Te Kairanga Runholder Pinot Noir 2012 Martinborough, New Zealand

Te Kairanga Runholder Pinot Noir 2012

Wine review

4 of 5 stars

A very good wine

Typically pale, ruby red colour of Pinot Noir is followed by an elegant nose. Scents of sour, ripe, red fruit such as cranberries and red cherries are surrounded by floral, mostly rose resembling aromas. Further, a more developed layer of aromas emerges – notes of fallen autumn leaves, forest floor and minerality bring finesse to this wine. The all over elegance of the aroma profile communicates the adequately cool growing environment necessary for Pinot Noir.

On the palate the structure is medium bodied and concentrated. The refreshingly high acidity lifts the acid structure, while the tannins remain pinotnoirishly low. This level of acidity is definitely necessary to reach balance with the abundant fruit and the relatively high - yet beautifully integrated -  alcohol. Aromatically, the floral notes, red cherries and minerality come to the foreground on the palate. The medium plus length aftertaste of cherries, savoury minerality, and a hint of oak leaves behind an overall pleasant impression.

An aromatically elegant, very well balanced new world Pinot Noir to the festive season. Whether you choice is turkey or ham (as is traditional in Finland at Christmas dinner), this affordable, and still elegant, fruity and acidic red with light tannin will make an excellent pairing. Recommended.

Info in a nutshell

EUR 19.99 Alko wine and spirit shop, Finland

GBP 17.71 matthewclark.co.uk

AUD 33.99 danmurphys.com.au

Country and region: New Zealand, Martinborough

Grape: 100% Pinot Noir

Alc vol: 14%

Producer: Te Kairanga Wines

Folonari Cabreo Il Borgo 2011 Toscana IGT, Italy

Cabreo Il Borgo 2011.

 

Wine review

5 of 5 stars

An outstanding wine

With the best blended supertuscans you get the best of the both worlds - in this case the crispy elegance of Sangiovese and the concentrated dark fruit roundness of Cabernet Sauvignon. This particular wine really stopped me with its complete character. Impressively elegant acid structure meets mouth filling body and nuanced, developed aromatics.

One might argue that the “Wine of the Year” sticker next to the label biased my tasting note. However, being aware of the vast amount of awards on offer in competitions, I just tend to be, if possible, even more critical towards a wine should it have a medal sticker attached to it. Nevertheless, Cabreo Il Borgo is THE wine I recommend for pairing with red meat, especially game, during the festive season. Also, it works wonders with hard cheeses - or just by itself while enjoying the Christmas mood.

The clear, ruby red colour of medium intensity is followed by developed, elegant aromatics: ripe red and fresh black fruit, such as sour cherries, dark cherries and plum form the restrained and elegant fruit core that is surrounded by pungent spice and herbal oils, especially anise and liquorice, but also a hint of vanilla and, more clearly, smoke and toast notes.

Surprisingly, Cabreo Il Borgo’s palate is even more intense than the nose. Concentrated, fruity and full-bodied, this wine boasts with an abundance of dark fruit, especially dark cherry aromas. The concentrated fruit is well balanced with high and well-integrated alcohol, medium plus acidity and plentiful yet round and velvety tannin. What was more restrained on the nose is now pronounced, and the development of the aromas even more detectable: leather, cigar box and a note of black olive accompany the liquorice and smoke. I find this wine intriguing. The aromas are developed and challenging, and still, the fruit core of the flavours potentially makes it everyone’s favourite. As a stamp of excellent quality, the finish is long and immensely pleasant combination of cherry, liquorice and smoke.

An excellently balanced, aromatically nuanced wine. It can well drink now, but has a great structure for further aging. Highly recommended.

Info in a nutshell

Price examples:

EUR 23 webshop SoundTaste (ships within EU)

EUR 36.90 Alko wine and spirits shop, Finland

USD 29.99 webshop Wally Wine

Country and region: Italy, Tuscany

Grapes: 70% Sangiovese, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon

Alc vol: 14,5%

Producer: Folonari

Stroppolatini Pignolo 2009, 2010 and 2011 Friuli, Italy

Stroppolatini's court yard reflects Italian sense of beauty.

Stroppolatini produces 100% Pignolo

While Pignolo is the most glorious of Friulian local black grapes, it is also the toughest one to handle. It produces very low yields (only 50% of the yields of Merlot), is messy to work with due to its staining pigments, and demands extensive maturation to show its potential. It is no surprise that producers tend to be slightly apprehensive about planting Pignolo, and it is not widely produced in its home area. On top of that, drinking and selling young wines have always dominated the Friulian wine culture. Hence, Pignolo has been either drank too young, while astringent and still hiding its aromatic potential, or it has been ”cut” with other grapes to soften it, but also loosing its varietal beauty in the process.

Fortunately, there are exceptions to these rules: Stroppolatini produces 100% Pignolo. At the moment they sell out the 2010 vintage, and still, Federico Stroppolatini considers the wine to be very young - it is only starting to show its potential.  We were privileged to be able to vertically taste three consecutive vintages of Stroppolatini Pignolo, and to experience in practise the evolution of this exceptional wine.

