Nuovi traguardi per Casato 1922 arrivano dalle menzioni speciali nell’articolo “Odds& Ends June 2023: Wine Tastings from Around the World” della rivista di settore “Terroir Sense Wine Review” – di Ian D’Agata e Robert Millman, prestigiosi riconoscimenti mirati a promuovere la qualità dei vini nel mondo.
Ecco le parole dell’articolo (in inglese):
Celeste, Claudia, Letizia and Carlo Casato (a medical surgeon by training) run this four hectares estate that is yet another example of what makes Italian wine so potentially great and fascinating. The estate only makes wines from the Garganega white grape, which has always been the backbone of the local once-famous and much sought-after Soave and Gambellara wines, but the reputation of which has mostly been ruined by industrial productions and dilute wines. There are however some outstanding producers of Garganega wines and the grape can in fact give amazingly pretty, delicious and ageworthy wines quite unlike any other made in Italy. Casato is making an amazing array of outstanding Garganega wines, and today has to be considered one of the ten or so best producer of such wines (right up there with Pieropan and a few others). Carlo Casato’s very old vines (65 years and more) are planted facing mostly eastwards on steep volcanic hills of Colognola ai Colli and express the greatness that Garganega is capable of.
Casato 1922 – 2020 Spumante Brut Nature Rinascita: 90
Pale golden-accented straw yellow. Crisp aromas of apple and pear are complicated by eucalyptus and flint. Juicy and saline in the mouth, with penetrating flavours of orchard and citrus fruit that are nicely persistent on the fresh finish. Made with 100% old vine Garganega (60 years old and counting) grown in east-facing vineyards on the volcanic hills of Colognola ai Colli. About fifty percent of the wine was made as a classic white, while the remaining fifty percent spent the whole of the alcoholic fermentation on the skins to extract more aromas, flavours and body. Very elegant and pretty label too. Drinking window: 2023-2026.
Casato 1922 – Il Bianco di Corte dei Casato Le 4 Giare: 91
Bright straw yellow with golden tinges thanks to prolonged skin contact. Piercing aromas and flavours of white and yellow acacia flowers, peach and fresh citrus fruit. Closes lomg and vibrant marked by noteworthy refreshing salinity. A 100% Garganega grown on volcanic soils is aged in ceramic vessels, kept in contact with the skins for the duration of the alcoholic fermentation. It’s a very approachable, easy-drinking wine that delivers lots of flavour and only 12.5% alcohol. Drinking window: 2023-2025.
Casato 1922 – 2020 Soave Vite Torta: 91
Green-tinged yellow. Fruit-driven aromas of lemon, lime and grapefruit, complicated by a note of licorice and lifted by a pretty white floral note that is very Garganega. Light on its feet, offering precise citrus and orchard fruit flavours and a refined texture. Bitter lemon peel adds freshness and lingers on the mineral finish. This is the freshest version of Garganega wine made by Carlo Casato and his team, with 20% whole bunches used and only 20% of the must spending time in contact with the skins, and I like its purity and straightforward fruity appeal. Drinking window: 2023-2028.
Casato 1922 – 2020 Garganega Sassi Mori Verona: 93
Bright yellow. Precise, subtle but building aromas of stone fruits, minerals and nutmeg. Bright and energetic on the palate, not to mention extremely complex on the palate, offering a wild array of dried fruit (apricot, almond, hazelnut), mineral and herb flavours, a youthfully chewy but polished texture and remarkable focus. Hints at gingerbread on the long, saline, fresh and tactile finish. Macerated on the skins for close to the duration of the fermentation period, aged on the lees for fifteen months (60% in stainless steel, 35% in large oak barrels and 5% ceramic vessels). This will age well; though it can certainly be enjoyed now, I would give it another year in the cellar to let it blossom some more. Drinking window: 2024-2028.
