About this WINE
Cerutti, Piedmont
Gianmario Cerutti's family own 6ha of prime sandy calcareous soils at Cassinasco, 350 metres above sea level overlooking the Moscato d'Asti capital of Canelli in the Langhe Astiani. The family started to vinify their fruit in the 1930s before the first bottling in the '70s. Gianmario graduated from Alba's viticultural school Umberto 1 in 1992 & began working at the Coppo winery in 1997. His father now breeds prize-winning canaries so the cantina shrills to birdsong.
Over 50% of the property is devoted to growing Moscato, on one site: the Suri Sandrinet vineyard which is both high, sunny & perfectly ventilated. They also have just over a hectare of Barbera, some Dolcetto & Chardonnay.
Gianmario's Moscato d'Asti combines sweet (125 grams RS) frothy liquid meringue appeal with crystalline acidity; his Barbera d'Asti is unoaked and silky ripe for early drinking while the Monferrato Chardonnay (to become Piemonte Chardonnay DOC) is lemony ripe & precise.
Muscat
Muscat refers to a family of grapes of which there are around 200 different branches. Muscat Blancs à Petits Grains is the most noble of the variety and makes the best and most distinctive wines. It is the only wine grape that produces wines that actually taste of grapes, and can produce a range of wines from pale, bone dry whites, through to golden yellow, rich, sweet wines.
In Alsace, two types of Muscat are grown - Muscat Blancs à Petits Grains and Muscat Ottonel. They are usually blended to produce wines that tend to be light and dry with a fruity, musky character and an intensely aromatic bouquet. Intensely sweet late harvest wines are also produced.
Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is one of the best Vin Doux Naturels in France. This is produced by adding grape spirit to the partly fermented must - the best producers, such as Domaine de Durban, produce deliciously sweet wines with rich grapey aromas balanced by fruity acidity.
In Australia Muscat à Petit Grains is used to produce the fortified Liqueur Muscats of Victoria (esp. Rutherglen). These are extraordinary wines - dark and treacly with a sensational perfume of orange, raisins and honey.
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Description
Gianmario's vintage 2013 Moscato d'Asti has a bit more of everything. Such was the 10 day later harvest that the fruit had more time to ripen, giving it a slightly fuller, fruitier feel overall. It's still grogeous to look at too, with that frothy 'head', while the beguiling nose sings more of lemon meringue, and grapey/honeydew notes, rather than the grassier ones of 2012.
That soft froth continues onto a palate that glides and swoons with grapey/meringue fruit, so pure and gentle, not confected or sticky. For despite the 130 grams of residual sugar, the wine's finely balanced and refreshing with slightly more structure too, at 6.20 total acidity (vs 5.80 in 2012). There's also a new name on the 'door' (label), that of 'Canelli', that refers to 22 of the 52 villages within the DOCG zone, for which Gianmario has had to lower the yield slightly by 5% (to 62hl/ha), achieving more ripeness in the process.
Bottled on 3 Dec 2013, and only 6,000 bottles produced. Liquid sorbet.
David Berry Green
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