Wine Jabber

Shivering in NYC

Quick visit to NYC to see my sister and family. I haven't been in almost a year ... way too long. I take the train to Philly for a night to visit friends and have the de rigeur philly cheesesteak - hey, when visiting a place for the first time, it's a great idea to sample the local specialty. And what makes a cheese steak authentic? Cheeze Whizz!

Back to NYC: it was frickin' cold. The 15-block walk from ICP to the Modern left me so cold it took a 20-minute break with a large hot chocolate to recover. I prowled museums and galleries for the most part. Seeing Goya's the Forge in its new hanging at the Frick was fantastic. This is one of the greatest paintings (ever, IMHO) and the new hanging avoids the glare and reflection problems at the old location. Plus you can get close enough to examine the brushwork. At the Met, I love going to the room of Goyas and reacquainting myself. The Modern had a super-crowded exhibit of Tim Burton's work which I avoided. There are some fabulous new photographs hanging and I wandered through the permanent galleries, enjoying works by Rousseau le Douanier, Picasso's Demoiselles, and de Chirico.

Went to Maialino for dinner one night; I'd read about this new roman trattoria and was curious ... the place is completely overwhelmed by its of-the-moment "itness". I had the eponymous maialino, a roast suckling pig, which was delicious. The portion is for 2-3 people, so I had a lot of leftovers. Service was well-meaning, friendly, and inept. A nice touch: giving you individually portioned loaves of ciabatta bread for making sandwiches with your inevitable leftovers the next day. A not-so-nice touch: leaving your leftover bag at the coat check for pickup so you feel obligated to give yet another tip.

Also, excellent meal at Yerba Buena on the LES with A & T, my sister and brother-in-law. This is a classic neighborhood gem: if this was near my home in Denver, I'd be here at least every other week. The pan-Latin-influenced cuisine is delicious, easy to enjoy and we scarfed every last bite of everything that was brought to our table. The place communicated its aspirations and values clearly through the menu, and the service is efficient, friendly and unpretentious. Every dish we had was delicious, fit well with the restaurant's mission and was beautifully presented. The owner was on hand and having him roam the tiny dining room made us feel like we were in someone's living room. Wine list was full of great things from all parts of the latin wine world, but with a bit of a dearth in the $45-75 range and a curious lack of depth in Spanish Grenache. As we left, snow was beginning to fall, always a magical thing in NYC.

A very interesting white consumed with my sister at her apartment: a wine made from the city vineyards of Zurich, the StaatsKellerei Zurich, from Pinot Noir (vinified off the skins), Riesling, Sylvaner, Muscat and Gewurztraminer. Wildly aromatic, with scents of flowers, peaches, hazelnuts and citrus,it was surprisingly light on the palate, very crisp and delineated, with good nectarine, melon and apple flavors. Lovely, balanced, light and refreshing. (3.0nb)

Wine Find of the Year, 2009, under $15

With an inexpensive wine, I look for particular qualities: it must be easy to enjoy, pack a lot of quality for the price, be forgiving with lots of different types of food, and not require and advanced degree to understand what makes it so damned good. In short, it just has to taste really good whether consumed alone or with a meal. This years winner of the "Under $15" category is Evodia, a 100% Grenache from the Aragon region of Spain. It is juicy, tasty, uncomplicated and fun. For those of you that need a bit of backstory, it's made by the same team that made the Las Rocas Grenache - when that brand was sold to LVMH, the owners kept the plots of vines that they used to make the "old vines" cuvee, and those plants are now the source of this delicious and unpretentious wine. Aromas and flavors of black fruits, sweet vanilla and oak, with excellent acidity and decent length. It practically begs for gulping. For this price, who needs more? It will not improve with age and should be consumed with relish over the next 12-18 months. Lovely! (3.5)

Summit, COS: boring place; lovely wine.

Had dinner at the Summit, the least stodgy of the Broadmoor Hotel's dining choices. I've been coming since the restaurant opened and have always found it good without being truly excellent - and this time was no different. The room is nice, the service is friendly and well-meaning if often completely clueless, and the meals are consistently decent though uninspired. It's probably the best choice for "fine" dining in Colorado Springs. Still, it pisses me off that with a bit more effort, this place could be truly excellent.

