L’Angolo di vino, 8/28/09
Filed Under The Wine World
Agricola Punica 2005 “Montessu” Isola dei Nuraghi IGT
The southwest corner of Sardinia has provided a welcome home for the Carignano varietal, the most notable versions being in the Carignano de Sulcis DOC. The use of up to 40% Bordeaux grapes in Punica’s proprietary blend give their Santadi based wine an IGT stamp.
Ther’s no denying the characteristic Sardinian elements of macchia and earthy intensity, but this wine exhibits more finesse and depth than other Carignanos. A persistant nose of plum, blackberries, and local dried herbs leads to fully ripened fruit flavors that begin to take on a raisiny dryness as they develop on the palate. Smooth, rich without being dense, and with evolving meaty characteristics, this is a modern offering that never loses its sense of place -another example of why Sardinia’s wines are unique and worth exploring.
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L’Angolo di Vino, 8/10/09
Filed Under The Wine World
If you’ve perused our list of upcoming classes or have done so anytime this year, you probably noticed that most of our Regional classes are devoted to Italy. And they usually sell out – quickly.
And the blurbs that accompany each listing note that more premium Italian wine is consumed in America than Italy…even in the face of price increases as the dollar hangs on for dear life against the Euro. Brunellos, Barolos and Super Tuscans find welcoming shelf space in countless cellars stateside.
Why? I have my theories (shocking, huh?), but those who know my passion for Italy’s wines would chalk it up to cultural bias. So I throw it open for discussion to you, the winedrinkers of America (or anyplace else for that matter)…weigh in with your opinions, and feedback. But please bring something to the tavola beside “..’cause they taste good.”
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L’Anfolo di Vino, 7/28/09
Filed Under Wine Reviews
Tenute Dettori 2005 Bianco, Romangia IGT
A little over a year ago I ws raving about this winery’s Tudori, an atypical old school Sardinian Cannonau that exemplifies their uncompromising commitment to making wines that express a unique sense of culture and place.
The Bianco is a 100% Vermentino that challenges fixed notions of what that grape can offer. Macerated in cement tanks after a natural fermentation, it is neither clarified, stabilized, nor oaked before being hand bottled by the extended family. The only concession to “technology” is maintaining consistent cellar temperature.
The result? A concentrated amber color that resembles an oxidized Chardonnay. A mouthfilling texture and full, rich body. A 15% ABV leavened by a beam of acid
This is a wine to be savored. Nuances of aroma and flavor don’t need to be deconstructed or over analyzed. To do so would miss the point, and be a disservice to the winemaker’s philosophical description of his creations – “…they are what they are. ” And what they are is as authentic as it gets, an oasis of take-it-or-leave-it winemaking in a Sahara of standardization.
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L’Angolo di Vino, 7/27/09
Filed Under The Wine World
We’ve dropped Italian Pick of The Week in favor of a more suitable header, one which translates as “The Wine Corner”. A place not just for reviews but any and all things related to the wines of Italy. Sooo…….
The South Rises Again
Campania is one of my favorite regions. Sorrento…the Amalfi coast…Ravello…terraces of vines and olive groves. Cuisine that showcases the bounty of forests and highlands along with abundence from the Mediterranean.
Which is why I’m looking forward to this Thursday’s Premium Wine Class. Tasting Campania’s wines is a journey through two millenia of viticultural history, a stroll in a living museum of ancient varietals… and each with a story to tell.
We’ll be pouring a De Angelis Lacrima Christi beside Andrea Reale’s “Cardamone”, a blend of Piedirosso and Tintore. For comparison (or even better, contrast) two Aglianicos – the “Fidelis” from Cantine del Taburno and a 1997 “Naturalis Historia” by Mastroberardino. To top it off, among some offbeat surprises, one of Italy’s true cult wines, a 2003 Montevetrano from the hills near Salerno.
If you can’t make Italy this summer, this la dolce vita staycation is an enological consolation.
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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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Filed Under Wine Reviews
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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