Bramaterra Wine

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  September 2009

  Anzivino Viticoltori In Gattinara Bramaterra d.o.c NV

  Snoothrank: Starting at $18^.40

  With a hearty pasta dish it's like a party in your mouth. By itself, maybe not as much personality. I'd give it 88/100

  Wine review by gedwinjr

  
  
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  August 2009

  Anzivino Viticoltori In Gattinara Bramaterra d.o.c NV

  Snoothrank:

  This is an average to good gattinara blend - nothing to detract from it, also nothing outstanding. Rating 85/100.

  Wine review by BeSK

  
  

• May 2009

  I've been documenting much of my days here via posts on the Snooth Forum but to ... makes wines from Lessona and Bramaterra, The soil in Bramaterra includes sand of volcanic origin and some decomposed porphyr but the sand, and rock it's derived from accounts for the significant... Read moreI've been documenting much of my days here via posts on the Snooth Forum but to ... makes wines from Lessona and Bramaterra, The soil in Bramaterra includes sand of volcanic origin and some decomposed porphyr but the sand, and rock it's derived from accounts for the significant differences between the two wines. both wines are made in a very traditional way and are aged in the Sella cellars in large, neutral wood, though some new oak has been used on some wines. I'll of course add tasting note for the sella wines soon but we had a great visit and i know a shipment of wines is on way to the US as we speak so I hope you al keep an eye out for them. Our Next day began with a visit with one of my favorite producer, Mauro Mascarello of Giuseppe Mascarello. We tasted the line-up chez Mascarello along with renowned Italian journalist Franco Ziliani. As usual this was a high point of my trip. The wines were great, as they tend to be. We toured the cellar after the tasting where, among other gems, lay future vintages of the famed single vineyard Monprivato aging comfortably in their large wood botte. Of course it could be argued that these large ovals aren't really large botte. I don't think that Franco and Mauro were actually arguing that while we took a look at these really large botte, out of commission for over a decade but still a fixture in the winery! The botte are not the only contains that are throwbacks to another era found in the Mascarello cantina. Both 13.5 liter quarter brentas and these awfully attractive damigiane, look at those tin labels, how cool is that, are still used regulalry to help manage quantities of wines. i want to manage one right into my cellar. Heck, I'ld even take one empty! Afer the cellar tour we went to da Felicin for a great lunch when we had the chance to blind taste a few great and very surprising bottles of wine. A very humbling experience for all involved as no one really got any right.My guesses from left to right:  1993 La Morra from Rivalta, a 1988 Barolo from Monforte, a 1978 Barolo from Barolo, and finaly a 1974 from who knows. the wines totally outperformed and that was probably due to the fact that they've spent all the life in one place after having been moved a few kilometers. What a lovely lunch and a humbling experience. After lunch we were treated to a tour of the cellar where we got a chance to see some of the wines we didn't drink. Suffice it to say we had a blast taking a look around at treasures like these. After lunch, it was a long lunch so after lunch it was 5, we headed back to Alba for the welcome reception for the Alba Wine Exhibition. Along the way we stopped by to take a look at Mauro's Monprivato vineyard. I have another shot of the vineyard from Cannubi that I'll post tomorrow but looking north from Monprivato  one can see the wonderful Bricco Boschis estate of the Cavallotto family.  The winery is centered on the top of the ridge and all you see is Bricco Boschis, well pretty much. Further to the west and a bit further north is Alberto Racca's tenute Montanello. certainly a new operation but one with roots going back over a hundred. the facilities were once the Cooperative winery for the village of Castiglione Falletto and occupies a wonderful vantage point overlooking some of the great crus of Castiglione. I'm cheating a bit now as we jump ahead a day to Monday night when we ended up in the village of Barbaresco for an afternoon tasting and dinner at Antica Torre. Since we had about 90 minutes to kill between the tasting and dinner we decided to take a walk out of the south of the village to visit some rather renowned vineyards. For example here we are looking back towards the village and you can see Moccagatta under the houses that line the top of the ridge and beneath that Paje. Here's a closer look at Paje. You might notice how lush and verdant the vineyard in the middle is. That's Roagna's organically grown vineyard producing exceptional wines while in totally harmony with the naturally occuring ground cover that help to prevent the landslides that have plagued this region recently. Good for the wine, good for the environment and good for the terrain. Why doesn't every vineyard look like this? We continued down the road until we came to the fork that divides Faset on the right from Asili on the left. We went up the right hand road and walked up to the top of Bricco Faset. We then went down through the vines and turned back to take this picture of Bricco Asili, just the crown of this hill. We made it over to the road that heads down through the vines and under Bricco Asili and went around the corner where we ended up under Martinenga with Asili to the left and Rabaja to the right. Perhaps the most important slope in all of Barbaresco and that's the photo that did not come out! I did however get a photos of these unusually high pruned old vines that lay at the bottom of this famed slope separating these vineyards from the Rio Sordo  which lies just beyond the stand of trees on the background. We climbed up through Rabaja and Asili and let me tell you I will never forget how steep these vineyards are. It has been a great start to this trip and I have alot more to come. I've got some great video of the vineyards as well so help put them all in context. I hope you enjoyed this little bit and I look foward to my next installment. Until then Ciao! Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snoot    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Views from Italy by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• May 2009

