Before every trip, you prepare yourself a little, right? I mean, it’s not like you go blindly without knowing what part of the world you are in. I like to try to understand, observe from a distance, and attempt to empathize with the traditions and customs of the places I will visit. I did it this time as well and came across the Tabula Cortonensis... and from there my journey began.
I don’t know if you know its story, its discovery, and everything that precedes and follows it: everything is still shrouded in mystery. A typical Italian story, filled with lies and shady dealings that end in tarallucci and wine.
"The oldest evidence of a notarial act of the sale of a vineyard"
To put it briefly, it seems that someone had the Carabinieri recover this important Etruscan tablet in a location different from where it was actually found; it seems that the real place of origin is today under layers of meters and meters of concrete for the benefit of some construction project, most likely covering an archaeological site of inestimable value now lost forever.
As I said, typical Italian stories, but who can know the truth! What is certain is the invaluable nature of this artifact, even the oldest testimony of a notarized deed of sale of a vineyard!
The protagonist is a certain Petru Scevas, a character of modest origins, who became wealthy during a particularly turbulent historical phase for Italy, at the time of Hannibal's invasion, when all of Etruria was shaken by movements of revolt, after which a new social structure emerged, consisting of small family-run farms and a reorganization of land ownership, of which we are witnesses thanks to this document. Perhaps we were facing an ante litteram 'French Revolution.'
Petru Scevas, according to some interpretations, relinquished his vineyard and his olive grove in exchange for a better social position. I would pay to be there with him, at that moment, to live his story. We were in the 2nd century BC, and who knows how many and which hands those vineyards and olive groves have passed through over the centuries? Our history and that of Cortona progress hand in hand with the history of oil and the history of wine.
Today these lands are still, as they were then, enveloped in history, charm, and mystery. And beauty. I often find myself talking about beauty when I visit certain places; I am always captivated by the land, the vineyards, the olive groves. Even more so when they surround a city with a vast and mythical history.
"Founded by Dardanus, son of Jupiter and Electra"
According to Virgil, born in Cortona and later departed for Asia, Cortona was founded by Dardanus, son of Jupiter and Electra. His heirs founded Troy, from which Aeneas (descendant of Dardanus) returned as a refugee to his lands of origin and eventually founded Rome.
A proverb says, following the legend: “Cortona, mother of Troy and grandmother of Rome.” The charm of history intertwined with legends. It became an important Etruscan lucumony, but never lost its vocation to produce good wine, as our Petru attests. Even today, a small village in the province of Arezzo, it benefits from an ideal position and climate for viticulture, thanks also to the climatic influence of the nearby Lake Trasimeno.
"Here in these lands, Syrah has found its purpose"
The journey begins smoothly, like every new first time. I had been here years ago, but with different concepts in mind and not to drink wine. Today will be a different day, just as beautiful, in the company of my wife and two of my dearest friends.
First visit: we are welcomed by Stefano Amerighi, now a true guru of the area. His is perhaps the most iconic Syrah. Of course, because in these parts, Tuscany, the land of Sangiovese, they grow Syrah. The typical Tuscan campanilismo must express itself in something, right?
Here in these lands, the Syrah has found its reason: some enlightened producers, in the early 2000s, came together in a Consortium from which the true birth of a terroir emerged. Of course, because true terroir is best expressed when a community of individuals comes together around a place with peculiar characteristics and creates, around a minimum common denominator, a new wine culture. So we are in the presence of one of those rare modern examples of the birth of a true terroir: Cortona and the Syrah.
Stefano Amerighi relentlessly pursues his ideals of natural and biodynamic viticulture. As a result, his wine is pure alchemical exploration: constant experimentation, micro-vinifications, micro-parcellations, the use of multiple materials, time, a lot of time. Even his label, "the theory of the ancient moon," reflects all of this: the birth of the moon from the fertile core of the earth, its detachment, its new form. His wine is like him: human, sensitive, with a slight spicy note, yet fresh, very fresh, which invites you to take new sips while remaining pleasantly persistent.
Francesco, a close collaborator of Stefano and a person of extreme competence, takes us on a journey consisting of 9 barrel tastings and 2 bottle tastings. The beauty of appreciating differences in micro plots even just 50 meters apart, vinified separately… and the new Montagna project, which shows us the future of the denomination.
His bottled wine, at the end of this long tasting journey in the cellar, is the synthesis (but not the algebraic sum!) of what we have tasted: his Apice represents the culmination of his entire philosophy, it is a complex wine with aromas ranging from ripe morello cherries to berry preserves, then opening up to leather, black pepper… on the palate a powerful sip, but at the same time elegant and surprisingly fresh, I would almost say “simple” in its dynamics, its drinkability, its pleasantness. A wine that catches you off guard.
"The cuisine of old beautifully pairs with Syrah"
Quick lunch break, a must. Here too we did not hold back and immersed ourselves in the typical products, to be paired with a good Cortona: Pappardelle with duck, stuffed pheasant with olives, ideal cuisine to enjoy a perfect match! The cuisine of the past, with strong flavors, blends wonderfully with the characteristics of Syrah.
Second and last visit, before the well-deserved return home, we stop by Fabrizio Dionisio, another reference of the denomination, another enthusiast of quality, craftsmanship, and rigor.
We find ourselves facing an interpretation of wine and Syrah from Cortona that is diametrically opposed, but not for this reason less interesting, and this is also the beauty of this DOC which, despite differences in style, manages to maintain its soul and remarkable quality.
Cement, porcelain, amphora, biodynamic on one side (Amerighi); Cement, but above all wood and balance on the other (Dionisio).
"The moon, then the sun. The cycle of life."
Fabrizio, who arrived in Cortona as an adult by his own choice, continues to choose every day to produce wines that are not only good but also beautiful and precise. The search for beauty is evident everywhere: in his home, in his salons, in his furnishings.
Even his labels are the manifestation of an opposing vision: the sun, no longer the moon of Amerighi, almost serving as a counterpoint, drawn with a childish touch. And a red heart, alive.
Alive like his wine, explosive, where the harshness blends with the softness in an absolutely elegant way, as Syrah often manages to do when treated with care.
Il Castagno, the representative wine of his company, is a precise expression of Fabrizio (as he likes to say), and it is a wine that reflects him clearly. It is a powerful wine, full of complex aromas (spices above all, but also the classic little red fruits and a persistent balsamic note), accompanied by well-present tannins that are velvety, supported in turn by a remarkable freshness that makes it a balanced and fine wine.
Two different expressions of the same grape variety, of the same philosophy, of the same terroir, as I mentioned. The moon, then the sun. The cycle of life.
