Astor Wines hosted a special event Friday featuring wines from the cellar of Luigi Veronelli, the influential Italian wine and food writer and TV presenter.
The draw for me was the chance to taste a range of very mature wines from areas I don’t know, or don’t know well. But the evening was also a tribute to Veronelli’s passion and his personal ties to and support for many of Italy’s top winemakers. I had no idea of the scale of his influence, or the fondness with which he is regarded. A number of proprietors and winemakers were there, including Emidio Pepe and Giuseppe Mazzocolin of Felsina, along with Veronelli’s daughter and granddaughter. Some of us had the chance to mix more with the winemakers after the tasting at a relaxed dinner in Astor’s upstairs event space.
At its peak in the 1990s, Veronelli’s cellar contained some 70,000 bottles. I believe they said it’s down to 42,000 now, most of it reserved for educational events such as this one, though small quantities are being sold. The wines were obtained directly from the cantine on release and stored in perfect conditions since, so you won’t find any Italian wines of this age that are in better condition.
The most striking thing overall was how remarkably fresh these wines were – shockingly youthful in most cases.
For most of us, the wine of the night was the Pepe Montepulciano d’Abbruzo, a wine I’ve only experienced young. The Mascarello Monprivato and the Maculan Passito would be just a half step behind.
In deference to Veronelli, who objected to point scores, I won’t assign them here.
The wines were all poured before or as attendees arrived, and most of us held off tasting until well into the hour or more of remarks, so they had a lot of time to open up. None seemed to have suffered for the air time. Some of these wines would have shown better with food; we had only bread for the tasting.
1993 Bruno Giacosa - Pinot Nero Extra-Brut (from magnum) (Piemonte)
Nutty and crisp on the nose. There is a very faint trace of caramel but the flavors are so fresh! Great depth and good acidity, with oodles of minerals – a bit like a mature but not oxidized Sancerre. Long, long finish. Very fine, and very youthful.
(No dosage. 36 months on the yeasts.)
1986 Livio Felluga - Colli Orientali Friuli Bianco ‘Terre Alte’ (Friuli-Venezia-Giulia)
From tocai friuliano, pinot blanc and sauvignon blanc. A surprisingly light golden hue for a 31-year-old white. Some minerals and wax on the nose, with the minerals carrying through to the palate. A nice interplay of rich body with a solid acidic backbone. Not terribly complex, but refreshing and remarkably young.
Reds to follow shortly….