Gus Clemens on Wine

My Bluetooth speaker wasn’t working so I threw it into the lake…

Now it’s syncing.

Wine time.

Calcu Gran Reserva Cabernet Franc, Marchigüe Estate, Colchagua Valley, Chile 2020: Deep ruby color; raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, plum, chocolate, to***co on the nose and palate.

Dry; silky tannins with good balancing acidity (3.59 pH). Medium-plus body. Blend of 95% cab franc, 3% petit verdot, 2% carménère. Aged 12 months in French oak. Interestingly, does not have the herbaceous, bell pepper notes often found in cab franc, while other vintages from this maker did. Nice structure and drinkability, especially at this price point. Yet another proof that Chile delivers superb value. 14% ABV

Grapes come from a vineyard block located between the Chimbarongo Creek and the Tinguirica River on the Maquis Estate in the heart of the Colchagua Valley, the honey spot for Chilean cab franc wines. The location allows for a long growing season. There is impressive diurnal shift, an essential is developing ripe fruit accompanied by acidity—a result of the juxtaposition of the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, a signature factor in Chilean wines.

Calcu means “healing doctor” in Mapudungún, the language of the indigenous people of the Mapuche region of Chile. The winery’s mission is to create wines that emphasize the diversity of Chile’s Colchagua Valley. The Calcu winery was built in 2002. Viñedos Calcu and Viña Maquis share the facility. Their focus is sustainability and state-of-the-art technology. All wine is transported by gravity to preserve aromas and polyphenols. Fermentation vats are different sizes so each batch of juice is fermented separately. Temperatures are controlled using the winery’s geothermal plant.

The winery website notes: “Viñedos Calcu is a winery project associated with the Hurtado Vicuña family, who, following their experience in the production of premium wines at Viña Maquis, now seek to produce wines of even higher quality.”

Ricardo Rivadeneira Hurtado is the general manager and winemaker. He studied in London and Santiago and earned degrees in agronomy and winemaking. He then worked at Charles Krug in Napa and Chateau Branaire-Ducru in France. He became the general manager of Viñedos Calcu in 2004. The website notes: “His contribution has been key to the conception and development of the vineyard on the Calcu estate in Marchigüe and in the definition of its wines.”

Rodrigo Romero is the head winemaker. He has a degree in agronomy from Universidad Católica de Valparaíso with a specialization in fruit farming and postgraduate studies in wine technology and production. He has worked at several Chilean wineries including Cavas Sumarinas, Veramonte, and Dos Andes. Outside Chile, he has worked at wineries such as Pierre Bourée Domain, Patrick Piuze Domain and Jean Marc Brocard in Burgundy, France; Fattoria Nittardi, Castellina in Chianti, and Cascina Feipu dei Massaretti di Parodi Agostino & Css in Italy; and at the Franciscan Estate Winery in Napa.

Calcu Gran Reserva Cabernet Franc, Marchigüe Estate, Colchagua Valley, Chile 2020—fully delivers the red wine value that is hallmark feature of Chilean wine. This is not overly complex or extraordinary, but is good QPR (quality-price ratio). Varietally correct without the bell pepper herbaceousness. Pair with grilled meats; steaks, lamb; pasta dishes with tomato sauces; pork, sausages; barbecue; chorizo. Cheese—feta, gorgonzola, fontina, manchego, aged gouda, comté. $15-17

Calcu website https://calcu.cl/en/

Calcu U.S. importer’s website https://www.globalvineyard.com/calcu/

Photos: Calcu winemakers Ricardo Rivadeneira and Rodrigo Romero; Calcu winery; Calcu vineyard and territory; Calcu vineyards; Calcu vineyards; Calcu fields

To the thief who stole my antidepressants: I hope you are happy now.

Wine time.

Funckenhausen Malbec Blend, Mendoza, Argentina 2022: Deep ruby-purple color; plum, blackberry, cherry, subtle notes of oak, vanilla, black pepper on the nose and palate.

