Carlin
de Paolo wines are four generations of grape growing and winemaking
by the Ponte family of Piemonte. Jeancarlo and David, two brothers
and the current winemakers, learned the trade from their father
Franco, who learned it from his father Carlin, who learned from his
father, Paolo, the man who started it all.In
the early 1910s Paolo, at the time a recently married young man,
planted his first vines in the rolling hills of Asti, just before
WWI. He had always dreamed of growing grapes and his dream was
finally happening. Unfortunately for Paolo the war began and the
Germans rolled their tanks through those hills and decimated his
vines. But luckily his young family survived and he was able to plant
again.
All
seemed to be going well for a couple of decades. Paolo's estate began
to grow in acreage and his young family was growing as well. His son
Carlin was grown, now helping his father in the vineyards and
starting a family of his own. But fate was not on the Ponte's side as
WWII broke out and the Germans, yet again, rolled through the hills
of Piemonte, destroying their land.
The
family forged on and, once the smoke had cleared, put all of their
money back into the land. Paolo, now an older man, continued to work
the vines with his son Carlin, and now grandson Franco. And as they
say, the third time's the charm. There was no WWIII so the Ponte
estate grew and grew, and today they have acreage through Asti, Alba,
Barolo and Barbaresco.
As an homage to their
great-grandfather's unyielding spirit, Jeancarlo and David have
depicted Paolo on the front of every bottle of their family's wines.
In his ripped trousers and worn-in hat, Paolo marches through the
grey muck of life with a clenched fist and open heart, resulting in
the beautiful red soil of his land behind him.
Carlin
de Paolo "Il Giullare" 2013 Rosé Barbera $19.95 [301712]
Gorgeous
salmon-colored rosé. The nose is filled with tropical fruits,
mango, papaya, pineapple, a touch of minerality, floral notes and a
hint of spice. Very lush. The palate continues the theme of
lushness with excellent viscosity and richness; yet, this wine is
very dry. The fresh, forward fruits give an illusion of sweetness
while lending their flavors: nectarine, tangerine, wild cherries.
Créme fraiche in the background, spring fruits in the finish with
background musings of hibiscus and melon. Move over, south of
France, there's a new contender in town. Perfect fit for the warm
weather we've been having lately.
Carlin
de Paolo 2012 Piemonte Grignolino $17.98 [301708]
Tasted
chilled. Very peppery and spicy in the nose with equal parts red
berry and red plum. Hints of warmer brown baking spices in the
background. Dry in the mouth, the fruit's brightness (red berries,
razzberry, red plum) is exceedingly attractive and pleasurable,
melded with notes of Italian hillside/garrique. Mid-palate flashes
of sweetness lead to a mostly dry finish with excellent echoes of of
the mixed red fruits from nose and palate. Rather refreshing having
this one chilled and would definitely recommend for the hot months
and casual meals.
Carlin
de Paolo 2012 Barbera d'Asti $19.95 [301702]
Notes
of cherry/raspberry, dark spices and dark florals, cherry cola,
vanilla, red licorice. Nice balance of fruits, slight earthiness and
nice spice. The palate, again, is lush with mixed wild berries
(blueberry, loganberry, raspberry) sending shoots of sweetness that
are checked by excellent levels of tannin and acidity. Very
harmonious, balanced wine. The mid-palate continues with mixed
fruits and spices, sweetness tempered by structure, adding a touch of
smoke, as the finish of berry fruits lasts and lasts.
Carlin
de Paolo Cisterna d'Asti 100% Croatina (Bonarda)
$29.95 [301706]
We
finished our Carlin de Paolo mini-tasting of four wines with this
100% Croatina Cisterna d'Asti, and what a treat it was. Fans of
Cabernet Sauvignon should give this one a try as the fruits and
tannins of Cab have some similarities to Croatina (Bonarda). The nose is
rich and sexy: earthy strawberry, wood, mixed brown spices, tea leaf.
In the mouth, it's rounded and viscous (an excellent theme with
Carlin de Paolo that we enjoyed); the solid fruit flavors of mixed
red berries (both cherry and cranberry stood out), the excellent
tannins kept the fruit from becoming heavy, leading to a mid-palate
and finish that added blackberry, strawberries and a light earthy
minerality.
