Luciano Di Lello - Gambero Rosso: a 2001 of "devastating charm" In recent months, many major articles have dealt with Terriccio wines. We could mention, for example, Luciano Di Lello's Contrappunto column in the April 2004 issue of Gambero Rosso, entitled "The Latest Lupicaia", which reported a tasting of the 2001 vintage and a vertical tasting of our flagship wine.
Di Lello starts out by calling Lupicaia "one of the first wines to carve out a niche for itself in the post-Sassicaia era, marking a dizzying leap in quality for the territory". In his opinion, the 2001 tasting "signals a fantastic change of pace" and bears witness to "explosive margins of progress in already established Italian labels. ... (I look forward to) the results of the coming decade for wines whose vineyards are at last mature, in the awareness acquired of the ampelographic heritage and of every cellar procedure necessary to extract from the grapes only its noble substances".
Going back in time with the vertical tasting, Di Lello notes that the 1993 Lupicaia is "the debut of a wine that has already found its definitive blend in 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot at an historic estate overlooking the sea between Cecina and Castiglioncello. The sea breezes and cool nights, the eucalyptus and photinia plants, and the minerals in the soil all have a crucial impact on the appeal and aromatic energy of the wine". Retasting after ten years "reveals only a hint of development. Concentration, superb colour and propensity to longevity.
An aggressive, tannin-rich wine, it has yet to develop its aromas and probably needed longer in the wood," whereas the 1995 is "Lupicaia's first serious calling card," showing "a sweetness of balsamic tones swathing the pulpy forest fruits with a sensation of harmony and sheer beauty that has few equals". In the 1996 Di Lello sees "a wine that is readier for drinking and more mature from a lesser vintage" but the 1999, "the finest vintage of what we may consider the first cycle of Lupicaia", is "stupendous aromatically, with a tannic force and overall equilibrium of which the 1995 was still incapable".
The Rome-based wine writer thinks that the 2000 vintage opens a "new phase in which the wine has acquired density, expanding its parameters and achieving a richer, more complex aromatic expression. Vaster in volume, it is also superior in character". He thinks that "this vintage may well have deserved more time in wood. But this is precisely what happened with the 2001, when Lupicaia stayed in the cellar a year longer than usual before release. Its charms are now quite devastating and it provides one of the few absolute emotions of recent months. The force and firmness are stunning in an even more generously assorted aromatic cornucopia. The balance is overwhelming, but all the wine's characteristics are augmented by an aromatic spectrum of rare completeness and complexity. The overall impression is of sheer, expressive joy".
Lupicaia - "a true giant"
Guido Ricciarelli also mentioned on Lupicaia 2001 and Castello del Terriccio 2000 in very positive terms in an article entitled "Tombolo for Bolgheri Wines". Ricciarelli was reporting on the tastings at the Castagneto a Tavola 2004 event in issue number two of the new magazine, Spirito di Vino. For Ricciarelli, "the new baby from the Castellina Marittima estate is Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot-based, showing seductively fleshy character and delightful spice".
Moving on to the 2001 wines, the Spirito di Vino expert noted "the range of Montescudaio wines reveals the presence of a true giant in Lupicaia, a thoroughbred wine that is still a tad unruly, but destined to confirm our first impressions and set new standards for this zone". Ricciarelli went on to report on the tasting of 20 wines from 1997 organised by the Associazione Grandi Cru della Costa Toscana at the castle of Castiglioncello di Bolgheri. The 1997 Lupicaia elicited "most favourable impressions thanks to the contribution of its balsamic nuances".
Lupicaia - "a sumptuously rich, dazzlingly solar wine"
A further very favourable review came from the two-page spread dedicated to a vertical tasting of six vintages of Lupicaia (1993 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1999 - 2000) in the April-June 2004 issue number 11 of the stunningly elegant A.I.S. magazine, Bibenda. Armando Castagna first described in detail the terroir and history of Castello del Terriccio, noting that the estate is "a small paradise where Cabernet Sauvignon has found the perfect environment in which to reach full ripeness". He retraces the history and development of Lupicaia, "born as an almost visionary enterprise, and now a sumptuously rich, dazzlingly solar wine" that has earned a place "in the exclusive elite of Italian wine, where it has taken up permanent residence".
