Tasting was held in Oslo the 30th March 2005 and was hosted
by Enzio Lucca of Dessilani. Azienda vitivinicola Luigi
Dessilani e figlio is an old firm based in Fara Novarese.
Much of the fame was built up by Luigi Dessilani during the
20th century. In the 70's Enzio Lucca, married to one
of the Dessilani's, entered as a wine-maker.
The Fara Caramino has always been Dessilani's top wine and
the one taking most of the fame. The wine is from a
single-vinyard, named Caramino, that comes from a morenic
area in the municipality of Briona. But Dessilani makes
other wines of the
Novara-Vercelli. There are other selections of Fara, such
as the single-vineyard-wines Lochera and Cornaggina and there
are other selections such as Gattinara and Ghemme from both
own vineyards and bought grapes.
The vineyards of the Novara are some of the oldest in
Piedmont, being the chosen spot for grape-growing found by
the romans. The main-grape here is the spanna,
which is a sub-variety of the nebbiolo-grape found in the
Novara-Vercelli. In the Langhe the sub-varieties are
different; the lampia, michet and the nebbiolo rose. The
somewhat colder climate also makes the wines from the
Novara-Vercelli a bit more elegant and IMO a bit more
perfumed; floral. The wines from Langhe show more fat says
Enzio Lucca.
Also the spanna here is often blended with other grapes;
mostly the vespolina. Most people look at this grape as a
blending-component adding more obvious fruit and colour. But
Enzio Lucca has high hopes for the grapes which he says can
make very fine wine as a varietal. Dessilani will soon
release mono-varietals of this grape, which he says can
take a long cellar-time. The only mono-varietal vespolina
I have tasted earlier is from Cantalupo, whose Villa Horta
is a very fruity wine.
On to the tasting we started with a spumante and a still
white wine.
Collefino spumante brut NV
This is a spumante made 100% from the local grape greco
novarese which is the same grape as the one found under
the name Erbaluce a little further west in the Canavese.
According to Enzio Lucca new information says that the DNA
is equal to the Greco di Tufo, which was news to me. It is
said that the DNA is equal, even if the grapes have been
grown seperately for 2000 years.
The Collefino spumante
have been made from grapes grown in the Fara-zone, in the
municipalities of Fara and Briona. They have macerated for
10 days at temperature controlled to 20 degrees Celsius.
Alcohol is 11,5%. The colour is lightly green with medium
large bubbles. The nose is fruity with hints of pear and
lightly green notes and a touch of yeasts.
Simple and refreshing in the mouth. Lightly sparkling,
perhaps more frizzante. Good length. Nice and simple.
Collefino bianco 2003, Colline Novaresi DOC
Next up is a dry still version of the same wine and using
the same grapes as the previous wine. This wine have spent
a short period of time in barriques. 12,5% alcohol.
Straw colour. Spicy nose, broader, more "fatness" and hints
of butter. Ripe style and full-bodied with a little fatness
in the entrance. But giving way to a fine spicy fruit
with hints of green leaves and oak. Medium acids and length.
No doubt from a ripe vintage. A good wine, the spicyness
is interesting, but I would like to see it a little brighter
and with finer acids.
Barbera 2002, Piemonte DOC
The barbera is aged in barriques and large barrels. 12,5%
alcohol. The colour is deep red. The nose is fruity and
has hints of red fruits, cherries and a touch floral high
notes. Good body. Simple. Fruity and a touch mineral. Light
oak. Good acids and length. A nice, medium concentrated and
fruity barbera.
Nebbiolo 2001, Colline Novaresi DOC
Deep red colour, but lighter than the barbera and a little
bricking. More floral notes in the nose with hints of
cherries. Good body. Fruity style for nebbiolo. Cherries and
some fine floral notes that makes the wine elegant, but again
simple. Good acids and some tannins in the back. Very nicely
priced.
Nebbiolo 2000, Colline Novaresi DOC
Deep pink and tight colour. Intence cherries in the nose.
Slightly hints of earth. Powerful and concentrated in the mouth.
But more one-dimensional and fruity with not so fine acids
and elegance as the 2001. But dry and structured finish. Try
to give it a little cellar-time.
Fara Caramino 2001
Then we started drinking the Caramino. The wine is, as I have
said, from a single-vineyard. The blend is 80/20
nebbiolo/vespolina. The aging takes place in barriques and
in slavonian barrels. The 2001 has a deep red colour with
a slight bricking. The nose is more floral and show more
depth. Hints of cherries and red fruits. Some oak. Good body.
Concentrated. Good acids and nicely balanced. Young and
with some tannins in the back. A good wine, needing a little
more time to integrate the oak at this stage.
Fara Caramino 2000
Deep red colour, a little lighter than the 2001. Less intencity
in the nose. Floral, but with more wood and earth than the
fruity 2001. Good body, but seems less concentrated than the 2001.
Floral and earthy fruit. Decent acids and some tannins in
the back. The oak better integrated, but my least favourite
of the Caraminos.
Fara Lochera 2000
Unfortunately corked. Also the back-up bottle was corked.
For those that want the statistics this wine is made from
a blend of 70/30 nebbiolo/vespolina and is also a
single-vineyard from a morenic area in Fara Novarese. The
vinification is similar to the Caramino and the wine is
often lighter and a little less structured than the
Caramino.
Gattinara 1999
The vinification of this wine is similar to the Caramino,
but the grapes are nebbiolo with a small percentage of
bonarda novarese in the blend. Brick-red colour. Lighter
than the others. More floral nose and typical hints for
the nebbiolo with tar, cherries and anise. Powerful and
the most tannic wine of the day. A more transparent and
floral style. Good acids. One of my favourites.
Ghemme 1999
Deep red colour. Intence and fruity nose with a hint of
coffee. Powerful and tannic in the mouth. But quite fruity.
A little less concentration. Acidic wine. Good.
Fara Caramino 1999
Deep red colour, lightly bricking. More closed nose, but
with a floral intencity. Cool style. Powerful and
concentrated in the mouth. Some anise and tar in the fruit.
Great depth. Good acids and lighter tannic structure than
the Gattinara and the Ghemme. Elegant. Young. My favourite
of the day.
Fara Caramino 1998
Brick-red colour. Very cool-fruited and closed nose. Hints
of tobacco and camphor. Good body and concentrated in the
mouth. Very closed and giving little right now. Some anise,
tobacco and some floral notes. Fine acids, medium tannic.
This needs time, but will be very good. Perhaps even better
than the 99.
Fara Caramino 1997
Deep brick-red colour. Tight. Sweeter nose. Ripe fruits and
even caramel. Darker fruit-notes. Powerful in the mouth,
with a more dark-berried fruit. But lower acids and a bit
hollow. Dry and tannic end. Ripe vintage and not my
favourite.
Fara Caramino 1990
Unfortunately also nasty cork in this bottle.
Moscato d'Asti NV
A non-vintage Moscato d'Asti with a green colour and large
bubbles. Typical fruity and very spicy moscato-nose. Fine
nose. Fruity and slightly drier tahn the norm in the mouth.
Medium acids that could have been fresher. Decent length.
A good and decent moscato d'Asti, but there are better
versions around.
Laio 2000
Passito from Greco novarese-grapes grown in the towns of
Fara Novarese and Briona. Aged in oak for at least 12
months. Golden/brown colour. Nose is intence and shows
burnt sugar, floral notes, apricot. Full-bodied in the
mouth. Not as sweet as expected. A little more woody and
caramel-notes and a long citrusy finish. Medium acids.
A bit rustic, vin santo-like.
To sum up the tasting I think the wines of Dessilani are
very interesting, especially also because of their pricing,
which is very low in the world of fine nebbiolo today.
The Caramino from a good vintage is a great wine at a
low price. The wines from Novara show more
vintage-variations than wines from
the Langhe. I also find generally that the nebbiolos from
Novara seems to integrate better with oaking than in the
Langhe. Why? Perhaps it is due to the blending with
vespolina and other grapes? Perhaps it is the sub-variety
of nebbiolo used here or perhaps totally other factors,
I don't know.