Women in Wine Evolution

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-Emilia Aiello

Women winemakers are not a new phenomena, but in the last few years as I deep dive into my own area of interest and expertise (southern Italy), I have noticed a curious commonality in emerging wine regions: women.

Italy is well established on the wine map, but certain regions remain obscure. You know where Rome is, but what about Lazio, the entire region that surrounds the ancient city? As of late, Lazio is gaining momentum. Perhaps the hype has yet to reach the United States, but in Italy the region is putting on numerous tastings each year to highlight the local producers and grapes— Lazio is hyping up Lazio. Initially, creating interest in the local area is more important than abroad as working the local community inevitably works the local economy. My eyes were already on Lazio when I worked as the wine director at a Roman osteria in New York City, but before I tasted the wines of Maria Ernesta Berucci I had yet to really experience great Lazio wine. Her vini had an entirely new character— wild and bright, with a depth of flavor I had noticed only a handful of times in my youthful career. The wines intrigued me so much that I decided to meet Maria Ernesta on her own turf (vineyards) in Piglio. I met a woman so immersed in her work that it had no separation from her life. Not as as workaholic, but rather someone who applies the same ethos and dedication to their work as they do to their overall way of living. I also discovered that Maria Ernesta is well integrated in her community, aligning herself with vignaioli (winegrower in Italian) who follow similar principles. She shows up at every community tasting event and is part of Ciociaria Naturale, a coalition of small producers from a very specific part of Lazio whose goal is not just to make good wine, but to foster community and pride in an otherwise energy-barren region.

Once in tune to Maria Ernesta, my palate was primed to taste wines differently. I began to look to other regions of Italy ramping up— who was behind this energy shift, and why now? In Abruzzo, for instance, women are emerging as some of the brightest talents (Tiberio, Ciavolich, and Emidio Pepe‘s granddaugher, Chiara is officially taking over the winemaking side). Their wines are amazing, but in a particular way. Similar to the story of Maria Ernesta in Lazio, their total immersion in their work and ability to incorporate their business skills with their agricultural and winemaking prowess are bringing hype to the region among consumers and the younger local generations. Women are often at the forefront of social movements and change, and it seems that the wine industry is no outlier.

I suppose it would now make sense for me to give you an exposé on the aforementioned names and wines, but my story is not finished. These women inspire me to step outside of my comfort zone, and I am following the breadcrumbs to other regions and winemakers that make wine with this particular energetic charge. Paul Marcus Wines  gives me the space and privilege to taste and learn about pretty much every wine region of the world. Amazingly, that energy and wild nature that I first experienced tasting Maria Ernesta’s cesanese wine from Lazio, is a throughline in particular wines made in other countries, regardless of grape and terroir. My theory is perhaps now clear. Of course, I am not claiming that only women are capable of making charged vino, but rather it takes a certain investment—winemakers that have fully bought in to what they do and who view grape growing and winemaking as a way of life. I just happen to notice this approach is more prolific among women.

For Women’s History Month I chose two women trailblazers who are not Italian, that have opened up my mind and taste buds to new possibilities. They successfully weave in their own imaginations and experience to create wines that are somehow equally wholly unique and timeless classics.

 

Terah Bajjalieh of Terah Wine Co. 

Terah Bajjalieh is a winemaker and consultant from California. A native Californian with Palestinian roots, Terah refined her unique style and found her love of wine by way of food and from her travels across the globe. She started her professional career in the hospitality industry studying at the International Culinary Institute in California. She then spent time working in wine bars, a Michelin-starred restaurant, wine education, and consulting in the Bay Area. The next step for Terah was to ambitiously immerse herself into the international world of wine, studying Enology and Viticulture in both Spain and France. She has completed 13 harvests in five countries: Meursault (France); Barossa Valley (Australia); Marlborough (New Zealand); Mendoza (Argentina); Sierra Foothills (U.S.); Sonoma (U.S.); Napa Valley (U.S.); The Willamette Valley (U.S.). 