There were 4 Bunches for the debut vintage, 1993, and the 2000, an evaluation influenced by the "weather conditions in upper Maremma, which did not justify in this area the year's generally favourable reputation. Here, it was very hot - too hot - from spring, and there were problems with drought and soil water balance". Thereafter, there were maximum scores, 5 Bunches, for all the vintages from Bibenda and the Duemilavini guide. The assessments deserve to be quoted in full for the way in which they succeed in pinpointing the character of each wine, and the unique aspects of each product's style.
"A thrilling Lupicaia and the best at this tasting" the 1999 is "a magnetic wine with a spontaneous energy that has in part still to emerge". The 1995 is a "masterpiece" and a "wine of scintillating beauty", with a "superb, elegant nose that proffers subtly shifting notes of earth, mushrooms, currants and eucalyptus. The palate shows great finesse, and the finish is consistent and long". The 1997 is a wine that could turn out to be "the longest-lived of the Lupicaias," and a wine with a "strong, serene profile, one might almost say 'cheerful' in its extroversion," with "complex hints of sweet liquorice and pencil lead fusing magnificently with the wood," a palate that "makes its physicality immediately apparent with an assertive attack, continuity, rhythm, warmth and a strong glycerine thrust, and an acknowledged skill in extracting tannins, minerals and acidity". The 1996 is "a noble, well-balanced edition that is probably at the peak of its potential development". Di Lello, Ricciarelli and Castagno's views can only fill our hearts with pride and urge us on to do even better, if at all possible.
Major plaudits for Castello del Terriccio wines in the Italian and international press Gambero Rosso
The "Buoni e Cattivi" (The Good and the Bad) column in the March issue of the monthly magazine Gambero Rosso featured a preview of our new experimental wine, the 2000 Castello del Terriccio. The new wine, presented at Vinitaly 2004, was awarded a score of 96/100 and described as "one of the best wines we have tasted in recent months" and "a magnificent, truly spectacular red". A wine that will "age for a long time - ten perhaps 20 years". This first-ever appearance on the Italian winemaking scene was hailed by the column's writers, Daniele Cernilli and Rosanna Ferraro, with the words, "a star is born". The same issue of Gambero Rosso also carried a note in Luciano Di Lello's column, Contrappunto, on Lupicaia 2000. It was praised as a "superb squaring of the circle, with the flesh, richness and chewiness of the greatest Tuscan reds and in addition, the aromatic breadth and elegance of a spine-tingling balsamic texture that makes this an enchanting, splendidly distinctive red".
Euposia
The April issue of Euposia magazine carried an extensive tasting of Supertuscans, at which Tassinaia 2000 was awarded a score of 92/100. There was a special note on its "balance," and its "persistence and attractive afteraroma," as well as the "skilful use of barriques".
Bere
Staying in Italy, the first issue of the new Bere magazine in April set up a challenge in its "Wines Compared" column between three Supertuscans, including Lupicaia 1999, and three New World reds. The "thoroughbred," as Lupicaia was described, "presents intense aromas of blueberries and one of those flavours that fill the mouth, and are almost capable of satisfying hunger". Our wine took second place with a score of 88/100 awarded by a jury of anonymous experts. The May issue of Sempre Bere again dedicated space to Lupicaia 1999 in an article on the price of wine, reporting Lupicaia's price at a number of retail wine shops.
Falstaff
Moving outside Italy, we should mention the May issue of the Austrian magazine Falstaff, dedicated to the wines of the Tuscan coast. In the article, entitled "The Tuscan Wine Coast," author Othmar Kiem, who heads the magazine's Italian office, gives our estate and wines plenty of space. In the notes on the many wines tasted, Tassinaia 1999 scored 88/100 and Lupicaia 1999 took one of the top spots in a classification of the best wines with a fabulous 95/100. Kiem was back with Tuscan Coast wines again in the July-August issue of Falstaff, with tasting notes on the wines of the 1999, 2000 and 2001 vintages. The 2000 wines from Castello del Terriccio were awarded highly satisfactory scores, with 88/100 for Tassinaia, 92/100 for Lupicaia and 93/100 for the new Castello del Terriccio wine.
