Val delle Rose Ciliegiolo, when easy does not mean simple

For some time, here in Italy has been running the advertisting of a famous company that produces wine for large-scale distribution, that will certainly not remain in the TV history but that has the merit of attracting the listener thanks to the phrase: "why simple not it means easy".

Honestly, I don't know if the definition has its own meaning and above all if it can somehow be applied to the products marketed by this cooperative brand, also known to those who think that wine comes out of fountains.

This is not the point of the question, but above all it is not the topic that I am interested to discuss here.

However, I was struck by the juxtaposition of these two adjectives - easy and simple - in themselves certainly not synonyms of quality, with the aim of expressing the dignity of the product in some way.

Adjectives that came back to my mind - even if reversed – last evening, when Il Ciliegiolo Maremma Toscana 2017 – made by the Val delle Rose winery – ended up in my glass.

A very pleasant wine, to which the definition "easy but not simple" really fits

Easy because it doesn’t claim to overturn the canons of Tuscan wine nor does it want to take itself too seriously, and above all it doesn’t even require great "mental reasoning" to be focused and understood.

However, it’s not a simple wine, especially if to this term - as it would be appropriate and correct – we combine meanings such as banal, predictable and boring.

On the contrary, it can be interesting and capture the attention, thanks to clear and well-defined aromas, an important gustatory grip and a killer drinkability.

It’s not expensive but at the same time it’s not a cheap wine, but the price is justified by the low yields (around 40q / he), probably necessary to obtain a wine with a good structure starting from a grape that is not really "strong" like the Ciliegiolo.

Therefore, a good wine, but above all the demonstration that even a grape which has always been considered only by blending can give - in the presence of a terroir of choice like the Maremma one and if conceived from a quality point of view - products of sure value. 

 

Il Ciliegiolo Maremma Toscana DOC 2017 - Val delle Rose

Personal rating: 86/100

Grapes: 100% Ciliegiolo

Aging: steel

Price range: 14-18 €

 

TASTING

👀 Intact, limpid and luminous ruby. Medium density

👃 Intense and precise, with clear and defined aromas despite its youth. Fair complexity, good finesse. Red fruit (cherry, plum), nice spiciness, light fresh and mineral notes in the background

👄 Medium-to-full bodied, with not particularly marked acidity but enlivened by a really interesting flavor, which gives drinkability, as well as balancing the softness. Alcohol not excessive, light and soft tannins. Medium persistence, final featured by fruity and spicy notes, accompanied by delicate balsamic notes.