ON THE LIST | Mariachiara Faccin
London Sommelier Mariachiara Faccin puts her love of wine down to her father, who, when she was growing up in Veneto, would teach her about the wines he was drinking, instilling in her an intrigue and ambition to learn more. After graduating in Arabic, English and Italian in Milan and doing a Masters in Interpreting and Translation at the University of Essex, Maria worked at TikTok for three years while studying for her Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualifications in her spare time. After passing her Level Three, she applied for a job at 67 and joined in September 2022. She tells us of her love for Bordeaux blends
‘Office life was never for me, but I lucked out when I landed my first sommelier job at 67. I learned so much in my first few months, trying so many wines for the first time. The style that really stuck with me is the Bordeaux blend – a staple of the wine world, of course, and a popular choice at the Club.
‘Now, two and half years later, I have tried the majority of Bordeaux’s classed growths, and formed my own preferences in terms of appellations, vintages and producers – many of whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting or visiting. While I love Merlot-based wines from the Right Bank – Château Figeac is a particular favourite – I prefer the more muscular, tannic and ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines of the Left Bank – Lynch Bages, Montrose, Pontet Canet and, my ultimate, Château Margaux.
‘But what I’m really fascinated by is the versatility of this style of wine in other regions, and how strongly terroir-driven it is. Most producers around the world are not trying to replicate Bordeaux; they want to showcase the different shades it acquires when grown elsewhere. So the SuperTuscans of Bolgheri have a more balsamic note thanks to the Mediterranean climate, and many Argentinian blends are fresher thanks to the vineyards being at such high-altitude.
‘If I had to pick three from the London list that have really impressed, me, I’d start with the 2010 San Leonardo from Tenuta San Leonardo in Trentino Alto Adige. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenère with a dash of oak, and shows real freshness and concentration, with a fantastic nose of plummy fruit, spice, leather and tobacco. Trentino Alto Adige is a region that has a special place in my heart as I spent most of family holidays there as a child. When we would go out for dinner, my father would always order a bottle and then teach me something about it: the grape, the producer or what that wine meant to him. He told me with such passion that it made me curious about the wine world. Now I am the storyteller to my dad, and it makes me feel complete, knowing this shared passion has brought us even closer over the years.
‘Seña was the first New World Bordeaux blend that I fell in love with. When Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi created it in 1995, they were aiming to make a wine that was as elegant as a Bordeaux first-growth but had the character and energy of South America. A blend of all five Bordeaux grapes, it has a firm structure with fine and velvety tannins, black fruit aromas and cedar notes. It’s spectacular when young but will be even better in 20+ years – the 2007 is great now.
‘One of the best things about being a sommelier is that you never stop learning. My latest discovery is Quella, from Bond, the boutique winery that Bill Harlan founded to complement his already well-established Harlan Estate. What really amazed me with this wine is how approachable the 2016 vintage is after just eight years. I’ve tried many young Napa Cabernet blends that aren’t yet ready to be drunk, but the barrel-fermentation here has softened up the wine, making it rounder when young. Not your daily glass of wine for sure, but one of those goosebumps moments for me!’
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WHAT
I’VE
LEARNED
Sacha Lichine, Château d’Esclans
ON
THE
ROAD
Richard Hemming MW in New Zealand
TWO
MINUTES
WITH
Beth Weber Novak, Spottswoode