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.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
Gianmario Cerutti's 2014 Moscato d'Asti Canelli is particularly appetising this year. Just one glance at its fine satiny 'schiuma (froth) is exciting enough! Drawn from two vineyards: a blend of the ESE facing, sunny, breezy 'Suri' site at 370 msl close to the village of Cassinasco above Canelli, and fleshier W facing 'Sandrinet' at 320 msl. Gianmario had to work harder in the vineyard in 2014 to remove rotten grapes, reducing the yield by 20% to 42 hl/ha (but increasing the quality!) He was justly rewarded by a super September, enabling the fruit to ripen; harvest was later, on 20th September.
There's slightly less natural sugar than in the 2013 vintage, but my! how 'cremoso' (creamy) and fresh it is. Such finezza, pale in colour, the nose beautifully embroidered with an exhilarating, glacial scent of mango skin, tiglio (lime flower) and mint - it remains very much a sorbet in a glass at precisely 4.93% alcohol!
Ilove the way Gianmario manages to keep the wine so tight and finely tuned, while retaining a wine rich in character. If you can tear yourself away from sniffing the wine, the palate completes the picture with delicate, sweet, yet fresh (128 grams residual sugar, 6 grams tartaric acidity), meringue-like, pretty, pure, white peach and grape flavours. Such refinement and light-as-a-feather drinkability! Bravo Gianmario!
David Berry Green
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee