Castor Membership April 2024: Rock and Rolle and The Great Tabarrini

Steeped in history: Bastide de Fave owners Laurie and Benoit Fil.

“Rock and Rolle”

Bastide de Fave Vermentino “Heritage de Saint Victor”

Coteaux Varois en Provence, France 2022

We in the wine industry (and really any sales-related field) all too often focus on exceeding expectations, and all of the tired jargon that goes with it (“this wine overdelivers”, etc.). I think, however, the correct mindset for us in the wine world should be one of creating expectations; our clients should reach a point where, like vinous Dr. Frankensteins, we throw the lightning switches of education and exposure to their “on” positions, bringing to life a bevy of wine monsters and turning them loose into the world, thirsting for a level of quality they’ve either not previously known or were aware of but assumed unattainable on an everyday basis.

In general, I actually think the “exposure” piece is more important than the “education” in terms of molding a monster wine consumer; like a sommelier reaching a flawed blind tasting conclusion because they, after correctly assessing the wine’s structural merits, just didn’t have the correct grape varietal or region on their radar, we as wine drinkers can only appreciate what we’ve actually tried-we don’t know what we don’t know (I’m Socrates with the deep thoughts here today, apparently).

However, education does play a Rolle-sorry, role-in keeping us on point, including the ability to recognize certain grapes by their alternative names, or synonyms. The object of my absurd wine-related “Dad joke” in the previous sentence, for example, takes the name Rolle in the South of France, but most everywhere else its cultivated, it’s known as Vermentino. Never heard of Vermentino, either? Don’t worry; whether you have or not, there’s a bit of exposure and education coming your way.

The beautiful back drop of Bastide de Fave’s winery, Coteaux Varois, Provence.

Provence is not unlike most wine regions in that what is marketed and presented to us as consumers ad nauseum is in fact very different from the reality that is day to day life as a Provencal winegrower. With thousands of hectares under vine, only so much of it can reinforce the Instagram-worthy images of rows of plants clinging to cliffsides above the sea, or cafes on the Mediterranean where local rose flows like water. Much of the appellation is located inland, and with the notable exception of the Bandol appellation, the finest examples of red and white still wines can be found away from the tumult of the seaside buildup, often at elevation so that the grapes can enjoy a longer growing season under the constant barrage of sunshine.

The smallest of the three regional Provence appellations is the Coteaux Varois en Provence; known colloquially as “Green Provence”, the densely forested slopes and rocky outcroppings lushly adorned with grapevines reinforce the nickname nicely. When compared to its other regional AOCs (Cotes de Provence to the east and Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence to the north and west), the Varois stands as the smallest-compare the area’s 3,000 total hectares under vine, for example, to Cotes de Provence, which boasts 20,000 and counting. Another key feature of the region is continuity: whereas Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence varies wildly in terroir, making a base knowledge of towns and climats de rigeur for an aspiring Aix-en-Provence drinker, the Varois boasts a fairly consistent continental climate, with calcareous clay soil forming a wide band of the area’s vineyards. The all-important altitude is a staple as well-rarely do vineyards fall below 300-350 meters, and can rise to nearly 1,000 meters near the famed caves of St. Baume, thought to be a possible resting place of Mary Magdalene.

Perhaps the most important distinction of Coteaux Varois winegrowers is their collective commitment to quality: nearly 65% of the hectares under vine are certified biodynamic or Haute Valeur Environmentale, France’s forward-thinking recognition of wineries that includes long-term soil testing and stipulations for other common-sense aspects of vineyard management, such as using bio fuels for any machines onsite. The ecological mindset of the community is evident in each glass sampled from Laurie and Benoit Fil’s estate Bastide de Fave, located in the village of Brue-Auriac in the Varois’ northern half. Brand new to the Virginia market, the wines are clean and precise, allowing a rose I sample from 2020 to have just as much on offer as one bottled currently, and amplifying the already bountiful aromatic potential of one of my favorite grapes: Vermentino.

Karl Erbes’ son and winery cellarmaster Stefan Erbes, who joined his father in 1984 and has been in command since 2002.

