Description
Ca’ La Bionda, “Bianco del Casal”
Speaking of a wine requiring an extra push (see this morning’s offer if you don’t know what I’m talking about), I’m tempted to type up this offer in ALL CAPS. That’s how hyped I am for Ca’ La Bionda’s “Bianco del Casal.” For so long, only a small handful of Italian white wines have been considered “world-class” by my sommelier peers. I tended to agree with them, but, as I’ve been insisting for a while now, Italian whites are very much on the rise. Bianco del Casal, a blend of Garganega and Trebbiano, is Exhibit A, and I’m not the only one who thinks so.
Everyone on the SommSelect team was blown away by this wine, proclaiming it every inch as good as the many white Burgundies we were tasting at the same time. It is a dense, mineral, structured white that wouldn’t be out of place in Chassagne-Montrachet since it hails from similar clay/limestone soils in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico. In terms of the grape varieties used and the location of the vineyards, the obvious analog would be Soave (the appellation right next door), but—and I’m sorry, Soave—that just doesn’t cut it. This is a white that ranks in Italy’s very top tier, alongside proven greats like Valentini’s Trebbiano, Villa Bucci’s Verdicchio, and Marisa Cuomo’s “Fiorduva.” There. I said it. I’m certain you will agree. There are less than 100 bottles in America…
Although I already sang the praises of Ca’ La Bionda earlier today, I’ll repeat the vital stats:
The estate is headquartered in Marano, the epicenter of the Valpolicella Classico region. It was founded in 1902 by Pietro Castellani and is now run by the fourth generation of the same family, which includes brothers Alessandro (winemaker) and Nicola (viticulturist) Castellani. Their vineyards extend across 29 hectares of hillsides in the shadow of the Lessini Mountains, which are part of the eastern Alps (and form part of a natural border with the Trentino region). At the western edge of the Valpolicella Classico are the Adige River and Lake Garda, with vineyards spread over the hills of the Fumane, Marano, and Negrar Valleys, all of which run south to the Adige, which makes an abrupt turn east at Verona on its way to the Adriatic.
For their tiny-production “Bianco del Casal,” the Castellanis source old-vine Garganega and Trebbiano from the “Ravazzol” hillside, an unofficial cru in the Marano Valley. And while they don’t specify, the Trebbiano in question is likely Trebbiano di Soave, which is distinct from the Trebbiano d’Abruzzo of Valentini fame (Trebbiano di Soave is, in fact, genetically identical to Verdicchio). Only “free run” juice, the product of the gentlest possible pressing, is fermented in 228-liter French oak barrels, after which the wine ages in barrel, in contact with its fine lees, for 10 months.
The result is a white that is at once creamy/textured and taut/mineral (a description likely familiar to die-hard white Burgundy drinkers). In the glass, it displays a pale yellow-gold core moving to a silvery rim, with reductive and tantalizingly smoky aromas of yellow apple, Anjou pear, anise, white flowers, clotted cream, and wet rocks. It is a muscular, serious, high-impact white—medium-plus in body and spring-loaded with acidity. Serve it now and over the next five years (yes, it will absolutely improve with age, which is not something said often about Italian whites) in large Burgundy stems at 50 degrees. Pair it with some Venetian-style fried soft-shell crabs for maximum authenticity, and prepare to be blown away!
