Elisabetta Foradori grew up in the tiny, 2,000-person village of Mezzolombardo in the Dolomites, about 45 minutes south of the Austrian border. Her father, a cooperative grape farmer, passed away when she was in middle school, leaving Elisabetta to tend the vines. In her teens, Elisabetta left high school and enrolled in a university oenology 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 bottling and selling their own wines. In an era when her region was 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-1990's, Elisabetta—still in her early 30's—had become the world-renowned, public face of winemaking in the Dolomites. Today, her wines are some of the most soulful in all of Italy and are farmed biodynamically, which reveals a wine of purity and a charming snapshot of terroir.
The late 1990's brought a modern renaissance for Elisabetta and Italian wine as a whole. Despite the avalanche of success and critical praise by 2000, Elisabetta was feeling increasingly disconnected from her life's work. “ I felt dead inside. I thought, my god—I don't like these wines,” she says. “ I had a recipe. It was simple. Take the grapes, add the yeast, control the temperature and—if you're not stupid—the wine is done.” The creativity of the young Elisabetta was dead. “ When I changed...it came back. Never one to question her own intuition, Elisabetta discarded the industrial technology, slashed production then set out to make seriously handmade, natural and honest wine. Unsurprisingly Elisabetta's oenological and philosophical awakening resulted in yet another quantum leap in the depth, quality and character of her wines. Today, I strongly believe she is bottling some of the finest and most inspiring wines in not only Italy, but the world.
The 2011 Elisabetta Foradori “Granato” has a deep crimson color, opaque in the center, and at the rim is just starting to show slight orange hues on the rim. Aromas of wild raspberry, blackcurrant, slightly dried plum, pipe tobacco, wildflowers, mountain herbs and dried mushrooms create something truly special in the glass. There is an energy to the aromas which can’t be described - something all the world’s great wines have in common. It is a layered, impressive, powerful and palate coating wine. This wine is perfectly mature and ready to drink today, but it is also an ideal addition to one’s cellar and will continue to blossom for another 4-5 years. Decant the for 30 minutes and served in a large Bordeaux stem at roughly 60-65 degrees. It should not be too warm or the delicate aromas will be lost in place of alcohol. To create a seriously memorable meal for close friends, decant a few bottles of this wine and serve alongside this
Moroccan Braised Lamb Shank recipe. It will be one of the most memorable dinners you have had in a long time.
