February 2010 Wine Focus: Diverse Italy

Round trip Tim? With probation officer out of town?!!

I have to wait until she attends a three day stage (training sessions) with a Portuguese dressage expert . She's just cancelled her attendance for the week after next .

[Jenise]

I now host a twice-monthly happy hour event at a local wine bar, and yesterday I served a 2006 Ajello Nero d'Avola "Magus". This is the first nero d'avola I've liked. A nice mix of blue, red and black fruit over a nice core of iron-rich minerality struck a good balance between sweet and savory. More traditional than international; and bright acidity, soft tannins and a low-these-days 13.5% alcohol made it a crowd pleaser. We sold out.

I'd like to hear more about what you are doing at the wine bar Jenise. How many wines do you open for a tasting session--just one wine or several? Do the customers pay for the tasting?

This may violate "the rules" in that it is from Peidmont, but definitely not Barolo or Barbaresco or Nebbiolo, so bear with me:

Tasted at Terroir in San Francisco:

Cascina 'Tavijn (how does one even pronounce this?)
Ruche de Castagnole Monferrato

Dark purple color. Very grapey flavors, with red plum and plum skin. Sharp herbal note. High acid...medium/light body. Tobacco notes with a very Italian bitter edge.

Very interesting...more interesting than "good", but I imagine this would sing with food. I will probably buy a bottle soon!

Was at Convivio in Tudor Place, NYC yesterday evening to drop off a couple of bottles for a dinner in the near future. Got to catch up for a bit with Levi Dalton there, who had me try a few wines off their list. Some eye-opening experiences as I do not explore this area much and I got to try my first 'orange' wine - quite out of my frame of reference for wine, but really fascinating. Thanks again Levi!

The wines:
1996 Castell'in Villa Chianti Classico
Really nice and savoury with developed earthy and black tea notes over softer red fruited flavours, very bright and precise with plenty of acidity and an earth-filled finish.

2006 Dettori Bianco (Vermentino)
Compelling stuff; light orange in colour and very cloudy with a fantastic aromatic profile of bright floral notes, citrus fruits, peaches and savoury herbal and nutty elements. In the mouth there's a sense of incredibly clarity and brightness with the fruit flavours feeling really fresh and a saline mineral element underneath, faint grainy tannins and good length.

2002 Salvatore Molettieri Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querche
Fantastic aromatic profile full of smoke, ash and earth, and a palate adding bright olive and red fruited flavours to the mix of smoky/tarry flavours with bright acids and grainy tannins underneath. Very enjoyable wine, and a style/region I would love to explore more.

Salil,

Castell'in Villa is one of the very best producers of Chianti Classico, I can imagine that wine was delicious. We don't see them much out here, sadly.

2002 Salvatore Molettieri Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querche
Fantastic aromatic profile full of smoke, ash and earth, and a palate adding bright olive and red fruited flavours to the mix of smoky/tarry flavours with bright acids and grainy tannins underneath. Very enjoyable wine, and a style/region I would love to explore more.

In my limited experience, the Aglianico grape seems capable of producing some very classy wines in a somewhat unsophisticated (country gentleman) vein in both Taurasi and Vulture (Basilicata). You describe it beautifully, Salil. I hope to open one before the month is out though mine come from a producer, Feudi San Gregorio, whose somewhat international winemaking smooths out some of the real character.

2005 Occhipinti Nero d'Avola Siccagno (Sicily) Another joyous, lively bottle of this wine. Vibrantly tart cherry flavors, soaring aromatics, dusty minerals, and sprightly acidity. Smile inducing.

Yes, Salil, but probably not my actual importation if you're in CT. Hope you enjoy it; oddly the two Sibilla wines remind me of Loire wines, not at all what one would expect. (They're own-rooted, and the soil is volcanic.)

I just opened a bottle of the 2008 La Sibilla Piedirosso Campi Flegrei tonight with dinner. Really fantastic wine; full of bright cherry and raspberry fruit with smoky and meaty accents in a very, very drinkable package - it's only 12.5% alcohol, very light on its feet with bright acids and very gentle, silky tannins. Freaking delicious - and perhaps the best wine I've had under $15.

From last weekend:

Yes, a Nebbiolo, but from a small region on the outskirts of Piedmont (North-Northeast of Gattinara and Ghemme):

1984 Antonio Cerri Campo delle Piane Piemonte La Meridiana Boca. This Adonna Imports (no affiliation) selection was shipped directly from Antonio Cerri’s Campo delle Piane cellars in the little-known appellation of Boca and is a blend of 85% Nebbiolo and 15% Vespolina aged at least 10 years in large casks before bottling. The color is definitely a bit advanced and the nose offers up some mellow, finely-aged aromas of brandied cherries, dried flowers, sweet earth and mildly balsamic notes that set this very Old World-styled wine apart from the crowd. It features medium body in the mouth, with a nice silky texture that also shows some surprising grip and persistence as the flavors of dried berry fruit, flower petals and soft spices flow by. It shows its age most on the leathery finish, but some pretty strawberry and balsamic notes there lend a pleasing sensibility that lasts a good while. Everything feels well-integrated here and the wine would be rather welcome at table, I am sure. The more time I spend with it, the better I like it.

