Newsletter
October,
2002
- We Could Be Going Mad Sale
- Two of the World’s Biggest Bad Boys
- Bundles of Burgundy at Bargain Prices
- Wine Alert
- New Arrivals
- Wines of the Month
- Archives
We Could Be Going Mad Sale
Okay, we are probably there. Despite this, we have unearthed several insane values on some pretty nice wines. Or, were we just hearing voices again? Hope not. We’ll consult our night nurse.
1999 Hongell Old Vine Grenache, Barossa Valley, Regularly $28.99/Sale $12.99: You are not hallucinating. It comes from 50 year old vines which give layers and layers of flavors. It’s French-like with the Aussie "mate" thrown in. Frankly, at $28.99 it was highway robbery. At $12.99 it’s a charity for us all.
2001 Voss Sauvignon Blanc, Regularly $17.99/Sale $13.99: This Aussie made California SB is crisp, flavor-packed. We’ve inflicted cruel pleasures with this baby.
1999 Za Zin, Zinfandel, Regularly $18.49/Sale $14.49: We’ve been pushing this zesty, delirious Zin for the last few vintages. It’s for pleasure, not lucubration.
1999 Mason Merlot, Napa Valley, Regularly $25.99/Sale $21.99: Oh, you have heard us voice our horror of that adenoid-like grape called Merlot. But we crave this one. Envision dill, cedar, black cherry, currant and leather saddles. Call our nurse, again.
Two of the World’s Biggest Bad Boys
1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo, Falletto di Serralunga Riserva, $159.99: Among thebest three or four Barolos I’ve ever tasted. Huge, overwhelming, yet refined. Only Giacosa can work this witchcraft. We ordered it four years ago, after barrel tasting. And we only could get six bottles. For what it is worth, Parker recently scored this masterpiece 98+. He’s way low.
1999 Ornellaia, Tuscany, $139.99: Now, this one we haven’t tasted. But, in past vintages it has been one of the most titillating blends of Merlot and Cabernet in the world (usually someone scores it 100, somewhere). Also, 1999 is a superb vintage. So we bit. We received only four bottles and, we fear, some have left the building already.
Bundles of Burgundy at Bargain Prices
Burgundy is a perplexing source of wine. This perplexment is a major part of its enchantment. Most Burgundy is unimpressive, particularly in relation to price. But when you get a good Burgundy, red or white, it will send you to the moon.
What does good Burgundy taste like? Well, that’s the perplexment again. You hear all sorts of different descriptions. For instance, some say it should smell like morancy cherries. One British writer, Anthony Hansen, said it should smell like shit, sorry. Our favorite description of the aroma of red Burgundy comes from Jacques Seysse of Domaine Dujac. He said it should smell like "your mistress’s armpit." Anyway, we’ve put together five different Burgundy bundles that will show you some of the vagaries of the species, red and white. The prices are way low and the bundles (three packs) have been selected to demonstrate to a curious wine drinker some things about the region’s wines. THESE HAVE SERIOUS GIFT POTENTIAL. Here follow the bundles...
BUNDLE #1—INTRO TO WHY WHITE BURGUNDY IS THE WORLD’S BEST CHARDONNAY
1999 Bourgogne Chardonnay, Millot: This could be the more noble Meursault appellation. Minerally with firm acid, no spare tire in the middle.
1999 Marsannay, Charles Audon: From the northern edge of the zone, just south of Dijon. Absolute nutty Chardonnay.
1997 Marsannay, Bruno Clair: Bruno Clair, the king of the Marsannay appellation, shows how the wines can age. Amber color with butterscotch. Almost Californian in essence.
