Pierre Peters

Posted on December 6, 2019 by Piemontegirl

Pierre Peters – a new favorite

I may have mentioned Pierre Peters a few times before. So it’s not really new. But my consumption of Pierre Peters champagne has skyrocketed the past few months. Alessio at Vinoteca Centro Storico introduced me to it a few years ago, and it has quickly become the family’s “house champagne.”

I find his 100% chardonnay Cuvée de Reserve Grand Cru, Brut, so approachable. He makes it just the way I like it: almost more like a white wine. The bubbles are elegant and smooth; not protruding like bubbles in some of the other champagnes. And i find it perfectly balances: dry but not too dry, hint of citrus without being too sour, fruity but not overwhelmingly so.

A Family Business

The Peters estate has been in the family for 6 generations, going all the way back to 1919. And I recently learned they have about 19 hectares of chardonnay – and only chardonnay. A so called Blanc de Blanc estate. in 1944, Pierre took over the winery after his mother died, and the first label with the name Pierre Peters came to life.

Today, Rodolphe Peters is in charge. You’ll find 6 different wines from Pierre Peters today:
Cuvée de Réserve Blancs de Blancs
Cuvée Spéciale LES CHETILLONS Champagne Blancs de Blancs – Grand Cru
Cuvée EXTRA BRUT Champagne Blancs de Blancs – Grand Cru
Cuvée Millésimée L’ESPRIT Champagne Blancs de Blancs – Grand Cru
Cuvée La Perle Champagne Blancs de Blancs
Cuvée “Rosé for Albane” Champagne Rosé

Where to find Pierre Peters

If you’re located in Norway, Vinmonopolet, you’ll find that the Cuvée de Reserve Grand Cru is quite available. Many local stores have it in stock, and you can order it!
It looks like most of the others have been available at some point, but is now sold out. So keep an eye out!

Corino Barolo Arborina

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Piemontegirl

Giovanni Corino

The Corino family from La Morra (or Annunziata if you wan’t to be really specific), cultivate 9 hectares which are all located in La Morra. In the 1980’s Giovanni Corino decided to not only grow grapes to sell, but to actually bottle some wine as well. And so the winery was born. Today the son of Giovanni, Giuliano, is the winemaker. His wife, Stefania, and their 2 children, Andrea and Veronica, all work at the winery as well. It truly is a family business.

Arborina

Among the many Cru’s in Barolo, you’ll find Arborina. The Vineyard is located in Annunziata in La Morra. The soil consists of clay, sand and limestone, and is actually quite poor in nutrients. However, the wines made from this vineyard offer characteristics of extreme elegance, finesse, fruitiness and freshness.

Winemaking

The Corino Barolo Arborina is one of a few Arborina’s in Barolo. After 5-7 days of maceration in a rotor fermenter, the wine moves to steel tanks where it remains until the end of the fermentation. The wine then moves into small oak barrels, 35% new and 65% used, to age for 24 months. You’d think it would be ready, but the wine has to spend a year in the bottle before being released.

Corino Barolo Arborina 2014

2014 was a challenging year in Piemonte, but I think the end results proves that hard work pays off. Although the wines from 2014 might not have the same structure as 2013, the wine certainly doesn’t disappoint. Very approachable, even young, with good fruit and a long finish.

Where to find it?

If you live in Norway, you can buy the Corino Barolo Arborina 2014 at www.vinmonopolet.no.

The Corino wines are also available in other countries, like:
United Kingdom
Italy
Germany
United States

Gianfranco Alessandria Vittoria

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Piemontegirl

Gianfranco Alessandria Vittoria

The Gianfranco Alessandria Vittoria is a barbera superiore. The wine is named after Gianfranco’s oldest daughther, Vittoria. When you call a barbera “superiore” it usually means that the wine has aged for a bit in oak. Sometimes the wine is also released a year later than the classic barbera.

Right to left: Vittoria, Gianfranco, Bruna & Marta

Gianfranco Alessandria

Gianfranco Alessandria and his family have a winery in Monforte, where they cultivate 5.5 hectares. Even though they make excellent wine, I would say that the main “trademark” for this family is smiling. I don’t think I know another family that smiles as much as the Alessandria family does.

Marta, the youngest daughter and last to officially join the family business just finished her studies at oenology school, and brings a lot of energy with her to work.

In addition to their Vittoria barbera, they make 7 other wines, including a classic barbera. You’ll find two barolo’s in their lineup: a classic barolo and a barolo San Giovanni.

Vittoria Barbera d’Alba

The vines used for the Gianfranco Alessandria Vittoria were planted in 1936. The vinyeard has south-east exposure.

After the fermentation, the wine ages in french oak barrels, using 40% new oak and 60% used oak. The end result is a very intense ruby red wine with purple hues. You’ll find herbaceous and fruity aromas with hints of mature black fruit.

