The rolling hills are made for great wine

Tags

brunello di montalcino, collemattoni, rosso di montalcino, sangiovese, tuscany

The rigid rules for making Brunello di Montalcino –  100 % Sangiovese, minimum ageing for at least 48 months, of which 24 of them in barrels, before release – has been the prime motivation for officials to create the Rosso di Montalcino designation in the 1980s.

The press soon coined these – also pure Sangiovese but with one year ageing – baby Brunello, since many provided the character of a thoroughbred wine with a more fleshier fruit profile and 30-50% off the price tag. Today a good Rosso di Montalcino will certainly compare to premium Chianti or Vino Nobile di Montalcino, similar expressions of Sangiovese.

Collemattoni takes its name from the farmhouse, which, over time, has become the trademark of the winery and wines. The farmhouse dates back to at least 1672, a year in which it is registered in the parish archives as a family home. The house style can be meaty and rich in certain vintages with pronounced cherry, strawberry and floral aromas. Organic certification has been achieved in 2012, and a new winery building operational in 2015.

Their Rosso di Montalcino exudes great character; the fruitiness of a young wine with the intensity that only this terroir is capable of. Serve it with salami, middle ripe cheeses, first courses (mushroom soups, risotto and pasta dishes) and not hugely complex recipes including poultry or red meat.

Decanter Magazine rates the 2015 “Pale ruby shade. Floral Sangiovese nose. Firmly structured on the palate with tight-knit natural tannins, precise fruit and a long grippy finish. Nervy thoroughbred” and 94 points.

Fun times in Waipara, New Zealand

Tags

angela clifford, biodynamic, canterbury, lynette hudson, new zealand, Pinot Noir, Riesling, tongue in groove, waipara

 

Suppose most Riesling lovers on their way to becoming fanatics are those who have figured out the structured Alsatian from the finessed German and the fruit intense wines from Austria. Along the way they will also have tasted some Australian Riesling from the Clare and Eden Valley – you gotta love lime here – and lastly discover the ever improving New Zealand style.

So is there really a style? The offerings we have come across covered the dry-to-off dry but rarely the sweet; while all have intense fruit and slightly higher alcohol levels than usual, it must be the combination of intense sunshine, cool nights, and skillful winemaking that compact the exquisite mandarin aromas with texture and phenolic ripeness.

Looking at the fun this bunch at Tongue in Groove have together, we ought to envy the 6 passionate friends who seem to have the time of their lives creating what they love in the place they have spent considerable time in. A little worry might be when the next earthquake around Christchurch is going to take place.

But this surely won’t sway let Lynnette Hudson from her focus to make some of the most delicious wines in Northern Canterbury. The 2014 Riesling has “spicy aromas of black and white pepper abound with a heady perfume of orange blossom, mandarin skin essence, grapefruit and melon with hints of apricot kernels. The palate is rich and full yet with an elegance and purity at the same time.”