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By Manos Angelakis
Lunch with Andrea Sartori & Franco Bernabei
A few days ago, I had lunch with Andrea Sartori and his world-renowned consulting winemaker Franco Bernabei. Franco is an Italian winemaker responsible for a number of fine wines that include the Sartori family’s Sartori di Verona and other excellent wines such as the Vistorta line for Conte Brandolini d’Adda, and Lodolaio Chianti Classico for the Vescine winery, in Chianti.
For over 100 years, Sartori di Verona has produced a number of high quality wines, and the goal was to sample the latest vintages to see the updates Franco has made to the wines. The improvements in winemaking technology since the end of the 1980s are responsible for a producer’s ability to create approachable and well tasting vintages, many ready to be drunk on purchase, but with the ability to improve if cellared for a few years.
When it comes to the “international-styled” wines that more and more producers are creating, the question always arises “Up to what point is it OK to use invasive technology on the raw materials?” Having been a filmmaker in the past, I always believed in “improving the project in post-production” if there was no other way to eliminate a problem, and this seems to be the case with changes in the wines of the last few years. The improvements are happening in the winery as well as the vineyard. In many cases, one can take a sow’s ear and with talent and understanding of the technology, turn it into a silk purse. I’m not implying that Sartori’s wines were or are a sow’s ear, these wines were always very good and the samples I tasted were, in my humble opinion, brilliant.
Three of the five wines we had with the lunch that I thought were dazzling: the Ferdi Bianco Veronese IGT, a lovely, aromatic white wine made from 100% Garganega grapes that come from Soave vineyards east of Verona; Corte Brà Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, an intense single-vineyard Amarone (50% Corvina Veronese, 40% Rondinella, 10% Molinara) from the Corte Brà vineyard that is created in the classic method by drying the grapes prior to vinification; Regolo Rosso Veronese, a 100% Corvina Veronese ripasso wine i.e. after fermentation the wine rests on lees of a different batch, in this case Amarone lees, which enhances both color and aromatics.
The dish that accompanied the white wine was grilled baby squid with a chopped salad on top; that dish paired very well with the Ferdi Bianco. The wine has a full body, a slightly salty ending, and enough acidity to accompany the char-grilled baby squid that had a considerably smoky taste. The two reds were paired with char-grilled lamb chops. The Corte Brà, a real winter wine, was the perfect accompaniment to the rare chops, with a velvety full body and a nose of ripe forest berries, plums, and violets, spicy and slightly raisiny. This wine shows vibrancy and style, intense flavors and good tannins. It is ready to drink on purchase, but will gain in complexity and balance when cellared for 4 to 6 years. The Regolo is a classic ripasso wine and the partial drying of the grapes, as well as resting after fermentation on the Amarone lees, gives this wine the feel of a baby Amarone. The vivid garnet body was dry and velvety with intense fruit forward aromas of cherry and dried plums and a hint of cedar and dried dates.
Pricewise as well, these wines are quite approachable.
2007 Ferdi Bianco Veronese IGT, $16.00 suggested list price.
2005 Regolo Rosso Veronese IGT, $21.00 suggested list price.
2003 Corte Brà Amarone della Valpolicella DOC, $52.00 suggested list price.
The lunch was a good excuse to talk with Andrea and Franco about innovative winemaking techniques, developing tastes amongst wine aficionados, and discuss fine wine making and marketing in a recessionary economy.
The Sartori di Verona wines are imported by Banfi Vintners, who also produces exquisite Italian wines under their own brand. Banfi just presented a new, also approachable when young wine called “Belnero”, the first new wine from Castello Banfi since Cristina Mariani-May took over management of the estate in 2007. But, that will be a story for the next issue when we’ll discuss new wines produced in Italy by well known winemakers that find that their traditional wines are no longer as desirable in the US market.
© April 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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