2015 Fabio Motta le Gonnare Bolgheri Superiore Review And Tasting Notes
The Bolgheri Superiore 2015 le Gonnare by Fabio Motta is a rich and sumptuous wine, a classic Bolgheri wine that focuses on fruit intensity, structure and spices. It is an important wine not only because it is produced in limited quantities and with great attention, but also for the very simple reason that it represents a small cru, a well-defined area, precisely the “Le Gonnare” vineyard, hence the name.
And it is the unique characteristics of these soils that make this wine special, given that limestone-rich clay soils are ideal for a slow and gradual maturation of Merlot because we had not yet told you, this Bolgheri 2015 le Gonnare is a Merlot with a 15% of Syrah. And what a Merlot! It is certainly among the most interesting wines in the Bolgheri area, thanks to a beautiful austerity, not the usual fruity ruffle bomb that sinks into the jam. Very rare fact for the Bolgheri Merlot, always very stylized and too muscular.
It comes from a scrupulous selection of the best bunches, ferments with indigenous yeasts and after malolactic fermentation spends 18 months in barriques and 12 in bottles. The result is still a wine in the making, very young, it has a long way to go, it is not a wine to drink immediately, however, the finesse, the general cleanliness and the vigorous tannins are all clues that confirm us the goodness and the solidity of the wine.
The bouquet of Bolgheri superior 2015 the Gonnare by Fabio Motta
Dark nose with small berries in spirit, sweet spices, still a lot of wood that dominates, but with 7-8 years of aging it will be able to integrate it perfectly. What distinguishes this Merlot, however, is the Mediterranean maquis, the iodized hints and the splendid aromas of woods, of roots, up to a licorice finish. Amazing variety, even if it is still too rich, a little too convulsive, but it is youth, nothing that with bottle refinement can settle down.
What does the Bolgheri Superiore 2015 le Gonnare by Fabio Motta tast like?
In the mouth it is ample and sumptuous, the fruit is warm, punctuated by powerful tannins that are innervated throughout the wine, characterizing it with a very decisive flavor. It has an excellent acid progression (orange and tomato), always in harmony with a marine flavor that illuminates the wine with sudden strokes of light.
Do not expect the usual hyper-mature and muscular Merlot, this is wiry, but sculpted by tannins, flavor and kicking acidity. As a concept of Merlot is commendable, this is a wine that fully represents the potential of elegance of Merlot, so we can only consider it a great wine, one of the most representative Merlot of Bolgheri Valley. The 2015 vintage was sensational, rainy first and then dominated by a hot summer, which allowed a perfect polyphenolic maturation: the result is a great wine, a Merlot made without hurry and not drugged by wood.
The wood is still not (perfectly) integrated, it is grumpy, it is still looking for its balance, so it’s far from the right harmony, but it would be a tragedy if a Merlot of this caliber was already ready in 2019, it would have a very short life. On the contrary, the Bolgheri Superiore 2015 Le Gonnare by Fabio Motta has just started its journey and, also considering the very advantageous price, deserves a place of honor in your cellar for the next 20 years.
Bolgheri Superiore 2015 the Gonnare by Fabio Motta food pairings
This red wine is intense, tannic, powerful and deserves succulent and equally demanding preparations: baked lasagna, black truffle risotto, passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger.