The Answer: How Does Soil Type Influence Nebbiolo?

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Any thoughtful conversation about why a particular wine tastes the way it does is going to get down and dirty–that is, delve into the soil types in the vineyard. The physical and chemical mechanisms by which different soil types (limestone, granite, schist, various volcanic rocks, etc.) influence wine flavor aren’t yet well established, but there are recognizable aromas and flavors that we can associate with these types. Here are four examples of different soil types and the nebbiolo wines they produce.

The granite-based vineyards of Caves de Donnas

Granite: 2018 Caves de Donnas Vallée d’Aoste Classico

The vines here in the far northwest of Italy grow on crazy-steep terraces of almost pure granite. Granite, along with the relatively high latitude and altitude of the vineyards around the town of Donnas, give acidity, minerality, and a brighter (even “crunchy”) quality to the fruit. Think less-ripe red fruit rather than dark cherries, with an alpine twang. Nebbiolo’s famous floral notes are a little more evident, and its darker, tarry qualities are less prominent. (For a simpler, more budget-friendly example from the region, try the 2020 Caves de Donnas Vallée d’Aoste – Barmet.)

Volcanic sand: 2016 Colombera & Garella Bramaterra – Cascina Cottignano

The volcanic sand of Bramaterra (left); marine sand of Lessona (center)

Volcanic soils are a feature of much of the Alto Piemonte (but not all– compare the next wine). The Cascina Cottignano vineyard’s soil is iron-rich and therefore rusty-red decomposed volcanic sand. The volcanic part gives a darker quality to the minerality compared to granite, and the iron content adds a ferrous and even sanguine note to the fruit. Volcanic soils tend to be high in acidity, resulting in wines whose structure comes more from acidity than from tannin, certainly when compared with Barbaresco and Barolo.

Marine sand: 2018 Colombera & Garella Lessona – Pizzaguerra

The Pizzaguerra vineyard is just a mile from Cascina Cottignano, and yet the soils in the former are not volcanic at all, but rather sand from an ancient seabed. Marine sand (which is what we usually mean when we say “sandy soils”) gives elegance, perfume, and delicacy–less power, more prettiness.

Calcareous marl (limestone/clay): 2018 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco

A combination of limestone and clay, sometimes with some sand in the mix, is the classic soil type found in both Barbaresco and Barolo in the Langhe. Like granite, limestone gives minerality, acidity, and freshness, but it also provides tannin and age-worthiness. Clay gives richer fruit, weight, and fullness. This combination of tannin and body makes for nebbiolos that are more powerful and imposing, compared with the other three terroirs described here.

/0 Comments/by Mark Middlebrook

Why We Love: Fiano

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If you’ve ever found yourself answering the question, “Well, what d’ya want?” with “Anything but chardonnay,” we’d like a word with you. First of all, come on: The West Coast is having a chardonnay renaissance. From Southern California’s Santa Rita Hills to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, there are a multitude of styles, with as many fresh and chiseled examples as there are oaked and rich. In California, growers keep pushing the vineyards into cooler, windier places that limit quick ripening, while the Oregon versions have their own unique characteristics. They’re worth revisiting. Really.

Yet, if you’re set on trying something different, you should try fiano. The fiano grape (fee-ah-no) is native to southern Italy, with Campania being the epicenter. The story goes like this: Romans named it Apianum, “loved by bees,” and bees aren’t dumb. Fiano tends towards small berries and intense but not plentiful juice. The smaller quantity means that quality needs to be high to justify the labor.

In southern Italy, the summers are just as warm as they are here, and there’s no issue getting grapes to ripen (as there often is at higher latitudes or elevations). The challenge is maintaining the natural acidity of the grapes in the resulting wine. Some grapes fare better than others in this respect. Chardonnay, for example, thrives in cool pockets, but it doesn’t hold its acidity if the days and nights are too warm. You can add acid during winemaking, but that’s a poor substitute for perfect fruit. (Imagine an overripe strawberry sprinkled with citric acid–it’s still overripe.)

Fiano, native to a warmer climate, holds its acidity well. As California winemakers come to terms with a warming climate (2023 being an exception so far), they’re naturally drawn to grapes with a history of making quality wine from warm locales. Because of fiano’s low yields, it’s not the grape that will make growers rich, but climate change helps tip the scale.

