only as a lowly Vino da Tavola with a similarly low price tag. In Piemonte the variety escaped extinction in Castelletto. It was here that Josetta Saffirio's neighbour Giovanni Manzone discovered old plantings of Rossese Bianco in his vineyard holding, of which cuttings were taken and propagated and planted in the Saffirio vineyards. In Castelletto they claim that Rossese Bianco has been present in the vineyards for at least two centuries. It might seem clear that others, notably the inhabitants of San Biagio di Cima, would not agree, but the Piemontese are swift to claim Rossese Bianco for their own and had it registered as an official white grape variety for Langhe DOC. The Ligurians were dismayed that what they considered theirs had been kidnapped by their neighbours. As a consequence of the official registration for Langhe DOC, they are not allowed to use the name Rossese Bianco on their labels and must declassify their Rossese Bianco to Vino da Tavola. Sara Vezza, who incidentally is married to Franco Massolino from the Serralunga estate of the same name, produces a highly original interpretation of the Rossese Bianco. The wine is partially fermented in stainless steel and partially in a large 20-hl oak cask. The first vintage was 2008, which is why, since the cask is only in its second year, the 2009 is notably marked by, admittedly, very flattering oak aromas, and in subsequent vintages less so. Rossese Bianco is not a variety that shouts from the rooftops. Although on the nose it has pronounced aromas of white and yellow fruit and citrus, the palate takes much more time to unfold. It needs additional time in the bottle to open up, while its length is impressive. It shows wonderful minerality and it has a clear affinity with oak, as shown by the samples I tasted.
Pagina 4 di 9 Barolo was still not to feature in a major way during my visit. After the fascinating flight of Rossese, next up was - Merlot! In the region where Nebbiolo is the holy grail, Sara's father, bored after 35 vintages of Dolcetto, tore out the vines in 2000 and replanted the bottom of the plot, where Nebbiolo would never ripen, with Merlot. Sara told me the wine is impossible to sell due to the fact that no one expects this French variety in the Langhe, and they plan to graft the vines over to Barbera. I think that that is a real shame because, although I am not always fond of French varieties in Italy, the wine is as original as the Rossese Bianco. They do, however, include 10% Nebbiolo in the blend. The Merlot grapes are destemmed and crushed, and skins and juice macerated before fermentation for 34 to 36 hours at nearfreezing temperatures. This cryomaceration helps to extract colour as well as aromas from the grapes, and brings the temperature of the grapes down, which at the moment of picking can be as high as 25 C. Incidentally, cryomaceration is also used for their Barolo Riserva. During the tasting my Dutch colleague Fred Nijhuis remarked dryly that he is not sorry to see the Merlot go, but I do not agree because the wine didn't show any of the prune-like, stewed flavours that characterise so many of its kind in Italy. The tasting was concluded by the Josetta Saffirio Barolos, the first being a flight of three vintages of Persiera. The grapes come from a vineyard at 400 m, originally so steep and stony they had to restructure it into terraces to be able to work it. Part of the vineyard, which lies within the borders of Castelletto, belonged to the family, while in the late 1980s additional hectares were bought. The wine is aged in Allier - 'well at least that is what we order', Sara told me - and large Slavonian oak casks.
