WTN: Felice Coppo Bastian Cuntrari 1999

[primowino]

This wine is an unusual blend of Barbera and Merlot from producers Felice Coppo in Monferrato, Piedmont. I'm not sure what wine making techniques are used but it is a very intense wine a bit like an Amarone. There are however a wider range of fuit flavours with the sharper lighter red berry flavours of the Barbera with something thicker and deeper presumably from the Merlot. Despite the fruit flavours it is very savoury and very long. The bottles also have the coolest black labels with red block writing, which looks like something serious mafiosas would produce.

Does anybody know whether Felice Coppo produce any other wines and what they're like, this one was good value at about £15.

[Craig Camp]

I would be surprised if this wine had any merlot in the blend, but anything is possible. The Bastian Cuntrari that I am familiar with has always been 100% barbera - harvested late - then aged in only stainless steel to produce an intense and concentrated version of barbera fruit essence - and 14%+ alcohol.

Last I heard they were making this wine under the guidance of wine journalist Luca Maroni (creator of the most complicated and unintelligible scoring system ever). The production is small - only about 4,000 bottles from an old vineyard in Monferrato.

[primowino]

Sorry Craig, I'm probably completely wrong but I thought I'd read that they had experimented by adding merlot in the 99. Unfortunately I can't find any reference to that now and in fact there is very little information about the wine or producer on the web.

I also have a bottle of 1998 which I plan to drink soon unless you think it will improve further.

[Craig Camp]

Sorry Craig, I'm probably completely wrong but I thought I'd read that they had experimented by adding merlot in the 99. Unfortunately I can't find any reference to that now and in fact there is very little information about the wine or producer on the web.

I also have a bottle of 1998 which I plan to drink soon unless you think it will improve further.

Like I said anything is possible, but I think they are into 100% barbera. I visited the winery about 3 years ago and I believe they were only doing barbera. There are two partners in this estate and one - Fabrizio Iuli - also does his own wine. Maybe there is merlot in that blend, but I have never actually seen a bottle out in the market.

To me this is a wine to drink up young - it is all about the fruit, but then again I have never tasted an older one.