VINE, SEA, SMOKE - a Sicilian wine dinner by Spiga & Dhall & Nash
Join us for a memorable evening at Spiga with menu inspired by Sicily’s volcanic soul — where sea and smoke meet in perfect harmony.
Each dish is paired with the uncompromising purity of Frank Cornelissen, a visionary of Mount Etna whose wines express nature in its rawest form.
Tasting Line-up:
- Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Rosato 2022
With: Sarde "Beccafico" Sardines, raisins, orange zest & aromatic bread - Frank Cornelissen Munjebel Bianco 2020
With: Swordfish "Sando", Sicilian pesto & aubergine - Frank Cornelissen Munjebel Rosso 2021 and
- Frank Cornelissen Munjebel "MC" Monte Colla Rosso 2019
With Paccheri "Pastificio Mancini", tuna tartare & seafood sauce - Frank Cornelissen 'Magma' 2020
With Lamb loin, black pudding, red currants, panelle & jus - Limoncello
With Almond treats & candied oranges
Frank Cornelissen
Few winemakers have redefined a landscape like Frank Cornelissen has on Mount Etna. Once a Belgian wine trader, he saw in Sicily’s brooding volcano not danger, but possibility — a place where vines could speak for themselves, free from dogma or interference.
Cornelissen’s vineyards cling to Etna’s black, mineral-rich slopes, where bush-trained alberello vines yield meagre yet intensely expressive fruit. Each bunch is meticulously trimmed by hand, the sacrifice of quantity for clarity. His approach rejects every orthodoxy — no chemicals, no biodynamics, no oak — just nature left to its own rhythm.
Fermentation and ageing unfold in inert epoxy-lined vessels, chosen to eliminate even the whisper of external flavour. The result is wine stripped bare of artifice, charged with volcanic tension and uncompromising precision. In a world obsessed with intervention, Cornelissen offers something radical: purity, unfiltered.
If you'd like to learn more, we’ve blogged extensively about this humble icon before, which you can read here:
- May 2024: New Vintage, New Hotness
- Oct 2023: New Year, New Frank
- May 2023: Red Hot ‘n’ Smokin’
- May 2020: Too HOT to Handle
Spiga
SPIGA; Italian [Feminine Noun]
Ear of wheat, Botanical.
The part of the cereal which contains the seed.
"Small restaurant that delivers big feelings. Tucked in Remuera’s fantastic 1050 precinct, Spiga is a hidden trattoria that delivers Italian authenticity with handcrafted flair. Nestled down a quiet laneway in Remuera, this intimate space offers house-made pasta, Roman-style pizza, and seasonal antipasti using regional ingredients.
The design is rustic-chic, with exposed brick, timber accents, and a softly glowing open kitchen. A concise Italian wine list complements the menu, while the relaxed service and multi-course sharing approach feel like home without the nosy aunt. Spiga is where casual elegance and honest cooking intersect beautifully."
- Denizen Dining Guide
La Cooperativa Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano
Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano
Elegant Styling, Everyday Pricing
In the world of wine, we spend plenty of time drinking and lusting after celebrated Brunello and Barolo but make no mistake about it, Italy amazingly, still remains the land of hidden gems giving us ultra-affordable and ultra-drinkable wines.
A cheeky well-made Chianti or Montepulciano for example, are loaded with history, endowed with strutting pedigree, and then just plain old delicious that it would be a crime not to have them in our D&N stable – and soon to be in your home!
Proudly, Dhall & Nash brings to you today the ultimate proof of Italy’s often undiscovered treasures – a big Benvenuto (welcome) to: La Cooperativa Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano or just Vecchia Cantina to their fans.
These vinous jewels offer remarkable elegance at accessible prices. Here’s your new go-to weeknight reds – offering complexity, drinkability, and the excitement of the unexplored in equal measure. We’re onto a couple of real winners here!
If you have been looking for an antidote to the inflationary wine blues, the Vecchia Cantina wines are just what the doctor ordered. They’re super versatile, super juicy-licious but with the complexity and structure to keep your palates partying!
“The important thing to know about Italian wine co-operatives is this: just because they are large, does not mean they compromise on quality”.
– Liz Barrett, Wine Writer
The History of La Cooperativa Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano
Established in 1937, thanks to the initiative of 14 pioneering producers, Vecchia Cantina is the oldest wine growing and wine producing cooperative in Tuscany. For over 80 years they have been a driving force in the region, whilst almost single-handedly sustaining the DOC (Denominazione di Origine) following the Second World War. Today it remains a cornerstone in the region and widely recognized as being a key promoter of regional wine, culture and tradition.
Vecchia Cantina now has around 400 members, who have chosen to work together with passion and respect for their terroir and with a common goal: to guarantee increasingly high-quality products at an affordable price.
The Cooperative has vineyards throughout Tuscany as well as Perugia in Umbria. The Vecchia Cantina Coop places its extensive experience in the sector at the service of its members, offering new and modern processing techniques, all the while respecting traditional winemaking practices. Their knowledgeable and experienced team of agronomists, viticulturists and oenologists provide support throughout the entire production cycle and ultimately in the promotion of the wines in the marketplace.
The winery has continuously evolved and renovated over the decades with the acquisition of new fermenting tanks and other technological adaptations as needed. The combined synergies together with the various styles of wine-making, ensure the creation of fine wine quality that is highlighted by the establishment of a process aimed at constant improvement of the production chain.
The result is a wide variety of exciting wines, the most important being Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, offered in different versions, for which the Cooperative is a leader both locally and worldwide in terms of quantity and quality produced.
I Vigneti - The Vineyards
Vecchia Cantina embraces two regions and three provinces: Siena and Arezzo in Tuscany, Perugia in Umbria. Specifically, the vineyards cover the territories of the Tuscan municipalities of Montepulciano, Pienza, Cetona, Torrita di Siena, Sinalunga, Foiano della Chiana, Castiglion Fiorentino, Cortona and Chiusi, as well as the Umbrian municipalities of Città della Pieve and Castiglion del Lago.
The vineyards are cultivated using the espalier system, with spurred cordon vine training, Guyot, double Guyot and G.D.C. The agronomical techniques adopted by the producers can be the same or different from vineyard to vineyard, from producer to producer or from zone to zone: the common aim is the achievement of the vegetative-productive balance of the individual vines, to harmonise the grapes and improve their quality.
Il Territorio - The Terroir
With over 400 member estates means that Cooperativa Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano boasts around 1000 hectares of vineyard in prime Tuscan and Umbrian real estate.
The Montepulciano area is characterised by a geological substratum consisting mainly of marine sediments from the Pliocene and ancient Pleistocene ages.
In the higher areas of the territory, the soils are rich in sand, while at lower altitudes they are clayey-silty, medium-textured or loamy and sandy-clayey.
The climate is typically Mediterranean, with little rainfall in the summer months.
The altitude of the Chianti vineyards is between 250 and 550 metres above sea level. They lie mainly on the gently rolling hills that embrace the Val di Chiana, as well as on slightly sloping ground and, to a marginal extent, on the plains.
The mainstay grape is the Tuscan powerhouse Sangiovese, known as “Prugnolo Gentile” in Montepulciano. Indigenous local varieties are nurtured and other red grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Canaiolo nero and Colorino are also cultivated. White wines and Vin Santo are made from Chardonnay, Grechetto, Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca grapes.
Sustainability
Since its foundation in 1937, the Vecchia Cantina Co-op has been characterized by a single great passion and a single common objective: to guarantee quality products at an accessible price, with respect for local tradition and protecting of the environmental heritage that surrounds them.
The constant commitment to the research of sustainable techniques and methods, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, combined with the supporting values of fairness and equal opportunities has led the Cooperative to obtain certification for the SOPD EQUALITAS sustainability standard in 2021 – Sustainability of the Wine Industry chain: Organisations, Products, Designations of Origin (SOPD).
Starting from this goal, the Cooperative’s activities are examined annually and if necessary, implemented in environmental, economic and social aspects, with special attention to continuous improvement, consistently with the principles of the SOPD EQUALITAS sustainability standard.
Understanding the Italian Cooperativa System
“Looking for the poetry in wine, I’ve tended to overlook the wine co-operative movement which has probably done more to enhance, or even save, the lives of small winegrowers all over the world than any other organizational idea.”
– Harry Eyres, The world of Fine Wine
The wines of La Cooperativa Vecchia Cantina are deeply rooted in a spirit of teamwork and camaraderie – grape growers working together to create beautiful Italian wines for the world to enjoy. Let’s delve a bit into the origins of this distinctive wine production system.
Italy’s oldest cooperative wineries were founded more than a century ago, but this production-financial structure became far more common starting in the 1950s as a response to the devastation left by the Second World War and then to the exodus of farmers to industrializing cities.
Today Italy is home to 484 Cantine cooperative — an older term is Cantine sociali — with 140,700 winegrower members. There is a coexistence of different management models: cooperatives and privately held companies exist side by side.
The cantina cooperative model in Italy accounts for almost 60% of the wines the country produces — 52% at DOP level, 65% at IGP. And this is a bit of an anomaly compared with the rest of the world. What is now a 4.5 billion Euro sector was born from what seemed a disadvantage at the viticultural level: in Italy, the average size of plots of land planted to vineyards is less than 2 hectares per grower (compare with France’s 11 hectares/grower, Australia’s 25 per, the US’s 27), making many winegrowers’ ability to produce wine compatible (incl. bottled and branded) with marketplaces’ demands difficult, especially when it came to selling abroad.
“Co-ops represent a vital part of [Italy’s] national wine industry and, happily for the wine lover, offer myriad wines of fantastic value and quality,”
– Simon Reilly in Decanter
Over the past five years, cooperatives’ exports have grown by 44%, to Italy’s general wine export growth of 27%: eight of the top performing 15 wineries in Italy are co-ops, eight of the top European co-ops are Italian, as reported by Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The wineries provide each member with agronomic, economic, oenological support, helping with vineyard management and with vinifying and blending the many parcels of land.
