Castello di Luzzano Carlino Oltrepo Pavese Bonarda 2009
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Robert
Parker
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2009 Bonarda Carlino is a flat-out great bottle of wine. Clean, mineral notes frame an exuberant core of dark jammy fruit, spices, flowers and earthiness, all of which come together beautifully in this exquisite, harmonious red. The Carlino is 100% Croatina aged in steel. Readers looking for something new to try should check out this delicious offering from one of northern Italy's under the radar producers. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2012.
Archaeologists have found evidence that wines existed in this part of the region during the Roman Empire and were cultivated intensively to produce wine. Soils in the Piacentino part of the estate are sandy clay and marl. The Pavese produces distinctive premium wines with color, taste and aromas that have earned widespread acclaim. Research and experimentation with grafting and new varieties has enabled Luzzano to develop extremely successful clones, particularly with Barbera and Bonarda typical kind of the region.
Bonarda is a name given to a handful of distinct grape varieties, mainly growing in Italy and in Argentina. In Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese and Emilia Romagna’s Colli Piacentini zones, the grape called Bonarda is actually Croatina. In Novara, Bonarda Novarese, often blended with Spanna (Nebbiolo), is actually Uva Rara. DNA profiling shows that most of the Bonarda in Argentina is actually identical to California’s Charbono—and Charbono is actually the Douce Noire grape from Savoie. Somm Secret—Bonarda Piemontese, an aromatic variety, is the only true Bonarda. Before phylloxera, it covered 30% of Piedmontese vineyard acreage.
The flat plains of Emilia are home to Italy's famous, slightly sparking red, Lambrusco. While historically popular in large volumes, Lambrusco suffered a bit of scorn as an overly simple and sweet, frothy wine. Today there is an artisanl pull to produce small-batch, quality-focused dry and sweet versions within its four distinct Lambrusco subregions.