At Paul Marcus Wines, we of course feature a world-class selection of Fiano di Avellino (fiano from its Italian home turf), but we also offer a handful of fiano expressions from California’s Dry Creek and Russian River valleys. Unti was ahead of the trend in planting Italian varietals in California (or replanting, but that’s another story), and their success must have encouraged the others. Unti’s fiano (as well as their vermentino, for that matter) shows the brightness and intensity of carefully farmed grapes. Unfortunately, the grape’s reputation for low productivity is true even in California, and they make tiny quantities. Gros Ventre is making fiano from a younger vineyard a couple hillsides closer to the coast, which dials it back a notch and shows a classy refinement. Cruess is working a 1.5-acre vineyard and somehow producing affordable wine.

These California plantings of fiano aren’t on the volcanic soils that dominate Campania, so the wines lack that suggestion of burnt rock. In addition, these California examples of fiano haven’t been given the heavy winemaking hand that many chardonnays have; no one is using new oak barrels to flavor the wine. In truth, these producers are still trying to tease out what California fiano tastes like.

Naturally, it’s worth trying both types of fiano (Italian and Californian)  to experience what’s gained and lost by the different soil types. For a survey of Campania’s finest, you can turn to sleeker examples by I Favati and Guido Marsella or richer styles like Ciro Picariello. We also have higher-end versions such as the Quintodecimo and the I Favati Riserva that are suitable for longer aging.

When pairing with food, fiano can handle dishes with a bit more acid than chardonnay is comfy with, so go ahead and squeeze that lemon or add a splash more vinegar. Any of the rotisserie chickens at Market Hall Foods or a variety of glazed fish dishes would also be excellent matches.

All together, we’ve got enough fiano in the house to keep you busy exploring for weeks. Come on by, and we’ll help get you started on your fiano journey.

/0 Comments/by David Gibson

Bottle Rocket: 2021 Manni Nössing Kerner – Südtirol Eisacktaler

Named for a charismatic German Romantic poet, the Kerner grape is fast approaching its 100th anniversary. It was vine breeder August Herold who decided, in 1929, to cross the white grape riesling with the red grape trollinger (schiava). His goal was to produce a white grape that would flourish in colder climates. So pleased was he with the results that he named his new creation after local legend Justinus Kerner, a poet cum medicine man known for his magnetic personality.

Despite its German roots, Kerner (the grape) seems to find its peak level in Italy’s far-northern Alto Adige region. For proof, look no further than the 2021 Manni Nössing Kerner – Südtirol Eisacktaler. The grapes for this aromatic and herbaceous gem come from steep, granite-heavy vineyards in the Valle Isarco (Eisacktaler in German), tucked among the Dolomites. Fermentation is mostly done in stainless steel, along with some acacia barrels, and the juice rests on the lees for a few months, adding a bit of texture.

Nössing’s hillside vineyards

Quite similar to riesling, Kerner is generally considered to be a bit less racy and a little softer and rounder than its parent grape. Although Kerner is often disparaged as a “heavy lifter”–known more for its high yields and durability rather than its excellence–Nössing’s version certainly flips the script. It offers vibrant, tangy, stone-fruit flavors and a whiff of Alpine wildflowers, buttressed by the ample acidity and mineral edge for which this region is known.

Among his many endeavors, Justinus Kerner also made his mark as a composer of drinking ditties. Wohlauf, noch getrunken, perhaps his most famous title, loosely translates as “well, looks like I’m still drunk.” No doubt ol’ Justinus Kerner would be proud of the work Manni Nössing does with his namesake grape. Nössing is, indeed, the “king of Kerner,” and whether you’re already a Kerner aficionado or you’re looking for a new discovery, Nössing’s Kerner is perhaps the finest example in the world.

/0 Comments/by Marc Greilsamer

Producer Profile: Fèlsina

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If you have spent any time in our shop, you’ve probably noticed the superb wines of Fèlsina from the Castelnuovo Berardenga area of Chianti Classico. In fact, featuring these Tuscan beauties has become something of a tradition for us. (The card on the ever-present box of Chianti Classico now reads: “Excellent as Always.”) Our longstanding commitment to this esteemed producer has set forth a wonderful, mutually beneficial experience for us, our customers, and the winery.

