"Wine gives one ideas whereas Champagne gives one strategies." Roman Payne
After a walk with my dog, Luca, through the beautiful park at I Due Roccoli and a breakfast overlooking the lake, it was off to taste more Franciacorta. On this our second day of tasting, I wanted to start with the Barone Pizzini winery. Founded in 1870, Barone Pizzini is one of the oldest wineries in the Franciacorta DOGC area, and it was the first to produce Franciacorta from organically grown grapes. I first became aware of this winery during a visit to their cantina in Le Marche where we tasted an excellent sparkling verdicchio, also an organic wine.
After finding the address for the winery on Google, Jim entered it into the GPS, and we were off. Our experience with GPS in Italy has not been very reliable. I vividly remember one night several years ago when the GPS suddenly morphed into HAL from 2001 a Space Odyssey. It was after a beautiful dinner in the hill town of Cingoli in Le Marche, and we were heading back to the little country house we were renting. Once outside of the Cingoli city limits, the GPS became overbearing, demanding in a sultry female voice, "turn left, turn left, turn left". I wanted to turn off the obviously demented machine, but Jim kept following until we reached a precipice and were directed to drive off the cliff. Generally, after this experience, I am our navigator directing each turn with map in hand and an eye on the road signs. Unfortunately, we had no detailed maps of the area around Lake Iseo, and Jim, being more comfortable in general with technology than I am, wanted to try our new GPS. After all, this newer model was theoretically, at least, more reliable than the one we had nearly 10 years ago.
With some trepidation, we headed off to find Barone Pizzini. We made our way through two of the multitude of tunnels surrounding the lake, and skirted through a few small villages until we arrived at a two lane road through the vineyards. Amazingly, we actually arrived at the winery with no problem. And by the time we had parked our Alfa in the winery parking lot, the sun, hidden by clouds for most of the morning, suddenly appeared.
After finding the address for the winery on Google, Jim entered it into the GPS, and we were off. Our experience with GPS in Italy has not been very reliable. I vividly remember one night several years ago when the GPS suddenly morphed into HAL from 2001 a Space Odyssey. It was after a beautiful dinner in the hill town of Cingoli in Le Marche, and we were heading back to the little country house we were renting. Once outside of the Cingoli city limits, the GPS became overbearing, demanding in a sultry female voice, "turn left, turn left, turn left". I wanted to turn off the obviously demented machine, but Jim kept following until we reached a precipice and were directed to drive off the cliff. Generally, after this experience, I am our navigator directing each turn with map in hand and an eye on the road signs. Unfortunately, we had no detailed maps of the area around Lake Iseo, and Jim, being more comfortable in general with technology than I am, wanted to try our new GPS. After all, this newer model was theoretically, at least, more reliable than the one we had nearly 10 years ago.
With some trepidation, we headed off to find Barone Pizzini. We made our way through two of the multitude of tunnels surrounding the lake, and skirted through a few small villages until we arrived at a two lane road through the vineyards. Amazingly, we actually arrived at the winery with no problem. And by the time we had parked our Alfa in the winery parking lot, the sun, hidden by clouds for most of the morning, suddenly appeared.
As we entered the cantina with Luca in tow, we were greeted by one of the employees. I was prepared to be told that our dog was not welcome in the cantina, but surprisingly, there was not a comment uttered about our furry companion. (It should be noted, however, that not all wineries in this area are dog friendly.) We were ushered to the bar and asked which wines we wanted to taste. I, of course, said the sparkling wines. On this day, they were offering three of their sparkling wines to taste: Animante which is a Brut, Saten which is a blanc de blanc, and Bagnadore, a Dosage Zero Riserva.
The first pour was the Barone Pizzini Animante Franciacorta Brut, crafted from 78% Chardonnay, 18% Pinot nero, and 4% Pinot bianco. The grapes for this wine come from 25 of the Pizzini organic vineyards in the DOCG area. This particular brut spends 6 months in stainless steel tanks followed by 20 to 30 months fermenting in the bottle. As our hostess poured the wine into the glass, I admired the very pale yellow color and the energetic perlage evincing exuberance at being suddenly released from the bottle. The nose was fresh with citrus and a subtle hint of flowers. In the mouth there was a good balance of mineralness accompanied by honey and citrus. Being a huge fan of fresh tasting wines absent the overpowering states of barrique, I truly appreciated this wine and bought a few bottles to serve to friends in Le Marche
Next on our tasting roster was the 2011 Saten Franciacorta, a blanc di blanc, made of 100% Chardonnay. This is a more refined, longer aged wine spending 6 months in stainless steel with a portion in barrique followed by 30 to 40 months in the bottle. The perlage of the Saten was more mellow, as is typical of this style of Franciacorta. The bit of oak aging added more character and a smoothness to the wine while not inhibiting a balanced minerality and notes of citrus. This is a wine to accompany pastas with white sauces, risotto, fish, and poultry.
