Castello di Roncade: Behind the scenes of great wines

Or how Castello di Roncade’s Villa Giustinian is made.

After an interesting tour of the castle and an introduction to the complex hosting us by Fabio Drusian, a wine expert as well as an accomplished historian, a challenge was presented by enologist Umberto Trombelli who, backed up by Baron Ciani Bassetti, the owner of the Castello di Roncade estate in the province of Treviso, opened a door to one of the most delicate and, at least up until now, intimate phases of winemaking: blending.

The subject of the challenge was Villa Giustinian, the feather in the cap of Castello di Roncade’s wine production and one of the first Bordeaux blends in Italy.

This year, for the 2017 blend, Trombelli wanted to surround himself with a host of journalists, professional tasters and lovers of Castello di Roncade wines. The tasting involved over 20 possible “candidates” for the final blend, each identified by volume, acidity, alcoholic content, varietal and vineyard parcel.

Aside from offering us a unique experience to imagine creating our own personal wine, this initiative sought to make a clear point: creating a Bordeaux blend is no easy matter because many factors need to be taken into consideration. These include the composition and nature of the soil in the vineyard; how a particular varietal responded to this terroir; weather and climate; and what barrels to use during winemaking, just to name a few. What we learned was that Villa Giustinian is a wine in which the blend is determined by the year’s harvest and the sensibility of the enologist plays a fundamental role to ensure continuity over time.

This continuity is also linked to another of this wine’s characteristics: Villa Giustinian is, in my view, one of those wines that expresses a mood, a state of mind. These are aspects have more to do with the sensations that the final product can transmit rather than the exact composition of the blend. This was confirmed by two other wines offered during the tasting that were already blended and bottled and are available on the market today: Villa Giustinian 2013and Villa Giustinian 2015. Vintage 2013 was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlo and Malbec; while the 2015 was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Merlot and a small addition of Raboso Passito. In the end, these were different yet very similar wines and both told the history of a territory and the birth of a great Veneto red.

Fun facts

Castello di Roncade is rich in Veneto history. It is, in reality, a unique Palladian villa surrounded by walls making it seem like a fortress. Everything, from the villa to the grounds to the area dedicated to winemaking, is set in a precise historic context. The Castle can be visited by reserving a guided tour that rightfully ends with a tasting of the estate’s wines (www.castellodironcade.com).

Also involved in this initiative were two companies that play an important role the estate’s wine production: Amorin, which presented its ND Technology project aimed at neutralizing the presence of TCA in cork stoppers; andGarbellotto, a Vento enterprise that is a world leader in the production of large vats and that is responsible for supplying barrels to Castello di Roncade which are specifically built onsite in the cellar.

Villa Giustinian 2013

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlo and Malbec that matured for some 24 months in French-oak barrels. The wine has an intense ruby color with garnet reflections and a slightly green aroma recalling the varietals that is fresh and bold. The mouthfeel does not disappoint: tannins and structure combine well with the acidity creating sensations that are at times balsamic. Overall a pleasing wine that is easy to pair with local cuisine.

92/100

€ 25

Villa Giustinian 2015

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Merlot and a small addition of Raboso Passito that matured for some 24 months in French-oak barrels. A ruby-red color that is a tad garnet with intense and rounded aromas that recall ripe, red fruit and fruit preserved in spirits. The mouthfeel is more complex and the acidity properly accompanies the fruit flavors found in the aroma while the persistent finish has a sweet sensation in the mouth and nose.

91/100

€ 25

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