| Craig Camp on Montecastelli Selections in ‘Raccolta’:
I have chosen to highlight the overall accomplishments of Jens and Ruth Schmidt in creating Montecastelli Selections, which has emerged in only a few short years as one of the most interesting Italian fine wine portfolios available. I cannot encourage you enough to go through the effort to seek out their wines. Your efforts will be well-rewarded. One thing that is certain when tasting through this portfolio is that all of the wines are absolutely delicious to drink. They are modern wines, yet they pay homage to traditional winemaking and never let modern methods overwhelm the integrity of the vineyard. Montecastelli Selections is proud to share with you the following reviews as recently published: 2003 Cima Romalbo This blend of Sangiovese and Massaretta grows on steep slopes of decomposed schist in northwestern Tuscany. The proximity to the coast, as well as the ability of this hills to trap cool air, keeps this 2003 remarkably poised and bright for the vintage. Its cherry flavors feel fresh, with a cool minty lift of acidity. The finish lasts for minutes. Cellar for a few years or decant for veal and mushroom cannelloni. 93 points Wine & Spirits Magazine – Red Wine of the Month May 2008 2007 Cima Candia Alto This is rich and impressive, with apple, lemon and mango aromas and flavors. Full, rich and long. Like a top white from Alsace. 90 points Wine Spectator 2007 Col Vetoraz Prosecco Cartizze This luminous sparkler has a sweet, fruit-forward nose of cool white peach, sliced banana and cherry blossoms. There’s a very slight note of green grass and more distinguishable mineral tones that add depth and personality. In the mouth it has a creamy, soft texture and vibrant fruit flavors. 91 points Wine Enthusiast 2003 Collelceto Brunello di Montalcino Proprietor Elia Palazzesi has crafted a very pretty 2003 Brunello. Made in a delicate, understated style for the vintage, the wine offers outstanding depth and persistence in its expression of ripe dark fruit. Its attractive, easy-going accessible personality has been achieved while maintaining notable complexity and balance. 90 points Wine Advocate 2004 Di Giovanna Gerbino Rosso 2004 Gerbino Rosso adds international varieties to the indigenous Nero d’Avola. It reveals a darker profile than the Nerello Mascalese, with an additional dimension of richness in its black fruits, plums, earthiness, smoke, tar and sweet toasted oak. This medium to full-bodied wine should continue to drink well over the next few years. 89 points Wine Advocate VALUE WINES 2005 Elena Fucci Titolo Aglianico del Vulture Very deep red. Complex aromas of raspberry, black cherry, gunflint and violet, plus an attractive topnote of hard candy. Sweet, supple and silky, with red fruit, tobacco, ceder and smoky flavors nicely framed by strong but harmonious acidity. Plenty of extract here, but the saliva inducing acidity makes this seem much lighter than it really is.Finishes with slightly grittier tannins than usual and great length. Firmly built for the long haul. This is almost always the most elegant of all Aglianico del Vulture bottlings… 92 points Tanzer’s IWC 2004 Josetta Saffirio Barolo Persiera Licorice, blackberry and violet aromas follow through to a full-body, with a ripe, raisiny, spicy, toasty oak and grilled meat palate. The best ever from this producer. 92 points Wine Spectator 2003 La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino High-toned aromatics, lead to a lush expression of dark cherries, sweet toasted oak, mint, tobacco and leather in the 2003 Brunello. This modern, full-bodied wine doesn’t look to be especially long lived but it does offer highly pleasurable drinking in an immediate, pleasing style. The wine should be even better in another year or so, once the tannins have settled down a bit. 90 points Wine Advocate 2003 La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino Il Divasco Divasco presents an additional dimension of flavor and texture. It, too, is a big full-bodied wine but the flavor profile is darker than the normal bottling and it also shows greater freshness. Notes of tasted oak, smoke and sweet herbs emerge to round out this terrific, full-bodied Brunello. Il Divasco is made from the estates oldest vines. 91 points Wine Advocate 2004 Parusso Barolo Mariondino …reveals the essence of tar, roses, violets, plums, prunes, herbs and sweet toasted oak. It is a delicate, pristine Barolo that offers outstanding length and notable harmony. The firmer tannins that are the hallmark of this site are evident, but they are superbly balanced by the wine’s fruit and aromatics. This is a lovely Barolo from Marco Parusso. 