Roccafiore, Fiorfiore, the warm and the cool

An interesting mini-vertical tasting of the Grechetto Fiorfiore from Roccafiore showed how important the managing the vineyards is aside from weather conditions.

After some five years, we were back again at the Roccafiore winery, in Todi, which is producing some very interesting wines. It is a reference point for the area and one of the more interesting producers of Grechetto in central Italy.

This time there was no conference on Grechetto but only a visit to see the progress the estate has made and ascertain the different expressions and interpretations between cool and warm years, through two mini-vertical tastings dedicated to the Grechetto Fiorfiore and the Sangiovese Il Roccafiore. The premise was an interesting one given that, due to the fear over global warming, some producers are abandoning their territory and moving to higher and cooler areas to save their product. The way Roccafiore is tackling this problem was explained to us by owner Luca Baccarelli. The management of the vineyards and soil and changing when harvest takes place, he told us, offer alternatives to dealing with this weather challenge.

The estate is already organic and they are making it totally eco-sustainable, to the extent that Roccafiore has its own solar power system. The winery is both lovely and functional and offers the possibility of processing the grapes “a caduta”, with a sorting table and an optical selector and a system to refrigerate the grapes They have recently added temperature-controlled cement vats while for maturing the wines they use barriques as well as barrels of different sizes, with big ones used for Grechetto. The initial enologist was Hartman Donà who was replaced in 2014 by Alessandro Biancolin as technical consultant.

Fiorfiore is their showcase Grechetto and it is always made with grapes from the same vineyard which is the estate’s oldest, almost 30 years old. The comparison tasting of three vintages was very enlightening in regard to dealing with a hot year. The vineyard was managed in a completely different way in the years 2015-2017 and the results seemed as if these had been “normal” harvest, given the freshness of the aroma and flavor. In the future, there will be other novelties including experiments using amphorae that were especially created to ensure the least oxidation possible.

The following reviews of Fiorfiore are of the vintages 2014, 2015 and 2017. All are made with Grechetto grapes, matured in 50hl barrels for 12 months and then aged in the bottle for four months.

Umbria Grechetto Igt Fiorfiore 2014 

93/100 - € 15

A straw color leaning towards yellow and a broad and complex aroma with light, hydrocarbon notes and those of winter underbrush, lychees, anise and basil. The mouthfeel is quite tight, flavorful and progressive with a flavorful and persistent finish with a hint of licorice.

Umbria Grechetto Igt Fiorfiore 2015 

87/100 - € 15 

A slightly golden yellow color and a sunny aroma with notes of yellow flowers, gorse and a sensation of almond and confit candy. The mouthfeel is extremely tight but not agile and the finish, while flavorful and intense, is slightly monotonous. A muscular wine.

Umbria Grechetto Igt Fiorfiore 2017 

92/100 - € 15 

A pale and bright straw color. The bouquet is youthful and clear with notes of pink grapefruit and medlar and a balsamic hint with a very balanced touch of wood spice. The finish is still youthful and austere but corresponds excellently with the aroma.

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