Wine Tasting Corner: Italian Wines
Filed Under Wine Reviews
Casata Monfort 2006 “Blanc de Sers” Vigneti Dolomiti IGT
Only in a region as culturally bisected as Trentino would you find a funky blend of the obscure – Wanderbara, Vernaza, Nosiola, Veltliner rosato – and the familiar – Chardonnay, Moscato. Like the region itself, the wine represents a meeting ground of Teutonic and Italian varietals.
The Monfort cantina supports and buys from local growers in order to maintain the profile of indigenous grapes that would otherwise become extinct.
This wine, sourced from a dozen vintners, has a fruity nose of red grapefruit, pineapple and orange blossoms backed by musky scents of forest greenery and a distinct arome of sage. Crisp on the palate, it delivers lively peach, pear and green apple flavors invigorated by tangy saline minerals. Solid, well defined finish that adds sensations of citrus.
Interesting, decidedly eccentric, not easy to categorize – in other words, definately Italian.
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Italian Pick of The Week, 6/08/09
Filed Under Wine Reviews
Botromagno 2005 Primitivo, Gravina DOC
The Botromagno winery is located in an area more known for white wines from a grab bag of Malvasia, Trebbiano Toscana and Greco di Tufo among others. The source for this varietal Primitivo is an ancient vineyard near the centrally positioned town of Gioia del Colle in the upper Murgia. The soils are a mixture of terra rossa over limestone (as in Australia’s Coonawarra), giving the wines power without sacrificing acidity.
This wine has a classic Mezzogiorno nose of earth, tar and woodsy fruit. Don’t expect finesse in this rough and rustic package that fills the mouth with dark cherries and blackberries. Earthy herbs and spices form a background for soft tannins that turn just mildly bitter at the end.
There’s no mistaking this for its DNA cousin Zinfandel, especially when paired with hardy local pastas topped with vegetables and spices, dusted with ricotta salata. Or tangy lamb based dishes.
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Italian Pick of The Week, June 1, ‘09
Filed Under Wine Reviews
Mesa 2006 “Buio”, Carignano di Sulcis DOC, Sardinia
Those Sardinian wines that don’t compromise cultural fidelity have a feral, not-for-everyone quality that evokes their rocky, wind swept terroir. A sense of mystery, intrigue, the unknown – which is a translation of buio.
Mesa’a carignano may not hold dark secrets but it will satisfy those looking for full bodied, earthy authenticity. Aromas of game and woodsmoke surround dark cherries and berries, with hints of macchia, that island mix of wild herbs and flowers.
The decision to forego malolactic fermentation has left rough edges, making this an unapologetically rustic wine. Concentrated and solid on the palate, it picks up some warmth on the finish.
It has the stuffing to complement an insular cuisine more influenced by its rugged interior than its coastline.
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Another year, another Philly Wine Festival. Looking for this year’s Tudori, looking past the usual suspects. Seeing old acquaintances and making some new ones. Learning more than a thing or two from representatives who were not just pouring and picking up a day’s pay but actually were engaged with and articulate about the product. And even though I’d sworn to breeze through the Italian aisle…here is a sampling of some things worthy of attention.
Livio Felluga 2007 “Esperto”….a crisp, pure Friulian Pinot Grigio that expresses what the grape can be. All sorts of floral and ripe fruit aromas with a touch of honey that stays focused until a balanced, mineral laced finish.
Jermann 2007 Pinot Grigio IGT….there’s an Alsatian savoriness in the fresh and mildly spicy aspect of this full, rich wine that hits all the varietal high notes. With the right amount of acidity and minerals to showcase its Isonzo terroir.
A pair of surprises from Geandre Imports:
Vivalda Massimiliano 2004 “Il Clumbe” Barbera d’Asti…more extraction and earth than usual for an Asti, at first sip it comes on like a Monferrato with concentrated dark, forest fruits backed by herbs and spices. Gains depth as it goes, with bursts of acidic lift to support soft, mature fruit. A chunk of Piemonte in a glass.
Poggio al Pino 2003 “Templare”, Toscana Rosso IGT…there was enough spice and “macchia” in here to make me think it was Sardinian Cannonau…but it’s pure Sangiovese with waves of cherries, leather, mushrooms behind the deceptive opening. Power and finesse in a rich package that stays balanced throughout.
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The Wine “Curve”
Filed Under The Wine World
A few years back while channel surfing I settled on a television rarity – a program about wine that was informative without being insufferably boring or contrived. What stuck was an interview with an older French gentleman who was the latest master of a great Bordeaux chateau, possibly a first growth. He modestly stated that he’d been drinking a bottle a day of the estate’s wine for over half a century…and was just discovering what the grapes were expressing.
That self-effacing revelation undescored what is, perhaps, the only mathematical certainty regarding wine – that there is no learning “curve” per se. Rather, the path to understanding wine is a line in its purest form, progressing by the glass into infinity.