Dry; supple tannins and acidity. Very easy drinker—blend of 70% malbec, 15% bonarda, 15% syrah. Very much red wine easy drinker territory. Fruit forward. Grapes fermented in small, temperature-controlled stainless steal tanks. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation/conversion; 40% of the blend aged in French oak. 13.5% ABV

The vineyard and winery’s founders immigrated from Funckenhausen, Germany, to Mendoza, Argentina in the late 1800s. Several years later, Kurt Heinlein founded Funckenhausen Vineyards in the San Rafael appellation of South Mendoza. It is located at the foothills of the Andes mountains near the banks of the Diamante River. He named the winery to honor his maternal ancestors—the Funke family—and the town from which they came. Alejandro Leirado Heilein—Kurt’s grandson—runs the operation today, aided by other family members.

The family-owned winery asserts it seeks to honor Kurt and Alejandro’s German ancestry while forging an Argentine tradition of winemaking for future generations. Kurt and Alejandro decided on a one-liter bottle “because to share you need more than 750 ml,” as the label proclaims.

Funckenhausen is part of Mendoza Family Wines. That is a group of five independently-owned family wineries that specialize in different terroirs in Mendoza and unite for distribution and marketing. Other members include Stocco de Viani, Viamonte, Salvador Patti, and Cuartofincas. Malbec is Argentina’s signature red wine; 75% of all the malbec acres in the world are in Argentina.

Funckenhausen Malbec Blend, Mendoza, Argentina 2022 is vibrant, juicy full-bodied malbec-led blend. Argentine wine with hint of German heritage. Fruit forward with subtle oak influence. Easy drinking with excellent QPR (quality-price ratio). Pair with red meats, particularly leaner cuts; lamb; wild game—venison, bison, ostrich; roasted pork; dark meat poultry—duck, turkey; pizza; pasta with tomato; empanadas. Cheese—Blue cheese, stilton, gorgonzola; aged cheddar, manchego, gouda, taleggio. $12-16 (1-liter bottle, about $9-12 if it was a 750 ml bottle)

Funckenhausen website https://funckenhausen.com

Mendoza Family Wines website https://mfwines.com/

Photos: Funckenhausen vineyards; Funckenhausen vineyard; Funckenhausen president Alejandro Leirado Heinlein; Funckenhausen founder Kurt Heinlein; Funckenhausen winemaker Jimena López; Funckenhausen harvest; Funckenhausen tasting room; Funckenhausen-Diamante River

What is the difference between George Washington and a duck? One has his face on a bill, the other has a bill on his face. Wine time.

Golan Heights Winery Hermon Mount Hermon Red, Galilee 2022: Deep ruby color; cherry, plum, raspberry, blackberry, oak, vanilla, earth on the nose and palate.

Dry; soft tannins and acidity. Ripe fruits; jammy; opulent. Medium body. Blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, cabernet franc, petit verdot. The ripe fruits give the illusion of sweetness as the wine ventures dangerously close to grape jelly territory—which will be a feature, not a flaw, for some drinkers. Tones down with exposure to air, consider decanting. Kosher for Passover. 14% ABV

The Golan Heights Winery was founded in 1983, two years after Israel extended Israeli law and administration in the territory. Golan Heights Winery includes four brands: Yarden, Golan Heights, Gilgal, and Mount Hermon. The winery is Israel’s leading premier winemaker. Wine Enthusiast named it “New World Winery of the Year” in 2012.

The “New World” designation is amusing since it is hard to imagine Israel and the Middle East qualifying as “new world”—but in the wine business, New World covers all the wineries not in Europe and adjacent, long-time wine-producing countries. The Golan Heights winery and tasting room get very high marks on TripAdvisor; visitors can have a Jeep ride through the vineyards before enjoying apparently (according to several reviewers) great food.

Golan Heights Winery’s 1,500 acres of vineyards stretch from the Sea of Galilee to the snow-capped peaks of Mount Hermon—a region where wine has been made for more than 6,000 years, but only in the past three decades have modern, quality wine efforts been in place. The Golan Heights Winery’s acres are divided into 28 vineyards (96% in Golan Heights) and 430 blocks. Each block is monitored individually, then harvested individually and the fruit kept separate through the winemaking process until final blending. There are 16 vinegrowers who grow 20 grape varieties, 13 red and seven white.