Our final tasting was the Bagnadore Non Dosato Riserva, 2008, a wine made in small quantities and only in select years. In 2008, Barone Pizzini made only 1,326 cases of the Bagnadore. This wine, is made from an interesting combination of grapes with 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Nero. It is aged for six months in stainless steel and barrique followed by 60 to 70 months in the bottle on the yeasts. This is a single vineyard wine which does not incorporate a liqueur d' expedition after the disgorgement. In the glass, Bagnadore was straw yellow with a refined perlage. The nose was pastry and ripe stone fruits. In the mouth, the wine was soft, well rounded, with a complexity of flavor most notably apple, baked bread and a bit of lemon. I imagine serving this to friends with baked salmon or a white fish, fettuccini alfredo, or even an involtini of chicken. Wine Enthusiast has awarded this wine 93 points.
We made our purchases, said good bye to the staff and the group of elderly women who had finished a tour and were giving Luca lots of attention, and returned to our car for a second winery visit. We had put the address for the Montenisa winery into the GPS before leaving the hotel, and now, more confident in the machine, we headed out. I wanted to visit this winery because I had enjoyed one of their wines in a hotel near Lake Garda back in April. As we drove the narrow road through vineyards and small villages, we eventually spotted a small sign next to a gate. Unfortunately, the gate was closed. As the GPS did not say we were there yet, we continued down the road looking for an entrance. But we never found another sign or gate to the winery. I was disappointed as we turned around, but since there are so many wineries around, I was confident we would find another one on our way back toward Iseo.
By now, the noon hour was approaching, and I was getting desperate to find another cantina. Finally, I spotted a beautiful gate up on the hill, and I knew we had found a major winery. At the next round about (these circles are very convenient for the perpetually lost) we turned around and made the turn leading to Ca del Bosco. Ca del Bosco is on every list of must visit wineries in Franciacorta. It had also made it to my list. I had tried to contact them a week before our trip to arrange a time for a tasting, but I never had a response. So, now, unannounced we took the turn off, entered the imposing gates, drove up the very long driveway, and found ourselves in the parking lot for Ca del Bosco. Walking around the side of the building, we were greeted by a beautiful, park-like setting replete with rolling grassland, statuary, and wooden bridges spanning a large pond. Luca was immediately happy and decided it was time to rest in the grass. Jim and I were busy taking photos of the impressive cantina and setting. Finally, we convinced Luca that it was time to enter the building, and he reluctantly followed us through the doors.
By now, the noon hour was approaching, and I was getting desperate to find another cantina. Finally, I spotted a beautiful gate up on the hill, and I knew we had found a major winery. At the next round about (these circles are very convenient for the perpetually lost) we turned around and made the turn leading to Ca del Bosco. Ca del Bosco is on every list of must visit wineries in Franciacorta. It had also made it to my list. I had tried to contact them a week before our trip to arrange a time for a tasting, but I never had a response. So, now, unannounced we took the turn off, entered the imposing gates, drove up the very long driveway, and found ourselves in the parking lot for Ca del Bosco. Walking around the side of the building, we were greeted by a beautiful, park-like setting replete with rolling grassland, statuary, and wooden bridges spanning a large pond. Luca was immediately happy and decided it was time to rest in the grass. Jim and I were busy taking photos of the impressive cantina and setting. Finally, we convinced Luca that it was time to enter the building, and he reluctantly followed us through the doors.
Inside the facility, a receptionist greeted us. When I asked if we could taste the wine, he said that it is only possible to taste the wine if you book a tour in advance - the cost of which is 30 or more euro, and dogs are not allowed on the tour. So, obviously, this was a problem for us. He assured us, however, that we were welcome to enjoy the grounds and visit the shop to buy some wine. Well, needless to say, I immediately equated this encounter with the commercialization of the wine business in Napa California, but this was not the norm in Italy. Being summarily dismissed, I was obviously beyond frustrated when we exited the Ca del Bosco winery. But, I decided to overcome my indignation and taste a bottle of their wine at dinner.
That evening, in a little restaurant in Iseo, we ordered the Ca del Bosco Brut Cuvee Prestige. Ca del Bosco first made this Franciacorta in 2007, and today they make approximately 20,000 bottles per year. It is a blend of 75% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Bianco, and 15% Pinot Nero. The wine initially is fermented in stainless steel tanks and an additional 20 to 30% of a reserve wine is added prior to the second fermentation to give the wine a distinctive character. The second fermentation in the bottle generally averages 25 months. As our waitress poured the wine into the glass, I noticed that it was a somewhat richer golden color than most of the Franciacorta we had sampled. The perlage was fine and energetic. The scent was of bread crust and almond with a more subtle underlying scent of citrus fruits. On the palate, the wine was complex with notes of pastry, apple, honey and almond. I found the wine to be more yeasty than many of the other Franciacorta we had tasted reminiscent of many Champagnes - which is of course what the area is striving for. Wine Enthusiast has given this wine 90 points and Robert Parker has bestowed 91 points. For me, the wine was good, but definitely not my favorite Franciacorta of the trip. Hum, is my opinion colored by my experience at the winery?
For more information about the Barone Pizzini winery, visit their website at http://www.baronepizzini.it/en/
For more information about Ca del Bosco, visit them at http://www.cadelbosco.com/en/
Check back next week for the final day of the Franciacorta Tour: Bellavista and Solive.
For more information about the Barone Pizzini winery, visit their website at http://www.baronepizzini.it/en/
For more information about Ca del Bosco, visit them at http://www.cadelbosco.com/en/
Check back next week for the final day of the Franciacorta Tour: Bellavista and Solive.
