From your agent at Vinitaly

Some memorable tastings done around the fair with Sicilian enologist Tonino Guzzo.

Maybe it’s because some people may be beginning to think that I’m getting “too old and tired”, but the fact is that this year at the DoctorWine stand at Vinitaly I found myself with more time on my hands to wander about the fair. On the next-to-last day, I ran into Tonino Guzzo, a Sicilian enologist and friend for at least the past 20 years, and after we tasted a spectacular Catarratto di Feudo Disisa, Lu Bancu 2021, which they made in Monreale with his consultancy, I suggested we go out and taste a few wines together, because I wanted to know what he thought of them. Tonino collaborated with Giacomo Tachis when the latter worked for Tasca d’Almerita and is one of the best finest palates I know.

Our adventure took us to the Campania stands where, among other wines, we tasted a Fiano d’Avellino Erminia 2004 from Roberto Di Meo. This is an extraordinary wine that has come out now after 16 years of maturing on the lees in stainless steel and aging two years in the bottle. I am not trying to win you over.  But just try to imagine making a wine like this one, which has a golden-green color, aromas of incredible complexity and an unexpected youthfulness, something that rises above any winemaking style. Or, better yet, that goes far beyond. Tonino could not believe it. Roberto De Meo, who is president of the Campania Enologists Association, is an enologist of great sensitivity and he explained to us how he made this wine. I must say that his story was simply engrossing for those, like us, who love wine and everything that has to do with serious experimentation and research. In this particular case, it had to do with following, step by step, the evolution of reduction on fine lees without any batonnage stirring, which was made possible thanks to the health of the grapes used. To say this was something exceptional would be an understatement.

From Campania we went to the Alto Adige stands to sample some Pinot Nero, including Curlan Riserva 2019 Girlan and Aton 2018 Elena Walch. These are two fantastic examples of what they can achieve in that region and are two of the best Pinot Noir made outside of Burgundy, wines that could be compared, mutatis mutandis, to some of the Grand Cru of Cote de Nuits. While tasting the Aton, I was struck by Tonino saying: “This is a wine that I would have wanted to make in my lifetime”. That says it all.