The California wine climate is shifting and while the days of big house cabs and zins are still here, they have moved aside to allow for more diversity in grape variety and winemaking. Terah’s philosophy comes from years of experience and experimentation. She focuses on lesser known California growing areas as well as Mediterranean grape varieties. Her wines are a pure and expressive blend of CA climate, Mediterranean vibes, and Terah’s kind and discerning personality.

2023 Falanghina Skin Contact Orange (Lost Slough Vineyard in Clarksburg)

100% Falanghina, native to the Sannio area of Campania, Italy

Situated in the heart of the Clarksburg AVA, this growing region benefits from the cool breezes that flow from the Sacramento River Delta. Combined with the rich sandy, clay loam soils, it is an environment that is optimal for producing exceptional wine grapes. The maritime influence tempers the region’s warm days, allowing for slow and even ripening, which preserves acid and results in wines with incredible freshness. 

100% destemmed and fermented on skins through primary fermentation for 12 days. This process allows the grape skins to impart color, flavor, and texture, resulting in a wine with enhanced complexity and character. Pump-overs were performed during the maceration period, and fermentation naturally commenced due to the wild yeast and native bacteria. These techniques ensured even extraction of flavors, and tannins from the skins, promoting a harmonious integration of elements. The wine was aged on fine lees for 10 months in stainless steel. Unfined and unfiltered to preserve texture and integrity.

Crisp notes of freshly picked green apples and vibrant citrus peel intertwine with more intricate layers of brioche, dried apricots, and honeyed figs. Chewy tannins with long-lasting minerality. This is a very approachable orange wine, with zero funk. Think of it more like a rich white when you choose your food pairings: hard cheeses; hearty roast chicken dishes; al pastor tacos. 

2024 Terah Wine Co. Vermentino (just bottled/new release!)

100% Vermentino

The vermentino grape’s origins are unknown, with Spain, France, AND Italy claiming native rights over the variety. Regardless of its true origin, it is 100% Mediterranean. 2024 was just bottled four weeks ago and is making its debut with Paul Marcus Wines. The classic subtle peachy stone fruit, fresh cut grass, lemony zing is reminiscent of a Corsican version, while the palate has an oily/silky feel more akin to Sardegna’s blueprint. I suppose what we are tasting is the richness of the California climate and fertile soils, combined with Terah’s unique ability to coax out the grape’s vivacious acid and minerality.

 

 

Sarolta Bárdos of Tokaj Nobilis

“Sarolta is one of these people who is constantly and seemingly unconsciously sampling herbs, smelling blossoms, inspecting leaves and so on. Her palate isn’t just shaped and informed by the grapes, but everything surrounding them”– Eric Danch

Hungary is not a country that first comes to mind when we list off the great wine regions of the world, though the sweet Tokaji wines made from Hungary’s native furmint grape is one of the most reputable sweet wines of the world. It remains as the country’s flagship wine and the only testable Hungarian wine on the blind tasting portion of certified sommelier exams*. So what about the region’s other varieties and wines? While they do not totally remain in oblivion, they are so obscure we really only source them from one importer here in California, Danch & Granger. 

Tokaj, Hungary has an extraordinary number of women winemakers. According to Eric Danch, importer and our de facto Eastern European wine guru, the reasons for this are varied: since sweet wines were historically the most important wine, it’s often cited that women had a better sense of sweetness and therefore when to pick the grapes. Out of practicality, they found themselves in the cellar tasting as well. Another potential impetus could be that during the communist period, men were obligated to go out and work, leaving the women at home to tend to the family, cook, and make the house wine. 

Born and raised in Tokaj, Sarolta Bárdos possesses a keen awareness of the changes and challenges facing the region. Beginning her career studying at the University of Horticulture in Budapest, she took advantage of the recently fallen Iron Curtain and spent time in France, Italy and Spain. Upon returning to Hungary, she worked at Gróf Degenfeld and soon after became the inaugural winemaker at Béres Winery in nearby Erdőbénye overseeing 45 ha of vineyards. Preferring closer attention to detail and the total knowledge inherent in small-scale winemaking, she left and planted her own 6 ha in 1999. In 2005 she converted a traditional 19th century house into a winery and cellar in the middle of the town of Bodrogkeresztúr.  All sites are worked by hand, certified organic, and rely mainly on plant extracts, orange oil and sulfur. The wines embrace a myriad of volcanic soils with remarkable aromatics and balanced acidity. 

