Underwood 07 - Piemonte

Everyone needs a friend who owns a "camp" in the Adirondacks. And everyone needs a friend who shows up with an amazing line-up of wines to accompany the meal they are preparing to honor the occasion. I was preparing a meal that could best be described as "Swiss-Germans comfort food". The menu included breaded pork shops, sweet and sour red cabbage, truffle oil and garlic mash potatoes, and fresh apple sauce. If it were to be enjoyed in Italy, this meal would probably be found in the far north: Friuli, Trentino-Alto Adige, northern Lombardy, etc. With a little stretch of an oenophile's imagination, I decided to pair the meal with a line-up of Nebbiolo based wines.

We started with Produttori del Barbaresco's Langhe Nebbiolo 2004 as we sampled cheeses and finished cooking our feast. Everything Produttori del Barbaresco makes seems to be of quality. They are the quintessential example of a sucessful modern Italian cooperative with 58 growers representing over a quarter of the Barbaresco zone's production and making wine from 9 famous Barbaresco crus. The Langhe Nebbiolo 2004 was feminine, elegant, and well-balanced with that perfect traditional aromatic profile one expects from Nebbiolo. The wine was on the lighter side but still had sufficient structure to transition nicely into our next wine and our dinner.

With our final wine decanted, I opened and poured everyone Aldo Conterno's Quartetto Langhe Rosso 2000. For anyone who has never experienced a "Super-Piemontese" wine, look no further. A blend of equal parts Nebbiolo, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, this modern styled wine is a blockbuster. Aged in French oak barrique, the Quartetto's blend begs contemplation and constant swirling to fully admire the beautiful bouquet and its endless evolution. While certainly a traditionalist in nature, this modern gem of wine never ceases to amaze me and could convince anyone as to the sucess of blending international varietals with Piedmont's great red grapes.

With the drink-now 2000 vintage having set the stage, it was time to unleash the fruited monster inside Gianni Gagliardo's Barolo 2000. Combined with the vintage and the producers's modern style, the Tortonian soils of La Morra yield the softer, richer, and more opulent characteristics amongst Barolo wine's many faces. Not to say there wasn't ample tannicity and structure to this wine, because there certainly was. Big and chewy with wafts of dried fruit and earth, this wine probably deserved cuisine more typical of its origin, but we suffered through its magnificence nonetheless. If you ever want to try amazing Barolo, check out Gianni Gagliardo.

Fall Trade Tastings

As a professional in the food and wine industry, we tend to spend way too much time "on premise" or simply working at the restaurant. It is always a pleasure to step out and attend a wine tasting, or perhaps two. This past week I was lucky enough to attend two wonderful tastings: one at an establishment overlooking Lake Champlain featuring the VIAS portfolio and "Il Professore" George Schwartz and the other out on the lake featuring several importers including Winebow. I had the opportunity to taste several wonderful wines.

From the VIAS portfolio I particularly enjoyed:

Suavia Soave Classico 2006- a nice crisp quality and set apart stylistically from some of the big names like Pieropan

Castello di Luzzano Malvasia "Tasto di Seta" 2006- apricots and mint, slightly frizzante, always wonderful

Castello di Rampolla Chianti Classico 2004- traditional, earthy, barnyard qualities from an established Panzano property

Camigliano Brunello di Montalcino 2001- saddle leather, coffee, huge, foreboding, and wonderful, very ageworthy

Terredora di Paolo Taurasi 2001- tar, pepper, tobacco, and tannic, big and chewy, great vintage

La Poderina Moscadello di Montalcino 2003- Tuscany's moscato, beeren-auslese nose, peach and apricot, fabulous finish


From the Winebow portfolio I particularly enjoyed:

Argiolas Perdera 2005- big but elegant, from Monica, Carignano and Bovale Sardo, well made, great value

Renieri Rosso di Montalcino 2003- great things are happening from Marco Bacci's "other" Tuscan property, ripe cherries,
cedar, leather, and fruit forward

Tasca d'Almerita Regaliali 2003- perhaps Sicily's best cooperative, great wine, great value-check out their Rosso delConte

Toscolo Chianti Classico 2004

Ruby red in color. Ripe cherries and plum skins on the palette with hints of black pepper and tobacco. Medium-bodied and well balanced with bright acidity showing all of the elegance of the '04 vintage. A well made Chianti.

