Hidden behind a small, modest sign in the Tocco da Casauria high street, named Via XX Settembre, is the headquarters of the Guardiani Farchione family winery. Entering the old building is like walking back in time to the period before the Unification of Italy when brigands roamed the hillsides above town and the Savoy King Vittorio Emanuele II was much less welcome in these parts than the previous Bourbon King.
The antique furniture that greets you in the tasting room is a sign of the history of this family winery that goes back five generations and since 2008 has been under the ownership of Paolo Guardiani, the oenologist, and his wife Stefania Ricci.
The magnificent cellars 20 feet below the entrance were dug out of the Maiella tuff and stone at the same time as a triumphant Garibaldi and his redshirts were conquering Sicily and they provide the perfect environment for aging wine but are also very interesting architecturally.
The name of the street, XX Settembre, is common to many Italian towns because it represents the day in 1870 when the Unification of Italy became complete. On that day the Italian army took Rome, without Garibaldi unfortunately, and the Papal States were finally defeated as a temporal power in Italy.
Not only does Guardiani Farchione maintain a relatively low profile in its home town but I could find no mention of the winery in either the Italian Slow Wine book or the more comprehensive Vitae Guida Vini. It could be that like many Italian wineries these days their marketing focus is directed more at export markets or that they simply have no need of advertising.
Anyhow, the winery produces 8 different wines from their 25 acres of vineyards in the Maiella foothills between their town and Bolognano and they have an additional 50 acres of olive groves. Tocco da Casauria is first and foremost renowned as a center of olive oil excellence, as the sign proudly points out to visitors at the entrance to the town (photo below).
The monocultivar Toccolana accounts for more than half of the Guardiani Farchione olive oil production and derives its name from Tocco da Casauria where it is extensively cultivated, having proved its worth by virtue of possessing a higher than average resistance to parasites as well as to the cold and frost that can descend from the Maiella before the late November harvesting period. It also has a higher oil yield than many other varieties.
The second monocultivar, Intosso, is also native to Abruzzo, from the Casoli area, and prefers elevations of about 1,200 feet which are also to be found around Tocco da Casauria.
Guardioni Farchione's third oil is a blend of Toccolana, Dritta and Leccino and all three of their olive oils have been produced organically since 1980.
Olive Oil Tasting Notes
Toccolana - Monocultivar EVO
Herbs and grassy notes on the nose. On the palate this remains very fresh throughout with notes of green leaves, vegetables and aromatic herbs. A pleasant quite delicate finish.
Intosso - Monocultivar EVO
Much more delicate on the nose than the Toccolana with hints of citrus and green tomatoes. A pleasant bitterness on the palate evolves into a spicy finish of chili pepper.
Wine Tasting Notes
Guardiani Farchione produces a range of well-made, classically Abruzzesi wines that display a consistent level of quality at various price points and all of them represent good value.
Pecorino 2022 - Abruzzo DOC (13% alcohol)
Lovely nose of minerals and wet stones, reminds us a little of a Soave from Castelcerino. Saline on the palate with flinty notes of sea shells and lime it's a restrained rather than flamboyant wine with good acidity and a long finish with some pleasing almond bitterness. Very good value for 13 euros
Passerina 2022 - Colline Pescaresi IGT (13% alcohol)
Light fruity wine with a perfume of honeysuckle, white flowers and green plums. Hints of pear on the palate, this is less complex and concentrated than the Pecorino and at the same price of 13 euros.
Corso XX Settembre 2022 - Trebbiano D'Abruzzo DOC (12.5% alcohol)
This entry level wine gives away very little on the nose and is quite light and easy to drink, but there are pleasant notes of lemon and gooseberries on the palate and it has a crisp, clean finish. Good value at 1o euros.
Corso XX Settembre 2022 - Cerasuolo D'Abruzzo DOC (13% alcohol)
This is a splendid Cerasuolo. Pomegranate and pink grapefruit on the nose and very full on the palate with notes of rosehip. Good depth with a slightly chewy texture and a touch of bitterness on the finish that keeps it clean and refreshing. Good value for 12 euros.
Mille Papaveri Rossi 2022 - Colline Pescaresi IGT (13% alcohol) Vivacious and flamboyant this is an easy drinking wine for 11 euros. A glass of red fruits accented with hints of poppy. Good acidity keeps it fresh and pleasurable.
The phrase 'mille papaveri rossi' is a line from a very famous song by Fabrizio De André called "La Guerra di Piero". It is a lament to the lost youth in useless wars.
Corso XX Settembre 2019 - Montepulciano D'Abruzzo DOC (13.5% alcohol)
Opens with a perfumed nose of violets and on the palate this is probably the most surprising wine of the tasting in terms of quality and balance in that it displays just the right amount of acidity and tannin that are often missing in Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wines, especially those costing only 12 euros. There's real flavor here too with black cherries and star anise in particular. A very enjoyable wine indeed.
74 Tenuta del Ceppete 2012 - Montepulciano D'Abruzzo DOC (13.5% alcohol)
Notes of black flowers and black fruits, especially plums and blueberries, on the nose and amazingly still black as night in the glass despite 12 years of age. On the palate this is full, rich and round with hints of bell pepper, licorice and black pepper and a final note of tobacco. It remains a very well-balanced wine with good acidity and a long smooth finish. A marvelous wine that demonstrates the aging potential of the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grape in the right hands.
Comments