Cantina Sociale di Castagnole Monferrato
No. 1. Cantina Sociale di Castagnole Monferrato. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2009. Color: cherry red, not quite ruby, garnet reflections. Aroma: intense and inviting of very ripe fruits of dark plum and black cherry. Taste: soft on entry, tannins a bit notable in the beginning, then warms and smooths out; good balance with the fruits; very subtle dark forest honey; subtle spice, seems like caraway and/or black pepper. Medium-bodied. Very light tannins in the finish. Smooth length.
No. 2. Cantine Sant’Agata. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2009 DOC “Na Vota”. Color: ruby red, violet reflections. Aroma: light aroma, with notes of ripe black cherry and blackberry, some notes of vanilla, hint of white peach. Taste: very warm and smooth on entry, the subtle acidity gives depth to the fruits of black cherry and black berry; dried apricots/plums; vanilla and very subtle dark forest honey, and the tannins harmonize well with it. Tannins are smooth overall. Nice length, smooth out with faint spices.
Sant'Agata
No. 3. Cantine Sant’Agata. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2009 “Pronobis”. Color: intense ruby red, with violet reflections. Aoma: very light black cherry and blackberry; fragrance of violets, notes of very ripe yellow peach, apricot, and dark plums. Taste: on entry immediately very velvety. Spice notes of caraway seed, harmonizing delicately with the fruits. Medium-light bodied. Tannins are very soft; wine has a freshness that is notable also at the beginning, but then smooths out and harmonizes well with the tannins. Delicate velvety smooth finish.
No. 4. Ferraris Luca. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2009 “I Firmati”. Color: garnet red with scarlet red reflections. Aroma: quite fruity, like quite ripe apricots, blackberries, dark plum, definite spice notes. Taste: upon entry some tannins notable, but they soften out; medium bodied; definite black pepper notes, harmonized with the fruits and hints of dark forest honey I taste. Smooth at the finish but also with a touch of spice.
No. 5. Gatto Pierfrancesco. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2009 “Vigna Canesana”. Color: Ruby red with subtle garnet reflections. Aroma: vibrant ripe fruits of apricots, black cherries, blackberries, dried fruits, dark forest honey, spice notes, dried fruits, maybe hazelnut. Taste: aromatic persistency with the black cherry, ripe apricot and dried plum; tannins low-medium; medium bodied. A little bit of wood and mixture of vanilla spice notes in the finish. Length is good.
Gatto Pierfrancesco
No. 6. Borgognone Francesco. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2008 “Vigna del Parroco”. Color: ruby red but strong mahagony tending toward orange reflections. Aroma: dark fruits, especially black cherry and spicy, also ripe apricots, orange notes, peppery notes; medium bodied. Taste: vibrant and rich with both ripe and dried fruits, hazelnuts; pleasant notable tannins but they are quiet and eventually smooth out; very light peppery notes in the finish.
Borgognone Francesco
No. 8. Cascina Terra Felice. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2008 “Bricco della Rosa”. Color: ruby red with subtle garnet red reflections. Aroma: very inviting, over-ripe fruits, lively and fresh. Notes are intricate, I smell black cherry, apricots and white peaches, hazelnuts, and subtle spices. Taste: Smooth on entry, warm, I sense very ripe apricot and blackberry, black cherry, hazelnuts, bits of black pepper. Medium bodied. Harmonized delicately. Smooth and pleasant; tannins persistently soft with a good length.
Crivelli Marco
No. 9. Crivello Marco. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2008. Color: Ruby red tending toward garnet red. Aroma: Light aroma of ripe dark plums and black cherries; the aroma is lighter than the last wine tasted; notes of white peaches, hint of violets, a touch of caraway seed, maybe even dark forest honey. Taste: Very smooth, medium body, acidity is quite delicate, and tannins are subtle. Delicate flavors on the palate: mix of dried plum and black cherry, vanilla and dark forest honey; also subtle caraway seed. The finish is very smooth.