Over the years, many of us at Paul Marcus Wines (and a number of you) have had the opportunity to visit Fèlsina, and we’ve become well acquainted with these great wines and the lovely people who work to create them. It really is an example of remarkable, dedicated people and an extraordinary place on Earth coming together to create something distinctive and magnificent.

In 1966, Domenico Poggiali acquired the estate and began a serious upgrading of farming and vineyard management. With the addition of Giuseppe Mazzocolin (a scholar of classics and history turned wine producer) in the late 1970s, the modern winery began to take shape, and by the mid-1980s, they were already producing some of Tuscany’s most memorable wines.

Giuseppe Mazzocolin

Located in the southernmost part of the Classico zone, Fèlsina is devoted to sangiovese, the area’s supreme grape, and to organic, environmentally responsible farming. They produce wines they believe to be the most Brunello-like of all Chianti. Indeed, these are some of the deepest and most age-worthy wines of Chianti Classico, celebrating the region’s singular earthy terroir, with dark fruits and anise and sandalwood spice notes.

Yet, these wines are so polished and elegant that they are enjoyable immediately, even the great Rancia Riserva. That said, I have had many old bottles of the Rancia, and they can be absolutely stunning, easily eclipsing probably 90 percent of Brunello on the market. And once you get a look at the site, you can understand how that is possible.

I have a fond memory of driving around with Giuseppe and stopping at a small dwelling at the top of the old, perfectly southwest-facing Rancia vineyard. It is breathtakingly beautiful and simply ideal for the sangiovese that thrives there. Mind you, Fèlsina uses only sangiovese for their Chianti Classico. (They believe, as I do, that cabernet and merlot take away much more than they give to sangiovese.) I asked Giuseppe how old the house is, and he said, “Well, I have papers back to 1400, so perhaps it’s older.”

Currently, we offer a number of different Fèlsina wines from several vintages, in both standard and half bottles, including the 2017 and 2018 Rancia. Also noteworthy is the exceptional value of these wines–the flagship Chianti Classico is still less than $30, and the Berardenga Riserva is less than $40. And the Rancia Riserva, one of the world’s most enchanting wines, is $60 for the ’17 and $62 for the ’18–not exactly cheap, but rather reasonable when compared to the cost of a middling Burgundy, Bordeaux, or California cabernet.

/0 Comments/by Joel Mullennix

Why We Love: The Lighter Side of Nebbiolo

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The prized nebbiolo grape reaches its full potential in the powerful, complex, intense wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. There are occasions, however, when the humble drinker might prefer a style of nebbiolo that is more approachable (not to mention affordable). At Paul Marcus Wines, we offer several examples of nebbiolo that is lighter on its feet, versatile at the table, and more accessible in its youth.

For starters, check out the bright, supple, aromatic 2020 Paitin Langhe Nebbiolo ‘Starda.’ Located in the western Langhe village of Neive, just outside Barbaresco, Paitin has been producing their Langhe nebbiolo for 130 years. The grapes for this cuvee come from 40-year-old vines planted in sandy, lower-elevation soils. After a relatively long fermentation in stainless steel, the wine rests in old Slavonian barrels for up to a year. With vibrant red fruits and ample acidity, this high-toned nebbiolo will perfectly accompany, say, penne with pancetta and mushrooms in a vermouth cream sauce.

Next we head north to the Alto Piemonte and the 2018 Proprieta Sperino Coste della Sesia ‘Uvaggio.’ Based in Lessona, the Proprieta Sperino project began about 25 years ago, and their ‘Uvaggio’ cuvee is made from 80 percent nebbiolo rounded out by 15 percent vespolina and 5 percent croatina. This wine is a bit softer and more textured than the Paitin; it’s floral and spicy, with dense fruit and a distinct mineral edge. Try this one with pan-roasted pork tenderloin smothered in fresh herbs.

