Corte Normanna Falanghina Sannio DOC 2007

With a pair of Australian reds back to back, it’s time to go a bit further afield.  While you can expect tastings of whited to lessen in frequency as the chill sets in, and rosé wines may not be seen for months, it would be unreasonable to exclusively drink reds until spring arrives.  (Yes, I’m in the Southern Hemisphere.)  So today it’s a wine from somewhere that’s fairly warm already, the south of Italy, with this Corte Normanna Falanghina Sannio DOC 2007.

As I’ve said before, I find Italy both fascinating and confounding for the sheer variety of regions and varieties.  I will never more than scratch the surface of its vast complexity, but with each wine and region I know a little more than I did, so it keeps me coming back.

Speaking of which, we’re back in Campania, which is in the southern half of the country, and we’re about midway between Rome and the instep of the boot.  We were last here with a Greco di Tufo, but this time we’re in Sannio DOC which is a geographically much bigger area just to the north of Greco di Tufo.  This masterful level of geographic information is straight off the De Long’s Wine Map of Italy, available from Vinodiversity.

The climate of Sannio is similar, if not identical, to Tufo, classic Mediterranean with plenty of sunshine.  (I have seen central parts of the region described as more continental, but in this part of Italy it’s difficult to be more than 70km from the Mediterranean or the Adriatic so I’m not convinced.)  The geography is hilly, and the DOC specification gives some particularly detailed descriptions of the geology, with dolomite and limestone rock sediments on the surface in some areas and clay and sandstone sediments in others, with soft rock underneath.

Falanghina is a local white grape, believed to be the grape of the Falerian wine which was all the rage in ancient Rome.  It’s name is thought to be taken from falangae, the Latin term for stakes in the vineyard for holding up vines.  It is little known outside of Italy, and even as an exported wine it is typically overshadowed by the two big Campanian white grapes, Greco Blanc and Fiano.  However, with modern winemaking enabling better preservation of its fresh aromas, there has been increased interest in it.  That said, I can’t find anyone who has planted it outside of Italy, so it hasn’t quite hit the big time.

As a grape, it is found in compact clusters of round berries which are typically covered in bloom.  The skins are thick, and of a yellow-gray colour.  It ripens from September through October.  The vines are vigourous with average yields.  It makes wines with a light body and moderate to high acidity.

Corte Normanna is a family owned producer based just south of the town of Guardia Sanframondi in the Sannio region and run by the brothers Gaetano and Alfredo Falluto.  Founded in 1927 by a previous Gaetano Falluto, the company left the local cooperative winery in 1984 to set up their own production, with their first exports in 1997.  The name is a nod to normal lords, the Sanframondos, who ruled the area from 1138 until 1460.  They produce a range of products from locally grown grapes and olives.  Their red wines are primarily Aglianico, with two varietal bottlings and two blends.  They produce dry Fiano, Greco Blanc, and three styles of Falanghinas –  a sweet passito dessert wine, and a charmant method sparkler in addition to this dry, still wine.  They also distill grappas and press olive oils.

In the glass this wine is clear and bright, with a medium straw colour, and a thin, quick film (as opposed to legs).  On the nose, it’s clean, with a medium intensity (very closed initially) and aromas of yellow flower, honeycomb, lemon, and initially a slight nuttiness, though less later.  It shows some development, but not fully developed.  On the palate it’s dry, with medium plus intensity, medium minus acidity, medium plus alcohol, medium plus body, and medium length.  It has nutty notes, lemon preserves, and a bit of zest and minerality.  It had a clean finish.

I’ve said before it’s difficult to judge quality with a wine variety and region that are unfamiliar, so it’s best to fall back to the formula of balance, concentration, complexity, length.  (Typicity is part of the formula, but alas, not useful in this case.)  It’s reasonably well balanced, though lacking acidity relative to its other qualities.  It isn’t short on concentration with good intensity and alcohol.  It has good complexity with both fruit and developed characters coming through, and the length was fine.  I’m going to put this in the good category, though I would have liked more freshness either from a younger vintage or more acidity.