The pieces of land are very small so to use them coherently, to produce well-made wines, they need to be highly organized. The members receive advances throughout the season, which they settle when they bring their grapes to the cooperatives at the end of the agricultural year, which begins on September 1 and ends on August 31.
In essence, the strength of the cooperative model is that it’s small when it needs to be and large when it needs to be. So, if a member has only 2 hectares of vines, it’s obvious that he’s understands ever crevice and vine of his property. Then working together with other local growers and bottling together, he’s now in the position of reaching the international market with his wines thanks to La cooperativa.
Another benefit has been that the Cantina impressed upon the growers to keep working with their indigenous vines, because they realised that this biodiversity in Italy was disappearing in the vineyard. Local varieties and viticultural habits were preserved in this way due to the awareness in the cooperativa.
Historically many considered that cooperative wines were antiquated, not good, so over time there was a need to make understood that the quality of these wines was at least equal to the quality of private producers. Today cooperative wines win Gambero Rosso praise. Job well done!
If co-ops began, in the late-19th century, with the noblest of intentions and great success, as organizations to protect small growers and communities vulnerable to disastrous vintages, lack of higher education and information, loan sharks and other ills, they could not survive, in today’s world, simply by protecting producer interests with no thought to the consumer. The best of them today, do an admirable job in serving the interests of both small growers without the capital and plant to make and market wine on their own and consumers looking for reliable quality, and beyond.
– Forbes
2019 Vecchia Cantina Vino Nobile di Montepulcino DOCG
- Sangiovese and Canaiolo.
- The grapes are picked, selected and fermented for 20 days at a temperature of about 26-28°C.
- After fermentation the wine is aged for 20 months in small oak barrels. After bottling it will rest, at a controlled temperature for 11 months in the winery.
Vivid ruby red with pleasant violet hues. Fresh and wide, persistent in the fruity notes. With age it releases scents of spices. Good freshness and tannin-acid balance, fruity notes of red berry fruits and jam as suggested by the bouquet. Good structure and savouriness.
Pair with any kind of roasted meat including game, and stewed meat. Good with medium-aged cheese.
92 Points: “Compact in its solid matrix showing notes of cherries, black cherries, raspberries and mixed flowers. Full bodied, light tannins and a juicy, shining finale of great smoothness. Drink now or hold.“
Raffaele Vecchione – WinesCritic.com
90 Points: “Fresh red berries, spices and a hint of dark minerals. This is nicely dry and chewy on the palate with a medium body and firm tannins to close. Drink now.”
James Suckling
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano has a long and storied wine history closely associated with Italian nobility (it was only available on their tables as a sign of prestige) and became a controlled designation of origin (DOC) in 1966 and Italy’s first DOCG wine in 1980. These prized Tuscan wines owe their quality not only to the winemaker’s expertise, but also to the geological features of the vineyards (1,300 hectares are registered for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) situated between 250 and 600 meters above sea level. Vino Nobile wines must be made up of a required minimum 70% Sangiovese (called ‘Prugnolo Gentile’ in Montepulciano) and a maximum of 30% of other varieties authorized for the Tuscany Region. By law both vinification and ageing must take place in the municipal area of Montepulciano and must be aged for two years (three for Riserva) before being sold.
Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG of the historical Winery Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano is one of the best “Nobile” of Italy
Wine Searcher.com
2023 Vecchia Cantina Chianti DOCG
- Sangiovese
- The vines are cultivated on the hilly slopes of the southern Chianti region, grown at an altitude of between 250-450 metres above sea level. The soils are a medium mix in layers: sandy, tuffaceous and clayey.
- Grapes are hand-picked, destemmed then maceration takes place at a controlled temperature lasting between 10-14 days. After being drawn from the vats, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks.
94 Points: “Covered ruby red with good violet shades. Immediate and direct with pronounced notes of red berry fruits. After ageing in durmast barrels, it develops pleasant vanilla scents. good impact on the palate, it reveals a remarkable body and a very good balance among its components, with a pleasant tannic finish.”
Luca Moroni, Annuario dei Migliori Vini Italiani
88 Points: “A simple, fruity Chianti with dried-cherry and citrus character. Medium body. Fresh finish. Good quality. Drink now.”
James Suckling (on the 2018 Vintage)
“Every so often, the world needs a reminder: for a while now the wines of Italian cooperatives have been more than just a good bet on quality. As sum products of small growers, they’re also reliable translators of place, tradition and culture, wines of territorio”
Forbes.com
Marchesi di Barolo: Pitch-perfect Barolo from a Legendary Estate
Marchesi di Barolo:
Pitch-perfect Barolo from a Legendary Estate
“You would expect some pretty special examples of Barolo with this name, and the winery delivers…”
Forbes.com, ‘The 25 Best Producers of Barolo’, 2018
You know at D&N we love great, traditionally made Nebbiolo from prized terroirs, and we adore small-production wines made by talented, hard-working families. Oh, and of course we love excellent quality-to-value ratios. So, when you get all this from one winery, we consider it a true grand slam.
Dhall & Nash is honoured to announce the arrival to our stable of Marchesi di Barolo.
Every wine region needs its legends. Marchesi di Barolo is a legend of Piedmont. One that both defies our expectations of what Barolo can be and affirms its greatness. These are undoubtedly magical wines from one of Barolo’s greatest producers – they truly exude a sense of refinement and regalness.
This is a winery of serious intention, prestige and deep history, from a terroir right in the beating heart of blue chip DOCG Barolo. Marchesi di Barolo gives a master class in varietal character, soil character, and measured elegant winemaking.
“The [Marchesi di Barolo] winery has defined a unique lineage of quality, elegance and complexity, by interpreting the many nuances of Nebbiolo and the potential of each terroir.”
Decanter
With its unrivalled power, nuance, and longevity, Barolo is known as the “King of Wines”—but this so-called king actually exists thanks to a visionary “queen”.
It was due to Giulia Falletti, the original Marchesa of Barolo, that Barolo was crafted more than two centuries ago, from a sweet spritzy wine into the complex red wine we know it as today.
Her vision lives on at Marchesi di Barolo winery with the Abbona family at the helm astutely guided by mother and daughter duo, Anna and Valentina Abbona – the modern day queens of Barolo.
“Powerful elegance has become Marchesi di Barolo’s trademark since its very first vintage.”
Decanter
Prestigious Pedigree
The braided history of Marchesi di Barolo is a love story that has been going on for more than 200 years. It began in 1807, when the Marchese di Barolo, Carlo Tancredi Falletti, fell in love with the French aristocrat Juliette (Giulia) Colbert de Maulévrier. After her marriage to the Marchese di Barolo, Juliette Colbert de Maulévrier fell in love again – but her husband had no reason to be jealous, as the object of her passion was the Nebbiolo vine.
It was Juliette Colbert de Maulévrier with her deep love of grand French wines, who recognised the potential of these local vines on the soils of lime, clay, marl and tufa in the Piedmont microclimate.
She was the first to vinify Nebbiolo in a dry style, set up the wine cellar and named the wine after its place of origin, Barolo, according to the French tradition. She thus brought Italy’s most prestigious wine to the world – Barolo.
The wine from their estate soon became known as “the wine from Barolo”, served at important diplomatic and royal functions, even in France. The Marchesi had no children and following the death of the couple, the Marchesi di Barolo dynasty was left without an heir.
Per the wishes of Marchesa Giulia, a great philanthropist, the family assets were donated to charity and a non-profit foundation was created in their name, “Opera Pia Barolo”, helping the neediest of nearby Torino. The sales of wine from their Barolo vineyards continue to fund the charity, which still exists today.
It was in 1929, a local winemaker, Pietro Abbona with his siblings, purchased the cellars formerly owned by the Marchesi and eventually acquired all their vineyard holdings as well.
His arrival not only brought a new lustre to the famous producer, but it also ushered in a new era for Barolo. For proven Barolo-specialists, Pietro Abbona is the first of the pioneers of Barolo. He succeeded in spreading the reputation of Barolo far beyond its Piedmont home. He dealt reverently with the legacy that he was able to continue. His great respect for the creators of Barolo is especially evident in the cellar. Pietro Abbona kept and cherished the wine barrels in which Marchesa Giulia created Barolo from Nebbiolo grapes. This legacy has been preserved to this day.
Marchesi di Barolo remains a family business. The love of Barolo has been passed on within the Abbona family from one generation to the next. Since 2006, the estate has been under the direction of Pietro’s great-grandson and fifth-generation winemaker, Ernesto Abbona and his wife Anna, and their children Valentina and Davide. They have inherited an extraordinary winemaking tradition and remain faithful interpreters of the rich diversity of these places, vineyards, and varieties. The Abbonas are proud of their heritage and the fact that the wines of Marchesi di Barolo are still among the best examples from the region and are highly sought after around the world.
“Knowledge and respect are the core values that define Marchesi di Barolo’s philosophy and working methods – knowledge of the grapes, the vineyard and the specific vintage conditions; respect for the character they bring to the wine and that must be preserved through mindful winemaking. This ultimately defines the unique character and strength of all of the estate’s bottlings.”
Decanter
As great-great grandfather Pietro Abbona was, the sixth generation is committed to the traditional methods but, at the same time, they want to present Barolo in a contemporary way. The family motto is to combine tradition and evolution.
“Elegant, Balanced, Powerful and Nuanced – there’s nothing quite like Barolo in its capacity for soul stirring complexity.”
GT Wines
Amongst the Vines
The Marchesi di Barolo estate encompasses approximately 430 acres of vineyards in the Langhe, some of the finest in Piedmont, including the celebrated Cannubi cru. The cellars are located in the village of Barolo, overlooking the Renaissance castle of the Marchesi Falletti di Barolo. They have been making wine and aging it in the ancient cellars of Marchesi di Barolo for six generations. The Abbonas remain faithful interpreters of native varietals and their locations, carefully preserving the qualities and peculiarities of each vineyard.
