FORADORI, TEROLDEGO ROTALIANO DOC
| 2005 |
FORADORI |
| red, 13% abv |
Italy |
75cl |
| Elisabetta Foradori has become one of Italy’s top “superstar” winemakers. Without a doubt, she is Italy’s finest producer of wines made from the Teroldego grape variety, one of the country’s oldest and finest traditional grapes. The Teroldego grape is genetically related to Syrah, and here in the northern Trentino’s mountain valleys it reaches its zenith in the subzone known as Campo Rotaliano. All the Foradori vineyards lie in the side valley of Campo Rotaliano, and it is from these beautiful vineyards that Elisabetta Foradori is quietly producing some of Italy’s most complex, deep and compelling red wines. The estates vines are farmed biodynamically, and are all planted in a broad selection of old massale selection plants that she was responsible for isolating and propagating (along with the department of viticulture at the University of Milan). Teroldego may not have the same international cachet as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, but the Foradori wines are stunning examples of world class red wines that dance rings around the vast, vast majority of modern Italian wines made from these two international grape varieties. The style of Teroldego from Foradori is unique and quite stunning. The bouquet is a complex mélange of sweet black fruit redolent of cherries and dark berries, coupled with notes of blood orange, dark chocolate and classic Italian overtones of olives, herbs and soil. Like Syrah, it can also offer up a bit of meatiness or notes of game in its youth. On the palate the Foradori wines are full-bodied, focused and beautifully balanced, synthesizing a refined style with the robust, Syrah-like hearty palate impression that is inherent in Teroldego. Tannins here are beautifully integrated into the body of the wine, adding lovely structure for cellaring, while allowing the wines to be drunk with great enjoyment in their youth. Elisabetta Foradori only took over the family estate in 1985, and in the ensuing years she has blazed a trail of excellence with her stunning Teroldegos that has greatly aided in the expanded interest in this ancient varietal. Her wines are now a fixture at many of the top restaurants throughout Italy.----------- - -- - - - - - “The entry-level 2005 Teroldego Rotaliano is a great introduction to Teroldego and the house style. It reveals floral, spicy notes along with sweet dark fruit on a medium-bodied frame. Tasting this wine made me crave one of the region’s classic dishes, risotto al Teroldego. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2011. The highway that leads from Verona to Bolzano, with its dramatic views of the Dolomites, is one of Italy’s most picturesque roads. Just outside of Trento, Elisabetta Foradori makes reference-point wines from the indigenous Teroldego Rotaliano.” Wine Advocate |
| €24.85 |
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