I have to admit I am one of those people who goes through short-lived obsessive phases, especially when it comes to food and wine. My latest one is a light fruity and peppery wine called Verduno Pelaverga like I talked about in my last post. So my friend Matteo suggested another producer who is actually based in La Morra, called San Biagio and interestingly owns a Pelaverga vineyard right on the border. A good excuse to stop by for a visit!
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the setting of this renovated farmhouse and new cellar set amongst the vineyards was magnificent. The daughter of the family, Tiziana greeted us and reiterated the importance of the terroir and work in the vineyards. I love when Italian winemakers use poetic and philosophical metaphors like,“a vine/vineyard is like a person, the more you exploit it, the less complexity and longevity it will have”.
Neither traditionalists nor modernists, they do what is best for the wines and use oak not as the centerpiece of their wines but as a frame. Some of their big Slavonian oak barrels are up to 40-60 years old. Again by taking care of them properly, it is more likely for them to live a longer life! After a tour of the modern cellar full of stainless steel tanks, we went down into the old fashioned tiny cellar in the basement full of these old oak barrels. It was a tasteful mix of both modern and traditional style, which is conveyed in their winemaking style as well.
Tiziana was so kind to sit at the table with us and let us try two wines. The first was of course, their Pelaverga 2011 which was fresh and fruity with sugarless seeded raspberry jam and wild strawberries and a hint of black pepper on the nose. Medium bodied and darker than the other Pelavergas I have tried, it had pleasant sweet tannins, spiciness, bright acidity and even a vein of minerality. This was a very impressive and delicate wine!
I got my pick, so then Matteo got his. He went for the big boy, and asked for a Barolo Sorano coming from their vineyard in Serralunga, the more powerful masculine side of Langhe. What we didn’t expect though was for her to bring out a 2006! What a treat. This was absolutely to die for. Even if we were all in a rush, with this glass of wine, we ended up staying there for about an hour longer because as a good wine often does, it brings forth good conversation and togetherness. So elegant and so smooth, this wine was full of complexity and continued to evolve with every sip. First juicy cherries and plums, to mint, to chocolate covered strawberries, dried apricots and finally an amaretto finish. What could ever be important enough to tear you away from that!?
A casual Tuesday afternoon turned into a great experience. I thank Tiziana at San Biagio winery for being so patient with us and giving us the gift of tasting these wonderful wines:)
Envy.. Envy! How much is that bottle of Barolo?
i think about 30….