Old Wine at School, or Why I Love Bordeaux

by Brian Freedman

Filed Under Wine Reviews

Though I’m a fool for wines from the Southern Rhone, the highlight of last night’s Vintage Factor class was, for me, the 1998 Canon-Moueix. Sure, those two bottles of 2004 Vacqueyras were lovely, but there is just nothing like a bottle of Bordeaux with some age to it.

This particular one, from the great-on-the-Right-Bank 98 vintage, took a while to open up–it seemed a bit over-the-hill when first poured. But by the end of class, it had blossomed and become subtly rich with aromas of dried flowers, underbrush, and a hint of cigar tobacco. So while it took 10 years and nearly two hours to get where it always needed to go, it was well worth the wait. Not bad for a rainy Saturday night.


Leave a Comment

Pio Cesare 2006 Piodilei

by Brian Freedman

Filed Under Wine Reviews

‘Piodilei’ literally translates to ‘Pio for the ladies.’ It is so named because the women of the family found this wine particularly appealing–though there’s nothing here that will keep the men from falling in love with it, too. Because it is, in fact, a supremely–and perhaps dangerously–drinkable wine. The oak here is used more as a seasoning than as a focal point, which should be a relief for everyone who’s burned out on overblown California-style chardonnays (though even those are getting more elegant these days). As a result, there is a superb balance between the wine’s tropical fruit character and its richer, more robust notes of vanilla and cream. The finish is long and elegant with a lovely hint of butter–more Burgundian than you’d perhaps expect from Piemonte. But there it is: An Italian white–and a chardonnay to boot!–worth buying in bulk.


Leave a Comment

Pio Cesare 2004 Barbaresco

by Brian Freedman

Filed Under Wine Reviews

With truffles, roses, and perhaps violets on the nose, this wine has a sense of perfumed levity that’s just irresistible. There’s a freshness here, though the fruit is far from the focus as the wine is rich with notes of cinnamon, cocoa, and Southeast Asian spices, especially on the finish. The tannins, while well-integrated, have some serious grip, and I expect this wine will continue to improve for a decade or more. And like all the best 2004 Barbarescos I’ve tasted, the restrained elegance of the vintage shines through beautifully here.


Leave a Comment

Pommery Brut Rose Champagne

by Maria Adelizzi

Filed Under Wine Reviews

The sound of a champagne’s “pop” is music to my ears and while this tune is often only heard during special occasions or holiday celebrations I recommend playing it more often. In fact, celebrating life itself is a good enough excuse to open a bottle of the beautiful Pommery Brut Rosé Champagne!

This rose-gold coloured beauty of a brut made with 1/3 Chardonnay, 2/3 Pinot noir and Pinot Meunier grapes is full of surprises. The fragrant nose is redolent of cantaloupe and wild strawberries with a dash of sweet cinnamon. The firm mousse decorates the top of the glass with its creamy white foam. This is a full-bodied Rosé and although aged for three years, has a liveliness that comes from the long-lasting tiny bubbles that tickle the tongue with a dance of excitement.

Flavor profiles are reminiscent of a lightly toasted millet muffin topped with sliced, fresh, but still tart strawberries. Wonderful paired with food or enjoyed on its own, it has the musical notes sounding out as the components of dryness, tart acidity, and crisp, focused flavors that come together in perfect harmony to create the well structured verses of this romantic Champagne melody!


Leave a Comment

Italian Pick of The Week 11/12/07

by Frank Cipparone

Filed Under Wine Reviews

Sylla Sebaste Barolo “Bussia”, 2001, Piemonte

For the past few years there has been an ongoing debate regarding what exactly constitutes a “true” Barolo…or makes a Barolo truly great. On one side of the aisle are the Traditionalists, on the other the Modernists, the line dividing them shifting and blurring as the controversy meanders on its unresolvable way. It’s a microcosm of the old vs. the new in Italian winemaking, of the forces promoting change in all manners viticultural and those who understand the need for some alterations, but not at the expense of authenticity or singularity.

In that sense, Sebaste’s Barolo would definately belong in the Modernist camp. Only six years removed from the spectacular vendemmia of 2001, it is already drinking well, unlike the tannic brutes of the recent past that required at least ten years in bottle before you’d consider opening them. That’s not to say the tannins aren’t tangible, just that this comes across more like a mature Barbera or a well crafted and subtle Barbaresco. The characteristic “profumo di Langhe” that distinguishes Barolo is still developing, the notes of roses and leather in their early stages. The flavors are more red than the evolved darker berries that should appear with age.

