Vietti

Earlier this year, the wine world lost one of its greatest, most influential pioneers: Alfredo Currado, the patriarch of famed Piedmont producer Vietti. His passing was marked all over the wine world, as his contributions to the Piedmontese wine industry in particular, and to Italian wine in general, were as significant as anybody's in the last 50 years.

I recently had the chance to speak with his son and new head of the firm, Luca Currado, as well as taste a number of currently available bottlings, for a story I wrote for John Mariani's Virtual Gourmet that ran this past weekend. Though Mr. Currado is gone, his legacy lives on both in the wines that bear his family's name and in the Piedmont region itself, which would be a very different place were it not for his vision and determination.

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Remembering Vietti's Alfredo Currado

I’m hoping to write about the wines of Vietti in the next couple of weeks, but right now is the time to remember the man who raised this top Piedmont producer to the uppermost echelon of the wine world.

“Alfredo Currado, a pioneering winemaker at the Vietti estate in Barolo, died on April 30 after several years combating Parkinson's disease and, more recently, pneumonia. He was 78,” Wine Spectator Online reported.

This is a significant loss to the entire wine world, not just Italy: His passion and work have done as much to shape the fortunes and reputation of Piedmont--and, particularly, Barolo and Barbera--as anyone else’s. Indeed, the Spectator reported, “Currado was one of the first Barolo winemakers to focus on single-vineyard wines. He produced his first cru wine, Vietti Barolo Le Rocche, in 1961, a cru that after many years remained his favorite. A great believer in indigenous grape varieties, Currado was responsible for the rediscovery of the almost extinct Arneis variety and developed a modern white varietal based on it.”

Two years ago, I had a chance to attend a wine lunch with Currado’s son, Luca, Vietti’s current winemaker, and was just as impressed with the wines as I was the family’s history and their passion for the land and the wines that come from it. Alfredo, indeed, was one of the legends of the wine world, and, though he is now gone, his lifetime of work continues to be felt today, and will for a long time to come.

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Gaja 2009 Harvest Report

There are few wines that I enjoy and admire more than Angelo Gaja’s. They are, year after year, among the most well-crafted, evocative, downright delicious produced in the world of wine.

Yesterday, I received in the mail the 2009 harvest report for Gaja Family Wine Estates, and the news is good. The report begins: “We are very pleased with the quality of the grapes from all three of our properties in 2009 and rate them very good to excellent. Though always reluctant to predict the quality of the wines this early, we are quite optimistic about this vintage.”

This is great news for fans of the wines that Gaja produces in Piedmont (under his eponymous label), Montalcino (Pieve Santa Restituta) and Bolgheri (Ca’ Marcanda). And though it will be a while until the 09’s are available, legends like the 2005 Costa Russi and the excellent 2002 Ca’ Marcanda Magari will certainly make the wait a bit easier.

Two years ago, I had the chance to visit Mr. Gaja in Barbaresco, taste his wines and then enjoy a spectacular dinner with him afterward. I wrote about the experience and the wines for John Mariani’s Virtual Gourmet; the article is linked up here.

And for more information, click here for an excellent interview with Gaia Gaja, Angelo’s daughter, that ran on Grape Radio in July of 2007.

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Piedmont 2006: Another Success Story

Wine Spectator has just released the scores for its top 2006 Piedmontese wines, including highly sought after Barolo and Barbaresco. And the good news is that, because of the less-than-stellar vintage conditions, a number of them are supposed to be nearly ready to drink right now. This makes them not only worth seeking out once they're available, but also useful additions to any wine collection: While you're waiting for your more age-worthy 2003's, 2004's, and 2005's to mature, you'll have these 06's to tuck into in the shorter term.

Top scoring Barbaresco includes the Pio Cesare, the Ceretto "Bricco Asili," and the always stunning Gaja. In Barolo, Pio Cesare and Boroli both received high scores.

And, of course, while you're waiting for these 2006's from Barbaresco and Barolo, the Barberas and Dolcettos from the same year are available right now and are drinking beautifully. Even in a more difficult year like 2006, Piedmont has apparently, yet again, produced some real standout wines.

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