A few months ago, I attended an Italian wine trade event that showcased a regional snapshot of the country’s many diverse growing districts. My mission for this tasting was to sample oddities that I don’t necessarily taste on a regular basis.
One can't comprehend Italian wines in all their glory by drinking only Barolo and Brunello. With this in mind, I gravitated to the Southern Italian section of the tasting and stumbled onto my dark horse find for 4Q of ’07 and also my favorite winery duo of the tasting -
Vestini Campagnano.
The two varietals that I tasted from this winery are native to the province of Caserta, north of Naples.
Vestini’s tandem one-two-punch showcases Pallagrello, one of the few ancient vines that has both a white and red version that was highly prized during Roman times. Pallagrello Bianco is believed to be one of the blending grapes for the Roman’s most famous wine-Falernum. Centuries later, it’s documented that Pallagrello Rosso was a favorite of Ferdinando IV, Bourbon King of the Two Sicilies, who shared it with honored guests towards the end of the Napoleonic Era. Pallagrello was all too close to extinction, if it wasn’t for two lawyer friends, Giuseppe Mancini and Alberto Barletta, who created Vestini Campagnano in the early 1990s with the mission to preserve these ancient varietals and to make world-class wines. Based on my notes and the Italian press, the owners have succeeded with high marks.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the same wines on Vinfolio’s site a few weeks ago. Good job buyers! Now it’s my job to speak the gospel and get these darlings into your hands. With over 250 Italian selections on the site, sourcing older Super Tuscans and 2004 Nebbiolo from Piedmont is perhaps the priority for the serious collector with investment in mind,
but for those who want to think out of the box, Vestini Campagnano needs to be at the top of your list.
2006 Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Bianco-$34You would be hard pressed to taste a wine that has more layers of flavor than this effort, especially for the price tag.
This is not your $10.00 Pinot Grigio sipper you find in the value stacks at your local store, but a wine that has an infinite amount of superlatives that will leave you wanting another sip to figure out all that is happening on the palate. I’ll clue you in. Here’s a viscous wonder without cumbersome oak. The bouquet and entry reveals a menagerie of candied stone fruits, ripe pineapple, citrus peel and floral white blossoms. The mid-palate and finish reveal an almond theme that hinges on fresh marzipan fused with a subtle smoky note. The acidity on the back end cuts through the layers of cream to make your lips smack for another sip.
2004 Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Nero-$59The estate’s red version captures iodine and minerals from the volcanic soil that it’s grown in. This mineral edge is perfectly integrated with bombastic blackberry and boysenberry fruit, but don’t think ultra jammy Zinfandel that weighs in at 15.9% alc., but a wine with restraint of 13.5 to 13.9% alc. Like its white counterpart, this high-altitude growing grape has balanced acidity and a similar profile to the more famous Campanian cultivar, Aglianico, with a backdrop of pepper, licorice and worked leather that is encased in a healthy dose of natural tannins. These tannins are fine grained, like Bordeaux’s Cabernet based blends, and make for a wonderful alternative to let hibernate in your cellar.
The 2004 effort is a baby, but if you’re driven by curiosity to try, then please decant for two hours. The day of this trade event, the winery representative poured me a 1999 vintage from the estate that he had hiding under the table. Man o’ man, talk about a heady and remarkable nose of violets that echoed a similar fruit spectrum mentioned above with an amazing dry finish that reminded me of a classy Bordeaux or Barolo of pedigree.