Luca Ferraris
No. 10. Ferraris Luca. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2008 “Bric d’Bianc”. Color: Ruby red with dark orange reflections. Aroma: Greeted by notes of very ripe black cherries, black berries, raspberries, apricots. Taste: inviting, very aromatic in the mouth, rich dried fruits, subtle hints of meadow flower honey. Medium bodied, tannins very low, delicate and smooth texture. Aromatics persistent in the taste; caraway seed lingers a bit. Finishes smooth.
No. 11. Poncini Domenico. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2008. Color: Dark garnet red. Aroma: Inviting aroma of very ripe black cherry, dark (prune) plums and apricots, with violets, aroma is fresh. Taste: smooth and inviting. I taste caraway seeds, forest honey, a touch of pepper, some hazelnuts; medium bodied; tannins are alive, yet smooth and I think it’s the spices that create this pleasant tannin taste; acidity very low but fruit lingers, spice also lingers in the finish, then smooth again.
Poncini Domenico
No. 12. Tenuta Montemagno. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2008 “Ruchè”. Color: Garnet red, and has a lovely light red shimmer. Aroma: a light over-ripe fruit aroma, complex, subtle notes of black wild cherry, blackberry and raspberry and white peaches; lovely touch of caraway seed, Taste: has a pleasant freshness, the tannins are low and quiet; medium body. Some spice, peppery notes linger at the end and it smooths out nicely.
No. 13. Crivelli Marco. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2007. Color: Dark garnet red with red reflections/shimmer. Color is rich and transparent. Aroma: Fruity, I smell ripe raspberry, plums and some white peach; sweet fragrance comes from the dried fruit. Taste: very smooth, tannins are medium, seems to have some black pepper and caraway seed too; sense some very subtle dark forest honey. Medium bodied. The spices linger to the very end. Finishes smooth with a delicate complexity of fruits, dried fruit and spices.
Tenuta Montemagno
No. 14. Ferraris Luca. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2007 “Opera Prima”. Color: Color is intense ruby red, dense, purple reflections. Aroma: light, mixture of black cherry, raspberry and blackberries, flowers. Taste: intensely fruity of dark fruits fruits, and dried apricots; has delicate freshness, medium-low bodied; the tannins are low with subtle spice-like refinement. Fruity aroma persistent even in the taste. Good length.
No. 15. La Mondianese. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC 2007. Color. Intense garnet red, dark deep orange reflections. Aroma: inviting, very fresh, pleasant and alive, notes of black cherry, dark plum and apricot. Taste: very smooth upon entry, the dried fruits of dark cherry and dark plum, and even dark forest honey, are complex and delicate. The tannins are quite low. Medium-light bodied. Spice notes are very faint. The finish is velvety and a bit short in the length..
No. 16. Cantina Sociale di Castagnole Monferrato – Vino Passito di Ruchè (no year indicated). Color: ruby red, with mahogany reflections. Taste: Very, very sweet; syrupy. Really, no tannins to speak of; I taste bits of orange too. I taste frutti di Bosco marmalade; heavy sweet, very aromatic finish. Definitely a dessert wine and for creating various types of desserts.
Note: I am still waiting to receive some logos /photos from producers; I plan to insert the images into the present article of all producers who submitted their wines in the “blind tasting”.
Impressions: The wines I tasted varied a bit in terms of aroma and taste. There were a number of wines I liked and all had intrinsic qualities which appealed to me. There were some wines which were in my opinion to be a near perfect Ruchè. The variations in body for example could be attributed to mineral composition; the type of earth in which the Ruchè variety grows ultimately imparts its characteristics into the wine. Types of soils found in the Ruchè production region area are marls (marna), calcareous clay (argilloso) and sandy loam(sabbioso). The differences will affect the aroma and the body of the wine. Overall the comprehensive terroir needs to be considered, such as both the mesoclimate of the region and the microclimate of a particular vineyard, which ultimately affect the interaction between the soil and the grape vines.