2019 Tokaj Nobilis Barakonyi– fully dry

100% furmint

Underbrush. As if a warm breeze just rolled through kicking up a chalky/dusty whiff. Subtle oak spice with rich caramelized pineapple and lemon curd notes on the palate, offset by high, mouthwatering acid. I usually don’t like comparing unique wines and grapes to more recognizable, pricey regions. My concern is that I will take away from the obscure wines’ unicorn vibes, but to give you an idea of what kind of value this is for the quality: think southern Burgundy (chardonnay) but with riesling** acid. What impresses me more than simply the high quality of the wine is that Sarolta achieves it via minimal intervention techniques. This wine is made from more than organic grapes— she uses orange oil in the vineyards, for Bacchus’s sake! In the cellar, it is fermented with wild yeasts, has very minimal sulfur additions, with no fining, clarification, or filtration. 

100% hárslevelű
Hárslevelű is genetically related to the furmint grape and its name means linden leaf  in Hungarian, capturing the citrusy, slightly musky aromatic intensity of the grape. Sarolta’s hárslevelű shows restraint on the musky white floral notes and instead expresses its more nuanced character: wildflower honey offset with a sour green apple pop; fresh hazelnuts; underripe yellow pear; bergamot; and wild camomile. The wine has a touch of residual sugar to it, but if I didn’t say so you likely would not have noticed due to the high acid and tingle of salty tannin on the finish. Try it with Pad Thai, miso marinated fish, chicken paprikash (Hungarian paprika chicken).

*for sommelier exams and blind tasting, there is a list of grape varieties made into certain styles of wines from various regions that the examiner is allowed to present to the examinee. This list does expand and change as our collective knowledge and curiosity grow beyond French appellations and “classic” grape varieties. But to give you an idea of how slow the process is of allowing more wines into the blind tasting exam, the only testable Italian red wines are Barolo made from the nebbiolo grape; and Brunello and Chianti Classico made from the sangiovese grape (Italy boasts over 400 documented native varieties). The sweet Hungarian Tokaji wine has been on that codified list since the inception of the certification exams and remains the only wine from Hungary allowed on the tasting portion of the exam.

**furmint and riesling share a parent grape, Gouais Blanc. 

 

/by Paul Marcus Wines

Bottle Rocket: 2020 Le Petit Saint Vincent Saumur-Champigny – Les Poyeux

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If you’re a devotee of cabernet franc, chances are you’re quite familiar with Les Poyeux. This esteemed vineyard, located within the Saumur-Champigny appellation in the central Loire Valley, boasts a unique terroir highlighted by sun-drenched southern exposure and exceptionally sandy soil composition. The resulting wines are loaded with character and complexity, and the best of them offer a truly spellbinding combination of depth and freshness, of gravity and liveliness.

Dominique Joseph, of Domaine Le Petit Saint Vincent, works with less than a hectare of organically farmed old vines in Les Poyeux. (His family has owned these small parcels for decades.) The grapes are de-stemmed and fermented in concrete vats before resting in larger neutral barrels for about a year.

Dominique’s 2020 Les Poyeux is a wonderful example of the site’s capabilities. There’s a wave of dusky red fruit on the attack, and it’s buttressed by a distinct herbaceous streak and a notable hint of stony minerality. The ample acidity and abundant tannins (naturally softened by the sandy terroir) tell you that this wine will age gracefully for several years, although it’s already a knockout–and at $50, it’s quite a fair deal for a wine that comes from one of the Loire Valley’s most prestigious vineyards.

Dominique Joseph

Thanks largely to world-class bottlings by cult-favorite producer Clos Rougeard (and various disciples), Les Poyeux has been elevated to legendary status among cab franc lovers. This version from Le Petit Saint Vincent offers a chance to appreciate its charms without the hefty price tag that is often attached to these wines.

