Tor Calvano Vino Nobile: Not Up to its Regal Reputation.
Written: Dec 05 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Vibrant aroma, powerful flavor
Cons: Excessive price tag, coarse, clashing flavor structure
The Bottom Line: Though complex and superficially satisfying paired with heavy meals, Tor Calvano's coarse and overpriced 2003 offering does not do the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano genre justice.
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| bettega's Full Review: Tor Calvano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, 2003 |
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is an outstanding, yet little known type of wine with invigorating taste and aromas. Its greatest asset and sadly, its greatest drawback is that it comes from one of the best wine making regions in the world. The earth in the "Val D'Orcia" (the valley of Orcia) in the province of Siena brings out the best of the grapes there grown but alas, there are many stellar offerings in this region and Vino Nobile's robust character combined with lack of advertising never gave it the success of other nearby varieties like Chianti or Brunello di Montalcino.
What is Vino Nobile di Montepulciano?
"Vino Nobile di Montepulciano" means in Italian "noble wine of Montepulciano". The name originates from its location and from the fact that it is aged for a few years in oak casks thus being "sequestered" far away from other influences, hence the reference to nobility. The grape from which it is made is highly predominant throughout most of central northern Italy, the Sangiovese grape, which finds special advantage in growing in the steppes around Montepulciano. There is plenty of sun with a mildly arid climate, making for somewhat dry ground and a good ability to make sugar with strong flavors. The altitude of the rolling hills allows for slightly cooler temperatures that don't quite scorch the grapes during the summer so come autumn more of the flavor of this sacred ground kissed by the sun can be released.
What makes Vino Nobile different from other local varieties is not only the ageing which is extensive, but the degree and complexity to which this occurs. There are various sizes of casks in which to age the wine the smallest of which are known as "barriques". These give a high surface area of oak in proportion to the volume of wine allowing for strong influence of wood tannins. Since this can deprive a wine of its fruity flavor and make it too oaky, the wine aged in smaller barriques is also combined with wine aged in larger casks which helps to smooth and mellow it but still preserves the robust flavor. Until recent years they even used to add about 8% of white wine for a fruity zing though this custom has not been done in recent years. To finish the process, the wine really needs to be aged more in the bottle for at least a year or two before sale and often takes a few years after that to properly peak. Unlike other wines of the region, it can be enjoyed up to 10-15 years after bottling and won't start to spoil until 15-20 years afterwards assuming it was stored correctly, which makes it a very popular choice for collectors.
What Should Vino Nobile Taste Like?
The end result therefore is a most unique wine that has a rich depth of tannin flavors, fruity aromas, sweet zing and a lingering finish. They tend to be oaky wines not for the Bud and White Zinfandel fans, but a good bottle of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is at least competitive and in range with cache` brands like Brunello. There are few wines that feel like they are gloriously singing an opera in your glass; in its better varieties this is exactly what this category of wine has done for me.
Such tastes in Italy are all well and good where I can find a top of the top shelf variety with gold lettering on top for 12 dollars and far less than that if bought in bulk. In a country where good to very good wine is a few dollars a bottle and box wine is available for mere cents, amazing wine is never difficult to find. When trying to find a bottle on this side of the Atlantic, unfortunately, it takes lots of legwork and at times small miracles to find one that won't deplete my contributions to my son's college fund.
One day I was browsing a liquor store looking for a decent bottle of wine and as usual while hoping against hope I did my customary glance in the "Italy" section looking for some Vino Nobile. My efforts were rewarded and though 24 dollars is a bit much for me to spend on a bottle of wine, I decided to splurge just that once and brought it home.
About Tor Calvano
Tor Calvano is a specific brand of Vino Nobile of which there are quite a few; this one in particular is brought to you by the illustrious Folonari family who were amongst the first to import Italian wines on a large scale to the USA. Made in a small winery that is owned by the Folonaris, it's an artesanal product.
Packaging of the Tor Calvano
It looks fancy... I guess. Again, there are some really good wines in Italy packaged in ways that would make hobos, street bums and end stage alcoholics all flee in unison much to their loss. For cryin' out loud, even the boxed wines there are pretty good!
The paper of the label is of a more upscale corrugated type that gives texture to the touch. There isn't much history on the bottle, but then again that is rarely the case for Italian wine. The bottle comes with a cork made of cellulose rather than a plastic stopper. This is important in this price range as it is synonymous with perceived quality. The truth is that a synthetic seal creates for a better barrier that insulates it more effectively from the environment. Ideally, a more resilient cork is no substitute for proper storage in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight but a stopper helps give it that extra edge for survival, particularly when a transatlantic shipment is involved. On the other hand, if a wine were to be ideally stored for long periods of time and it is of a type that could withstand the ageing in the bottle, it should have a true cork so that a little bit of air slowly seeps in to help the wine continue the reactions that help it to peak.
Visual
Tor Calvano is of a deep, dark and impenetrable dark hue. It shrouds the visual with a mystical and impenetrable shade of deep ruby purple. It forms legs on the glass and appears as solidly resolute in the glass as it does in the bottle which makes the pour an invigorating experience.
