Frascati is one of the classic Roman white wines, made from vineyards in the Alban Hills overlooking Rome. If you have eaten in a Roman trattoria you may well be familiar with it, because it's commonly set out by the pitcher, and does a fine job of accompanying quickly cooked Roman dishes. You may have found it to be rather simple, and much Frascati is. However, when made with care it is quite graceful, and very pleasant to drink. I tasted through quite a bit of Frascati this spring, and here are the wines that impressed me the most.
Alma Vini Conte Jacopo Frascati Superiore DOC 2007
Pale brassy yellow with brassy reflections. The bouquet is delicate, with minerality mingled with some heather and clean bitterness with underlying acidity. On the palate it0s full, with rich honey-laced very ripe apricot fruit that gives way to mineral warmth with a long warm acidic burr. Quite nice, and will work very well as an aperitif or with fish, and also with quickly cooked meats. Worth seeking out.Score: 88-90
Cantina Villa Franca Couvage Frascati Superiore DOC 2007
This undergoes slight cryomaceration prior to fermentation; the wine is brassy white with brilliant brassy reflections, and has a deft bouquet with clean minerality laced with savory accents and slight hints of banana. On the palate it's ample and bright, with white berry fruit and savory apricot fruit supported by clean bitter acidity that flows into a clean bitter finish. It displays considerably more depth than the basic wine, and will work very well with fish, or with creamy white meats, and has the capacity to age well for a number of years. Worth seeking out.Score: 88-90
Villa Simone Vigneto Filonardi Frascati Superiore DOC 2006
Pale brassy gold with greenish reflections. The bouquet is fairly intense, with pungent minerality laced with gunflint and some hints of caramel, and some sea salt. On the palate it's full, and bright, with pleasant minerality mingled with citric accents that flow into a clean citric finish with some apricot overtones, and minerality. Pleasant, displaying considerable finesse, and will drink very well with foods, though I might also be tempted to sip it far from the table. Worth seeking out.Score: 88
Principe Pallavicini Poggio Verde Frascati Superiore DOC 2007
This undergoes cryomaceration prior to fermentation, as well as 2 months on the lees subsequent to it with battonage. It had just been bottled when I tasted it, and had a rich bouquet with delicious apple mingled with ripe banana, which is an effect of the battonage; I would expect it to have gained minerality with time, because on the palate it's pleasingly full, with considerable glycerine -- another effect of battonage -- mingled with citric minerality that flows into a warm lemony finish with pleasing hints of licorice that are again an effect of the winemaking technique. It's deft, and will be quite nice as an aperitif or with fish or white meats.Score: 88
San Marco Crio 8 Frascati Superiore Secco DOC 2007
This is called Crio 8 because all the grapes cryomacerate for 8 hours. It's pale brassy yellow with slight pinkish highlights and brassy reflections. The bouquet is bright, with deft minerality supported by white peach fruit and some floral accents. Pleasant. On the palate it's full, with bright minerality laced with some citric acidity that flows into a clean mineral finish. Again pleasant, and will drink well with a wide range of foods, from pasta with red sauces through fish and quickly cooked white meats. Expect the bottle to go quickly.Score: 87
Castel De Paolis Frascati Superiore DOC 2006
Pale brassy yellow with brassy reflections and white rim. The bouquet is rich and quite mineral with heather and some faintly lemony acidity. On the palate it's full and rich, with fairly intense lemony fruit that gains depth from hoppy greenness and flows into a clean fairly long mineral finish. Quite pleasant, and will drink well with antipasti, egg-based dishes, and quickly cooked lighter meats, for example Saltimbocca. Worth seeking out.Score: 86-7
Casale Vallechiesa Vallechiesa Frascati Superiore 2007
This is a vineyard selection made from Malvasia Bianca di Candia, Trebbiano Toscano, and Malvasia del Lazio, with 30% Greco and Bombino. It's pale brassy yellow with brassy reflections and has a delicate bouquet with white flowers mingled with minerality and some savory accents. Nice balance and pleasing freshness. On the palate it's bright, with tart minerality that flows into a clean mineral finish; it's pleasant and will drink very well with rich pasta dishes or quickly cooked meats - I found it growing upon me and would be happy to seek it out.Score: 85-6