92 points Wine Advocate 2004 Parusso Barolo Le Coste Mosconi ...a big, fat wine loaded with scorched earth, tar, smoke and dark fruit. Made in a powerful, brooding style, this expansive fruit-driven Barolo isn’t the last word on subtlety but it is awfully hard to resist. Parusso owns the vineyards in the Le Coste and rents three parcels in Mosconi. 92 points Wine Advocate 2004 Parusso Barolo Crushed blackberry, with toasted vanilla and coconut on the nose. Full-bodied, with seemless, ripe tannins and a long, caressing finish. Refined and beautiful. Polished. 91 points Wine Spectator 2004 Parusso Barolo Bussia ...a superb example of Parusso’s philosophy. An array of spices, roasted coffee beans, plums, prunes and toasted oak flavors emerge from this pretty, layered Barolo. As it sits in the glass it gains volume and weight, with attractive mentholated, balsamic notes that add further complexity. Despite its depth and power, the wine remains graceful and light on its feet, showing terrific poise and balance. Sweet notes from the oak frame the long lingering finish. 93 points Wine Advocate 2003 Rocca di Castagnoli Buriano ...Cabernet aged in French oak barrels. It is an outstanding effort, with noble density and weight in its black cherries, plums, herbs, new leather and toasted oak. The super-ripe fruit is held in check by a vein of Tuscan acidity, qhich gives the wine a surprising element of freshness in this vintage. 91 points Wine Advocate 2006 Torre Quarto Bottaccia Uva di Troia Deep red with inky highlights. Violet, black pepper and tobacco aromas show richness and depth. A juicy sweet plum flavor is complicated by herbs and licorice, with sassafras and black pepper notes emerging on the smooth finiah. Not especially complex but quite tasty. 88 points Tanzer’s IWC 2007 Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Bianco Pale straw-gold. Intense, sharply focused citrus, ripe pear and peach skin aromas display a beautiful mineral underpinning and are lifted by a vivid minty note. Very elegant in style, with impressively concentrated citrus, pear and honeyed mineral flavors and slowly building notes of menthol, flowers and talcum powder. Finishes on a vibrant mineral note with outstanding length and precision. 91 points Tanzer’s IWC 2005 Vestini Campagnano Casavecchia Aromatic red and black cherry fruit aromas are complicated by oregano, bay leaf, nutmeg and flint. Broad, tactile and spicy, with subtle bell pepper and mint flavors adding interest to the red fruits. Boasts fresh acidity and finishes with a very good energy and persistence. 90 points Tanzer’s IWC 2005 Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Nero Deep, saturated red. Pure, bracing aromas of spicy blackberry, pine needles and ink, with an intense minerality and hints of balsamic smoke. Sweet, dense and spicy, but with strong, well-integrated acids enlivening the very rich flavors of red and black cherry and powdered rock. Finishes complex and very long, with a pronounced tannic bite that will take years to resolve. Throw this in your cellar and don’t even think of opening it for a couple of years, then enjoy it for another 15. 92 points Tanzer’s IWC 2004 Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Nero ...notable richness and vibrancy in its black cherries, violets, underbrush, scorched earth and herbs. This is a big, strapping wine with plenty of structure and firm, but well-integrated tannins. It is perhaps slightly more rustic than the estates Casavecchia but I loved it for its exotic qualities which evoked Cabernet Franc. 92 points Wine Advocate 2004 Vestini Campagnano Casavecchia ..another drop dead gorgeous bottling from Vestini Campagnano. It, too, is a big, full bodied wine with superb clarity and definition. Still very primary and tight, it exhibits very pretty dark cherry and tobacco notes with slightly more elegance, if not quite the complexity, of the Pallagrello Nero. It is an utterly irresistible wine loaded with character which stands apart from the vast amounts of innocuous wines being made today. 92 points Wine Advocate 2004 Villa Carafa Aglianico Sannio …a big, dark, brooding wine loaded with dark fruit, licorice and toasted oak. Its notable concentration and supple texture make it an excellent choice to drink now and over the next few years. 90 points Wine Advocate 2004 Villa Carafa Casavecchia …a seriously powerful, structured wine. Complex notes of graphite, dark cherries, menthol and minerals flow from this brooding beauty. New shades of expression come to life as this beautiful wine continues to open up in the glass, revealing new dimensions to its personality with every taste. 91 points Wine Advocate 2007 Vina Quintay Sauvignon Blanc This is rock-solid, with mouthwatering lime, sea salt and sweet pea flavors backed by a bracing, thyme-tinged finish. Has a latent richness. 89 points Wine Spectator |
