Wines that tickled my fancy or cerebellum…
From the gluttonous first night at restaurant Belvedere (pictured above)
2004 Matteo Corregia Arneis Roero - Arneis is the only white grape of the Piedmont. Few vintners seem willing to invest the time and effort with this varietal, but they have no qualms about making a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc…who knows why. Maybe it’s the fact that the Arneis that are out there are abysmal, at best. If you think that the flabby lifeless wine that Ceretto puts out is all the grape has to offer…you need to track down this inexpensive gem from Corregia. Mineral and citrus scented, it strikes the perfect balance of fruit/mineral and fresh/richness. The overall impression is one of freshness and elegance. Not a bad package for $15.
1993 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc- If you’re not familiar with the house, Scavino has some of the finest vineyard sites, an exceptional estate and almost legendary status. The Bric del Fiasc (the hill of the flask) is one of an enviable array of wines they make. In their infinite wisdom, the Wine Expectorator gave this vintage a modest 87 points (it has nice fruit, but I can’t dance to it). The almighty Bobby Parker saw fit to only offer a 86, with the proviso “early maturing.” Here is the danger of “experts” rating a vintage. This wine, and its two siblings, don’t fit the mold. These wines exuded life, with the Bric del Fiasc still looking at 20 years of life ahead and the other two offering an awkward, youthful persona that hinted at more life ahead. But, you say, these are the finest of their appellation, they transcend the vintage. Yes and no, but more on that later. The wine itself was truly impressive and, unfortunately, the star of the show, over-shadowing the wines that followed, but anyway. The nose was deep and seductive with cedar, mocha, nutmeg and a distinctive truffle aroma. Although the wine still had tannin, it had faded into a textural component with the palate being perfectly balanced. Not American wine drinker balanced…truly balanced. It also possessed perfect weight, neither light nor heavy. In a word, it was exceptional.
1993 Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi- The hill of Cannubi is of such important that the main road into the town of Barolo splits at the bottom and the two halves rejoin on the other side. It is here that the two halves of Barolo’s soil join. The Tortonian soil (compacted calcerous marl) meets the Helvetian soil (looser calcerous marl with degraded sand) meet. The soils produce distinctive wines: the Tortonian produces ripe, full and approachable wines, while the Helvetian produces the dark, tannic long-agers. But it is in Barolo that they meet and it is here that the synthesis of the two “styles” of Barolo is achieved. It has been offered that this is the reason that the wine is referred to as Barolo (and not La Morra or Serralunga). In fact, the oldest bottle in the museum of Barolo bears the label Cannubi-1752. But once again, I digress. The wine itself seemed to suffering from the worst parts of its Gemini-ish nature. The primary fruit had faded, leaving the warm rosy glow of its La Morran generosity, but not enough time had passed to soften its stern side. The overall impression was one of a wine in transition. I think we just caught it on the wrong day…
1993 Paolo Scavino Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata- Rocche veers to the other side of the spectrum. Bric del Fiasc is the full-blown expression, Cannubi offers a hint at the softer side (sorry Sears) and Rocche is the pure La Morran expression. Following as it did after its broader shouldered brethren, it paled in comparison. Not through any fault of its own. It was soft and gentle with light spice and a supple palate. By no means an inferior wine. But truthfully, when all three were being offered…this was not the one I reached for.
2003 Marco Marengo Barolo Bricco- Viole Marco Marengo was the first and smallest of all the estates we visited. Although better known for his wines from the Brunate vineyard, he makes a wine from a tiny Cru in Barolo proper. The Bricco Viole (“hill of violets”) lives up to its name with a bright, lifted floral aspect to it. While it is wonderful and has great potential, it remains to be seen whether or not it can outlive its tannins. The by-now legendary heat and drought of 2003 posed a unique set of problems for winemakers throughout Europe. Some seemed to have adapted well…others didn’t, but more on that later. While young Baroli and Barbaresci are particularly acidic and tannic when young, the 2003s are even more so.
1986 Elio Altare Barbera D’Alba- Barbera has many faces, from easy drinking “pizza wine” to the over-oaked confections of La Spinetta, but it’s not a wine to age. Which made it all the more interesting when Elio Altare pulled an ’86 from his cellar during lunch. My first thought was California Cabernet. Not because Barbera tastes anything like Cabernet, but because the wine had not aged, it had gotten old. Common knowledge holds that Cabernet from California ages well, but from personal experience, it’s rarely true. Like Barbera, it loses its rough edges as time passes, but it rarely improves. It doesn’t undergo that transformation into something else…something magical, not just a softer version of its younger self. But sometimes great insight comes from the less-than-good bottle. One of my previous employers had a sister restaurant that closed while I was working for them. Before the sister restaurant closed, they brought boxes of wine back to the main restaurant, many of dubious origins. Amongst them was an ancient bottle of Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante. Based upon the label art, we guessed that it came from either from the 60’s or 70’s. The theory was that the bottle had been a display piece, after all, who would age one of those turds intentionally. Needles to say, we had to try it. After removing the cage and foil, the cork fell off the bottle. The wine poured a medium orange-brown with no trace of bubble. However, the wine was delicious. Its sugar and acidity had combined with oxidation to produce a slightly sweet Madeira/Sherry. We drank the whole bottle. All of that aside, I can’t say that the Barbera was actually good, but it certainly was interesting. Thanks Elio and Sylvia.