As the saying goes, “Les Poyeux c’est soyeux”–silky. Come visit the shop, and find out for yourself.

/by Marc Greilsamer

Regional Roundup: California Regeneration

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Fall is when we often see deliveries of wines so limited in supply, or so “oversubscribed,” that they aren’t normally available for purchase. Not wines limited by savvy marketers, but limited because the acreage of the vineyard is limited, and the yield per vine is low.

Two deliveries I’m especially happy to take are from Scar of the Sea and Âmevive. Both are owned by young couples that do their own farming as well as the winemaking. It’s often impossible for young people in California to own the land that produces their grapes, or even to have a long-term lease on it that enables them to farm it the way they want, without compromise (since doing so will surely lower the yield).

Scar of the Sea’s Mikey and Gina Giugni

SOTS made news when Mikey and Gina Giugni bought a vineyard they formerly leased. They were making excellent wines from Bassi, just over a mile from the Santa Barbara coastline, before they purchased it, and now that it’s theirs, the wines have even more vibrancy and depth. It helps that 2023 is turning out to be a superlative vintage.

Alice Anderson of Âmevive

Âmevive is the work of Alice Anderson, who’s taken over farming a vineyard that was well tended for many years by Bob Lindquist of Qupé. Bob’s wines from the Ibarra-Young vineyard were often exceptional, but now, with additional vine age and rigorously healthy farming, Alice is producing wines that truly shine. (And, yes, 2023 was such a wonderfully balanced year in Santa Barbara.)

Both wineries are dedicated to practicing what’s known as “regenerative organic” farming. While organic certification limits what chemicals may be used, regenerative farming goes much deeper into soil health and how animals are used and treated. It’s hard not to feel just a little optimism when reading about people working their land with as much heartfelt care as these farmers do.

From SOTS’s Bassi vineyard we have a pinot noir and syrah (plus a superb gamay from another plot), and from Âmevive, we have their unusually lifted and pure grenache and syrah. These young winemakers are truly worth investigating, and I encourage you to do so.

/by David Gibson

Producer Profile: Kumusha

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A few weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to receive a visit from Tinashe Nyamudoka, proprietor of Kumusha Wines. A native of Zimbabwe, Nyamudoka rose to fame as a highly acclaimed sommelier in South Africa. With a deep knowledge of consumer tastes and keen interest in winemaking styles, he decided to start his own winery in 2017, and the results so far have been quite impressive.

Kumusha (which means “your roots, your origin, your home” in his native Shona language) boasts wines that are interesting and creative without being at all weird or unfriendly. They nod knowingly toward tradition and terroir while keeping an eye on modern trends. Modest, reserved, thoughtful, and cerebral, Nyamudoka works with only sustainable vineyards in Swartland, Slanghoek, Sondagskloof, and the Western Cape. His minimal-intervention, natural-leaning approach is the perfect fit for Paul Marcus Wines, and we are pleased to feature three of his wines at the shop.

2023 Sauvignon Blanc – Western Cape ($17)

Very mellow for a New World sauvignon blanc, this gently tropical and aromatic wine eschews intensity in favor of elegance and refinement. The grapes come from sandstone soils at 300 meters of elevation, and the juice ages for four months on the lees in stainless-steel tanks. It’s a fresh, mineral expression of the grape–think Loire Valley rather than Southern Hemisphere.

2022 Cabernet Sauvignon / Cinsault – Slanghoek ($23)

This blend of 75 percent cabernet and 25 percent cinsault is in some ways an ode to the “traditional” style of South African cabernet–when it was common for winemakers to fill out their cabs with unlabeled amounts of cinsault. As it happens, the cinsault gives this wine a welcome spicy lift, balancing out the luscious purple fruit–the perfect barbecue wine.

