Montalbera, the Rediscovery of Ruchè

Ruché is to Montalbera as Montalbera is to Ruché. It has been a true and proper challenge, one we can now say has been won, since the wine is recognized by the market and in 2010 it even obtained the coveted DOCG. Even though the winery produces other wines, from Barbera to Moscato d'Asti, from Grignolino to Barolo which we tasted and reviewed, it is undeniable that the winery is inextricably linked to the surprising native grape variety ( more details in the interview with Montalbera ).

"I have often asked myself how to enhance the peculiarities that the traditional version of Ruché offered me. Elegance, silkiness, aromas that needed to be taken toward a less aromatic evolution" Franco Morando tells us. And so the 2006, 2007 and 2008 vintages were bottled, in which Ruché Laccento asserts itself, produced in the vineyard through simple over-ripening directly on the vine. Over-ripening that lasts from 10 to 14 days depending on the vintage. "Then the love we put into the work, with many blends of wines with a portion coming from dried grapes, led me to define the one from the last 3 vintages: with the over-ripening of 5-7% of grapes dried directly on racks in a temperature-controlled room for a period ranging from 40 to 60 days. This duration I decide myself based on the vintage and the analytical acidity of the wine".

The result is unique. Tasting Ruché LACCENTO 2012 we immediately notice the great class of this steel-only wine. Dark, impenetrable in the glass, deep ruby red, it presents clear floral hints of violet and rose, as well as wild berries. On the palate it strikes for its softness: the warmth of its 14 alcohol degrees is balanced by a well-present fresh-tannic component. A wine already in balance and fully enjoyable.

But it does not end here. The subsequent version of Ruché can be considered a true and proper "gamble". Today enological doctrine advises against aging Ruché in wood, because this would lead to an evolution of aromas no longer traceable to the great typicity of Ruché.

"We traveled a great deal, especially in France: I wanted a delicate, graceful wood. We conducted many, many trials, different woods and different blends. In the end I found good qualitative results with woods derived from the French region of Allier, woods with a very fine grain and light toasting", Franco Morando tells us passionately, "but the world of woods is a continuous discovery, it is a madness of studies that are often the subject of bold gambles, also because the results are always evolving inside the bottle. There can be so-called sprinter woods that give everything immediately and perhaps a wood that at first seems coarse and then reveals itself to be of great elegance and uniqueness after years in the bottle". And so Ruché Limpronta is born.
We then taste Ruché LIMPRONTA 2010, which rests for 14 months in Allier tonneau. It appears again with an intense ruby color, consistent with its 14.5 alcohol degrees. On the nose, notes of wild berry jam stand out, along with spicy and balsamic hints on the finish. Powerful on the palate, with menthol returns and a taste-olfactory persistence measured in minutes.

An outstanding wine that will be capable of giving us emotions for at least the next decade.