At the beginning of September, a day of meetings with companies belonging to the Bolgheri Consortium was held in Bolgheri by customers and national and international journalists.
The day then culminated with a dinner which took place on the Bolgheri avenue with 1200 guests.
I had the pleasure of participating in this particular event as I was invited by Dr. Federico Zileri Conte dal Verme degli Obbizi, owner of the Bolgheri company “Castello di Bolgheri”. In mid-afternoon I arrived with my wife Sara at the company where there were other guests, friends, customers, restaurateurs and producers of other wines of other denominations. Federico gave us a tour of his cellar and then asked me to conduct a tasting of his wines: Varvara 2021 and 2022, Castello di Bolgheri 2020, 2021 and 2022 and the new Barinca 2021 wine, all Cabernet Franc which will be released on the market in 2025.
For me it was certainly a great pleasure to hold this tasting also because I found people who were very interested in listening.
At the end of the tasting we went to Viale di Bolgheri to our table.
The catering was by Guido Guidi, from Florence, and was impeccable for the quality of the food and service. In practice, dinner was served in an hour and twenty minutes.
The wine was served by numerous sommeliers who had a station with many wines for every 80 or so diners.
All the producers of the Bolgheri wine consortium, municipal, regional and state political figures, both Italian and foreign journalists and customers of the various companies were present at the dinner.
Before moving on to the tasting notes of the wines.
I have to make some clarifications about the tannins in wine. I feel the tannin of the wine on the upper gum. The total width of the tannin is 6/6, i.e. the entire width of the upper gum. Obviously, if the tannin is less broad, it could be for example 5/6 and so on. The width of the tannin is important when the quality of the tannin is of good or high level. The larger the tannin, the more worthy of attention the wine is, but the tannin, as I have specified, must, in any case, be of good quality.
Let’s now move on to describing the wines tasted.
BOLGHERI CASTLE
VARVARA BOLGHERI red D.O.C., 2021 vintage
(grape variety: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc)
A beautiful purple red emerges from the glass.
Rich, varied and pleasant nose, aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, damp earth, fleshy black morello cherry, black olive, paraffin, mint, eucalyptus, broken cyclamen stem, Coccoina glue (coconut and almond milk), very light green pepper, sage, rice starch, peeled tomatoes, fresh leather, capers, anchovy, plum, finishing with puffs of blond tobacco of Virginia.
On the palate it has a medium-light plus body and is savory, mineral and has a richly juicy plum flavour.
Well balanced wine with rich freshness and minerality which make the alcoholic mass completely harmless.
The tannins are sweet, thick enough (5/6) and velvety.
Its flavor persistence is long with a fresh, juicy plum finish. (93/100)
BOLGHERI CASTLE
VARVARA BOLGHERI red D.O.C., 2022 vintage
(grape variety: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc)
It has a fairly transparent purple-red appearance.
Smell characterized by aromas of cherry, black pepper, intense nutmeg, mint, eucalyptus, rosemary flower, sage, fir, fresh plum, damp earth, rust and jute.
Pleasant mouth characterized by the flavor of plum, ripe blackberries and red blackberries.
The body is medium sufficient and the wine has a good balance between alcohol and freshness which must be improved with the rest of the wine in the bottle.
The tannins are sweet, broad (6/6), thick and silky.
Its taste persistence is long with a fresh plum finish. (92/100)
BOLGHERI CASTLE
BOLGHERI SUPERIORE red D.O.C, 2020 vintage
(grape variety: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 13% Merlot)
Purple red robe.
The sense of smell reveals aromas of red rose, mint, eucalyptus, nutmeg, moist earth, pink cherry, episperm woody (it is the sweetness of the skin of boiled chestnut), rosemary, sage, bay leaves, hints of “after eight” chocolate ( intense mint and chocolate), fabric soaked in wine, starch (starch spray for ironing) to finish with caresses of Coccoina glue (coconut milk and almond).
Plum flavored bite. The body is medium sufficient plus, the alcohol-freshness axis is in perfect balance thanks to the generous presence of the latter.
The tannins are sweet, quite broad (5/6+) and velvety. Its flavor persistence is long with a squeezed plum finish. (94/100)
BOLGHERI CASTLE
BOLGHERI SUPERIORE red D.O.C, 2021 vintage
(grape variety: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot)
Purple-red coat.
Bouquet made of scents of damp earth, tow, red rose, Coccoina glue (coconut and almond milk), graphite, mint, eucalyptus, almond shell, blueberry, cherry to finish with pinches of green pepper.
Upon tasting, it has a medium body, sufficient plus.
Nice drink with a black berry fruit flavour. Well balanced wine thanks to the freshness that completely envelops the alcoholic mass.
The tannins are sweet, broad (6/6–), thick and silky.
Its intense aromatic persistence is long with a plum and blueberry finish.
Fine wine, delicate not in power but in elegance. (95/100)
BOLGHERI CASTLE
BOLGHERI SUPERIORE red D.O.C, 2022 vintage
(grape variety: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot)
Purple red dress.
The olfactory treasure chest opens to aromas of fresh plum juice, blueberry, blackberry cassis, red apple, damp earth, mint, eucalyptus, rosemary flower, graphite, ice cream cone wafers, broken cyclamen stem, wild sex, black olive , sharp pencil and light woody tones of episperm (it is the sweetness of boiled brown skin).
When tasted, it is savoury, has a plum and cherry flavour, and has a sufficient medium plus body. Wine well balanced between alcohol and freshness, the latter completely covers the alcoholic mass. The tannins are sweet, quite broad (5/6++) and velvety.
Its flavor persistence is long with a plum finish. (94/100)
BOLGHERI CASTLE
BARINCA, vintage 2021
(grape variety: 100% Cabernet Franc)
Intense purple-red – black appearance.
Olfactory prelude of aromas of rosemary flower, mint, eucalyptus, hints of green pepper, black truffle, boiled chestnut with dried wild fennel, sweets from the outside of the dragee, natural tea, graphite to finish with whispers of nutmeg.
Fine and elegant wine with medium body. Alcohol and freshness are in perfect balance with each other. The tannins are sweet and quite broad (5/6++), initially velvety and then dry the upper gum a little. Its taste persistence is long and leaves a beautiful mouthfeel. (95/100)
