Last Thursday I went to visit Davide Lazzari at his winery in Capriano del Colle, an area I already knew from the wines by Alessia Berlusconi (she too chose Montenetto to 'give vent' to her creativity and passion for wine) and for the delicious Otten from the San Michele Winery. If it wasn't for the extraordinary culture and technique of Simone Liloni, the watering hole of dear Adriano Liloni's Trattoria Pegaso (my favourite taste subversive!) I would probably not have crossed paths with him for a while yet, even though Davide and I had already been 'Facebook friends' for several months. That is why I am so happy to have passed by the winery and tasted his organic wines, even at the cost of delaying in enjoying the best prawn and mint risotto of my life (perhaps also thanks to the company?).
Organic wines: Lazzari's vineyards
Capriano del Colle is a small town in the Brescia area that, from an oenological point of view, has always suffered from its close proximity to the famous Franciacorta. This tiny DOC is very little known in Italy, yet it is capable of producing wines of great value from both native and international grape varieties. Monte Netto is in fact a plateau of red clay soils, on which the pedoclimatic conditions are quite favourable for viticulture. The result is wines that are excellent value for money.
While on the one hand on Lazzari's vines one can still see the damage of the frost that hit northern Italy last 20 April, causing losses of up to 80% in the most exposed vineyards, it is amazing how well these vineyards, especially the Merlot ones, have recovered. Lazzari produces organically certified wines with grapes only and exclusively from their own vineyards, in which they apply various techniques (grassing, sexual confusion...) to keep the use of copper well below the organic limit. Davide took me for a nice drive among the vineyards and I was impressed by the care of each one. Of course, some might tell me that a vineyard with 'tall grass' is not looked after, but I found them really 'tidy'!
One of the things I liked most about the visit was capturing from Davide's words the Lazzari family's precise desire to know wine and its relationship with the land. Some may object that this is normal for making wine... but in this family of winegrowers I sensed a deeper knowledge, a willingness to 'do research' and a particular joy for each achievement. I have felt the thirst to experiment, to discover, to know: 3 qualities that really make a difference.
This is Lazzari's 'latest purchase': a small vineyard just below the bell tower of Capriano del Colle, in a plot of land slightly different from the others due to its greater stone component. Surely it will be an excellent choice to produce a distinctive wine with a different cut from those currently in production. In the meantime, I can't wait to come back when the vines have grown: with the church and the bell tower in the background, this vineyard will certainly be stunning! And then Davide Lazzari told me that he had tasted the wines that were produced by the farmer who ran it before and they were spectacular: so given the Lazzari family's absolute mastery of wine production, what can I expect?
Organic wines: Lazzari's cellar
Making wine means communicating a terroir, a set of climatic, soil and varietal characteristics. Thinking of elaborating and "improving" a wine in the cellar with the help of synthetic products means distorting the very concept of wine as a product of the earth. The cellar's task is only to maintain what the vintage and our work in the vineyard have given us. There is no 'market' and there are no 'trends'.
What strikes you about Lazzari's wine cellar is how tidy it all is: everything is really perfect, and it reminded me of the cleanliness of the wonderful Bordeaux chateaus I saw for the Millesima Blog Awards last April. No doubt thanks to Grandpa who, despite his age, makes sure everything is OK!
Organic wines: Lazzari's tasting room
Small but tastefully furnished, Lazzari's tasting room lends itself perfectly to hosting sommeliers and winelovers in search of wines with great personality that are not always the usual famous and emblazoned DOCs. Drop by, drink and let me know: from me, I promise you won't regret it 😉
Organic wines: what I tasted at Lazzari
In general, I found Lazzari's wines really good! Two excellences: the sparkling wine, which no matter how much Davide Lazzari insists that it is almost a game to them, is really intriguing, and Bastian Contrario which, out of all of them, I think I enjoyed beyond all expectations. I look forward to tasting the Riserva Degli Angeli... from the way he told me about it I have high expectations!
