The Wines of Tenuta Rocca di Montemassi
Pronounced row kah dee monty mah see (I know it is a mouthful when you don’t speak “dog”, or Italian like my Dad, Ed). This beautiful estate lies in the heart of Toscana in Maremma, which was once home to metal mining. In the middle of the vineyards at the estate lies a monument to 43 metal miners who were lost in an explosion in 1954. 43 Cyprus trees are planted in their memory next to a sculpture of the rail cars that carried the metal out of the hills. These rich soils in Tuscany now produce world class wines. The Zonin family owns the estate, which was in disrepair until 1998 when they purchased it. The winery is 12 miles from the coast and consists of over 1,000 acres- nearly half planted to fruit in this hot climate.
There are abundant olive trees on the property, which sits in the Province of Grosseto, a guest house, and the Museum of Rural Civilization; exhibiting everything from farming to cooking tools of centuries ago.
Here at the store we are featuring two great wines that we sampled recently. The white- Rocca di Montemassi “Calasole” is 100% estate grown Vermentino, very dry with good acidity, floral notes and delicate spice. This wine would go great with seafood or light chicken dishes, or as an aperitif. I give it three bones!
The red wine we are featuring is Rocca di Montemassi’s “Le Focaie”, an IGT wine made from 100% Sangiovese. Ruby red in color with bright cherry fruit, violets and wild berries, with a soft, velvety finish. The Le Focai is aged in large oak barrels, and as winemaker Stefano Ferrante describes, the wine truly “captures the place in the bottle”. I give it three bones too! This wine would be delicious with veal dishes or red sauce, aged cheeses and olives… I could go on.
The winemaker has been working with the Dean of Enology from the University of Bordeaux, Professor Dubourdieu, and their collaboration is bringing some new French varietals to the Estate at Rocca di Montemassi, which we will be featuring soon. In the meantime, stop in and give me a pat on the head, or a scratch behind the ears, and check out the new vintage featured wines from this grand Tuscan estate.
By Brunello Giancola as told to CRBrown