Well not so much false as in fraudulent but more failing to deliver on the implicit promise.
With the current pie franco interest, I opened an example I had gotten recently in order to see what it had to offer.
2004 Cantina Sardus Pater Arrugo Isle of SantAntioco Sardinia
100% Carignano from ungrafted 80 year old vines. On paper this seemed promising, although I knew nothing else about it. What I needed to know was more about how this was made. Primary fermentation was in steel but almost certainly with commercial yeasts, malo was in barriques and it was then aged for
12 months in barriques before bottling. And it shows. Whatever terroir or unique interplay between the terroir and the ungrafted vines was obliterated by the oak. Served blind this thing could have been a Marc de Grazia Barolo, or a Antinori Super Tuscan or any number of other full bodied modern Italian oak monsters. Very dark obscured fruits, tight firm woody tannins, this lacked any liveliness or charm. I have to think that something far more interesting and enjoyable could be produced from these vines if handled differently. It's sometimes said that terroir often emerges eventually with such wines but it's also said they dry out and never reveal anything. Either way it going to be quite a while and it doesn't seem worth it.
With the current pie franco interest, I opened an example I had gotten recently in order to see what it had to offer.
2004 Cantina Sardus Pater Arrugo Isle of SantAntioco Sardinia
100% Carignano from ungrafted 80 year old vines. On paper this seemed promising, although I knew nothing else about it. What I needed to know was more about how this was made. Primary fermentation was in steel but almost certainly with commercial yeasts, malo was in barriques and it was then aged for
12 months in barriques before bottling. And it shows. Whatever terroir or unique interplay between the terroir and the ungrafted vines was obliterated by the oak. Served blind this thing could have been a Marc de Grazia Barolo, or a Antinori Super Tuscan or any number of other full bodied modern Italian oak monsters. Very dark obscured fruits, tight firm woody tannins, this lacked any liveliness or charm. I have to think that something far more interesting and enjoyable could be produced from these vines if handled differently. It's sometimes said that terroir often emerges eventually with such wines but it's also said they dry out and never reveal anything. Either way it going to be quite a while and it doesn't seem worth it.