La Spinetta- I feel a need to start by saying that Georgio Rivetti is an incredibly accommodating and generous host. He gained fame from the most simple of sources, Moscato D’Asti, and to this day his are the benchmark of the appellation…a golden nugget in a pile of horse turds. However, somewhere thing went awry. He went from making honest, delicious wines to making over-blown, over-oaked, soulless, critic-pleasing dross. The moscato retails at $19, the Baroli and Barbaresci retail at $150, and there is little, other than Barbera, in between. Not that price is the issue; there are plenty of other wines from the area that are as expensive. It’s less definable than that. When I heard that he spent something ludicrous like 2 million Euro for his Barolo property (don’t quote that number) and the resultant wines don’t offer any idea that they are Barolo, I have to wonder. I don’t resent wealth. The Scavinos are obviously well off. Yet their wines are Barolo, the individual Crus maintain their identity. We were sitting in an incredible winemaking facility, feasting like kings and drinking wine that could have been made from anything just about anywhere. It’s all the more strange considering the company it shares in this portfolio.
2003 Silvio Grasso Barolo L’André- One of the largest impacts that the importer has had on the estates that he works is introducing modern technology to avoid problems that traditionally plague winemakers. Amongst these innovations is the Rotary Fermentor. The coloring and flavoring compounds in grape skin are primarily water-soluble. However, tannins are primarily alcohol soluble. The ideal situation is to allow the crushed grapes to soak in their juice for a couple of days to extract color and flavor. Alcohol fermentation should follow, and occur as quickly as possible so that the harshest tannins are left behind. The rotary fermentor facilitates this (if you want more wine-geeky information, contact us). This has allowed producers that once made good wine from great sites to make wines that are truly worthy of the vineyards they came from. Which makes it all the harder to understand why Federico Grasso has started making his Barolo L’Andre. I don’t know if you would call this a homage or a throw-back, but it’s Barolo made the old-fashioned way. The fermentation is carried out in stainless steel, but it lasts for 40 days, after which it is matured in giant Slavonian oak casks. The result can only be described as appalling. It’s completely suffused with volatile acidity. It was in fact completely undrinkable…a fact that was hard to hide from the winemaker sitting two seats away. I had great hopes going into the tasting at Grasso, but more than half of the wines were obviously flawed. I don’t know what’s worse, the fact that the wines were so bad, or that some people in the group really liked them.
2001 Luigi Pira Barolo Vigna Marenca and Vigna Margheria- Those who say that terroir (in short, the idea that unique microclimates and soil produce distinctive qualities in wine) is an excuse of flawed wines need to visit the Piedmont. Not that I’m being an apologist, far too many French vintners (Burgundy in particular) hide crappy wine behind a stellar appellation. But there are undeniably site specific tastes and textures in wine. For an object lessen, see the picture (at the bottom of the post). This is a view from the back patio of Luigi Pira. The crests of the two vineyards pictured are no more that 300 feet, the aspect is identical, and the soils ostensibly the same, yet the wines could not be more different. The Vinga Marenca is the “lighter” of the two wines. It shows more at a younger age. The Vigna Margheria is has the firmer backbone, less giving in its youth. There are further differences, particularly in taste, with Marenca carrying more spice and Margheria focusing more on its fruit. These differences are obvious when the wines are tasted. There is something unique about each of these sites, despite their close proximity. A friend and business associate was telling me recently that, amongst California’s elite winemakers, it’s hip to have aerial analysis of your vineyards and their soils. The end result being that individual vines can be understood for their particular needs and vigor. As an extension, the vineyards managers are treating small blocks, sometimes 8-10 vines, differently than their neighbors. It may be a bit extreme, but it if you taste the wines, you can’t deny that there is something different. And now I’ll get off my high horse…
2004 Sottimano Maté- Sottimano was tough tasting. People who say that Barbaresco is “softer” or “more feminine” than Barolo are sorely mistaken. The wines are particularly brutal when young. After becoming acclimated, you can get a feel for the future of Baroli even if they’ve only been in barrel for one year. Tasting barrel samples of Barbaresco is a exercise in masochism. The acids are searing and tannin starts to draw the life out of you. Which made it all the more refreshing when the Sottimanos brought out their Brachetto. You may have seen Brachetto in its slightly sweet, slightly sparkling and totally revolting form as Brachetto D’Aqui. Banfi makes a widely-distributed and thoroughly revolting version. But when the grape is fermented dry and still, it’s fantastic. Its main features are a light body, an intensely perfumed nose and crisp acidity, which make it a great aperitif and the perfect match for light appetizers. Watch and marvel at how it bounces off the richness of cheese and leaves the palate clean. Shake your head and wonder at its ability lift the rich fattiness of salami and cured meats off your tongue and swirl them around, leaving you refreshed and ready for your next bite. Wines like this (and Beaujolais, and Dolcetto, and Zweigelt) are often dismissed as not being “serious” wine. But no other reds can fill the niche. Light, delicious, low-alcohol and food-friendly. Which makes me wonder, what’s the merit of “serious” wine that makes you focus your attention on it? As opposed to the simple delicious juice that lightens the mood and makes itself right at home with the food.
