“My guiding principal here at Terralsole is that great wine is made in the fields, not in the cantina.” ……Mario Bollag
Terralsole, literally the “land toward the sun,” was established in 1996 and is the inspiration of veteran winemaker Mario Bollag (formerly of Il Palazzone) and his wife Athena Tergis, two artists who combined their love of music with their passion for winemaking.
Terralsole is a tiny micro estate of only 11 hectares, approximately 27 acres, of vineyards. Echoing the harmony between Mario and Athena, the vineyards combine two distinctive terroirs in Montalcino to create full-bodied, elegant and balanced wines.
The Pian Bossolino vineyard surrounds the winery and villa and sits high on the southeastern slope of Montalcino. Enjoying cooler weather and excellent ventilation, the grapes ripen slowly and evenly, imparting expressive aromas and concentrated flavors in the wine.
The Fonte Lattaia vineyard sits lower, at 750 feet. Its unique terroir of maritime deposits and clay help maintain balance in the grapes here amid the warm, drier climate of Montalcino’s southwestern slope. The grapes from Fonte Lattaia are often richer, with pronounced structure.
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~ The Terralsole Cantina is immaculate ~ |
Today we’re re-visiting a wine that I first reported on as part of our 2010 Brunello Tasting Report. It was amazing then and it’s even better now.
We did not decant the wine, but enjoyed it slowly with grilled lamb chops, escarole with white beans and pancetta, and arugula salad with parmigiano and Il Palazzone extra virgin olive oil. The entire marriage of food and wine was ethereal.
The 2010 Terralsole Brunello was vinified in stainless steel and then aged in combination of 600 liter tonneaux and larger botte.
In the glass, the wine is a deep ruby color with accents of violet. It looks regal. The aromas pour forth from the glass. Cedar, newly turned earth, flowers, and loads of crushed wild berry dominate. It’s utterly captivating. On the palate, the wine is rich, ripe, long, elegant and fresh. A full bodied core of wild berry and cherry coats the palate but remains nimble and lively. Juicy acids provide gentle, soaring lift. The primary flavors are joined by grilled meat, fennel, rich, sweet pipe tobacco and porcini mushroom. An absolutely masterful 2010. I would be very curious to see this develop with additional aging, but it’s so delicious now, there’s no way I could be that patient. 97 points. About $60 retail.
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~ Nearly perfect ~ |
Stunning!
June 15, 2016
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