Masottina Piave Merlot 2007
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Masottina has never lost sight of its origins. Rather, it has fed off the passion, dedication and hard-work ethos that characterise the various production sectors of the company.
From the vineyard to the winery, the family has spent every day since 1946 working towards a common goal: to produce quality wines in the Conegliano area, respecting the value of traditions dating back centuries and paying the necessary attention to a truly unique wine-producing region.
Using these values as its foundations, the family has built a brand equipped with a solid company vision based around the relationship between man and nature. For to discover Masottina is to discover that strong, genuine bond that has linked the Dal Bianco family with the splendid hills of Conegliano for over 70 years, a unique setting for its soil characteristics, microclimate and symbolic product: wine. It is a gorgeous, unique region which never fails to amaze, and Masottina is deeply rooted in this landscape. We understand that to produce wine in these hills is to give body and soul to our sense of belonging, our local identity. Almost all of the companies in this area are run by people who were born and raised locally and who have decided to express their connection with the land by choosing the laborious job of cultivating vines on these steep hills. It means that the wines produced here truly are “handmade”, because the nature of the region would make it impossible to do so in any other way.
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Producing every style of wine and with great success, the Veneto is one of the most multi-faceted wine regions of Italy.
Veneto's appellation called Valpolicella (meaning “valley of cellars” in Italian) is a series of north to south valleys and is the source of the region’s best red wine with the same name. Valpolicella—the wine—is juicy, spicy, tart and packed full of red cherry flavors. Corvina makes up the backbone of the blend with Rondinella, Molinara, Croatina and others playing supporting roles. Amarone, a dry red, and Recioto, a sweet wine, follow the same blending patterns but are made from grapes left to dry for a few months before pressing. The drying process results in intense, full-bodied, heady and often, quite cerebral wines.
Soave, based on the indigenous Garganega grape, is the famous white here—made ultra popular in the 1970s at a time when quantity was more important than quality. Today one can find great values on whites from Soave, making it a perfect choice as an everyday sipper! But the more recent local, increased focus on low yields and high quality winemaking in the original Soave zone, now called Soave Classico, gives the real gems of the area. A fine Soave Classico will exhibit a round palate full of flavors such as ripe pear, yellow peach, melon or orange zest and have smoky and floral aromas and a sapid, fresh, mineral-driven finish.
Much of Italy’s Pinot grigio hails from the Veneto, where the crisp and refreshing style is easy to maintain; the ultra-popular sparkling wine, Prosecco, comes from here as well.