Article Fuocolento, „Rivista di gusto del Friuli Venezia Giulia“,
page 50, December 2011, (translation from Italian)
- The Protagonists -
In 1965, with the purchase of “Villa Carmen” and 370 acres of land in Rigole from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Luigi Tomasella realizes the dream of following the tradition of farming and wine growing, associated with his ancestry, a love that he continued to carry in his heart. It is no coincidence, perhaps, that Paolo, Luigi’s youngest son is born in the same year. Today it is Paolo who is taking care of the wine estates Tenute Tomasella.
Paolo Tomasella, moved to the Villa Rigole in the mid 90's together with his wife Luisa, bringing up their three children in this beautiful place surrounded by century old trees. Paolo is immediately connecting with the world of wine and with enthusiam he begins the quest for excellence through study and experimentation to improve the quality of the wine produced here, on the borderland of two DOC zones, Veneto Piave and Friuli Grave.
In his search for trusted professionals he met Angelo Solci. Angelo has acquired multiple degrees in agriculture, specializing in biochemistry, food and wine. Angelo grew up between barrels and bottles, in the shop of fine wines and oils that his father Cesare opened in Milan in 1938. Later on he became also an AIS teacher (Associazione Italiana Sommeliers) and graduated a "Master of Wine Tasting" at the school of Beaune, in Burgundy, France. Today he is a very experienced winemaker, working with wineries in Italy and internationally.
Angelo's collaboration with Tenute Tomasella has been further consolidated. Trips to the most important wineries of Burgundy and Champagne have created unforgettable experiences.
Paolo is amazed by the elegance of the great wines of Burgundy, fermented and aged in oak barrels. He decides to extend the experimentation in this direction, finding support and advice from Professor Diego Tomasi, an agronomist with extensive experience as a researcher at the “CRA” (Centro di Ricerca e Sperimentazione di Agricoltura) of Conegliano as well a teacher of the School of Enology in Conegliano.
In 2002 the first two “reserve” wines are born : “Le Bastìe” red and “Le Bastìe” white. The first being a selection of the indigenous white grape variety “Friulano”, former known as “Tocai”; the second a selection of “Merlot”, both grown in the vineyard close to the cellar, at "Le Monde" in Prata di Pordenone, under the watchful care of Claudio Pillon, zealous winemaker guiding with passion the transformations from fruit into wine.
These nectars, two ambitious projects, are representative of what Paolo seeks in his work: his is a special philosophy. Through a metaphor Paolo describes the wine as a musical instrument. Along with the flavors of the food, the company, the environment and the mood of the guests, just as an orchestra where every instrument must be in harmony. For this to happen, the wine must be rich but balanced and harmonious, with that elegance dear to Lord Brummel which he felt consisted of “pleasure without being noticed."
The willingness to experiment and explore new expressions of the territory, produce wines with a strong personality such as "Osé" demi-sec sparkling rosé, made by assembling the Verduzzo withered grape vines and Refosco, fermented together in the autoclave. Sparkling intriguing, intense pink color, fragrant bouquet of fresh fruit and roses, creamy, long finish and pleasant. Attend a tasting of "OSE" with volcanic Annette Lizotte, export manager of the company, you will appreciate the versatility of this wine , "daring" combinations in which harmony is second only to its unpredictability.
And again Chinomoro, fortified wine based on the selection of Merlot “Le Bastìe”, the idea of a wine with the addition of bitter herbs is not new. “Barolo Chinato” was conceived as an elixir with health benefits by two pharmacists in Piedmont more than 110 years ago.
Chinomoro is a great wine to sip slowly, but not only, it also pairs perfectly with dark chocolate. Serena Mariotto with her contagious enthusiasm to make us see its fascinating complexity of smell and taste as well as the balance between the sweetness of the fruit and the slight bitterness of the digestive herbs, with a long lasting silky finish. Chinomoro is an expression of what the company wants to convey when speaking of "emozioni in un sorso."
Not only the wines, but also the quality of the people who contribute day after day to the success of Tenute Tomasella, demonstrates that the foundation of excellence is built on experience, "savoir faire", passion, intuition, patience and curiosity.
