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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Cùmaro is one of the most important wines in the story of Umani Ronchi, and it can also be numbered among the founder members of the family of fine wines from the Conero area. It was created in the mid eighties to celebrate the Montepulciano variety of vine, and an area close to the sea with highly calcareous soils, using methods based on very strict selection of grapes in the vineyard and what were, at least for then, modern techniques of vinification and ageing. The name Cùmaro is a tribute to Mount Conero, komaros in Greek, which means ‘arbutus’: an ever- green shrub which grows freely in its woodlands. Since 2004 the wine has been entitled to the appellation “DOCG (Guaranteed and Controlled Denomination of Origin) Conero Riserva”.
First vintage: 1985
Vineyards: The Piantate Lunghe vineyard from which Cùmaro originates is situated on the edge of the municipality of Osimo, facing south-east, at a height of about 150 meters above sea level. The Piantate Lunghe holding extends over just 9 hectares. It was acquired by Umani Ronchi in 1998 primarily because the winery’s technical staff had identified the area as one with outstanding wine potential.
The soil type, superb location and a special, warm microclimate make Piantate Lunghe an ideal place to ripen montepulciano grapes.
The terrain, which started out as marine formations from the Pleiocene-Pleistocene era, consists of deep and particularly calcareous soils. The yield is kept within strict limits by very close pruning and targeted thinning, and can vary from five to six tons per hectare according to the season.
Harvest: The grapes are picked by hand, and collected and transported in boxes. Montepulciano is a fairly late variety. Harvesting does not normally begin before the second ten days in October, when the grapes have reached peak condition with an advanced degree of phenolic ripening.
Winemaking: The grapes are destalked and lightly crushed, then fermented at 27-29°C in steel fermentation tanks for 12-14 days with natural yeasts. Subsequently, the wine moves on to the malolactic fermentation stage, at the end of which it is aged in 225 litre oak barriques for a period of 12-14 months. After bottling, Cùmaro is left to age further, in a temperature-controlled environment, for about 6-8 months.
Serving glass: A large glass, with a fairly broad body. This allows the correct oxygenation of red wines which have had long ageing in bottle and whose tannins have taken on a softer character, developing complex tertiary aromas which will be well-concentrated in the narrower opening of the glass.
Vuosikerta 1998
Italy/Barolo/Barbaresco/Excellent to Exceptional – A vastly underrated vintage, 1998 had the misfortune of being sandwiched between 1997 (a vintage that was overrated) and the stellar 1999. 1998 offers everything you want in a manual Barolo or Barbaresco – nice concentration, firm tannins and precise acidity. In fact, it is the acidity of these wines that, in my opinion, carries these wines, keeping a wonderful freshness and elegance to these wines. This is not the most concentrated vintage of the last decade (1999, 2001 and 2004 produced much more powerful wines), but there is admirable depth of fruit and great balance and finesse. Most of the best Barbaresco bottlings as well as many 1998 Barolos drink beautifully now, while some of the best Barolos will provide another 10-12 years of enjoyment.
