Societa Agricola Muralia Winery
Roccastrada (GR) Maremma
Hello all and Happy late Thanksgiving in the United States. To all others, well, happy day none the least. Rain storms are all around Europe, and I hear that snow may be beginning to fall in the Sierra Nevada Mountains which means the start of ski season. The MaremmaWineShire Wine Expo over the weekend was a great success and I will get caught up to that in the next few days, but let’s talk about Muralia, again. For those of you who are well read you will remember my report about the 2006 Muralia, well today we talk about my visit to the estate.
Located in Roccastrada, in the heart of the Monteregio di Massa Marittima D.O.C., this estate is a new project. The estate spans over 14 hectares which include the estate itself, at Poggiarello, as well as two small sites very close to the property. The estate vineyard was researched in the early 2000’s and planted in 2004, and in fact the 2006 ‘Muralia’ was the first wine produced from these vines-amazing. The cellar is simple clean and very functional, and overall the property is a model of the Tuscan countryside.
Stefano Casali and his wife Chiaradonata are caring and gracious people, showing much warmth and passion in their product. It was very kind of them to open their home and take the time to show me the cellar and give me the pleasure to not only experience some of the new 2010 vintage beginning to take form as well as the current selections. I also have to say another thanks you for the trade pass given to me so that I could attend the expo in Milano for both days. So let’s talk some wines…
1) ‘Chiaraluna’ Viognier 2009 Maremma Toscana I.G.T.
The sole white wine from the winery and a varietal that I am learning is becoming very popular in the Maremma region. Unlike Vermentino, the other popular white grape of the Maremma, Viognier is a fuller bodied white rich in flavors and ripe with fruits and flowers. The style here is to enhance these characteristics without over-extraction, very well achieved. The wine is aged in French barrique with stirring of the lees, much like our familiar California Chardonnays. The wine is brightly colored and exciting on the nose, rich with aromatics of ripe pineapple and yellow pears and a background element of florality. The taste is long and enticing, with a full bodied mouth feel and a pleasant surprising beam of fresh acidity that brings out the minerality and keeps the flavors going. Great structure here and a great effort to say the least.
2) ‘Corbizzo’ Rosato (Syrah) 2009 Maremma Toscana I.G.T.
I love a good Rosato, especially with a lighter style food fair. Syrah is a common grape to use, but usually with other grapes to obtain a color that is not too extracted. I was surprised and excited to see the color of this Rosato knowing that it was pure Syrah, which is a very underrated grape varietal in my opinion. (Why drink overpriced underrated Cabernet from California when there is so much underpriced higher rated Syrah people?) I digress and return to my excitement of this Rosato. Light in color and heavy with aromatics of juicy red cherries and mandarin oranges, as well as some strawberries and watermelon fruits come out. Also good orange blossom and pink carnation flowers arose within the senses. A no nonsense straight forward Rosato that is well rounded.
3) ‘Babone’ 2007 Maremma Toscana I.G.T.
The introduction to the reds is a Sangiovese (65%), Syrah (30%), and Merlot (5%) blend sourced from two of the vineyards owned by the estate. A wine that does not see any time in oak, and the focus is on the purity of the fruit here. Youthful and bright with a firm color concentration from the addition of the syrah, the wine’s nose brings forth the essence dark fruits kissed with balsamic vinegar, black liquorice, and black olives. The wine has a firm tannin structure and a very balanced long finish. A definite winner in the price/quality ratio equation.
4) ‘Altana’ 2007 Monteregio di Massa Marittima D.O.C.
Here is a strong representation of the promise of the Monteregio D.O.C. and for the Southern Maremma as well. An elegant blend of Sangiovese (80%), Merlot (10%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) that all works perfect in harmony. Dark cherries and plums skins come to mind, with a dark earth component on the nose. I also noted an essence of barrique aging to find out that indeed there is about 20% new barrique used here! Leathery and complex, with the fruits taking on a ripe jammy character on the palate. To me this is still one of the top tier Monteregio’s being produced.
5) ‘Muralia’ 2007 Maremma Toscana I.G.T.
The second vintage of this wine, and the flagship top tier wine for the estate. Syrah (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), and Sangiovese (20%) comprise the blend. I am beginning to think that in the future the ‘Supertuscan’ wines will be defined by the North Cabernet based wines, like Sassicaia and Ornalaia, and the South by the Syrah based wines, like Muralia. The climate and terroir is truly an ideal place for such wines. 14 months in barrique and 9 months in bottle before release, a wine that is built for the long haul. Put this wine away because it needs some time to truly develop into the wine it is meant to be. I would be insufficient in my description to say this wine has great structure, and revisiting the notes from the 2006 vintage you can see how much I do like this wine. There are smoky black fruits on the nose kissed by a sweet vanillin quality from the oak influence. Even in its youth this wine shows how great its balance is with firm tannins and bright acidity to work together with them. There is a lot of iron and rocks in the soil of these vines and it shines through to the wine with a hard dark minerality and again the presence of black fruits but now kissed by the balsamic vinegar emerges on the palate.
-Mystery Barrel: One of my favorite memories from my time spent in the Maremma on this trip will truly be the barrel tasting of the mystery wine-Varietal X as it will be called here. A fun project/experiment to say the least, it seems to this wine taster that success is assured. What is it, well as I promised Stefano in the sanctity of our ‘church,’ the wine cellar, I am sworn to secrecy. You know the deal, ‘I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you’ sort of deal.
Huge thanks go out again to the Casali family for their graciousness. For such a young project the product is remarkable and truly shows how passion and love can be bottled and passed on. Salute!
For information regarding the wines of the Maremma and/or Tuscany including high class luxury wine and golf tours and holidays in the Southern Tuscany region visit the website of the premier tour company, www.maremmaevents.com to begin planning your next vacation. Salute!
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