Cantine Luigi Viola | Moscato Passito Calabria | Case of Six 50cl 2007

PV Tasting Notes

Biodynamically grown within the area of Pollino National Park, lovely golden bronze in colour, the aromatics are a pure delight, quince jelly, orange peel, honey, toffee and smoky yellow plums. This is an outrageous sweet wine, full bodied; a panoply of apricots, peaches, grapefruit, dried fig, vanilla cream, honey and sweet earl grey tea, regale the palate. Intensely rich, yet it maintains an unreal precision, impeccably balanced and magnificently concentrated. The texture is....extravagant, impressive, elegant and graceful, it reminds me the finest Tokay Essenzia of yesteryear. This wine was basically resurrected by Luigi Viola, who was sorry to see that the Moscato di Saracena of his ancestors was being progressively reduced to a local phenomenon, and would have disappeared entirely once the remaining old-timers still making it passed from the scene. Should drink well for many decades.

I had the opportunity to taste both the 2006 and 2007 vintages, the 2007 was my choice, rather stupidly I only ordered 120 bottles, I say stupidly because sweet wines are difficult to sell. I adored this but being realistic 20 cases of six seemed more than enough. On returning to the UK I found out the 2006 vintage, was awarded 95 points by Ian D’Agata on Steve Tanzer’s web site, and he is notoriously prudent with his ratings. Both this and the 2006 have been awarded Tre Bicchieri from the Gambero Rosso and the rumour is that it will also win the Champion sweet wine of Italy, I found out on my return the 2006 won the best sweet wine of Italy last year. Produced in 50cl bottles, I do believe if this were a better known name it would be selling for a lot more money than it is.

It's a sipping wine that goes well with desserts and is great with blue cheese.

The Saracen Muscat is an elegant and delicious dinner wine for meditation that is produced only in this country with an ancient procedure provides for separate vinification of Muscat grapes obtained from vines and other native grapes. The must vinifying Guarnaccia and Malvasia grapes is concentrated to increase the sugar content, while its aroma and special taste comes muscatel grapes, dried collection and a few weeks before harvest. The dried muscatel grapes are sorted, crushed and then manually added to the must (first pressing) concentrate.
After a long, slow fermentation has a sweet amber colour with golden reflections, intense aroma and flavour of honey, dried figs, exotic fruit.