Finally, we return to the Langhe for the outstanding 2019 Cascina delle Rose Langhe Nebbiolo. The fruit for this lively, structured, and balanced bottling is all declassified Barbaresco from the famed Tre Stelle vineyard, and there is no wood used at any point in the production process; fermentation and aging all take place in stainless steel. The resulting wine is pure, elegant, and energetic, with a gorgeous nose and an almost Burgundian mouth feel. Make yourself a pot of orecchiette with sausage, brown butter, and sage, and you’ll be high-stepping into town!

Of course, Paul Marcus Wines also boasts an impressive array of world-class Barolo and Barbaresco if you’re looking for a special-occasion nebbiolo. To learn more about our wide-ranging nebbiolo selection, stop in and say hello. We’d all love to chat with you about one of our favorite grapes in the world.

/0 Comments/by Marc Greilsamer

Reflections: Wine Without the Hazmat Suit

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A customer recently threw me for a loop. His brother, he said, insisted there was no reason to prefer “organic” wine because there was no Scientific Evidence that any effect on your health would ensue from doing so. This represents a basic and common misunderstanding. As was said in an Outer Limits episode many years ago: “Your ignorance makes me ill and angry.” Grrr.

Ferdinando Principiano overlooks his domain

I recently asked Ferdinando Principiano, a noted Piemonte producer, why he switched to organic practices 20 years ago. He had already shown us a native flower that had re-appeared on his property, and nowhere else, after 10 years of careful stewardship. He talked about the stream that he used to catch fish in as a boy that no longer supported fish and how determined he was to change that. And he also said there were days, when he finished spraying pesticides, that he would come home and throw up, not to mention the headaches and his trouble breathing.

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Not long ago, I spent the day at a friend’s house in Sonoma Valley. The property is bordered by an olive grove and a vineyard. It’s ridiculously nice. Bucolic. But he took me aside and said that sometimes, at 4 in the morning, he sees people in hazmat suits spray the vineyard. Not bucolic. (I wondered how much of the decision to spray at that time was concern over leaf burn and how much was “optics.”) Of course, in California, the owner of the vineyard hires laborers to do the dirty work, so he or she will never experience what Ferdinando personally experienced, and therefore, may never have a similar “aha moment.”

I don’t think it’s likely that the probably minute amounts of pesticide and herbicide and fungicide residue that transfer from “conventionally made” wine to the consumer would have an effect on a person’s health. At least not compared to the shrink-wrapped, processed meat we’re cooking on our Teflon skillets. (Add your own examples ad nauseam…) But that’s not the whole story.

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We asked Ferdinando why he doesn’t draw attention to his costly and labor-intensive farming on his wine labels. He said he didn’t want to say organic is good and conventional practices were bad because that would insult his parents. Because his parents had not practiced organic farming; because they couldn’t afford to. As we heard from many in the Langhe region in Italy, Ferdinando said his grandfather’s generation was really poor. Until very recently, grape growers had to sell their grapes to the highest bidder–and the bidding was rigged against them.

When you go fully organic, your yield per acre falls dramatically. (This is a serious and not romantic aspect of organics.) If you can’t get more money per ton of fruit, you’re simply slashing your income while increasing your labor. Being able to farm organically requires buyers who are willing to pay more for it. Ferdinando knows how lucky he is to live in a period where he can farm this way: “I have this good fortune, and I must do something to merit it.”

There are so many farmers like Ferdinando–in Italy, in America, everywhere–that want to farm without the chemicals that require hazmat suits, that want their kids to be able to safely eat the fruit and sniff the flowers in their backyard vineyards, and we live in a time where they can.

/0 Comments/by David Gibson

Bottle Rocket: 2018 Castell’in Villa Chianti Classico

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This beautiful 300-hectare estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost of the Chianti Classico zones, has long been one of the great wine producers in all of Tuscany. The estate (with 54 hectares devoted to vineyards) is owned and led by the formidable Principessa Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa, with whom I had the good fortune to have lunch with several years back. She is as elegant and charming as you might expect and has a great sense of humor. She got a big kick out of the old joke we told her: “How do you make a small fortune in the wine business? Begin with a large fortune.”

