NICHE NICHE takes you to Central Italy!
The Wines…
Course 1
Tuna Carpaccio with Eggplant Caponata
Casale Marchese, Frascati Superiore 2019
Casale Marchese is a historic estate in Frascati, Rome’s local white wine town located just thirty minutes outside of the city to its southwest. The estate was built in the middle ages at the site of two ancient Roman cisterns. During the Renaissance it was owned by a Marquis (hence Casale Marchese, House of the Marquis). Since 1713, the estate has been owned by the Carletti family. Their vines for the Frascati average 40 years of age, and are located in a prized area within the appellation, home of hillside vineyards with volcanic soil which help to impart a find underlying minerality to the wines. All of their vineyards are estate-owned, and are farmed sustainably. All of their grapes are hand-harvested.
Region: Lazio
Grapes: Malvasia del Lazio, Trebbiano Toscano, Malvasia di Candia, Bonvino, Bellone
The Wine: Fermented in stainless steel with selected yeast. Aged in stainless steel for 2-6 months.
Course 2
Delicata Squash Salad with Marinated Kale, Fennel Pollen & Whipped ricotta
Chiara Condello, Romagna Sangiovese Predappio 2018
Chiara Condello is a young winemaker located in the town of Predappio in Emilia-Romagna, specifically Romagna. Fun Fact: Emilia and Romagna are lumped together into a broader administrative region, but from the fall of the Roman Empire until the unification of Italy, they had always been separate in history, culture, and dialect. Romagna is no stranger to Sangiovese; many ampelographers believe it originates here and not in Tuscany. Predappio is one of twelve villages that give their names to Sangiovese subzones authorized as of the 2011 vintage. It is located in the foothills of the Apennines, and is characterized by a sedimentary soil called spungone, which is relatively young (three million years old, from the Pliocene epoch). It contains abundant, intact shells of marine life, often quite large, and is chunky and porous, held together by a calcareous sandstone “cement.”
Region: Emilia-Romagna
Grape: Sangiovese
The Wine: From three vineyards parcels between 150m and 350m above sea level, with a north/northeast exposure. One is clay-limestone, one is red clay with high spungone content, and the last is clay-limestone with veins of spungone. Vines are approximately 40 years old. The grapes were destemmed but not crushed, leaving whole berries intact. Fermentation was spontaneous in small stainless steel tanks (with temperture control), and open-top tronconic wood vats and tonneaux. Macerations lasted 15-25 days. Aging was for one year in used 3500L Slavonian oak botti.
Course 3
Bistecca alla Fiorentina with Black truffle, Taleggio, polenta & charred Broccolini
Felsina, Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia 1995
Fattoria di Fèlsina has long been one of the great names in Tuscany. Based in the Chianti Classico region, Fèlsina produces one of the finest ranges of ageworthy and complex Chianti bottlings in all of Italy. Unlike many of their neighbors, Fèlsina has never succumbed to the temptation to produce “new age” wines from their fine Chianti vineyards, and continues to grow solely Sangiovese here, rather than dabble with international-styled blends that include Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Consequently, their elegant yet intensely flavored Chiantis place them firmly among the top handful of Chianti producers, with the best vintages of their top Riserva Chiantis often approaching Brunello di Montalcino in terms of complexity and potential for longevity. In addition to their distinct bottlings of Chianti Classico,
Vigneto Rancia, located in the commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, northeast of Siena and in the southern part of the Chianti Classico production area. Rancia is at an altitude of 400 metres with a good, south-facing exposure. It covers about 6 hectares
Region: Chianti (Tuscany)
Grape: Sangiovese
The Wine: Grapes are de-stemmed and crushed, then fermented at 28-30°C, with automatic daily punch-downs, followed by 12-15-day maceration. At end of fermentation, wine goes into small and medium oak barrels in March-April for 12-18 months’ maturation. The lots are blended and bottled, with 6-10 months’ ageing in glass
Dessert
Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Cirelli, Wines of Anarchy
The Cirelli farm grows its food and wine in total respect of organic agriculture. Nature sets the rules and it dictates the rhythm of every activity. The animals’ interaction with the land offer natural grazing and fertilization of the vines, which means there is no need to use harmful chemical substances.
Francesco purchased the land in 2003 right after his graduation in Economics at a prestigious European university. Before this, he was a student at the Italian Navy College. He decided to dedicate himself to organic agriculture because of the profound values of working the land (“Right after God the farmer comes next” he was told once). He is now helped out by his fiancée, Michela.
Region: Abruzzo
Grape: Trebbiano
The Wine: Fermented spontaneously in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts. Francesco’s Wines of Anarchy project is made with purchased grapes from a friend and neighbor whose vineyards are certified Biologico [organic]. ‘Anarchy’ is a nod to Guzzista Motorcycles and Sons of Anarchy, two things he loves. The wine is intended to be fun and as Francesco says, to “bring a little bit of anarchy into the day”.
