#adarmando

A rustic Umbrian grape is reborn—and it could be Montefalco’s next wine hope.  It’s Trebbiano Spoletino. 

E con Adarmando 2015 arriviamo a 10 Tre Bicchieri Gambero Rosso!!!

Giampaolo recently made a large order for anchovies from the Cantabric Sea. It was somewhat of a big deal on the day they arrived because as he cracked open the canister and we all peered in – we saw what must be some of the largest anchovies of all time. Layered and bathed in salt, Federica and Giampaolo gently cleaned, sliced, and served them with a bit of onion and the newly pressed Extra…

Have you been at the edge of your seats and clutching your glasses of wine in anticipation? Well, sit back and relax and enjoy the show. We are proud to release to the public the full Adarmando Tasting episode. Like we said before, this episode was made for Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, and Jose Vouillamoz – the authors of “Wine Grapes.” When watching the video you might hear references to other documents or Giampaolo talking directly to them. Please do not let this distract you from your own personal experience.

The episode begins with a short segment, the same as the trailer, that sets up the tasting. From there Giampaolo invites you to see the “family warehouse” where his personal collection of wine is stored. Between family secrets and historical anecdotes you’re given an inside look into the winery. With bottles in hand, he and Emiliano begin the vertical tasting.

Our apologies if it is at any point in time difficult to hear the video; there was construction going on and it was a windy day. However, we couldn’t pass up filming outside on the patio. I think you’ll agree the background was worth the trouble.

Should the beautiful scenery not distract you, you’ll hear Giampaolo and Emiliano give their opinions on the wines. From the general health of the different vintages to the specific tastes they’re sensitive to in a singular bottle, you’ll hear the expert opinions. If you still don’t believe that Adarmando is an ageable wine, then you only need listen to when Giampaolo exclaims, “Mamma Mia the ’04!” With a shake of the head and a look of wonderment he keeps going back for a whiff of its intoxicating aroma.

Of course, we shortly feature Sagrantino. As Emiliano put it, “there must be something in the DNA of Umbria to produce powerful and ageable wines.” This will be put to the test this weekend at Settimana Enologica when the different Sagrantino producers of Montefalco come together for the wine festival.

A recent post I shared with you was about my experience of meeting the various Trebbiano Spoletino trees. To recap: we produced an episode where Giampaolo and Emiliano did a vertical tasting of 10 vintages of Adarmando, our white wine made from 100% Trebbiano Spoletino. Though we are still holding out on posting the full episode, we did release a short trailer.

In case you are unfamiliar with why Adarmando is so special to us, it is because the Trebbiano Spoletino was something of a dream for Giampaolo. He wanted to pave the way for other winemakers in a way that would revolutionize Umbrian wine. We like to think his passion and innovation have done this for all of his wines, but with Adarmando this was truly the case.

These vines are sometimes 100 years old, sometimes more. Their shape is unique because of their age, but also because they are married to “bianchelle” (acero campestre). In 2003, Giampaolo started research with the University of Florence to analyze RNA of the plants and discover what exactly made them so incredible. Since then, we’ve been growing the results of this study in an experimental vineyard using Guyot methods. These grapes are not used for Adarmando, however.

It was after the research began in 2006 that Giampaolo finalized the protocol for Adarmando and realized it was not a normal white wine. It must be aged. Of course, the taste and the quality is still enjoyable when young, but this is something to keep hidden away in your cellar for 20 years. But it’s a white wine, so people were concerned when Tabarrini held off on releasing it.

Then the 2007 Adarmando was awarded the Tre Bicchieri by Gambero Rosso and Trebbiano Spoletino was all anyone could talk about in Umbria. Gradually, more winemakers started to bring back this species of grapes that was dying out. They realized its potential and started to pay homage to this testament of time. Giampaolo saved the Trebbiano Spoletino and brought it back to life. It only took a man, a dream, and a wine.