Pagina 5 di 9 The last flight consisted of the cryptically named Millenovecento 48, their Barolo Riserva from the cru Presenda, which, unfortunately, since the introduction of the official cru system, has disappeared into the much larger Castelletto cru. The wine's name, which means 1948, is a reference to the year the vines were planted. ROSSESE BIANCO
Pagina 6 di 9 Josetta Saffirio 2011 Langhe Straw yellow. Spicy candied peel and a hint of lime and savouriness. Real depth on the nose. Perfectly integrated oak and sweet white fruit with a fine lemony finish. Great texture. (WS) Drink 2014-2018 Josetta Saffirio 2010 Langhe Brilliant pale straw. Very pretty sweet quince and lemon nose and pear jelly, almost softly perfumed. A little bit like Riesling. Lemon sherbet green soap. Zippy quince and pear palate. Lively and energetic finale with good length. Real interest. (WS) 13% Drink 2012-20 Josetta Saffirio 2009 Langhe Brilliant straw. A little reductive, but the oak is a good fit with the lemony pear fruit and oatmeal note. Good concentration of sweet sour lemony fruit. Only a hint of sweet oak. A little more full bodied than 2010 and a hazelnut touch. (WS) 13.5% Drink 2011-2015 Josetta Saffirio 2008 Langhe Brilliant straw. Lovely lime, lemon, and mandarin and a hint of oatmeal and lemon curd. Vibrant sweet-sour citrus fruit with great length. No signs of age yet. (WS) 13.5% Drink 2010-2018 16.5 MERLOT
Pagina 7 di 9 Josetta Saffirio, Alna Rosso 2010 Langhe 90% Merlot, 10% Nebbiolo. Violet, deep ruby. Sweet blueberry and frutti di bosco (forest fruits). Great acidic lift on the palate and perfumed dark fruit. Quite firm and dry tannin but supple dark fresh fruit finish. Not very typical Merlot. (WS) Drink 2012-2020 Josetta Saffirio, Alna Rosso 2008 Langhe 90% Merlot, 10% Nebbiolo. Dark deep ruby. Dark sweet-sour fruit with a hint of oak on the nose and violet sweet fruit with good acidity and coating tannins. No evident oak on the palate. Supple sweet, grainy tannic finish. (WS) Drink 2010-2018 Josetta Saffirio, Alna Rosso 2007 Langhe 90% Merlot, 10% Nebbiolo. Very deep and developing ruby. Sweet raspberry and a hint of cassis and leather. Quite a lot of stalky tannins on a sweet forest-fruit palate and noticeable oak. (WS) Drink 2009-2016 15 BAROLO
Pagina 8 di 9 Josetta Saffirio, Persiera 2009 Barolo Concentrated mid ruby. Sweet sour cherry and spice. Lifted nose. Sweet crushed dark fruits with a firm stalky tannic spine. Quite tannic and almost completely integrated acidity. (WS) 14% Drink 2014-2026 Josetta Saffirio, Persiera 2008 Barolo Concentrated ruby with the beginning of orange. A little more oak-marked and balsamic. Great fruit extract matched by a good dose of acidity. Big tannins and very long. (WS) 14% Drink 2016-2030 Josetta Saffirio, Persiera 2007 Barolo Concentrated ruby with orange tinges. A little subdued and a hint of leather and oak. Supple generous dark fruit with a wave of grainy tannins. Great balance and very appealing and long, just a little dry on the finish. Quite fresh for the vintage. (WS) 14% Drink 2012-2028 Josetta Saffirio, Millenovecento 48 Riserva 2009 Barolo Deep ruby with the beginning of orange. A little dusty at first. Dark fruit with a hint of oak and Moroccan leather. Succulent fruit with good acidity and quite gripping tannins on the finish. Leaner than the much cooler 2008, strangely enough. (WS) Drink 2016-2028 16.5.5.5.5
Pagina 9 di 9 Josetta Saffirio, Millenovecento 48 Riserva 2008 Barolo Very deep almost impenetrable ruby. Lots of sweet dark fruit and expressive oak but there is minerality too. Very modern but complex. Very succulent and lively followed by full sweet dark fruit and a little dry the oak? Richer fruit than 2009. (WS) Drink 2018-2030 Josetta Saffirio, Millenovecento 48 Riserva 2007 Barolo Deep ruby beginning to mature with orange rim. Opulent dark fruit and hints of balsamic oak and vanilla and just beginning to show an oxidative edge. Concentrated, multilayered fruit with loads of grainy tannins with acidity only turning up on the finish. (WS) Drink 2014-2026 ABOUT US CONTACT FAQ POLICIES TERMS AND CONDITIONS