March 10: Anteprima del Vino Nobile de Montepulciano is a well structured event, following the same regimen year after year and this time was no different, starting with a Gala Dinner at the Fortezza in the evening and a Tasting next day with Sommeliers and also with producers followed by Lunch and visit to one or two wineries before departing for Montalcino, writes Subhash Arora who visited Bindella Tenuta Vallocaia and was overawed by the state-of-the-art winery by the Swiss Rudy Bindella
Wines of Montepulciano have still not got the attention of the world they so richly deserve and are somewhat of underdogs and available at good price. Made with a minimum of 70% Prugnolo Gentile (a local clone of Sangiovese) and the balance with grapes identified and allowed by the local Consorzio. The wines are age-worthy and delicious although there has been recently a movement by a few of the top producers to make wine with 100% Sangiovese of high quality that they hope will express the terroir well and in the process might even have an edge competing with their cousins Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino.
What I find fascinating too is the handbook they give you; an encyclopaedia of the area and its wines-focussing on Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (simply known as Nobile at times) and Rosso di Montalcino with same grape constituents. The book gives the lucid background of the area, its history, 20 sub-zones and the 47 producers that offer their wines for tasting. Each winery has a 2- page interesting presentation.
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG must be aged for a minimum of 2 years from January 1 after the year of harvest-this aging is a mix of barrique, bigger casks and in the bottle. Thus 2016 would have been released on January 1, 2019 and was the Anteprima wine this year.
Similarly, the Riserva has to be matured for 3 years and as such 2015 Riserva was on offer. Rosso di Montepulciano DOC is the younger brother and can be released after March 1 following the harvest. Thus 2017 were the Anteprima for Rosso di Montalcino. Those opting to drink them young Rosso fits the bill very well. Vin Santo is the ever so popular and almost revered sweet DOC wine-it has 3 versions- DOC, Riserva DOC and Occhio di Pernice- with minimum aging prescribed at 3.5 and 6 years respectively- the last one being truly divine.
The book also gives the details for the weather during the current vintage-2018 this year, including sunshine, rainfall and phonological phases etc. You don’t have to go beyond the book to know that 7 million bottles of Vino Nobile were produced in 2018; in addition there were 2.5 million Rosso bottles. The wine was given the DOC classification in July 1966 when the appellation system was started and got elevated to docg in 1980.
Tasting Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2016
Before tasting wines with several producers, I tasted wines with the Sommelier pouring. I was impressed in particular with Vino Nobile from Dei, Santa Caterina, Talosa, Icario, Le Berne, Braccesca, and Boscarelli. Surprisingly, the Riserva 2015 failed to impress me as much. Rosso were generally very quaffable- they offer good value for money-especially for India where taxes are high and people don’t layup wines for aging they deserve.
Visit to Bindella EstateTenuta Vallocaia
www.bindella.itever
info@bindella.it
When I learnt about the latest State-of-the Winery Tenuta Vallocaia owned by a Swiss national from Ticino (Italian speaking part of Switzerland) it piqued my interest and I decided to visit the winery; it was truly an eye opener. Apparently designed for a much higher production capacity than one can envisage selling during the next few years, it is very impressive and an eye candy for the connoisseur with smooth flow of liquid through various processes.
The new winery was ready and operational in 2018 but is quite a pleasure to walk around what with beautiful paintings and artwork strewn all over the spick and span winery. Winery owes its existence to the restaurateur Rudi Bindella who is a 3rd generation in wine business. He loves Italian wines and also distributes them in Switzerland -though he is in restaurant business and owns 42 restaurants that include a couple of collaborative projects with Ornellaia and Antinori.
Producing only 150-160,000 bottles in an area of 36 hAs in the 46 hA estate, including 40,000-60,000 bottles of Vino Nobile and 35,000 bottles of Rosso di Montepulciano, it produces an awe-inspiring, very concentrated and complex Sauvignon Blanc with lovely aromas. At the time of his planting, the local producers scoffed at the idea of Rudi making a Sauvignon Blanc, primarily meant for his restaurants. It has turned out a clear winner and a white diamond in the red wine producing area. In 2017 there were 20,000 bottles produced, while last year the number crossed 25,000 bottles.
Most of the wines sold in Tuscany go to Florence, Siena and Montepulciano whereas it is very popular in Germany and Belgium and of course Switzerland. It is not so important in the US where it sells mostly in New York and Florida. Last year the enterprising Bindella produced 6000 bottles of juicy Rose with nice colour and body from a blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Syrah.
However, as I found at a tasting at the Tasting Room in the old winery which was a residence in the olden days, Sauvignon Blanc was the clear winner and a unique wine, in the middle of Tuscany. The winery also makes other foreign varieties like cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah in reds. Interestingly, their Vino Nobile uses no foreign grapes; 85-90% is Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile) and the rest are Tuscan grapes Canaiolo, Colorino and Mammolo.
Their wines are fine but the olive oils they produce from their own groves was outstanding. I am not sure if I was hungry but had loads of bread with oodles of olive oil which was flavourful and fresh and made an excellent Bruschetta with the local baguette.
There is a saying that you have to be a billionaire to make millions in the wine business. One cannot be sure of that in this case, but Mr. Bindella has pumped in €12 million in the winery alone, with a total investment of €15 million. With a current sale of €1.5 million including wines for their own restaurants, it is anybody’s guess when the capital would ever be recovered. This just shows the passion and commitment of the owner and his family. As the winery manager informs us Bindella is not only passionate but heavily armed with knowledge in wines. He visits the winery regularly though he was not present at the Anteprima.
For a few earlier related Articles, visit:
Tuscan Tasting 2019: Indian Couple Manvi making Wine in Montepulciano
Tuscany Taste: Celebrating 50 Years of DOC- Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG
Taste Tuscany 2015: The Tuscan Wine Marathon-Montepulciano and Montalcino
Anteprima Montepulciano: Day in the Diary of a Tasting Journalist
Ante Prima Tasting: Montepulciano vs. Montepulciano
Subhash Arora
Gallery Montepulciano Gallery Bindella
If you Like this article please click on the Like button