Modern vs. Traditional: What does it mean?

Nowhere else in the wine world are descriptions, reviews, and love or loathing of liquid so often set in the context of "modern vs. traditional" as in Italy. What does this paradigm of taste really mean and why is it used so often?
Simply put, a wine is modern, traditional, or a little of each based largely upon three things: 1) the use of indigenous/native varietals vs. the use of so-called international varietals (cab, merlot, syrah, chard, etc.); 2) the use, re-use, type and size of cooperage used for aging (what type of wood is the wine aged in, how big is the barrel, how long was it aged, was the barrel used before, was it toasted, etc.?) Generally, wines aged in French Oak barrique (small vessels = greater surface area), especially if it's a long time, used only once, and toasted are considered modern. In contrast, wine aged in larger vessels, made of less influential wood such as Slavonian Oak, that are used several times are generally considered traditional. A purist might suggest that traditional methods allow for the true expression of the fruit, as opposed to tasting wood or characteristics thereof, such as vanilla; and 3) vinicultural and/or viticultural practices (what practices are being employed during vineyard management and what practices are being employed after harvest and during maceration, fermentation, etc. that influence or expedite a wine's character or flavor profile?). This last reason is the most technical, the least referenced, and the most beyond my expertise.
Why is Italian wine often described and sold in the context of "modern vs. traditional?" Most importantly, it makes sense as a way of helping consumers understand the complicated world of Italian wine and where their palettes may fit into it. Do you like soft, round, and fruit forward wines or angular, slow to open, contemplative wines that are most appropriately consumed with food? Perhaps an over-simplification, but I have a dozen more questions just like that. Italy 's known varietals are greater in number than the rest of the world combined and its history of winemaking rivals any country or civilization in the world. Modernity, particularly regarding oenology, was late to hit Italy. As a result, Italian winemakers have had the opportunity to pick and choose which modern methodologies they wished to employ and to what degree. And we all know that, with possible exception of France and India, no other country's people so selectively and creatively employ and combine modernity with antiquity. Through their wine, Italian producers can express their personal philosophies and we in turn can share them with consumers. That is what is magical about Italian wine- it's simultaneously a living, changing agricultural product and a winemaker's story, culture, and philosophical expression. So- are you a modernist or a traditionalist?

Scagliola Dolcetto Monferrato "Da Sempre" 2005

From one of my favorite producers comes this perfectly simple and quintessential example of Dolcetto. "Da Sempre" means "as always" reflecting the everyday drinkability of the wine as well as the historical character of the wine - as represented by Maggiorino and Mario's grandfather (who founded the estate) riding his old school bicycle on the label. 100% stainless steel; deep purple-violet in color; aromas of violets and dark fruits; ripe plums, blackberry jam, and a hint of licorice on the palette. All held together masterfully by sweet tannins and surprisingly bright acidity for a Dolcetto. A phenomenal value!

Renato Ratti Nebbiolo d'Alba "Ochetti" 2005

A beautiful example of Nebbiolo from well-oriented vineyards nestled in the hills of La Morra. Delicate floral aromas of violets and roses, as well as vanilla; a palette of red cherries, dried fruits, tobacco, earth, and camphor. Finishes with hints of black pepper spice and soft tannins. Medium bodied, extremely elegant, and an exceptional value.

Tedeschi Capitel dei Nicalo Valpolicella

A partial (10%) "ripasso" style wine which has undergone abbreviated "appassimento." Interestingly, it is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Sangiovese. This is a refined wine with aromas of cedar, chocalate, and flint and a palette loaded with ripe dark fruits, currants, raisins, and forest berry jam. With nice structure, a little spice, and a soft finish, this wine is very approachable and deserving of some contemplation, all making it a great value from one of the Veneto's top producers.