There was one waiter a year or two back in whose section I would be sat every time I visited, who had the deeply annoying habit of narrating his service to you. As this is a hotel restaurant, the staff is also trained to use your name whenever they address you - so I would get things like "I'm going to refill your water glass now, Mr. Manley" or "Here's your basket of delicious housebaked breads, Mr. Manley" or I'm going to crumb your table now, Mr. Manley." By the end of the meal, I'd be ready to throttle someone.

The menu is divided into "Seasonal" and "Favorites" but I've never seen the seasonal side change more than twice a year. For a restaurant that advertises ambition and luxe through its atmosphere and wine program, the menu is a remarkably static document - it transmits a fear of change and/or risk. It tells me that the management does not have a lot of confidence in the chef, and the chef must not have a lot of confidence in his staff. When the menu does change, it seems incremental - there are no "wipe the slate clean" moments here. I suspect with a good part of its business coming from travelers, there is little demand from locals for change. And why mess with a good thing? Or one that's at least acceptable? I feel that the management should call a spade a spade and get the menu laminated.

The wine program, however, is very nice, and the list is full of hidden gems and interesting selections. Kudos to Bucky and Monique for doing such an excellent job with this.

With the meal - I had the same dishes I almost always have every time I visit, because I've had everything on the menu at least once and have by now narrowed my choices down to two or three things that are acceptable - we had the surprising 2002 Côtes de Roussillon Villages "Clos des Fées" from Herve Bizeul. A blend of Carignane, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, this is both an intense and balanced wine from the difficult 2002 vintage. This is a modern wine, with lush fruit and a good dose of new oak, but I suspect that the difficulty of the vintage informed a judicious use of new barrels and the result is surprisingly balanced and, in a word, delightful. This was a selection that Bucky originally pointed out to me and I've had the wine several times since then. Layers of tarry black fruits are combined with minerality and decent acidity that make for a lovely mouthfeel and give the finish an especially balanced and satisfying feel. This is not one for ageing - I'd consume it over the next 2-4 years. (3.0+ nb)

J-P Sartre, sitcom screenwriter

For the holidays, I was pressed into service ... cooking. My girlfriend's family came in from out of town, and I was responsible for cooking a Christmas turkey for the clan. Avert your eyes, dear reader - it was quite the production. At least, with the queasy discomfort that comes with being introduced to complete strangers who are appraising you with a rather critical eye, I could, in moments of stress, say: "Clear the kitchen!" She lives in Manitou Springs, 75 miles south of Denver, so I packed all the necessary kitchen equipment (I can't seem to cook without my knives, man), the necessary ingredients, two cases of wine, and not least, a turkey that I'd been brining for 5 days into my Mini Cooper and made my way south.

Hell might well be cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen with hordes of strangers running about, all of whom are interested in getting to know you on a deep personal level while you are trying not to get burned by hot pans and/or food. Imagine if J.P.S. had been employed as a TV writer. Lets take this idea, but instead of the hotel room with the nondescript corridor, we'll make it a kitchen - the turkey, of course, will represent the cook's existential quandary, broiling under the hot rays of attention.

A few of the wines we had over a few days of imbibing and great meals ...

2000 Aubry "Sable Rosé" Champagne
Lovely clear delicate mousse. Aromas of raspberry and strawberry, with nice orange peel and fresh peach and pear. In the mouth, good balance and harmony - excellent interplay of the freshness of the acid structure and purity of the fruit. (4.0+ nb)

2008 Cavalotto Langhe Bianco
This is a special wine - the Cavallottos have a small patch of Pinot Noir on their hillside in Castiglione Falletto. Some years, they vinifiy it as a "Blanc de Noirs" still wine. This bottling showed lovely freshness and peach/white currant aromas and flavors. It is not a complex wine, rather is it is simple and unpretentious, but very delicious. Sold only at the winery and at a few places in the Langhe. I carried this bottle back from Europe. (3.0+ nb)

2008 Campogrande Cinque Terre
A lot of Cinque Terre wines are insipid, flavorless, unstructured wines that taste good only because they are consumed where they are made - in the Ligurian villages that sweep down to the sea. I've had loads of these wines over the last 15 years, and in Cinque Terre they are acceptable, even tasty - the proximity to one of the most beautiful sea- and landscapes in the world makes just about anything taste good. The Campogrande is a bit of an anomaly, and if it is able to gain traction in the marketplace, may take the place that Didier Dageneau's wines have in Pouilly-Fumé: the role of shaming just about every other producer in the whole region into making better wines. There are lots of possibly insurmountable barriers to this happening: the Campogrande is considerably more expensive, the Cinque Terre is not known for quality wines, the lion's share of attention in the wine press for "Serious" wines is directed toward reds. One thing in this wine's favor: the brains and winemaking skill behind it is none other than the wildly talented Barolo producer Elio Altare. I'll write more about Campogrande at some point in the future, but for now, some thoughts on the wine: Lovely straw-gold color, aromas of super-ripe fruits and a briny minerality that makes me think of seaweed, very full in the mouth and layers of fruit and minerals that have excellent length and depth. A few cases of the 2008 or 2009 will come to the US through Altare's usual distribution in 2010 (Marc de Grazia Imports) and if you are interested in unique whites, I urge you to seek out a case. It's not cheap but worth every penny. (3.5+ nb)

