Lunch with Paolo Librandi - chosen in accordance with wisdom, likely to be of benefit
Librandi is a name that should be quite familiar to consumers of Italian wine. It’s a long established, family owned winery that has reliably brought the wines of Calabria to American tables for decades. Reliable, that’s what first came to mind when I was invited to join in a luncheon hosted by Paolo Librandi, one of the current generation of the Librandi family striving to improve awareness of both Librandi wines, and more generally, the wines of Calabria in the USA.
So it’s a little counterintuitive, at least to me, to be promoting wines that have benefitted from decades of promotion, but that is the reality of promotion, it never stops, for multiple reasons. A striking example was the fact that I was in the minority at the table this day. Of the 10 writers able to join, all but two of us were women. A total reversal of the reality just a decade ago, and evidence of the need for continual promotional efforts, as well as a refreshing change recognizing that the wine world is dynamic and will no doubt benefit from a more diverse range of reporters. But even more telling to me, was the fact that my impression of Librandi had not kept up with reality.
I am a firm believer that if you write about wine, or anything for that matter, with a certain degree of authority, you need to be specialized. Even then one simply cannot taste every wine one wants to taste, and even if you could, that would not leave sufficient time for putting wines in context, context being fundamental to truly understanding a wine’s place in the world.
Going into this tasting I was intrigued by the prospects it held as I had not tasted Librandi’s line-up in a decade, and even though time constraints cut my tasting short, I left the tasting happily impressed with the wines I tasted. They toed a line between polish and the rusticity that I expect to find in Calabrian wines. Rusticity being a positive attribute, a result of the terroir and a certain confidence in that terroir. Rusticity results,, in this case not from a lack of attention, but from a lack of ego. Instead of being Librandi wines, the wines I tasted were generally speaking more Calabrese!
Being a family winery Librandi has it’s inspiring story. The founder, Raffaelle Librandi, started with 6 hectares near Cirò Marina. He had six children and was able to leave each child a hectare, the next generation’s efforts were lead by sons Antonio and Nicodemi, who together expanded the winery, dabbled for awhile with a more international posture for the winery, before returning to their indigenous roots. Export efforts began, mostly to Northern European countries, before efforts focused on the international markets in the mid 1980s, by which point the winery had amassed about 50 hectares of vineyard holdings. Fast forward to the present day and Librandi is in control of 280 hectares of property, with 190 under vines, and that is not enough to supply their needs. For the annual production of approximately 2 million bottles Librandi needs to buy 10-15% of their production from local farmers. This is not a bug, but rather a feature. As the flagship winery for the region, producing about 25% of the regional production, the Librandi family feels that part of their obligation to the regional industry is to preserve the fabric of society. The small farmers have always been an integral part of the industry, often tending their vineyard very carefully as they needed the grapes to produce wines for themselves, and their continued presence is part of the region’s terroir.
Speaking of terroir, most of the vineyards in Calabria are located quite close to the sea, benefitting from sea breezes but also gaining great salinity in their flavor profile. The soil is generally clay, with a little limestone, pitched on gently rolling hillsides that look to the sea. The clay helps support the vine growth in this generally dried climate, as does the albarello form of training. Head pruned vines have a denser canopy, helping to preserve moisture, even though they are more challenging to train and harvest, they are part of the commitment to quality that Librandi exhibits. Four years ago the winery was certified as sustainable, and over the years they have collected and propagated over 200 grape varieties, all further indications of the big picture thinking going on amongst the current generation of the family. I am happy to say that I feel they are on the right path. I looked up the prices for the wines after the tasting and I was very pleasantly surprised at how affordable they have kept them. These are wines for wine drinkers, people who love a great glass of wine with or without meals but don’t feel the need to drink the label. We were treated to lunch at Chelsea market’s La Devozione restaurant, where we were served six courses of pasta, as typical a pairing as one can expect with Italian wines, and the wines did not disappoint, fairing beautifully at the table, though in no means would they be limited to traditional pairings.
So it’s a little counterintuitive, at least to me, to be promoting wines that have benefitted from decades of promotion, but that is the reality of promotion, it never stops, for multiple reasons. A striking example was the fact that I was in the minority at the table this day. Of the 10 writers able to join, all but two of us were women. A total reversal of the reality just a decade ago, and evidence of the need for continual promotional efforts, as well as a refreshing change recognizing that the wine world is dynamic and will no doubt benefit from a more diverse range of reporters. But even more telling to me, was the fact that my impression of Librandi had not kept up with reality.
