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| ~ Walking the Estate at La Carraia ~ |
The philosophy is simple at La Carraia. “Good wine can only be made with good grapes.” It may seem simple, and of course it’s true and the aim of every winery, but it’s not always easily achieved.
Born of ancient Etruscan roots, La Carraia is a relative infant compared to other Italian wine estates. Established in 1988 by the Gialletti and Cotarella families – the former being expert viticulturists in the Orvieto region of Umbria and the latter, renowned winemakers – the newly created team set about making world class red wines in an area mostly known for white wine production. Like many projects the Cotarella’s are involved in, success was swift.
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| ~ The new Cantina at La Carraia, completed in 2000 is a state of the art facility ~ |
Today we’re focusing on the estate’s premier red, Fobiano. First produced in 1995, Fobiano is an aristocratic blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet from vines that average 20 years of age. Harvested from two distinct plots of land, only 60% of the grapes the vineyards produce end up in the final wine. Selection is severe and carried out by hand.
The 2008 La Carraia Fobiano is a deep plum red with garnet reflections. The wine was not decanted. The aromas ripe and concentrated with plum, smoke, cocoa and soft licorice notes. On the palate, the wine is drinking beautifully. The velvety texture coats the palate and the black plum flavors are accented with coffee and herbs. It’s very appealing, with good structure and freshness. Medium to full bodied, the tannins are almost completely resolved and left quite a collection of sediment toward the bottom of the bottle. I had not had Fobiano in many years – in fact I can’t remember the last vintage I may have tried. It’s time to keep a sharper eye on this one because it’s delicious and quite the good value around $28. 91 points.
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| ~ A lovely Merlot from Winemaker Riccardo Cotarella ~ |
E vero!
December 2, 2015
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