Deep ruby color; blackberry, plum, dark cherry, chocolate, baking spice, coffee, tobacco, licorice, smoke on the nose and palate.
Dry; light tannins; assertive acidity. Medium body. Magliocco dolce grapes hand-pruned from vines 30-plus years old. Grapes are hand-harvested into small crates and manually emptied into the crushing-destemming machine. Soft squeezed. Fermentation and maceration occurs in stainless steel. Placed in French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation/conversion which includes daily batonnage. Aged in barrel for one year with no clarifiers or tartaric precipitations. Aged in bottle for three years before labeling and release. 13% ABV
The Terre di Balbia winery project began in 2001 in the historic village of Alomonte in Calabria, in the beginning of the “toe” of the Italian boot, some 180 miles south of Naples. Gianni Venica, owner of the Venica & Venica winery in Friuli, and Silvio Caputo, an importer of Calarian wine in California, executed a hand-shake deal to initiate the project. In 2014, Giuseppe Chiappetta with his brother Nicola and sons Marco and Luca—a family born and raised in Calabribria’s city of Cosenza purchased the enterprise.
The winery focuses on three single-vineyard offerings. Fervore grows magliocco dolce, Ligrezza grows gaglioppo, and Blandus grows merlot. All three produce 100% varietals wine; there is no blending. Magliocco is a signature red grape in Calabria. There are two types: magliocco dolce and magliocco canino. Magliocco dolce is notable for its deep, dark, ruby color with intense aromas of dark fruits and elegant tannins. Magliocco canino typically is made as a single-grape varietal wine and is noted for ageability. Magliocco canino is more tannic and usually is used as a blending grape, it also is used in sparkling wine blends. This wine is 100% magliocco dolce.
Terre di Balbia Fervore Magliocco Calabria Rosso IGT 2018 is smooth and tasty made with grape not well known outside southern Italy. If you like rich red wines but are put off by big tannins, this is one you should find and try. Impressive complexity. Plenty of tasty red and dark fruits framed by good acidity and appropriate oak. Pair with grilled or roasted beef or lamb; wild game—venison, wild boar. Slow-cooked meat stews or braises. What grows together goes together—pasta with rich meat sauces, ragù, bolognese; pizza with savory toppings. Grilled, roasted vegetables—eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes; vegetarian lasagna, eggplant parmesan. Cheese—parmigiano-reggiano, aged pecorino toscano, grana padano stravecchio; provolone, asiago, cantal. Southern Italy cheese—caciocavallo silano, pecorino crotonese, ragusano DOP. $20-22
