2023 Wine Tours Part One: Cortona Yoga Retreat
It’s taken awhile, but I’m finally getting around to recapping our 2023 Wine Tours. We enjoyed over five weeks of tasting and traveling throughout Italy and France with dozens of visits to amazing wineries, and meals at some of the finest restaurants in the world. What follows is a recap of the 4 guided tours, plus my wife and I’s one week tour in France.
May 17-23, Yoga Retreat, Hotel Oasi Neumann, Cortona, Italy (Tuscany)
My wife arranged a fantastic yoga retreat for her clients, along with spouses/friends, for which I acted as unofficial guide and organized a wine outing and a few special events. This included a fantastic cooking class with our dear friend Paola, the chef and owner of Locanda Pozzo Antico in Cortona.
Highlights
Winery Visits: Altesino; Podere le Ripi; Tenementi d’Alessandro
Other: Eremo ‘Le Celle’; Cooking class with Paola; Wine, Dine, and Shine; Taverna Pane e Vino
Highlight Wines
Emidio Pepe, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2009
Arnaldo Rossi, ‘Dodo’ 2018 & 2019
Podere Le Ripi, Montalcino, Tuscany
Podere Le Ripi is among my favorite producers in Italy. 100% biodynamic farming with a team of young, enthusiastic workers manage this estate owned by Illy coffee family. These are some of the most unique wines and vineyards in all of Montalcino, and their practices include some truly innovative experiments.
The Golden Cellar
The aging cellar at Podere Le Ripi is a fascinating descending spiral, built on the principle of the famous ‘Golden Ratio’. This spiral descends underground, ending in a circular chamber where a speaker in the middle serenades large botti underneath an ‘oculus’ as the wines complete their barrel aging. It is a place where you can truly feel the energy of the cosmos and its integral part in the winemaking here.
The Vineyards
Podere Le Ripi is located in Castelnuovo dell’Abate at around 250m in elevation. They have vineyards both here at the estate and in the western edges of the Montalcino region. Their biodynamic farming is the most complete and authentic I have ever experienced. An organic garden lies near the cellar where their goats, cows, chickens, and donkeys all reside as well. These animals are part of the amazing ecosystem that produces these transcendent wines. They are known for experimenting with vine density, and actually have a single vineyard called Bonsai in which the vines are planted with the highest density in the world—62,500 plants/hecatare, with each plant only 45cm apart. This forces the vines to compete and dig deep very early in their lives to find nutrients. Sangiovese plants that usually take 4-6 years to reach maturity were able to produce complex wines in just 2-4 years.
Tasting
Canna Torte, Toscana Bianco 2021: Brilliant and intense with pronounced minerality. Trebbiano and Malvasia with skin contact. Slightly orange.
Amore e Follia, IGT 2021: Sangiovese/Syrah blend.
Sogni e Follia Rosso di Montalcino 2021: Perhaps my favorite Rosso di Montalcino of the entire trip
Cielo d’Ulisse Brunello di Montalcino 2018
Amore e Magia Brunello di Montalcino 2018
Lupi e Sirene Brunello di Montalcino 2017
All of these wines are tremendous. The Brunellos are wines of elegance and complexity. Young and vibrant with many years ahead. At the time of tasting, the Amore e Magia was perhaps the most complete and enticing, with penetrating tannins and a sublime earthiness. The 2017 Lupi e Sirene will be spectacular
Altesino, Montalcino, Tuscany
Altesino is a proud and historic winery just to the North of the town of Montalcino. They are most famous for their prestigious single vineyard wine from the acclaimed ‘Montosoli’ vineyard. This is a peerless wine that speaks the name of this tiny parcel in every glass. Absolutely iconic.
Tasting
Bianca Toscana 2022: One of the best wine buys ever! €8/bottle for delicious and crisp white wine? Yes please!
Rosso di Montalcino 2021
Palazzo Altesi, Toscana IGT 2018: 100% Sangiovese
Brunello di Montalcino 2018
Brunello di Montalcino ‘Montosoli’ 2018: The ‘Montosoli’ from Altesino is one of the truly great wines of the region. It has an unmistakable bouquet and elegance that is haunting. A wine to drink in any vintage, any time.
Tenementi d’Alessandro
Tenementi d’Alessandro is in many ways the founding estate for the prestigious wines of the Cortona DOC. Located just down the hill from the town of Cortona, they put Cortona Syrah on the map in the 1990s. On my first trip to Cortona in 2006, it was their Syrah ‘Il Bosco’ that stole my heart. We even named our custom dining table ‘Il Bosco’ after this wine. The estate is beautiful and the winemaking here is very traditional with a new focus on organic and biodynamic techniques. I love these wines.
Tasting
Bianco 2021: 100% Viognier
Fontarca 2021: 100% Viognier; a tremendous white wine with elegance and intensity.
Rosato Syrah 2022: Rosé from Syrah. Definitely a unique wine.
Syrah Rosso 2020: The baby Syrah. A nice and easy everyday wine. Nothing profound.
‘Il Bosco’ 2018: The wine that put them on the map. Always delicious with deep, classic Syrah aromas of black and blue fruit, bacon fat, and Tuscan herbs.
‘Migliara’ 2016: The prestigious single-vineyard that takes ‘Il Bosco’ and ramps up the power. This wine is built to age and is quite special.