Purchased by the bottle, $62.97/Purchased in a bundle, $50.38
BUNDLE #2—CHABLIS, THE PURIST’S CHARDONNAY
2000 Chablis, Savary: Clean, cool, naked Chardonnay.
2000 Chablis, 1er Cru Vaillons, J.P. Droin: Sweet fruit, magnified complexity.
2000 Chablis, Grand Cru Les Clos, J.P. Droin: Some oak, complexity, serious stuff here.
Purchased by the bottle, $79.97/Purchased in a bundle, $63.98
BUNDLE #3—THE PRINCES OF WHITE BURGUNDY
1998 Puligny-Montrachet, Chartron & Trebuchet: It kills you softly with its evil complexity.
1998 Meursault-Genevrieres, 1er Cru, Michelot: Nuclear proportioned Chardonnay.
1999 Chassagne Montrachet, 1er Cru Morgeot, Robert Moreau: A nice balance of the above two. Fantastic.
Purchased by the bottle, $160.97/Purchased in a bundle, $128.78
BUNDLE #4—RED BURGUNDIES AT THEIR FINEST MOMENTS
1996 Volnay, F. Dohet: The queen of red Burgundy. And this queen has alot going on behind the throne.
1997 Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er Cru, Clos Prieur, Guillon: The king of red Burgundy, all big and cuddly like a teddy bear, but it can growl like a real bear.
1996 Pommard, F. Dohet: Thoroughly wicked Pommard with lots of spine still.
Purchased by the bottle, $117.97/Purchased in a bundle, $94.38
BUNDLE #5—TASTE OF THE COTE DE NUITS
1996 Cote de Nuits-Villages, Phillipe Rossignol: Rich with unusual staying power for its relatively modest appellation.
1996 Nuits Saint Georges, Clos Saint Marc, Bouchard: Satin glove with an iron fist within.
1997 Chambolle-Musigny, 1er Cru, Henri de Villamont, $39.99: Showing all the intricacies and delights a perfectly aged Burgundy can provide.
Purchased by the bottle, $117.97/Purchased in a bundle, $94.38
WINE ALERT
The Veneto Narrows Gap With Piemonte and Tuscany
Verona, Italy—Here in the winebar/restaurant, Bottega del Vino, the food is traditional Veronese, nothing fancy, things like risotto di Amarone, gnocchi and tortellini. But the wine selection, both printed and un-printed, is one of the best in Italy. Of course there are Soaves that will make you romantic and Amarones to make you philosophize. Finish it all with a half bottle of Romano dal Forno’s Recioto della Valpolicella. It’s liquid dessert...a Sacher torte in the bottle. It’s expensive, but worth all the 95 Euros to get. And it’s only one jewel in the crown of majestic Veneto wines.
It’s as much the diversity as quality that put the Veneto in the top echelon of Italian wines. Some might justifiably argue that the region does not have the abundance of great, dry reds that Piedmont and Tuscany offer. Yes, but thereare a handful just as fine as those two districts’ very best. But when it comes to dry whites, dessert wines and sparkling wines, Piedmont and Tuscany have a hard time keeping pace with the Veneto.
It hasn’t always been this way. Until 20 years ago, most of the Veneto’s winemakers focused on quantity, not quality. Part of this was traditional philosophy—more is better. Part of this was geographic. That is, the plains beneath the Alp’s foothills allowed for massive vineyards that could be mechanically maintained and harvested. And, finally, the major part of this was the market which thirsted for cheap, easy-drinking wines. Thus, watery Soaves and "tutti frutti" Valpolicellas and Bardolinos were the Veneto’s mainstays.
But in the early ’80s things began to change here. Young heirs to successful, old wineries moved into command positions. Many of these had degrees in enology and had traveled to wine zones around the world. They knew how good wine could be and they knew how to make it. Most important they had a different view of the future than their parents. They believed in coming years that more and more wine drinkers would seek quality. Slowly time has proven them right.
So what did this new generation do? Well, they modernized the winery equipment and cellars. Some are so modern that they are almost futurist in essence. But that and some expensive French "barriques" in the cellar do not make a wine great overnight. The source of the Veneto’s recent triumphs is the vineyards. Cutting production, advances in pruning and training the vines have had the greatest impact. Productions of around 200 hectoliters/hectare were brought into line with the top winemaking zones...30 or 50 hectoliters/hectare. Dense plantings of Guyot or cordon pruned and trained vines replaced the trellis of old. Vineyard sites on hillsides with good drainage and sun exposure were sought, above the plains. These vineyard changes are the keys to the Veneto’s recent success.