1997 Fuglini Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
A great, still-brooding and backward wine from the excellent 1997 Tuscan vintage. Fuglini is known as a more traditional producer and this wine was quite lacking in sweet vanillin oakiness, letting the intense Sangiovese come through (this note is for the second bottle; the first bottle was completely corked, unfortunately). Deep black stone fruits, the edge of a metallic zing in the palate, the earthiness ... this wine had layers and layers of dark flavors and aromas that opened up over 45 minutes. Lovely long length, finishing with solid, ripe tannins and hints of dried fruits. This is drinking nicely now but give it another 3 years and it may yet improve. (4.5- nb)

2006 Sandrone Nebbiolo d'Alba "Valmaggiore"
This bottling is one I have had an up-and-down relationship with since first trying it in the mid-nineties. Some years I loved it, some years I was completely indifferent. Since the 2001 vintage I think this has been going from strength to strength. The 2006 vintage was a generally good to excellent vintage in the Langhe (notwithstanding all you may have heard, especially given the Giacosa winery's decision not to bottle their 2006 Barolo and Barbaresco) and the Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba is spectacular. In weight and structure, this most resembles a mid-level Burgundy from, say, Volnay. It has a fantastic nose of berries and dark fruit, good minerality and a firmness and clarity in the mid-palate that I really appreciate. It held up to the turkey dinner admirably and was a better match than the heavier Brunello. The 2007 of this wine looks to be excellent and the 2008 may be even better as it was not as hot. (4.0- nb)

1994 Rene Rostaing, Côte-Rotie "La Viaillère"
Black cherry and minerals, hints of brett (not unpleasant) and wood, rich secondary characteristics of mushrooms and loam, good acidity and length ... and yet, it leaves me cold. It is a good wine, but seems to need, for lack of a better word, emotion. (2.5 nb)

1998 Montepeloso "Gabbro," Toscana
A 100% Caberent Sauvignon cuvee from the southern Bolgheri. Good modern nose: lots of cassis and black fruit, pencil lead and oak. At 11 years old it still shows freshness and presence. On the palate, nice dark fruits, especially cassis and pear, well-integrated oak and good length. From the difficult 1998 vintage, this is a very successful wine. (3.5+ nb)

More Cavallotto

Alfio Cavallotto, with whom I visited last week and whose wines are the subject of the previous post, was back in town the Thursday before the holidays. We met with his importer at Sushi Sasa in downtown Denver for lunch. Funny - my fist meeting with Alfio was several years ago when our mutual friend Silvia Altare decided we were all going to drive to Liguria from Barolo for a dinner of ... drumroll please ... raw fish. In the coastal areas of Italy, fish is often served uncooked, just dressed with a bit of olive oil and salt, and sometimes a bit of lemon juice. The restaurant, Buco di Bacco in Pietre Ligure, was fabulous, not least of which was the amazing list of champagne, as well as the owner, who sized us up the moment we walked in and then brought us, without consulting anyone in the group, the bottle of Champagne he thought we would enjoy the most. It was a great meal - the antipasti of raw and slightly cooked seafood and fish ran to about 15 plates, and so we just split a single pasta afterwards and skipped the secondi entirely. In any case, Alfio was great company at that dinner, and we've kept up contact since. He's a most interesting and really intelligent guy - I like people who, when they decide they are interested in something, dive into the deep end, head first. He's like that.

Interestingly, his red wines went well with the sashimi and sushi. The same wines were poured as at Radda, but this time, the Dolcetto showed much better - brighter fruit, depth and length. Really nice. For the other wines, tasting notes were consistent.