Marchesi di Barolo being an eminent family estate represents the great wine traditions of Piedmont, controlling 430 acres of UNESCO World Heritage vineyards, including holdings in the exclusive Barolo crus of Cannubi, Sarmassa and Coste di Rose. The Cannubi cru is Barolo’s oldest and most prestigious vineyard and a jewel in Marchesi di Barolo’s crown.
The winery is surrounded by high hills that protect the estate from inclement weather. These favourable conditions make the Nebbiolo grapes sweet, tannic, and lively.
The hills of the Langhe were formed from seabeds that emerged millions of years ago. The Barolo area is made up of Serravallian soil and Tortonian soil whose properties lend distinct characteristics to Barolo wines. The Serravallian soil produces robust, full-bodied, structured, and long-lived wines, and the Tortonian soils impart the fragrance, and elegant notes to balance against the power structure of the wine.
The family’s bond with Barolo starts amongst the vines. The aim is to promote the biodiversity of the vineyard. It is an ongoing challenge for the vintner to transfer the uniqueness of historic cru sites into the wine. This requires a close familiarity with the land and a lot of flexibility in the cellar in order to be able to respond to each of the crus – and Marchesi di Barolo boasts some of the most prestigious crus in the Barolo area. Cannubi is a site characterised by lime, which is protected from extreme weather conditions by the surrounding hills. Coste di Rose is a very steep site with a high quartzite content. Sarmassa faces south-east and has very stony soil.
The wines originating from these sites have an extremely long life. The family is especially proud of this longevity of their Barolo. Here too, the family is maintaining its traditional heritage. A unique asset of Marchesi di Barolo is its ancient wine cellars, home to a rare and private collection of over 30,000 bottles of Barolo that ranges from rare nineteenth century vintages to recent ones.
“You would expect some pretty special examples of Barolo with this name, and the winery delivers; especially noteworthy are the Cannubi and the Coste di Rose… Somewhat modern in their approach, the Barolos here also pay tribute to the winemaking heritage of this territory; the wines offer excellent ripeness and harmony.”
Forbes.com, ‘The 25 Best Producers of Barolo’, November 2018
Marchesi di Barolo wines are classic but clean, polished but soulful…in short, everything one could possibly ask for in a Barolo/Nebbiolo. These latest releases should be in both your glass and your cellar as soon as possible, right alongside your favourite Burgundies, Bordeaux, Napa Cabernets…whatever you consider collectible. And, believe us, this is as collectible as they come with at least 20 years of graceful maturation ahead of them. From a price/quality perspective, it leaves so many more-expensive wines completely in the dust. Elite-level Barolo like this remains the best “value investment” in wine. It’s only going up, up, up!
“A legacy of character and strength, inside each bottle of Marchesi di Barolo’s Barolo”
Decanter
Our 2025 Allocation
Nebbiolo is definitely having a moment, but very few can match what Marchesi di Barolo accomplish – a wine that has the full spectrum of aromatics, depth, and complexity yet is also extraordinarily drinkable right now. Of course, this wine can age, but it’s not mandatory. It is so effortlessly enjoyable and since it is a humble “Nebbiolo,” the value is outstanding.
2021 Marchesi di Barolo Nebbiolo d’Alba Michet DOC
- Nebbiolo d’Alba is a very eclectic variety. It extracts unique characteristics from the terroir: from clay and limestone hills of medium consistency, it derives plenty of trace elements that enrich its structure; from ground rich in quartz sands and silt, it takes fragrant and fruity scents. The presence of the Michet grape variety, characterised by small and sparse bunches, enriches the colour and extract of the wine. This blend creates a wine of great completeness and harmony, that can fully and immediately express its bouquet.
- SOILS: From clay and limestone hills of medium consistency, it extracts plenty of trace elements that enrich its structure; from grounds rich in quartz sands and silt, it takes fragrant and fruity scents.
- FERMENTATION: Decanted into vitrified concrete vats; it maintains the post-fermentation temperature of around 22°C for a long time. In this way the malolactic fermentation starts and ends spontaneously in a short time.
- MATURATION: The refinement, carried out 60% in large 60 hl Slavonian oak barrels and the remaining 40% in steel, is aimed at maintaining the typical traits of freshness and florality of the Michet clone
- SENSORY: The colour is ruby, veering towards garnet red. The aroma combines the fruity scents of raspberry with the ethereal, spicy notes of violet and vanilla. This wine has a wide range of flavours, and the taste is harmonious and balanced, with graceful, never- too-prominent tannins and delicate woody notes.
2019 Marchesi di Barolo Tradizione DOCG
- SOILS: The grapes used to make this wine grow in vineyards situated on hills with a good slope, composed of clay and limestone soils, alternated with firm layers of sandstone and covered by quartz sands and very fine silt. This creates a structured wine, rich in trace elements, that has a vigorous but balanced character and can fully express its bouquet.
- FERMENTATION: With maceration of the skins, takes place at controlled temperature. In this phase, periodic soft pumping over is carried out, so as to allow the must to gently extract the trace elements, the color and the noble tannins. The racking takes place only when fermentation is complete. The wine is moved into vitrified concrete vats, specially made with cork insulation, so as to maintain a temperature suitable for a prompt start of the malolactic fermentation.
- MATURATION: At least 18 months in oak barrels of different capacities. It completes its ageing in the bottle before being put on the market.
- SENSORY: The colour is garnet red with ruby reflections. The aroma is intense and persistent with distinct traces of spices, cinnamon, absinthe, tobacco and wild rose. The taste is full and elegant, with soft tannins. The spice and the woody aromas blend perfectly. Drink 2024 – 2035.
- 95 Points – The Real Review: “Medium cherry red colour. Blood plum, rose and pastrami aromas. Dark cherry fruits on entry, they build intensity as flowing across the palate. Has a wonderful silken glide to the flow early, acidity tickles at the edges, then well integrated tannins take over the back half. As it runs to a superbly long finish, we see some dark meaty savoury characters build.” (Stuart Knox, Jan 2025) Drink 2025–2040
2018 Marchesi di Barolo Cannubi DOCG
There isn’t a wine in the world that more vividly evokes its place of origin than Barolo.
The 2018 Marchesi di Barolo Cannubi is off the charts! It’s certainly a blue-chip collector gem that deserves to be tucked away in the cellar. It displays immense structure with a harmonious combination of power and elegance which is one of the hallmarks of the “Cannubi” vineyard.
- VINEYARD: Cannubi: the long, gradually rising hill in the centre of the Barolo area. 300m elevation with an average vine age of 55 years. Surrounded by higher hills that protect it from bad weather and excessive flow of air, Cannubi enjoys a very special, unique microclimate.
- SOILS: Serravallian and Tortonian soils meet and merge, creating bluish-gray marls rich in magnesium and manganese carbonates, clays mixed with very fine sands, impregnated with a strong limestone content. Their technical name is “Sant’Agata fossil marls”, but they are commonly called Toû.
- WINEMAKING: The grapes are rigorously harvested by hand and a selection of the best bunches is made already in the vineyard. Once it arrives in the cellar, it is selectively destemmed and delicately pressed.
- FERMENTATION: Takes place at a controlled temperature: a range of 24-26°C is maintained to preserve all the aromatic potential characteristic of the specific terroir. Through repeated delestage and pumping over, they proceed with a maceration of 15-18 days aimed at the gradual and maximum extraction of the noble polyphenolic part of the skins.
- MATURATION: After racking, the wine begins a period of clarification and rest in vitrified concrete tanks, before continuing maturation in wood. The evolution lasts about two years. During the first year the wine matures in small French oak barrels, with the aim of fixing the colour and increasing the aging potential; the percentage of new woods is perfectly balanced to maintain the identifying characteristics of this Cru unchanged. The second year the wine ages in large Slavonian oak barrels in which the characteristics of finesse and elegance are enhanced. The complete expression of the wine is obtained after a period of at least 1 year of rest in the bottle.
- SENSORY: The colour is ruby with garnet red hues. The aroma is intense, with clear scents of rose, vanilla, spices and roasted nuts and a vague hint of absinthe. It is a robust wine, with good body, full and elegant taste, soft and enveloping tannins. Pleasant spicy and woody notes that merge perfectly together. Drink 2024 – 2045
- 96 Points – Decanter World Wine Awards: “Showing great depth of character with aromas of dried fruits, oak- layered cherries, attractive orange peel accents, and a touch of sweet onion relish. The palate is broad and solid with muscular tannins and a crunchy fresh fruit character. Shows great potential.”
The Mystique of Cannubi
For Piedmont and Barolo insiders, the “Cannubi” vineyard is considered one of the greatest cru sites in the Langhe as well as in the world. It’s a mere 37 acres!
If Barolo is the “King of Wines,” then Cannubi is its rightful throne. Perhaps the most celebrated hill in Italy’s wine landscape and undoubtedly among the most historic vineyards – with archival research tracing the first documented mention back to 1752, the year it appeared on a label for the first time – It is believed the name Cannubi comes from the Latin, connubio (marriage). This could be because it is where the two sides of the Barolo area meet.
Cannubi is a perfect blend of soil and climactic factors that create wines symbolizing the finest expressions of the region. For a Barolo lover, tasting and collecting Cannubi is a must!
However, this prized cru is not without some ongoing controversy: Here we are referring to the hill of Cannubi. There are actually specific sub-zones of Cannubi including: Cannubi San Lorenzo, Cannubi Muscatel, Cannubi Valletta, Cannubi Boschis and just Cannubi which can be either specified or generally written as Cannubi on the label. It pays to know your producer.
The soils of Cannubi are mostly compositions of sand, silt and a bit of clay. Towards the bottom of the hill, there are sandier soils which give the Barolos elegance, a characteristic of Cannubi wines. According to many locals, this is where the key flavour of licorice comes from. Position is everything!
