WTN: Trentino - Wines of Eugenio Rosi and Gino Pedrotti

May 4, 2012 – Trentino Tasting – Eugenio Rosi and Gino Pedrotti, Vintages, Belmont, MA

Thank you to the staff of Vintages, and to Jeannie Rogers of Adonna Imports, for organizing this highly interesting event. We had the opportunity to try a number of wines from two of the producers whose wines Jeannie brings in, namely Eugenio Rosi and Gino Pedrotti - both from Trentino. Overall, I was quite pleased with these wines, which continue to demonstrate that Trentino is more than capable of competing with the better-known Alto Adige. I definitely hope to try more from both of these producers in the future.

2010 Gino Pedrotti Nosiola IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Moderately full-bodied, bone dry, rich, well balanced, with moderate acidity. Mineral, lightly floral, with pear, green apple, and fresh honey notes. Very good/excellent.

2010 Gino Pedrotti Schiava Nera IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Schiava frequently gets something of a bad rap, but I've had several very pleasant wines from this family of grapes. Light in weight, fresh, well balanced, with moderate acidity. Quite pretty, with strawberry, herbal, almond, and mineral notes. Very good.

2008 Eugenio Rosi “Anisos” IGT Vallagarina
A blend of 60% Pinot Blanc, 20% Nosiola, and 20% Chardonnay. Smoky nose. Medium-bodied, bone dry, nicely balanced, focused, with stone fruit, apple, mineral, and lightly floral notes. Very good, and could eventually be even better.

2009 Eugenio Rosi Marzemino “Poiema” IGT Vallagarina
Made from 70% fresh and 30% dried grapes. Moderately full-bodied, dry, well –balanced, with a ripasso-like dried fruit character, and fresh, pure, black cherry and blueberry fruit. Smooth, rich, with some rosy aromas. Excellent.

2007 Eugenio Rosi “Esegesi” IGT Vallagarina
The “Esegesi” is always a field blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. This is medium to full-bodied, with cherries and earth on the nose, and flavors of crème de cassis, plums, paprika, and minerals. Nicely balanced, with sweet, supple tannins. Excellent; still has way to go.

2006 Eugenio Rosi “Esegesi” IGT Vallagarina
An interesting contrast to the 2007, this one is a bit lighter in weight and texture; more elegant, drier, still rich; starting to hit its plateau. Shows minerals and currants on the nose, and tastes of mixed berries, cherries, crème de cassis. Excellent.

NV Eugenio Rosi Cabernet Franc “7 Otto Nove” IGT Vallagarina
A blend of grapes from Villa de Eccher vineyard from the 2007, 2008, and 2009 vintages; hence the name “7 Otto Nove”. Nose of dark fruits, chili, and bell peppers. Full-bodied, quite concentrated, silky, nicely balanced; despite the richness and lushness, the alcohol is an even 14%. Shows notes of plums, dark berries, violets, herbs, and spices on the palate. Excellent.

2006 Eugenio Rosi Marzemino Vendemmia Tardiva “Dòron” IGT Vallagarina
From 500 ml bottle. Fresh, moderately sweet, very concentrated, yet well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Shows notes of currants, cherries, dark berries, spices, and peaches. Excellent.

Thanks, Andrew...very nice notes from an area that's very sadly underappreciated.
Schiava: I've only had maybe 15-20 different Schiavas over the yrs from Trentino. My take on the variety is that
it's rather like GC Beaujolais/Gamay; but a bit more earthiness (like Loire CabFranc), bit lighter in character, not quite
the aromatics. How would you go about characterizing it?
Marzemino: This is a grape that I absolutely love...as well as some guy named Mozart!! I just love the aromatics,
a bit like Brachetto or Freisa. It's made in a range of styles that intrigue me. Wish they had this planted in Calif.
Thanks again for the notes, Andrew.
Tom

Thanks, Andrew...very nice notes from an area that's very sadly underappreciated.
Schiava: I've only had maybe 15-20 different Schiavas over the yrs from Trentino. My take on the variety is that
it's rather like GC Beaujolais/Gamay; but a bit more earthiness (like Loire CabFranc), bit lighter in character, not quite
the aromatics. How would you go about characterizing it?
Marzemino: This is a grape that I absolutely love...as well as some guy named Mozart!! I just love the aromatics,
a bit like Brachetto or Freisa. It's made in a range of styles that intrigue me. Wish they had this planted in Calif.
Thanks again for the notes, Andrew.
Tom

Hi Tom -

I agree with your take on Schiava for the most part, having had about 10-12 of them myself. Usually, I get some almond notes with it, sometimes some minerality, floral notes, and/or alpine characteristics; along with red fruit flavors. I am still trying to get a feel for some of the regional differences between Schiava from St. Magdalener, Lago di Caldaro, and Trentino. There are also a number of subvarieties out there, like Schiava Gentile, Schiava Grigia, and Schiava Piccola.
Although there is a lot of Schiava grown in Württemberg under than name Trollinger, I have never been able to find any to try. Have you ever had any from there?

Also agree with you on Marzemino - it is a grape that I will need to look out for more often.

I agree with your take on Schiava for the most part, having had about 10-12 of them myself. Usually, I get some almond notes with it, sometimes some minerality, floral notes, and/or alpine characteristics; along with red fruit flavors. I am still trying to get a feel for some of the regional differences between Schiava from St. Magdalener, Lago di Caldaro, and Trentino. There are also a number of subvarieties out there, like Schiava Gentile, Schiava Grigia, and Schiava Piccola.
Although there is a lot of Schiava grown in Württemberg under than name Trollinger, I have never been able to find any to try. Have you ever had any from there?
Also agree with you on Marzemino - it is a grape that I will need to look out for more often.

Yup. As you know, Andrew, Wurrtemburg wines are hard to find in this country. I've had maybe 4-5 of them over the yrs,
though none in the last 5 or so. Underwhelmed by pretty much all of them. Much prefer the Trentino version.
Tom