So who are the individuals in the "new Veneto generation," making these deliciously diverse wines. Here they are.
TOP VENETO WINEMAKERS
ALLEGRINI
The Allegrinis, like Roberto Anselmi following, have dropped out of their traditional appellation, Valpolicella, because they believed the low standards were tainting the reputation of their wines. It's hard to argue otherwise, for Franco Allegrini has worked ceaselessly to get the most out of his grapes and his vineyards. The results have been utterly fantastic. He produces wines of excitement and enticement. His La Poja, made exclusively from the Corvina grape (one of the three in Valpolicella along with Molinara and Rondinella, and thought the finest), is aburst with blackberry fruits. His Amarones are just stupendous. The elegance and complexity of these wines can not be described. To experience this at its finest, find either the 1997 or the 1993.
ROBERTO ANSELMI
The rebel with a cause. Anselmi is crazy about wine, cars and motorcycles in that order. After battling 20 years for quality controls in the Soave appellation he bowed out in 2,000. "It's the greatest thing I've done in my life, it's the craziest thing," he said. So, his wines no longer carry "Soave" on the label, just "Veneto Indicazione Geografica Tipica." His basic, ex-Soave, San Vincento, can be an excellent value. His special vineyard Capitel Foscarino can compare to a Chablis from a good vintage. And he makes a barrique aged white called Capitel Foscarino that is the darling of the wine press. His super-stars are his "reciotos" (sweet wines). They are labeled "I Capitelli" and they are among the finest dessert wines made in the world. Anselmi shows what careful vineyard management and a state of the art winery is capable of doing.
TOMMASO BUSSOLA
Consistently referred to as the next Dal Forno or Quintarelli, young Tommaso Bussola is indeed a winemaker approaching the summit. At his stage of evolution, he loves to experiment, so there is some variability in his offerings. But Dal Forno did the same things while, the more august, Quintarelli has been locked in the highest level of quality for decades. Perhaps Bussola's break-out wine was the 1995 Recioto della Valpolicella. It's a dessert wine of dark, scary, complexity. "Heathcliffe" in a bottle. His '97 and '98 Amarones are remarkable achievements as well. Full of fruit, but with that darkside again. Look for the 1997 Amarone Vigneto Alto TB. It shows just what Bussola is capable. We have the 1998 regular Amarone in the store. It's a steal at $52.99. All his wines are relative values compared to those of Dal Forno and Quintarelli.
ROMANO DAL FORNO
If you have not tasted a wine from this man, you are missing one of the most exhilarating experiences in the world of wine. His Amarone is a light year ahead of all but a couple of his competitors. It is not just dried raisins in a bottle, it is a combination of many dried fruits and dark fruits. At times there are coffee, chocolate and spice in the melange. When they talk of "wines of meditation," this is what they mean. The aforementioned recioto is normally equally as fine. And Dal Forno seems unusually consistent from vintage to vintage. For instance, he made an excellent Amarone from the mediocre 1991 harvest. The only bad things about this maker is the wines' scarcity and high price (at least $175/bottle for the Amarones). But, I can't say the prices are not merited.
GINI
The Ginis, Claudio and Sandro, do amazing things with Soave's Garganega grape. There normal Soave is superb, but their single vineyard, La Frosca, bottling is superb. Here, 40 year old vines give tremendous structure and depth to the wine. And the Ginis block the malo-lactic fermentation so that the wine is still lively and fresh on the tongue. It is with no doubt one of the three or four finest Soaves made every vintage. They also make a "barrique" fermented Soave called, "Salvarenza." Though popular, I'm not enchanted by it because the oak essences cloak the subtle charms of the Garganega grape.
