2019 Tenuta di Salviano Grechetto (Incisa della Rocchetta) Italy (Other)

2019 Tenuta di Salviano Grechetto (Incisa della Rocchetta)

91 VM

Featured Review

The 2019 Grechetto captivates with a display of crushed stone and oyster shells, musky dried apricots and raw almonds. There are depths of silky textures here, nicely complemented by ripe apple and pear, and energizing acidity and salty minerals that saturate toward the close. This finishes with citrusy tension and a perfumed thrust of exotic florals and spice. Consider me a fan. Vinous Media

Vinous (Galloni) | 91 VM

Type of Wine	Italy (Other) : There are dozens of grape varietals grown in Italy so no wonder they produce such a broad range of most exquisite wines. Some of the most cultivated red varieties are Nebbiolo, Aglianico, Sangiovese, and Barbera, while Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are also popular. Among whites, you're likely to find Pinot Grigio, Trebbiano, or Vernaccia varietals.
Varietal	Grechetto : Some of the world’s finest and most intriguing white wines hail from Italy, where a plethora of unique grape varieties dominate the rolling hillside vineyards and picturesque landscape. Many of these varietals seem secreted away in the country’s smaller growing regions. Obscure they may be, but daring they are, to be thrust into the spotlight of the global wine market. Grechetto is one such grape; it has been cultivated in Italy for centuries, playing a major role in both the economy and culture of the Umbria and Emilia-Romagna wine regions, where the variety grows extensively. As the wines of these regions begin to garner greater attention, so do the grape varietals responsible. Grechetto refers to two distinct grape varieties, Grechetto di Orvieto and Grechetto di Todi which are eponymous for the towns from which each hails. The two are often confused and both are often described by growers, winemakers and retailers as simply, Grechetto. Additionally, Grechetto di Todi has long been, traditionally called Pignoletto in Emilia-Romagna; however, this is no longer permissible because the term is now being attached to the recently granted, Pignoletto DOC (Designation of Controlled Origin) which refers to the grape as Grechetto. Confusion aside, the Grechetto grape varietal has contributed greatly to Italian viticulture. The grape is deep green in color with a very noticeable white bloom (waxy coating), and is very think-skinned, providing good resistance to down mildew which can attack the grape late in the harvest. This makes the grape a suitable blending grape in Vin Santo wines (sweet dessert wines). It adapts well to porous soils, to which both Umbria and Emilia-Romagna are in possession of, as well as the influence of the major rivers and bodies of water which greatly assist in both the growth and vitality of the variety and the resulting wine. Traditionally a blending partner with Malvasia, Trebbiano and Verdelho, used to bring richness, structure, and aromatic qualities. Varietal examples do exist and are becoming more popular in both Umbria and Emilia-Romagna, resulting in wines of a straw yellow color with gold and gray reflections, with a multifaceted nose with aromas of white pepper, fresh celery, light white pear, honey, white flowers, intense graphite, citrus, brackish, ending with puffs of brewer’s years. The palate consists of the same brewer’s yeast with a generous medium-body, fat, sapid and mineral. The wines have good gustatory balance with alcoholic mass dominated by freshness and minerality with a very long persisting floral finish. There can also be a generous amount of salinity in some examples of the wine, due to coastal influence. Grechetto is grown extensively in Umbria and in Emilia-Romagna in central and northern Italy, respectively. Umbria is a landscape of rolling hills, pine and oak forest which play into the rich Umbrian soil, where Grechetto is the most prominent varietal. The majority of the vineyards reside along the terraces that cut into hillsides. The cyclical diurnal shifts from cooling mountain breezes, hot sunny days and winter rainfall produces soil that is porous and rich in limestone and clay. Umbria’s terroir is easily reflected on the palate, exhibiting robust, complex flavors. Emilia-Romagna is a rich, fertile region of Northern Italy. The region's geographic diversity is significant, and plays an important part in creating the various terroirs found here. In the west the rolling hills and Apennine peaks give way to the lower-lying plains east of Parma, Modena and Bologna, and beyond that the coastal plains of the Ferrara province, where a notable portion of the land lies just below sea level. The river Po flows west to east across all these features, marking the region's northern border and linking the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea. The varietal is threatening to burst onto the wine scene, and as the Orvieto and Todi DOC’s begin to garner their much deserved attention, the varietal will follow suit.
Country	Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France. Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate. The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned. The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market. With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.
Region	Umbria : If you're looking for a hidden nook full of spirit, culture, history, good food and wine, look no further than Umbria. Though far from secret, especially in the last couple of decades, this little Italian dreamland is a medicine to all who visit it. The villages scattered along its gorgeous hills effervesce such peaceful ambiance that shows in the wines produced here. The lush white Orvieto is well-known by all serious wine enthusiasts. The grape that produces it comes in such variety in colors, sizes, and flavor, that each bottle of this wine seems to showcase a unique personality, each a little bit different and delicious in its own way. These wines are impossible to generalize; some are dry, delicious, focused and long, others sweet, luscious and spicy. Their characteristics vary greatly, like true siblings and not clones, which keeps the experience of sampling them fresh and interesting as you discover something new to enjoy each time you revisit them. If you'd still prefer a red wine, get acquainted with Sagrantino, an Umbrian native grape of staggering potency and depth. Dark, intense, with delicious blackberry and ripe cherry flavor profile and clear undergrowth secondaries, this attractive wine entices any audience lucky enough to sample it.