Cannubi’s Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva (MGA) occupies a central position on a ridge, lower than the surrounding hills, shaped like a wedge that rises just before reaching Barolo. The tip of this wedge faces northeast, toward Alba, while the base extends southwest, ending at the edge of the village. This geographical setup provides the vineyards with optimal exposure, shielding them from cold winds and creating ideal climate conditions. Most of Cannubi is facing towards Southeast. This is considered a fantastic exposure because you have the bright and softer morning sun, and the grapes have time to cool off during the night as the sun sets in the west.
Cannubi is also a transitional zone between the two main geological areas of Barolo. On one side are the compact, deep soils of the Helvetian slope, and on the other, the softer soils of the Tortonian side. This unique soil mix, composed of sand and marl with significant limestone presence – the renowned Marne di Sant’Agata Fossili – creates a perfect blend of the different nuances of Barolo: the robustness and structure of the Helvetian sector meet the elegance and distinctive aromas of the Marne di Sant’Agata Fossili.
These are soulful Piedmonte reds from one of the variety’s greatest champions, Marchesi di Barolo. This is world-class wine of unique, and sublime distinction. So go ahead, it’s time to find out what the heart and soul of Barolo really tastes like! Superlatives are exhausted every time we taste one. If you don’t have some of this now-iconic red in your cellar, you are missing out.
A Bit of Geek Talk
Piedmont is serious wine business. Of the 20 Italian regions, it ranks the sixth highest in production volume and boasts more DOCG designated wines than any other (19!). In fact, there’s a growing consensus amongst wine geeks that we should give the endless gushing over Tuscany a rest, because this northern region–bordering France and Switzerland, situated between the Alps in the north and the Ligurian Apennines to the south–is truly where it’s at.
And the most noble grape that has definitely contributed the most to this region’s esteemed reputation is nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is named for the fog (“nebbia”) that settles in the foothills during the late October harvest. This highly tannic grape produces wines with a tar-and-roses bouquet that are often considered a more cost-effective alternative to Burgundy, the two most famous of which are Barolo and Barbaresco. It is believed to have been cultivated in the Langhe district before the fourteenth century and has spread to well-defined areas in Piedmont and Lombardy, creating very noble wines, named after their growing areas (Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, Ghemme).
The Allure of Barolo
Barolo is an enigma. Liked by many, unlike any other and understood by few. Traditional Barolo is austere, we could say it is very “introverted”. Although often deep and impenetrable it is worth the patience of cellaring. Like any star, Barolo does know how to tease a crowd. However, there are some reviewers that have become enamoured with Barolo who are puzzled when they taste a traditional Barolo, perhaps because they are looking for a wine with more flash and sizzle, something that was not a style favoured by the original Barolo winemakers.
The Barolo DOCG encompasses 11 different communes and more than 1200 growers in the region. The “Big Five” — Monforte d’Alba (Josetta Saffirio’s commune), La Morra, Castiglione Faletto, Serralunga d’Alba, and of course, Barolo — have the advantage of altitude and soil, producing nearly 90 percent of all Barolo, while the remaining six — Diano d’Alba, Grinzane Cavour, Novello, Cherasco, Roddi, and Verduno — round out the rest.
Barolo is an accurate expression of terroir – it is a powerhouse, tannic wine in some communes, Serralunga, Monforte and Castiglione for example, but also more perfumed and delicate in others like La Morra. The Central Valley Barolos are known for softer, fruitier expressions of the region. Recent technological and viticultural advances are remaking Barolo into a wine that is more consistently balanced and approachable. Producers are careful not to change the flavour or feel of their wines, only to improve, and eliminate poor winemaking methods.
Interestingly, Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo could be brothers from another mother. Both are globally revered and sought after for their elegance, intensity, and age worthiness. And just as Pinot Noir is notoriously unstable genetically, available in many different shades, subvarieties, and clones, so is Nebbiolo. Both are thin skinned, high in acid and tannins. Both are exceptionally finicky about where they will happily grow and ripen. However, Nebbiolo has not travelled well as far as finding terroir to call home as opposed to Pinot’s internationally successful plantings.
Further, the one thing that sets Nebbiolo/Barolo apart is the tannin levels. These are bold tactile textures, yet Barolo has this ability to deliver tannins to a level of intensity and refinement that no other wine style can match.
Modern Barolo winemakers’ experience and understanding of ripeness, managing tannins and curating extraction is nowadays at a point never before reached. Clearly, Marchesi di Barolo have expressively built their wines in a way that elaborates the full majestic power, depth and nuance of Nebbiolo. So, if tannin worship is your thing…roll out your prayer mat now!
“[Barolo is] an absolute symbol of Italian wine, created by many families who have invested in quality, making the great red of Langa a must among enthusiasts and collectors, and the vineyards, cru in the lead, among the most precious in Italy and in the world.”
Matteo Ascheri, President of the Consorzio del Barolo
Introducing... Sartori Prosecco Minis
Introducing Sartori Prosecco Minis!
An Old Fave in a New Format!
When it comes to sparkling wine, there are many (many, many…) different ways to enjoy it, from the Champagne, stashed away for the special occasion, to the quaffer your aunt chucks frozen strawberries into at the BBQ, and somewhere in the middle, sits an everyday luxury…
Prosecco has long been the ultimate ‘everyday luxury’ sparkler – Italy’s answer to affordable and quality sparkling wine, and our ever-popular Sartori di Verona Prosecco is one of the real gems in this category, so we’re very excited to introduce this old favourite to you, in a new 200ml Piccolo-sized format!
Sartori di Verona's Erfo Prosecco Brut
Sartori’s Erfo Prosecco Brut is one of the most popular wines in our portfolio for good reason. It is fantastic quality for a fantastic price.
Both critics and the public agree – it’s seriously quaffable without being boring. Yvonne Lorkin awarded it four stars, “In the late 1800’s Sartori’s trattoria was the place to frequent if you were a merchant, trader or weary traveller hunting for hearty food, good wine and a comfy place to camp. As the family concentrated more on wine, hospitality remained their focus, which is why their proseccos are especially friendly. Wild apple and acacia aromas with lemony, creamy characters, a biscuity backbone and cloud-like complexity – it’s outstanding…”
With a score of 3.8 stars on the popular public review website, Vivino, it is placed among the top 7% of all wines in the world…
“A very smooth Prosecco which is just a perfect [companion] to your summer evenings. Tiny and persistive bubbles make it easy-drinking Prosecco.”
“Nice fruity taste of pear and green leaves. Very enjoyable with notes that are commonly present in very dry or in very sweet wines, but this fits nicely in between.”
“Probably the best Prosecco I’ve had this year (and not many days left!). Brut balanced bubbles with typical pale yellow straw color, nose of banana, notes of brioche, and yellow fruit on palate.”
7 Reasons Why We Love Piccolos
“I’d never have wine left in the bottle!” is the common retort given when we talk about Piccolos being super handy. While we agree, leftovers are a pretty easy fix (bottom’s up!) there’s so much more to it. Less can be more! Like bottles, wine lovers come in many shapes and forms, and when catering to where they’re drinking (home vs. hospo), how they’re drinking (cocktails, flights etc.), and what they’re drinking (variety is the spice of life!), it leaves us with a number of reasons why Piccolos are our pick;
1. Zero Wastage:
With sparkling wine, there is nothing more frustrating than a bottle that’s lost its fizz. Lacking a Coravin Sparkling system, and with the ol’ teaspoon method being debunked, other options need to be explored. Drumroll, please… Piccolos! This issue is easy to eliminate with this perfect single-serve option. Gone are the days of sadly pouring that half bottle from last night down the sink.
2. Fridge Space:
Nobody likes playing fridge tetris, whether it be in the bar fridge or at home. This small format bottle finds it much easier to slot into the little gaps.
3. Quick Chills:
Due to the smaller volume of the bottle, Piccolos chill far quicker than their full-size pals, so if you’ve forgotten to pop them in until the last minute, you’re in luck.
4. Perfect for Cocktails!:
You can never go wrong with a good cocktail and an Italian Aperitivo is definitely an easy and crowd-pleasing choice. However, very rarely do these delicious treats call for more than a splash of the sparkles. One piccolo is the perfect for a pair of spritz’.
5. For the Commitment-Phobes:
The piccolo can be looked at as the ultimate way to try something without committing to a full 750ml. If someone’s not sold on sparklers yet, this is a great way to make sure they get a taste of perfectly cool, fresh wine and experiment without the fear of buyer’s remorse.
6. On-the-Go:
The piccolo’s are picnic-perfect! Easy to transport, easy to carry, and super easy to chuck into a lil chilly bin for an outdoorsy sip! If you’ve got these in your picnic basket, you could just pop a straw in and forgo the glass.
7. It’s Just Cute:
There’s a lot to be said about convenience, but sometimes the cute-factor is an important consideration. Little bottles of wine are cute, and really, that’s a valid reason on its own!
VinePair also reckons small-formats are on the rise in popularity. “Vive la small formats!” says Blaine Ashley, founder of New York Champagne Week & The FIZZ is Female. “[Smaller] bottles have been an ideal option for maintaining health and balance while still delighting in a wide array of sparkling wines,” she says.
“Vive la small formats!”
– Blaine Ashley
Prosecco in New Zealand
Kiwis have a unique collective-palate – perhaps due to an abundance of fantastic domestic offerings that we’re privileged to have nearby! Our Marlborough Sav’ and Otago Pinot Noir is world-class and keeps us on our toes when it comes to accepting high-quality offerings! But Champagne & Prosecco are both fast growing categories down in lil’ old Aotearoa.
“Sparkling white wine is fast becoming the drink of choice for Kiwis. Sales of prosecco, a long time favourite with Brits and Europeans alike, have increased by more than 40 per cent in this country over the past year.”
– NZ Herald, October 2020
“Entries into the sparkling category were up more than 30 per cent to more than 100 wines this year – a good indicator of growing consumer demand,” Jim Harré, New World Wine Awards chair of judges, said.