MACULAN
Fausto Maculan is a happy guy. He has newly refitted winery and he is making some great wines in it. Long known for his dessert wines, Torcolato and Acininobili, he is currently making some top level reds as well. His Fratta Cabernet Sauvignons (the 1999 is particularly fine) are excellent as they have always been. But, the real advance is his Merlot from the Marchesante vineyard. The concentration, complexity and balance of this wine from the 1997-2000 vintages is staggering. Fausto says he's making more red wine than white now which is a switch from a few years back. The change is doing him and us good.
NICOLIS
The 1993 Amarone Ambrosan was the first wine I ever tasted from this maker. It blew me away. It was so rich and succulent. Since then, I've only tasted a handful of Nicolis' wines, but they have all been good. A variety of wines are made from Bardolinos to Valpolicellas to sweet reciotos. Here it is Beppe Nicolis who is pushing his family winery down the road of quality, not quantity. He's moving quite nicely down the road. Just wish his wines could be more easily found and enjoyed. We do have the above '93 Ambrosan for $49.99/bottle.
PIEROPAN
Nino Pieropan is an amazement. Every time you think Soave can not get better, he amazes you and produces something even better. His top Soaves come from the single vineyards of La Rocca and Calvarino. La Rocca is a rich, full-bodied (for Soave) wine that is aged in 500 liter oak barrels. Calvarino is lively and delicate, more like you expect a Soave to be. A handful of other Soaves might approach these two in quality, but none surpass them. He also makes some astonishing sweet Soave reciotos and passitos. He is without a doubt one of Italy's finest winemakers. We have the 1999 Rocca for $24.99/bottle.
QUINTARELLI
Don't disturb him during his afternoon nap. This is the icon, legend and idol of all who want to reach the summit. The greatest Amarone maker of our age. His basic Valpollicella is as good as many others' Amarones. Dal Forno and all the contenders have targeted Guiseppe Quintarelli. He makes dry whites, sweet whites and a Cabernet Franc, Alzero, that is one of the most incredible things you will ever put in your mouth. The guy is without equal, yes, a living legend. But, like Bruno Giacosa in Piemonte, his days in the "cantina" are winding down. So, get it quick.
RUGGERI
This is Prosecco, sparkling wine, up the hill from Venice on the way to the Alps. Paolo Bisol oversees a rather large production operation. He has a great winery and experience. He makes a variety of Proseccos from Brut to Extra Dry and single vineyard bottlings too. You most often find the Extra Dry gold label. It stands out for its richness and complexity. It's no mindless pre-dinner quaff. If you would like to experience Prosecco at it's best, hunt out Ruggeri's Cartizze or Santo Stefano. Like all the producers listed here, these wines offer the best of their types.
SERRAFINI & VIDOTTO
If you are familiar with these two gentlemen's wines you are indeed a Veneto connoisseur. But, all lovers of Italian wines should know them. They are situated in eastern Veneto near the Prosecco zone. Until recently, formidable Prosecco was made here. Today the titan is the Rosso dell'Abazia. It is an intense, international style wine, made from Bordeaux varietals. Thus you sense the new oak and technological toys. But it is good. I'm not certain what the exact blend of grapes is, but I hope to find out soon. Buy this if you can find it.
New Arrivals
2000 Lange Pinot Noir, Oregon, Willamette Valley, $17.99: In the world of Pinot Noir, this is a considerable value. It provides the delicious red fruit flavors that the grape can give, texture within satin. Normally, you would have to spend more for this quality.
1999 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, $19.99: This winery probably produces the benchmark for the Vino Nobile species. A bit closed today. But the mosaic of aromas and flavors is most agreeable. An agreeable price too. Could age a couple years.
2000 August Briggs Zinfandel, Napa Valley, $32.99: Granted, this is a big price, but this is an impressive wine. For a Zin it is stately, reflecting its Napa Valley provenance. It has the components for a little aging. But, golly, what a mouthful of delights today.
