VIAS MONTHLY 1 NEWSLETTER & PRICING | ISSUE XXXVI | DECEMBER 2020 | NATIONAL VIAS IMPORTS LTD. 875 6TH AVE SUITE 1500 NEW YORK, NY 10001 | 212-629-0200 | VIASWINE.COM | @VIASWINE 2 VIAS MONTHLY DECEMBER 2020 ISSUE Piedmont, the land of dreams Araldica, vineyards “Vedo solo colline e mi riempiono il cielo e la terra” “I only see hills and they fill the sky and the earth” Cesare Pavese How to discover Piedmont experiencing Vias in Italian means literally “at the foot of the moun- wines? tain” it borders France and Switzerland on the Northside and the southern side with the Apen- The land of Piedmont is a real dream for wine lov- nine. The Po river crosses the entire region, and ers and beyond. Most Piedmont wines are mono- the Alps creates a barrier almost like an amphithe- varietal, and the region is also the first example of ater surrounding the under vine areas. the zoning of wine-growing areas giving birth to crus and terroir. Piedmont is the only Italian region without IGT denominations, only DOC (42) and DOCG (18) on The geography of Piedmont is important to un- a surface of around 43.500 Ha. There are about 31 derstand the quality of his wines. On the same lat- native grape varieties in Piedmont between red itude as Bordeaux, Piedmont, situated at the foot and white. Most of Piedmonts under-vine area is of the Alps, which it also takes its name. Piemonte in the warmest and southern part; the northern VIAS MONTHLY 3 part of the Colline Novaresi area is where Gattinara and Ghemme are. The northern terroir is rich in iron and acidity and does not have as much as calcareous part as per the southern part. These two wines are both made from Nebbiolo grape, but in this area is called Spanna; the two-zones cross the Sesia River, one on the left one on the right side. The taste be- tween these two examples of Nebbiolo wines is different. Gattinara wine tends to have polished tannins and more approachable upon release than a Barolo, however with great cellar-wor- thy structures that ages well for decades. The Ghemme, less famous than Gattinara, although its complexity is fascinating, and it shows even more through its aging. Vias Imports portfolio, represented in this area by the family-owned winery of Il Chiosso. The name represents a vineyard bordered by a stone wall, which symbolizes the prized vineyard. The wines are fermented with natural yeast, a biody- namic approach keeping as low as possible the impact on the environment. A small reality with a big-hearted passion for their territory and wines that go directly in a bottle. Going clockwise, on the eastern side of Piedmont, we meet the Monferrato wine region, divided into Piedmont Vias Map areas, Astigiano, Casalese, and Alto Monferrato ar- eas and then going South the Colli Tortonesi wine region. The native grapes of the area are Barbera, market. To end with Marenco with their great se- Grignolino, Albarossa, and Brachetto for the red lection from Moscato d’Asti Scrapona (as per cover grapes and the white: Cortese, Moscato Bianco, page), Brachetto d’Acqui Pineto, to name a few, Timorasso. Monferratos climate is dry continental perfectly mirroring their territory, tradition, and with warm summers and cold winters and a par- innovation. ticular hydrogeological structure of the soils that Then there is the world-famous wine region of go from sandy to limestone and clay that favor Langhe, where the history of Italian wine was the viticulture with a vast range of wine varietals. written. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage The Colli Tortonesi area presents a tuffaceous, clay Site, which a few days ago, the city of Barolo was soil instead. These soil components are important awarded the “Capital of Oenological Culture” for to define the aromas and the unicity of this area 2021. wines. In the Heart of Piedmont, the Roero and Langhe The wineries of Vias Imports that proudly repre- are closing the magical amphitheater of vines sent these areas are Franco Roero in Monferrato below the Alps. In Langhe the soils can be divided area with their specialty of Grignolino and Barbera into two mains part: d’Asti Carbunè; their philosophy is to show maxi- Elveziano: which has dark thick sandy soil that mum respect for the vineyards, soil, and surround- provides the wine characteristics that lead them ing environment. Then Araldica, embedded in to be more structured and richer in tannins, suit to tradition valuing their territory with Barbera d’Asti age better. Albera DOCG and then the Cortese Piemonte DOC Tortoniano: that present light soil and bluish-gray of Castelvero. Broglia and their Cortese di Gavi marl gives the wine more aromatics velvety taste, Bruno Broglia DOCG and the finesse of Timorasso elegance, and less aging. DOC just launched a few months ago in the U.S. 4 VIAS MONTHLY