Wine & Spirits - Fall 2022 - 76

Top 100 Wineries
ITALY | TUSCANY
ITALY | VENETO
Poggio di Sotto
Silky, ethereal sangiovese from the southern hills of Montalcino.
lUCa MaRRONE
Piero Palmucci established this estate in
1989, building a reputation for structured,
elegant Brunellos that caught the attention
of the Tipa family, owners of the ColleMassari
Wine Estates, who bought Poggio di
Sotto in 2011. Its 49 vineyard acres reach
an altitude of 1,300 feet on steep slopes in
Castelnuovo dell'Abate, where the looming
peak of Monte Amiata shields the vines from
inclement weather. The organically farmed
vineyards are planted exclusively to sangiovese
but include some 120 biotypes to build
complexity in the wines. The estate produces
just three wines, with low yields and rigorous
selection limiting their annual production to
5,000 cases. Winemaking is staunchly traditional:
spontaneous fermentations followed
by aging in 30-hectoliter Slavonian oak
casks. As they age, winemaker Luca Marrone
designates the casks destined for each of the
wines, making a Riserva only in exceptional
vintages. The Tipa family bought the neighboring
64-acre estate of Tenuta San Giorgio
in 2016; they bottle wines from the two
estates under separate labels. -S.J.
2016 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva ($550,
97 points) Abundantly floral and fresh, this
Riserva unfolds with generous flavors of succulent
cherry and raspberry infused with tangy
mandarin acidity. Notes of thyme, lavender and
warm spice weave through the wine, enlivening
the bold red-fruit tones. This is an exciting
expression of sangiovese that is delicious now
for its finely woven structure and beautiful balance.
It will continue to improve for years.
FOUNDED:
1989
WINEMAKERS:
Luca Marrone,
Leonardo Berti
VITICULTURIST:
Giuliano Guerrini
OWNERS:
Claudio Tipa & Maria
Iris Bertarelli
ACRES OWNED:
119; 49 planted
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
5,000 cases
ESTATE GROWN:
100%
FARMING PRACTICES:
Organic, certified by
ICEA
IMPORTER:
Winebow, NY
76
2017 Brunello di Montalcino ($300, 96
points) This is one of those wines that I felt compelled
to drink, not just taste. The nose entices
with scents of red cherry, vine-ripened tomato
and a hint of blood orange. The texture is smooth
and harmonious, with no sharp edges but plenty
of verve. Subtle spice notes are perfectly integrated,
energizing the vivid fruit flavors and coaxing
you to take another sip. Beautifully refined
and balanced, this is hard to resist now, yet will
give pleasure over many years to come.
2018 Rosso di Montalcino ($100, 92 points)
This Rosso drinks as well as or better than many
a Brunello. It's packed with flavors of red cherry
and tangy raspberry that feel plush and immediately
inviting, with smooth tannins and hints of
thyme and licorice that add to the appeal. The
purity and precision of the fruit is impressive, and
the wine finishes on a bright note of orange zest.
WINE & SPIR IT S
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Adami
The Adami family's Proseccos stand out for their finesse,
and for their focus on terroir.
FRaNCO aDaMI
since 1933, when abel adami bottled
Vigneto Giardino as the first single-vineyard
Valdobbiadene Prosecco, the family has
demonstrated a strong attachment to the
land. They purchased the Col Credas vineyard
in 2002, and then undertook a decade
of experimentation, vinifying it separately
to understand the wines it could produce
before finally bottling it as a single vineyard
wine in the 2011 vintage. Abel's grandsons,
Armando and Franco, now run the family
winery, making seven wines, six of them
from the steep slopes of the Valdobbiadene
DOCG and three of them from single vineyards.
They make 35 separate vinifications
to maintain the character of different vineyards,
keeping the base wines on the lees for
close to five months to build body and richness,
and always using the same base for second
fermentations of each wine. To ensure
maximum freshness in their current stock,
they run up to 100 second fermentations
each year. -S.J.
2020 Valdobbiadene Asciutto Vigneto
Giardino Rive di Colbertaldo ($23, 93 points)
The Adami family purchased this 7.6-acre vineyard
in 1920. The vines, rooted on steep slopes
that reach up to 990 feet above sea level, produce
an austere, linear base wine. Franco Adami
finds he needs to allow for some residual sugar
to draw out the fruit. Asciutto is an old local term
meaning " dry, " in the sparkling-wine sense,
and the wine carries up to 20 grams of residual
sugar per liter, a sweetness that's barely evident
except to amplify the wine's flavors of lemon
curd, mango, white peach and golden apple.
Lemony acidity balances the fruit, and a cool
streak of salinity brightens the finish.
FOUNDED:
1933
WINEMAKER:
Franco Adami
VITICULTURIST:
Fabrizio Adami
OWNER:
Franco and Armando
Adami
ACRES OWNED:
32
ANNUAL PRODUCTION:
69,000 cases
ESTATE GROWN:
26%
IMPORTER:
Dalla Terra, Napa, CA
2020 Valdobbiadene Extra Brut Col Credas
Rive di Farra di Soligo ($23, 91 points) The
three-acre Col Credas vineyard, with its heavy
clay soils, produces a broader and slightly less
acidic base wine than Vigneto Giardino, making
it suitable for the extra brut style (with lower
residual sugar). Subtle flavors of tart kiwi and
crisp green apple are tinged with notes of thyme
and lemon basil, the flavors balanced by a silky
texture. This wine is built for the dinner table.
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Brut
Bosco di Gica ($19, 90 points) This refreshing,
easy-drinking prosecco is Adami's highest-production
wine, with about 300,000 bottles a year
hitting the market. A superb value, it offers flavors
of white peach and golden apple accented
by hints of lemongrass.
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2022

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