Cavallotto's winemaking is an interesting amalgam of both modern and traditional methods. Walking into the winery the first time several years ago, I was stuck by the big Slavonian chestnut botti, the lack of barrique, and the resulting style of the wines ... until I spied the row of rotofermentors in the vinification room. Mon Dieu! Quelle Surprise! Alfio explained that they still do a 15-35 day maceration for the must, but using rotofermentors allows better control of the pip tannins. As with almost every estate in Piedmont now, the grapes are destemmed to minimize the stalk tannins, which in Nebbiolo are particularly potent and astringent, and rarely, if ever, as ripe as the skin and pip tannins. After the fermentation, the winemaking style is resolutely trad: for the Barolo, 2-4 years in the enormous botti, then bottle ageing for a year or two. The wines are classically styled, with acid and ripe tannin giving a particularly elegant structure to the wines. The fruit is present and in balance but never in a forward or showoffy way. The wines reflect what I consider to be the house style of impeccable structure, good balance and elegance before flash. As such, they are underappreciated in the marketplace and can usually be found at a considerably lower price than many other Barolo. I tasted a barrel sample of the 2004 Barolo Bricco Boschis, Riserva San Giuseppe in November 2009 in La Morra and found it to be lovely, long and sweet, with good cherry and violet aspects, very ripe and long, needing 5-8 years to fully pull together but certain to enjoy a drinking window of a further 15 years (I scored it 4.0+). The 2004 Barolo Bricco Boschis, Riserva Vignolo was slightly tighter and more tannic, with good fruit but extremely closed at this point (3.5+). Both are lovely wines that have a long life ahead of them.

The big surprise with the sushi was the 2005 Barbera Bricco Boschis, Vigna del Cuculo. I would never have thought that a 4 year old Barbera would be this delicious and complementary, especially with the shushi that had a strong umami aspect, like the Uni. This Barbera deserves mention for the layered complexity that really lets the grape shine through - many ambitious Barbera are now aged in new French oak barrels, which layers on flavors of chocolate, vanilla and coffee (delicious, by the way) - but this one lets the earthiness and minerality of the grape shine though. Nice job.

Sorry for the Radio Silence.

It's been a little over a year since I posted. Apologies for to those of you who have told me how tired you are of the "Floor Drains" entry. It was a year of changes: I moved to Denver, sold off most of my businesses, and have re-purposed my professional activities toward consulting, education and writing.

Had lunch with Alfio Cavallotto on Monday in Boulder at the relatively new place Radda, just north of downtown - he's in for a visit from Castiglione Falletto in the Barolo. I've known him for a few years; we were introduced by a mutual friend. Alfio and his siblings are slowly taking over their family winery from their parents. The wines are, in a word, sensational - this is one of those flies-under-the-radar wineries that gets decent scores from all the big wine rags but somehow never seems to take off in the public imagination. Go figure. If your taste is for traditionally styled wines, this is an amazing buy.

Briefly, the wines: 2008 Dolcetto was pleasant but nothing special - it lacked plumpness in the mid-palate, but was quite drinkable (2.5-nb). Kudos for the 2005 Barbera - a lovely pure nose of fresh plums and dried berries. On the palate, good balance, dark fruits, tobacco and very fresh acidity. Many other producers are currently selling their 2008 and 2007 barbera - this one, with a few years of bottle age, is drinking beautifully. 3.0nb

The 2005 Barolo Bricco Boschis, from a beautifully exposed site just north of the village of Castiglione, is delicious. It shows the vintage's characteristics of forward evolution and fruit. There are aromas of black cherry, rose petals, and earth. This is not a modern-style wine with loads of oak - it sees only large botti for its wood ageing. On the palate, it has good fruit, nicely tight tannins and good length. It shows some of 2005's typical tannins but these will soften with 4-5 years patience. Drink 2013-2018. 3.5+nb

Kudos to Cavallotto for making such good wines. I also tasted the 2004 Riservas on a recent trip to Barolo and loved them - grab whatever you can find. They will be released next year.

Floor Drains

I love floor drains. I lovelovelovelove floor drains. I loooooove floor drains. If I ever build a house, I want to put floor drains in every room. (You begin to understand why I’m still single.) No-fuss cleaning: just hose everything down. How great would that be?

I nearly separate from my solids. Again.

Nearly separated from my own solids again today, when I mixed up a "delestage" and a "svinatura" - and Luciano walked in just before I ruined everything, everything, EVERYTHING and stopped me before I did any damage ... I was so beet red from embarrassment with burning ears he had to laugh and tell me "you know what almost happened, I know what almost happened, and no-one else has to know what almost happened ... Just learn from it." He's being really great with me - I think it's because when I make a mistake, it's an entirely new one. I've yet to make the same mistake twice with him ... I am wild crazy creative, dare I say Picasso-esque, new-mistakes-wise. Gotta respect talent like that!

