2019 Vignalta, Gemola, Colli Euganei IGT Rosso, Veneto, Italy.
The beautiful, dark hued and elegant 2019 Gemola, by Vignalta, again leans heavily on its Merlot, 70% for richness and mouth feel and Cabernet Franc 30% for added complexity, and its structure shines through here with a palate of blackberry, wild plum, dark cherry and earthy currant fruits, with exceptional length, along with spicy cedary wood, earthy truffle and tobacco leaf accents, plus hints of dried flowers and anise. The winery says that Gemola, a Right Bank Bordeaux inspired wine, is a very special selection of Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes that is an elegant gem, with a refined bouquet and firm fruit on the palate, which all rings true here in this full bodied and opulent vintage, that also earned it a Tre Bicchieri nod. Vignalta was founded in 1980 by Lucio Gomiero, in Colli Euganei (the Venetian Hills) of Northern Italy, who believed he could make wines of equal quality to Tuscany and Bordeaux in his home region, which he’s done on many occasions with wines like this 2019 Gemola. Again the Gemola blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, which are grown on volcanic soil on Gemola Mount, as mentioned before is bottled only in the best years and the 2019 vintage certainly qualifies as a top vintage in Italy for these deeper style reds. I’ve been enjoying these Vignalta wines for more than two decades now and really admire the authentic nature and quality here.
Lucio Gomiero’s Vignalta really expresses the unique Colli Euganei terroir, which includes a moderate temperate climate with high alkaline limestone soils, along with some volcanic influence, that Gomiero says creates high acid grapes, which is one reason for giving them extra hang time and picking ultra ripe fruit. This wine, he says, and to me, having had more than a decade of Vignalta wines, is maybe the perfect expression of this specific terroir in the Colli Euganei area, and giving this wine its distinction. Most of the wines see grapes coming from 50 year old vines in the Euganean Hills, near Arquà Petrarca, set on the classic limestone and hardened clay soils that give the soulful expression of the Bordeaux varietals grown here, while the Genova uses a distinctive sandy, volcanic and mineral rich parcel. The grapes are hand picked 100% de-stemmed grapes and fermentation and maceration was done in stainless steel tanks. The wine must received 6 pump overs a day at a controlled temperatures to extract the maximum from the Merlot and Cabernet grapes. After which the wine was pressed to oak and aged in French oak barrels for 12 and 24 months, depending on cuvée and vintage. The Vignalta range of offerings are all wines I recommend, from Gemola to the Cabernet Riserva, and especially the basic Cabernet/Merlot Rosso, which is always a top value at around twenty-five dollars.
($45 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive