Chatting with Sabrina Tedeschi on Climate Change in Valpolicella

A few weeks back I had the chance to speak with Sabrina Tedeschi on climate change, some history of her family estate (she with siblings Antonietta and Riccardo are the fifth generation) and the current releases of Tedeschi wines.  

How I miss those one-on-one connections! I learned a lot and got to taste the wines while we were speaking, even though we were thousands of miles apart. Here is a summary of the most interesting points of our conversation as well as my wine notes. 

CLIMATE CHANGE
Which grape varieties are the most sensitive to climate change and why?
Corvina is sensitive to almost everything: diseases, sunburn, changes in diurnal temperatures and more. In fact, if it is too hot during the day or doesn't cool down enough at night, Corvina doesn't produce much color. A heat wave or high average temperatures can over-ripen its fruit and reduce its natural spiciness. 

Corvinone ripeness, however, benefits from slightly higher temperatures, which reduce green berries.

Rondinella unfortunately tends to lose acidity, which is particularly important for Valpolicella and Amarone blends.

Oseleta is the luckiest. It does not seem significantly impacted to date.

What are the standards for irrigation in Valpolicella vineyards?
Luckily irrigation is allowed in Valpolicella, unlike in Tuscany, where it is forbidden. In fact, producers can use it as they see fit. All of the Tedeschi vineyards are equipped for irrigation, which is fed from a spring on the property. 

Many experiments in your vineyards have been undertaken. What looks most interesting so far?
In 2010, Riccardo did a re-zoning of the vineyards, identifying and evaluating 39 different vineyard profiles. One of the ideas of the work was to modify the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in order to change the skin to flesh ratios. The Tedeschis wanted more skin. The carbon:nitrogen ratio indicates soil fertility and this understanding has allowed for better management of the organic materials in the soil.

Then for two years for about 200 vines, they introduced a second pruning once eight new leaved had formed during the growing season. While this delayed the vines' progress early on, they had caught up to the other vines by veraison as their crop loads were much lighter. They may try this again in 2021 (experiments were put on hold due to staffing changes with COVID-19) along with early and late de-leafing on the upper portion of the canopy. 

The Tedeschis have also sprayed auxin plant growth regulators, specifically NAA, before veraison in order to delay ripening and improve the uniformity of sugar accumulation in clusters. Wineries in Australia have seen good results with this, and the Tedeschis saw a significant slow-down in ripening.

ÜBER-BRIEF FAMILY HISTORY
In 1964, Sabrina's father, Lorenzo, decided to vinify the grapes from the 2.5-hectare Monte Olmi vineyard separately. He also started writing the vineyard names on the label, a radical idea at the time. 

The family has three main areas of hillside vineyards: Monte Olmi - purchased in 1918 in the Classico area; La Fabriseria - first planted in 2000; and Maternigo - one of the largest estates in the area, purchased in early 2006.

AMARONE WINEMAKING
The fifth generation trio has been busy in the cellars, too. They opened a new frutaio - a facility for drying grapes - in 2005. Sabrina feels that it took ten years to figure out the best humidity, working with different fans at the tops of the various rooms. Mold control is key throughout the typical 100-120 day drying period. The onset of the drying period is the most difficult to control. The rooms are set at 60% and go up to 70%. The temperatures are controlled, too, and they more or less mimic the winter temperatures in Valpolicella. The grapes are generally received around 15° C / 59° F, then the temperatures descend to 5° C / 41 F°.

The Amarone DOC usually can press from December 1st, but in 2018 and 2019, the wineries could start in mid-November. The Tedeschis usually start right before Christmas then do a second round in January. Some years they even keep grapes drying until the end of January. Today the Tedeschis are able to dry 450,000 kg of grapes.

When the grapes are pressed, it is cold, so fermentation can be slow to start. It's rare, however, that it doesn't start on its own. Their typical protocol is a two week cold maceration that follows with a fermentation around 18-20° C. The vats are never heated. If anything, they are cooled.

The family likes older, 1,000-5,000 L Slavonian oak barrels because they feel they are similar to French oak, especially as the years pass. French oak may be better than Slavonian oak for the first and second year, but after that Sabrina feels the quality is similar. Moreover, they can keep their Slavonian cooperage for 30 to 40 years! They have worked for two or three generations with the cooper Garbellotto in Congeliano, one of the few cooperages in Italy.  