2023 Wild Mutupo Chillable Carignan – Slanghoek ($25)

A classic summertime “glou-glou” red, this carignan oozes with vibrant cherries and berries complemented by a mild savory, piquant touch. It’s fermented with 15 percent whole cluster, then aged for six months in stainless steel with an additional four months in large foudre. This one goes down a bit too easily…

/0 Comments/by Marc Greilsamer

Regional Roundup: Temperance Hill Vineyard

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Originally planted more than 40 years ago, Oregon’s 100-acre Temperance Hill Vineyard is one of the most esteemed grape-growing sites in the U.S. Located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA in the northern Willamette Valley, Temperance Hill is a cool-climate, high-elevation, late-ripening vineyard planted atop the remains of an ancient volcano, making it a perfect home for pinot noir.

The renowned Dai Crisp has been managing Temperance Hill since 1999; he immediately began farming organically, and the vineyard was eventually certified organic in 2012. With vines that are between 660 and 860 feet in altitude and the pronounced influence of the chilly Van Duzer winds, Temperance Hill produces pinot noir that is noted for its elegance, finesse, and energetic sparkle.

Vineyard honcho Dai Crisp

More than two dozen producers make wines from Temperance Hill fruit, and at Paul Marcus Wines, we are currently featuring a pair of single-vineyard expressions from this magical plot.

2021 Walter Scott Pinot Noir Temperance Hill

Walter Scott’s rendition of Temperance Hill pinot comes from a single block on the vineyard’s north side, with an elevation of 750 feet and a location directly in the teeth of the Van Duzer winds. Despite the cooler growing conditions, the Walter Scott delivers a deep core of mouth-coating blue and purple fruit–not aggressive or intense, but not particularly shy either. This explosion of fruit is gently supported by savory, herbal accents that help complete the picture. There’s real vigor and vibrancy to this bottle, and it fans out across the palate with purpose, leading to a delightfully persistent finish.

2021 Goodfellow Pinot Noir Temperance Hill

The Goodfellow Temperance Hill emphasizes and embraces the earthy spice, woody tobacco aromas, and citrusy zip that help distinguish this vineyard. Made with 100 percent whole clusters, this is a crisper, subtler take on Temperance Hill fruit that truly allows the mineral edge to shine through. Perhaps not as viscerally alluring as the Walter Scott, the Goodfellow is a graceful, charming, and wholly appealing take nonetheless.

To learn more about these exquisite offerings, stop by the shop and say hello.

/0 Comments/by Marc Greilsamer

Bottle Rocket: 2021 Bodega Chacra Patagonia, Argentina – Sin Azufre Pinot Noir

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Every so often, we encounter a wine that we all love, but are a bit hesitant to buy for the shop. Perhaps it doesn’t fit neatly into any of the store’s most well-traveled sections. Maybe the price tag doesn’t scream “value.” It could be that the grape or the region of origin is unfamiliar. Still, we deem it worthy of shelf space at Paul Marcus Wines because we want to share these discoveries with our customers.

Piero Incisa della Rocchetta

One recent arrival that falls into this category is the 2021 Bodega Chacra Sin Azufre Pinot Noir from Patagonia, Argentina. The winery, which lies in the Rio Negro Valley, was founded about 20 years ago by Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, grandson of an esteemed Tuscan winemaker. The Rio Negro is basically desert terrain, with fewer than 10 inches of rain per year. However, the valley is also a riverbed for the confluence of two Andes tributaries, and so its soils offer a unique mix of clay, limestone, and sand–as it turns out, a perfect home for old-vine pinot noir.

Piero’s ‘Sin Azufre’ cuvee checks all of the boxes of a natural wine–biodynamic grapes, no sulfur added–but has little of the funkiness you’d expect. The grapes, from a vineyard planted in 1955, undergo whole-cluster fermentation, a Burgundian touch for a wine that is certainly Burgundian in style, and the juice sees no new oak. Bright, floral, and succulent, this wine will especially delight cru Beaujolais fans with its clarity and liveliness, balanced by subtle mineral and earthy tones. It’s a buoyant wine, with loads of character.

To learn more about this wine or to discover other hidden gems at Paul Marcus Wines, please come visit us at the shop.

