A Walk around Italy’s Recent 5* Vintages

Vineyards around Castelnuovo Berardenga, where the Merlot fruit for Girolamo (see below) is grown

Peel back the silk stocking - that air of mystery that, for many wine consumers, clings to that leggy land jutting into the Mediterranean Sea - and one finds a pretty hairy situation. The modern meets the archaic, the great and the fine rub shoulders with the lackadaisical, the clean and the dirty share the same changing room and it's all caught up in a whirlwind of reformation as those who try to impose new and workable laws are thwarted time and time again. Getting a handle on this place, even for those who "do" wine for a living, is far from easy!

We certainly wouldn't dream of publishing a general French wine offering. For wine lovers (or, at least, European wine lovers) France is the first country to elicit one's interest. It is the Holy Grail, the world cup of the wine world. For many, France is wine. For this reason, a single wine offer that tries succinctly to encapsulate and describe the scope of France's vinous goodies would be seen as frivolous, pointless and, quite possibly, condescending. Italy is another matter, however. What one really wants is a sample pack so that one can get some sort of overview.

So here it is: Bowes Wine's 2005 attempt at an Italian sampler; an effort to impart some sense of Italy's glittering, glorious palette of wine, its salient treasure and what has been developed from it. The perfect situation would be for all Bowes Wine clients to buy a case of each wine and to compare and contrast the styles, aromas, flavours and to marvel at the richness to be found therein. Wishful thinking cannot cloud pragmatism and we realise that those wanting to add some Italian wine to their portfolios will probably pick and choose, so please do not hesitate to ask for further direction if required.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2003	Brentino, Maculan, Veneto, Italy Notes: In some wine producing regions of the world one finds a single figure that so bestrides the region that the producer's name overshadows the region itself. Such is Fausto Maculan in the Veneto. He is most celebrated for a wine called Acininobili - often put forward as contender for Italy's best sweet wine - but all his wines, red and white, are worth seeking out.   The Brentino is a quite brilliant introduction to the wines of Maculan and gives one the feeling that one has found an incredible bargain, like being an off duty Sotheby's art expert visiting a friend's house for the weekend and finding a small Michelangelo drawing in the downstairs loo.   Although 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon (i.e. a classic claret blend), the Brentino could be nothing but Italian. The nose is ripe and pure and of sugared plums, red and black. The palate hints at that Cabernet sappiness and is twisted around by the profound minerality that, more and more, I suspect is a hallmark of this vintage for wines throughout many areas of Europe. This is medium weight and really very fine in a classical sort of way.	2006-2012	12x75cl	£84.00
2001	Dolcetto di Dogliani, Pecchenino, Piemonte, Italy Notes: This is where to turn for an example of Dolcetto at its best and most serious, both in terms of geography and producer. Dogliani is where Dolcetto hears about its reputation for being sweet, soft and domesticated and takes it rather badly, promising to ride back into town with its motor biking friends and a couple of nail-studded baseball bats in order to prove its manhood.   The brothers Pecchenino trap that monster within and what a testosterone-driven, tackle-out sort of a wine this is.   Black in colour, with more black stuff happening on the nose: brambles, black cherries and blueberries. The palate is tautly muscled, giving minerals, black plums and cherries and some nutty bits. There are fine, firm tannins. This is fresh and very, very long indeed, hiding its 14.5% alcohol well, probably under some large tattoos.	2006-2011	12x75cl	£144.00
2000	Radici, Taurasi Riserva, Mastroberardino, Campania, Italy Notes: Here's one of the great under-appreciated fine wines of Italy and one of the longest ageing, too. Forget the pure, by-your-leave aromas and flavours of the northern Italian reds, here we're into the wilder, Mediterranean climate of Campania and the local Aglianico grape, about which Jancis Robinson, in her book Vines, Grapes and Wines, writes, "This is the very exciting inspiration of such top quality reds of the deep south as Taurasi and Aglianico del Vulture".   The aromas here are all meaty and earthy and stained with red cherries. The palate is full of meaty tannins and rich, thick southern fruit. Lots of grip and intensity ploughs onward to a distant finish. Can a wine this feral be described as fine? Whatever. Drink this for sensory overload.	2008-2014	12x75cl	£189.00