Golan Heights Winemaker Victor Schoenfeld is one of Israel’s most influential winemakers. He graduated from UC Davis in 1988 with a degree in enology. He worked at Robert Mondavi and Preston Vineyards in Sonoma, then Jacquesson & Fils Champagne house before joining Golan Heights. Schoenfeld is strong advocate for new wine-making technology and precise climatic and viticultural analysis. Not surprisingly, the winery embraces sustainable agriculture and environmental responsibility, including solar and wind power, wastewater management, and composting instead of chemical fertilizers.

Golan Heights Winery Hermon Mount Hermon Red, Galilee 2022 is a Bordeaux-style blend, led primarily by cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Soft, plush, almost jammy. From a leading winery in Israel. Kosher for Passover. Pair with roasted and braised meats; lamb, especially seasoned with herbs; lasagna and pasta dishes with tomato sauces; pizza; burgers and sliders; mac and cheese; meatloaf; comfort food in general; poultry—roast chicken, turkey, duck; pork; venison, wild boar, rabbit; roasted vegetables—root vegetables, mushrooms. Cheese—aged cheddar, brie, gouda, gorgonzola, silton, manchego. $17-20

Golan Heights website https://www.golanwines.co.il/en/

Photos: Golan Heights Winery; Golan Heights Winery tasting room; Golan Heights winemaker Victor Schoenfeld; Yarden vineyard-summer; Yarden vineyard-winter; Mount Hermon

Why should you never begin a conversation with pi? Because pi will go on forever. Wine time.

Baglio Del Cristo di Campobello Lalùci Grillo, Sicilia 2020: Medium gold color; lemon-lime, grapefruit, citrus, tangerine, peach-pear, pineapple, salinity-sea foam, spring flowers on the nose and palate.

Dry; bright acidity, no tannins. Light-plus body. Rich, tasty. Nice balance of fruitiness and acidity. This is 100% grillo grapes hand-harvested into small crates. Temperature-controlled maceration after de-stemming and crushing. After light pressing, wine spends four months on the lees in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Aged three months in bottle before release. 13% ABV

Grillo is the signature white wine from Sicily, where most of the grillo vines in the world grow. The name means “cricket” in Italian and also is an Italian surname. Once used exclusively in marsala production, grillo now is made as a varietal such as this effort. Grillo often is referred to as a fuller, funkier alternative to pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. The vines can withstand high temperatures and drought and still produce copiously. Grillo is not an ancient grape. DNA analysis indicates it is a cross between catarratto and zibibbo, a biotype related to muscat of Alexandria. It likely was created by Antonio Mendola in 1873.

The Bonetta brothers founded the winery in the 2000s near the Sicilian town of Campobello di Licata, near the south coast. Prior to founding the winery, the family initially focused selling bulk wine. In 2000, they revitalized their business with new vineyards on their 124 acres of calcareous-chalky soil. In 2006, they built a state-of-the-art winery. In 2009 the put wine under their own label on the market. The produce eight different labels. The most notable include Lalùci—this grillo effort; Lu Patri, a nero d’Avola pour; and Lusirà, a syrah bottling. “Lalùcia” refers to “light” in Sicilian dialect. The winery notes it reflects their commitment to showcase the purity and authenticity of the grillo grape.

Baglio Del Cristo di Campobello Lalùci Grillo, Sicilia 2020 is a fun, easy drinker with freshness and energy. Ripe grillo fruits suggest sweetness and fullness, but this is a dry wine made with Sicily’s signature white grape. Refined. Silky texture. Intense flavors and aromas. Impressive. Pair with fish and shellfish, including ceviche and sushi; grilled fish; stewed fish; smoked fish; bacon-wrapped shrimp; lemon chicken, roasted chicken; pasta dishes with white sauces and seafood; pasta marinara; light risotto; garden and summer salads; vegetarian fare. Cheese—fresh, lighter cheeses; goat cheese; feta; burrata, caprino. $17-25

Cristo di Campobello website https://www.cristodicampobello.it/en/home-2/

Photos: Cristo di Campobello vineyard; Cristo di Campobello vineyard; Cristo di Campobello calcareous vineyard soil; Cristo di Campobello harvest; Cristo di Campobello harvest

Column: Malolactic fermentation/conversion
Even if you only dip your big toe into wine wonkiness, you likely encounter the term “malolactic fermentation” or MLF. What is that?
Well, this being wine, it actually is not fermentation, which involves yeast. It is a conversion, which involves bacteria. The primary bacteria is Oenococcus oeni—try saying that three times in a row after a couple of glasses of wine (or even before). The process is a decarboxylation conversion—malic acid turns into lactic acid. What does that mean in words of less than five syllables?