1999 Vina San Roman, Toro, $34.99: Toro might be called "Marlboro country," around Zamora, Spain, i.e., it looks a lot like Rock Springs, Wyoming. "Sin duda," this is the finest Toro I’ve drunk. Big, but stylish. It can best most of the Ribera del Duero wines, east, down the road, which are made from the same grape, Tempranillo. Toro is an emerging wine zone to watch.
1999 Numanthia, Toro, $39.99: This is the second best Toro I’ve tasted. Like the above San Roman, it’s a gentle giant. It wins your heart with black fruits, vanilla and chocolate on the finish. Only 175 cases came to American. We only have three bottles left. Just thought you would like to know about it.
1999 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $58.99: We must admit that we haven’t tasted this wine. It’s too rare, to start pulling corks. So, we are banking on Plumpjack’s esteemed name and the quality of the 1999 vintage. Thus, it should be remarkable.
2000 Volnay, Voillot, $26.99: Boy oh boy. All cherries and violets. The palate length is formidable. Almost illegally sensuous. It shows you why Volnay is "the queen of Burgundy."
2001 Hughes de Beauvignac, Rose of Syrah, $7.99: Will the hot, rose season ever end? This is a dry, light, strawberry essenced rose that helps us battle the heat and drought. A whopping value. Think snow.
2001 Theo Minges Riesling Halbtrocken, $11.99/liter: The previous vintage was our "wine of the month." This could be too. But "variety is the spice....." Bone dry, impossible to stop drinking white.
2001 Chateau L’Etoile, Graves Blanc, $8.99: Crisp, clean, perhaps a bit floral for a Graves white. Another satisfying wine for a fall afternoon or for "Bronco madness."
2000 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot d’Alsace, regularly $25.99/sale $22.99: Olivier Humbrecht’s low-end wine. Oh, but if everyone’s "low-end" was this exciting. It’s bone dry and shockingly complex.
2001 Hughes de Beauvignac Pic Poul de Pinet, $7.99: More heat and drought aid. It’s a dry and mellow white coming from around Sete in the far south of France. It’s one of our biggest selling French bottles.
1998 Luducq Vineyards , Sylviane Merlot, Napa Valley, $27.99: A French owned operation that is trying to produce "Bordeaux-esque" wines in the Napa Valley. They have succeeded here. It has "terroir," tea and that old "je ne sais quoi." Don’t let the fru-fru label put you off. This is good.
2000 Talley Chardonnay, Arroyo Grande Valley, $22.99: Now this is interesting. No bulbous oak-bomb. Refined and satisfying Chardonnay flavors. Equal to the costly guys, at half the price.
2000 Col des Vents, Corbieres, $8.99: A rough and ready red from southern France, around Narbonne. Dry, fairly rich, earthy flavors. Great grill wine. And quite a deal.
Wines of the Month
2001 d’Arenberg Chardonnay, Olive Grove Vineyard, Maclaren Vale, Australia, $13.99—We’re crazy about everything Chester Osborn makes at his family’s d’Arenberg winery. This is rich, but stylish. It strikes your nose with melons, figs and, yes, cashews. On the tongue there is honey, grapefruit and butter. It’s complex, yet not ponderous. In "New World" Chardonnays we can think of few equals at its price. If you haven’t tried the reds from Chester, you must. They are just as interesting as this and at similarly inviting prices.
1999 Petite Folie Zinfandel, Amador County, Regularly $10.99—This is no small wonder in a time when a decent Zinfandel costs $15 and more. Better than decent, it’s delicious It’s classic, Amador County Zinfandel. There is spice, berry, bramble and a nugget of good ol’ Sierra Nevada dirt. We are Zinfandel nuts and feel that this is a wine that anyone of similar likes should not pass up. It’s hard to imagine an equal value coming around soon (but who knows?). Yep, buy it by the case (plus, you get another 10% off).
COALTRAIN
Wine & Spirits
330 W. Uintah
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
719-475-9700