Fiorentino Code di Volpe: The farm is located in Paternopoli (Av) , a small rural village in the heart of the Taurasi Docg area : there they have built our bio-architecture cellar. Their Taurasi, Aglianico, Rosato and Coda di Volpe wines are obtained only from grapes from the family vineyards. They offer a refined and limited wine production resulting from a choice of sustainable agriculture. Coda di Volpe is a white wine grape used to since ancient times in Campania, southern Italy. It is used to make medium- to full-bodied white wines. The name Coda di Volpe means "tail of the fox", and was given in reference to the variety's long, pendulous bunches of grapes, which resemble a fox's bushy tail. Coda di Volpe grapes are golden-yellow in color, as is the wine they make.
Fundacao Cartuxa Tinto: A blend of 40% Aragonez (Tempranillo), 40% Alicante Bouschet and 20% Trincadeira from vines over 30 years old in Alentejo, Portugal. The wine is aged 12 months in French oak barrels as well as another 9 months in bottle before release and has just 1.2 g/L of residual sugar. The 2016 Cartuxa Evora Colheita Tinto begins with a pleasing aroma of black cherry, plum, raspberry and spice along with nice touches of leather and vanilla too. Tasting the wine reveals lots of juicy dark fruit with good depth of flavor plus continuing touches of spice, leather and vanilla. Smooth in the mouth and a bit tannic, this is a really pleasing blend. Overall, I found it to be nicely balanced and harmonious.
Chateau Feuillet Fumin: The Label on this wine is exactly what a lot of people new to the world of wine are afraid of. “Château Feuillet”: French. “Denominazione di origine protetta”: Italian. “Mis en bouteille par le producteur”: French. “Maurizio Fiorano”: Italian. What in the Eno haberdashery is going on here? Reflecting the linguistic overlap of the French-Swiss-Italian border, Château Feuillet is an Italian domaine with a French name. Nestled among the western Alps, fifty miles from where the three countries meet, this estate specializes in the region’s indigenous grape varieties: Fumin, Cornalin, Petite Arvine, etc. The primary grape in this bottling is Fumin, whose name derives from fumo, or “smoky.” Some think it’s called that because the wines bear a smoky taste. Ian D’Agata, in his Native Wine Grapes of Italy, instead proposes that the grapes look smoky when covered in a dusty, white coating called the “bloom.” In any case, the grape was almost completely removed in the 1960s due to the opinion of certain academics, who did not think it made noble enough wine. When you open this bottle, you might scream, “How could they?!” Luckily for us, a few producers saved the variety in Valle d’Aosta, and now we have supremely quaffable, distinct reds like this one. With 10% Syrah completing the blend, this rosso from Château Feuillet evokes dark fruit, has great acidity, and sports an irresistible texture, leaving you with a delicious, lingering finish. |
