The Honest Pour with John Lenart

Back in the 1980’s and earlier one wouldn’t think of drinking a Barolo that was less than 20 years old.  Nebbiolo, the grape used to make Barolo, is a late ripening variety which in some years never reached full ripeness. Even in good years the tannins in nebbilolo took decades to mellow to the point of being palatable. Wait a few decades however, and Barolo would release the delicate, floral beauty hidden below its rough exterior. Over the years, global warming, combined with modern vinification techniques allow consumers to drink many Barolo bottlings upon release.

Fontanafredda recently celebrated its 160th year. While its history runs deep, today it makes wines which combine the modern style of Barolo while maintaining the sense of place it has developed over the past century and a half. I sat down with Alberto Frea, Brand Ambassador of Fontanafredda, to talk about this history and terroir, and what it is that makes their wines so special.

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John Lenart with Alberto Frea, Brand Ambassador, Fontanafredda

2013 Fontanafredda Barolo D.O.C.G.

 Very pretty and delicate garnet color. Earthy aromas combine with violet,  fresh red berries and herbs in a complex nose. Flavors of cherry, strawberry and pomegranate  are backed by eucalyptus notes finishing with velvety but strong tannin and great acidity.

SPR:  $38

2012 Fontanafredda Serralunga d’ Alba Barolo

Amazing aroma. Fresh roses, red berries, leather, cocoa burst from the glass, Muscular tannins lead the way to flavors of red cherries, and spices. Hints of oak show through but should integrate with a few years of age. Great weight and acidity.

SRP:  $45

2013 Fontanafredda Barolo Proprietà in Fontanafredda MGA

Barolo has a new designation, “MGA” or menzioni geografiche aggiuntive, which basically means grown on a site known for exceptional quality. Essentially a grand cru.

The pretty color of this wine announces its elegance. Fresh nose of complex aromas headlined by fresh cherry, earthiness, and violets. Well integrated flavors of berries, licorice and a distinct minerality are given backbone by youthful tannins which will mellow with a few years of age and mouth watering acidity. You’ll be thrilled with this wine if you have the patience to  give it five to eight years of cellaring.

SRP:  $100

When you think about beverages from Canada you probably think about beer and ice wine. Well, if you look around, you can find some world class wines. The region responsible for producing many of these wines is Ontario. Norman Hardie is just one of the wine makers producing outstanding wine here. After making wine in Burgundy, New Zealand, South Africa, and California Hardie found that the type of soil that made the wines he loves most is a combination of clay and limestone. When he found the perfect site on a hillside in Prince Edward County in 2003 he set off on his own, planting cool climate varieties there. Today, Hardie’s wines stay true to his vision; low intervention, low alcohol, high minerality, and expressing a true sense of place.

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Norman Hardie, Owner and Wine Maker, Norman Hardie Winery

2013 Norman Hardie Niagara Chardonnay

Bright yellow with a touch green. Impressively youthful with a wine of this age. Nose of apple and stone fruit. Good structure and pronounced limestone minerality on the palate.  Linear, bright acidity and highly complex.

SRP:  $32

 2014 Norman Hardie County Chardonnay

A somewhat perfumed nose for chardonnay with a good minerality. Great balance and weight.Citrus notes combine with green apple on the palate. Just a hint of oak spice balance notes of honey, mouthwatering acidity all ending in a complex and long finish.

SRP:  $32

 2015 Norman Hardie Pinot Noir

Delicate and pretty color. This wine has fresh red berries muskiness on the nose. All of this comes through on the palate combing with minerality, and lovely acidity combining to make a wonderfully elegant and balanced wine. 11.9 ABV!

SRP:  $32

If you’re familiar at all with trebbiano, you’re almost certainly thinking of trebbiano Toscano, which is a high yielding grape that often produces mundane wines. But not all trebbianos are created equally. 350 meters above the town of Cugnoli in Abruzzo, Riccardo Tiberio found a very old plot of trebbiano d’Abruzzese, which, despite it’s name, is neither the same grape as trebbiano Toscano, nor is it common in Abruzzo.

​In the year 2000 Riccardo purchased a small eight hectare plot of 60 year old trebbiano d’Abruzzo and carefully nurtured and replanted it. At the same time he expanded the site and included plantings of other indigenous varieties until he had a 31 hectare estate.

In 2008 he handed over the growing and wine making to his son Antonio and daughter Cristiana. I sat down with Cristiana to talk about trebbiano d’Abruzzo and the importance of clonal selection and indigenous grape varieties.

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John Lenart with Cristiana Tiberio, Wine Maker, Tiberio

2016 Tiberio Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Yellow with tinges of green in color. Aromas of stone fruit, flowers, fennel and a hint of saline minerality end with a bit of fresh herbal notes. Flavors of green apple, pear, beeswax are balanced by elegant minerality and crisp, mouthwatering acidity. A lovely, unique wine.

SRP:  $20

2016 Tiberio Pecorino

Quite herbal on the nose. Flavors of delicate peach, under ripe fig, and melon. The rich texture is balanced nicely by fresh acidity.

SRP:  $20

2016 Tiberio Cerasuolo

Vibrant cherry color. On the nose aromas of cherry and under ripe strawberry. Flavors of sour cherry, rhubarb, cranberry, and pomegranate. Silky tannins and bright acidity make this a slightly more serious rosé that can pair with richer foods. Great for barbecue.

SRP:  $20

2014 Tiberio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Bright ruby in color. Nose of red fruit, with a touch of smokiness. Flavors of light, fresh red berries and subtle blood orange notes are backed up by spectacular minerality, vibrant acidity, and silky, elegant tannins.

SRP: $20

2014 Tiberio Colle Volta, Single Vineyard Montepulciano d’Abruzzo

Very pretty delicate ruby color. Beautiful floral notes accented by restrained minerality. Flavors of sour cherry, cedar, sage, and hints of doughnut peach. Super silky tannins and vibrant acidity  make this wine something to search out. Not made in every vintage.

SRP:  $55

The wines of Sicily get more exciting by the vintage. In the past few decades the fiercely independent Italian island on the Mediterranean has transformed from a bulk wine growing region to one producing many outstanding wines of distinction.  One of the best things about Sicilian wines is that they offer an amazing value and will rarely break the bank.  Such is the case with Cusumano, a group of brothers who invested heavily in creating high quality vineyards around Sicily. Taking their time, they eventually started making a variety of outstanding wines.

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Diego Cusumano Photo Credit Cindy Rynning grape-experiences.com

2016 Cusumano Nero D’Avola

Kind of like a Bruno Mars song, poppy, fun, has wide appeal and a bit of an adult side. Bright ruby red color. Bold aroma of cherries followed by notes of violets, spice, and earth. Flavors of black plum, and blueberries are backed by hints of tobacco, cocoa, nice acidity and round tannins. The unique glass closure will have your guests talking. A solid value.

SRP:  $10

2014 Cusumano Noa

This blend of Nero d’Avola, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon shows that Cusumano is about a whole lot more than value wines. A big wine at 15% abv, this wine shows rich aromas of blueberry jam, and purple flowers. This is quite full bodied for Nero d’Avola, but it’s getting serious backbone from merlot and body from the cabernet sauvignon.  Flavors of fresh dark berries are balanced by moderate acidity and fine tannins. Complex and enjoyable, Drink now through five years.

SRP:  $35