Many moons ago, Napa was unofficially crowned King of Cab Country. And while it’s hard to argue the merits of such a catch phrase, other noteworthy varietals, like Italian ones, also prosper in our land—a point that was solidified at the Italian varietal symposium I attended earlier this year at Castello di Amorosa. The panel was comprised of local winemakers and growers who are making it their business to cultivate Italian varietals in our valley. Some even descend direct from the Isle of Boot. The day was ripe with information, some of which I’ve highlighted for this month’s column.
Lesson 1: It ain’t always easy. While Italy has as many as 40 varietals growing, Sangiovese dominated our discussions. Diego Barison, director of field operations at NovaVine Nursery in Sonoma, shared some of the challenges of bringing a slice of his homeland of Piedmont to California. “Italian varietals are difficult to grow. We have to adapt our practices and manage more strongly than we do with French varietals.”
Sebastiano Rosa, consulting winemaker at Castello di Amorosa, notes other challenges: “When you look at Sangiovese, it’s one of the hardest grapes to grow, but it has great potential. It starts to grow after being dormant. Then it has high yields and matures very late. Once you change to deal with this, the result is a great wine.” Rosa is also winemaker and proprietor at Agripunica in Sardinia.
Brooks Painter, director of winemaking at Castello di Amorosa, elaborates, “In Napa, we have very different microclimates and such a wide variety of soils to deal with. Clonal selection, root stock, site and yield all play a huge role in growing Italian varietals, and their acid levels are unfamiliar to California winemakers. It’s off the charts here.”
Lesson 2: Sangiovese success factors come down to site, spacing and soil. When the Antinoris, of the 500-acre Antica vineyard, arrived in Napa from Italy in the mid-1980s, the popularity of Sangiovese was just starting to hit, according to Glenn Salva, wine estate manager for Antinori (stateside). “Piero was interested in how we could make these Italian wines in this far away land. When it comes to Italian varietals, site and clonal selection are tantamount. We spent a lot of time trying to develop better clones. There’s no better wine that expresses the modern day renaissance of the wines pouring today.”
For Bob Pepi of Andretti Winery, the decision to get intimate with Italian varietals was about paying homage to his mother’s native land of Lucca. In 1983, with cuttings procured from his relatives in Italy, he began his plight. “When we say ‘good sites’ here, the first thing that comes to mind is great soil, and the truth is some of the greatest sites have some of the shiest soils. The ones I work with tend to be more vigorous. The clones we brought over were Sangiovese, which tend to be more clonal. You need a fair amount of fruit to get a more balanced wine.”
Lesson 3: You can’t recreate Italian wines in Napa. Pepi spoke to some of the distinctions between Italian- vs. California-grown Sangiovese. “There are almost two different varietals. Here it’s all about amazing bright fruit. Then there’s the complexity of the Sangiovese of Italy. We’re not trying to compete with the great Chiantis of the world. We’re trying to show off the Sangiovese of California, using a minimalistic approach.”
Rosa sees another delineation, “Sangiovese today is completely different than from 30 years ago. Nowadays, the tendency is to blend it with Cabernet or Merlot, but the Sangiovese always stands out.”
Lesson 4: Tradition still has a seat at the supper table of our instant gratification world. Marco Bertaccini, of AEB Group, which produces as many as 200 different winemaking products and yeasts, speaks about the demands of today. “What winemakers want right now are bigger reds and more aromatics in whites. And a lot of people are asking how to get a better, clean must, fast.” Yet, even in our speed-obsessed world, he feels the Italians still bring an air of tradition. “For whites to be physically clean, this must happen before the start of fermentation, which is taken from European style.”
For Painter, the commitment level is high and treatment tactics low: “We’re 100 percent committed to these varietals and the Italian-style whites from Northern Italy. Our winemaking with Sangiovese is very gentle. We treat it like Pinot Noir with gentle handling of musts and with higher levels of tannins than you’d think. It comes down to blending at the end and learning what’s unique. A little variety can add complexity. We’ve found consumer acceptance is high.”
Lesson 5: The market is whatever the consumer wants. Alcohol and pH levels have been a hot topic of contention in these parts, and the panel is far from impervious. From Salva’s perspective: “For all of us growing these varietals in California, we’re dealing with newer, younger vineyards, in what I call the ‘thoroughbred stage.’ The best clones, rootstocks, grapes—are all designed to be very strong. But you end up with grapes that are higher in sugar than you’d like to see. We have a lot of concern about alcohol. For our wines to be enjoyed at a meal, alcohol cannot be dominant.”
Rosa also sees the merits in combating the conundrum, “More and more people are making lower-alcohol wines with more finesse and acidity. This climate is suitable for this kind of winemaking, but we don’t know how the consumer will react.”
Here’s hoping that it’s consumers and not wine critics who will go on to define the next era of sought-after wines and the alcohol levels that may or may not define them.