Aroma
The first thing that one can notice is about this wine's stolid aroma is how easily it is detectable even from a few feet away. It's supposed to be a few levels above table wine and the first impression dictates that it is. Exploring the wine glass with a few sniffs reveals a musky odor characteristic of the wine dominated by a preponderance of black cherries. The aroma is nice and attractive, but it doesn't quite resound in the nose as it should. There are a few undertones of nutmeg and oakiness but despite its strength leaves a little to be desired, particularly for the price.
Flavor
The entry is rather strong. The musky flavor continues and reveals strong berry, cooked fruit, and chocolate flavors that are pleasant but almost seem to battle with a preponderance of oakiness that comes out the victor. It's not a harsh wine, but the impact is slightly startling and not what I expected. I know that a Vino Nobile should have a strong flavor structure, but this one has conflicting elements that not only are a bit simplistic for the cost but also confuse the palate. This conflict makes it rough on your tongue, something that shouldn't happen in this price category. Sometimes there are some less refined, high alcohol wines like cheap Shiraz types that leave a similar impression but that can be excused. Truth be told a slightly oaky aged Chianti offers slightly less complexity and a less strong flavor but it shines through more vibrant much better because it's not as coarse. This one finds not its flavors all singing in unison, rather they kind of struggle for supremacy in your mouth.
The Finish
Oak dominates the finish with some dry, tingling spice on the back of the tongue. You can also find hints of aged cheese as the finish fades but for a wine of this character and strength doesn't last or lilt you the way it should.
2003: A Note About the Year
This was a rough year in Italy. The winter saw more precipitation than usual that in places waterlogged the ground, only to experience record summer temperatures. The heat wave not only killed off many old people, caused brown outs, serious droughts and economic troubles, but also took a toll on the crops. I was there that summer with my then girlfriend (now she is my wife) and even I who am very used to dealing with those hot summers over there got terribly worn down. It was so awful there wasn't enough water to wash your car, flush your toilet or even hydrate all the crops so many vintages that year had to rot on the vine. It was as bad a year as the previous few were glorious. Do try almost any 1999, 2001 or even 2006 (coming soon) from the region, they are amazing. Rumor has it that the 2002 was the worst year.
This climate problem can explain a lot of this particular wine's shortcomings in the region though that is not to say that all 2003 Italian wines came out inferior. In the far north where temperatures were a bit cooler the extra heat brought out the best in certain types of wine, but unfortunately it threw this and many others off kilter.
Potential Uses
Speaking in generalities, Vino Nobile is actually a very flexible wine. Though all full bodied statements apply, in its true form the combined strong flavor with the complexity of some fruity lightness make it applicable to just about everything except the most delicate seafood dishes. It can go well with a multitude of meals as long as they are not too delicate. If it occurs to you that white wine might be better, than that meal is not for Vino Nobile otherwise you can easily go hog wild with it. You can even use it for contemplative sipping over a delicious snack of Italian cold cuts, bits of bread and local cheeses. I actually spend a lot of time doing just that in Italy, it's a great way to pass the afternoon with someone you love and strongly recommended.
Unfortunately the Tor Calvano just doesn't quite get there. I don't really recommend anyone to go out of their way and buy a bottle to use for just about anything because other years or vintages will be available to serve the purpose. However, if you have this as a gift or see it otherwise sitting in your collection, I would recommend a wine like this with a strong, spicy cooked meal. Don't serve it with snacks, don't pour even a drop for delicate things like Asian cuisines. Most of all, don't use it as you would a regular table wine that can be sipped without food; it's just too strong. Use it in combination with some venison, roasts or hearty pasta dishes with a generous allotment of red pepper. It could even combine well with a pizza, but it would have to be a home made one with hearty toppings and meat toppings.
Conclusions
Tor Calvano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano of 2003 vintage is a decent wine. It offers more than a table wine but less than what you would expect for the price. I would rate its flavor as in the three star range but withhold recommendations due to the high price. It should be better than that vintage year could deliver, I know this firsthand. I cannot recommend this wine unless you're dying for a sip of it and no other options are around. I would steer any potential buyer towards a decent Chianti like Gabbiano or Ruffino which cost less but please just as much if not more. Believe me, there are delicate and complex offerings of Vino Nobile that can dazzle. The best of the category can have ratings so great as to simply not be able to fit into the 5 star category and remain on a level all by themselves, rising nobly above the world in the way they were created. Tor Calvano 2003 is not one of them.
Recommended:
No
Year: Non-Vintage
Winery Name: Tor Calvano/Folonari
Varietal: Chianti
Designation: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
Country: Italy
State or Region: Toscana, Italy
County or Appellation: Montepulciano
Price: 24
Wine Rating Scale: Drinkable
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Epinions.com ID:
bettega
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Reviews written: 89
Trusted by: 139 members
About Me:
On prolonged, possibly permanent hiatus. Ciao to all my Eps friends!
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