  Views from Italy I've been documenting much of my days here via posts on the ... makes wines from Lessona and Bramaterra, The soil in Bramaterra includes sand of volcanic origin and some decomposed porphyr but the sand, and rock it's derived from accounts for the significant... Read moreViews from Italy I've been documenting much of my days here via posts on the ... makes wines from Lessona and Bramaterra, The soil in Bramaterra includes sand of volcanic origin and some decomposed porphyr but the sand, and rock it's derived from accounts for the significant differences between the two wines. both wines are made in a very traditional way and are aged in the Sella cellars in large, neutral wood, though some new oak has been used on some wines. I'll of course add tasting note for the sella wines soon but we had a great visit and i know a shipment of wines is on way to the US as we speak so I hope you al keep an eye out for them. Our Next day began with a visit with one of my favorite producer, Mauro Mascarello of Giuseppe Mascarello. We tasted the line-up chez Mascarello along with renowned Italian journalist Franco Ziliani. As usual this was a high point of my trip. The wines were great, as they tend to be. We toured the cellar after the tasting where, among other gems, lay future vintages of the famed single vineyard Monprivato aging comfortably in their large wood botte. Of course it could be argued that these large ovals aren't really large botte. I don't think that Franco and Mauro were actually arguing that while we took a look at these really large botte, out of commission for over a decade but still a fixture in the winery! The botte are not the only contains that are throwbacks to another era found in the Mascarello cantina. Both 13.5 liter quarter brentas and these awfully attractive damigiane, look at those tin labels, how cool is that, are still used regulalry to help manage quantities of wines. i want to manage one right into my cellar. Heck, I'ld even take one empty! Afer the cellar tour we went to da Felicin for a great lunch when we had the chance to blind taste a few great and very surprising bottles of wine. A very humbling experience for all involved as no one really got any right.My guesses from left to right:  1993 La Morra from Rivalta, a 1988 Barolo from Monforte, a 1978 Barolo from Barolo, and finaly a 1974 from who knows. the wines totally outperformed and that was probably due to the fact that they've spent all the life in one place after having been moved a few kilometers. What a lovely lunch and a humbling experience. After lunch we were treated to a tour of the cellar where we got a chance to see some of the wines we didn't drink. Suffice it to say we had a blast taking a look around at treasures like these. After lunch, it was a long lunch so after lunch it was 5, we headed back to Alba for the welcome reception for the Alba Wine Exhibition. Along the way we stopped by to take a look at Mauro's Monprivato vineyard. I have another shot of the vineyard from Cannubi that I'll post tomorrow but looking north from Monprivato  one can see the wonderful Bricco Boschis estate of the Cavallotto family.  The winery is centered on the top of the ridge and all you see is Bricco Boschis, well pretty much. Further to the west and a bit further north is Alberto Racca's tenute Montanello. certainly a new operation but one with roots going back over a hundred. the facilities were once the Cooperative winery for the village of Castiglione Falletto and occupies a wonderful vantage point overlooking some of the great crus of Castiglione. I'm cheating a bit now as we jump ahead a day to Monday night when we ended up in the village of Barbaresco for an afternoon tasting and dinner at Antica Torre. Since we had about 90 minutes to kill between the tasting and dinner we decided to take a walk out of the south of the village to visit some rather renowned vineyards. For example here we are looking back towards the village and you can see Moccagatta under the houses that line the top of the ridge and beneath that Paje. Here's a closer look at Paje. You might notice how lush and verdant the vineyard in the middle is. That's Roagna's organically grown vineyard producing exceptional wines while in totally harmony with the naturally occuring ground cover that help to prevent the landslides that have plagued this region recently. Good for the wine, good for the environment and good for the terrain. Why doesn't every vineyard look like this? We continued down the road until we came to the fork that divides Faset on the right from Asili on the left. We went up the right hand road and walked up to the top of Bricco Faset. We then went down through the vines and turned back to take this picture of Bricco Asili, just the crown of this hill. We made it over to the road that heads down through the vines and under Bricco Asili and went around the corner where we ended up under Martinenga with Asili to the left and Rabaja to the right. Perhaps the most important slope in all of Barbaresco and that's the photo that did not come out! I did however get a photos of these unusually high pruned old vines that lay at the bottom of this famed slope separating these vineyards from the Rio Sordo  which lies just beyond the stand of trees on the background. We climbed up through Rabaja and Asili and let me tell you I will never forget how steep these vineyards are. It has been a great start to this trip and I have alot more to come. I've got some great video of the vineyards as well so help put them all in context. I hope you enjoyed this little bit and I look foward to my next installment. Until then Ciao! Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snoot    (hide)