 

Stroppolatini Pignolo 2011

This wine being still in the process of maturation, Federico kindly offers us tasting samples straight from the barrel. The intensely deep ruby red colour and the finesse of the aromatics on the nose immediately communicate how very big this wine is. The aromas are different from anything I have smelled before: there are wild forest berries, mostly red berries such as wild raspberries and cranberries, and an elegant and very feminine perfume aroma. This aroma of face powder or talcum powder is extraordinary, and in my experience completely unique to Pignolo. The red berry and powdery nuances are supported by deeper red, almost black fruit character of plums, and black pepper spice.

What about the palate then? Well, as expected, this young Pignolo wine is definitely aggressive on the palate. Drying and mouth pinching tannin combined with bold acidity promises aging potential for years and decades to come. Also the concentrated fruit and well-integrated alcohol promise a glorious future for this wine. However, drinking it now would be utter waste of a beautiful product, because its structure is only starting to develop and its flavour potential is still mostly hidden. Nevertheless, this young wine has an intense and long finish that lingers for minutes.

Stroppolatini Pignolo 2010.

Stroppolatini Pignolo 2010

Although vintage 2010 can drink now, Federico thinks it would benefit from many more years of aging to show its best qualities. I absolutely agree. Compared to the 2011 vintage, this wine shows more raspberry fruit as well as more development. Tertiary aromas of cedar and tobacco are intertwined with the delightful powdery, floral pignoloish perfume. What a bouquet! While the tannin still dominates on the palate, there is now more roundness to its quality. But make no mistake; there is still definite muscle and aggression to the structure! And the finish, oh, the finish. A complex aromatic sequence keeps opening up for ages. 

Stroppolatini Pignolo 2009.

Stroppolatini Pignolo 2009

This wine is where the potential of this grape is truly revealed. It is an outstanding wine. The intense colour is now already turning towards garnet, and the nose has more fruity, raspberry intensity, nevertheless remaining still very floral, powdery and elegantly feminine. Federico brings up the peculiar way Pignolo typically ages: while wines usually become less and less fruity with age, Pignolo appears to reveal its fruit more and more! Somehow its berry aromas are liberated while the tannin becomes softer. 

This is absolutely true. I find 2009 vintage to be even more abundant in raspberry and cranberry flavours compared to the previous wines. Notably, the palate is now showing a beautiful balance. The plentiful tannin has become integrated and remarkably rounder, only slightly pinching the tongue. I can only imagine where this wine would go in ten years of time: it would probably become powdered raspberry velvet supported by a cascade of developed aromas. Already now, the aftertaste is exceptional. I greatly enjoy the paradox this wine offers: on one hand it is feminine and elegant in its flavours, on the other hand it is shamelessly powerful and tannic. Pignolo is an iron princess!

Recommended in Milan, Italy: Bicerin wine bar

MIlan's dramatic Castello Sforzesco by night.

Dear vinous friends, this is the kind of moment that makes wine blogging so exciting. It’s a pleasure to share the news: a new wine bar star is born! Let me introduce you to the astonishingly beautiful, relaxed, friendly, and first and foremost, highly professional wine bar in Milan: Bicerin.

Bicerin has been open for only three months now, which I find hard to believe since this place has such a feeling of history, of being an establishment. Full of wine and food enjoying customers, Bicerin is bursting with vinous life even on a Sunday evening. Everything I see here is so very beautiful: the design furniture with retroish swag, the enormous, space creating windows, the wine bottle filled walls in two storeys that decorate the room with what is essential: wine.

Bicerin is about small producer wines with soul.

Maybe this place has so much soul due to the fact that, as a project, it has a long history based on passion for wine. Bicerin’s owners Alberto (a publisher and a sommelier), Lorenzo (an architect) and Silvia (a real estate agent) were busy with their careers and didn’t really need any extra activity, but nevertheless, as devoted wine lovers, they dreamed of an idea of a wine bar/shop . Then, around five years ago a turning point was reached. Alberto and Lorenzo got bored with collecting wine just for the sake of investment. They wanted to start finding wines that would be special for their high quality, but affordable and intended for drinking, not only for glancing at in the cellar. Since then they have searched for small, artisanal producers around Italy, as well as elsewhere (e.g. Georgia, Croatia), and collected wines for their wine shop and bar to come. Furthermore, Alberto became a sommelier. And one day, approximately three months ago, Bicerin opened its doors for us, fortunate wine lovers. 

Bicerin's sommelier Alberto tells you the story of the wine.

Alberto’s heartfelt way of sharing the stories behind these wine bottles makes me realise how very living Bicerin’s wines are. They are true pearls of the wine world: most are rare, small volume, high quality products that reflect the utmost care their producers have taken throughout the process of production.  And still, the wines can be bought at an affordable price. Most of these wines never end up being exported due to their rarity (nobody knows them) or small production volumes. But you can find them at Bicerin, because this wine shop has done its research. I’m delighted to have found it already now, three months into its existence!

Our night at Bicerin is such a pleasure. Hosting here is impeccable, personal and warm, the food so tasty, modern and unmistakably Italian, and the wines - simply divine. We finish our vinous night with minimalistic and sinfully delicious ”dark chocolate caviar” accompanied with the outstanding 1981 Il Colle Brunello di Montalcino. This wine will be reviewed later on Divine Wine, I promise. For now, suffice it to say these kinds of experiences make a wine lover’s visit to Milan definitely worthwhile. You can find them at Bicerin.

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Coordinates

Bicerin

Via Panfilo Castaldi 27, Milano

M: Porta Venezia

02 84258410

info@bicerinmilano.it

www.bicerinmilano.it