This wine is currently not available in Norway, but it is available in other countries, like:
Denmark
Germany
United Kingdom
Italy

Marengo Barolo Brunate

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Piemontegirl

Marengo

Marco Marengo: Geek or nerd, in the modern, positive, definition of the words. The same way Bill Gates is often referred to as a nerd, an expert and enthusiast, and obsessed with intellectual pursuit of winemaking.

Cantina Marengo has about 6 hectares of vineyard in total, and the majority is used for nebbiolo for barolo. They make about 35,000 bottles of wine per year, which is spread out over the 6 (or 7) different wines they make. Both the Brunate and Bricco delle Viole vinyeards have belonged to the family for 5 generations.

Check out their Winemaker Profile here.

Brunate

Brunate is a well known name for many people.. Located in La Morra (73%) and Barolo (27%), the vineyard has mixed clay and silt soil with south/southeast exposure. There are 14 different wineries that have plots in Brunate (and some private).

Marengo Barolo Brunate

The vines Marengo use for Brunate are almost 80 years old. The vineyard has mixed clay and silt soil and south exposition. Harvest happens in September/october, depending on the vintage. Then the wine goes through natural acoholic and malolactic fermentation, before spending 24 months in french barrique. After an additional 6 months in bottle, the Marengo Barolo Brunate is ready to go!

Brunate is perhaps one of my favorite cru’s from Piemonte, and Marengo makes a very good one. You’ll find aromas of fruit, black cherry and some spices. The wine is full body, with silky but persistent tannins. Goes well with meat and cheese.

Where can you find the Marengo Barolo Brunate?

Norwegians, you can order it at www.vinmonpolet.no or get it in these local stores:
Aker Brygge – 5
Moss – 22

Marengo’s wine are availale in many other countries as well. Look for them in the US and Italy. You can always ask Jenny where to find their wines: marengo@cantinamarengo.it

Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Piemontegirl

Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo

The Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo is made with nebbiolo grapes from Bricco Boschis, Vignolo, Codana and Pernanno. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeast, macerated with submerhed cap for 20-35 days and then aged in slavonian oak casks for 15-18 months. The wine spends another 6 months in the bottle before it’s released.

Cavallotto – Giuseppe & Alfio

At the top of the Bricco Boschis hill you’ll find the Cavallotto brothers. Alfio and Giuseppe (and their sister Laura) run the winery today as the 4th generation winemakers. Speaking of being a nerd, just like Marco Marengo, Giuseppe is a nerd. He has not one, not two but at least THREE weather stations of his own. And his attention to detail is not limited to weather. No wonder the wines are so damn good.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2016

The 2016 vintage has a an undeniable potential for greatness. Early bud break followed by cooler weather slowed the development, but the warm weather later in the summer/fall made for excellent conditions. A hail storm struck July 28th and unfortunately reduced the crop by about 40%, but the remaining crop continued a slow, even development until the harvest.

Characteristics

The Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo is meant to be drunk young, according to the brothers. You can of course age it, but their recommendation is to drink it fairly young. The wine has classic aromas and flavors of black cherry and roses, with a medium body and a long finish. Tannins are present, as they make their Langhe Nebbiolo fairly close to a Barolo, but the tannins are not overpowering.

Where can you find it?

If you’re in Norway, you can buy it online here or in local stores:

Aker Brygge – 14
Grünerløkka – 4
Oslo City – 13
Ullevaal Stadion – 10
Grorud – 1
Ski – 6
Halden – 2
Moelv – 9
Bergen, Arna – 15
Stryn – 3

Altare Barbera d’Alba

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Piemontegirl

Elio Altare – the Godfather of Barolo

Elio Altare, aslo known as the Godfather of Barolo, has been making wines since about 1950. In 1976, Elio traveled to Burgundy and it was a trip that would change the course of history forever. Elio infamously took his father’s big barrels outside and chopped them up. He wanted to use small barrels instead, barrique, like the french. This act would eventually lead to his disinheritance. But Elio persevered.

Elio Altare’s use of Oak

Elio Altare uses barrique for their wines, but the oak is not dominant in the wines, just a helpful tool. Use of oak allows for small amounts of oxygen to pass through, helping to work the tannins. Oak can also help combat reductive qualities and add a richness to the barbera. The wines of Elio Altare do not have a huge presence of vanilla or toast, which can be a common aspect of wines made in barrique.

Altare Barbera d’Alba

Elio Altare Barbera is made with 10-30 year old vines, from different plots. The soil is calcareous but also very sandy. The wine spends about 5 months in 100% used barrique before it’s bottled. A barbera is perfectly paired with pasta or cheese.

Vintage 2017

2017 was a “big” vintage. Nicola at Trediberri comared it to Pamela Anderson. 2017 was one of the hottest and driest vintages, with temperatures above average throughout almost the entire season. The vintage will also be known for the lack of rain. Because of both the high temperatures and the lack of rain, the harvest was very early, with some barolo grapes picked before September! Although these conditions don’t sound great, it was quite optimal for barbera.

Where can you find it?

