Castor Membership May 2023: That’s a Big Dog and The Passage of Time
The royal hunting dogs of the Bourbon King Ferdinand, now memorialized on the Vigne Chigi Pallagrello label.
“That’s A Big Dog”
Vigne Chigi Pallagrello Bianco, Terre del Volturno IGP, Italy 2020
8 or so years ago, I tricked my wife into getting me a Great Dane puppy for Christmas, under the pretense that supposedly, as large animals, they were couch potatoes who didn’t require copious amounts of exercise or exhibit signs of inexhaustible energy. And although our furry baby, Lucca, has never met a couch (or a human, for that matter) that he’s not comfortable stretching out on, he still to this day can throw his 140+ pounds around as if he’s just entering puppyhood. Great Danes at their inception were hardly the courtly statues that they later became; the breed initially was developed for hunting wild boar, until they gradually were brought inside the castles and bred to look imposingly regal at the feet of their noble owners, a distinction that has through centuries apparently mutated into dogs like our Lucca, who spends 20 hours a day moving from one couch to another in our home with the occasional cry to have a blanket placed on top of him, although he admittedly does look very regal while making said requests.
Lucca’s positively unique, humanistic personality and generously sized companionship has forever sworn me onto, well, if not Great Danes specifically, large breeds certainly. When I was contemplating a May feature of wines from Southern Italy across all 4 membership selections, I knew immediately that I wanted to show off a winery that features some of the best “I bought it because of the dog on the label” mojo that I’ve ever come across: Vigne Chigi in the town of Pontelatone, and its owner Giuseppe Chillemi. Thankfully for my integrity, Giuseppe’s nuanced wines, and his devotion to the resurrection and promotion of native varietals cultivated in Chigi’s homeland in northern Campania, make his labels only a footnote to the winery’s true story and work.
Giuseppe Chillemi of Vigne Chigi, examining some of his older red Pallagrello vines.
Picture the city of Naples and its broader home region, Campania. What images come to mind? Like most places in the world, and particularly the world of wine, there are the “Trip Advisor” checkpoints of a given place, and then the areas that, while not necessarily fitting into the postcard definition of a region, seem to imprint just as much character and historical significance, if only we take the time to look. 30 miles north of the city of Naples and about 10 miles north of the nearest larger town of Capua, the small city of Pontelatone stands at the foot of Mount Friento, in the northern Campanian province of Caserta. Pontelatone describes itself on street signs as “La Citta del Vino” (“The City of Wine”), and indeed there are several producers here for what is a relatively tiny vineyard area (the town is covered from an appellation standpoint by the regional IGP, Terre del Volturno-permitted grape varieties are nearly identical to the rest of Campania, with Pallagrello being the notable exception).
Giuseppe Chillemi founded Vigne Chigi with the mission of revitalizing and preserving the region’s ancient and obscure grape varieties-Pallagrello Bianco and Nero, together with another red, Casavecchia-whose origins lie in the area’s southern-facing slopes, where the volcanic mineral soil is reminiscent of areas further south in Campania that produce wines which have infiltrated the US market more successfully, such as the town of Avellino and its principal grape, Fiano. Part of the difficulty in giving the two Pallagrellos and Casavecchia more visibility is simple mathematics: low yields and limited land area keep the production quantities very small (the Pallagrello Bianco, for example, brings in about 7,000 kilos of grapes per hectare of vines, producing an average of 548 cases annually). Tasting the Pallagrello Bianco from Chigi, with its spiced pineapple and dragonfruit and beautiful acidity wrapped in a juicy-textured mouthfeel, makes me wish we knew a bit more about these grape varietals as opposed to their more readily available neighbors Fiano and Greco.
The ancient and now rarely seen Pallagrello Bianco grape.
The Pallagrello phenomenon reached its peak in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when Bourbon King Ferdinand became first King of Naples, and subsequently the two (at the time, and after the Napoleonic Wars) Sicilies. Ferdinand planted a semicircular site above Caserta with his preferred Pallagrello varieties, which he considered to be the equal of the finest grapes in France. As an homage to his court and patronage of these varieties, Vigne Chigi features the Bourbon monarch’s hunting dogs on each of its labels. In the 20th century, the two Palagrellos’ tendency towards low yields and their need for delicate handling became a hindrance as the wine industry left behind its artisanal roots and followed the path of industry; Pallagrello was uprooted to the point of near extinction, and its resurgence has only begun in the last twenty or so years (Pallagrello Nero, for example, wasn’t added to Italy’s list of registered grape varietals until 2004).