Called Rolle in the south of France and Vermentino pretty much everywhere else it makes its home (its native Sardinia, Corsica, and even the famous Cinque Terre villages on the Ligurian coastline of mainland Italy), this famously aromatic white grape makes its mark on the nose, where wild Mediterranean herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil) and elements of forested land (pine) are present even in middling examples. The finest Vermentino comes arguably from Sardinia and Corsica, where the wines gain additional body weight and consequent alcohol levels, becoming fuller and less dependent on warm-weather quaffing conditions. But don’t sleep on France; as shown by the Fils’ winemaking, Rolle benefits greatly from calcaire soils with rocky substrata, which gives the final product enough saline flavor and racy textural notes to offset any loss in body. The vineyard on which the “Heritage de Saint Victor” (named for the fortified chapel and surrounding neighborhood in Marseille) Vermentino is grown has the calcareous clay topsoil on a bedrock of dolomite, the same calcium-magnesium mineral that gives the Italian mountain range its name. The east-facing vines let morning sun warm the grapes immediately without and all-day exposition, and the famed Mistral wind is dominant, naturally clearing the fruit of unwanted pest and disease. The end result is Vermentino that is allowed to stay on the vine as long as possible into the fall, with a late harvest that allows for great fruit and balanced, low-PH freshness at the same time.

With respect for their multi-generational land (Benoit and Laurie achieved biodynamic status for their 2019 vintage of the “Heritage de Saint Victor” and HVE certification as of 2020) and small-production status (their total hectares under vine number just 8, with another hectare of olives), the Fil’s represent a small gem of a winery that makes the most of their Rock and Rolle-I’m delighted to present them to you-D.

Bastide de Fave “Heritage de Saint Victor”, Coteaux Varois en Provence 2022

Country of Origin: France.

Places and People: Benoit and Laurie Fil’s property of Bastide de Fave is located in the small hamlet of Brue-Auriac, in the center of the Coteaux Varois en Provence appellation. Known colloquially as “Green Provence”, the Varois is the smallest of the three larger Provencal AOC’s and distinctive for its continental climate, vines planted at altitude (the average vineyard in the area is 350 meters ASL and in the Saint-Baume mountains this figure can climb to over 1,000), and calcaerous water table that runs east-west and also contains areas of gravel and flint. Bastide de Fave’s Vermentino vineyards come from a tiny 3 hectare parcel that faces west and is also planted with the red grapes Syrah and Cinsault. The “Heritage de Saint Victor” cuvee has been produced biodynamically since 2019.

Soil: Calcaerous Clay.

Grape Varieties: 100% Vermentino.

Winemaking: The “Heritage de Saint Victor” is harvested manually according to the biodynamic calendar. A cold maceration of the fruit prior to fermentation, followed by a temperature-controlled fermentation itself (18 degrees C) preserves the wine’s dynamic freshness.

Aging: The “Heritage de Saint Victor” 2022 spends 4-6 months in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling.

Flavors and Foods: Rolle (Vermentino) is a sublime grape to herald warmer weather; it’s naturally bracing acidity and texture (the Fils opt to leave a touch of trapped gas rather than face reductive, oxidative flavor notes) pairs perfectly with spring’s bounty. A heady nose of wild lavender and thyme, wet stone, cucumber melon, and fresh lime is echoed on the palate, with additional notes of fennel bulb and sage. I know research shows that we can’t taste stones/rocks in a literal sense, and the term “minerality” is bandied about in wine writing too liberally, but I confess that whatever in my nose and mind is envisioned when I think of calcaire soil is present on this wine-the “Heritage de Saint Victor” possesses a phenomenal mouthfeel and texture, driven by the acidity and weight of a wine that comes from this particular soil type. It’s refreshing and a natural cleansing all in one, making it excellent as an aperitif but also perfectly enhancing its partners on the plate: tortillas with your protein or vegetable of choice topped with lime and queso fresco, spring asparagus, smoked seafood (dreaming of a smoked whitefish dip with pita) and fresh shellfish, and grilled chicken.

Service and Cellar: The Bastide de Fave “Heritage de Saint Victor” has the wonderful acidity mentioned above, but delightfully a chill does not accentuate it as is the case with many other whites-serve the wine on the lower end of the white wine cellar temperature range (46-48 degrees F). This wine is designed to be enjoyed in its youth, so drink now, but in terms of bottle life once opened, the “Heritage” does very well on day two, making it an ideal aperitif/starter wine if you would like a glass before moving to red.

Crates carrying the hand-harvested fruit of Montefalco’s Tabarrini.

“The Great Tabarrini”

Tabarrini Umbria Rosso “Il Padrone delle Vigne” 2015

You see the same story all the time on winery websites, sales and marketing trade materials, and wine shop shelf talkers: the classic “farmer to freeholder” fable, wherein a family supports itself for generations by growing grapes to be sold and bottled by someone else, until a knifepoint arrives when the current spawn of whatever estate decides that they and their family have something to say, some unique expression of their land and its vines that cannot be contained in a bill of ladle to a larger negociant.

