Calabretta Winery

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  June 2008

  Calabretta Carricante Bianco 2005

  Snoothrank:

  The wine was refreshingly intense. The Carricante provides wonderfully rich orange and lemon peel fruit and anise spiciness; the Minnella filled the middle with a touch of golden, almond creaminess.

  Wine review by danpetroski

  
  

• June 2008

  The Sicilians say, that Sicily is a great place to live but a terrible place to ... the prominent red producer, Calabretta. It was the Carricante Bianco 2005 (Mt. Etna) with Minnella blended in. The wine was refreshingly intense. The Carricante provides wonderfuly rich orange and... Read moreThe Sicilians say, that Sicily is a great place to live but a terrible place to ... the prominent red producer, Calabretta. It was the Carricante Bianco 2005 (Mt. Etna) with Minnella blended in. The wine was refreshingly intense. The Carricante provides wonderfuly rich orange and lemon peel fruit and anise spiciness; the Minnella filled the middle with a touch of golden, almond creaminess. Calbretta's neighboring Mt. Etna producer, Benanti creates probably the most famous Sicilian wine, Pietramarina which is 100% Caricante. They also produce a 100% Minnella bottling (a rarity which is probably not available in the States). Pietramarina is equally hard to come by, even in Sicily. A few Sicilian restaurants were ahead of the curve, when Gambero Rosso was giving the wine Three Glasses starting in the late 90's, and got on the distribution list early. At the final night dinner of my trip (an odd selection, a Japanese restaurant serving sushi from Sicilian specialty fish like Pesce Spada - Sword Fish), we drank the 2003 Pietramarina. The wine was showing early oxidized stages of honeyed earthiness, soft citrus fruit center and elegant minerality and acidity. The wine was complete - equal parts intensity and finesse. - Here are some other tasting notes from the trip: Firriato Santagostino bianco Baglio Soria 2007 IGT (Cataratto 70%, Chardonnay 30%). Catarratto is the second most widely planted white grape in Italy (or so the Sicilians tell me). Primarily used in the production of Marsala, it has been transformed to table wine in the present days. Once again Sicilian whites appear to be coming off as one big lemon peel wrapped around apple and almond creaminess. The wine had the underpinnings of wonderful refreshment. However, the wine makers in Sicily seem to be a little behind the times, playing to yesterday's New World approach to Chardonnay - viscous, creamy and oaky. Those latter characteristics in this wine, made the wine a little off-putting, but enjoyable with our breadcrumb encrusted Spigola (Sea Bass) swimming in olive oil. Maurigi Terre di Sophia Chardonnay 2005. Similar to the Firriato above, the Chardonnay was over-treated with wood and a little less appealing as the other wines consumed that night at the Japanese restaurant - the Benanti Pietramarina and Maurigi's other white a 100% Viognier which had all the aromatic character of a Condrieu but in a much lower gear; however the wine put the pedal to the metal in the acid department, just ripping around the corners and through the straight-aways of the mouth. I need to look into this producer, Maurigi, other wines on the restaurant list included a Sicilian Pinot Noir and a Sauvignon Blanc! Valle dell Acate Frappato 2007. A summer red. It should be served a little chilled and goes well with appetizers, cheeses, cured meats and pates and won't overpower the occasional fish dish. A bright red color with hints of rose petals and strawberries. This wine is light and wildly aromatic. Villagrande ETNA Bianco 2006: Another Carricante based white wine that was soft and supple and showing finesse around the wines flashy minerality due to the region's volcanic soil and pumic stone character. Barone di Villagrande Malvasia delle Lipari. A dessert wine (Passito) from the Aeolian island of Lipari. One of my all-time favorite wines. I could live intravenously on the stuff. Unlike the harsh Marsala that Sicily is famous for, this wine is pure elegance wrapped in floral beauty and seductive sweetness. Dan Petroski is Assistant Winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa Valley. Dan has an MBA from New York University and worked as an Ad Exec in New York for several years, before switching it up and trading his suit for a move out west    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic A Postcard from Sicily by Dan

  
  

• June 2008

  A Postcard from Sicily The Sicilians say, that Sicily is a great place to live ... the prominent red producer, Calabretta. It was the Carricante Bianco 2005 (Mt. Etna) with Minnella blended in. The wine was refreshingly intense. The Carricante provides wonderfully rich orange and... Read moreA Postcard from Sicily The Sicilians say, that Sicily is a great place to live ... the prominent red producer, Calabretta. It was the Carricante Bianco 2005 (Mt. Etna) with Minnella blended in. The wine was refreshingly intense. The Carricante provides wonderfully rich orange and lemon peel fruit and anise spiciness; the Minnella filled the middle with a touch of golden, almond creaminess. Calbretta's neighboring Mt. Etna producer, Benanti creates probably the most famous Sicilian wine, Pietramarina which is 100% Caricante. They also produce a 100% Minnella bottling (a rarity which is probably not available in the States). Pietramarina is equally hard to come by, even in Sicily. A few Sicilian restaurants were ahead of the curve, when Gambero Rosso was giving the wine Three Glasses starting in the late 90's, and got on the distribution list early. At the final night dinner of my trip (an odd selection, a Japanese restaurant serving sushi from Sicilian specialty fish like Pesce Spada - Sword Fish), we drank the 2003 Pietramarina. The wine was showing early oxidized stages of honeyed earthiness, soft citrus fruit center and elegant minerality and acidity. The wine was complete - equal parts intensity and finesse. - Here are some other tasting notes from the trip: Firriato Santagostino bianco Baglio Soria 2007 IGT (Cataratto 70%, Chardonnay 30%). Catarratto is the second most widely planted white grape in Italy (or so the Sicilians tell me). Primarily used in the production of Marsala, it has been transformed to table wine in the present days. Once again Sicilian whites appear to be coming off as one big lemon peel wrapped around apple and almond creaminess. The wine had the underpinnings of wonderful refreshment. However, the wine makers in Sicily seem to be a little behind the times, playing to yesterday's New World approach to Chardonnay - viscous, creamy and oaky. Those latter characteristics in this wine, made the wine a little off-putting, but enjoyable with our breadcrumb encrusted Spigola (Sea Bass) swimming in olive oil. Maurigi Terre di Sophia Chardonnay 2005. Similar to the Firriato above, the Chardonnay was over-treated with wood and a little less appealing as the other wines consumed that night at the Japanese restaurant - the Benanti Pietramarina and Maurigi's other white a 100% Viognier which had all the aromatic character of a Condrieu but in a much lower gear; however the wine put the pedal to the metal in the acid department, just ripping around the corners and through the straight-aways of the mouth. I need to look into this producer, Maurigi, other wines on the restaurant list included a Sicilian Pinot Noir and a Sauvignon Blanc! Valle dell Acate Frappato 2007. A summer red. It should be served a little chilled and goes well with appetizers, cheeses, cured meats and pates and won't overpower the occasional fish dish. A bright red color with hints of rose petals and strawberries. This wine is light and wildly aromatic. Villagrande ETNA Bianco 2006: Another Carricante based white wine that was soft and supple and showing finesse around the wines flashy minerality due to the region's volcanic soil and pumic stone character. Barone di Villagrande Malvasia delle Lipari. A dessert wine (Passito) from the Aeolian island of Lipari. One of my all-time favorite wines. I could live intravenously on the stuff. Unlike the harsh Marsala that Sicily is famous for, this wine is pure elegance wrapped in floral beauty and seductive sweetness.    (hide)

  From the article A Postcard from Sicily

  
  

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