Revue du Vin de France
In the prestigious French magazine, Revue du Vin de France, Tassinaia won praise from critics and was described as an "aristocratic wine". In Philippe de Cantenac's article on "young, talented Italian wines," the author awarded the 2000 vintage 4 Stars out of the five available. Moving on from France into Germany, it was again Tassinaia 2000 that hit the headlines with a silver medal at the international Mundus Vini competition.
International Wine Challenge
The American wine press continues to focus attention on Castello del Terriccio wines. In an article on "New Wines from the Tuscan Coast" in the July-August issue of Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer), Edward Beltrami showers praise on the 1999 Tassinaia and Lupicaia, awarding the former 90/100 and the latter an astonishing 95/100, the second highest score awarded to any of the many wines tasted. Lupicaia is a wine "of compelling richness" thanks to "incredibly sweet and sensuous aromas of crushed dark berry fruit". Its "big, round tannins [are] leavened by a layer of refreshing acidity and the very long finish is sustained by a distinct mineral element".
Bibenda
Back in Italy, the Rome-based A.I.S. magazine Bibenda dedicated a full page to Castello del Terriccio in its issue number 8 for September-November 2003, as part of Daniela Scrobogna's article "Hitting the Jackpot" on the wines from around Bolgheri. The writer describes Terriccio's distinctive philosophy, firmly rooted in protecting nature and the countryside. She identifies in the estate's many eucalyptus plants the "secret of the fragrances and aromas that Lupicaia so generously dispenses," lauding the magnificent Terriccio terroir and supplying extremely positive tasting notes on the vintages currently on sale, and of Castello del Terriccio 2000, to be released next year. Lupicaia 2000, the estate's "flagship wine", is characterized as "rich in pulp, with the compactness and fusion of a thoroughbred".
WineReport
Our other new wine, the Sangiovese-based Capannino 2002, is already in the shops. It was the subject of a feature on journalist Franco Ziliani's WineReport site (www.winereport.com) on 4 October, when Capannino was "wine of the week". According to Ziliani, Capannino is "driven by an openly declared desire to please, and to be drunk without too much fuss". It is entirely convincing, demonstrating the huge potential of Sangiovese in Maremma. The fruit manages to "express itself in a vibrantly savoury, fresh, appealing fashion, full of bright exuberance from fresh acidity" and its "ravishing sweetness and close-knit aromatic weave".
In recent months, Castello del Terriccio wines have garnered numerous awards and tributes. One of the most significant was the inclusion of Lupicaia 1998 in the Top 100 Wines of the Year selected by Wine Enthusiast, and published in the December issue of the US-based magazine. Lupicaia 1998 was described as a wine of the very highest class and was awarded a score of 93/100.
The many articles that have focused on Terriccio and its wines include three extensive features published in three of the liveliest Italian-language wine magazines on the Internet, Acquabuona, Gola Gioconda and Tigullio Vino. The first two articles are detailed accounts of vertical tastings of Terriccio wines. The first, entitled Lupicaia, Il Fascino Indiscreto della "Bolgheria" (Lupicaia - The Indiscreet Charm of Bolgheria), is by Fernando Pardini and the second, from Leonardo Romanelli, describes a vertical tasting of Tassinaia and a tasting of three vintages of Lupicaia.
Tigullio Vino published in its "Appunti di Degustazione" (Tasting Notes) column an full account, complete with audio and video streaming, of a tasting dinner held last October 2 in Genoa at the La Brinca di Ne restaurant. For the occasion, Lupicaia 2000, Tassinaia 2000 and the 2001 Rondinaia and Con Vento bottlings were all served.
The French-language Belgian site 6 Minutes Wine hailed the arrival in the Low Countries of Lupicaia, comparing the 1998 vintage to a "fine Côte-Rôtie, in the style of Château d'Ampuis" and describing it as having "lots of matière, yet without being massive or over the top in consequence. Lovely balance thanks to the sweetness of the black fruit, spice, smokiness, a hint of oak, vanilla and refreshing acidity".
Moving on to 2003, on April 11 the Milan-based Corriere della Sera newspaper included a long article by Margherita D'Amico on its page dedicated to the opening of Vinitaly. The piece focused on Tenuta di Terriccio and its owner, Gian Annibale Rossi di Medelana, described in the headline as "The knight of wine with a passion for aircraft and fast cars". The article traces the winery's history and development, reconstructing the life and times of its owner in a very readable manner.