We’re not here to encourage you to blindly follow the crowd, but we gotta say we’re happy to go with the flow on this one. The rising popularity of prosecco in NZ, to us, is indicative of ever-increasing quality and dare-we-say, a population with fine taste.
About Sartori di Verona
To Juliet’s question ‘what’s in a name?’ the Sartori family would answer ‘everything!’
For over a century, Sartori has stood for traditional values elevated by innovation and a dedication to quality. Their story started in the latter part of the 1800’s, when there was a small trattoria that simply could not be missed for merchants, travellers and businessmen of the area – it was owned by one Pietro Sartori.
It was this inn and its strategic location that would turn Pietro into a wine merchant: the daily pouring over the counter made it necessary to have a steady supply of wine that was sufficient in both quantity and quality.
Thus, in 1898 grandfather Pietro bought his first vineyard in Negrar, so that the good wine would always be on the tables of his devoted clientele. In those days, horses had to carry people and goods, and Pietro rode determined to find opportunities to expand.
Today this spirit lives on in the current generation – Pietro’s great-grandchildren, still at the helm.
Cocktails We Recommend
There’s no denying that cocktails are very in ‘vogue’ right now, and they aren’t the bright traffic-light concoctions that some might expect! People are enjoying more classically styled, dry cocktails and fresh, vibrant spritzes to whet their appetites! In this spirit, check out some of our recommendations of how to enjoy the Sartori Prosecco 200mls with a special twist:
Bellini:
- Pureed white peach
- Sartori Prosecco Brut
Invented at Harry’s New York Bar in Venice, this two ingredient wunderkinder has set the tone for a lot of the sparkling wine drinks we take for granted. There would be no brekkie mimosa if it wasn’t for this tipple. Think puréed white peach topped with crisp Prosecco… Simply peach to taste and top with Prosecco. (Substitute peach for orange juice to make a Mimosa).
Negroni Sbagliato:
- 25ml Sartori Prosecco Brut
- 25ml Campari
- 25ml 144 Islands Vermouth No.2
- Orange twist, to garnish
This citrus-noted classic is bitter, herbal, rich, and most of all – supremely sophisticated. We’ve been on a bit of a negroni buzz in general here at D&N since bringing on 144 Islands Vermouth, so switching out gin for Sartori Prosecco (as the ever-iconic Emma D’Arcy suggests,) is a no-brainer. Add the Prosecco,Vermouth & Campari to a mixer with ice, then strain into a rocks glass over ice and garnish with an orange twist.
Classic Spritz:
- 90 ml La Marca Prosecco
- 60 ml Aperol
- Soda Water
- Orange Wedges To Garnish
What is more quintessentially Italian than Aperitivo? No drink sums this up more than the Spritz. Combining Sartori Prosecco with Aperol, freshly sliced orange and a touch of soda – a winning combination. This truly classic cocktail dates back to 1950’s! Fill a big wine glass ¾ with ice, add your liquids and garnish – voila!
Taste the Volcano: A Frank Cornelissen Dinner at The Grove
Are you ready to turn up the heat? Join us at The Grove this October for our Annual Frank Cornelissen dinner event, where we'll be sipping some of the most sought after luminary wines from the volcanic faces of Mount Etna in Sicily, in the finest degustation dining room in New Zealand. It's fire meets fire.
Frank Cornelissen's wines will be expertly paired with a dish from the talented team at The Grove (menu to be confirmed).
Wine list:
- 2022 Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Rosato
- 2022 Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Rosso
- 2021 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso
- 2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso CR Contrada Campo Re
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso CR Contrada Campo Re
- 2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso MC Monte Colla
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso MC Monte Colla
- 2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso VA Vigne Alte
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso VA Vigne Alte
To reserve your seat/table for this special evening, you can contact your account manager.
Seats are $245 inc GST per person.
https://www.dnfinewine.co.nz/frank-cornelissen-2020-new-vintage-new-hotness/
Frank Cornelissen 2020 - New Vintage, New Hotness
Frank Cornelissen 2020: New Vintage, New Hotness
Another Hot Drop from the Godfather of Natural Wines
It’s 2024 and not only have we secured the newest vintages from the volcanic slopes of Sicily’s Mount Etna, but there’s a new hotness among them from the Godfather of Natural Wines: Frank Cornelissen’s Susucaro Rosso 2022! Produced with the same thought process and vinification techniques that’s made Frank’s other wines an organic icon of the winemaking industry, we’re very excited to introduce this new icon to the New Zealand market.
“Cornelissen is pushing toward the top of his dramatic arc, as I discovered during a recent visit with him. His wines have never been better”
– Monica Larner for Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, 2023
For anyone that’s watched The White Lotus Season 2, you’ll know how beautiful active stratovolcano Mt Etna is, and how it dominates the landscape with its ever-steaming activity. On its slopes, beneath the glow of molten rock is where you’ll find Azienda Agricola Frank Cornelissen, led by – you guessed it – Frank Cornelissen. Here, they grow grapes, olives and forage for juniper berries for winter stews (it’s like a lava-tinged Disney scene).
About Frank Cornelissen
“One of the most significant figures in the revival of winegrowing on the slopes of Mount Etna”
– Robin Lee for The World of Fine Wine
Robin Lee sums Frank up nicely, and we’ve blogged extensively about this humble icon before, which you can read here:
- Oct 2023: New Year, New Frank
- May 2023: Red Hot ‘n’ Smokin’
- May 2020: Too HOT to Handle
But for those not wanting to go down a click rabbit-hole, let’s summarise…
When the Belgian ex-fine wine dealer came to Etna in 2001, his vision was that this is one of the few locations on Earth where wine could be made without any manipulation. He purchased old vines that had been planted during the Phylloxera crisis (which couldn’t survive in the volcanic soils here).
Mistakes were made as he learned along the way, but with time, the style of Frank Cornelissen became renowned. His hands-off approach was deemed extreme, even by his own standards and he admits that perhaps he took it a little too far sometimes. “My wines used to be anti-wines,” admits Cornelissen. His initial philosophy was never to use sulphur dioxide (SO²) in his wines. In every wine making decision, his aim was for absolute purity. His uncompromising and often extreme, (but always creative) visionary efforts to maintain the highest level of cellar hygiene without using SO² made him an idol of the natural wine world. However, over the past 22 years, trailblazing Cornelissen has needed to evolve. He has modified his thinking and methodology of this earlier philosophy.
Still today, this is a winery that practises non-interventionist principles across their twenty-four hectares and eschews overhandling of the wines in the winery and cellar. However, there have been a number of changes to the process, including the fact he’s now using minimal amounts of SO² during racking and before bottling. “Quality- focused with natural being the inspiration, not the destination” explains Jancis Robinson MW.
“Frank Cornelissen is an Etna pioneer, and his contributions to the success of this special Sicilian wine region are immeasurable. His influences on Italy’s natural wine movement are equally important, and he was alone in embracing both concepts (Etna and natural wine) simultaneously. His winemaking experiments on the volcano started in 2001, and Cornelissen emerges as a major figure today”
– Monica Larner for Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate, 2023
In a profile by Jancis Robinson, Cornelissen confessed that “2015 was my learning vintage that showed me the limit [of non intervention]. 2018 showed that I should have added a little SO² to 2015. 2017 was OK but 2018 really needed the SO². It was 2018 that changed my mind about SO². I’m very happy with the new technique, and 2020 is where I really want to get to. 2019 was deceptive. The fruit was very, very clean but we still needed the sorting table because there was a lot of variation. 2018 though was really difficult.”
“[Cornelissen] calls his 2019s ‘pretty’ and likens his 2019 Nerello Mascaleses to Pinot Noir whereas 2017 was more like Nebbiolo. His favourite vintages are 2011 and 2020.”
– Jancis Robinson “Soldera and Cornelissen” 2022
The 2020 Vintage
“What can I say, Frank Cornelissen is at the top of his game, [] and I can honestly say that I have never seen such precision, purity, and consistency as I’ve seen tasting the last few vintages”
– Eric Guido for Vinous
Our newest shipment of Frank Cornelissen wines includes a wave of goodies from the 2020 vintage, as well as a new gem – Susucaru® Rosso – from 2022.
Every year, Frank releases a vintage report. For the 2020 wines, he’s dubbed the vintage officially ‘Great’:
“The real winter came only at the end of January but with good snow; the pruning was finished late as we had to do some corrective pruning in a new vineyard which took more time than planned.
“The rest of the season was relatively balanced and we slid into the harvest pretty smoothly, albeit with some stress for some workers concerned about getting COVID and sending the whole team in quarantine… It was very stressful to keep everybody safe and sound but we managed with lots of precautions.
“Harvest went pretty easy as the nice weather was continuing until late autumn. A nice compensation for the COVID stress!
“The reds have a nice balance and I like the structure of the wines as tannins are present and it all fits nicely.
“Magma was picked in perfect zodiac and I was really happy. The Bianco Vigne Alte will be promising.
“My preferred wine of this vintage: Susucaru® Rosato for its rich flavours and freshness combined.”
Susucaru® Rosso The New Kid on the Block
The Susucaru® wines are the entry-level range from Frank, and after the roaring success of the Rosato (which we almost have to hide from our DN staff) we’re super excited to add the Rosso to the lineup.
2022 Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Rosso
The 2022 Susucaru Rosso is a field-blend of mostly Nerello Mascalese (85%) with other local varietals all the vineyards: Nerello Cappuccio, Allicante Boushet, Minnella and Uva Francesa. Susucaru® Rosso perfectly expresses Etna, as it is produced in a more traditional way, blending different contrada’s as well as different varietals to obtain a fragrant, elegant and fluid wine with structure and personality.
The name Susucaru® comes from a Sicilian expression meaning “they stole it”, which is what Frank’s crew shouted when they realised most of the grapes from their first vintage had vanished.
