TN: An Italian Arneis & A Calif Aglianico....(short/boring)

WINE TALK
#1

Tried these two last night at DinDin:

  1. Monchiero Arneis DOC: Langhe (13.5%; Marchetti Imprts/ClevlandHeights/OH) Monchiero Fratelli/Castiglione Falletto 2021: Light gold color; some stony/mineral lightly floral/carnations/Arneis quite pleasant bit simple nose; bit sft light chalky/stony lightArneis/floral/carnations lightweight bit bland/watery simple flavor; med.short slight stony/chalky light floral/Arneis/carnations rather simple/bland finish; a quite lightweight Arneis bordering on the bland/vapid/watery side; pretty dull stuff. $18.00 (KK)
  1. CortiBros Aglianico AmadorCnty (65’th Anniv Bttlg; 1947-2012; TW) GP&B by Terra d’Oro/Plymouth 2010: Dark color w/ slight bricking; quite earthy/dusty/OV some Amador/briary strong earthy/Aglianico/blackberry/licorice/rather spicy bit rustic some complex nose;rather soft bit tangy/metallic/very ripe/rustic some Amador/briary/blackberry/spicy/Aglianico bit complex quite interesting flavor w/ light soft tannins; very long rather rustic/bit coarse some Amador briary/ripe/spicy some Aglianico/blackberry/spicy/ripe slight cedary/pencilly/oldRed bit Italianate finish w/ light gentle/ripe tannins; quite an interesting Amador red that speaks of the rustic Aglianico character.

More bifflestort from TheBloodyPulpit:

  1. I was a bit surprised how good the Aglianico was. It was a pretty brutal/tannic beast in its youth. It was a special Corti Reserve bttlg in celebration of the 65’th Anniv of CortiBros. Made by Terra d’Oro.
    Tom
#2

Not the only underwhelming Langhe arneis - too many have disappointed for me to actively seek out ones I’ll enjoy

#3

Well, Ian… I rather like Piemonte Arneis. The good ones have a lot of perfume & an underlying minerality. This one just happened to be particularly dull. It happens.
But for Piemonte Biancos, I usually prefer Riesling, Timorasso, and Nascetta.
Tom

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#4

Prima Materia makes a terrific NV Aglianico from Lake County.

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#5

Ditto on the other varieties, and I’ve also had reasonable success with Erbaluce in the north and Cortese in the East (though both can also be variable)… and of course easy to forget what colour Moscato is :slightly_smiling_face:

Favorita is another I’ve struggled with, and whilst I’ve had a few decent Chardonnays, none have called Piemonte (or even Italy) to me.

#6

Yup… I like Pietro’s Aglianico quite a bit.
Just had two from Ryme that really impressed me. Bruiser wines.
Tom

#7

Hmm, Ryme does not sound up my alley. I thought Pietro’s Aglianico was full-flavored and full-bodied, but I would not call it a bruiser. Perhaps @Pietro_B1 can shed some light on that.

#8

Well, Patrick. To me, the Rymes have a distinct Calif signature because of their intensity. They speak of PasoRobles. I find that Pietro’s (which I happen to also like) have a bit more of an old-world sensibility to them & a bit more rustic/Italianate.
Tom

#9

Well put.

Cheers,
Patrick

#10

If memory serves I think the Rymes tend to use extended maceration on their Aglianico as well - like 90/120 days. I did a two-barrel 90-day extended-maceration experiment and hated the results. Think it is more just Lake Co. fruit notoriously doesn’t do well with extended and I’m happy if I can get a slow 16-day fermentation. But Aglianico can do both in California! Vintages definitely make a difference too with wetter vintages ('17/'19) having very different mouthfeels.
At a recent Aglianico tasting I was surprised by the amount of fresh pomegranate-fruit driven $20 bottles coming out of Basilicata, and you can boost the mid palate in various ways. For me personally, I love wines like Sangiovese that have a hole in the middle - I love that hourglass shape in the mouth that is indeed more Old World as Tom said. That Terra d’ore Age sounds pretty spot-on.
I am missing my days working in a wine shop because it has been years now since I’ve revisited Erbaluce, Nascetta and other whites. I remember liking a couple Piemontese Chardonnays in the leaner stainless style
Thanks all

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#11

Thanks for chiming, Pietro.
Ryme does, indeed, use extended maceration. I generally like the result.
Alas, Daou as pulled all the italian stuff in LunaMatta vnyd. Now Cab & Merlot. Aren’t we lucky!!
Tom

#12

Tom,

Bricco della Ciliegie makes a particularly good Arneis.

#13

Oh good, who needs those silly weird grapes in a good vineyard location. Daou can rest assured that if I ever get my hands on their vineyard it is all going to Aglianico and Sagrantino and their “disruptiveness” and tasting algorithm b.s. can continue to suck it.

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