/0 Comments/by Marc Greilsamer

Producer Profile: Oszkár Maurer

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We’re all familiar with the thriving natural wine scenes in France, Italy, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe–as well as here on the West Coast. But not everyone knows that Central and Eastern Europe is a hotbed of natural winegrowing and winemaking as well. Oszkár Maurer is a celebrated natural grower and maker in Subotica, Serbia, just south of Serbia’s border with Hungary. Farming is organic, and all wines are ØØ: nothing added during the winemaking–including sulfites–and nothing taken away (no fining or filtration). We currently have four Maurer wines in stock, three of which just arrived at Paul Marcus Wines.

2022 ‘Crazy Lud’ Red

“Lud” means “goose” in Hungarian and “crazy” in Serbian. So: Crazy Goose, as shown on the label! The 2022 ‘Crazy Lud’ red is mostly kékfrankos (a.k.a. blaufränkisch), cabernet sauvignon, and kadarka, with a little muscat Hamburg and prokupac for heightened aromatics and grip. The wine is macerated briefly (two-to-six days) on the skins in open vats and then aged in used 500-liter Hungarian oak barrels for one year. It’s a light-bodied red or even a dark rosé that responds well to 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator. This is an excellent introduction to Maurer’s wines: It’s playful, distinctive, and easy to drink, yet with underlying complexity and even seriousness.

2022 Bakator 1909

Fehér (white) bakator is an extremely rare grape variety; according to Maurer, there’s only one other winery producing it, in the Transcarpathian part of western Ukraine. Maurer’s Bakator 1909 comes from ungrafted, bush-trained vines planted 115 years ago. The 2022 vintage had 15 percent healthy botrytis (noble rot) at harvest, was macerated with the skins overnight, and was then fermented in stainless steel for six months. The wine is light amber in the glass, with remarkable concentration, savoriness, and depth. It’s bone dry, despite being just 10.6 percent alcohol. This is a more serious, elegant Maurer wine that nonetheless retains brightness and easy drinkability.

2022 Bakator Pét-Nat

Maurer’s Bakator Pét-Nat comes from the same ancient vineyard and grapes as the Bakator 1909 still wine, but picked earlier and with fermentation finished in the bottle to create the fizz. It’s undisgorged but barely cloudy, 10.7 percent alcohol, and bone dry. Take this bottle to a party, and you’ll definitely win the excellent-fizzy-wine-from-an-obscure-country-and-even-more obscure-grape prize.

‘Babba’

This is the most baroque wine in our Maurer lineup. It’s a blend of five white varieties (medenac beli, rajni rizling, tamjanika, kövidinka, and sremska zelenika, if you must know) from several vintages built with three sequential fermentations and then aged in 500-liter Hungarian oak barrels. It’s darker amber in color, exotically spicy, with some tannin, oxidative notes, and wild complexity. There’s nothing else like it in the shop.

/0 Comments/by Mark Middlebrook

Reflections: Con I Fratelli Foti

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Simone Foti and vignaiolo Gianni Lonetti (crouching), from Cirò, Calabria admire the I Vigneri pruning methods.

In September of 2022, I headed to Mt. Etna for a master-class tasting of wines from Versante Est (East Face). The eastern side of Mt. Etna is dominated by the Etna Bianco Superiore designation as the Milo commune is the only area that can produce the Superiore version. The Superiore in this case does indeed give the wine a bit of “superior” status. Milo is historically known for its white wines–red grapes have difficulty growing in this part of the region, and the soil composition is different from the rest of Etna.

At the time of this tasting, I already had an Etna harvest and multiple visits under my belt, thinking myself an expert and knowing who made the best of the best on the Volcano. This particular experience at the master class, however, turned my preconceptions inside out, a testament to the dynamism and the ever-changing landscape of Mt. Etna.