88
Tedeschi 2017 Valpolicella Superiore Capitel Nicalò 13.5%
Uniquely, these grapes see time in the frutaio, too - often one month. This allows the grapes to lose 8-10% of their water. The Tedeschis are one of the few families to dry their Valpolicella grapes, but they aren't new to it. They've been doing it since 1970, and their style is much sought-after. They make 500,000 bottles of this wine annually, and they export 85% of it. It is a blend of 35% Corvina, 35% Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 10% Rossignola, Oseleta, Negrara and Dindarella. Sabrina called the Corvina and Rondinella here the "gentle" varieties.  

This wine starts off with a decidedly fruit-forward nose of Marasca cherries and blueberries at the fore. With air, tobacco leaf and briar notes become more prominent, giving this bottling a more table-driven focus. The plush, juicy mouthfeel is framed by soft tannins that funnel the boisterous flavors into a balanced, moderate finish that turns up lightly stringy tannins. This is ready to be enjoyed.
Drink: 2020-24 

90
Tedeschi 2017 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Capitel San Rocco 14.5%
This wine sees its original fermentation in the fall then it sees another after the Amarone is fermented. The refermentation with Amarone skins gives the wine more spiciness. (Additionally this San Rocco and the Nicalò above are from the eastern part of Valpolicella, and their peppery characters are the most pronounced in the Tedeschi wines.) Also, Amarone skins are not pressed, so the additional juice in the Amarone grapes gives this wine a small - unimportant to Sabrina - alcohol boost of about 1%. What is important to Sabrina are the more generous flavors that blend in via the second fermentation. Like the Nicalò, this is 35% Corvina, 35% Corvinone, 20% Rondinella, 10% Rossignola, Oseleta, Negrara and Dindarella.  

Succulent, full-bodied, vinous and a touch heady, this is a cherry- and plum-filled wine with a juicy core, smooth tannins and long finish with earthy, minerally intensity. Its aromas are decadent immediately out of the glass. They show a summer cobbler like intensity. The plush palate feel is gentle and accomodating, even if the alcohol is a bit noticeable. This is definitely a wine to serve at cellar temperature. This plus the refreshing acidity are key to this wine's drinkability. Between that relief and the fruit character, you'll surely get to the bottom of the bottle quickly!
Drink: 2020-25

92
Tedeschi 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella Marne 180 16.5%
Also from eastern vineyards, this Marne is a "180" because of its exposure. It has a full, 180° view from southeast to southwest. This wine is aged in barrels for three years. Its oldest barrels were introduced in 1990; the most recent entered the cellar four years ago. 

The Amarone Marne 180 is a selection of grapes, and it includes a smaller quantity of grapes that the Tedeschis buy from two suppliers that they know well. For now, they like this system as they adhere to the idea that vines must be older for making great wines. Sabrina considers this their gastronomic wine, as it is easier to drink than Monte Olmi. The blend composition ressembles the Valpolicella wines above. When we spoke of older vintages, Sabrina mentioned that the 1995 vintage is still amazing. (NB It is different from today's wine as all of that fruit was from the western area. The Eastern area fruit didn't contribute to the wine until 2005.)

Lush yet reigned in for an Amarone, this dry bottling has solid structural liveliness. The acidity is impressively mouthwatering. That is not a sensation that I often feel in Amarone, even if the acidity levels can be technically high. The lingering, fruit-filled finish does seem to reverberate a bit with a touch of alcohol (certainly not as bold as I expected from the 16.5% designation on the label) as the evening wears on. Nonetheless, the dynamic fresh and dried forest fruits and black cherries deliver a gutsy wave of sassy, invigorating fruit. Incredibly fun and eye-opening now, this has plenty of life ahead of it. 
Drink: 2020-26 

93
Tedeschi 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Capitel Monte Olmi 17%
It's incredible that the 2013 vintage is the current release. I love it when wineries do part of the aging for the consumers. It's even more appreciated when the wineries do it for a great vintage, like 2013. Sabrina noted that Monte Olmi consistently shows the most mentholated notes of all of their wines. Their oldest bottle of the single vineyard dates back to 1964, and they have a 1969 and some 1970s. (Stocking wine for aging wasn't a regular practice in Lorenzo's days.)

This is nose-saturating, lung-filling, full-throttle Amarone. More than that, it is sublimely well-balanced with deeply concentrated fruit, a voluptuous but palate-saturating range of filligree but lightly pithy tannins and polished but linebacker-like, dried berry intensity. The black cherry, mulberry, sloe and cassis fruit impressions permeate the palate. What is most riveting is the balance. This is a dry 17% abv wine - having lost 40% of its water weight - that shows neither knees nor elbows. It is truly harmonious through its earthy, lightly drying and impressively long finish. This Riserva was aged four years in barrel.
Drink: 2020-27