From Vineyards Picciolo, Malpasso, Campo Re, Crasà, Piano Daini, Feudo di Mezzo. Grapes were destemmed and lightly crushed, before fermentation with a “pied-de-cuve” using only indigenous yeasts and skin contact for about 30 days. It was aged in neutral epoxy tanks from 2500-7000 litres. No fining, and filtering occurred before bottling with cartridges of 3 micron.
The Explosive New 2020 Batch from Frank Cornelissen
2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso 'VA' (Vigne Alte)
A blend of ungrafted Nerello Mascalese from Cornelissen’s three highest vineyards (hence Vigne Alte or ‘Tall/High Vineyards’): Tartaraci (1000m. asl), Barbabecchi (910m. asl), Rampante soprana (870m. asl)
“The most Burgundian of all our crus.” Nerello Mascalese 100% from 90+ year old ungrafted vines. With an annual production of only 2,500 bottles. Grapes were destemmed and lightly crushed before a “pied-de-cuve” fermentation using only indigenous yeasts and skin contact for about 60 days. Aged in neutral epoxy tanks from 1500-2500 litres for 18 months and another 18 months in bottle. No fining. Filtering before bottling with PP cartridges of 5 micron.
Previous Vintages Accolades:
- 16.5+ Points Jancis Robinson (2019)
- 97 Points Robin Lee World of Fine Wine (2019)
- 96 Points Decanter (2017)
- 93 Points Robert Parker (2017)
2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso ‘MC’ (Monte Colla)
This pure Nerello Mascalese comes from contrada Monte Colla. An extremely steep and terraced vineyard, beautifully exposed to sun and wind and right in front of Mount Etna. The sandy clay soil and the old-vine Nerello Mascalese, planted in 1946, produces a rich and powerful wine, maintaining grace and elegance. Our “Hermitage” of Etna.”
“Monte Colla MC delivers punchy red fruit flavors with rose, lilac and hints of powdered licorice root. There is a subtle play of fruit versus floral intensity in this wine. The vineyards enjoy heavier soils, with clay in part, that are rich in silicon at 780 meters in elevation. The vines were planted in 1948 and 1949 with south-southwest exposures, where they get the last light of the day. These are ancient soils, and marine fossils are sometimes found on Monte Colle. Geologically speaking, this site is unique in the Etna context.”
94 Points, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
“Lovely cool berry, orange blossom, pumice, smoke and lava aromas, but subtle and complex. Bark and mushroom, too. Full-bodied and very structured with powerful tannins that are polished and thought-provoking. This needs time to soften. Clearly one for the cellar. Best after 2026.”
96 Points – JamesSuckling.com (8/4/23)
2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso ‘CR’ (Contrada Campo Re)
This pure Nerello Mascalese comes from a partly ungrafted vineyard ‘Campo Re’, situated at the far western side in the valley floor, at the entrance of Randazzo. The vineyard altitude is 735m. asl and is characterised by deep soil which, in humid vintages creates major difficulties to obtain ripe fruit. The wines are profound and tannic, and more Nebbiolo-ish compared to other crus.
“I like the aromas of vine bark, rose stem, light parsley, and red fruits that follow through to a medium body, with white pepper and cloves with a fresh and vivid finish. Tight and tannic. Shows tightness and focus. Best after 2025 but already fascinating to taste. (8/4/23)”
95 Points – JamesSuckling.com
“These results from 2020 show a lot of fruit character and dark cherry concentration with hints of curry leaf, mint, oregano and some of the wild herbs that grow on the volcano. The tannins are softly integrated and the acidity is bright. Mineral nuances add complexity.”
92 Points – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate
2020 Frank Cornelissen Magma
Magma® is Frank Cornelissen’s top cuvée, their “Grand Vin” and is produced only in great vintages where they achieve phenolic ripeness. Hailing from the Barbabecchi vineyard at 910m. asl. Planted around 1910 and North-North East exposed, capturing the first and cool morning sun rays. A profound wine, rich as well as elegant, with character, personality and great finesse. Vinification starts with a “pied-de-cuve” using only indigenous yeasts and skin contact for about 50 days before aging in neutral epoxy tanks 1500-2500 liters for 18 months and another 18 months in bottle. Annual production in the years it’s produced is around 2,000 bottles.
Bottles are hand-painted and to combat the increasing risk of counterfeit bottles, since 2016, Magma® has an NFC chip integrated into the label of each bottle which contains information regarding the authenticity of the wine.
In addition to the microchip, Magma® uses unique Ardeaseal closures on the bottles and magnums, further guaranteeing authenticity as these patented closures are manufactured in only one factory in the world.
“The Frank Cornelissen 2020 Sicilia Nerello Mascalese Vigna Barbabecchi Magma is a creative and original wine that is a lot of fun to drink and dissect. Fruit comes from a vineyard site at about 1,000 meters in elevation above the Contrada Rampante. This 2.5-hectare site was planted in 1910, and more than half of the fruit goes toward this production. The wine offers ample richness and volume with dark berry, campfire ash, grilled herb and cola.”
94 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Previous Vintages Accolades:
- 18 Points Jancis Robinson (2019)
- 96 Points Robin Lee World of Fine Wine (2019)
- 97+ Points Decanter (2019)
Also Still Available...
2022 Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Rosato
(Prior vintages sold out!)
Frank’s famous Malvasia, Moscadella, Insolia, and Nerello Mascalese Rosato blend – made with skin contact for texture and territorial identity, malolactic fermentation fully finished for density, fluidity and stability. A bright salmon pink. Intense perfumes of young fruits introduce sapidity and minerality. Drinking Window: 2023 – 2030
“I was privileged to taste the wine – Susucaru… bottom line is I taste this natural stuff and my eyes just lit up, some lightbulb went off and I feel like this is where the journey of life has taken me, and where I need to continue to explore.”
Action Bronson for Vice’s Munchies Series
2021 and 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso
The Classic MunJebel Rosso is Frank’s vision of a traditional, balanced and rich Northern Valley Etna wine. A rich and fragrant wine of pure Nerello Mascalese from different vineyards, partly from their best parcels where we produce our crus (Zottorinoto-Chiusa Spagnolo, Feudo di Mezzo-sottana and Porcaria) as well as designated vineyards for this specific wine (Rampante Sottana, Piano Daini and Crasà).
2021: “Expressive and decidedly gentle and harmonious in the main profile, it shows notes of black plums, marjoram, lavender, hibiscus, black olives, strawberries, geraniums and white pepper. Medium body, creamy tannins of splendid elegant shape, perfectly polymerized and a finish of commendable beauty.”
94 Points WinesCritic.com
2021: “Seduces with a rich and sweetly scented bouquet of crushed black cherries, dried roses, and cloves. It’s silky in texture, enveloping all that it touches with ripe red fruits and spices, nicely framed by saturating minerality, as inner violet florals form toward the close. There are tannins here, but they don’t get in the way; instead, they create a perfectly dry platform where notes of lavender, plum and allspice hover above.”
92 Points Vinous
2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Bianco
Cornelissen’s first white wine started out as an orange wine, fermented with the skins for an extended period. Frank liked the tactile feeling and density, but missed the finesse and precision of the classic French white wines, so he changed the technique to search for the purity and flavours of Etna. This transpired as a short period of skin contact and ageing for an extended period in the coldest part of the cellar before bottling. The obtained elegance, purity and density makes this wine very suited to accompany a wide variety of dishes and cuisine, from fish to white meat. 50% Grecanico and 50% Carricante.
“It is beautifully pure for a natural wine, and while rich, almost oily, there is drive and persistence to the gingery, herbal and stonefruit flavours.”
Different Drop
New Year; New Frank! 🔥 Fresh drop from the Legendary Frank Cornelissen
You Loved 'em, We Listened - MORE Newly Arrived Wines from Legendary Frank Cornelissen
“What can I say, Frank Cornelissen is at the top of his game, [] and I can honestly say that I have never seen such precision, purity, and consistency as I’ve seen tasting the last few vintages. It all seems to have come to an apex with the 2019 crus.”
Eric Guido, for Vinous
Three years ago we excitedly blogged about the arrival of Frank Cornelissen, the demi-god of natural wines, to our D&N Portfolio, and in May, we got a very hot allocation of Frank’s 2019 vintage, including some of his PREMIUM single-vineyard MunJebel Rossos which you can read alllll about here…
NOW we have two fresh and highly anticipated drops hitting our cellar shelves… 2021 MunJebel Rosso & 2022 Susucaru Rosato!
So Are The 2019s Old News?
(No!)
While a number of Frank Cornelissen’s wines are accessible early – the ’22 Rosato being a prime example – a lot of Frank’s wines are designed to cellar for a few years, and in fact the 2019 Rossos are just coming into their prime drinking window now, and depending on the bottling, will likely remain so for another 5-10 years. (Which is amazing considering Frank considers this not a ‘cellar’ year!)
In a nutshell, the 2019s are from an ‘apex’ vintage for Frank, with highly rated bottlings across the entire range. (Not that Frank subscribes to the whole media-ratings vibe, he just has to put up with everyone loving him anyway.)
Don’t just take our word for it (but, really, do… they’re so delicious,) Dhall & Nash is currently filling seats at a premium masterclass for trade and an exclusive wine-matched dinner to showcase the immense calibre of the 2019 cuvées Frank has produced…
TL;DR: No, the 2019s are perfect RIGHT NOW!
“Quality- focused with natural being the inspiration, not the destination”
Jancis Robinson MW on Frank Cornelissen.
Will You Be Around?
We've a few tasting events on if you're around...
Frank's Turning Point
When the Belgian ex-Fine wine dealer came to Etna in 2001, his vision was that this is one of the few locations on Earth where wine could be made without any manipulation. Mistakes were made as he learned along the way, but with time, the style of Frank Cornelissen became renowned.
Still today, this is a winery that practices non-interventionist principles across their twenty-four hectares and eschews overhandling of the wines in the winery and cellar. However, there have been a number of changes to the process.