Landscape Near Castagnole Monferrato
Suggested food pairings with Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato: Cheeses highly recommended are the Piedmontese varieties of Robiola d’Alba, Robiola di Roccaverano, Castelmagno, Raschera and Grana. The types of first courses recommended: Agnolotti Monferrina (meat and vgetables filling), Agnolotti Moncalvo (rabbit meat filling). Agnolottis are Piedmontese ravioli-like stuffed pasta. Other pasta dishes recommended with Ruchè wine are Ravioli del Plin (hand-rolled pasta with meat & vegetable filling) and Ravioli di Burage (Borage filling). Ruchè wine pairs very well with Piedmontese Fritto Misto. Meats: Generally chicken and other domestic fowl, rabbit, white fish (trout). Excellent with wild game such as hare, venison and wild boar. Especially good with the Finanziera Piemontese (mixture of chicken, veal, beef tenderloin and chicken liver/giblets). Ruchè wine pairs quite well with the various Asian cuisine, in particular Indian dishes and Chinese Cantonese dishes; the Ruchè wine is excellent with such spicy dishes due to the wine’s complexity which includes nuances of caraway (cumin), pepper and other spices .
Declaration: My tasting notes have not been influenced by any person or company. I attended the Festa del Ruchè out of my own free will because I have a great interest and appreciation for Ruchè wine. Since I live in Piedmont it was quite convenient for me to travel to the wine tasting event. All the writing on this “Piemontèis Life” blog is derived from hands-on research, observations, talking to people, photography, and of course experiencing the wine itself here in Piedmont. I obviously give exposure to the wine and food cultures in Piedmont through my writings which appear on this blog. The Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOC (soon to be DOCG) wine is a pearl nestled in the Monferrato hills of Piedmont and deserves some attention.
Karin Susan Fester copyright © 2010 of the photos and tasting notes and manuscript. Photos and logos used in this article were obtained with permission from the wineries listed in this article.
Dott.ssa Karin Susan Fester, Ponzano Monferrato (AL)
La Mondianese
Wines for Blind Tasting
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Nice blog on the wonderful and rare Ruchè grape. But one thing surprises me: the lack of commentary on the discrepancy this varietal exhibits between the nose and the palate. Most wines demonstrate a connection between the nose and the palate– what you get in the aromas is likely to be amplfied, in greater or lesser degree, with what you taste. But Ruchè is quite unusual in this regard: the best ones I have tasted demonstrate a highly floral nose (geranium, rose) that on that level alone might make you wonder if there is a genetic connection with, say, Gamay… Only to reveal a surprising spiciness on the palate that is rarely in the nose (unless the wines is a few vintages old). Certainly NOT Gamay! Or any other varietal, now that I think of it. And not just black pepper notes, but more importantly, savory flavors of nutmeg and allspice. This makes the Ruchè a fine foil not only for cheeses, but especially for game, and for dishes invloving mushrooms and sometimes tartufi. I’d be interested to hear responses to my observations. Thanks for your blog!
Thanks for your comments. The terroir in the DOCG Ruchè cultivation areas vary (some more sand, or more clay etc) and that is why some have more fruity aromas than others and why there are variations in the taste. Some Ruchès have more floral essence than others. Ruchè is not a wine to be paired with white or black truffles. It seems many people think you can take any Italian wine and just pair it with truffles. No. For white truffles I recommend some Barbarescos (not all), but mostly Barolo. For black truffles I recommend Dolcetto (some, not all). Cheese…only certain types of cheese go well with Ruchè. I have experienced a wide variety of Ruchè wines, and that’s because I live here in the region and have had the opportunity to put them to a thorough taste test. When I do a thorough tasting evaluation it also will include pairing the wine with food. This is essential. The wine here is meant to go with food, not just for guzzling down. Piedmont offers the best wine and food pairing than any other region in Italy. The distinctive Piedmontese food dishes as they are created here are meant to be paired with a particular wine. Karin
I am very surprised that you did not pick up the intense floral aromas from this grape; although my wife also failed to detect it during a recent tasting; everyone else in the room found it quite noticeable.
The floral is very subtle and not intense, perhaps you do not know Ruchè very well. That is understandable since it is a rare wine. Also there can be some variation on aroma due to varying soil conditions in the Castagnole area. I know these variations very well, because I live here in the Monferrato.
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Thank you, happy you like my blog. I do not live so far away from the “land of the Ruchè”…often I drink a glass of this wonderful wine made from these rare grapes