Malolactic conversion reduces acidity and softens the taste of wine. It almost always is done with red wine. It usually is done with white wines where a rounder, creamier profile is wanted. Chardonnay is classic example, as are viognier, marsanne, roussane, and white Burgundy. On the other hand, MLF usually is prevented in sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio/pinot gris, riesling, vermentino, and other whites where acidity and floral aromas are prized.

Wineries encourage MLF by inoculation of bacteria and control of temperature (warmer is better), acidity (lower is better—above 3.3 pH), and avoiding sulfur dioxide. Wineries discourage MLF by keeping temperatures lower, keeping pH less than 3.3, adding sulfur dioxide, sterile filtration, and other methods.

If you enjoy a full-bodied, creamy, buttery, smooth chardonnay, you have MLF in an oak barrel to thank. If you prefer tangy fruit, great acidity…

[Please Google “Gus Clemens on Wine” to go to my column and podcast on Substack (usually third on the list). If I include a link, Facebook suppresses this post.]

Restaurant patron: “Waiter, I would like a bottle of Napa cab.”

Waiter: “What year, sir?”

Patron: “Well, I was planning on drinking it tonight.”

Domaine Bousquet Gaia Cabernet Franc, Gualtallary, Argentina 2020: Deep purple color; black raspberry, blackberry, plum, dark cherry, blueberry, rhubarb, bell pepper, chocolate, spice, violets on the nose and palate.

Dry; medium-plus tannins with appropriate balancing acidity (3.7 pH). Plenty of dark fruits and particularly pleasing play in the mid-palate. Medium-plus body. 100% certified organic cab franc from estate vineyards in Tupungato, Alto Gualtallary in the Andean foothills. The site delivers impressive diurnal fluctuations, a hallmark of quality wines where daytime sunlight—intense at 4,000 feet—drives fruity ripeness and nighttime lows engender balancing acidity. Manual harvest. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel for 12 days, followed by 14 days of maceration. Aged eight-to-ten months in French oak. 14.5% ABV

Gaia is named for the Earth Mother goddess in Greek mythology. Founded in 1997, the Gaia brand by Domaine Bousquet creates non-classic wines using French winemaking styles. The Bousquet family has four generations of winemaking experience. They arrived in Mendoza, Argentina, from France in 1990 and fell in love with the possibilities. They purchased land in the foothills of the Andes in 1997 in the Tupungato Valley, elevation 4,000 feet, one of the higher altitude vineyards in Argentina and the world. The climate is very dry, allowing Domaine Bousquet to have excellent water control through drip irrigation using meltwater from nearby Andes Mountains.

The winery is one of the world’s most awarded fully organic operations. As their website states: “We are dedicated to farming organically while improving our land’s biodiversity. We believe that the healthier the vineyard, the better the fruit and of course the wine. In other words, by nourishing the land and treating it with respect, we know that the land will give us back its finest fruits.” And: “Organic crops are grown in harmony with nature without using any chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Organic agriculture uses natural fertilizers such as compost.”

The Bronco Wine Company is the U.S. distributor. Bronco is a major U.S. wine maker—best known for “Two Buck Chuck”—but they also represent more serious brands, such as this one, and have a long history of distributing imported wines in the U.S. The big advantage for Domaine Bousquet is Bronco’s very robust distribution capabilities in the U.S.

