Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/637107
{ SOMMjournal.com } 113 Meanwhile, della Gherardesca heirs continued to grow vines near the village. An iconic, five-kilometer-long row of cypress trees (the Viale dei Cipressi) was planted on the main road leading straight to the archway of the Bolgheri castle, which was finished in 1895. A cousin of Clarice and Carlotta della Gherardesca, Alessandra, married into yet another noble Italian family, the counts Zileri dal Verme; today, Federico Zileri runs Castello di Bolgheri (one of the few companies permitted to include the name of a DOC on its wines) as the 30th generation of the della Gherardesca family. Zileri gained experience as the winemaker for Tenuta Argentiera, on the southern end of the DOC, and he suc- ceeded Niccolò Incisa della Rocchetta (son of Mario) as President of the Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Bolgheri DOC in 2013. Interestingly, according to Stéphanie Heinz, a Bordeaux native who is now the administrator of Castello di Bolgheri, "Incisa loved Bordeaux, but tasted Napa Cabernet at the suggestion of Philippe de Rothschild," his friend and owner of Château Mouton-Rothschild. That's why Cabernet Sauvignon dominated his plantings. But Bolgheri's climate is actually more like that of the Barossa Valley; its application for DOC status cited an annual 1,747 growing degree days on the Winkler scale, well above both Napa and Bordeaux (1,370 each). Says winemaker Marco Ferrarese of Guado al Tasso, "It's a wonderful place to have rich grapes with soft tannins. These hills close the land to the sea—near the hills, the soil is better for big red grapes; near the coast, there is more of a clay-sand component, good for Vermentino and lighter rosés." The stony composition of the soil varies so much, he explains, that he often cultivates and vinifies one row of vines differently from the adjacent row. The Bolgheri consorzio, which currently comprises about 40 producers, has restricted plantings to the existing 3,000 acres. Angelo Gaja's Piedmont-based empire got into the game by pur- chasing its 250-acre Ca'Marcanda estate in 1996. Two years earlier, Milanese fashion mogul Erika Ratti had taken a different approach, buying a 180-acre parcel just outside the DOC boundary. To reach the property, which she called Sette Cieli ("seven skies"), you leave the main road near Guado al Tasso and follow tortuous dirt tracks about 1,300 feet up into the hills. There's nothing but dust and scrub oak until you finally emerge in a clearing with a spectacular view of the coast, overlooking Sassicaia and Ornellaia. Viticulturist Giuliano Tarchi helped develop the terraced vineyards; after Erika Ratti's death in 2012, her son Ambrogio carried on her vision by appointing Elena Pozzolini as winemaker. With experience in Australia, South America, California and Oregon, as well as a stint at Ornellaia, Pozzolini brings a missionary zeal to her work. At this altitude, she notes, the harvest is usually 10 to 15 days later than Bolgheri's: "We're close to the ocean, but not too close. Good breezes, good acidity—for me it's important that there's a bal- ance." Minerality comes from "the presence of the sea, the rocks and quartz." After introducing organic viticulture in 2013, Pozzolini says, "this is the first year I started to feel the effect." In addition to the typical Bordeaux varieties, she tends a block of Malbec and an experimental plot of Sangiovese, as well as a "white project" involving Vermentino and a bit of Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. Bolgheri may be an exclusive club, but there's still room for outsiders to make an impact. Bolgheri Bianco: 0–70% Vermentino, 0–40% Sauvignon Blanc, 0–40% Trebbiano; maximum 30% other complementary white varieties. Bolgheri Sauvignon: minimum 85% Sauvignon Blanc. Bolgheri Rosso and Rosso Superiore: 0–100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, or Merlot; 0–50% Syrah or Sangiovese; maximum 30% other complementary red varieties. Bolgheri Sassicaia: minimum 80% Cabernet Sauvignon. Superiore and Sassicaia have a minimum aging period of 24 months, with at least 12 months in oak barrels for Superiore and at least 18 months in barriques for Sassicaia. Ca'Marcanda 2013 Vistamare IGT Toscana 60% Vermentino, 40% Viognier TERLATO WINES Castello di Bolgheri 2012 Bolgheri Rosso Superiore DOC 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc TOTAL BEVERAGE SOLUTION Guado al Tasso 2012 Bolgheri Rosso Superiore DOC 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot STE MICHELLE WINE ESTATES Guado al Tasso 2014 Vermentino Bolgheri Bianco DOC 100% Vermentino STE MICHELLE WINE ESTATES Le Macchiole 2013 Bolgheri Rosso DOC 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Syrah VINTUS Ornellaia 2012 Bolgheri Rosso Superiore DOC 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot FOLIO FINE WINE PARTNERS Tenuta Argentiera 2013 Poggio ai Ginepri Bolgheri Rosso DOC 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah, 20% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot TERRAVINO Tenuta Sette Cieli 2011 Indaco IGT Toscana 30% Malbec, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc WILSON DANIELS RECOMMENDED RECENT RELEASES DOC REGULATIONS PHOTO: DAVID VOGELS PHOTO: STEVANZZ VIA THINKSTOCK Castello di Bolgheri at the entrance to the village.