In Norway, you can either order it online or check out these local Vinmonopol:
Ullevaal, Oslo – 15
Gjøvik – 8
Bagn – 18
Bergen, Valkendorfsgt. – 6

Pira Barolo Serralunga

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Piemontegirl

There’s a new law/rule in Piemonte, where the winemakers can put the name of the town on the label for their classic barolo. So when it says Pira Barolo Serralunga, it means that it’s a barolo blend from a winery in Serralunga. In La Morra, Giovanni Corino can write Barolo Del Commune Di La Morra.

What do I mean when I say “blend”?

Back in the day, there was a “war” between the Modernists and Traditionalists. When I use the term “Traditional”, I mean a winemaker that uses big barrels (botti) and generally only make one barolo, a blend. Take Maria Teresa Mascarello – she makes one barolo. And it’s a blend of grapes coming from all her vineyards.

The alternative is the “modern” approach, spearheded by Elio Altare, where multiple barolos are made, one for each cru. So instead of blending the grapes from the different plots, it has become common to make different barolo cru. A modernist also uses small barrels (barrique). Although it’s common now to use all different size barrels. Vietti, for intance, uses barrique, big botti and sizen inbetween.

Contemporary Traditionalist

In my opinion, this whole modernist vs traditionalist is so 2003. Or 1992. But you catch my drift. Most winemakers these days love to experiment, trying new techniques and testing new methods. So many of those who used to be hard core traditionalists are what I like to call “contemporary traditionalists”. Meaning, they still mostly use botti, and many might have just one classci barolo, but some have adopted smaller barrels or cement. Maybe they have one cru barolo.

Cascina Fontana makes their barbera in cement instead of barrique. Why? Because that’s the way Mario likes it. I call it “Barbera the Mario Fontana Way. And i’ts damn good! Fratelli Alessandria make a Monvigliero cru. Do we really care what size barrels they use, as long as the wine tastes good?

Pira Barolo

Luigi Pira, from Serralunga, makes excellent wines. Apart from the Pira Barolo Serralunga, there are 3 crus, including the famous Vignarionda! The Serralunga barolo is a blend from the multiple vineyards Luigi has, including Marenca, Margheria and Vignarionda. Typically the younger vines are used in the blend, and the older vines are reserved for the different cru barolo’s.

Where can you find Pira Barolo Serralunga?

Unfortunately, you can’t order it online, but there are a few local stores that carry it! If you have your heart set on Pira wines, check out his Barolo Margheria or Barolo Marenca.

You can find the Serralunga at these Vinmonopol:
Sandaker, Oslo – 5
Strømmen – 23
Vinterbro – 16
Bergen, Åsane Horisont – 11
Stryn – 4
Kristiansund N. – 8

Trediberri Barbera d’Alba

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Piemontegirl

I talk about Trediberri quite a lot. For many reasons. One: Nicola rocks. He’s just an incredible person. Two: his wines also rock. He just makes good wines. End of story. Nicola and his team work so hard and their hard work pays off. Three: the prices are ridiculous. I mean, 189NOK (roughly $19) in Norway is almost too hard to believe.

Trediberri Barbera d’Alba Rocks

When I say that the Barbera d’Alba from Trediberri rocks, what do I mean? I could say things like:
Full body, long finish
Dark fruit, good concentration of fruit
But I won’t. Wine is so individual. Tastes are so individual. But I will tell you that I think this barbera from Trediberri is representative of a quality barbera. Very drinkable now but you can keep it for a few years (if you can stop yourself from opening them all).

Buy it?

So what am I getting at? You should be buying his wines! Did you know that some Vinmonopol stock them on their shelf? And if you’d rather buy online, you can do that too! So you really don’t have any excuses!

These are the stores that currently stock Trediberri Barbera d’Alba:
Aker Brygge – 16
Levanger – 15
Tromsdalen – 13

Nicola’s take on Vintages

Every year is different, for better or worse. 2014 is known for it’s massive amounts of rain. 2010 is considered a wine for the books. But I believe a truly great winemaker can make good wine in any vintage. If you work with nature, respect nature and generally just work hard, you can make magic happen.

In recent encounter with Nicola, this is what he said about the past vintages:

2016 is all class like Jaqueline Kennedy. 2017 is as huge Pamela Anderson. And 2018 is as skinny as Miley Cyrus.
Nicola

Barbera the Mario Fontana way!

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Piemontegirl

Cascina Fontana Babera d’Alba 2016

Wine: Barbera d’Alba

Producer: Cascina Fontana

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: Barbera

Vintage: 2016

Eye: deep ruby red

Nose: roses, cherries, red fruits, spices

Mouth: fresh, dry, good acidity

Price Point: $23

Available at Vinmonopolet: no

Available at Systembolaget: no

Langhe Buio

Posted on August 12, 2018 by Piemontegirl

Enzoboglietti Buio 2009

Wine: Langhe Buio

Producer: Enzoboglietti

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: 80% Nebbiolo + 20% Barbera

Vintage: 2009

Eye: ruby color

Nose: fruity, floral, leather, earth tones

Mouth: fresh and fruity, full bodied,

Price Point: $23

Available at Vinmonopolet: no

Available at Systembolaget: no

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