The point is that this can be enjoyed now, it is not an intellectual wine that needs to be “underestood”, or worthy of deliberation… those are descriptors commonly used when assessing so-called Traditional Barolos. My advice…drink it for what it is and leave the philosophical wrangling to people who wander around banging into trees while ignoring the beauty of the forest.


Leave a Comment

Grgich Hills 2004 Zinfandel

by Brian Freedman

Filed Under Wine Reviews

The aroma of spicy, peppery raisins soaked in Dr. Pepper, but in a good way. This is classic, peppery California zinfandel, yet the blue fruits of the 7% petit sirah add an even greater sense of richness. The mid-palate isn’t nearly as sweet as the nose suggests, likely the result of substantial tannins that need some time to mellow out. You don’t have to wait, though: An hour in the decanter will work just fine.


Leave a Comment

The Top Ten Wines for Fall, PLCB Style

by Keith Wallace

Filed Under Wine Reviews

These are the top  wines for the next month or so. Grab them when you can! You can use our Wine Finder to locate all these wines.

Bodega Norton 2005 Malbec Reserva (Chile)
PLCB: $12/Outside of Pennsylvania: $13-$20

This wine is everywhere right now, and its worth picking up a few bottles at the current ($12) PLCB price. The structure is aggressively tannic and muscular with a core of bitter chocolate and raspberry. Sweet oak flavors come through in the finish as vanilla and toast. 

Graham BeckGraham Beck 2001 “The Ridge” Syrah (South Africa)
PLCB: $15/ Outside of PA: $24
Oddly enough, the best “Chairman Selections” in the PLCB system are not really part of that program. They just arrive without any fanfare. This is one of them. This Syrah drinks like a crozes hermitage. A jet of acidity lifts the intense roasted game flavors with accents of cranberry and blackberry. The finish is dense with briar and smoke, but this medium-bodied beauty never feels unbalanced or overly aggressive.

Read more


3 Comments

Italian Pick of The Week

by Frank Cipparone

Filed Under Wine Reviews

Cristina Ascheri Langhe Arneis, 2006, Piemonte In a land of Barbaresco and Barolo this grape is truly, in the local patois, an unruly child, the one who doesn’t quite fit in. Once planted among rows of Nebbiolo because its scented clusters diverted birds and bees away from the more “important” varietal, Arneis had as low a profile as any grape that had ben around for 600 yerars or so.

Historically linked with the Roero on the opposite side of the Tanaro River from the Langhe hills, Arneis from the latter zone exhibits unique characteristics. It seems well suited to the rolling terrain of its more renowned Piedmontese cousins.

Ascheri has produced a zesty, lively version, fuller in style than most but marked by cutting lemon-lime acidity. A burst of springtime aromatics - apple, honeyed melon, and wildflowers - is the segue to the white fruit flavors that fill the mouth, backed by crisp, stoney, minerals and a fresh grapefruity finish.

In a world of bland, non-descript white wines this is the type of grape that deserves attention and a wider audience. If your experience has been limited to mass produced Italian whites this one will change your palate…and maybe your mind.


Leave a Comment

Mondavi 1991 Cabernet Sauvignon “Reserve”

by Brian Freedman

Filed Under Wine Reviews

From the moment I opened the bottle, this wine was one surprise after another. The color didn’t imply that the juice was 16 years old, and the nose, though redolent of the subtle aromas of leather and tobacco, developed a cinnamon-rolled blackberry character after a few minutes of air. And while the palate started off slowly, it blossomed into a stately mouthful of dried violets and apricots, with still-velvety tannins and a solid acid balance keeping it all alive. It certainly would have been better a year or two ago–or longer–but it was still hanging in there and giving plenty of pleasure.


Leave a Comment

Italian Pick of The Week

by Frank Cipparone

Filed Under Wine Reviews

Ornella Molon Raboso, 2003, Pieve DOC, Veneto Though it has been vinified since the pre-Roman era and was once an important wine for trade by Venetian merchants (when it was known as recaldina), Raboso literally lost ground to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1960s.

As was the case with many indigenous varietals, it might have been consigned to the enological scrap heap if not for the Confraternity of Raboso Pieve and producers committed to preserving wines that reflected cultural heritage and place.

Since 1982, Ornella Molon has developed a portfolio of wines that thrive in the organic alluvial soils in the Pieve River Valley near Treviso. They have restored Raboso to its post-1945 prominence in that area.

This is a complex, powerful wine of depth and extraction. Scents of flowewrs, berries, and spices evolve into well defined flavors of full-on red fruits and darker cherry, with touches of pepper. The finish is lengthy and built on solid tannins and a dry but not unpleasant bitterness. Interesting, unique, and challenging to the senses.


Leave a Comment
« go back — keep looking »