I am a firm believer that if you write about wine, or anything for that matter, with a certain degree of authority, you need to be specialized. Even then one simply cannot taste every wine one wants to taste, and even if you could, that would not leave sufficient time for putting wines in context, context being fundamental to truly understanding a wine’s place in the world.
Going into this tasting I was intrigued by the prospects it held as I had not tasted Librandi’s line-up in a decade, and even though time constraints cut my tasting short, I left the tasting happily impressed with the wines I tasted. They toed a line between polish and the rusticity that I expect to find in Calabrian wines. Rusticity being a positive attribute, a result of the terroir and a certain confidence in that terroir. Rusticity results,, in this case not from a lack of attention, but from a lack of ego. Instead of being Librandi wines, the wines I tasted were generally speaking more Calabrese!
Being a family winery Librandi has it’s inspiring story. The founder, Raffaelle Librandi, started with 6 hectares near Cirò Marina. He had six children and was able to leave each child a hectare, the next generation’s efforts were lead by sons Antonio and Nicodemi, who together expanded the winery, dabbled for awhile with a more international posture for the winery, before returning to their indigenous roots. Export efforts began, mostly to Northern European countries, before efforts focused on the international markets in the mid 1980s, by which point the winery had amassed about 50 hectares of vineyard holdings. Fast forward to the present day and Librandi is in control of 280 hectares of property, with 190 under vines, and that is not enough to supply their needs. For the annual production of approximately 2 million bottles Librandi needs to buy 10-15% of their production from local farmers. This is not a bug, but rather a feature. As the flagship winery for the region, producing about 25% of the regional production, the Librandi family feels that part of their obligation to the regional industry is to preserve the fabric of society. The small farmers have always been an integral part of the industry, often tending their vineyard very carefully as they needed the grapes to produce wines for themselves, and their continued presence is part of the region’s terroir.
Speaking of terroir, most of the vineyards in Calabria are located quite close to the sea, benefitting from sea breezes but also gaining great salinity in their flavor profile. The soil is generally clay, with a little limestone, pitched on gently rolling hillsides that look to the sea. The clay helps support the vine growth in this generally dried climate, as does the albarello form of training. Head pruned vines have a denser canopy, helping to preserve moisture, even though they are more challenging to train and harvest, they are part of the commitment to quality that Librandi exhibits. Four years ago the winery was certified as sustainable, and over the years they have collected and propagated over 200 grape varieties, all further indications of the big picture thinking going on amongst the current generation of the family. I am happy to say that I feel they are on the right path. I looked up the prices for the wines after the tasting and I was very pleasantly surprised at how affordable they have kept them. These are wines for wine drinkers, people who love a great glass of wine with or without meals but don’t feel the need to drink the label. We were treated to lunch at Chelsea market’s La Devozione restaurant, where we were served six courses of pasta, as typical a pairing as one can expect with Italian wines, and the wines did not disappoint, fairing beautifully at the table, though in no means would they be limited to traditional pairings.
2023 Librandi Cirò Bianco
100% Greco Bianco aged in stainless steel
About $15 in my market
This wine benefits from rockier soils so is typical planted on the hilltops. It’s the only variety that doesn’t suffer during drought conditions.
Very clean and precise if slightly anonymous white wine. On the nose one finds a touch of white flower, stony soil, salinity, a touch of smoke and steel, hint of thyme. green apple, lemon rind, and a suggestion of kiwi all of moderate intensity. Pleasant and attractive. Pleasant in the mouth with a hint of nutty bitterness that is balanced by some melon, apple, and a squeeze of lemon and some lemon verbena flavors. Sandy finale with good length a touch of salinity and sweetness. 87pts
100% Greco Bianco aged in stainless steel
About $15 in my market
This wine benefits from rockier soils so is typical planted on the hilltops. It’s the only variety that doesn’t suffer during drought conditions.
Very clean and precise if slightly anonymous white wine. On the nose one finds a touch of white flower, stony soil, salinity, a touch of smoke and steel, hint of thyme. green apple, lemon rind, and a suggestion of kiwi all of moderate intensity. Pleasant and attractive. Pleasant in the mouth with a hint of nutty bitterness that is balanced by some melon, apple, and a squeeze of lemon and some lemon verbena flavors. Sandy finale with good length a touch of salinity and sweetness. 87pts
2023 Librandi Critone Bianco
90% Chardonnay 10% Sauvignon Blanc aged in stainless steel
About $19 in my market
Over 50hectares of vineyards just for this wine. Their best seller in every market.
Served too cold. Lemon and stone on the nose. Kiwi and yellow apple. More tense and mineral driven than the Cirò Bianco. Richer but remains fresh and tense in the mouth. There’s better depth here with lots of dried apple peel on the palate leading to a moderately long finish. A little dry earth/leesy note emerges on the nose. A bit Burgundian. Front loaded with exposed minerality driving the finish. The Sauvignon Blanc isis very well hidden and integrated, popping through a bit on the finish but really playing a supporting role here. 88pts
90% Chardonnay 10% Sauvignon Blanc aged in stainless steel
About $19 in my market
Over 50hectares of vineyards just for this wine. Their best seller in every market.
Served too cold. Lemon and stone on the nose. Kiwi and yellow apple. More tense and mineral driven than the Cirò Bianco. Richer but remains fresh and tense in the mouth. There’s better depth here with lots of dried apple peel on the palate leading to a moderately long finish. A little dry earth/leesy note emerges on the nose. A bit Burgundian. Front loaded with exposed minerality driving the finish. The Sauvignon Blanc isis very well hidden and integrated, popping through a bit on the finish but really playing a supporting role here. 88pts
2022 Librandi Efeso Bianco
100% Mantonico, Fermented in barrique on the lees for 8 months with a little battonage
About $30 in my market
A much darker yellow wine. Waxy and sour fruit with a green herbal component. Smoky and soil driven. Lean on entry, the midpalate shares the waxy fruit character with flavors that lean towards bitter orange, pineapple, and vanilla tinged sweetness. Sneaky power and subtle, there’s a great expression of soil terroir here. About 20k bottles produced annually. Great finish. It’s not a fruity wine it’s a serious, slightly austere, and firm example of understated power. I really enjoyed this on it’s own but would love to try it with with some grilled, fatty fish, bouillabaisse, or even cheese fondue. I think this will age very well. 92pts
100% Mantonico, Fermented in barrique on the lees for 8 months with a little battonage
About $30 in my market
A much darker yellow wine. Waxy and sour fruit with a green herbal component. Smoky and soil driven. Lean on entry, the midpalate shares the waxy fruit character with flavors that lean towards bitter orange, pineapple, and vanilla tinged sweetness. Sneaky power and subtle, there’s a great expression of soil terroir here. About 20k bottles produced annually. Great finish. It’s not a fruity wine it’s a serious, slightly austere, and firm example of understated power. I really enjoyed this on it’s own but would love to try it with with some grilled, fatty fish, bouillabaisse, or even cheese fondue. I think this will age very well. 92pts
2023 Librandi Segno Librandi Cirò Rosato
100% Gaglioppo aged in stainless steel
About $15 in my market
Here’s a wine that has undergone a complete transformation over the past 15 years or so. This used to be produced for the local market where a stronger, dark rose was preferred, almost a light red wine. Today it is made in a more internationally attractive style, fresher, pressed immediately instead of spending 12 hours on the skins as it used to do.
Subtle sour raspberry fruit greets the nose. Very tense style, a subtle wine. Has some pleasant red strawberry/raspberry fruit flavors.. Some rusticity on the palate. Great finish where the brightness emerges with refreshing acidity. Strange wine that is reticent on the palate but lovely on the moderately long finish. Juicy and delicate with moderate structured feel. Really pleasant drinking, very much in my preferred style. 87pts
100% Gaglioppo aged in stainless steel
About $15 in my market
Here’s a wine that has undergone a complete transformation over the past 15 years or so. This used to be produced for the local market where a stronger, dark rose was preferred, almost a light red wine. Today it is made in a more internationally attractive style, fresher, pressed immediately instead of spending 12 hours on the skins as it used to do.