“My wines used to be anti-wines”
admits Cornelissen
The 2019 vintage is the first that Cornelissen has released under the new regime. SO² is a standard preservative that has been used in winemaking for centuries to protect grapes, must, and wine in its various stages against harmful yeasts and bacteria, as well as the negative impacts of oxygen. The decisions about whether to use SO², how much to use, and when, are open to infinite debate.
In a hot climate, however, where pH levels are high, the grapes, must, and wine have less natural in-built protection than lower-pH wines from cooler climates. The amount of SO² also needs to be higher than in a cooler climate for it to be effective. Cornelissen is adding 10mg/L at the first racking, with total SO² ending up at around 30mg/L, keeping free SO² at a minimum, under 5mg/L. He pointed out that his beloved Nerello Mascalese “likes to eat SO²” so free SO² levels are always exceptionally low.
“You have to be intellectually honest,” Cornelissen explains. “I am searching for quality and precision, so I either have to play with the pH or add SO². People think Etna wines are high acid, but it’s the minerals and the other components that give it that tension.”
Justifying his evolution, Cornelissen says;
“natural wine was a counter-reaction to an excess of enology: too much wood, too much extraction, too many chemicals. Natural wine will never be a category. To make it a category is to put it in a prison, which is the opposite of individualism. It’s uncategorizable, which is its greatest asset.”
Cornelissen considers his SO²-free winemaking experience was an extreme that now enables him to make decisions he would never have had the knowledge to make otherwise.
“If you haven’t gone over the edge, how do you know where the edge is? Now, after 20 years, I know where the edge is.”
Tl;DR: Frank pushed the boundaries a little more each year until he reached ‘the edge’, and in 2019 started pulling back some of his more ‘extreme’ winemaking approaches to come back to a place where it was about the wines, not necessarily the methodology.
Vintage Report
The 2019 Vintage: “After a disastrous 2018, we were ready for everything…but nature was gentle and treated us with impeccable fruit after a relatively balanced growing season. What a relief!
But looks deceive: although the picking was less stressful, we had trouble with uneven maturation within the clusters. The sorting table was very useful during this harvest for picking out the unevenly ripened clusters and increasing the quality at this stage.
The red wines have good tension and overall balance. Although this is not a cellar vintage, the phenolics are good, structure is present and these wines are a welcome relief after a terribly complicated 2018!
My preferred wine of this vintage: Munjebel Rosso “MC” for the smooth tannins, balance and elegance“
So if 2019 is so good, why buy these new ones?
Just because the 2019s are drinking superbly doesn’t mean you don’t want to get the jump on the 2021 and 2022 vintages!
Of the 2021 Vintage, the Magma and the MunJebel Rosso were Frank’s personal favourites, “for their overall balance.”
Frank sums up both the 2021 and 2022 vintages as ‘Very Good’ on his special scale. (Medium, Medium+, Good, Good+, Very Good, Very Good+, Great)
[Cornelissen is] “the most driven, ardent, zealous, perfection-oriented winemaker in the world”
Tom Hyland, The World of Fine Wine
The 2021 Vintage: “We lacked a real winter with no snow in the lower vineyards. The pruning of the vines and winter work was finished in time due to the many days of nice weather. In March, we had some frost damage (although very little.)
A very dry growing season overall put the young vines to a real stress test as well as our team to keep the new plantations alive with water. A really tough job on the terraces… We deliberately planted a new vineyard extremely late, in May, in order to get even a little rain.
Green harvest was done more severe for the vines to breath better and suffer less with the drought. The first grapes for the rosato arrived in the cellar on August 17th which was the earliest so far and we finished on October 16th picking the grapes for Magma, another record for early picking.
Yields were very low, especially in the beginning of the harvest. Finally at the beginning of October we had the rain to balance out the sugar/acidity and a week after, the fruit was starting to prepare for ripeness. Although at the start of the harvest, our calculations were going towards a 50% less production, we managed to balance the loss of yield and grapes out to around 25% due to the canopy management and sitting out the picking to get the necessary rain.
Although the reds have a relatively high Ph and lower than average acidity, the wines have grip, texture and personality. In the end, even in an extreme vintage like this, incredibly so, the wines are finding their balance.“
The 2022 Vintage: “We had a good winter with regular snow in the higher vineyards. The pruning of the vines and the winter works were finished in time as we invested in more people.
In March it was still quite cold while we were planting a new vineyard site in Contrada Scimonetta. April and May we had more humidity compared to the very dry 2021. The dry growing season started around June which put stress on the young vines which needed water in order to survive the summer, exactly like in 2021.
Strenuous summer work which has become a classic. On August 8th we had some rain which gave the vines energy again. Unfortunately we also caught hail in the middle which damaged some of the grapes.
End of August we had to pick the first grapes for the rosato as we had another hail blast which devastated a lot of the Muscat for the rosato. Magma was picked on October 11th.; again one week earlier compared to a record early in 2021… Yields were average to low.”
Our DN allocation of the 2021 MunJebel Rosso first arrived in late May, and since, we have sold over a quarter of the stock, as well as a good number of the single-vineyard premium cuvées. This lit a fire under us, and urged us to get more on a boat stat!
The 2022 Susucaru Rosato – we had to pry out of the hands of the logistics team who are completely in love with it! We won in the end and urge you not to sit on your laurels here, as the previous vintage was very popular and ran out of stock before we could even land the 2022!
TL;DR: the 2019 Rossos are good and are drinking perfectly due to having 4 years under their belt, but the 2021 is approachable even earlier and is drinking well already (and will also age well.) The Susucaru Rosato is also slamming as its made to be quaffable from the get-go. You can’t go wrong here.
“The greatest wines are the wines with personality. They have flaws that give them character. Great wines always have a quirk”
Frank Cornelissen
Frank Cornelissen - Newly Landed!
Explosive Wines of Energetic Purity & Precision
Frank Cornelissen MunJebel® Rosso 2021
Frank’s Fave!
The MunJebel is a blend of fruit from Frank Cornelissen’s vineyards across the northern valley of Etna. It aims to please, and it will excel at doing so through short-term cellaring.
94 points “Expressive and decidedly gentle and harmonious in the main profile, it shows notes of black plums, marjoram, lavender, hibiscus, black olives, strawberries, geraniums and white pepper. Medium body, creamy tannins of splendid elegant shape, perfectly polymerized and a finish of commendable beauty. Drink now.”
“Rich, powerful and driven by a core of minerality, it’s very hard to quantify what the experience of drinking Etna Rosso for the first time is. There is truly nothing like it in new-world wine, the tastes and aromas are so entwined with the soils and grapes indigenous to Etna, and so specific to the place.
Wild spices, complex fruit notes, the depth and singularity of this wine, makes the first experience, an epiphanic moment in a wine lover’s life.”
Different Drop
Frank Cornelissen Susucaru® Rosato 2022
Prior vintages sold out!
Frank’s famous Malvasia, Moscadella, Insolia, and Nerello Mascalese Rosato blend – made with skin contact for texture and territorial identity, malolactic fermentation fully finished for density, fluidity and stability.
A bright salmon pink. Intense perfumes of young fruits introduce sapidity and minerality. Drinking Window: 2023 – 2030
Frank Cornelissen Winery
“I was privileged to taste the wine – Susucaru… bottom line is I taste this natural stuff and my eyes just lit up, some lightbulb went off and I feel like this is where the journey of life has taken me, and where I need to continue to explore.”
Frank Cornelissen - The Lauded '19s
Frank Cornelissen Magma Rosso 2019
The Nerello Mascalese fruit for Magma hails from the Barbabecchi cru in the North valley between 870-910 metres, with its ungrafted vines that are over 100 years old. After a sixty-day maceration, the wine is vinified completely in neutral epoxy tanks, and the bottle hand-painted before release.
97+ points “It’s almost impossible to pull away from the 2019 Nerello Mascalese Magma Rosso, with its beguiling bouquet of white pepper-tinged dusty rose offset by nuances of tangerine, pomegranate, and the slightest hint of animal musk. This is a seriously textural expression, with smooth contours and admirable weight that’s perfectly balanced by stimulating acidity. Its fruit is decidedly red and sapid, yet with violet-tinged inner florals and sweet minerality. While structured, the 2019 maintains fantastic energy throughout the long yet remarkably fresh finale, as licorice and hints of hard candies slowly taper off into oblivion.” Drinking Window: 2023-30
Eric Guido, Vinous
(This one gets our D&N Fine Wines recommendation stamp to it 100%!)
96 points “This is the icon wine that Cornelissen has made since his first vintage from vines planted in 1910, now more than a century old. Lean, restrained, and transparent but dense, with a firm, structured character, and taut tannins. Tensile and throbbing with pent-up energy, like scooped-up dewdrops from cherry skins served over black lava rock, like something there and not there, this is a wine you can never quite pin down. More of an experience than just a wine.” Drink 2022-2030
Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso 2019
The Munjebel is a blend of fruit from Frank Cornelissen’s vineyards across the northern valley of Etna. It aims to please, and it will excel at doing so through short-term cellaring.
92 points “Seduces with a rich and sweetly scented bouquet of crushed black cherries, dried roses, and cloves. It’s silky in texture, enveloping all that it touches with ripe red fruits and spices, nicely framed by saturating minerality, as inner violet florals form toward the close. There are tannins here, but they don’t get in the way; instead, they create a perfectly dry platform where notes of lavender, plum and allspice hover above.” Drinking Window: 2021 – 2027
EricGuido, Vinous
Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso FM (Feudo di Mezzo Sottana) 2019
The Munjebel FM is 100% Nerello Mascalese produced from the lower elevations of the Feudo di Mezzo cru.