Etna is full of big names, one such being Salvo Foti and his I Vigneri project. I have always been a fan of Salvo and his philosophies: his insistence of the alberello vine-training system (a free vine-training system with a high planting density, a tradition from the ancient Greek colonies); minimal intervention in the cellar (no chemicals or additions, minimal use of sulfur, and no filtration); and later, his focus on native grape varieties. When I Vigneri first came onto the American market, they were some of the first Italian wines to enter the “natural wine” discourse.

I Vigneri takes its name from an association that existed in the region in 1435: Maestranzi dei Vigneri, an association of vineyard workers in eastern Sicily. Today, I Vigneri is a collaboration between Salvo Foti, local vine experts, and grape growers. The Vigneri do all the work that needs to be done in the vineyards throughout the year: plant, prune, graft, and repair the dry lava stone terraces. The group’s primary goal, of course, is the organization and preservation of Mt. Etna’s and eastern Sicily’s wine heritage.

*****

For me personally, Foti’s wines changed my career trajectory. From the moment I tasted them and learned about his work, I shifted my focus to the promotion and sale of wines made by vignaioli who work organically (and beyond) in the vineyard, practice minimal intervention in the cellar, and who invest in their local communities.

Yet, along the way, something happened; I can’t quite tell you what exactly, but I lost interest in the wines. Certainly not the work behind them, as I discovered other winemaking projects involving Foti’s I Vigneri that I enjoyed tremendously. Was it the worldwide explosion of Mt. Etna and Sicilian wines on the market that pulled my attention away from the wines? Or did the wines really lose their once distinct character?

So, when I Vigneri presented the 2020 Vigna di Milo Etna Bianco Superiore back in September, I didn’t have high expectations–but after my first sip, I cocked my head, squinted my eyes, and immediately turned to my left and my right–I wanted to catch the faces of my friends, both winemakers on Etna. They both had the same reaction; the wine had surprised them too.

There was a finesse we had never noticed in them before. The acidity was bright, the quintessential but subtle petrol note from an aged carricante was present, and the salinity of the Milo cru was unmistakable. It was truly everything I look for in a wine: true to the flavor profile of the grape, expressive of its terroir, and yet still unique with a hallmark of the producer. This was not the wine of I Vigneri past. What changed?

*****

A few weeks ago, I embarked on yet another trip to Etna (I just can’t stay away). After my revelatory experience at the September tasting, I wanted to visit the I Vigneri estate to meet the new enologists, Simone and Andrea Foti. Simone and Andrea naturally followed in their father’s footsteps and have taken over production at the winery. “Our dad never forced us to work in the family business,” Simone says. “He always encouraged us to follow our own interests.” Simone attended the prestigious wine school of Beaune, in Burgundy, and continued his viticulture experience in Burgundy, Loire, Champagne, and Jura.

The converted palmento (traditional winemaking structure) is now the I Vigneri tasting room, complete with a stomping (pressing) area, fermentation vats carved out of volcanic rock, and a large, corkscrew-like press.

Andrea, the younger of the two, attended the State University of Milan, graduating in viticulture and oenology. While both are certified enologists, Simone’s joy and expertise lie in the vineyards, and Andrea’s in the cantina (winery), making them the perfect duo for the job.

With the Fratelli Foti at the helm of I Vigneri, the wines are finding new life. They have upheld the ethos and maintained the practices of their father, but also bring in their own personal experience and taste. Their wines are multifaceted and layered, and I am certainly not the only one who has noticed this advancement in quality and character as the higher-end cru and old-vine bottlings become more strictly allocated.

At Paul Marcus Wines, we’re fortunate to have recently received a shipment of three Foti wines: the 2020 Vigna del Milo Etna Bianco Superiore, the 2021 Etna Rosso, and the 2021 Aurora Etna Bianco. To learn more about these stellar bottlings, come visit us at the shop. I’m always happy to chat about i Foti and their fascinating wine.

— Emilia Aiello

/0 Comments/by Paul Marcus Wines

Producer Profile: Fèlsina

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If you have spent any time in our shop, you’ve probably noticed the superb wines of Fèlsina from the Castelnuovo Berardenga area of Chianti Classico. In fact, featuring these Tuscan beauties has become something of a tradition for us. (The card on the ever-present box of Chianti Classico now reads: “Excellent as Always.”) Our longstanding commitment to this esteemed producer has set forth a wonderful, mutually beneficial experience for us, our customers, and the winery.

