LeDomduVin: 2009 Castello di Luzzano “Carlino” Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese Lombardy Italy

2009 Castello di Luzzano “Carlino” Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese Lombardy Italy  

Owned by the Fugazza family, Castello di Luzzano is an estate located in Rovescala, a commune in the Province of Pavia, located about 50 km southeast of Milan and about 25 km southeast of Pavia, in the Oltrepò Pavese, in the Italian region of Lombardy.

Lombardy (or Lombardia) is one of the 20 main regions of Italy, representing the central northern part of the country, situated between Piedmont to the west, Austria to the North, Trentino–Alto Adige to the east, and Emilia-Romagna to the south. The capital is Milan.

The “Oltrepò Pavese” region is an area in the Province of Pavia, around the town of Pavia, located about 36-38 kilometers south of Milan in the southwestern part of Lombardy, which lies to the south of the river Po. This explains the word “Oltrepò”, meaning that the region is located “oltre” (beyond) the Pò River, when considered from the provincial capital Pavia.)

Producing dark, earthy, and slightly tannic wines, Bonarda is a red grape variety known as “Corbeau” or “Douce Noir” in the Savoie in France, where it is supposed to have originated from. Yet, it is also a name applied to several different grape varieties used to make red wine predominantly in northern Italy and other parts of the world. It grows under the name of “Charbono” in California. It is now widely planted in Argentina, where it benefits from ideal growing conditions and produces great everyday red wines that can easily rival some Malbec.  

Finding its ground of predilection in Italy, it bears the name of “Dolce Nero” and more specifically “Bonarda Piedmontese” in Piedmont, where it is usually labeled with the name of the main town or the region it comes from (i.e., Bonarda di Gattinara or Bonarda del Monferrato); yet in Lombardy, around Pavia, the locals call it “Croatina”, but it is more often labeled as “Bonarda dell’ Oltrepò Pavese”. Consequently, Bonarda is the most noted, most prestigious variety of the area, and is grown almost exclusively around the town of Rovescala. 

Nestled at about 300 meters above sea level, on the foothills that rise from the Po Valley between Piacenza and Pavia, Castello di Luzzano consists of a small hilltop ancient town surrounded by vineyards. The village is made up of the Castle of Roman origin, houses dating back to 600 AD, and a beautiful neo-classical church. The renovation project began in the '80s, with the intention of restoring each building to its original splendor, which would give a much-needed renaissance to this old village and bring back the effervescence that existed when many families lived there and the village was full of life.

With the concepts of ecotourism and vititourism in mind, the intent was to restore and transform the peasants’ homes into apartments for guests, providing an environment where they could experience history, art, and the culture of wine. Giovanella, one of the two owners, personally oversaw the project and initiated the work that continues to this day, given the large number of existing rural buildings in the village.

“Carlino”, which is now the name of the wine produced with the Bonarda grapes from the best parcels of the estate, was from what I could understand from the following text, a person, a neighbor maybe, but surely a friend yet competitor of the Fugazza family and a winemaker that used to make a great Bonarda. There is no real explanation on the winery website, yet I think that the “Carlino” wine has been named in memory of this man and the quality of the Bonarda wine he used to produce. 

Here is the text: 

“Carlino is the name by which Carlo Ferrari was always known. He was married to the delightful Clara and was with us for over 70 years. He knew absolutely everything about Luzzano, and as his memory remained excellent right into his old age, we would often spend time chatting to him. He was a bit of a lazybones, but never with his vines, which he cultivated with great love and skill. We miss Carlino's subtle jokes, but we miss even more his love for good wine and the touching way he used to go and get a bottle from the cellars and present it to us, as if to say that his Bonarda was better than ours. It was, but even if it hadn't been, we'd never have dared say so. Carlino and fellow-worker Oreste were good friends, but they were always in competition over the quality of their grapes. But Carlino's Bonarda, with its label reproducing the design on an 18th-century ceramic vase we have at Luzzano, is deservedly his.”   

2009 Castello di Luzzano “Carlino” Bonarda dell’ Oltrepo Pavese Lombardy Italy 

Suggested retail price  $15-$18 

Imported/distributed by VIAS Wine Import in NYC

Stefano Testa, the winemaker, crafts this wine with 100% Croatina (or Bonarda), from vines under sustainable farming, oriented southwest and planted at about 210 meters above sea level (690ft) on calcareous-marl soil. Coming from their top sights, the grapes used to produce “Carlino” are crushed, destemmed, and vinified until total dryness, meaning with no residual sweetness after fermentation. The ageing process occurs in stainless steel vats for at least twelve months to keep the freshness of the fruit. About 5,000 bottles are produced per vintage.

In the glass, it exposes a bright, deep, dark ruby color with purple reflections. Quite intense, the nose offers aromas of nicely ripe dark fruit and berries, violet, earth, and soil. The palate is really juicy, with dark, concentrated, ripe, and earthy dark fruit flavors and terroir-oriented notes, with great acidity and tannic structure. The finish is dry and textured, with a reminiscent quality of raw soil components. It definitely tastes “Natural”, which could slightly displease the no-organic-and-no-biodynamic-and-no-natural wine lovers. Yet, I found it excellent, quite complex, rich, and definitely worth trying. An earthy and hearty food-friendly wine that will pair ideally with charcuterie, pasta in meat-based sauces, and some risottos, all pork dishes, and most game and stew dishes.

Cheers! Santé!

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Source: Info partly taken and edited from the importer website at http://www.viaswine.com and from the winery website at http://www.castelloluzzano.it

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