Pervale – “Emotion in a Glass”
Press Review by wine critic Laura Ragoni, January 2010
It’s snowing. All is silent and softened in my mountain chalet. It’s the right time for a special event, for tasting something very special.
Just a few days ago, a friend, Sommelier Luca Castellettii, gave me a bottle as a special gift, saying only “you will be amazed”. It’s an absolute premier, a wine not yet sold in the market. It’s from its first harvest, I would say an experiment. . . one of the many gems coming from the incredible jewel-case of the Al Ponte Wine Cellar of Ponte San Pietro.
Luca’s father, Italo Castelletti, founder and delegate of the Italian Sommelier Association smiled, winking. The perfect gesture to convince me that I was in for a real treat.
I prepare the fireplace, lowering the lights and uncorking the bottle. I slice some ‘mora romagnola’ ham, the perfect companion for this special moment. I’m missing music. I choose a soundtrack I love: Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Opera 64. I pour the wine into the glass as the first movement begins.
Pervale is a Toscana IGT produced by Azienda Agricola Urlari and its young and energetic owner, Roberto Cristoforetti. His cellars lie on the sweet hills of Riparbella in the region of Pisa.
The wine color is beautifully deep ruby like my mother’s beloved ring. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and small amounts of Sangiovese and Alicante Bouchet. It’s aged in 75% French oak barrels with a rapid stage in stainless steel tanks. The vintage 2008 is its preview; only 8,000 bottles have been produced but starting next harvest these numbers will surely increase. I love to discover new wines and the emotion of tasting this beautiful preview is unbelievable.
Luca Castelletti defines this wine as “evolving” and he is sure it will be a success in the near future. The Isaac Stern violin leads the rhythym as I contemplate the wine Roberto Cristoforetti named for his daughter Valentina . . . Per Vale, or for Valentina.
Immediately I recognize the great French of Saint Estephe. Closing my eyes, I indulge in its bouquet; it’s very intense with scents of violet, red berries and a light vanilla tone. It’s mighty but harmonic with a complex bouquet that slowly reveals tones of tobacco, black pepper, cassis and minerals.
Taste is wonderfully rich and intense. Intense, persistent, velvety with a soft and elegant tannic tone, yet dry and quite well-balanced. This wine will refine in the bottle and will not be ready until April 2010.
The body suggests the potential to further develop in the bottle. The finish is still complex and long, taking the tasting experience to new levels of intensity. A slightly bitter sensation and a fruity elegance that renews the emotions of the tasting.
I’m captured by Mendelssohn’s music, closing my eyes and feeling all the sensations gifted by a great wine. All my gratitude goes to Luca Cstelletti for sharing with me such a discovery. And I’m grateful also to Roberto Cristoforetti, my unknown winemaker, who is unaware of all the emotions I experienced tonight . . . a pure and intense joy!
