Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
uncanny knack of bringing out the best that
Sangiovese has to offer.
Many readers might not know that Mam-
molo has always been the defi ning feature of
the wines of Montepulciano: or so it should be,
if foolish producers hadn't started adding
Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to their Sangio-
vese, instead of Mammolo. Not because these
two great wine grapes don't have anything to
add, but because they inevitably take over the
wine: Sangiovese gets lost in the mix, and the
wine loses any sense of place or uniqueness it
may have had. The end result is that many of
the wines of Montepulciano no longer taste like
the unique wine that a Mammolo-enhanced
Sangiovese can be; in other words, wines that
don't remind anyone of Montepulciano and its
surrounding countryside. In my view, Nobile di
Montepulciano is perhaps Italy's most famous
wine with the biggest identity crisis and poor
sales, and the decision to abandon Mammolo is
one of the main reasons why.
Mammolo's main problem is that its wines
tend to oxidize sooner than those made with
varieties like Sangiovese, and a red wine that
can't be cellared automatically becomes a sec-
ond-tier player. However, some winemakers
disagree with these prevailing views. For exam-
ple, Federico Staderini believes too much has
been made of Mammolo's tendency to oxidize
quickly and correctly points out that the excel-
lent monovarietal Mammolo wine he helps
make at Villa Calcinaia in Chianti Classico ages
well for two to three years. Another problem (or
rather, a perceived problem) is that pure Mam-
molo wines aren't especially deep in hue, and
light color has been a big no-no with the wine
buying public (and many wine critics) for the
better part of the last thirty years.
Monovarietal Mammolo wines are charac-
terized by an archetypal fl oral pungency that is
truly unforgettable; the smell of violets is much
more intense than in Sangiovese, not itself a
shy variety when it comes to expressing that
aroma. In the mouth, I fi nd well-made exam-
ples of mammolo to be graceful, with very juicy
fruit (black cherry, raspberry) and fl oral (violet,
lavender) fl avors that last and last. Mammolo
wines may not be blockbusters, but they have a
sense of balance that is rarely in red wines.
Elsewhere, Clos Ornasca makes a reportedly
pure Sciaccarello Rosé in Corsica; monovarietal
or not, it's a very good rosato; their red wine has
about 20 percent Nielluccio (Sangiovese) added.
Comte Abbatucci makes both red and rosé wines
in Corsica; I greatly prefer the former (Faustine),
which is roughly 70 percent Sciaccarello and 30
percent Nielluccio. Clos Canarelli makes a very
good Figari Rosé wine that is 50 percent Sciacca-
rello. In the United States, Acorn Win-
ery / Alegria Vineyards in Sonoma County has
planted Mammolo but does not make a monova-
rietal wine with it (though it does do other Cal-
Italian wines, such as dolcetto and sangiovese).
In Australia, several estates have planted Mam-
molo but they use it in only very small percent-
ages, in blends with their other Italian varieties
to add a little more in the way of perfume.
wines to try: Villa Calcinaia*** (a light-bod-
ied, fragrant work of art; not meant to age, but
it doesn't fall apart quickly either, belying the
notion that Mammolo always causes wines to
oxidize and age faster). I Balzini produces a
Sangiovese-Mammolo wine called Green Label
with roughly 25 percent Mammolo, and the
wine is remarkably perfumed and enticing.
The owner, Antonella d'Isanto, has guaranteed
that she will go “Mammolo alone” as soon as
she has enough massal selections of Mammolo
grapevines to make wine in commercially feasi-
ble numbers. Given the quality of her mam-
molo, I am eagerly awaiting that wine. On the
other hand, I caution readers that Cennatoio's
very good wine called Mammolo di Toscana is
100 percent Merlot. Only in Italy, I guess.
Mantonico Bianco
where it's found: Calabria. national regis-
try code number: not registered. color:
white.
Typical of Calabria, this is a naturally tannic
white grape variety that has been confused with
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