Subtle sour raspberry fruit greets the nose. Very tense style, a subtle wine. Has some pleasant red strawberry/raspberry fruit flavors.. Some rusticity on the palate. Great finish where the brightness emerges with refreshing acidity. Strange wine that is reticent on the palate but lovely on the moderately long finish. Juicy and delicate with moderate structured feel. Really pleasant drinking, very much in my preferred style. 87pts
2021 Librandi Segno Librandi Cirò Rosso
100% Gaglioppo
4-5 days skin contact, aged in stainless steel
About $13 in my market
The expected delicate color. On the nose it’s floral, white soil chalkiness, and lovely red fruit full of sour cherry that is most striking. Served fairly cold which accentuates the astringency of the tannins here. A slightly rustic wine feels barely tamed, chewy with good depth but relatively light weight, long and bracing on the finish. This has more intensity than power. Finishes with a fruit leather note on the finale. A hint of wild balsamic herbs emerges on the nose and elbows its way onto the palate joining the fresh red berry fruits.. It’s a little polished on the mid palate. Really very good for what it is, easy to drink, but structured, interesting but very well balanced. It’s an everyday wine, and it excels as being one. Would love to try this with grilled lamb chops or pork chops covered in fresh herbs, orecchiette with broccolini and sausage, or maybe ratatouille. 89pts
100% Gaglioppo
4-5 days skin contact, aged in stainless steel
About $13 in my market
The expected delicate color. On the nose it’s floral, white soil chalkiness, and lovely red fruit full of sour cherry that is most striking. Served fairly cold which accentuates the astringency of the tannins here. A slightly rustic wine feels barely tamed, chewy with good depth but relatively light weight, long and bracing on the finish. This has more intensity than power. Finishes with a fruit leather note on the finale. A hint of wild balsamic herbs emerges on the nose and elbows its way onto the palate joining the fresh red berry fruits.. It’s a little polished on the mid palate. Really very good for what it is, easy to drink, but structured, interesting but very well balanced. It’s an everyday wine, and it excels as being one. Would love to try this with grilled lamb chops or pork chops covered in fresh herbs, orecchiette with broccolini and sausage, or maybe ratatouille. 89pts
2021 Librandi Duca Sanfelice Cirò Riserva
100% Gaglioppo, over 40 years old head trained vines, 10 days on the skins
Aged for three years in stainless steel and concrete.
About $15 in my market
Over 40 years old head trained vines, 10 days on the skins aged for three years in stainless steel and concrete.
Sweeter on the nose with a deeper more liquory fruit filled with aromas of jammy cherry, strawberry, and a hint of plum accented by a touch of talc and an underlying tarry note. Very faint spiced/balsamico tone here as well. More streamlined than the base Cirò Rosso. Tannins are more massaged. There’s lovely depth and complexity here, and counterintuitively this has more of a rustic character running through it. Has a very bright and lifted finish where the tannins build nicely. Good cut and very pleasant richness lends some gravitas here but this remains quite lithe. Like the Cirò Rosso, this is a beautiful, everyday wine, more nuanced perhaps, but still blending the gentle rusticity of the terroir with a rather refined and elegant mouthfeel. The richness of flavor here could pair well with richer meats, and the spicy notes would interplay well with spiced dished like a Tuscan pesposo, Spanish lamb stew, or perhaps a pasta dish with sun-dried tomatoes and cotechino. I know, it’s blasphemous, but it’s what I had leftover one day and it was terrific and should work well with his wine! 90pts
Also up for tasting this day were the 2021 Gravello and the 2022 Magno Megonio but time did not allow my to linger and try these wines. I would have loved to see how the Gravello in particular, Calabria’s fist Tre Bicchieri wine, has evolved over the years, but it was not to be so I was left to form my updated impression from the wines that Librandi sells the most of. A sensible proposition, and that is what Librandi is. These wines are sensible in the best use of the term: “chosen in accordance with wisdom, likely to be of benefit”
100% Gaglioppo, over 40 years old head trained vines, 10 days on the skins
Aged for three years in stainless steel and concrete.
About $15 in my market
Over 40 years old head trained vines, 10 days on the skins aged for three years in stainless steel and concrete.
Sweeter on the nose with a deeper more liquory fruit filled with aromas of jammy cherry, strawberry, and a hint of plum accented by a touch of talc and an underlying tarry note. Very faint spiced/balsamico tone here as well. More streamlined than the base Cirò Rosso. Tannins are more massaged. There’s lovely depth and complexity here, and counterintuitively this has more of a rustic character running through it. Has a very bright and lifted finish where the tannins build nicely. Good cut and very pleasant richness lends some gravitas here but this remains quite lithe. Like the Cirò Rosso, this is a beautiful, everyday wine, more nuanced perhaps, but still blending the gentle rusticity of the terroir with a rather refined and elegant mouthfeel. The richness of flavor here could pair well with richer meats, and the spicy notes would interplay well with spiced dished like a Tuscan pesposo, Spanish lamb stew, or perhaps a pasta dish with sun-dried tomatoes and cotechino. I know, it’s blasphemous, but it’s what I had leftover one day and it was terrific and should work well with his wine! 90pts
Also up for tasting this day were the 2021 Gravello and the 2022 Magno Megonio but time did not allow my to linger and try these wines. I would have loved to see how the Gravello in particular, Calabria’s fist Tre Bicchieri wine, has evolved over the years, but it was not to be so I was left to form my updated impression from the wines that Librandi sells the most of. A sensible proposition, and that is what Librandi is. These wines are sensible in the best use of the term: “chosen in accordance with wisdom, likely to be of benefit”