Famiglia Anselma, Piedmont
Good but few' is Maurizio's assessment of the wines from 1995 as hail in August heavily reduced the potential yield, but a warm, dry October allowed the remaining grapes to reach their full potential. The Adasi, whilst characteristically well-structured, is perhaps softer than more recent vintages with delicate floral and menthol aromas and a touch of the farmyard on both nose and palate.
The Famiglia Anselma estate
Famiglia Anselma is appropriately named, with Giovanna and Renato working in the vineyards and winery respectively and their son Maurizio out front, tirelessly championing the estate's credo of 'Barolo e nientÂ’altro' (Barolo and nothing else). The Anselma Family have 80 hectares of prime vineyards in Monforte d'Alba, Serralunga and Barolo, making them one of the largest landowners in the region. Unusually they make no cru wines, preferring to blend grapes from only the best performing sites each vintage to represent the house style which is essentially mid-weight but impressively structured (maceration times often being the lengthiest of any producer in the region). The reserve wine, Adasi, comes exclusively from the Ravera and Le Coste vineyards of Monforte and sees an extra year's oak ageing (hence the name - meaning slowly). The Estate is in the finishing stages of a monumental construction project, building a spectacular castle-winery near to Castello delle Volta, only using only masonry and old timbers from the area. Ever a highlight of our Piemonte wine tour, Maurizio has promised that all those who visit the winery with us will be invited back for the party to celebrate its completion.