Spumante Extra Brut vintage 2012
4 grams of sugar, 42 months on the lees and 6 months of bottle ageing. It is an intense straw yellow with golden reflections, the perlage is fine and the bubbles form a persistent crown. The nose has a note of saffron so intense that it takes you by surprise, then comes vanilla, hazelnut and raw melted butter. In the mouth, the bubble is crisp, the flavour changes from bread crust to saffron. It is not very long on the finish, but very balanced and very fresh.
Sparkling Brut vintage 2007
8 grams of sugar, 18 months on the lees and 6 months maturing in the bottle. It is a very intense straw yellow, almost golden in colour. The perlage is fine and quite numerous. The nose is very different from the previous one: crunchy almonds melt into candied orange peel and golden biscuit. In the mouth it enters decisively, the bubbles are creamy, the flavour veers from custard tart to buttered toast. The finish is long with a beautiful harmony.
Fausto
Capriano del Colle DOC bianco 2015 - 85% trebbiano turbiana and 15% chardonnay. First pressing obtained by light pressure, maturation on noble lees for 4 months and in steel for a further 4 months. It is a beautiful, fairly intense straw yellow, brilliant and consistent. The nose is ripe white peach, aromatic herbs and citrus fruits. In the mouth it is fresh, savoury (indeed very savoury), quite soft and with a citrus fruitiness that gradually becomes more and more present. The finish is long and has an overall nice harmony.
Contrary Bastian
Capriano del Colle DOC bianco superiore 2014 - 100% trebbiano turbiana. Of all of them, this was the wine I liked best! Then of course, that I have a soft spot for the botrytis cinerea is a well-known fact... With a yield of 60 quintals per hectare of grapes harvested late in the harvest to wait for the attack of noble rot, this really interesting wine is produced. Half of the must ferments and matures in new barriques and the other half ferments and matures in steel, both for 12 months. It is a beautiful, intense and consistent golden yellow colour. The nose impresses with hydrocarbons, solvent, yellow peach, vanilla, fresh almond and a nice balsamic finish. In the mouth it is intense, soft, quite fresh and very savoury. The finish is very long and persistent.
Berzamì
Capriano del Colle DOC Marzemino 2015 - 100% marzemino. Montenetto has always been considered a vocated area for the cultivation of Marzemino. This one in particular is obtained from a local clone and for the desire to preserve the organoleptic traits of the vine, no ageing operation is carried out. Of all of them, this was the wine I liked least. To the eye it is perfect: it has that beautiful transparent ruby red with purplish highlights typical of young Marzemino. On the nose, however, it fails to enthuse me: although the plum and spice are clear, it lacks that olfactory complexity that I love so much about this grape variety. Better in the mouth: pleasantly soft, fresh, slightly tannic and overall quite balanced.
Adagio
Capriano del Colle DOC Rosso 2015 - Marzemino 50% + Sangiovese 30% + Merlot 15% + Barbera 5%. Considered the 'historic' wine of the winery, I have to say that I enjoyed it very much. We wait for the ripening of each grape variety and harvest the grapes at different times. Vinification also takes place separately. The grapes are blended to obtain a traditional but very characteristic blend. It is an intense, impenetrable ruby red, consistent and with some violet reflections. The nose is very spicy, with notes of pepper, blackberry jam, hay, bark and undergrowth. In the mouth, it is balanced, the finish is not very long... but not too bad: you immediately want to drink another glass!
In short, it was a really good tasting! Thanks again Simone Liloni of the trattoria Pegaso for letting me discover it! By the way, on Tuesday I will see Davide Lazzari again at Trattoria Pegaso and he will bring us a 2011 magnum of his spumante metodo classico! I can't wait to taste it 😉 And I also can't wait to taste the famous Brescian spit... since Adriano called himself a master of the spit and I am quite a carnivore... do you know how many expectations I have? 
Cheers <3
Chiara
P.S. For all the photos in this article I thank as always UniversoFoto.com for the provision of the Sony RX100M4... it really is a little gem!
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