It’s not an accident that Elisabetta Foradori’s iconic “Granato” has become one of northern Italy’s most unanimously revered and critically acclaimed reds. I can think of only a handful of wines that define an entire region, variety, and style in this same way as “Granato.”
Château d’Yquem Sauternes, Conterno Barolo, Chave Hermitage...these wines are so evocative, and so consistently outstanding, that they become the global standard against which all other peers are judged. Without question, “Granato” is the gold standard for elite, cellar-worthy reds from northern Italy. Those of you who’ve experienced its inimitable balance of thunderous, dark-fruited power and laser-like precision know what I’m talking about. If you want to understand—and fall deeply in love with—Trentino and its inimitable Teroldego grape, then “Granato” is a one-stop master class. We have a small amount of this superb 2013 vintage to share today and you should not miss it!
Elisabetta Foradori grew up in the tiny, 2,000-person village of Mezzolombardo in the Dolomites, about 45 minutes south of the Austrian border in the Italian region of Trentino. Elisabetta’s father, a cooperative grape farmer, passed away when she was in middle school, leaving her to tend the vines. In her teens, she left high school and enrolled in a university enology program. By age 19, she was supervising all aspects of harvest and production at Foradori. Over the next decade, Elisabetta transitioned the family farm from bulk wine and grape sales into estate-bottling their own wines. In an era when this region was rapidly becoming overrun with the industrial production of cheap Pinot Grigio and Merlot, Elisabetta defiantly persisted with the same indigenous grape variety her father and grandfather farmed: Teroldego (said to be a genetic cousin of Syrah, Pinot Noir and/or Mondeuse). By the mid-1990s, Elisabetta—still in her early 30's—had become the world-renowned, public face of winemaking in the Dolomites, earning an array of top honors from international wine writers and critics. Twenty years later, Elisabetta’s wines remain some of the most soulful and sought-after in all of Italy. Today, we are featuring “Granato,” her top-of-the-line Teroldego, so named for its intense pomegranate-red color.
Have you ever seen Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill Vol. 1”? There’s a memorable scene in which Japan’s greatest sword-maker comes out of retirement to handcraft one last, truly perfect sword for Uma Thurman’s character so that she may slay her arch nemesis. I couldn’t get that image out my mind while tasting the 2013 “Granato.” There is so much mineral power, muscular dark cherry/currant fruit; this wine’s complex structure and precise angles feel like they have been delicately cut and polished by that same master sword-maker. This isn’t just a wine: It’s a monument to decades of focused craftsmanship in the vines and cellar. I’ve enjoyed many older bottles of “Granato” throughout my career and can promise that this 2013 vintage will only improve for another 20 years. In the meantime, decant it for 90 minutes and serve in large Bordeaux stems at 65 degrees. Most importantly, take care to accommodate its power and intensity with an appropriate meal. A patiently slow-roasted pork shoulder with herbed spaetzle is a phenomenal candidate. And one more pointer: this is not a bottle to share with a loud table of friends. Take your time alone, or with one other companion, and really climb inside this bottle if you can. There is so much going on and it morphs and evolves dramatically as you drink it, so don’t shortchange yourself with distractions or an insufficient serving. This is a legendary wine and the more time and attention you give it, the more you will take away from the experience!
