Give the gift of “Explore 4” without the commitment!
SommSelect’s “Explore 4” surveys the vast landscape of wine and breaks it into small, digestible bites. Each month, we select four bottles that fit a theme, allowing members to experience a diversity of styles while developing their own palate preferences. It’s an ongoing exploration of wine through a sommelier’s eyes and there’s no more effective, and enjoyable, way to learn about wine
Although Italy boasts the largest assortment of indigenous wine grapes in the world including many cultivars that are found in a single province and nowhere else—Italian vintners are also well-versed in big-name “international” varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Think of this assortment as a riff on the “Judgement of Paris,” with Italy standing in for the US as the challenger to France— with whom the varieties in this selection are most readily associated. Here is what is in the box:
Weingut Niklas, Alto Adige Sauvignon, Alto Adige,Italy 2022
Go to the Niklas website and the first language is German: The Alto Adige, a.k.a. Südtirol, was once part of Austria, so most of the wines of this region have a kind of dual citizenship. The Alto Adige is a diverse terroir: The gravelly valley floor has historically been favored for red grapes, at higher elevations, soils become rockier, with mineral elements like feldspar, quartz and Porphyry. Hillside vineyards at more than 500-600 meters of elevation, with vines trained in the traditional pergola method to maximize sun exposure. Racy and assertively aromatic, falling
somewhere between Sancerre and New Zealand in style with aromas and flavors of white grapefruit, elderberry, green pepper, gooseberry, mountain wildflowers, and wet stones extending through the long finish.
DeForville, Piemonte Chardonnay, Piedmont, Italy 2022
The De Forvilles began producing wine in the mid-1800s, with Gioachino De Forville. The vineyard sources for this wine are in the villages of Castagnole Lanze and Coazzolo, two towns right on the eastern outskirts of the Barbaresco DOCG zone. Crafted from 100% Chardonnay (including some fruit from the family’s 35-year-old “Cascina Buc” vineyard in Castagnole Lanze), this wine is made in a very straightforward manner. It is medium-bodied and has a hint of creaminess, but there’s a spine of minerality and citrusy freshness lending loads of snap.
Cantina Tramin, Alto Adige Pinot Nero, Alto Adige, Italy 2022
Tramin is the name of a village along the weinstrasse (wine route), which runs along the west side of the Adige in the foothills of the Dolomites. The Tramin co-op is the winemaking arm of a 160-member collective of small vinegrowers, who farm 270 hectares of vineyards between them. 100% Pinot Noir from assorted vineyards in the hamlets of Mazon (a well-respected area for Pinot Noir cultivation here) and Montan. There’s an appealingly woodsy quality, along with silky tannins, modest alcohol, and bright—not sharp—acidity. And it’s ready to drink now.
La Mozza, Maremma Toscana Cabernet Sauvignon “I Perazzi,” Tuscany Italy 2021
Historically, the Maremma encompassed a stretch of coastline running from Pisa,in Tuscany, all the way down to Rome. This wine is from the province of Grosseto, the heartland of the Maremma. The property is in the municipality of Magliano in Toscana and includes 16 hectares of sustainably farmed vineyards, which are planted not just to Sangiovese but Ciliegiolo, Mammolo, Alicante Bouschet, Syrah, and other local and “international” varieties. The structure and overall scale of the wine is very “Tuscan”—it has notes of underbrush and forest floor and a slight bite to its tannins and acid. Pair this with a medium-rare bistecca!