Castell’in Villa produces traditionally made Chianti Classico from 100 percent sangiovese, fermented in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts and then aged for two-to-three years in large barrels before bottling. They produce classic, extremely age-worthy wines, yet they are wines that never come across as being severe in their youth.

The 2018 is an absolute gem, beautifully balanced with deep cherry fruit, sandalwood, licorice, and the typical earthy, forest-floor notes of the Berardenga zone.

Principessa Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa

This vintage has produced a great bottle to drink now with just about anything–meats, poultry, pasta, eggplant parmigiana, I could go on. It’s a lovely and generous wine, a bit more forward than the 2016 and a little less fleshy and ripe than the 2017. But the ’18 is so balanced and harmonious, with good structure, that it will no doubt age gracefully for many years, as do nearly all Chianti Classico wines from Castell’in Villa. Don’t miss it.

/0 Comments/by Joel Mullennix

Why We Love: Aglianico

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Let’s face it: Words like “charm” and “finesse” are not often used to describe aglianico wines. The thick-skinned aglianico grape, which thrives in the warmer climes of Southern Italy, produces wines known for their concentrated dark fruit, robust tannins, and earthy richness. These bottles usually need several years (decades?) to open up, and even then, they can still be knotty, powerful beasts that favor intensity over balance.

However, if you dig a little deeper, you can find aglianico wines that temper that inherent muscle with complex, appealing elements of tobacco, spice, and underbrush. Factor in the grape’s naturally high acidity and the mineral notes imparted from the region’s volcanic soil, and it’s easy to see how–at its best–aglianico can reach heights that few other grapes can achieve.

The slopes of Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano in Basilicata

The two most significant appellations for aglianico are Taurasi, which is about an hour or so east of Naples in the hills of Campania, and Aglianico del Vulture, with its vineyards on the slopes of Monte Vulture in mountainous Basilicata. Generally speaking, Taurasi wines tend to be a bit more vigorous and Vulture wines a tad more restrained–sort of like the Barolo vs. Barbaresco distinction for Piemontese nebbiolo–although there are always exceptions.

At Paul Marcus Wines, we’re fortunate to have a few prime examples of aglianico that find an attractive balance between power and elegance. Let’s start with the 2015 San Martino Aglianico del Vulture Superiore ‘Kamai’–about as graceful and light on its feet as aglianico gets. Made from 60-to-70-year-old vines from a single plot at an altitude of nearly 2,000 feet, this wine undergoes a two-month maceration and ages in wood for about a year before resting in bottle for at least three years. Boasting gorgeous vibrant fruit and loads of acidity, the San Martino feels almost Burgundian in style. (Unfortunately, we only have a few bottles left of this dazzling gem.)

Also from the Basilicata side, we have the 2019 Fucci Aglianico del Vulture ‘Titolo.’ Elena Fucci produces just this one cuvee from her vineyard more than 2,000 feet up in the Titolo lava channel, with most of the vines planted in the 1950s. After a manual harvest, the juice undergoes malolactic fermentation in 100 percent new French oak barrels. Herbaceous and savory, with notes of black tea and exotic spice, this wine will certainly benefit from a few more years of cellaring, but it’s already highly enjoyable (after a bit of decanting) with, say, a hearty bowl of pasta with pancetta, shallots, and sage leaves.

Finally, we have a couple of superb bottlings from Taurasi’s Michele Perillo, coming from some of the highest-elevation vines in the area. The 2010 Perillo Taurasi offers tannic brawn and deep, dark fruit with a freshness and vivacity that you get from the high-altitude vines. Better still is the 2009 Perillo Taurasi Riserva, which is made from Perillo’s best lots of fruit. This wine is softer, rounder, smoother, and more voluptuous than its counterpart, yet still delivers incredible energy and liveliness. These two jewels sell for about half the price of a Barolo of similar quality, and they will sing beautifully with all manner of roasted or braised red meats.

Though nebbiolo and sangiovese rule the roost of Italian red wine, these fine offerings prove that, in the hands of talented winemakers, aglianico can certainly hang with the big boys.

