Paolo e Filippo di Rondelli e Nicola Laconi, s.s.Località Arcagna snc 18035 Dolceacqua (IM)
tel.00390184.31426 http://www.terrebianche.com/home_eng.htm
The ruins of the oldest castle in Liguria, pre-Greek, lies on the hill top just above Terre Bianche. It is thought that the Greeks introduced vines and winemaking to the region and there are indeed a few linguistic links. In the Ligurian dialect the word for the stakes used in the vineyards is ‘scarassa’ and in Greek they are called ‘karas’. In Ligurian one of the tools is called ‘magalio’ and in Greek…. see Alessandro Carassale’s book.
Other links to history include the name for the summit of the hill which is called Aurine and Aurinia was the name of a powerful local Roman family. Arcagna is the Roman and Celt word meaning the rock in a dominant position overlooking the water, and the cru Arcagna does sit on a rocky hill overlooking the sea.
Terre Bianche was founded in 1870. Filippo’s grandmother was from the family Monge in Bordeaux. His family is friends with the owner of Pétrus.
The vineyard is largely orientated towards the south east at an altitude of 400m – one of the highest in the appellation and one of the furthest from the sea. It has good exposure to the sun and enjoys the interesting micro-climate of cool alpine (minerality) and hot Mediterranean (ripeness). The acidity in Terre Bianche wines is very distinctive and partly due to the large diurnal difference of around 12-16C – the same as in the Alto Adige. On the coast the difference is around 5-6 degrees – with Ventimiglia having a bigger variation than San Remo due to the Roya valley.
As the name indicates there is a high proportion of white limestone soil and some red clay. The Arcagna site gives a salty mineralty to the wines.
Three varieties are planted: Rossese, Vermentino and Pigato divided roughly 50:50 white and red. The ages of the vines range from 120 to 40 years plus he has just planted a new Arcagna site with Rossese. Commercial yeast is used for the white wines but natural yeast for the reds since 2009. Pre-fermentation maceration starts the fermentation going and is good for aromas.
6th March 2010
2006 14%. Perfumed, privet flowers, olives, wood. Dry meaty tannins with a mineral dryness and alcohol. Ben: winey. Rosie: long, smokey, raspberries, sour/sweet, fruit red. Wine by the glass wine bar Re – how long had the bottle been opened? 16/20
2008: Very mineral on the nose and rich black forest-fruit with smokey character. 17.5/20
29th May 2010 Dolceacqua
2008 Leathery, savoury nose, dried fruit with rich good tannins. 17/20
Bricco Arcagna 2008. Fresh red fruit, raspberries, clean and fresh with a dry finish with lots of fruit. 18/20
Passito di Vermentino vintage? Very honeyed fresh fruit. Delicate and soft. Maybe needs a fraction more acidity? 14/20
7th May 2011 Taggia
2010 Quite meaty nose with slight floral notes. Very fresh with good chewy acidity. Quite a lean mineral style and wild berry fruit. More like a Beaujolais. Lovely minerality and spiciness. 13%. 17/20
22nd May 2011 Bordighera
Bricco Arcanga 2009 Floral aromas, lovely fresh acidity, chewy black chocolate tannins, good grip. Fresh black fruit. 14%. 17/20
Won Tre Bicchieri October 2011
23rd June 2012 Dolceacqua
Classico 2011 Slight rubbery notes. Fresh black fruit, firm silky tannins, long clean acidity. Fresh black ripe fruit with hints of wild berry fruit. 17.5/20
Bricco Acagna 2010 Floral notes on the nose. Wild berry fruit, good minerality, silky tannins. Fresh acidity, long length, wild berry fruit, dry. 18/20
10th May 2013 Terre Bianche
2012 was not a notably cooler year as in Provence, but yield was down by around 25%.
Plastic corks used for the two white wines as they are bottled, sold and drunk when young. Shame as the wines will improve with age – but are all drunk too young. (Does not like conglomerate corks as he feels they give a synthetic smell. They are half the price of plastic corks which are half the price of traditional corks.) Wines are boxed in flat boxes of six – the box is opened like a ‘box of chocolates’ with all the wines visible on display.
Both white wines made the same way – differences in taste reflect variety and terroir.
Vermentino 2012. Planted on red clay. Apple nose and taste. Very good, high acidity. Quite spicy, some minerality behind apple fruit, quite austere. TA normally 5.5g/l but this year the TA was an amazing 8.2g/l
Pigato 2012. From the top of the hill. Planted on limestone on blue clay, no stones, just shells. 30% calcaire. When dry, very hard like cement. Very pronounced apple fruit aromas. Richer and rounder than the Vermentino and more overt apple fruit with very good citrus acidity. Added notes of white fruits, very dry on the finish, broad mouth feel.
Arcana Bianco Pigato 2010. First time made a wine in this style with 2 years ageing sur lees. Just bottled. Oily nutty aromas, much broader and fatter in the mouth. Spicy, salty. Very long lean minerality. Long length with long salty finish. In a blind tasting where would this wine be placed.
Typical Ligurian character – very pure flavours and had felt that the Arcana Pigano he had aged in oak was not typical of local taste.
Rossese di Dolceacqua 2012. Cherry red, tobacco, leafy, wild red berry fruit, very good acidity. The leafy character will go with age and the spicy aromas will become more evident. Long mineral tannins, long, clean and fresh.
Bricco Arcagna Rossese di Dolceacqua 2011. Fruity aromas, with black fruit, damsons and cherries on the palate. Black chocolate tannins, good acidity, minerality. A warm vintage. Bottle needs to be opened up well in advance to allow all the fruit characters to show. First vintage to macerate with stalks in order to introduce greater freshness. Wine aged in old and 20% new barriques and tonneau (double barrique).
Rossese aromas develop in a specific way – rather than the fruit and floral character opening out with time, the noses closes in and becomes more ‘bloody’ and meaty.
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