Final Day in Italy - Val de Chiana

Wednesday was a day of travel into the Val de Chiana, a breathtakingly beautiful place. We went to visit Felsina, an estate that has existed since the 11th century AD, the current owners have been an excellent growers in the southernmost district of Chianti Classico since the early 80's. After a tour of their vineyards - they have 600+ acres - both in Classico and Colli Senesi zones that are planted mostly with Sangiovese, with a bit of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and a sampling of Cabernet Sauvignon. They have beautiful cellars and vineyard holdings and are a benchmark estate to visit.

We had lunch with Giuseppe Mazzocolin, whose family owns the estate and has been at the helm full-time since 1982, when he stopped teaching Italian literature. We had what was a very nice, typical lunch prepared by Lidia,(the "Mama" of Felsina) of Rice with Fresh Peas grown on the estate with Saffron from a neighbor, Young Lamb Chops and Crabapple Torta.

With our lunch we had a chance to taste the Chardonnay called I Sistri, which was light and attractive with the rice. Reds included the ‘04 Chianti Classico which showed the excellence of the vintage - it had super depth and balance, which I actually preferred with the rice. I expect to buy deep on this wine. ‘01 Rancia also showed very well - this is one of the vineyards we saw in the morning - it still needs cellaring for a few years to show best, there’s still some tannin, it will peak in 5 - 7 years. We also had a chance to taste a vertical of the barrique-aged Sangiovese called Fontalloro. The ‘03 was rich and detailed and did not show the narrow, strained, cooked fruit of many ‘03's.

The ’97 showed very much in balance and at the height of its hedonistic capabilities. It's not unreasonable to expect the same from the ‘03 in a few years. The ‘90 was excellent.

This little vertical of similar vintages demonstrated the evolutionary pattern of concentrated, ripe, lower-acid (not low), new-oak-aged Sangiovese. I expect the Rancia bottling to be interesting longer and perhaps show more aromatic detail, but probably not give as much fruity pleasure at its peak. It certainly is a choice of distinct wine-making styles from very similar terroirs.

We finished with the brilliant ‘98 Vin Santo. Rich, detailed, voluptuous and multi-faceted, this was a thrilling wine. Not really for cheese or chocolate but almost as wide a range in a dessert wine as you could want. I thought it was super with an old-fashioned buttery tart. I think complex wines often show the most details with simple, satisfying dishes.

We also toured the olive oil producing facilities and tasted the oils. This, I'll cover in detail another time. They do excellent work.

Our Wednesday dinner was nothing short of disappointing. We had heard positive reviews from several people in the wine business about Da Antonio, a restaurant specializing in fish that is located near Felsina in Castelnuovo-Berardenga. Unfortunately we had a very weak experience.

We did taste a few wines at dinner from a Friulian producer that I've not seen before: Teresa Raiz. Both the Tocai Friulano and the Ribolla Gialla ‘04 were very good examples at low prices. Rosso di San Gimignano, Paradiso "Saxa Calida", a Merlot/Cabernet ‘01 was also a relative bargain. Tasty, medium-bodied and loaded with charming red fruits. I'll look for both of these producers when I have a chance.

Supper for a few of us ended with the superb single-vineyard Vino Nobile de Montepulciano ‘95 vintage from Boscarelli. It was just now coming around and proved a happy moment with some local pecorino and salami. We discovered too late the Vin Santo we returned to for dessert was 15 percent alcohol, which made for a long and descendant conversation (as opposed to transcendent). The evening ended with us giggling off to our suddenly hard-to-find bedchambers.

Wine Selection for June 19th Fiesta

FIESTA ON THE TERRAZA – JUNE 19TH
We have some exciting wines to sample at the upcoming Fiesta event at PAZO. I will be working on the tapas menu over the next few days and am looking forward to exploring the many flavors of the season with you.

Wine Selections:
1. Albarino, Pedro de Soutomaior (Rias Baixas) 2003
This clean, fresh white is from Galicia, on Spain's Atlantic coast. Look for aromas and flavors of honeysuckle, pear, and apricot along with a good acidity and mineral character.

2. Rosado, Bodegas Muga (Rioja) 2005
Dry, delicate, and flavorful, this salmon-colored wine fills the gap between white and reds wines with notes of strawberries and raspberries. It is interesting to note that this rosé is actually a blend of both red and white grapes: Garnacha, Viura, and Tempranillo.

3. Tempranillo, “Venta Mazzaron” Vinas del Cenit (Zamora) 2003
Vinas del Cenit is a state of the art new winery just outside the appellation of Toro. This medium-bodied red wine has flavors of cherries and blackberries accented by leather and spices.

4. Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon “Rivola” Abadia Retuerta (Sardon del Duero) 2003
Supple, approachable red from central Spain. It’s essence of red and black currants is balanced by tones of tobacco, spices, and earth.

5. Garnacha “El Chaparral” Vega Sindoa (Navarra) 2003
Terrific old vine Grenache from just south of the Pyrenees. You’ll find big cherry fruit layered with earth and freshly cracked pepper.

6. Monastrell/Cabernet Sauvignon/Tempranillo “Altos de Luzon” Finca Luzon (Jumilla) 2002
The vines in Jumilla, located in southeastern Spain, struggle against the harsh desert climate to produce very low yields of fruit. This results in rich, concentrated wines such as this gem. Altos de Luzon has a bold, brawny style saturated with ripe plums, blackberries, and warm spices.

Dinner in Portovenere

Today was not a tough day. We went vineyard scoping in the morning and drove along the sea through the mountains, ending with a long lunch with good cooking (Chef crazy hairy) and a waltz around San Rocco with a quick espresso stopover at the local pasticceria. This part of the journey makes up for the years of 100+ hour weeks. Having the opportunity to research the stuff you love and enjoying it is treasured.

We headed out for an exploratory evening in Portovenere, happening upon a sort of Red Lobster meets L'Ami Louis sort of Hosteria on a funny side street called "Antica Osteria de Carugio". It seems to be a family sort of operation, having probably the same decor for 40 years. Ship's wheels, untold grappa empties, funky ceramic floor, and garish copper lanterns are just a few of the elements that make the place a little wacky. A chubby, not very friendly man points us at a table. We sit at chunky, dark wooden tables with benches.

A young woman approaches the table and begins to rattle off food items. In fact, the whole menu (8 dishes). This woman of maybe 23 has quite the presence, a very pretty slightly cruel face, with dark hair and features. As you might guess a very challenging/charming personality. She looked right through a few of my tablemates, killing them at first glance! I've never seen anyone in flip-flops command a room like that.

As we ordered, Maria-Luisa (I’ll admit to naming this stranger without her knowledge) bellowed orders over her shoulder to her grandmother who wrote up checks while Uncle Bob commanded the stove in his white t-shirt. It was very hard to keep a straight face as she snapped off our order in the sharpest, most nasal tone. She was sort of a Ligurian younger and cuter version of Carla from Cheers.

The Salami they made and Octopus Salad was superb. The Coppo was a little spicy and excellent. The local pecorino was also good. The highlight for me was the Pannetonne. The best I've ever had by a mile. Rich semolina cake-bread loaded with really great dried fruit. All done by grandma. Dunking it in robust Grappa from Cinqueterre was just the ticket. Our "tapas" sort of stop here was excellent and memorable.

We moved on, none the worse for wear, a bit louder and with more gusto to dinner at our hotel in the "Royal Sporting Club". Predictable and not-unsatisfying, it suffered in comparison to the little joint where we had started. The best treat at dinner was Arnolfo-Caprai "Montefalco" from Umbria. 1997 vintage and as you might expect, soft, rich and a little oaky. Sort of low-cut-top appealing, not hard work.

Our next day will be in Toscana.

Vineyards of Barolo

Our drive from Alba towards Spezia was fortunately easy, and therefore took the time to drive through the various cru vineyards of Barolo.

Understanding exposition and soil can truly only come from walking the vineyard and tasting corresponding wines. The vineyards here are individual, with distinct soil and drainage changes that make different potentials in the various sites. People will often speak of a similarity to Burgundy - and I agree in the way they are built and the fashion in which they provide pleasure bearing similarity to Burgundy.

The vineyards do not mirror one another at all. For some reason that is not remotely topographical; relating the variations of flavor and site remind me more of the Hermitage hill. Which (this will upset many) makes me wonder, if not suggest the wines of Barolo may be more interesting with a blend of several excellent sites (a la Chave) and provide more complete wines, especially as they age. I may have to push some experimentation as this is so contra current fashion.

As we got closer to our destination in Portovenere we started searching for a spot for lunch. We happened on a pretty un-spoilt one road in, one road out town overlooking the sea on the coast San Rocco. There are three restaurants in town and two are closed on Tuesdays, so our decision was easy to make. Also the name was pretty happy, Cucina Nonna Nina (Granny Nina's kitchen).

We hoped for authentic and comforting Ligurian cooking and that is exactly what we got, no foolishness and pretty solid. Excellent marinated fish (sword, red mullet and scorpion fish) with good light Ligurian oil and vinegar from Vermentino and a few fruity little black olives. The meal made the two bottles of cowboy quality Vermentino I ordered seem pretty solid (total 22 euros for the 2). The best of the later courses was the rabbit – they probably caught the unlucky and very tasty little bastard in the garden we were sitting in. My langoustines were huge but maybe not the best.