Currently produced almost exclusively here in the Caserta province, the Pallagrello variety is one of the few examples in the wine world where both red and white grapes are referred to by the same name. A genetic connection is a matter of some debate; during the course of my research I encountered materials that indeed mention Pallagrello Bianco and Nero as being of the same varietal source, a la Pinot Noir/Pinot Blanc, while other writers opine that the grapes in fact have no scientific relations and were instead named after the antiquated process of drying these grapes on straw mats (“paglia”) prior to pressing. Regardless, what is not in question is that Pallagrello was once cultivated vigorously in Campania and championed by royalty, nearly forgotten and left for dead, and now finally has found a foothold in these same foothills below Mount Friento where its journey began in the first place. Perhaps in the end that is how it should be: a wine that demands care and attention being properly overseen by a handful of artisanal producers, a variety that has roots in antiquity yet still feels like our little secret. Yes, upon reflection, the commercial wine world can keep their large runs of Greco and Fiano; I will be here with a glass of the intoxicating and complex Pallagrello, a small-production wine that can run with the big dogs-D.
Vigne Chigi Pallagrello Bianco, Terre del Volturno IGP, Campania 2020
Country of Origin: Italy.
Places and People: Vigne Chigi was founded by owner Giuseppe Chillemi with the mission of preserving the native varieties of Northern Campania’s Caserta Province: Pallagrello Bianco and Nero, and the red Casavecchia. The Chigi estate is located outside of the town of Pontelatone and the wines are covered by the regional Terre del Volturno IGP designation. The vines sit at 200 meters above sea level, and the presence of Mount Friento above the vineyards is a reminder of the broader impact Campania’s mountains and volanoes have on the ultimate geological composition of the vineyards and their flavor profiles.
Soil: Clay with a notable presence of exotic carbonate (volcanic soil).
Grape Varieties: 100% Pallagrello Bianco.
Winemaking: Manually harvested in small 20kg crates, the grapes are transported immediately to the cellar and pressed whole with a soft pressing. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel at a controlled temperature.
Aging: The Pallagrello spends time in the same steel vessles for a short time (8-10 months) prior to bottling; Giuseppe likes to hold his wines back slightly, and so the 2020 is the current vintage available with the arrival of the ‘21 later this year.
Flavors and Foods: A dense straw yellow color on first sight, the Pallagrello’s nose is inviting and complex: yellow spiced apples, bosque pear, fresh nutmeg, cardamom, lemon and lemon pepper. The palate goes to a slightly more tropical place, with spiced pineapple and white peach-the effect is one of taking a fruit salad or fruit cup and elevating it to the sublime. There is dragonfruit also before the spicy and syruped, richly-appointed fruit is balanced by a medium-plus level of acidity-the texture of the wine is, on the whole, juicy so that both the acid and richer aspects of the fruit take a backseat to it. Indeed, the Pallagrello is exotic and complex when taken altogether, with an excellent balance that feels as regal as the hunting dogs adorning the label- a stellar wine especially considering the value proposition! Pair the Pallagrello with some “treat yourself” cuisine: rich seafood like halibut or swordfish, as well as Asian preparations of white meat (pork belly would be excellent). To top off the pairing ideas, there is a regional cheese from the nearby city of Capua, Capotempo di Capua, that is a bloomy rind offering produced from free-range cow’s milk and is actually washed in Chigi Pallagrello Bianco-you can find it online at www.prelibata.com
Service and Cellar: Giuseppe recommends a serving temperature for the Pallagrello on the higher side of the white wine spectrum (50-53 degrees), and I heartily agree-serve too cold and this wine’s spice notes close off to your palate. Expect the 2020 to cellar well for the next 5 years.
Flowers and vines intermingle in the vineyards of the Ippolito estate, Calabria.
“‘The Passage of Time”
Ippolito “I Mori” Red Blend, Calabria IGT, Italy 2020
Compared to the historically traversed and chronicled countryside of Rome and Naples, it stands ignored. West of the pristine beaches and newfound tourism boom of Abruzzo and Puglia, it feels a little backward. With its island neighbor Sicily, it shares its cultural melting pot origins, but little of the resulting sophistication, and yet a good bit of the wildness and sense of danger. In perception, Calabria (and its sister province Basilicata) can seem a little lost, almost forgotten by the passage of time. In truth, this place at the toe of the Italian boot is of a pristine beauty that somehow still stands largely untouched compared to the hotbed regions of Italy, and the wine industry has followed suit. Even as other Italian grape varietals have been plucked from obscurity, native Calabrese wines remain relatively undiscovered, especially in the US. What a pleasure, then, to begin exploring modern-day wine in Calabria through the eyes of an estate that has had a huge hand in shaping that history over much of the last two centuries: the Ippolito winery in Crotone’s Ciro Marina province.
Vincenzo Ippolito (left) in the cellar of his eponymous estate, which now is entering its 178th (!) year.
