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Tina and Brett
When they were teenagers in their native Friuli, winemaker Enrico Bertoz and his wife, Letizia Pauletto, vowed never to get involved in the wine industry. They worked a single harvest together at a local winemaker’s vineyard, which was enough – or so they thought.
Shortly after that first harvest experience, Enrico began working with a family friend, who also happened to be Italy’s most prolific grappa producer, Nonino Distillery. It seems Enrico found working in the distillery a little more palatable than his time in the vineyard, and it was through his relationship with the Nonino family that he made this journey to the United States and secured a job in the cellar at Valentino, a restaurant in Santa Monica.
Working the cellar at Valentino, Enrico was exposed to a number of American wines – wines and styles of wines he had yet to hear of, but there was one bottle in particular that caught his attention: a 1994 Queen of Spades from Sine Qua Non. 1994 also happens to be the first vintage of this cult Syrah-dominant Rhône blend.
Enrico was so intrigued by the wines of Sine Qua Non, I mean, who isn’t – they’re fabulous – that he contacted Manfred Krankl to learn more about his methods. After several unsuccessful attempts, Manfred finally allowed Enrico to work a harvest at the Ventura-area winery.
In an interview with wine writer Antonio Galloni in Vinuous, Enrico describes the profound influence that working under Manfred had on him.
He says of the experience, “…the stint at Sine Qua Non, that’s what really opened up my mind. It showed me something – that this guy, out of a warehouse, could turn out the kinds of wines he was turning out. His attention to detail and precision was everything for me then. He showed me that where there’s a will, there’s a way. He’s the one who convinced me to ‘give it a shot.’”
Enrico ultimately worked two harvests at Sine Qua Non, and Arbe Garbe Wines was created a few years later, in 2007.
Pagani Ranch Vineyard
Winemakers around California adore working with grapes from Pagani Ranch Vineyard. This historic vineyard was originally planted in 1900 by Italian immigrant turned winemaker Felice Pagani.
As was the style of the time, the vineyard was planted with a field mix of black and white grapes. Felice planted everything from Zinfandel to Alicante Bouschet, Muscadelle, Mourvedre, and, of course, Tocai Friulano. The theory behind this mixed planting was that if one varietal had a poor year, the grower would rely on the other grapes to supplement the weaker vintage in other varieties.
Today, a number of California’s most popular wineries produce wines from Pagani Ranch. You’ve likely heard of Ridge Wine’s famous interpretation of their Pagani Ranch Zinfandel, which has been produced since 1991.
Catie’s Corner
Convincing growers to plant their land to varieties outside of reliably in-demand grapes like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon can be difficult, especially on land as valuable as Sonoma’s Russian River. Still, Enrico and Letizia managed to do just that when they spoke to Saralee Kundee about Malvasia Bianca.
Saralee and Richard Kunde’s 200-acre ranch was already planted with over a dozen grape varieties. Still, they added a micro-plot of one acre dedicated to Malvasia Bianca for Arbe Garbe Wines.
While much of Catie’s Corner has been sold to Jackson Family Wines, who use the grapes in their LaCrema label, Arbe Garbe retains access to this hard-to-find Italian variety.
USA > California
Sonoma County > Russian River Valley
70% Malvasia, 15% Chardonnay, and 15% Tocai Friulano
14
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Chardonnay
N/A
Now to 2024
Like the classic Friuli whites that this wine is modeled after, the 2020 Arbe Garbe White Wine is aromatic and rich but also maintains slivers of minerality.
The first thing tasters pick up about this wine is the almost garden-like aromas emanating from the glass. The nose on this blend dances between exotic fruits like lychee and banana, sweet pitted peaches and then tapers off with wet gravel and a trace of beeswax.
While Chardonnay only makes up 15% of the Arbe Garbe White Wine, the grape lets you know it’s there by giving the wine a nice, slightly round, and fuller mouthfeel. As for the palate, we picked up ever-so-creamy peach and nectarine, citrus fruits like lemon and lime, and that same lovely wet gravel that presents itself on the nose.
Overall, a nice interpretation of an Italian blend crafted in California.
