A centuries-old winery, Bossi Fedrigotti in 1961 gave birth to Italy's first Bordeaux blend, Fojaneghe, and now it also amazes us with its Trentodoc Riserva, Conte Federico.
I remember as if it were yesterday when from the editorial office of DoctorWine, Stefania Vinciguerra called me to ask if I would like to cover a bit of Trentino and do some tasting for the
Essential Guide
. If I felt like it? Trentino is my second home! Not far from me, connected to Verona by Lake Garda and its winds. However, this territory is so different that it manages to amaze me every time I return. Within a few kilometers as the crow flies, everything changes, from lakes to rivers, from rocky, black-white and red soils to sandy loamy soils. From the more or less important altitudes, to the exposures that make so much difference that they are decisive in the choice of grape varieties to plant and wines to produce.
Bossi Fedrigotti
In this small, historic mountain area there is a reality that a piece of history is not only living it but has actually written it. I’m talking about the cellar Bossi Fedrigotti, whose first vintage is attested to be 1697, and who in 1961 gave birth to Italy’s first Bordeaux blend, the legendary Fojaneghe bearing the signature of Federico Bossi Fedrigotti and oenologist Letrari. In 2007, ownership was taken over by the Masi Agricola, consolidating the corporate structure and bringing some innovation. Everything always respecting the
saver far
trentino when it comes to red wines and classic method bubbles, and it is Fojaneghe and the Trentodoc Conte Federico that we will talk about now.
The Fojaneghe
First of all, it should be said that Fojaneghe is a toponym. In the Fojaneghe vineyard (18 hectares of the total 40) I have been there. It was summer and it was great. Accomplice the sunshine, the shade provided by the tall trees scattered here and there, the constant cool breeze from the mountains that literally have their backs to the vineyard itself, accomplice, I am sure, also the company.
Fojaneghe in addition to hosting Merlot, the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon for the wine of the same name, it is also home to the Chardonnay of the Vign’Asmara, and of that, along with the Pinot Noir, for the sparkling wine base; it also houses a lot of history. A borderland and the scene of battles, one only has to stand still in one spot to admire varied references where blood was shed over the years, including wars, battles, victories and defeats.
Telling us in full detail the historical facts and how it came to be today were (and here we come to the company) Giacomo Boscaini, of Masi, and Dante Cavazzani. A great lover of history, in reality Dante, besides being a keeper of anecdotes, is above all a keeper of the Bossi Fedrigotti vineyards and winery. Flanked bywinemaker Dal Cin, he is in fact in charge of production. Listening to it is really a pleasure, because even if, as in my case, historical anecdotes come in one way and go out the other (I had the same problem in high school, evidently I have other talents), what you are left with is enough to perceive that we are faced with an extraordinary reality and worthy of being experienced.
From the vineyard we have, shortly thereafter, moved to the glasses, where Fojaneghe has confirmed itself, even in the youngest vintage, a product rich in elegance and personality. Soft and enveloping, it is not slow to surprise with fresher hints; the choice to use small wood for maturation in the cellar is also convincing. Toasted just right, it arrives on the palate with a dry, vertical taste, as any mountain wine should be. Why this is not the first reference to Italian Bordeaux cuts remains a mystery. Maybe you don’t drink it enough, you can always make up for it!
The Trentodoc Riserva Conte Federico
Let us now turn the coin over and also address that side of the company that has significantly less history behind it. Yet I am still talking about a Trentino soul of excellence: Trentodoc. Conte Federico Riserva is the company’s only Trentodoc, vintage, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, rests on the lees for about 40 months. In my opinion a wine that improves from vintage to vintage, this time we enjoyed tasting it in the first historical vertical Of this wine. Some old vintage still rests on the lees and has been disgorged on the fly, a few pieces and a few large formats. Just enough, however, to give us a sense of how this wine has changed over the years and how it has grown in style. Side note: the packaging. Masi is getting us used to its innovative packaging. Super funny (and useful) that patterns appear on the label as it reaches the right temperature, pay attention to it!
What has definitely grown over the years has been the wine structure, as well as its ability to stick in the memory and on the palate. Net and centered, so vertical and fresh, now this wine also makes “belly” on the palate. Merit to climate change, accomplices to choices in the countryside and in the cellar, the fact remains that Conte Federico Trentodoc Riserva is not only changing but, I dare say, improving.
Bossi Fedrigotti is truly one of the pearls of Trentino. A winery that is an exact snapshot of what is happening in this region that can be home to great red wines, such as Fojaneghe, as well as disenchanted Marzeminos. It is the land of Pinot Grigio, pop and international, and at the same time of Chardonnay declined in its different forms up to the classic method, elegant and never predictable.
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