2001	Simposio, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, Tenimenti Angelini, Toscana, Italy Notes: Here's a well diversified portfolio of properties: the Tenimenti Angelini consists of wine estates in Montalcino (Val di Suga) and Chianti (San Leonino), as well as here in Montepulciano (not to be confused with the grape variety Montepulciano d'Abruzzo; I've already mentioned in the introduction how confused one can become when studying Italy and its wines).   We've had two popes called John Paul now and I am wondering when we can expect one called George Ringo. In any event, in the 16th century, Pope Paul III's cellar master described Vino Nobile as "the perfect wine" and one can see why.   It is riper, fuller, more velvet than both Chianti and Brunello, partially because it's from a warmer part of Toscana, partly because the vineyards are much sandier. There are rich, forward fruits on the nose here, mostly black cherries, but very fresh. There is also a more-ish twist of oak. In the mouth, the fruit is fluid and velvet-textured and there is high grip and fine, firm tannins. This is a 90-point Wine Spectator bottle.	2008-2015	6x75cl	£111.00
2001	Avvoltore, Moris Farms, Toscana, Italy Notes: Whoa! This is big wine and a fabulous expression of a newly exploited wine region on the south west coast of Toscana: the Maremma. It's also a truly modern blend: Sangiovese, the Tuscan staple, does make up 75% of this wine, but Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah both make an appearance too. As ever, I am amazed how these international varieties can create something that is so unmistakeably Italian in style.   Rich, warm and expansive nose, redolent of black cherries and giving off a slightly singed note. The palate is supple-rich and full of high, firm tannins. There is such power at the finish, it makes the palate here almost overwhelming. The Wine Spectator liked it too: 93/100.	2008-2016	6x75cl	£120.00
2001	Barolo La Serra, Marcarini, Piemonte, Italy Notes: There has been a cascade of superb vintages for Barolo in recent years; all but 2002 could be called classic. But for my mind, as in Châteauneuf-du-Pape (and for the same reasons), 2001 takes the cake. You can pay pretty much as much as you want for the wines of Barolo and, at the top levels, up there with Signors Giacosa, Gaja, Scavino and the like, one finds wines that are justifiably expensive. With Marcarini, however, one finds true-to-type, expressive Barolos that will last with grace for decades and which offer extraordinary value. The Wine Spectator scored this wine 91/100.   There are complex aromas roaring out this glass of Barolo: red cherries; floral notes and a herbal aroma I could only narrow down as far as "cress". La Serra vineyard lies in Serralunga d'Alba to the east of the region and here one finds the longest-living of all Barolos. This doesn't disappoint in its backward, mineral character. This is very long, very complete wine. It's also very fine.	2010-2025	12x75cl	£243.00
2000	Girolamo, Castello di Bossi, Toscana, Italy Notes: Now, there are a great many expensive Merlots in Italy, the craze for which was started in the late '80s with Masseto, made from a block of the best Merlot vines at the Ornellaia estate. However good all the others are, however, it's Girolamo that's won the Italian Sommelier's best Merlot for the last two years running, latterly with this vintage. Those of you who have seen the rather fabulous film Sideways will recognise the quote "Buy me a glass of Merlot and I'm leaving". The protagonist had evidently never tasted Girolamo.   I found a smoky, rich and very black nose of bramble and fresh plum. The palate is thick and concentrated, mineral and very long indeed and has medium, integrated fine tannins. Like the tannins, the wine is fine. Come back Merlot! All is forgiven!	2008-2015	6x75cl	£126.00
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NB. For reasons beyond our control, this last wine is only available duty paid inc VAT (duty at £15.09 and VAT of 17.5% will be added to the sales price below on invoicing).

Try not to let this put you off as it is a goodie!

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2001	Madre, Poggio Antico, Toscana, Italy Notes: This is a brand, shiny new wine from Poggio Antico and a sensibly priced one at that. So often one finds new Tuscan wines appearing and the winery attempting to charge £50 a bottle from the off, which dazzles some of the over-wealthy neophytes, but which leaves the more sensible wine lovers shaking their heads and reaching for something that cost £5.99 and is of comparable quality.   So, here we have a new wine, sensibly priced, from one of the most celebrated estates in Montalcino (we offered their 1999 Brunello some time ago). Madre is labelled I.G.T., or Indicazione Geografica Tipica, a term that has replaced, or rather refined, the catch-all vino da tavola. Madre is 50:50 Cabernet Sauvignon:Sangiovese and was voted one of The Wine Enthusiast's top 100 wines of 2004.   The aromas are all blood and oak and black cherry and plum here, the palate rich with fulsome tannins. This will be a class act; all it needs is time.	2009-2015	12x75cl	£264.48
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Mastroberardino vineyards in Campania