Domaine Bousquet Gaia Cabernet Franc, Gualtallary, Argentina 2020—fresh, well-made effort from the leading organic winemaker in Argentina. Plenty of rich dark fruits with some depth and complexity. Easy to drink, will work well with a variety of meats. Good QPR (quality-price ratio). Pair with hearty red meats, ribeye steak with blue cheese; roasted pork, pork tenderloin, grilled sausage; pasta with tomato sauces; beef lasagne; stuffed bell pepper; herb-crusted rack of lamb; chicken with herby crème fraîche; vegetarian fare—grilled asparagus, roasted spring vegetables. Cheese—feta, gorgonzola, goat cheese, chèvre, boursin, camambert, fontina. $17-20

Domaine Bousquet website https://domainebousquet.com/en/

Photos: Domaine Bousquet winery, vineyard, with Andes Mountains in the background (the snow melt provides the water for drip irrigation); Anne Bousquet, co-owner and founder; Domaine Bousquet wine team; Domaine Bousquet winery; Domaine Bousquet barrel room; Domaine Bousquet entrance; Domaine Bousquet aerial view of winery

What is the difference between a Yankee zoo and a Southern zoo? The Yankee zoo will have the name of the animal and its Latin name. The Southern zoo will have the name of the animal and a recipe.
Wine time.

Cantina Zaccagnini Pinot Grigio Colline Pescaresi Dal Tralcetto, Italy IGT 2022: Pale straw color; tropical fruit, lemon-lime, white peach, yellow apple, pear, cantaloupe, honey, toasted almonds, minerality on the nose and palate.

Dry; no tannins; sharp acidity. Light-plus body. Smooth, delicious. Impressive concentration. Made with grapes from a single vineyard in the hills outside the seaside town of Pescara on the Adriatic Sea—thus the touch of minerality-saline, especially on the finish. The vineyards are sustainably farmed, grapes hand-harvested. Gentle grape pressing, low-temperature maceration managed to showcase delicacy and aromas. On the lees for up to four months, then aged in stainless steel. 12.5% ABV

The 500-acre Ciccio Zaccagnini is located in Bolognano, alongside the Rome-Pescara highway in the Pescara province. Established in the early 1970s, it is 30 miles from the Adriatic coast and eight miles from the 9,000-foot Maiella Mountain. Marcello Zaccagnini directs the operation. Concezio Marulli is the winemaker. Their slogan: “Wine, art of man.” The tralcetto (stick) is an actual grapevine cutting from the vineyard is cut and tied by hand onto each bottle to represent the connection between the vine and the land.

Italian pinot grigio—it is the same grape as pinot gris in France—is a mutation of pinot noir. Very versatile, it produces wines ranging from dry—this effort—to sweet depending on region and winemaking techniques. Good acidity is a hallmark, especially from Italian versions. This is crisp, refreshing text book iteration of pinot grigio.

Cantina Zaccagnini Pinot Grigio Colline Pescaresi Dal Tralcetto, Italy IGT 2022 is solid example of classic Italian pinot grigio—dry, light, crisp, refreshing, balanced. Delightful and harmonious symphony of tropical fruit, crispness, acidity, and minerality-salinity. Works as an aperitif. Pair with seafood—pinot grigio/gris is ideal for almost all seafood, fish, shellfish; roasted and rotisserie chicken; risotto; lighter pork dishes; pasta dishes with white sauce; salads and vegetarian fare; grilled vegetables. Charcuterie board with range of cheeses, fresh fruits—apple, pear, grapes—cured meats, nuts, light crackers. Cheese—mozzarella, goat cheese, feta, brie, parmigiano reggiano, gruyère. $10-18

Cantina Zaccagnini website https://www.cantinazaccagnini.it/en/

Photos: Cantina Zaccagnini winery and vineyard; Cantina Zaccagnini vineyard and territory; Cantina Zaccagnini vineyard art; Cantina Zaccagnini owner Marcello Zaccagnini; Cantina Zaccagnini vineyard; Cantina Zaccagnini art installation

What is really at the end of the rainbow? The letter w. Wine time.

The Prisoner Wine Company Saldo Red Blend 2019: Deep ruby color; plum, black cherry, cassis, oak, cedar, smoke, vanilla, espresso, spice on the nose and palate.

