Two of my favourite wines of a recent vintage from my Old Vine Seminar in Bolzano/Alto Adige yesterday: The Tenuta Delle Terre Nere La Vigna di Don Peppino 2019 Prephylloxera Etna Rosso and the Bodega Spectacle Vins Espectacle del Montsant 2017. Both wines come from very old vines and are characterised by small yields and an incredibly fascinating spectrum of aromas.
The Vigna Don Peppino is my favourite. It comes from a one-hectare vineyard of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio at an altitude of six hundred metres on Mount Etna in Sicily. The ungrafted vines are over 100 years old. The wine shows an almost Burgundian characteristic: wonderfully transparent ruby colour with garnet reflexes.
The delicate nose shows an incredible bouquet of red and black fruits, heart cherries, blackberries, rose hips, hay flowers, dark earth. The palate adds a fine salty mineral spiciness which characterises many wines from volcanic soils. Grippy yet fine-grained tannins provide structure. The fresh acidity balances the substantial alcohol perfectly. Power and elegance converge here. Very dense and complex with enormous potential.
The Espectacle de Montsant, on the other hand, is the counterpart: it consists of 100 % Garnacha from ungrafted vines that root up to 20 metres deep. The wine is a powerhouse combining opulence and density. The alcohol of 15.5% stands out a bit, but the sheer power and complexity of the wine fascinate me. Violets, cherry, blueberry, oriental spices, chocolate, smoke and some charcoal. Fresh acidity, fine tannin and also a perfect length. Bravo!