  From the article Views from Italy

  
  

• May 2009

  So i typed up a more detailed update and posted it but I don't see it here! In ... that make Lessona and Bramaterra such different wines. I also was able to try a barrel of Croatina to see how this unusually tea scented variety affectsthe Bramaterra. Wines from Sella are on their... Read moreSo i typed up a more detailed update and posted it but I don't see it here! In ... that make Lessona and Bramaterra such different wines. I also was able to try a barrel of Croatina to see how this unusually tea scented variety affectsthe Bramaterra. Wines from Sella are on their way to the states as we speak. Be on the look out for the great, transparent and nervous 2007 Orbello. Barbera based yet with a complex array of notes coming from the Nebbiolo, Croatina, Vespolina and Cabernet in the blend it's a 12.5% winner! After Sella we drove down to Alba and had dinner at Piazza Duomo. Pretty brilliant food paired with the wines of cerretto. The 2008 Balnghe Arneis was precise yet rich, a very slid showing. We followed that with a 204 Barbaresco Bernadot which had too much sweet spicy oak on the nose for me, a 2003 Le Strette Barolo from the Novello estate of Cerretto's winemaker which showed a fair amount of date and fig character on the nose but was a very round and supple 2003. We ended the dry reds with Cerretto's 1999 Barolo Brunate, big and powerful with the superb tannin of 1999 paired with the almost opulent character of Bruante. Still a baby but with excellent potential. We then moved on to the 1971 Toro Arbala PX which was it's usual viscous, molasses, dried fruit, cocoa and spicy self. Delicious and incredibly long it was a fine way to end a meal. Well now I am off to survey damage in some vineyards, the recent rains which were the worst in 200 years have caused many landslides, and then taste through the wines of Mauro Mascarello. I'll report back with more info later and hope to post some photos and video this evening    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Italy update 1 by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  
• 

  November 2008

  Bramaterra Sella 2004

  Snoothrank:

  Excellent wine representing the Piedmont region. If you like Nebbiolo this is an exotic, dark-berried, spicy fruit choice.

  Wine review by SteveNY

  
  
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  October 2008

  Sella Bramaterra 2001

  Snoothrank:

  70% nebbiolo, 20% croatina, 10% vespolina from 45 year old vines. This is a very different wine with a bit of soapy florality on the nose, notes of clay, juniper and meat with lots of plum skin fruit, distinctly bigger, more powerful, and less penetrating on the nose. Chewy in the... Read more70% nebbiolo, 20% croatina, 10% vespolina from 45 year old vines. This is a very different wine with a bit of soapy florality on the nose, notes of clay, juniper and meat with lots of plum skin fruit, distinctly bigger, more powerful, and less penetrating on the nose. Chewy in the mouth with some stiff tannins, great acidity, notes of pear skin with the accompanying astringent note, plum skins again in the mouth with a note of bitter peach pit leading to a long juicy finish. A bit disjointed at this stage and showing much darker and earthier than the Lessona. With air the wine does really develops with notes of pine resin and roast cherry on the nose while relaxing and filling out in the mouth gaining a sense of lushness that is kept at bay with a vein of bitter chichory. The finish remains a bit short but this is very promising and will improve with 3-5 years of cellaring    (hide)

  Wine review by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

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