Dry; big and bold, but reserved tannins as zinfandel is the lead grape in this blend. Some acidity. Full body. Velvety, lush mouthfeel. Illusion of sweetness from very ripe grapes and high alcohol. The Prisoner does not precisely present the blend for this vintage, but typically it has been 85% zinfandel with dollops of petite sirah, syrah, and cabernet sauvignon. Grapes come from Dry Creek, Lodi, Amador vineyards—and from “here and there.” “Saldo” means “here and there” in Latin. This focuses on rich, dark fruit deliciousness rather than subtly or complexity. 15% ABV

Saldo achieves a dependable profile each year. My tasting impressions are consistent with previous vintages, although this is 15% ABV—less than previous efforts. For the third straight vintage—and third effort by winemaker Chrissy Wittmann—Saldo is slightly less jammy than earlier iterations. Delicious, easily approachable crowd pleaser.

The Prisoner Wine Company consistently delivers amicable, fruity, phenolically sweet wine. The brand became a wine industry giant using that formula. It all began with a zin-led red—The Prisoner—created by Orin Swift Cellars founder Dave Phinney in 1998. Phinney grew The Prisoner brand from 385 cases to 85,000 cases in 10 vintages, a major wine success story.

Phinney sold The Prisoner brand to Huneeus Vinters in 2010, and Huneeus sold to Constellation Brands in 2016. Bill Newlands of Constellation said at the time of the acquisition: “More than ever, consumers are seeking high quality, distinctive wines, and the portfolio we are acquiring from The Prisoner Wine Company delivers.”

Phinney sold his Orin Swift Cellars brand to E.&J. Gallo in 2016. Since The Prisoner was a separate brand from Orin Swift, Phinney has now sold his brands to the largest publically-traded wine company in the world: Constellation. And to Gallo, the largest family-owned wine company in the world. Selling to both was pretty nice trick for Phinney.

Constellation paid $285 million for The Prisoner Wine Company, and that was just the brand, no vineyards came with the purchase. The wine world is cleaving into two camps: wineries that make a precise, consistent style of wine (The Prisoner Wine Company is an example), and wineries that express a particular plot of land and the terroir elements that go into that equation. Wine drinkers can sit back and enjoy while debating the existential nuances of each approach.

Chrissy Wittmann is the winemaker at The Prisoner today. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Systematic Biology at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Chrissy found her love for wine while analyzing soil and waste water samples in a lab. She returned to Cal Poly and earned a master’s degree in Agriculture. Waste water vs. wine? Not a hard call.

Wittmann joined Scheid Vineyards in 2005 as assistant winemaker; two years later she joined the prestigious Wild Horse Winery & Vineyards in Paso Robles. Over the next nine years, Chrissy rose to director of winemaking, while mastering the art of multi-vineyard sourcing. In 2016, Chrissy and her family moved to Napa Valley and joined The Prisoner Wine Company, where her expertise in vineyard partnerships is in play every day. Chrissy says, “The Prisoner Wine Company’s wines have true personalities that start in the vineyards and which are encompassed in the blending of the wine. I’m thrilled to be working with so many vineyards of quality, to tap into my inner wine geek every day.”

The Prisoner Wine Company Saldo Red Blend 2019 is a dependable celebration of ripe zin with a supporting cast. Big and powerful, not quite as high alcohol as previous vintages, but still up there are 15% ABV. Works with food, but clearly also is calculated to work as a cocktail substitute. While it may lack the tannin oomph to hang with rich, red, fatty slabs of beef off the grill, it will pleasure many a palate beyond that. Enjoy by itself. Pair with grilled, roasted meats—beef, lamb, pork that are not too marbled, but—heck—will not be a disaster even then. Barbecue—slow cooked brisket, baby back ribs; sausage dishes; dishes with bacon; comfort foods—meatloaf, shepherd’s pie, cheeseburgers, bowl of chili. Cheese—hard, nutty cheeses; aged gouda, parmesan, manchego; soft, bitter—blue cheese, gorgonzola, stilton; emmentaler, brie, camembert. $32

The Prisoner Wine Company website https://www.theprisonerwinecompany.com

Photos: Saldo winemaker Chrissy Wittmann; Prisoner Wine Company founder David Phinney

Did you know that a group of crows is called a “murder”?

Well, technically it is only a murder if there is probable caws. Wine time.

San Felice Il Grigio da San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 2019: Deep ruby with garnet hues color; sour black cherry, blueberry, balsamic, oak, to***co, tar, earth, herbs, violets on the nose and palate.

