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UMBRIA – TOSCANA (12) … BIBBIANO
We left the Castellare di Castellina winery after the tasting in turbo tempo and rushed to the Albergo Agriturismo Azienda Agricola CASAFRASSI on the way to Siena. The check-in was really chaotic, but thanks to our great ‘chaperone’ Iolanda Maggio (Thompson), we were perfect on time and had the welcome opportunity to take refreshing shower and a few cold drinks. We left Casafrassi again perfect on schedule and arrived to Tenuta di Bibbiano, close to Castellina in Chianti. Our host Tommaso Marrocchesi Marzi and his very charming export-manager Olalla Lopez-Corona introduced themselves and the company, while we were awaiting the rest of the group…
IN VIGNA 2010 – VERTICAL TASTING & SEMINAR
The location of the tenuta is really idyllic; with a fabulous view over one the most romantic parts of Tuscany. The tasting & seminar started much later than scheduled. To catch up some of the lost time, the whole thing happened quite faster than initially planned; we had no much time to taste, listen to the comments of oenologist Stefano Porcinai and Tommaso Marrochesi Marzi and to the fantastic sommelier, gastronome, journalist and TV personality Leonardo Romanelli… and write the full story down. So, let’s go the tasting!
The tasting
We tasted in short time 6 vintages of the Chianti Classico Montornello from Tenuta di Bibbiano.
The highlights:
2001: Comments: “80% sangiovese, 20% caniolo + merlot. A year of transition in vineyard management, from double to single guyot, with a drastic yield reduction as consequence and substantial quality improvement, with a better structure, balance and elegance.”
My notes: not even a sign of evolution in the color of this 9 years ‘young’ wine. Very elegant, aromatic herbs and spices in nose and taste, very ripe fruit, with some balsamic tones. Very fresh and long finish.
2002: Comments: “difficult weather conditions, cool and rainy summer. No Riserva produced, all the best sangiovese grapes from Vigna del Capannino and the other vineyards were used for the Montornello. Interesting wine, rather elegant, quite fresh, not very powerful but balanced… 80% sangiovese, 10% canaiolo, 10% merlot.”
My notes: Elegant nose, quite shy. Fresh, juicy, lighter structure, velvety, some balsamic tones, slightly bitter in the aftertaste, a bit short in the finish.
2005: Comments: “90% sangiovese, 10% merlot. Very good climatic year. Remarkable power, good acidity, freshness and aromatic intensity.”
My notes: More viscosity, more torrefaction aromas, ripe fruit after a while. Still a bit shy. Powerful tannins and good acidity in attack, fresh and elegant on the palate, more wide than deep, good minerality, long and elegant finish.
2006: Comments: “90% sangiovese. Very good climatic year. Very good aromatic complexity.”
My notes: Quite balsamic in nose, lovely aromatic. Fantastic attack, very fresh and juicy, great balance, very tasty. The finish is not so long, but very elegant and pleasant.
2007: Comments: “A significant year for Bibbiano. The first year with 100% sangiovese for Montornello. Great climatic year.”
My notes: Lovely fruit, aromatic herbs and a hint of balsamic tones. Powerful attack, steady but ripe tannins, round and smooth mouth feeling, beautiful ripe fruit and aromatic herbs on the palate, longer and warmer finish.
2008: Comments: “Good climatic year. Extremely pleasant wine, with great scents and excellent concentration.”
My notes: Beautiful nose, fresh red fruits, quite elegant, with hints of aromatic herbs and some balsamic tones. Great acidity, steady tannins but ripe and elegant; very complex and aromatic on the palate, great balance, long finish with a great refreshing minerality. My absolute favorite of the whole tasting.
General conclusion: This very interesting tasting made a few things extra clear. Thanks to the viticulture changes, the ‘jam-alike’ fruit of the past evolved into ripe fruit and now fresh fruit with aromatic herbal tones… In the past decade, the effect of planet up warming was considerably noticeable. This effect, combined with the viticulture changes (double > simple guyot, drastically decreased yields) gave more sugars and eventually alcohol. Since 2007, some sangiovese from younger vineyards have been added to the grapes from older vineyards, in order to preserve some freshness in the wine. By increasing the freshness and the tannins thanks to a better clone selection, the extra alcohol percentage has been compensated.
We had no time left at the end of the tasting for additional questions, but I still would like to know why such a great company as Bibbiano is not trying to switch to biodynamic viticulture, which is well known for more freshness and refreshing minerality, especially noticeable in hot years. May be I will get the answer sometimes, somehow… I will let you know!
It has been an honor and a great pleasure to be part of this big tasting. It gives a great impression of the changes in the past decade, but also great expectations for the next ones.
Epilogue: The whole ‘herd’ of guests moved out and was quickly transported to the top of a hill, on the other side of the village, for the second, informal part of this great evening: a romantic countryside dinner. Bibbiano happens to be located on the old transhumance path from the Apennines Mountains to the mild coast of Maremma; the shepherds use to rest at the end of a long day, sharing some wine, salami and cheese together or incidentally with others and spending the night on straw mattresses. This evening, recreating the ambiance of the old times, will be hold once a year at Bibbiano, as an informal way of looking back to the past history, back to the times where the seasons were setting the rhythm of our rural society… With a look at today’s world, the diner part was revisited by chef Roberto Rossi from Il Silene restaurant. We had a wonderful evening, great wine, great food, under a roof of shining stars… That was for me absolutely one of the highlights of this whole press-trip!
Warmest thanks to Tommaso Marrocchesi Marzi, his whole staff and crew, and the incredible bunch of wine and food friends with whom we shared our meal, there, up on the hill, as lucky shepherds for one night…
Comments
Great comments from you! Thanks!
And by-the-way, Bibbiano is biological from this vintage onwards.
Hoping to see you next InVigna 2011, best regards.