People sometimes ask me the best wine I’ve ever had. My stock answer, without attempting to be disingenuous, is that I’ve yet to drink it. The point being that the love of wine is truly a lifetime learning experience, a passion that should never wane, a book of knowledge with no last page. And as with life, it’s a compendium of bottled moments from disappointing to satisfactory to exhilirating that make it all worthwhile.
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Italian Pick of The Week, 4/20/09
Filed Under Recipes, The Wine World
Borgo Conventi 2007 Friulano, Collio DOC, Friuli
During the 1970s winemakers in Friuli proved the aesthetic and commercial viability of monovarietals that showcased the region’s unique mesoclimates and cultural influences. One of the most succesful was Tocai Friulano, which by current EU fiat must be labeled as Friulano to distinguish it from Hungarian Tokaj.
The Borgo Conventi is classic Collio, melding a faintly effervescent minerality from the hills of Goriziano with a lip smacking salinity born of the maritime climate of the northern Adriatic. Well defined pear and melon flavors are supported by crisp acidity that keeps the soft texture from becoming sappy. Lively and refreshing from start to finish…and a summery complement to a plateof salumi with melon, or as an aperatif.
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La Rioja, 3/27/09
Filed Under Wine Tastings
Blanco
Muga 2007 , barrel fermented
Artadi 2005 “Vinas de Gain”
Modernism and Vintage
Finca Allende 2004
Remelluri 2003
Alta Espression
Abel Mendoza 2002 “Seleccion Personal”
San Vicente 2004
Aging Regulations
Sierra Cantabria 2005 Crianza
Sierra Cantabria 2001 Gran Reserva
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Italian Pick of The Week, 3/31/09
Filed Under The Wine World
Corte Agnello 2004 Corvina, Veronese IGT
You’ve probably had Corvina, the Veneto’s “little crow”, somewhere along the way even though you may not have realized it. A light, easy drinking Bardolino? Corvina and Rondinella. Valpolicella in all its forms- Classico, Superiore, Ripasso, Recioto? Corvina, front and center. An Amarone? Yep, it’s in there.
Like most varietals better known as silent partners in more high profile blends, Corvina is seldom found in purezza. Only a handful of producers make a varietal and their inconsistant track record may account for so few being found in the American market.
Which makes this version even more noteworthy. Full bodied without being too structured or tightly wound, it shows a suppleness that allows unmistakeable cherry flavors to fill the mouth. Scents of coffee beans, berries and spice continue onto the palate. There’s an added touch of mocha and tea leaves in this lively, fresh and thoroughly enjoyable wine.
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Italian Pick of The Week, 3/17/09
Filed Under The Wine World
Orsolani 2006 Erbaluce “La Rustia”, Caluso DOC
Along the Dora Baltea river in northwestern Piemonte is the town if Caluso, center for the Erbaluce di Caluso DOC. The eponymous grape, named for the goddess Albaluce, takes on a bright coppery hue in the slanting rays of harvest sunlight. The locals then refer to it as Uva Rustia for its “roasted” appearance.
Orsolani’s “La Rustia” is incredibly refreshing, offering a high level of bracing citric-lime acidity complemented by a balancing smoothness. Floral and hay-like on the nose its mellow flavors call to mind apricots, peaches, tropical melon, and even grapefruit. There’s a creamy background of honey without the expected sweetness. Another example, like Timorasso and Arneis, that interesting white wines can coexist in a region of high powered, huigh priced reds.
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Pondering the Imponderables
Filed Under The Wine World
There are wines. And there are Wines. Barolo is of the latter, not for its renown, prestige, or even its price. No, Barolo is a Wine that presents more questions than enological answers, a Wine which you may not always approach with certainty. Unsure of your reaction to it, or left wondering if you’ve plumbed its sensory depths. Even, perhaps, registering ambiguity regarding your feelings about it, or your ability to “get” it.
So it was that our Advanced Northern Italy students marshalled their considerable intellectual and consumption skills (re: they drink..a lot) to delve into the Barolo mystique. Specifically, what makes for a great Barolo.
Their level of expertise was challenged by a blind tasting of Barolos representative of crus in four of the main communes of production to evaluate the relevance of terroir. There was also a horizontal tatsing across three vineyards of Barolo from the same winemaker, all from the 2004 vintage. And a vertical highlighting a single vineyard and two consistantly reliable producers. Discussions covered geologic soil composition and structure;topographic variations;climate changes within a growing season;methodolgy and techniques; philosophiesof winemaking; and perceptions of so-called traditional and modern styles of Barolo. The goal was to identify the most important factor(s) in determining what makes Barolo…well, Barolo!
The result? Barolo remains an enigma wrapped in a riddle, a Wine of elegance and naturally induced beauty. One whose imponderability may best be served by remaining shrouded in the autumnal fog of its native Langhe hills.
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