I just opened a bottle of the 2008 La Sibilla Piedirosso Campi Flegrei tonight with dinner. Really fantastic wine; full of bright cherry and raspberry fruit with smoky and meaty accents in a very, very drinkable package - it's only 12.5% alcohol, very light on its feet with bright acids and very gentle, silky tannins. Freaking delicious - and perhaps the best wine I've had under $15.

This one is not on my radar screen. The Campi Flegrei are, I think, in the outskirts of Naples and are volcanic. This may account for the finesse like on Etna.

Tim,

The Campi Flegrei is in the first bay up the coast from Naples, and is indeed volcanic sand. It is so sandy that the whole appellation is on its own roots, which I've never heard of before. The own-rootedness may be why it's picked in October in a hot climate but comes in at 12%, as does the Falanghina. Very unusual wines.

Tim,

The Campi Flegrei .... is so sandy that the whole appellation is on its own roots, which I've never heard of before.

The same is said to be true of Ramisco vines grown close to the sea in Colares. My experience of Colares is limited but bad. Oswaldo brought some home after his recent trip to Portugal so stay tuned.

I'm set to open two Valpolicella wines for comparison this week, and an Orvieto (Umbria) after those. I bought one of the Valpolicella's and the Orvieto at the grocery store since I could only find one non-Tuscan, non-Piedmont Italian wine at home.

Sounds good JC. I have a Dolcetto ready to go as I watch the Olympics.

Recently:

'06 Giacosa Arneis. Still fresh and flavorful. A house favorite vintage after vintage. (yes Piedmont, but at least not Nebbiolo).

'04 Dorigo Ribolla. Leaning to orange. Tart and edgy. Not in a great spot.

'99 Masi Amarone Costasera. Very strange aroma, but flavorful and rich on the tongue. As usual a challenging food match.

'98 Arnaldo-Caprai Montefalco Rosso Riserva. Smooth and tasty, but tiring just slightly.


I read some interesting notes on Ruchè a few years ago. It was touted as an incredible food wine with 10-15 years of bottle age. So I purchased six bottles of the oldest I could find (they were fairly inexpensive), unfortunately they were '05s so I have some time to wait.

2001 "Mio" Valpolicello. A private label made for WineBow and Wine Styles by Allegrini. Nonetheless, quite enjoyable, with red plum, cherry, earth, and a pleasant bitter note on the finish. The 2007 vintage is actually better, based on a quick tasting last month.

2002 Salvatore Molettieri Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querche
Fantastic aromatic profile full of smoke, ash and earth, and a palate adding bright olive and red fruited flavours to the mix of smoky/tarry flavours with bright acids and grainy tannins underneath. Very enjoyable wine, and a style/region I would love to explore more.

Did you think that this was ready to go or still had room to improve with age? I have a single bottle of 1999 that I have been looking at for some time but as its the only one I have and I have not seen any of this since I bought it I have been reluctant to pull the cork.

2002 Salvatore Molettieri Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querche
Fantastic aromatic profile full of smoke, ash and earth, and a palate adding bright olive and red fruited flavours to the mix of smoky/tarry flavours with bright acids and grainy tannins underneath. Very enjoyable wine, and a style/region I would love to explore more.

Did you think that this was ready to go or still had room to improve with age? I have a single bottle of 1999 that I have been looking at for some time but as its the only one I have and I have not seen any of this since I bought it I have been reluctant to pull the cork.

Brian, I haven't had the '99 but for comparison, the 1996 was nice in 2003 then shut down hard from 2004 to 2007. It started opening up in 2008 and when I had it last this past August it was extremely expressive with years of life left.
I last had 1997 2years ago and it too was shut down. And I mean completely. No aromatics, no flavor to speak of, and never opened up with decant (for days).

Just cross-posting these from my notes on the Convivio/Pie Franco dinner. Some really cool stuff from Campania, I will definitely be looking out for some of the Terre Nere, Grecomusc' and the Falanghina.

2007 Contrade di Taurasi (Cantine Lonardo) Grecomusc' (Campania, Italy)
Really amazing, just for the aromatic profile that smells as if someone just fired a gun on top of an active volcano. Dry, rich and minerally in the mouth with white fruits mingled with smoke and gunpowder; didn't seem to be an issue with sulfur either - Jeff Grossman kept some behind in a glass to follow over the rest of the evening and a few hours later when I smelled it, the wine was almost as smoky and ashy as it had been at the start of the night. Compelling.

2008 La Sibilla Falanghina (Campi Flegrei, Campania, Italy)
Really pale, fresh and light on its feet, starting out with bright white fruited flavours with seawater and chalky flavours emerging with a little air. Returned to this later in the evening after it had been open a couple of hours (Keith had been stressing this really needed air), and it was even better with the oceanic mineral character really vivid.

