Reading
the label, it tells us that this wine is from the Lanari winery and that it is
from the Rosso Conero DOC. This
label does not indicate the vintage, the national origin, the alcohol content
OR the legally required indication that it contains sulfites. Technically,
although this may the face of the bottle you may see on the shelf at the wine shop,
it really isn’t the front label. By law, the front label is required to
indicate the producer, the vintage, the origin, the alcohol content and the
warning that it contains sulfites. The back label then is legally the front
label that is submitted to the TBB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) for approval before it can
be imported. By putting the technical and legal information on the “back” and
submitting it as if it were the front label wineries can use the same label
design with the company brand logo every year without ever changing anything on
it since it does not indicate the vintage. They then can submit an inexpensive
generic label with all the legally required information at a much cheaper
price. This is one way to save a lot of money on production costs. Here then is
the “back” label (which is the legal front label) with the required data:
While this label contains the required legal data (alcohol
is 14%, contains sulfites, product of Italy, produced by Lanari) the label does
not tell us WHAT kind of grape is in the bottle UNLESS you already know what grape(s)
typically go into Rosso Conero. All that you know is that it is a red wine. The
word “Vendemmia” in Italian means “harvest” which indicates the vintage - 2010.
So, if you pick up a bottle that on which the front label
looks pretty but it doesn’t tell you this information check out the “back”
label. If you don’t know what Rosso Conero is made of, then ask the wine-geek
(sommelier) who works at the store or restaurant or search the web with your
smart phone.
Rosso Conero DOC
Rosso Conero is DOC a wine appellation in the
central part of the Marche region of Italy just south of Ancona on the slopes
of Monte Conero near the Adriatic coast.
If Italy was a booted leg, Marche would
probably be located on the calf muscle. It is the homeland of the family of the
famous Napa Valley pioneer Robert Mondavi.
The name Conero comes from the Greek
name Komaròs, the strawberry
tree (cane apple) which
is an evergreen shrub or small tree commonly present on the slopes of the
mountain. The name was then transliterated into “conero” in Italian.[1]
At more than 1,800 feet above sea level, Monte Conero is the highest coastal
point between Venice and Puglia, it has calcareous soils it provides an ideal microclimate for ripening red grapes.
The red wine made here must consist of at least
85% Montepulciano and the remaining 15% is usually Sangiovese. Montepulciano is a red Italian wine grape variety, rarely seen in California,
and it should not be confused with the similarly named Tuscan wine Vino Nobile
di Montepulciano, which is made from predominantly Sangiovese and is named for
the village it is produced in, rather than for containing any Montepulciano
grapes in the blend. Montepulciano likely originated in Tuscany and may be
related to Sangiovese which is the reason the two grapes are often confused for
each other. However, despite being widely planted throughout central Italy, the
Montepulciano grape is not even grown in the vineyards around the village of
Montepulciano.[2]
The Rosso Conero was one of the first wines to obtain the Designation
of Origin (DOC) with the decree of the President of the Republic of 21 July
1967. Since 2004, there has also
been a Riserva under the name of Conero DOCG.
Lanari Winery
The Estate Lanari was founded about thirty years ago by Leardo
Lanari. The original six acres was then expanded under the
management of the his son Luke and his wife Paola. The winery is
located in Varano on the promontory of Conero Natural Park, south-east of
Ancona, on the hills overlooking the Adriatic Sea, the typical area of Rosso
Conero. For the 2010 vintage the Lanari family utilized the winemaking
skills of Giancarlo Soverchia, one of the most
well-known winemakers of the Adriatic coast. For the 2012 harvest, the company
hired consulting winemaker Roberto Potentini.
The Wine
The 2010 Rosso Conero DOC “Lanari”
Classic is a blend of 90% Montepulciano and 10% Sangiovese. It is a ruby red wine with
some purple tints. On the nose it exudes aromas of fresh cherries followed by
dried herbs, a touch of anise and a hint of white pepper. On the palate it is vibrant
with medium to medium+ acidity, medium body and silky medium tannins. It
is a delicious everyday wine that would pair well with any typical Italian
dinner (Pizza, Spaghetti, Calzone etc.) and it sells retail for around $20 (I
brought one home) at wine shops such as The Vine at Bridges in Danville, California.
To visit or for more information:
The Vine at Bridges
480 Hartz Ave
Danville, CA 94526
Phone: 1-925-820-7210
Wine Bar Hours
Sunday:
12 (noon) - 7pm
Monday:
5 - 9pm
Tuesday
- Wednesday: 4 - 10pm
Thursday
- Saturday: 4 pm - 12:00 am
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Conero
[2] Jancis Robinson, Vines,
Grapes and Wines (Alfred
A. Knopf, New York; First Edition edition, 1986),
212.
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