A collection of tasting notes by a wine lover and professional (WSET3 w./Dist.)
2020 Etna Bianco, Giulia Monteleone, Sicily, Italy.
This wine is made of the Carricante grapes, an autochthonous grape variety of Sicily. The vineyard is situated in the east of the Etna area, where the soil is volcanic.
The wine has straw colour, complex aromas of yellow fruit and some flower in the nose. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium acidity. A fruity wine, with reasonable length.
TBM 88 points.
2020 Anthemis, Giulia Monteleone, Sicily, Italy. This white wine, made of the autochthonous Carricante grape, comes from vineyards on the east side of the Etna, beyond the Alcantara river. Maturation in barrels of 400, 600 and 700 litres (1st, 2nd and 3rd use).
Straw colour. Complex aromas of yellow fruit. On the palate, dry, medium acidity, round and pleasant, very long finish. Great wine.
TBM 91 points.
The 2019 Rumex by Giulia Monteleone is a red wine from the Etna area in Sicily, Italy. The soil is entirely volcanic. The vines are pre-phylloxera, not grafted. Made with Nerello Mascalese, an autochthonous grape from Sicily.
Purple to ruby colour. In the nose, the wine shows complex aromas of red fruit, remembering a bit a Nebbiolo. On the palate, the wine is dry, medium acidity, good body and structure, silky and integrated tannins, leaving a round mouthfeel. Beautiful wine.
TBM 92 points.
2019 Qubba, Giulia Monteleone, Etna, Sicily, Italy. A beautiful red wine made from old vines of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, two autochthonous grapes from Sicily, and a bit of Alicante (Grenache). The soil is volcanic with clay.
Purple colour, transparent and brilliant. Complex aromas of red fruit in the nose (raspberry, strawberry). O the palate, the wine is dry, with medium-low acidity, tannins silky and well integrated, good structure and body.
TBM 89 points
2019 Etna Rosso, Giulia Monteleone, Sicily, Italy. A red wine made in the region below Mount Etna, with volcanic and clay soil. Made with Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, two autochthonous grapes from Sicily.
Purple colour, transparent and brilliant. In the nose, complex aromas of red fruit, strawberry. On the palate, the wine is dry, with medium-low acidity, silky tannins. A very nice wine.
TBM 89 points.
The Gerstl Tasting – Fall 2022 took place in the wine shop in Sempach on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 21 to 23 October. They showed 129 wines from different countries – a marvellous selection. Gerstl made the open tasting even more interesting with the presence of several wine makers. I was able to speak with Eric Mialhe of Clos Venturi, a wine maker of exceptional wines from Corsica. Cellar is their importer in Brazil. Furthermore, I met with Laetitia Barrot of Domaine la Barroche and tasted her Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Rhône wines. Animavinum imports their Liberty wine into Brazil
Gerstl had organised the Gerstl tasting – Fall 2022 in 12 different stands, that were divided by themes. Some stands were producer-specific, others gave a more general overview of the wines in a particular country (e.g. Spain). For certain countries, like France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, there was also a specific selection of wines by the Gerstl team. As this was overwhelming, I decided to taste a total of 41 wines, white and red. They were from Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria, Germany and Portugal. All were good, very good or even excellent. I shall be writing my tasting notes over the next few days and they shall be published on this site.
Here is a short video of some impressions of the tasting: IMG_1157
The 2020 Ungeheuer GG Von Winning is a Riesling at the GG (Grosses Gewächs, Grand Cru) level within the VDP classification. Forst is the village in the Palatinate with the highest density of “Grosse Lage” vineyards, and the Forster Ungeheuer comprises undoubtedly some of the best German vineyards for Riesling. Some of its most famous winelovers include Otto von Bismarck and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (who said that “life is too short to drink bad wine”). In a play of words, Bismarck once said that the “Ungeheuer ist ungeheur gut” (the “Monster is unbelievably good”). Tasted at the Gerstl fall tasting in Sempach.
The wine presents itself in straw colour. In the nose, Riesling aromas prevail – yellow fruit, citrus aromas, some flowery notes and herbs. The wine is dry (though not “bone dry”, it has 6.4 gr/l residual sugar) with medium acidity (7.2 gr/l), nice minerality, and gives a great mouthfeel and a long finish. This wine has great potential, it is still young and should be left developing for a few years.
TBM 89 points.
The 2019 Chiesa Nera Blanc Clos Venturi is a white wine blend from Corsica, made from the grapes Biancu Gentile, Genovese e Vermentino. Limestone soil, south- southeast exposition. Manual harvest. Yield 30-35 hl per hectare. Biodynamic viticulture. Total destemming, followed by a cold maceration of 48 to 72 hours. Fermentation in egg-shaped concrete tanks, and based on autochthonous yeast. Maturation during 12 months in the concrete tank, on fine lees. Thereafter, further maturation during 4 to 8 months in the bottle. No clarification and no filtration of the wine.
This wine has a beautiful straw color. In the nose, you find aromas of white fruit, herbs and flowery notes, with hints of citric fruit and tangerines. Dense on the palate, with a wonderful freshness, this wine enchants with its play of the fruity notes. Very elegant wine. Tasted at the Gerstl autumn tasting in Sempach.
TBM 90 points
Foto credit: Comptoir des Millesimes
The 2021 WinWin Riesling Von Winning is a very nice wine from the basic “Gutswein” level (in the VDP classification), from the region of Palatinate, Germany. The team of Stefan Altmann follows traditional winemaking styles, fermentation in large wooden barrels without cooling. The WinWin is fermented partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in barrels. The grapes come from vineyards in Deidesheim and Ruppertsberg. Tasted at the Gerstl tasting in Sempach.
This wine shows a straw colour. In the nose, some typical Riesling aromas – apple and citrus fruit dominating. No petrol notes yet, as the wine is very young. On the palate, the wine has a bit of residual sugar (8,7 gr/l) which is nicely balanced by the acidity (8,3 gr/l) of the wine. Due the interaction between acidity and residual sugar makes the wine appear almost dry. This wine gives a pleasant, round mouthfeel and has a long finish. Beautiful young Riesling.
TBM 88 points
The 2021 Clos Venturi blanc is a white wine from Corsica, made with the Vermentino grape. Clos Venturi works with biodynamic principles in the vineyards and the cellar. Limestone soil. Manual harvest. Cold maceration during up to 72 hours. Temperature controlled fermentation with indigenous yeasts. 8-9 months maturation on fine lees. No clarification. Light filtration after decantation (natural cold settling of the wine in the cellar). Yield 35hl per hectare.
Straw color with slight greenish reflexes. In the nose, the wine shows aromas of citric fruit, pineapple and pear. Dry with medium acidity on the palate, long finish. Beautiful white wine.
TBM 88 points.