2007 Cantine Farro 'Le Cigliate' Falanghina (Campi Flegrei, Campania, Italy)
More weight and body here than the La Sibilla; rich pear and lemon fruit over savoury earthy flavours and a texture that becomes increasingly creamy with air. Didn't spend much time with this, as it was sandwiched between the really awesome Falanghina and the even more awesome Gruners.

2007 Tenuta delle Terre Nere "Prephylloxera, La Vigna di Don Peppino" Etna Rosso (Sicily, Italy)
Seriously awesome, with one of the most vivid expressions of black cherries I've ever come across in a wine on a frame that's incredibly silken and almost weightless with really good acidity freshening up the fruit. Delicious.

Frank Cornelissen "Magma" R 6va (Etna, Sicily, Italy)
Served from two bottles with identical provenance as an experiment to compare the wine when it was uncorked and poured immediately, and decanted three hours beforehand.
Enjoyed the popped-and-poured version better, fascinating stuff with bright red fruited flavours and herbal notes accented by an intense peppery spiciness and faint candy sweetness, very pale and light red in colour (with a fair bit of sediment in the glass), but really intense in the mouth with a sense of restrained power and a long earthy finish.
The decanted version was a lot less impressive with the same peppery/slightly candied red fruits, but with some noticeable alcohol and volatile acidity on the nose and some poop, leading into a discussion at the table between Keith and Jeff Grossman as to what type of poop it was - I think the final agreement was "advanced, more the slow kid that's been held back a few years rather than baby poop". As for the wine, fascinating and certainly unique, but not anything I'd really enjoy for the sake of drinking or would want to own.

1998 Marchesi Alfieri San Germano Pinot Nero (Monferrato, Italy)
Starts out incredibly ripe, floral and a little alcoholic on the nose, then with about 10 minutes of air it calms down to show really bright, intense red fruited flavours and rose petals with a faint candied accent, more density and weight here than any others in the flight with drying tannins on the back end.

Great notes, Salil, and more votes for volcanic wines. I have read that the Campi Flegrei are overdue for an eruption so that I pay that they and the Etna vines will not be destroyed by lava flows in the near future.

WTN: `05 Tenuta Cocci Grifoni Rosso Piceno Superiore Le Torre, Marche.

An Empson import so good quality. $22 Cdn, blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. Good natural cork, opened and decanted one hour, drunk over two day span. Purchased for this months Focus, not a wine/area I am familiar with.

Color. Medium garnet, slight hint of bricking.

Nose. Dried fruits, herbal, spice, leather. Not much change on day 2.

Palate. Initial entry thoughts were dry, low tannin, good acidity, pretty full-bodied on the finish. It took me a while to get to grips with this wine but overall a good buy.
Tart, dryish finish with cherry and plum. Better on day 2, slightly chilled, raspberry and some plum, hint of sweetness. Hope I can find this one in the future.

[Robin Garr]

In another thread, David B inadvertently reminded me that since we changed E-mail software for The 30 Second Wine Advisor, Web-coding issues have made it a little complicated for me to cross-post the full content as I did for many years. But I really need to start posting at least a link and a lead-in again, and the tasting note. Mea culpa, and let's start setting things straight with this excerpt from last week's edition, which promoted Wine Focus:

30 Second Wine Advisor: Double your pleasure with Ripasso
Ripasso, Valpolicella's bigger brother, sounds like and means "re-passed" because of its unusual double-your-pleasure wine-making process.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 100212.php

Guerrieri Rizzardi 2006 "Pojega" Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso ($32)

Dark reddish-purple with a clear garnet edge. Very distinct dried-cherry flavor, typical of Valpolicella, with a pleasant touch of "sappy" herbal notes and subtle brown spice. Mouth-filling and ripe, good acidity adds a mouth-watering snap to bright dried-cherry fruit. There's warmth in the finish, but it carries its 14% alcohol well, and goes very well with rare beef. (U.S. importer: Enotec Imports Inc., Denver, for California Wine Club's International Selections. (Jan. 19, 2010)

FOOD MATCH: It was great with barr Farms Kentucky grass-fed beef rib eye, pepper-crusted, pan-seared with garlic and oven-finished. Try it also with lamb, game or meatless dishes featuring Cheddar-type cheeses.

VALUE: A quality Ripasso is not an inexpensive wine. The double-fermentation process requires extra time and effort in the winery, and the result is rarely available in large amounts. That said, the $32 restock price from California Wine Club's International Selections is certainly fair for a red wine of this quality.

WEB LINK: Click here for an extensive fact sheet on Guerrieri Rizzardi's Ripasso "Pojega."
http://www.guerrieri-rizzardi.com/engli ... passo.html

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Guerrieri Rizzardi 2006 Ripasso "Pojega" is this month's selection from California Wine Club's International Selections, the primary U.S. vendor for Guerrieri Rizzardi. Click for more information.
http://www.cawineclub.com/Guerrieri-Riz ... PD799.html

Click here to find international vendors for Guerrieri Rizzardi's wines on Wine-Searcher.com,
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Guerr ... g_site=WLP
and click here to query Wine-Searcher.com for Ripasso wines in general.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Valpo ... g_site=WLP