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Fratelli Perata was established in 1987 by the Perata brothers, Gino and Joe. We use only the grapes of our vineyards which were planted in 1980. these are hand - made wines, total production just 2,000 cases yearly. We believe low tonnage, small grape berries combined with new oak barrels produce big, complex wines suitable for aging, yet drinkable in their youth, due to soft Paso Robles tannins. Unfined and unfiltered.
So then we thought things couldn’t get much better. The 2007 Barbera was a terrific wine (yes, alas, mine is all gone, too!). Now the 2008 Barbera arrives, having been bottle aged since last Fall. Here’s an example of how bottle age is beneficial. The fruit and nuances of this wine make you want to fall into the glass. But, at 8 weeks in the bottle, that fruit was largely followed by tartness typical of Italian wines. Now, at this writing, 4 months later, we have an approachable, luscious wine. Don’t misinterpret “luscious” as “fruit-bomb”. Italian wines are unique and identifiable. Yes, they have a fruit component, but there is an old-worldliness about them that says, “Come, my friend, to my table. Drink, eat, enjoy life!” This Barbera says that, and will keep saying that for yearsto come. When you pair them with Lamb Riblets, friends may stay at your table for years
Bel’ Bruzzo suffers only from a name that is too long: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. That we have shortened. Everything else about this variety is excellent. It says, “Drink me!” We became interested in this grape because it has a family tie to our mother’s hometown in Abruzzo. Most imported wines were quite horrid; some were extraordinary with a price to match. We think we’ve fixed that. The vines do well growing in Paso Robles, although it is late-ripening and the birds love it as much as we do. Our wine is easy to drink along the lines of a Zinfandel: big black cherry, a little spice, low acid and low tannin. Find a glass and something pork, from salami to pork tenderloin with a mustard sauce.
2009 Cabernet Franc We have produced a 100% varietal of Cabernet Franc since 2001. Previous years saw it only as a blend with our Tre Sorelle. This wine continues to dumb-found me: when it is young, there is the flavor that tells you it isrelated to Cabernet Sauvignon. That is, basic cherry. Then, a great earthiness follows, then sometimes an herb background. When young, the elements are there, but it’s light on the mouth, rough, then the flavor profile peeks out. This is the definition of a wine tasting “young.” We opened a bottle of 2001 CF on Dec 31, 2010, New Year’s Eve, for dinner with prime rib. We saw a transformation of this wine. Opened years earlier, it was perfect with strong flavors like lamb. At 9 years from vintage, it went perfectly with the beef. In both cases, this relatively low acidity wine cuts through the fatty meats, yet even at an old age can stand up to a rich beef and its trimmings. Whew, just amazing. It did require several hours of breathing, but, hey, we can do that. The point is that this Cabernet Franc seems light at this stage. But, wait for it. It will amaze you. More amazing is how this pairs with a Lamb Spiral Loaf.
2008 Charbono Its origins are NW Italy/French border. A
very old variety, it pairs perfectly with Northern Italian cuisine. Or
just Italian cooking, or French food too. Hmm, still thinking of those
Nutella crepes. Low alcohol with big flavor make it a companion wine
for the table and keeping one’s senses. This vintage is particularly
drinkable now. Most likely a function of our vines being another year
older. The higher acid 2007 vintage is also finally opening up and
moving beyond kalamata olive pairing. The 2008 is exactly the wine for
chicken pesto lasagna.
2009 Charbono Here’s
our third vintage with this surprising and obscure variety. We love it
for its soft tannins, gentle mouth-feel, beautiful color, low alcohol
and long, interesting flavors of rosemary/basil, cherry and plum. Hey,
it’s a
sit-at-the-table-eat-your-dinner-laugh-with-your-friends-have-a-second-bottle
wine that is both obscure and delicious. From the North West of Italy
and into the French Savoie, it is a rare find that is thriving in Paso
Robles. Often considered having a feel of Pinot Noir, it shows well
with grilled salmon.
2009 Mafalda Sometimes what the French have traditionally done in the Bordeaux region turns out exceptionally well when done with an Italian Paso Robles twist. Who taught the French how to cook? The Italians did, of course. Who knows how to take a good wine and make it superb? Gino does, of course. This wine was first crafted in 2003 to honor Gino’s mother, Mafalda, and to pair with the porcini risotto she cooked. It is earthiness from the Cabernet Franc, buoyed by the clear fruit of the Merlot, elevated by the depth of Petit Verdot that makes this an extraordinary wine. These are all French varietals, but based on Cabernet Franc, not Merlot. In the Pomerol of France, most Chateau base their wine on Merlot, then frequently an almost equal amount of Cab Franc. For our vineyard, our Mafalda makes an approachable and nuanced wine for all you mushroom lovers out there. Taste, taste and taste, both food and wine. Ah, research and development, we love it.  .pdf
printable extended Notes ("Tech Sheet") 2008 Petite Verdot The variety from the Bordeaux region of France (read: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot) that is very dark, very tannic, very berry. In our vineyard, it shows mostly blueberry notes, and we often pair it with blueberry biscotti, or mascarpone whipped with frozen blueberries. It has a sense it likes something vaguely sweet. And then you realize its focus in life is to enrich those wimpy, rainy years in France when the Cabernet Sauvignon just isn’t quite ripe enough. This is a big wine, 100% Petit Verdot. It deserves respect. It can totally handle dark chocolate or carne asada. .pdf
printable extended Notes ("Tech Sheet")2007 Sangiovese The variety from the Bordeaux region of France (read: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot) that is very dark, very tannic, very berry. In our vineyard, it shows mostly blueberry notes, and we often pair it with blueberry biscotti, or mascarpone whipped with frozen blueberries. It has a sense it likes something vaguely sweet. And then you realize its focus in life is to enrich those wimpy, rainy years in France when the Cabernet Sauvignon just isn’t quite ripe enough. This is a big wine, 100% Petit Verdot. It deserves respect. It can totally handle dark chocolate or carne asada.
2007 Tre Sorelle It
goes by the name Chianti in Italy, but Sangiovese grown in the U.S.
cannot be called Chianti, or even by its clonal names. Most of our
vines are Brunello, the most respected clone of Sangiovese. We are
happy to call this Sangiovese and let you discover for yourself where
our wine falls on the scale of Chianti royalty. The 2007 growing season
was hot, it yielded smaller than usual berry sizes from a smaller than
usual cluster. Cathy again hand-pruned the fruit from the vines to
balance the fruit load and ensure not more than 2 tons per acre with
correct sun exposure. The vines, like all of ours, were hand harvested,
and the clusters were hand sorted at the crusher by Gino and Cathy.
This a full force wine. It has good acidity but it is not apparent. It
tastes great, will be a great wine in the future. I won’t throw out
hyperbole in wine jargon on this one. Enjoy your bottle from this very
small production. If you plan on actually eating a meal with it, the
Ribollita the generous Mariola’s gave us will work nicely. .pdf
printable extended Notes ("Tech Sheet") 2009 Zinfandel Zinfandel has been in Paso Robles since 1880. It was one of the first vines we planted in 1980. We treat it in the traditional manner of head-pruned (no trellis or supporting system), dry-farmed (no irrigation), low tons per acre (huge root system ripening a small amount of fruit). By doing this we obtain concentrated flavors without having to resort to over-ripe and high alcohols. The 2009 vintage shows fruit just a shade riper than normal for us, but still is a low alcohol wine for this area. Thus, we have a table friendly Zinfandel that pairs as well with cranberry almond biscotti as it does Julie’s Double Cheese Fondue. We don’t need high alcohol to have fun with Zinfandel, or to have a glassful offlavor. Enjoy.
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