A great treat was the brilliant dessert wine. We had a Sciaciattra, a rare passitto from Cinqueterre; somewhere between a malvasia madeira and a vin santo, maybe with the acidity of a vin de paille from Hermitage. This was a delight with Granny's butt-kicking Pine Nut and Semolina Torta. I was happy till I saw Granny, who was clearly her son, 6'2", every bit of 260 with black hair exploding from his polo shirt that was a teensy bit tight. Sonny could cook Granny. No question. This was easily the least I've spent to be this happy at the table all afternoon in a long time, probably a decade.

Day 3 - Enoteca e Ristorante de Roero

Our dinner the first night was with Paulo Scavino and Domenico Clerico at Enoteca e Ristorante de Roero. This is a pretty hidden place that feels kinda clubby (except for the wacky art work). Wine is an important part of this restaurant, they keep a strong cellar at excellent prices with an obvious specialty in Piemonte wines. They use good stemware - it goes a long way in showing that you care about what's in the glass and its appreciation.

Dinner was an excellent chance to have time with two strong and experienced growers who have been really important in the evolution of winemaking in this region. Earlier in the day we visited with Scavino in his cellars and tasted current releases. Most notable about this tasting is his stylistic adjustment. He's using a bit less new oak now than before, so the aromas are a bit more complex and less loaded with vanilla. His Barolo crus in 2000 and 2001 are very strong. Scavino is a grower whose wines are excellent but not foolishly priced.

For dinner, we are seated at a table in a private dining room that has commanding dimensions (20 ft ceilings) and hideous paintings. The menu seems a marriage of traditional Piemontese dishes and some creative flair. I'm a little nervous about this, we'll see. We order individually. Long drama...I may faint from lack of food and wine and it's not really the fault of the restaurant. Besides myself there are several Italian clients, brokers and such. Twelve all told. I truly think with a group that size a host should plan at least a bit if not an entire menu and wines in order to minimize awkward, inactive times at the table. When you have no wine in your glass for a long stretch Jay Miller always calls it "wine jail." In this situation that absolutely applied - listening to growers and brokers argue about the first wine for twenty minutes. After all that it was a dud:

Bellavista "Ca del Bosco" frizzante nv. Dull, narrow and flat on the palate. Surprising for a good winery. We had 4 little amuse-bouche...a little precious and only so moving.

A white wine was next, Angelo Gaja's Chardonnay from the 1998 vintage.

Medium-weight, appropriate acidity and tree fruits and a little butterscotch. This showed well and in its prime. A lot like Colin's 95 St. Aubins are now. My first dish was a fancier variation of Carne Crudo that the Chef had jazzed up the plate with an Anchovy sauce - my only allergy (bad news), after reworking, it was tasty and pretty but not the flavor of Osteria Veglio.

The next wine was a Roero Barbera from 2003 that was excellent and modestly priced. Clearly 2003 is the year to hunt Barberas from less special terroirs. I've never had a Roero Barbera of this quality before. The dish for this was Agnolotti filled with Lamb in a stock reduction and tomato glaze. Very solid. The acid in the wine was necessary with the dish.

As a treat, Scavino brought a few of his 98 crus to dinner. He knows I have affection for his wines from that year, especially Bric del Fiasc. What a treat. They showed well and were downed quickly. I consumed mine with the best dish I had this evening, Roasted Baby Goat Leg with Polenta.

At the end of the main course, Domenico, who is a real character, kinda small, full of life, noise, cigarette smoke and curly iron grey hair, and is one who tends to emphasize his points with a fist on the table - (all in good spirits), brought out a mystery wine. He hates to taste his wines at meals with other growers so he brings surprises. Well, he poured the mystery wine in my glass and I blurted out Barolo 1971! I did this after a first sniff, before tasting. Some of the Italians were talking about Amarone...good God!

He eventually took everyone's guesses and then revealed Bourgogno 1961. I was a decade off, but the closest. Sort of like being the last guy cut from the Varsity. The wine showed lovely mature aromas - lots of rose petals, anise, sandalwood, dried black fruit. On the palate it was a few years past its prime as the fruit had started to drop out. Five years ago was probably the end of its peak. I wish I could have re-guessed after tasting but I was too hard-headed. It was very interesting to taste.

Sweets and coffee were good, not particularly notable. Service was professional and crisp but a bit less than fresh (if you catch my drift).

The cellar is worth revisiting for certain.