In terms of personal enjoyment, I really did like this wine.  It’s a new variety for me, from an unfamiliar region, and as something of an unknown it did not disappoint.  Well matched with fish or chicken, it carried the meal with which I paired it, and I’d be happy to have another bottle.

Tenuta Cavalier Pepe Nestor Greco di Tufo 2010

So, Italy continues to be something of a gold mine in terms of serving up new (to me) varietals as I try to hit a century.  I’ve been working through some whites as it’s still quite warm here, and today it’s the Tenuta Cavalier Pepe Nestor Greco di Tufo 2010.

From a country that can at times be quite challenging in terms of varieties, regions, and the names they use interchangeably in some cases for both, the details of this wine are refreshingly straightforward.  First, Greco is the grape, Greco Bianco in this case.  Secondly, the grape is believed to have originated in Greece, as one might reasonably expect from the name.  Finally, this wine is from the region surrounding the town of Tufo, which amazingly takes its name from the type of soil in the area.  Game, set, match – that’s what I call easy.

So Greco is actually a pair of grapes, Bianco and Nero for white and black, though when people use the term Greco on its own, they’re generally referring to Greco Bianco.  Of course, I find that slightly annoying, in the same way that people talk of Pinot as though there is only Noir and no Gris or Blanc, or Cabernet as though there is only Sauvignon and no Franc.  The same is true for regions – people refer to Bordeaux and Burgundy as though they are only red wines and Sancerre as though it’s only white.  Sigh.

Getting back on topic, Greco Bianco is a white grape that’s best known from the wines produced in the south of Italy, particularly in Campania and Calabria.  It’s known for it’s long, loose bunches and small round berries, with thin skin.  It is a relatively hardy variety, and provides consistent cropping, with high sugar levels as well as acidity, though it can fall prey to downy and powdery mildew.  It is believed to be the same grape as Asprinio, which is also found in Campania.

While the grape is permitted in a number of DOCs, it is best known as the primary grape in the Greco di Bianco DOC and the Greco di Tufo DOCG.  Greco di Bianco DOC in Calabria is a dessert wine made from partially dried grapes in what’s called passito style.  Greco di Tufo in Campania of on the other hand, this wine, is a dry wine with a strong aromatic character and texture that reminds some of Viognier.  It’s also used to make a dry white on the island of Capri, blended with Biancolella and Falanghina.  Greco Bianco has made it overseas and I know of at least one Australian producer in McLaren Vale who is making one, but more on that when I can get a bottle.  Beyond that though, it’s not widely planted outside of the south of Italy.

Tufo is a town and commune in center of Campania, and the surrounding regions are the home to Greco di Tufo.  A classic Mediterranean climate, the distinguishing feature is the namesake soil.  I first came across this soil type in the context of the Loire Valley, where the area of Vouvray in particular is famous for the caves dug into what the French call tuffeau.  In Italian it’s tufo, and apparently in English it’s tuff (news to me but I’m no geologist).  More a rock than a soil, it’s volcanic in nature, relatively soft and one of the easier rocks to excavate.

Tenuta Cavalier Pepe is an Avellino producer with over 40 HA of vines, producing three DOC Aglianico red blends, an Aglianico rosato, a Fiano, a DOCG Aglianico, a Coda di Volpa (will have to look that up later), and an IGT Falanghina (in addition to this Greco di Tufo).  Their plantings are intermingled with olive and nut trees in the hills of the region at an altitude of between 350 and 500 meters, with largely southern and southeasterly exposures, and they sit on clay loam and sandstone over the tufo.  Their red wines are exclusively estate grown, which implies they buy in at least some of the grapes for their whites.

This wine was pale lemon green in the glass with thin quick legs.  It was clean, of medium intensity, youthful, and had elements of peach, almond, apricot, white flower on the nose.  On the palate it was dry, with medium minus acidity, medium body, slightly oily, with medium plus intensity, and medium plus alcohol.  The palate matched the nose with stone fruit, almonds and white flower, though there’s a strong taste on the finish, stone fruit that’s gone a bit sour.

While I don’t have a great deal of context in terms of this grape or style, not having had Greco di Tufo before, it does come across as a very well made wine.  While the flavour profile is not overly complex, the texture and intensity is where it shines.