95 points “The entrancing 2019 Munjebel Rosso FM blossoms in the glass, with a dusty mix of sweet minty herbs and bright cherry complemented by a hint of cinnamon sugar. Its textures are like pure silk slowly draped across the palate, creamy, smooth, yet lifted and refined, delivering ripe red and hints of blue fruit under an air of lavender and violets. A pleasant inner sweet lingers on, along with a coating of fine tannins, as residual acids and hints of sour citrus maintain a lovely balance. The word “radiant” comes to mind and stays with me throughout the entire experience. Bravo. This is pure class.” Drinking Window: 2023 – 2028
Eric Guido, Vinous
Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso MC (Monte Colla) 2019
The Rosso MC is from the steeply-terraced Monte Colla vineyard, with its seventy five-year-old Nerello Mascalese vines planted in sandy clay soils.
94 points “is deep and inward in character, but also remarkably pretty. This dark beauty wafts up with dried cherries and crushed rocks complemented by nuances of rosemary and balsam. It greets the palate with the silkiest of textures and ripe wild berry fruits, yet with a core of nervous acidity that builds an energetic tension. This is like the proverbial iron fist in the velvet glove, tapering off long with talcum-like tannins, as sweet tobacco and lavender tones fade over a contrasting savory bitter twang of balsamic spice. It’s an utter beauty, and it’s already showing so well.” Drinking Window: 2023 – 2028
Eric Guido, Vinous
Frank Cornelissen MunJebel CR Contrada Campo Re 2019
The Campo Re hails from the western part of the northern slope of Etna at around 735 metres. The wine undergoes indigenous fermentation, followed by fifty days of maceration on skins and eighteen months of refinement in neutral epoxy tanks.
93+ points “Woodsy herbs and wet stone take on an air of white smoke and peppery florals as the 2019 Munjebel Rosso CR (Campo Re) unfolds in the glass. This takes its time, slowly opening, as wild strawberries, stems, and all, lazily come to the fore. It’s seamlessly silky and pliant upon entry, cool-toned as well, with a mounting saturation of red berries toward the close, adding an almost-chewy sensation. While structured with angular tannins, there’s a burst of inner sweetness that adds balance, as notes of fresh tobacco mix with licorice and hard red candies to create a finish that seems to linger on and on. The CR may be the longest lived of Cornelissen’s 2019 Rossos, but also the one that will take the most time to come around.” Drinking Window: 2024 – 2032
Eric Guido, Vinous
Frank Cornelissen MunJebel VA Cuveé (Vigne Alte) 2019
So hot off the docks, we’re still waiting on the reviewers to release their thoughts, but here’s some reviews of the 2019 release…
97 points “Here we are with ungrafted 90-year-old vines at altitudes of between 870–1,000m. Complex and multi-layered, with pistachio notes overlaying pristine damson and juicy pomegranate, with dark notes of savoury bitter greens, black garlic, dandelion leaves, and nettles. Wild and elemental in character, with long and intense flavours, this is a fine example of Cornelissen’s signature style.”
Robin Lee, The World of Fine Wine
16.5 /20 “A blend of ungrafted Nerello Mascalese from Cornelissen’s three highest vineyards (hence vigne alte): Tartaraci at 1,000m at Bronte, Barbabecchi at 910m and Rampante Soprana at 870m at Solicchiata. First made in 2010. Bright crimson with a restrained nose. Backward and very tannic. Not to my taste – too introvert and tough at the moment – but it may get there in the end. Certainly ambitious!” Drink 2025 – 2035
16.5/20 Jancis Robinson
Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Bianco 2020
The Munjebel Bianco wine is made in a super complex way with a brief 4-day skin maceration, giving the wine some density and tannins whilst also bringing out the wine’s stony aromatics and smoky taste. Stunning! Electric!
“A veiled yellow colour. Complex aromas of pineapple, mango, and peach. Orange zest, honey, and sweet spices. Fascinatingly rich and salty. An oily, gingery, herbal flavour with a stonefruit body.”
Frank Cornelissen Winery
“…the wines we tasted were precise and expressive, the Nerello Mascalese, his main red variety, transmitting the origin of the wines without any deviation due to winemaking. He is now set on the course of what he calls ‘high-fidelity’ winemaking.”
Julia Harding MW, for JancisRobinson.com
From Where We'd Rather Be: 2023 Vintage Harvests Are Wrapping Up In The North!
The 2023 Harvest Wrap Up
As picking wraps up in the Northern Hemisphere, we're watching closely in anticipation!
Champagne Billecart-Salmon
Mareuil-sur-Aÿ - Champagne - France
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- 8 September: It’s the vine’s time to shine. Harvest season is off to a promising start. We cannot wait to discover what gifts this vintage will reveal… From vine to hand, we take nature’s achievements and sublimate them into triumphs of savoir-faire.
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- 14 September: Kissed by the summer sun, our Chardonnay grapes are ready to be transformed into liquid gold, just as they have for over 205 harvest seasons.
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- 20 September: The pursuit of the perfect shade of pink is a true labor of love. Once the vines have gifted us with their precious fruit, our dedicated winemakers meticulously sort the red grapes that will give the radiant, blushing hue to our rosé cuvées.
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- 21 September: A first look, and unforgettable impression. The voyage from vine to glass begins with the extraction and settling, or ‘débourbage’, of precious juice before the cold and slow fermentation process begins under the watchful eye of Florent Nys, chief winemaker.
- 23 September: The journey begins—a voyage from vine, to crate, to oak cask—guided every step of the way by the gentle hands of our vine workers and winemaker.
We cannot wait to discover this year’s flavourful destination.
Champagne André Clouet
Bouzy - Champagne - France
An abundant and beautiful grape harvest is coming to an end, making 2023 one of the hottest harvests of the century.Mother Earth has given us the gift of abundance. Exceptionally large bunches of grapes, magnificent Chardonnays, despite a slightly more difficult harvest for the Pinots. 2023 could be a surprising vintage…
Pares Balta
Penedes - Spain
We want to give a little summary of the harvest in 2023, which has been the shortest ever made at Pares Balta. We started August 09 and ended September 19.
Never in my life – in the 21 vintages I’ve made – have I seen this at home.
And what has been very peculiar has been how the drought has affected the plants under water stress, obviously with high temperatures as well. We have only had one heatwave in August ’23 – 5 days of peak heat and the noral order of ripening has been altered.
The reds came at the same time as the whites. White ones are harvested usually at the beginning, then more came and in the end there has been chaos-but we have successfully done it. We have solved technical and organisational decisions very quickly. and successfully.
We are very happy and we have to say that the greatest peculiarity is that this phenolic maturity in the skins of the red varietals has been an incredible case in which we had good skin maturity but instead, moderate graduation – not a very high graduation. ie. Correct sugars and balanced acidity – which never happens – has gone very well for light red wines.
San Felice
Tuscany - Italy
The most fascinating part of the year is finally with us! The harvest is in full swing and as you walk through the vines on our three properties you will be able to meet our oenologist and his team busy picking and selecting the best bunches. Looking back, 2023 has been a year with extremely varied weather. We started with a warm and dry winter, followed by a spring with an exceptional amount of rain, and then a summer with Saharan temperatures.
The expectations for this year are that the output will be lower than in previous years, but in terms of quality, all the factors are there for some excellent wine to be produced.
You really must be prudent at such a crucial time, so we will wait for the completion of the harvest and to get our precious grapes into the cellar to begin the next stages. Every step will be vital in preserving and getting the best out of the result of a whole year of hard work and passion.
2023 marks an important milestone in our winemaker Leonardo Bellaccini’s career, as he celebrates his 40th harvest. 40 years of passion and dedication for his work and for San Felice. Congratulations to Leonardo from the entire team!
September is the time when grapes have reached their optimal level of ripeness. Grapes are the primary source of sugar, acidity, and flavor compounds needed for winemaking. Winemakers carefully monitor the ripening process, known as veraison, to determine the ideal time to harvest when the grapes have the perfect balance of sugar and acidity.
Masterclass - Wines of Frank Cornelissen (trade only)
Seen as the rebellious rock star winemaker in the world of natural wines, Frank Cornelissen’s wines carry the seriousness of many of the world’s greatest wines, while simultaneously tasting like nothing you’ve ever had.
Join Brandon Nash (Dhall & Nash Fine Wines) for a Wednesday afternoon tasting at Auckland's Tappo, and discover some of the most internationally sought after, luminary wines from the volcanic faces of Mount Etna in Sicily, and learn just what makes these acclaimed wines “liquid rock”.
The wines on full display includes:
- 2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Bianco (Carricante / Grecanico Dorato)
- 2022 Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Rosato (Cattaratto / Malvasia / Moscadella / Nerello Mascalese)
- 2021 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso (Nerello Mascalese)
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso (Nerello Mascalese)
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso CR Contrada Campo Re (Nerello Mascalese)
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso MC Monte Colla (Nerello Mascalese)
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso VA Cuvée Vigne Alte (Nerello Mascalese)
Please note: this tasting is free, but restricted to Trades only. Seats are extremely limited to only 16 attendees, so to secure your seat please contact your Account Manager or email us at info@dnfinewine.com and prepare to taste the volcano.
Taste the Volcano: A Frank Cornelissen Dinner @ The Grove
Are you ready to turn up the heat? Join us at The Grove this November, where we'll be sipping some of the most sought after luminary wines from the volcanic faces of Mount Etna in Sicily, in the finest degustation dining room in New Zealand. It's fire meets fire.
Six of Frank Cornelissen's wines will be expertly paired with a dish from the talented team at The Grove (menu to be confirmed).
Wine list:
- 2020 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Bianco (Carricante / Grecanico Dorato)
- 2022 Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Rosato (Cattaratto / Malvasia / Moscadella / Nerello Mascalese)
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso (Nerello Mascalese)
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso CR Contrada Campo Re (Nerello Mascalese)
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso MC Monte Colla (Nerello Mascalese)
- 2019 Frank Cornelissen MunJebel Rosso VA Cuvée Vigne Alte (Nerello Mascalese)
To reserve your seat/table for this special evening, you can contact your account manager, or reserve directly through The Grove here.
Seats are $345 inc GST per person.