Fletcher Wines Piemonte
An Australian making amazing wines in Barbaresco???!!!!! Yes it’s true…
An Australian making amazing wines in Barbaresco???!!!!! Yes it’s true Dave Fletcher is making some incredible wines and the right people are taking notice. Antonio Galloni of Vinous Media wrote, “Sometimes it takes an outsider to truly appreciate the gifts and potential of a region. I first met Dave Fletcher, a native of Australia, at Ceretto, where he is the winemaker. A few years ago Fletcher started making wines under his own label at a tiny cellar that was once a train station in the flats of Barbaresco, below Marchesi di Grèsy. The first wines are certainly impressive. In a very short time, by Italian standards, Fletcher has managed to forge some pretty strong relationships that give him access to top-tier fruit. More importantly, Fletcher clearly understands the potential of Piedmont, something not all of the locals do, and he has the ambition, commitment and sheer drive to go after his dreams. That’s pretty impressive stuff in my book.”
To start we’ll bring in Dave’s Barbaresco and Nebbiolo d’Alba and then we’ll see what else we can grab. TINY production – only 2500 BOTTLES of each of these wines were produced!!!!
- The Wines
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Langhe Chardonnay
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CHARDONNAY
‘C’ series
Denomination: Langhe Chardonnay D.O.C.
Comunes: Barbaresco
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Area:
First year of production: 2015
Annual production: 2,000 bottles
With close proximity to France and several times occupied by the French, Piemonte has always been interested in Chardonnay. There are many vineyards around the Langhe and this one comes from the north face of Cars Cru in Barbaresco.
Winemaking
The grapes are whole bunch pressed and the juice is settled naturally (without added enzymes or sulfur dioxide) for a period of 4 hours. It is then racked to French barriques of which 30% is new and the rest old. Alcoholic fermentation is completed in barrel with no added yeast. Dependant on the taste, the year and the acidity, the wine may be allowed to go through Malic fermentation. The wine will stay in barrique on fermentation lees for 8 months without battonage and racked only when it is time for bottling.
The bottling is done without fining or filtration.
Tech Sheet...
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'Arcato' Orange wine
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'Arcato'
Part of the organic series
Denomination: Vino Bianco
Comunes: Alba
Variety: 75% Arneis, 25% Moscato
Area: 0.40ha
First year of production: 2015
Annual production: 600 bottles
Winemaking
The Moscato grapes used for the blend are left as whole bunches and put in the open fermenters
first. Then the Arneis is destemmed and crushed on top of the Moscato already in the fermenter.
Again the fermentation is done without the addition of yeast and is left to ferment and macerate on
skins for about 3-4 weeks before being pressed and allowed to finish fermentation in old barrels.
Bottling is done about 8 months later and happens directly from the barrel and hence, is done
without fining or filtration and with very minimal sulphites added.
Tech Sheet...
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Fletcher Wines 'Starderi' Barbaresco
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This is our first single vineyard cru wine from Dave Fletcher and his too to be exact. When we first tasted it we had only one thing to say, WOW!!!! Aged 24 months in used French oak barrels and at least one year in the bottle. Expect this bottle to develop through the next 20+ years. Only 1000 bottles produced.
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Fletcher Wines Nebbiolo d'Alba
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This wine is 100% organic Nebbiolo and is derived from two vineyards, with the majority being located in Montà (Roero) and the second in Scaparoni (Alba). Both have different soils, where the Scaparoni has a higher percentage of sand and silt than clay and tends to produce a more elegant wine. The Monta vineyard has a higher percentage of clay and produces a more structured wine. Together they’re a match made in heaven. The 2016 vintage can be considered as a great one in the Langhe. There was a very cool winter that led into a wet spring causing delays in the vegetative cycle of the vine and it stayed like that until the peak of summer. Without this delay, the maturities would have raced away because although 2016 wasn’t considered a hot one, it was consistently warm through August and September and that pushed the plants at a rapid pace until harvest. Both these vineyards are in cool positions and I have harvested them now twice with each time, coming in a week after the Barolo and Barbaresco. The date of harvest was the 4thof October and the fruit was in seriously great condition. As with all my wines, the wine is made with gentle extraction and focus on the aromatics in preference to colour and tannin. I consider Nebbiolo D’Alba as a good indication of what Barolo and Barbaresco will be like from this year and with this wine there is intense fruit and structure. I love the aromatics in this wine due to the complexity, it's not just fruit, it's a mix of dried flowers and tar all classics for Nebbiolo. You can keep this wine for 15 years, but my preference would be that you drank it young and age the Barolo and Barbaresco from the same year. Enjoy.
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Fletcher Wines Barbaresco
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'Recta Pete’ Denomination: BARBARESCO D.O.C.G. Comunes: Treiso & Barbaresco Variety: 100% Nebbiolo Area: 0.35 ha First year of production: 2009 Annual production: 2,500 bottles This wine is a take on the tradition of blending vineyards that the region was once famous for and continues to be so with the wines like Monfortino and Gaja (in the past). It is a wine built to express the best of the region, in the sense that sourcing fruit from several vineyards allows for the art of blending to come into action. Should one vineyard not perform to its best in a particular vintage, it will not be included in the blend. Each vineyard adds to the different layers of the wine and enhances its complexity. Winemaking This wine is open fermented using natural yeasts. It is macerated for 2 weeks post sugar dryness and then put into 300L old French oak barriques. It is aged in oak for a period of 2 years before bottling without fining or filtration and with low sulphur addition.
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