Yesterday there was a tasting among us (Michele, Annalisa, Katrin and Jadranka) of the new vintages that have just come out or are coming out. The ensemble has thrilled us: the latest years have been very positive in terms of climate. This, combined with the advanced age of the vines and the accumulated experience, has given rise to wines of great depth and interest.
We started with the youngest, L’Airone 2018, son of a very good vintage, even if the vines still had to recover after the drought of 2017 (in fact there has been a delay in development and harvest, that can not be explained otherwise) . The color is very light and bright yellow, as expected by Vermentino. The aromas are very pleasant, they remind aromas of sweet fruits and flowers, balanced and made intriguing by the bitter note (but very pleasant) of grapefruit (that distinguishes this grape variety). We have smelled the grapefruit, tropical fruits (mango, papaya, passion fruit), pear, acacia, linden. In the mouth it is very fresh, quite full-bodied and long. With this vintage we changed the bottle and then adapted the label. The result seems to me very elegant.
We also tasted the Criseo Bolgheri DOC Bianco 2017, even if it is still aging in bottle until the end of spring (more or less). There is still on sale the fantastic 2016. The vintage has been very dry, with big drops in production. The wines are well concentrated but very balanced. A lot of work has been done in selection to eliminate withered berries. In fact, the Criseo has a great freshness that perfectly balances the full and enveloping body, almost “fat”, and very long. The color is light golden. The set of aromas is incredible: it changes over and over again. We left the glasses to the side, returning to smell them from time to time and … each time different scents came. We have smelled aromas of tropical fruit (especially pineapple), apricot, candied fruit, orange jam, honey, yeast, saffron, broom, chamomile, mineral notes (kerosene), cedar, lemon leaves … Who knows how it will change again in these last months of bottle.
The first red is Bacchus in Tuscany 2017. In the mouth it is soft, very pleasant, with aromas dominated by the fruit (blueberry, blackcurrant and blackberry) and a pungent note (black pepper). Antillo Bolgheri DOC Rosso 2017 has a greater complexity, with more structure and freshness. The aromas reminded us of the currant (halfway between a fruit and vegetal notes), other berries, but also intense notes of Mediterranean scrub, especially of laurel and myrtle.
The Rute Bolgheri DOC Rosso 2016 is what has most surprised us. It is very vertical, although quite soft and well structured. The aromatic complexity here grows considerably, with sweet fruit bases (especially the strawberry), accompanied by the freshness of mint and intense notes of licorice and sweet tobacco. This year there will also be the Magnum format (1.5 liters). You will also have noticed the small change in the label, which gives more emphasis to the name of the wine.
The Jassarte 2015 is instead an endless crescendo. The color stands out on the other wines due to its almost dark intensity (the others, due to the varieties, are on elegant ruby). On the nose you do not ever end up feeling aromas that change and alternate: black cherry, purple plum, its classic balsamic note of eucalyptus, a lot of spice (cloves and cinnamon), laurel, rosemary … The body is very full, elegant, with a fresh and polished tannin. The ending is very long.
Finally, the Atis 2015, our Bolgheri Superiore, needed more bottles of Jassarte and in fact comes out shortly (while the Jassarte is already on sale for almost a month). But the wait was not in vain and it’s very satisfying. As always, it has a very different soul from Jassarte, even if it shares its vintage and are “neighbors of vineyard”. Here the color is intense ruby. The nose is very multifaceted, with sophisticated aromas of black fruits (blueberry, blackberry), currants, gooseberries, tomato leaves, licorice, aniseed, sweet tobacco and a note of “smoked”. In the mouth it is of great character and balance, rich of freshness, with very long but not aggressive tannins. It has an incredible persistence.
However, this kind of wine is not still, it is alive and will evolve again. The same is for the other wines, especially for Criseo and Jassarte. For this reason I do not like to put the aromatic description in the data sheets (which you will find updated in the appropriate section of our website).