MCF Rare Wine

Tenuta Monolo's Last Remaining Bramaterra

Today's offer is...well it's really exciting, first of all...

It's also the wine equivalent of the 'Ferrari in the Barn' story.

Teunta Monolo doesn't exist any more.  For decades, Umberto Gilodi, known as the 'Padre di Bramaterra' (since he spearheaded the effort to create the Bramaterra DOC in 1979) steadfastly produced classic Bramaterra Riservas using Nebbiolo, Uva Rara, Croatina and Vespolina from his organically-farmed vineyards surrounding the estate.

Oddly enough, though, since he was the driving force behind the creation behind the DOC, he decided never to sell his wines, as doing so would have been a conflict of interests in his mind.

So...we are now the beneficiaries of that decision.  Ernest Ifkovitz, importer of super cool Italian wines, discovered the remainder of the cellar last year and was able to purchase the entire thing.

We should all be grateful that he did.

Today, I'm offering three vintages from this first wave to hit the US shores and they're yummy to say the least.

These wines are time capsules.  They represent a time when Alto Piemonte was all but forgotten.  They're also the only Bramaterra from this time period that were organically produced.

Mostly, though, they're just REALLY, REALLY DELICIOUS wines that are fully mature at a price ($49) that is pretty ridiculous considering what you're getting in terms of age and quality.

Unlike a place like Scarpa that continues to produce wines, though, these delightful wines will be gone forever once this cellar has been depleted.

Don't miss out on 'em...

TENUTA MONOLO (organic)
BRAMATERRA RISERVA 1991
This is certainly the densest and most evolved of the three wines.  The fruits are dark and chewy and there is some wonderfully pungent earthy, tarry nuance here.  Even though it's pretty soft and forward, there is still plenty of structure hiding on the finish.  Delicious!

BRAMATERRA RISERVA 1996
I'll be up-front here, this wine is my favorite of the lineup right now.  Those of you who know '96 in Piedmont probably know why.  This wine is sturdy, energetic and blazingly bright, with an intoxicating nose of flowery Nebbiolo that is tugged in every direction by the darkness of the Uva and Croatina and by the vigor of the Vespolina.  It's pretty damned good right now, but there is no rush on it.  As you can imagine, this is the one I bought the most of.

BRAMATERRA RISERVA 2004
Here we have another beauty that combines the dark depth of the 1991 with the balance and agility of the 1996.  It leans decidedly to the red fruit side of the aisle and it has wonderful texture, depth and structure to the profile.  Oddly enough, it's in a place right now that in some ways feels more mature than the 1996.  I think, though, that that's more a result of it's fantastic symmetry, because it still has plenty of living to do, and I believe it will ultimately will be the best of the three!

PLEASE NOTE: I recommend decanting all of these for at least an hour before serving.

These wines arrive Wednesday 9/20.

All quantities are extremely limited!


Matt Franco

MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street
New York 10011
mcf@mcf-rarewine.com
212.255.8870
www.mcf-rarewine.com