Ippolito is a winery whose pride in its longevity is evident: the company website is www.ippolito1845.it, and the birth year of the property is featured on each cuvee’s label. Vincenzo Ippolito established a country house in the Ciro Marina province between vineyards, olive groves, and orange trees, and over time the winemaking became the family’s central focus. If the regional capital city, Reggio di Calabria, is truly the big toe of the Italian boot, then Ciro Marina marks the beginning of the arch, located on the left of the U-shaped cutout the Ionian Sea makes in the Italian landscape, directly east of the Parco Nazionale della Sila. This area has long been the hotbed of Calabrian viticulture, and the Ippolito estate’s primary goal since its inception has been the recovery of and advocation for the region’s native grapes. The 100-hectare estate, close to the sea amid a vibrant mix of plains and sunny hillside sites of calcareous clay, champions four different indigenous grapes, but the treasure is undoubtedly the plump, tightly-clustered red grape Gaglioppo.
The plumply-shaped Gaglioppo grape in its characteristic tight cluster.
One of the oldest native grapes in Calabria, Gaglioppo was originally supposed to be of Greek origin; studies in the last 15 years have instead placed its roots firmly on Italian soil, with some findings indicating a cross-breeding of Sangiovese and a still-unidentified grape as the source. Other articles name the Nerello Mascalese variety from Sicily’s Mount Etna area to be a relative. Regardless, Gaglioppo was known historically for its full body, higher alcohol, and higher levels of tannin, requiring significant aging time for enjoyment. As I outline in my evaluation of Nero d’Avola for this month’s Pollux membership, when I first started my Journey in wine in the early-mid 2000s, the prevailing modus operandi in handling these seemingly “rustic” grapes evolved into what amounted to a kind of vinous lobotomy; my first tastes of Gaglioppo were rare, given the grape’s presence in the US, but also amazing and delicious, with spicy red fruit galore mixed with a healthy dose of savory earth and meat notes-the variety seemed tailor-made for stereotypical Italian cuisine, and even possessing a lighter touch that would invite pork or other white meats to the table. In the years that followed, however, winemakers seeking a more homogenized, crowd-pleasing style (and in reality, higher critical ratings) softened the offerings I tasted to the point of being disappointingly anonymous. Thankfully the “I Mori” from Ippolito refrains from multiple rackings and saccharine fruit; the winemaking team choose instead to soften Gaglioppo’s edges more naturally, with the addition of approximately 1/3 of the more stately-textured Cabernet Sauvignon, and a year spent in French oak barrels (mostly neutral), refining Gaglioppo’s tannins while still retaining the grape’s vigor and aromatics (this addition of Cabernet also is responsible for the regional Calabria IGT designation rather than the appellation of Ippolito’s winery home, Ciro, but the production level remains artisanal at 2,500 cases). The “I Mori” is incredible value in the glass, striking in its flavor profile and surprising in its structure, giving one the feeling of having a more recognizable (read: expensive) cuvee on hand. If Ippolito’s 178-year history marks the passage of time, it certainly also marks the preservation of quality-in Calabria, this place where time seems to stand still, this is a lofty achievement, indeed-D.
Ippolito “I Mori” Red Blend, Calabria IGT 2020
Country of Origin: Italy.
Places and People: Vincenzo Ippolito founded his eponymous winery in 1845, and in the years since Ippolito has sought tirelessly to uphold and preserve the native varietals of Calabria, chief among them the red grape Gaglioppo. The estate is located at the outset of the Italian boot’s “arch”, east of the Parco Nazionale della Sila in the town of Ciro Marina. Close to the sea, the vineyard sites for “I Mori” (“The Moors”) are planted on gentle hillside slopes.
Soil: Calcareous clay.
Grape Varieties: 70% Gaglioppo, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Winemaking: Hand-harvesting performed later (mid-October) to achieve optimal ripeness. Traditional vinification occurs in stainless steel under temperature control-a longer maceration period is employed to extract color and much-needed fruit to counteract Gaglioppo’s massive structure.
Aging: The “I Mori” is aged for one year in French oak barriques (mostly neutral).
Flavors and Foods: A thick, perfumed nose of black cassis and black cherry heralds the “I Mori”’s arrival in your glass. The fruit is viscous, like a fine confit, and yes exhibits a certain freshness as well that belies the structure of these grapes. That density is echoed on the palate, where the black fruit retains high viscosity while maintaining a real stateliness of structure-the “I Mori” is unctuous and yet really lives in the center of your palate, which keeps the edges of your mouth free to salivate and want more. If it seems like I’m writing more about texture than flavors, that’s what the “I Mori” does-a feeling of darkly smooth umame on the palate. The wine’s concentration and confited black fruit find me reaching for the last time I’ve had a wine that feels this monumental at this price point, and failing. Truly exceptional and I do hope you enjoy it! Perfect for classic Italian cuisine, particularly tomato-derived pasta and pizza sauces.
Service and Cellar: The Ippolito “I Mori” will work well served at red wine cellar temperature (58-62 degrees F); as I mention, the fruit is thick and covers the tannins of Gaglioppo well, but the wine would still be served best by a short decanting (15-30 minutes). I feel as though Ippolito has mastered making Gaglioppo drinkable early in its life-the “I Mori” 2020 is at the beginning of its drinking window and will serve you well for the next 5-7 years, also.