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 I visited Fratelli Winery in Akluj for the first time in 2011 when I tasted all 8 labels including the just- being- bottled maiden vintage 2008 of Sette. Despite my personal preference for reds I found myself drinking Chardonnay during my relaxing time. Chardonnay had given excellent fruit, making a delicious, concentrated wine with mineral touch and elegant tones due to the rocky soil. The yield was very low- less than 1.5 tons/acre and the winemaker Piero Masi had his sight on a maximum of 3 Tons/acre as the plants got older. Piero rightly believes that quality grapes can be best produced only when grown under your own direct supervision.
Last year I spent two nights over a weekend shadowing the winemaker Piero Masi, tasting all the wines from their 12 grape varieties over the weekend-including several from the tanks and barrels. We tasted the complete range of super-premium Sette, MS and Vitae range. Despite his initial hesitancy, I coaxed Masi into concurring with me whole-heartedly that Vitae Chardonnay was his best produced white wine and despite the price tag of Rs. 1500, excellent value-for-money. No wonder, outside the Tastings, we found ourselves drinking it at lunch, dinner and whenever we chatted in the lawn outside the winery or in the living-cum-dining room on the first floor of the small guest house/tasting room. Of course, the balmy weather cried for a chilled, refreshing wine.
Vitae Chardonnay is one of the 3 variants of the Super-premium range Vitae, introduced by Fratelli in 2014-the other two being Tre (Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer  and Mueller Thurgau blend) and Sangiovese. The barrel fermented and aged Vitae Chardonnay is a serious food wine that would please connoisseurs of white wines -especially those from Burgundy.
It comes in a Burgundy bottle but with a screwcap closure. The bright golden colour wine has balanced oak on the nose, very good structure and good fruit concentration with elegance stamped over. It has a juicy finish unlike many oaked wines that leave slightly bitter taste on the palate due to excessive wood. I would not recommend it as aperitif –the varietal Chardonnay and MS white are cheaper and tastier alternatives. But with a fine meal, it adds a lot of synergy. Vegetarians would love it with aubergine-based dishes like bhartha or grilled/fried baingan, mushroom dishes. It’s ideal with chicken biryani, Tandoori chicken-even butter chicken, Amritsari fish and burra kebabs. Serve at 10-12° C.
It was not surprising that we selected Vitae Chardonnay over Sette as one of the 7 wines served at the sit-down dinner during the delWine Excellence Awards hosted in September 2017 by Pullman Aerocity.
It was also a pleasant surprise that in the Blind Tasting held at Q’la on August 4 when four Fratelli wines were pitted against similar varietals of imported wines, Vitae Chardonnay 2015 scored the highest- on its own and also with food.
It’s with great pleasure that We Recommend once again, Vitae Chardonnay 2015 for those with discerning tastes and not very sensitive to higher prices, and yet getting a value for the money. Available at most premium retail stores in Delhi and Mumbai etc (not available in Haryana this year).
Subhash Arora |