These types of stories undoubtedly sell wine and can even encourage otherwise sane music students to abandon aspirations of performing live to sold-out halls to instead enter the surely more stabilized field of wine-related hospitality (a random example, obviously). Even though I was so taken by my first tale of a winemaker striking out on their own (in my case, it was Sonoma’s Clay Mauritson) that it changed my life trajectory, I must confess that at this point these tales of entrepreneurship have become a little…ubiquitous? From a philosophical standpoint, as more and more vineyard owners found their own labels and produce their own wines, are our romantic senses dulled to the individual circumstances of each proprietor? Have the acknowledged advances in education and technology that make a transition from farmer to front office more possible now than ever before watered down these vinous fairy tales? It certainly (sadly?) seems very possible.

Above all else, the thing that I love about wine the most is its uncanny ability to mimic life’s values: in the world of wine, you see the bonds of family and fraternity, the meaning of legacy, stewardship and respect for the earth and its bounty, the spiritual and physical benefits of laboring outdoors, the communion of friends and family in celebration of something bigger than oneself. Sentimentality? Most assuredly, but I suppose what I really mean in saying this is that viewing a winegrower’s decision to become a winemaker and vineyard owner can, best be done not en masse but on a case by case basis. I’ve met plenty of people who decided to slap their name onto a bottle and make their own wine with the sole purpose of the potential for a greater paycheck; those kinds of stories are better told by someone else. For me, give me the eccentric genius, the person who smiles at you and treats you like family BEFORE you become a VIP client, someone who checks their ego at the cellar door. Allow me to introduce to you the great Giampaolo Tabarrini.

The splendor of Montefalco, in Umbria’s Perugia region.

Sometimes, reading a winemaker’s thoughts via writeup or interview, or seeing their commitment to excellence put into practice, gives the best endorsement of their personage. With apologies to anyone with Italian ancestry for making the subject of your April Castor feature sound like a circus act, “The Great Tabarrini”-that would be Giampaolo, fourth generation owner of the family’s lands and their principal lead in the cellar-leads just by these examples.

My first introduction to Tabbarini’s wines coincided with Giampaolo overseeing an 8 million dollar renovation to the family’s cellar in the small Umbrian town of Turrita. The total temperature control, iPad technology, and additional space (production can eventually reach 50,000 cases, a big step up from his current artisanal output, so you can undoubtedly be sure that I will be keeping tabs on this development and making sure that the quality levels are maintained) represent the continuance of a lifelong drive to make the most amazing wines possible.

Located at a midpoint between appellation center Montefalco and Castel Ritaldi (the town and citadel share the name), Turrita sports a booming population of 231 souls far outnumbered by the rows of vines in the surrounding countryside. The beautiful walled town of Montefalco has become synonymous with the wine appellation that bears both its name and the most famous Umbrian grape, the red Sagrantino. One of the most tannic red wines on the planet, Sagrantino di Montefalco DOC produces incredibly powerful wines that, in keeping with winemakers’ desire to reduce the natural tannins by delaying the harvest for as long as possible, sport elevated alcohol levels as well. The pricing of Sagrantino, particularly for single vineyard crus, has risen quickly and deservedly so, for these wines are as equipped to cellar and savor as any. This overdue recognition of the value of Montefalco wines has brought to life two important facts: the terrific relative value of the Montefalco Rosso and Umbria Rosso appelations, based primarily not on the local Sagrantino but rather on Sangiovese, and the economic reality that makes for a fun twist on supply and demand: much like Tuscany’s Montalcino, where Rosso di Montalcino is often more rare than the flagship Brunello, the Sangiovese-dominant Rosso di Montefalco only represents 40% of plantings in the appellation (Giampaolo’s “Padrone delle Vigne” featured here is labeled as Umbria Rosso IGT rather than Montefalco because, at 15 months total aging, it does not reach the minimum 18 months for Montefalco Rosso).

With guyot-trained estate vineyards in Montefalco that sit at 400 meters above sea level, the wine that Giampaolo names after his paternal grandfather is the best of both the Sangiovese grape and the Montefalco landscape in the same bottle. “Padrone delle Vigne” is grown on silt and clay soils, and the nearly 30-year old vines (Sangiovese with small dollops of Sagrantino and Barbera) produce an expansive, savory experience in the glass: the bright red fruit that defines Sangiovese together with the tannic backbone of Sagrantino, and a hint of acidity from the Barbera. The wine is macerated for over a month, giving both color and concentration of flavor-indeed, rather than complexity, the “Padrone delle Vigne” has a profile that is MORE rather than varied. I’ve certainly tasted Chianti from excellent producers (and even some Brunello from not-so-excellent producers) that would fall flat when poured up against the Sangiovese of the 2018 “Padrone”, a testament to the winemaking philosophy and ability of Giampaolo. At just 6,000 bottles (500 cases) of production, the “Padrone delle Vigne” is also a relative rarity, and has me, fresh off of bringing in the last remaining cases available in the market, feeling like I’ve just committed highway robbery.