Over the years, many of us at Paul Marcus Wines (and a number of you) have had the opportunity to visit Fèlsina, and we’ve become well acquainted with these great wines and the lovely people who work to create them. It really is an example of remarkable, dedicated people and an extraordinary place on Earth coming together to create something distinctive and magnificent.

In 1966, Domenico Poggiali acquired the estate and began a serious upgrading of farming and vineyard management. With the addition of Giuseppe Mazzocolin (a scholar of classics and history turned wine producer) in the late 1970s, the modern winery began to take shape, and by the mid-1980s, they were already producing some of Tuscany’s most memorable wines.

Giuseppe Mazzocolin

Located in the southernmost part of the Classico zone, Fèlsina is devoted to sangiovese, the area’s supreme grape, and to organic, environmentally responsible farming. They produce wines they believe to be the most Brunello-like of all Chianti. Indeed, these are some of the deepest and most age-worthy wines of Chianti Classico, celebrating the region’s singular earthy terroir, with dark fruits and anise and sandalwood spice notes.

Yet, these wines are so polished and elegant that they are enjoyable immediately, even the great Rancia Riserva. That said, I have had many old bottles of the Rancia, and they can be absolutely stunning, easily eclipsing probably 90 percent of Brunello on the market. And once you get a look at the site, you can understand how that is possible.

I have a fond memory of driving around with Giuseppe and stopping at a small dwelling at the top of the old, perfectly southwest-facing Rancia vineyard. It is breathtakingly beautiful and simply ideal for the sangiovese that thrives there. Mind you, Fèlsina uses only sangiovese for their Chianti Classico. (They believe, as I do, that cabernet and merlot take away much more than they give to sangiovese.) I asked Giuseppe how old the house is, and he said, “Well, I have papers back to 1400, so perhaps it’s older.”

Currently, we offer a number of different Fèlsina wines from several vintages, in both standard and half bottles, including the 2017 and 2018 Rancia. Also noteworthy is the exceptional value of these wines–the flagship Chianti Classico is still less than $30, and the Berardenga Riserva is less than $40. And the Rancia Riserva, one of the world’s most enchanting wines, is $60 for the ’17 and $62 for the ’18–not exactly cheap, but rather reasonable when compared to the cost of a middling Burgundy, Bordeaux, or California cabernet.

/0 Comments/by Joel Mullennix

Bottle Rocket: 2018 Castell’in Villa Chianti Classico

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This beautiful 300-hectare estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga, the southernmost of the Chianti Classico zones, has long been one of the great wine producers in all of Tuscany. The estate (with 54 hectares devoted to vineyards) is owned and led by the formidable Principessa Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa, with whom I had the good fortune to have lunch with several years back. She is as elegant and charming as you might expect and has a great sense of humor. She got a big kick out of the old joke we told her: “How do you make a small fortune in the wine business? Begin with a large fortune.”

Castell’in Villa produces traditionally made Chianti Classico from 100 percent sangiovese, fermented in stainless steel using indigenous yeasts and then aged for two-to-three years in large barrels before bottling. They produce classic, extremely age-worthy wines, yet they are wines that never come across as being severe in their youth.

The 2018 is an absolute gem, beautifully balanced with deep cherry fruit, sandalwood, licorice, and the typical earthy, forest-floor notes of the Berardenga zone.

Principessa Coralia Pignatelli della Leonessa

This vintage has produced a great bottle to drink now with just about anything–meats, poultry, pasta, eggplant parmigiana, I could go on. It’s a lovely and generous wine, a bit more forward than the 2016 and a little less fleshy and ripe than the 2017. But the ’18 is so balanced and harmonious, with good structure, that it will no doubt age gracefully for many years, as do nearly all Chianti Classico wines from Castell’in Villa. Don’t miss it.

/0 Comments/by Joel Mullennix