2000 and 2001 Domenico Clerico Barolo Perchristina and 2002 Domenico Clerico Barolo- Further evidence, if anyone really needs it, that the Wine Spectator would be of more use if it were perforated and put on a roll. The 2000 Perchristina, named for Domenico’s late daughter, was the Wine Expectorator's Barolo of the vintage, a perfect 100 point wine from a perfect 100 point vintage. The next vintage, although not officially released, has received a tentative 96 points from the Wine Spitilator, good but not up to the level of the perfect 2000. The 2002 has been unilaterally written off. But, here’s what’s funny. The 2000 Perchristina is great, but the 2001 is better. The 2000 vintage is good, the 2001 is widely undertood to be a superior vintage and some people sctually made good wine in 2002. In fact, Clerico poured a 2002 Barolo for us. He was deciding whether to bottle it or sell it off in bulk. The wine was true to the vintage, a little simpler and lighter than the norm. But it was a delicious wine for early drinking and if it hits the market, it will retail for around $50. Not bad for a great drinking Barolo from one of the premier producers.
2002 Giovanni Manzone Barolo Le Gremolere Bricat- I feel rather superficial saying this, but I’d always written off the wines of Manzone because of the slightly tacky packaging. However, the estate turned out to be the surprise of the trip. Not only were the wines surprisingly great, the weather took an unexpected turn when we arrived at the estate. It sits at a relatively high altitude on the crest of a hill, and as we arrived a storm was just rolling in. The temperature dropped, the wind howled and by the time we left, we were all shivering. Just two hours before we had been debating a swim at Pira’s and now we were chilled to the bone. However, it’s this unique environment that allowed Manzone to excel in the hail and rain of 2002. Nebbiolo is known for its acidity, but these wines had the finest acidity of any of them. It gave the fruit a shimmering glowing quality. Complex and deep, but lively and lengthy. Due to the poor reputation of the vintage, I’m not sure these wines will even make it stateside, but if they are the finest of the vintage and well, well worth finding.
2003 Chiantis from Podere Il Pallazino- As mentioned previously, the 2003 was a trial for just about every quality-conscious winemaker in Europe. We’ve been selling the wines of Pallazino since the restaurant opened, and I’ve been singing their praises the entire time. All three cuvees, the Argenina, La Pieve and Grosso Sanese, are exceptional…head and shoulders above most wines made in the region. But the tank samples of the 2003s were really disappointing. The usual dark color and rich extract were missing. Both the color and palate seemed washed out. My guess was that either a) the heat had caused the grapes to become sugar-ripe before they had a chance to completely mature phenolically, b) the heat had caused thicker skins and in an attempt to keep the finished wine from being overly tannic, the shortened the time of skin contact or c) a little of both. Whatever the case, the 2003s were a big let-down. But the 2004s will be magical.
1997 Palazzone Orvieto Classico Campo de Guardiano- Orvieto is not usually associated with quality winemaking. In fact, the majority is a waste. It’s made with a collection of varietals that are more frequently associated with quantity than quality. But this wine and its younger brotherm the Terre Vineatem were a revelation. The Budini family purchased this estate in the late 60s and renovated the house and cellar and replanted the vineyards. All of the grapes are handed-harvested, soft-pressed and fermented cool. The resulting wines are remarkable not only for the combination of richness and crispness and marriage of fruit and minerality, but for their ability to age. At our request, they opened a magnum of the 1997. In addition to the attributes mentioned earlier, it had acquired a rounded, mineral-drenched silkiness with time in the bottle. It was one of the finest wines of the entire trip and a lesson on the potential that this area and these grapes have. If anybody is wondering, the blend is 50% Procanico, 25% Grechetto and the balance a blend of Malvasia, Verdello and Drupeggio.