Off to North West Italy

I'm off to North West Italy for a tasting trip. I have tasted several Italian vintages in a row stateside without being in the place to gain real context. Also, it's always helpful to meet the growers in their cellars and understand what motivates the individual producers.

I'll be in Piemonte, Toscana, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia for a week or so to visit producers, talk to Chefs and get a sense of what to buy from the current string of vintages.


First Meal:
All around Alba are the vineyards of the Langhe. Most famously Barolo and Barbesco buit also, of course, Freisa, Barbera (great match for Yank tastes), Dolcetto, Moscato and various life-altering grappas.

After cleaning up at the hotel we head off to lunch at Osteria Veglio; in La Morra. We are to meet several growers whose wines I've bought, cellared and enjoyed over the years: Marengo, Altare (Elio's daughter Sylvia actually), Luigi Scavino (Azelia), Cavalotto, Renato Corino and Seghesio. Altare's stuff is the cornerstone of my personal Piemontese cellar. cabalo


Lunch in La Mora:
The name of restaurant is Hosteria Veglio; good cooking. It’s worth a return visit for certain. This is an amazingly pleasant porch overlooking the great Cru vineyards of the Langhe - Castiglione Falletto and La Morra.

First Course:
Carne Crudo – typical Piemonte specialty – finely cut raw veal with local olive oil.
The chef makes 3 different fresh breads – most notable being the Grissinni, a sort of fat bread stick or small crunchy baguette loaded with sesame & poppy seed.

Next Course:
Dish is spaghetti rich with eggs, sauce from lamb's liver, zucchini, fresh tomato, basil. Superb country dish.

Last Course:
Braised Cock with Barolo, Tomato and Rosemary. Again, very good country cooking. It's been a while since I had chicken that had almost red meat flavors.


Wines with Lunch:
1st: Freisa Bricco Boschis, Cavalotto, 2004: Dry, rich version of what has often but a sweet sparkler. Good depth of charming fruit, cross of zin and dolcetto almost. Western exposure.

2nd: Seghesio Dolcetto , 2005: Lighter, charming primary Dolcetto with classic strawberry aromatics.

Both with excellent house-made salami, schiattia, grissini (fabulous) and pane piemonte.

3rd: Renato Corino (brothers have split) Dolcetto, 2005: Bigger, firmer, denser. Still strawberries but more terroir comes through.

4th: Marengo Dolcetto, 2005: More snappy, black cherry. Sweet, less tannic finish.

5th: Seghesio Barbera, 2003: Sexy, silky wine with wood on the nose, great depth of fruit.

Okay someone just shot at a rabbit just outside of this porch! Hello! I have to describe where I am. Okay, barking dogs run through the restaurant.

Fabulous version of Vitello Tonnato with Ligurian olive oil. At a table with 6 growers and a few friends.

6. Barbera Renato Corino "La Pozza", 2003: Unusually low acid. All raspberries. Lovely.

7. Altare Larigi, 2003: Wowee...beautiful stuff. This is such a nice vintage for Barbera. The vintage character offsets the high acid, natural for Barbera.

8. Azelia Barolo, 2002: (no crus produced) A bit dry and lean. Solid and firm. Worthwhile. reminds me of 99 Clos Vougeot from Rebourseau.

9. Seghesio Barolo, 2002: A bit denser and chewier but doesn't have the expression.

10. La Villa Altare, 2003: Half Barbera and half Nebbiolo.


Next Stop Wine Tasting:

Nebbiolo Marengo, 2004: Well made from Valmaggiore. It shows structure, fruit and polish. A little lean.

Barbareso Albino Rocca, 2003: Softer than usual Nebbiolo for him. Not impressing.

Barbaresco "Loreto", 2003: Broader and more plush but not in the class with some other years of same.

Barbaresco "Ronchi" 2003: Better concentration and some more acid. Still not a great year for this vineyard.

Cavalotto Barolo Riserva 2000 Vigneto: Very powerful and firm old school, unoaked Barolo. Same "San Giuseppe". Fabulous complex aromatics. Better balance than Vigneto.

Barolo Renato Corino 2001 Vecchie Vigne: Rich. Great fruit. Tons of sweet tannin. Needs time. At least 5 years. Very complex.

Barolo Alborino Altare, 2001: More leathery and sweet finishing. Has already gobbled up the oak.

Older wines...

Azelia Voghera Brea Barolo, 2000: Broad soft and very expressive. Wine of the day. Need in the cellar.

Azelia San Rocca, 1999: Firmer, sweet fruit, but needs time.

Double espresso and off to next tasting.

Nebbiolo Marengo, 2004: Well made from Valmaggiore. Shows structure, fruit and polish. A little lean.

Barbareso Albino Rocca, 2003

Barbaresco "Loreto" 2003