Leif Karlsson

Il Granaio

June 11, 2020June 14, 2020 Leif KarlssonLeave a comment

Il Granaio Rosso Toscano IGT

2009

Savignola Paolina Winery

Il Granaio, or “The Barn” is a very precious thing in all dimensions.

If you want to have a wine maker that has a good handle on its Sangiovese and Merlot, you should go to Savignola Paolina just outside Greve in Chianti, southeast, on the road to Lamole. This farm had been a property of the Fabbri family since 1780. The owners used to be Ludovica Fabbri together with her husband Antonio and her dad Carlo Fabbri, who took it over in 1998 from Ludovicas famous grandaunt the entrepreneur Paulina Fabbri. Ludovica Fabbri later sold it to the Swiss couple Manuela and Luzius Caviezel, who passionately runs this estate today. By the way, Paulina Fabbri was the first to put her Riserva into a Bordolese bottle. Savignola is the geopgraphical name of the farm, a name with Etruschian origin. Besides growing Sangiovese and Merlot, they do also grow Colorini, and Malvasia Nera.

Savignola Paolina has about 6 hectars in total of vines in southeast and southwest orientations, with 4 hectars of vines within the Chianti Classico appellation. Altitude is 330-350 m above sea level.

The Granaio 2009 is probably about time to open now, getting closer to its peak. This bottle that I got has been ageing good, it has a wonderful distinct dark garnet-orange red color. The wine has a bold and structured presence in the glass, with lots of dark fruit, liquorice, leather, vanilla and caramel in the nose. Il Granaio is dry, intense and persistent, with very smooth tannins. After a sip, or two, or actually three, I had some impressions of flavors like blackberry, black currant, dark cherry, liquorice, violet, juniper, dark chocolate and black pepper. Fermentation in steel tanks, ageing for 14 months in tonneaux and new barriques of french oak.

Some food pairings I would like to recommend is beef stews, venison steak, salsiccia sausage with white beans, pappardelle pasta with wild boar ragù, pasta with mushrooms or black truffle, salami, prosciutto and aged cheese like Parmesan.

Recommended serving temperature is 18-19° C.

Why wait, go for it now, before it disappears! (Only 2000 made.)

Vino-Velos (1-5):

Monna Lisa

April 6, 2020April 6, 2020 Leif KarlssonLeave a comment

Monna Lisa

Chianti Classico DOCG

Gran Selezione 2013

The beautiful Villa Vignamaggio just outside Greve in Chianti in Tuscany is a beautiful piece of history! The Gherardini family built this, the same family that Monna Lisa came from, the very same woman who in the early 1500’s stood as a model for Leonardo da Vincis famous painting.

Villa Vignamaggio has made a magnificient Chianti Classico, a Gran Selezione, which means the very finest grapes choosen, at the very most local and characteristic “terroir” they have. The criteria of quality is very high on a Gran Selezione, so some years they don’t make any Gran Selezione.

The base of grapes for the Monna Lisa is 85 % Sangiovese, and 15 % of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The ageing of the wine is made partly in 225 litres oak barriques (Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) and partly in 15 hl oak barrels (Sangiovese) during 24 months, and a final minimum stay of 6 months in bottle for refinement. The overall time of ageing and refinement has to be at least 30 months.

The wine has a beautiful garnet red colour. The nose is complex and intense, with lot’s of dark fruit like black berry, dark cherry and black current, together with impressions of wet leafs and dirt, leather, vanilla, tobacco, orange, dark chocolate and graphite.

On your tongue you will notice it’s dry, very persistent with intensive elegant tannins, it’s bringing a good portion of acidity and therefore not too soft, and it has a beautifully rounded warm body. Monna Lisa brings harmony and balance to the meal.

We would recommend a meal with game, red meat, salmon, tuna fish, salami, mortadella, proscitutto and maybe some blue cheese.

Vino-Velos (1-5):

Rosso di Montalcino DOC

March 27, 2020March 27, 2020 Leif KarlssonLeave a comment

Vinursprung: Rött vin från Toscana, Italien

Vintyp: Rosso di Montalcino DOC

Vinproducent: Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona

Toscana

En av Italiens mest renommerade vinregioner är Toscana, med många vingårdar som toppar flertalet omröstningar varje år. Det görs mest rödvin här, dock med en stigande andel produktion av vita och rosè-viner, inklusive lite bubbel, som italienarna kallar för spumante.

Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona

Vingården ligger på ca 300 möh strax söder om Montalcino i närheten av det berömda klostret Sant’Antimo. Vinfälten har en yta av 55 ha. Jordmånen är alkrik lerjord med inslag av sten.

Rosso di Montalcino DOC 2016

Färgen är vackert rubinröd med god genomskinlighet och fin konsistens.

Doftbilden är intensiv och komplex, med dofter av röda blommor som rosor och nejlikor, fuktig jord och löv, läder, röda frukter som jordgubb och smultron, lite björnbär, mint och rosa grapefrukt.

Smakintrycken är intensiva och långvariga, med smaker av smultron, björnbär, pepparmint, rosa grapefrukt, viol, vanilj och röda vingum. Denna Rosso di Montalcino är torr, frisk, relativt mjuk, med varma tanniner och en fyllig kropp. Vinet har fin balans och harmoni, det är redo att drickas nu, och kan också vänta några år i källaren. Rek serv-temp 18-20°C, i stora tulpanformade kristallglas.

Mat

Rekommenderas till toskansk fläskkorv (salsiccia), stekt/grillad fågel, gris- och nötkött, viltkött, lammkött, pasta med såser baserat på rött kött, fylliga soppor och stuvningar, salami, skinka (prosciutto) och till sist lagrade ostar som parmesan och pecorino.

Tekniska data

Druvblandning: Sangiovese

Fyllighet: Fyllig (9 av 12)

Klassificering: Rosso di Montalcino DOC

Alkohol: 14%

Vinifiering: Jäsning med skalkontakt i temp-kontrollerade stålfat och cementtankar.

Mognad: På ekfat från Slavonien i storlek mellan 2000 och 7500 liter, därefter en tid på flaska innan försäljning.

Lagring: 6-8 år

Vino-Velos (1-5):

Barbaresco Hamrin 2013

March 25, 2020March 27, 2020 Leif KarlssonLeave a comment

Coming to Piedmont is always a pleasure, their selection of red wines are excellent! The Nebbiolo grape has become a good friend over the years for me. To travel around in Alta Langa and visit towns like Barbaresco and Barolo makes me feel at home.

Hamrins Barbaresco has a beautiful dry entrance with tannins very present, a fresh acidity and good warm flavours of black currant, liquorice, black berry, mature figs and black pepper. A wine to be drinken with food.

Enjoy this Barbaresco with a steaming meat stew, preferrably meat of game like deer, elk or wild boar. An alternative dish is one of my favourites, the classic Tuscan sausage of pork meat with some fennel: salsiccia! The typical Bagna Cauda Piemontese with some meat would maybe be my choice if I were in the area.

If you buy more than one of these you could take one very year and see how it develops, I don’t this vintage has peaked yet.

Denomination: DOCG (Denominazione Origine Controllata Garantita)

Type: Rosso

Grapes: Nebbiolo

Alcool: 14.5º

Price: 25 €

Vino-Velos (1-5):

Chianti Classico Riserva – Corte di Valle

March 23, 2020March 27, 2020 Leif KarlssonLeave a comment

Corte di Valle makes one of my favourite Chianti Classico Riserva. They also have some really good saffron production, and I would recommend you to try some of their saffron pasta! The saffron plants blooms in October on the slopes of Corte di Valle. It’s a colour explosion that you really should see one day in your life!

2014 was a difficult year for many wine producers in Italy, with lots of rain and cold weather far into the month of May, which could explain a Chianti Classico Riserva with 13 % of alcohol, not too low by any means, but not high neither, merely an indication of a less sunny year.

Corte di Valles Riserva has a beautiful garnet red with small shades of ruby red. Lots of dark fruit in the nose, some vanilla, leather and graphite. The wine has an intense dry entrance with a good load of classic Sangiovese tannins, a well developed body with flavours like black currant, blackberry, black pepper, truffle and pepparmint. I would recommend to decant it before serving.

The ageing process concists of 18 months in the oak barrels and then refined in bottles for 8 to 12 months. The wine should be good for some more years of ageing, but they really do good now!

It never hurts with some local salsiccia with this Riserva from Corte di Valle. A steak of lamb would be awesome! For Thanksgiving a big turkey from the oven!

Vino-Velos (1-5):