Tenuta Iuzzolini Madre Goccia 2022 (Calabria) - Wine Review

Tonight's white wine review is a lovely blend of Greco Bianco and Chardonnay that is a brand-new arrival at the LCBO as part of last weekend's LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection on May 11.

It is produced by Tenuta Iuzzolini, a family-owned estate winery that was founded in 2004 by Fortunato Iuzzolini and his wife Giovanna Colicchio. The couple's love and passion was passed down to their four sons, who are also now part of the estate. Tenuta Iuzzolini is situated in Cirò, a small Calabrian town with Greek roots along the Ionian coast of Crotone. The Estate covers over 500 hectares of land, with 100 hectares dedicated to vineyards, 50 hectares of centuries-old olive groves, 100 hectares of arable land, and the remainder made up of pastures and woods for livestock that is raised in the wild.

The calling card of Tenuta Iuzzolini is to make quality wines. In order to realize this, they use grapes from over 500 hectares of vineyards, 100 hectares of which are situated within the Cirò DOC territory, with the remaining located in IGT Calabria, within the localities of Timpa Bianca, La Motta, and Niballo. The fertile soils where the vineyards are planted have a clayey and sandy limestone origin, and are rich in natural springs. Blessed with a Mediterranean climate, the entire area is hot with dry summers, and short, rainy winters, which provide the ideal conditions for cultivating grapevines and olive trees.

Tenuta Iuzzolini's cellar is located in the charming town of Cirò Marina and represents a unique and exceptional reality of its kind. Their cellar is the ideal place where history embraces innovation, and where tradition meets modernity. The outside structure was built with original materials from the Crotone area - original local stones, tiles, and bricks, without altering the original conformation of the territory. On the inside, the cellar makes use of high-tech and the latest systems, which are constantly renewed, including the use of stainless steel containers and high-efficiency machinery which help guarantee the use of cutting-edge winemaking methods. Day-after-day, Tenuta Iuzzolini takes care of wine production down to the smallest details with great meticulousness. Their wine laboratory is constantly analyzing the grapes and wine, from vineyard to bottle, while complying with mandatory hygiene and health regulations and protocols.

This white wine is a blend of Greco Bianco, Calabria's powerhouse white grape variety, and Chardonnay. The grapes were grown in the locality of Motta, Carfizzi, within the central-eastern part of the province of Crotone, in the region of Calabria. Situated at an altitude between 200 and 300 metres above sea level, the grapevines are planted on clayey, calcareous soil in a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot, dry summers. After manually harvesting the grapes, they were destemmed and gently pressed, with a yield of free-run must for 60% of the grapes. It was vinified and matured in steel, with further maturation taking place in bottle at a controlled temperature. Let's see how this 2022 Greco/Chardonnay white wine blend from Calabria is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

TENUTA IUZZOLINI MADRE GOCCIA 2022 - IGT Calabria, Italy (#36512) (D) - $22.95
This blend of Greco Bianco and Chardonnay has a lovely, fragrant, medium-high intensity nose of pretty spring flowers and ripe lemon citrus aromas followed orchard fruit, apple, and touches of leesy minerality. On the medium+ bodied palate it has sunny and ripe tropical & orchard fruit, apple, grapefruit, lemon citrus, herbs, honeysuckle, floral, and mild spice characters in a dry-ish flavour profile. There's a kiss of sweetness, but it's kept in check by the bright and refreshing acidity. Well-balanced and refreshing with spice notes tapering to mineral on the long, juicy, and dry finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90 pts

Other lovely wines by Tenuta Iuzzolini can be ordered through their Agent - Eurovintage Wines & Spirits.