February 2000
Borgo Magredo Pinot Grigio - A Spectator Best Buy
We got a "sneak preview" of the 2/29/00 issue of the WINE SPECTATOR and we discovered that the Borgo Magredo 1998 Pinot Grigio received an 87 and a "BEST BUY". This great value product is $9.99 to $10.99 on the shelf and with a rating of 87 it is an absolutely irresistible value. We are delighted that the Spectator has supported the message that we have been spreading throughout the country about the Borgo Magredo line of wines and single vineyard varietals. The Spectator said: "Beautiful freshness of mineral, honey and apple defines this white from Northeast Italy. It's medium in body, with lively acidity and a long mineral finish. Very good indeed, and won't strain your pocketbook." Borgo Magredo is the largest estate in Friuli and its products are clearly among the best values in the Italian wine world.
1999 Harvest News
1. Umani Ronchi reports that the Verdicchio grape had a long maturation, with high concentrations of sugar, acids and aromatic substances. This translates into an excellent vintage for Verdicchio. In some cases, they harvested grapes with more than 14% alcohol level. Among the red varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot portend an excellent quality. The Montepulciano harvest needed more time to acquire the coloring and other chemical substances, but the first results are very promising. Compared to the 1998 vintage, the production of Rosso Conero was about the same quantity. On the other hand the Verdicchio production was reduced due to the hail in May in some areas.
2. Piero Totis from the estates of Borgo Magredo and Torre Rosazza is happy to report that 1999 was overall the best harvest in the history of both estates. He reports that the addition of one of Italy's top enologists, Donato Lanati, produced immediate positive results in the vineyards. The Borgo Magredo production rose to another level and the white wines have shown a very integrated acidity level and more complex structure. Lanati's participation has revolutionized the red wines, in particular, with intense color, great structure, fruity bouquet and an elimination of the "herbaceous" flavor of past harvests. Similar results were demonstrated with the Torre Rosazza harvest.
3. Sebastiano de Corato from the Rivera estate in Puglia reports that the white grape varieties, such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon, reached good maturity. The grapes were in perfect condition for harvesting mostly due to the efforts of the agronomists on the staff that monitored the vineyards to prevent the onset of diseases to the vines. The red grape harvest went very well, reaching an ideal balance between sugar, acids, polyphenals, and tannins. Because the red grapes from this area of Puglia are late harvested, they avoided the early rains during July and August that damaged red grapes in the South of Puglia. Sebastiano concludes that the harvest was generally satisfactory for both red and white wines. The white wines are showing very good ripeness and fruit while the red wines have a very good structure balanced by soft tannins.