/0 Comments/by Marc Greilsamer

Bottle Rocket: 2018 Oddero Langhe Nebbiolo

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The staff at Paul Marcus Wines has a wide range of tastes and tendencies–some more traditional, some more eclectic. But if there’s a common PMW thread that binds it all together, it’s probably the concept of balance. In short, we look for wines in which all of the components–might they be fruit and earth, herbs and spice, tannins, acidity, and minerality–work together in harmony, where none of the individual elements dominate the tasting experience.

That brings me to the 2018 Oddero Langhe Nebbiolo, a gem of a bottle that will surprise and delight wine drinkers of all stripes. This wine simply oozes charm and charisma–it’s wonderfully bright and accessible, yet with a depth and complexity that belies its relatively modest ($33) price tag. There’s an abundance of fresh red fruit, but it’s augmented by a subtly dazzling array of earthy, herbaceous, floral, and spicy notes.

The legendary Oddero has been bottling for nearly 150 years

The grapes for this knockout come from the San Biagio vineyards in Barolo’s prized La Morra village–a spot known to accentuate nebbiolo’s more aromatic, delicate qualities. It’s aged in very large oak barrels for up to 18 months, allowing the wine to retain its purity and sparkle while adding a bit of polish to the alluring tannins.

The end result is graceful and refined, but not at all shy. What I mean to say is: Go get yourself some Casoncelli Bergamaschi (meat-stuffed pasta with butter and sage) from neighborhood favorite Belotti Ristorante and crack a bottle of this magnetic Oddero nebbiolo. You can thank me later.

/0 Comments/by Marc Greilsamer

The Answer: Where Do I Go After Pinot Grigio?

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“Where are your pinot grigios?” It’s a common question we get at the shop, and understandably so. After all, pinot grigio has become the world’s most popular white-wine varietal, and there are certainly many to admire–in the crisp, clean, straightforward style of Elena Walch and in the traditional, skin-fermented “ramato” style preferred by Elisabetta Foradori and others.

 

While we are quite happy to carry these two excellent examples of pinot grigio, we always feel a pang of hopefulness that the customer might discover the wonderful, wide world of Italian white wines beyond pinot grigio. From the Alps in the north to Sicily at the tip of the boot, Italy produces some of the world’s most exciting and distinctive white wines.

Here are a handful of affordable, versatile, and delicious Italian whites worth discovering:

2020 ColleStefano Verdicchio di Matelica

This is one of the best-selling wines in the shop, because just about everyone who tastes it comes back for more. From organic, high-elevation, cool-climate vineyards in Le Marche on the Adriatic coast, these are focused, vibrant wines, with nice minerality and refreshing, lively acidity.

2020 Aia dei Colombi Falanghina del Sannio

What a great value this wine is! Thanks to its clean, citrusy fruit, a saline mineral note, and a pretty, lifted finish, I will put this Campania falanghina up against any similarly priced ($16) pinot grigio on the market.

2020 Centopassi Giato Bianco

These organic grapes are grown on land reclaimed from the Mafia near the area of Corleone. (The estate name is derived from the 2000 film I Cento Passi, or One Hundred Steps.) The Giato Bianco is 60 percent grillo and 40 percent catarratto, and it offers generous fruit with enough zip in the finish to balance it. What I love about this wine (along with the under-$20 price tag) is that you can sense both the warm days and cool nights of these Sicilian vineyards (1,800 feet above sea level).

2018 Vigneti Massa Timorasso ‘Derthona’

Amazingly, timorasso, now being recognized as one of the potentially greatest white grapes in Italy, was nearly extinct before Walter Massa made a point of saving it and producing superlative examples. Timorasso, in the hands of a master like Massa, has an attractive, slightly oily texture, but with ample acidity–rich but firm. These wines make for surprisingly successful food pairings. Try it with Asian fare.

2018 Guido Marsella Fiano di Avellino

Many Italian wine aficionados believe Fiano di Avellino to be Italy’s supreme white wine, and I would have to agree. We always offer an extensive range of them, so they are pretty accessible for discovery. I love the Marsella for its gorgeous texture, its expressive notes of volcanic terroir, and a snappy finish that holds together all of the exotic, intense flavors.

At Paul Marcus Wines, we’ve always been staunch proponents of Italian whites. Stop by the shop to discover the world beyond pinot grigio.

/0 Comments/by Joel Mullennix