Dry; grippy, ripe tannins that significantly smooth out with air; good acidity (6.1 g/l, which roughly falls in the 3.6 pH range). Medium-plus body. Blend of 80% sangiovese, 20% native grapes (abrusco, pugnitello, malvasia nera, ciliegiolo, mazzese). Grape varieties fermented separately in stainless steel, followed by 22 days of temperature-controlled maceration. After malolactic fermentation/conversion, aged two years in 50% large large Slavonian oak casks and 50% in smaller French oak barriques. Bottle aged a minimum of three months before release; my tasting is from five years of bottle age. 13.5% ABV

San Felice includes three famous Tuscany estates. Production reaches more than one million bottles—more than one million of Chianti, 80,000 of Brunello, 40,000 of Rosso de Montalcino, and 55,000 if Bolgheri. There are 16 labels, including this one. All San Felice wines are made using estate-owned grapes. the San Felice territory is just south of Florence, while the other two are south of Siena.

The San Felice winery is located in the heart of Tuscany and has a history dating back centuries. The estate is named for an early Christian saint and originally was owned by the Grisaldi del Taja family. That family was important in the formation of the Chianti Classico consortium, a key group in the history of Italian wine.

Enzo Morganti, a visionary winemaker who spent two decades researching sangiovese clones, purchased the estate in 1968. Morganti focused on high-quality winemaking and re-structuring the estate. In addition to refining sangiovese, he also help resurrect pugnitello, a forgotten grape, that became an iconic element in the estates wines, including this one.

San Felice is a leader in sustainable viticulture, moving toward regenerative and organic agriculture. The winery is self-sufficient in energy with solar panels and has reduced the weight of its bottles to minimize carbon emissions. Today, the estate includes a 1,853-acre resort that includes 445 acres of vineyards and a 44-acre parcel dedicated to experimental viticulture. It is a key winery in the Chianti Classico region.

The Chianti region is noted for rolling green hills and picturesque Roman ruins. Classico wines refer to a specific growing area heralded by a distinctive black rooster on the neck of the bottle. BTW, Hannibal Lector was correct, Chianti and fava beans are a good pairing. Pass on the meat if you are his dinner guest.

San Felice Il Grigio da San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 2019 is elegant and complex, a serious red wine from an esteemed maker in the Chianti Classico region south of Florence. Impressive rather than delicious. Rich, assertive red fruits will thrill Chianti lovers, but powerful red wines are not for everyone’s palate. Superb juxtaposed with hearty meat and tomato dishes. Pair with pork; roast lamb with rosemary and garlic; ribeye and T-bone steaks; wild game—venison, wild boar, pheasant; pasta with tomato sauce and meat—lasagne, spaghetti bolognese; tomato and cheese pizza; barbecue beef, pork, chicken; ribollita soup; veal; sausage and beans; cured meats. Cheese—aged parmigiano-reggiano, pecorino, grana padano, sharp cheddar, aged asiago, fontina. $35-47

San Felice website https://www.agricolasanfelice.it/en/

Photos: San Felice winery, aerial view; San Felice winery, square; San Felice winery at night; Aerial view of Borgo San Felice; San Felice terroir; San Felice terroir; San Felice terroir; San Felice vines and harvest; San Felice harvest; San Felice harvest

Column: Wine is fermented grape juice, an agricultural product like green beans and corn. But that is not how we think about wine. Why?

We think of wine as a consequence of culture rather than agri-culture. Wine is treated like an aesthetic product, similar to the arts, with special terminology, in-depth discussion and analysis, reviews by experts.

But wine also is a commercial product. It has been for thousands of years, and the special dynamics of it being a commercial product shaped wine and how you think about wine. In 2021, the most recent complete statistics, the world made 34 billion bottles of wine with a market value of $53 billion. Wine is a commercial product.

Place—“terroir”—is a central belief in wine’s mythos. As far back as ancient Greece, elites believed wines from distant places were special. The simple folk drank locally produced fermented grape juice or beer. The rich and powerful drank wine. Commercial value was enhanced…

Please Google “Gus Clemens on Wine” to go to my column and podcast on Substack (usually third on the list). If I include a link, Facebook suppresses this post.]