DECEMBER 2020 ISSUE Langhe is divided into Bassa Langa and Alta Lan- ga. In this area, the Nebbiolo Grape is cultivated Then Giovanni Rosso, the most awarded winery of mostly for Barolo DOCG and Barbaresco DOCG. this year, with their Barolos, Barolo Ester Canale Other grapes are as per Dolcetto and Barbera Rosso Poderi dell’Antica Vigna Rionda 2016, got d’Alba and Arneis for the white wines of Roero 100 Points from Wine Enthusiast! They like to DOCG. say that they are not just Barolo producers but We are proud of our producers in Langhe: start- Serralunga producers! Like another Serralunga ing from Produttori del Barbaresco, 50 families producer related to Giovanni Rosso due to their in 250 acres, they only grow Nebbiolo grapes and strong friendship are the wines of Davide Fre- nothing else to produce Barbaresco DOCG har- gonese, who pursue his dream of making Barolo vested from different vineyards, and Nebbiolo wines. Langhe suited for earlier consumption. In great Garesio is also another great example for Ser- vintages, nine single-vineyard Barbarescos are ralunga wines, certified organic and sustainable produced from nine classic premium sites within farming that produce full-bodied wines, elegant the Barbaresco village boundaries. and expressive of their territory. La Ganghija, this family-run wine-growing busi- Last but not least Distilleria Sibona is one of the ness, small production but high-quality wines most unique distillates in the world. Obtained by in the heart of Langhe area. Pecchenino, which distilling the pomace (the skins of grapes) remain- owns 26 hectares in Dogliani, the land of Dolcetto ing after the grapes are pressed to make wine. also their specialty, and 5 hectares in Monforte Grappa, by law, must be distilled in Italy using d’Alba. The family-owned winery high sustain- pomace from Italian grapes and is typically an able viticulture, and in the cellar fermentation, is exclusive Italian distillate. carried out with the grapes indigenous yeasts to guarantee effective preservation of each vine- yards typical characteristics. Franco Roero vineyard VIAS MONTHLY 5 Producers listed point guide alphabetically by country 90+ WA=Wine Advocate • WE=Wine Enthusiast • WS=Wine Spectator W&S=Wine & Spirits Magazine • VM=Vinous Media • JS=James Suckling • 3B=Tre Bicchieri ITALIAN PORTFOLIO WINERY WINE REGION VTG 90+ SCORES WINERY WINE REGION VTG SCORES Acinum Amarone VENETO 2015 91 WE Baglio del Sole Inzolia Catarratto SICILY 2018 92 JS Baglio del Sole Nero d’Avola SICILY 2018 92 JS Baricci Brunello di Montalcino TUSCANY 2015 96 WA, 96 VM, 94 WE, 94WS Baricci Rosso di Montalcino TUSCANY 2018 91 WE, 93 VM Broglia Bruno Broglia PIEDMONT 2017 91 WE, 92 JS, 90 JS Broglia La Meirana PIEDMONT 2018 91 JS Broglia Vecchia Annatta PIEDMONT 2010 90 JS Camigliano Brunello di Montalcino TUSCANY 2015 94 JS, 94 WA, 93 WS Camigliano Paesaggio Inatteso Brunello TUSCANY 2015 95 WA, 92 VM, 93 WS Camigliano Rosso di Montalcino TUSCANY 2018 90 VM Camigliano Poderuccio TUSCANY 2018 90 JS Campo alle Comete Bolgheri Stupore TUSCANY 2016 94 WS, 93 WE, 90 JS Campo alle Comete Bolgheri Superiore TUSCANY 2016 94 JS, 93 WA, 93 WS Campo alle Comete Bolgheri Superiore TUSCANY 2015 94 WS Campo alle Comete Cabernet Sauvignon TUSCANY 2017 91 JS, 90 WS Campo alle Comete Cabernet Sauvignon TUSCANY 2016 90 WE Castello dei Rampolla Chianti Classico TUSCANY 2018 93 JS, 92 WA Castello dei Rampolla D’Alceo TUSCANY 2015 95 JS, 91 WA, 94 WE, 96 WS Castello dei Rampolla D’Alceo TUSCANY 2016 97 VM, 96 WA, 97 JS Castello dei Rampolla Merlot Liu TUSCANY 2018 94 WA Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco TUSCANY 2015 98 JS, 95 WA, 98 WE, 95 WS, 95 VM Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco TUSCANY 2017 95 VM, 98 JS Castello dei Rampolla Trebbiano di Santa Lucia TUSCANY 2019 93 JS, 91+ WA Cataldi Madonna Cerasuolo ABRUZZO 2019 90 WE Cataldi Madonna Montepulciano Malandrino ABRUZZO 2019 90 VM Cataldi Madonna Montepulciano Toni ABRUZZO 2015 92 VM, 93 WA Colpetrone Rosso di Montepulciano UMBRIA 2015 92 VM 6 VIAS MONTHLY DECEMBER 2020 ISSUE WINERY WINE REGION VTG 90+ SCORES Colpetrone Montefalco Sagrantino UMBRIA 2015 92 JS Davide Fregonese Barolo Cerretta PIEDMONT 2014 92 WS, 90 WA, 92 WE Davide Fregonese Barolo Prapo PIEDMONT 2014 93 WS, 91 WA Fattoria del Cerro Antica Chiusina TUSCANY 2015 93 JS Fattoria del Cerro Rosso di Montepulciano TUSCANY 2018 91 JS Fattoria del Cerro Vino Nobile di Montepulciano TUSCANY 2016 90 WE Fattoria del Cerro Vino Nobile Riserva TUSCANY 2015 92 JS Feudi del Pisciotto Cerasuolo di Vittoria SICILY 2017 90 JS Feudi del Pisciotto Frappato Marengo SICILY 2017 91 WS Fossacolle Brunello di Montalcino TUSCANY 2016 94 JS Fossacolle Brunello di Montalcino TUSCANY 2015 97 JS, 93 WA, 92 VM Fossacolle Brunello di Montalcino Riserva TUSCANY