The eccentricity, and the teeth stained with the red of his voluptuous wines, are easily seen from owner/winemaker Giampaolo Tabarrini.

A guy who builds a jacuzzi on the top of his newly renovated vineyard just for fun cannot be said to be lacking a zest for life, and with his family’s status as one of Montefalco’s greatest and artisanal producers, it would be very easy for Giampaolo Tabarrini’s head to be swollen with accolades. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Giampaolo, ever searching for new heights to be reached, hired Alessandro Meniconi, former winemaker of famed Montefalco estate Perticaia, to assist his already excellent team. Giampaolo’s collaborative nature and his enthusiasm for producing the best quality wines superceded any need for him to be the only accomplished winemaker in-house, and the superteam of Meniconi and Tabarrini only facilitates the ambition level that the Tabarrini estate proudly wears. Giampaolo Tabarrini’s evolution as his family’s winery enters this next phase of life the generosity of someone who need not be afraid of other’s successes, and with all that he’s achieved so far, perhaps that is the best evidence of his still having something to express-the goal of any artisan, realized anew each vintage-D.

Tabarrini Umbria Rosso “Il Padrone delle Vigne” 2018

Country of Origin: Italy.

Places and People: Giampaolo Tabarrini, like many farmers who emerged in the late 1990s, inherited his family’s fourth-generation vineyards and decided to embark on his own winemaking journey-one that has seen him become an exacting and eccentric steward of the Tabbarini family’s 22 hectares (15 under vine) in the town of Montefalco, the mecca of wine production in Central Italy’s Umbria. The “Padrone delle Vigne” vines grow on a southeast facing slope at 400 meters above sea level and were planted in 1996.

Soil: Silt and Clay.

Grape Varieties: The “Padrone delle Vigne” is predominantly Sangiovese (the wine earns its Umbria Rosso IGT classification due to being aged 15 months and not the 18 required for Montefalco Rosso DOC), with small proportions of Sagrantino and Barbera to round out the proprietary blend.

Winemaking: The non-interventionist philosophies of Giampaolo Tabarrini manifest themselves sublimely in “Padrone delle Vigne”’s production methods: estate guyot-trained vineyards are harvested by hand, followed by spontaneous wild fermentations with no innoculated yeasts. As is the tradition in Montefalco, an extended maceration on the skins (over 1 month’s time) leads to depth in color and concentration of fruit.

Aging: The “Padrone delle Vigne” is nurtured for 12 months in French oak barrels (mostly neutral).

Flavors and Foods: Tasting the “Padrone delle Vigne”, one is struck with the notion that Giampaolo’s ability to craft a wine borders on unfair-the 2018 vintage of this wine is bold like a Sangiovese-based Super Tuscan, with dusty, earthy textures and non-fruit that channels the best Sagrantino, all in a cuvee whose total production is just 500 cases and priced to be enjoyed on a daily basis. Sangiovese’s characteristic bright red cherry fruit, desiccated red roses, blood/iron quality, and elevated tannin structure are all present here, with a bit of Sagrantino’s plummy anise and Barbera’s enlivening acid to round things out. The “Padrone delle Vigne” is not necessarily a complex wine, but the flavors I outline above are presented so strongly and with such balance (coming from such a warm area with a penchant for ripeness, the elevated alcohol of the wine is thankfully absent from the finish) that the overall impression just FEELS intricate. In short, the 2018 “Padrone delle Vigne” makes your palate think you’re tasting more than you actually are, and also tricks your mind into believing what’s in your glass is much more expensive than what it is. If you consume meat, sprint to your favorite butcher and find the nicest-looking marbled cut of beef that you can ; alternatively, smoked eggplant with paprika or gamey cuts of lamb (butterflied and grilled boneless leg) will be excellent as well.

Service and Cellar: The Tabarrini “Padrone delle Vigne” 2018, though balanced well, is still a full bodied wine with elevated tannin levels, so proper service temperature (58-60 degrees F) and a healthy decanting (30-60 mins) are essential to setting the wine for success. In terms of consumption, I have also found this wine‘s excellent structure to be quite preservative: the 2018 vintage, properly sealed and refrigerated overnight with half of the bottle or more still present, showed excellently on day 2 and only began to exhibit oxidative qualities on day 3. Enjoy now through 2026.