Verona

My friends have mixed up their flight and are arriving Saturday instead of Friday, but so what? Verona is among my favorite cities in the world and a day to myself without worry or care sounds quite groovalicious. I leave Monforte Friday morning around 11, and am in Verona by 2, and enjoying a glass of spritz in the Piazza Erbe by 2.30. I have the day to visit the incredible Romanesque churches – Verona is a UNESCO World Heritage site on account of those churches. And the Roman ruins are fabulous – Verona has one of only three Roman amphitheaters still in use today. The old Roman theater is built into a hillside and still hosts a summer theater festival while the amphiteater has an opera season all summer, and rock concerts are regularly scheduled there as well. (A few years ago I missed seeing Lenny Kravitz here by a few days.)
Most of the old town is limited to pedestrians, and it is possible to amble across the entire old city in less than 25 minutes at its widest part. It is a beautiful town, built into a loop of the Adige river, where the water could form a defensive ring on three sides. The women (and men) are beautiful and know how to dress both provocatively and elegantly – Verona is a wealthy town and the streets are flanked by designer shops – which makes people-watching a favorite activity here.

The Asylum is in the Hands of the Inmates

The week passes quickly. I am now in a groove and need minimal supervision. Good thing, as Luciano and Barbara are leaving Tuesday for the Wine Experience in New York. Luciano is nervous and doesn’t want to leave as grapes are still coming in and vats are full of fermenting juice. I hear a lot of “porca miseria!” and “crispa!” on Monday and Tuesday. He is stressed, and so is Barbara. This is a busy time at the winery. And Luciano is the show here – there are no consulting oenologists or winemakers coming in to make the wine. This is a small winery, and the winemaker has his name on the label. They don’t want to go, but feel they must. (Footnote 1: I check with some friends in NYC who tell me that the Speculum gets quite mad at winemakers who don’t come when invited. If you don’t accept, don’t ever be expect to be invited back.) (Footnote 2: Why this event is scheduled during harvest time is beyond my comprehension. I mean, the Wine Spectator, organizer of this event, is ostensibly a “wine” magazine, right? So they should know that “wine” is produced from “grapes”? And that “grapes” are a “fruit” that is harvested when “ripe,” a condition that is contingent on factors such as sunshine, rainfall, soils and geography, among others? And that this “harvest season” can extend from August to December, depending on the place? So why in fuck’s name are they scheduling the event in the middle of October? Are they morons? Idiots? Stupid? Do they like making people’s lives difficult? Or maybe … just maybe … they are completely oblivious.)

(Shit. I know I’m going to get mail about this.)

Tuesday morning, they are both running around trying to finish last-minute items. 20 minutes before departure, Luciano goes home (literally 2 minutes toward town), changes his shirt and pants, and is back to check on things one last time. They leave for Milan around 10. Luca and the crew are picking in the vineyards. Andrea and I are left in charge of the cellars … truly, the inmates have been left with the keys to the asylum (cue maniacal laugh here).

La Coccinella

Wednesday night I go to La Coccinella in Serralunga Valle with the Altares (Elio, Lucia and Silvia) and Tes. It’s a half-hour drive over there and the room is rustic, homey and cozy beyond belief. The kind of place where you get a good feeling right when you walk in the door. The smells of porcini wafting from the kitchen are intoxicating.

I survive my first encounter with the Italian Health-Care system.

My knees are hurting so much from all the activity of winemaking – climbing ladders, running up and down stairs, jumping up and off of tractors – that I have begin walking with a noticeable limp. The pain is intense and I am popping Advil like candy corn. Usually, in the States, I see a chiropractor every week or so; I like having good posture and it helps me sleep a lot. Here, chiropractors are unheard of. I try not to complain but Andrea and Rosella, especially, notice that all is not well in Allieland. Unfortunately, they’ve never even heard of chiropractors.

Rosella and Mariuccia

Some days, I help out in the warehouse off the bottling room putting together orders for shipment. Rosella, Luca’s wife, is in charge of shipments, and we become fast friends putting together the orders. There’s always lots of joking and god-natured teasing, but with Rosella there’s a double dose. Andrea walks in one day and tells her that he’s never ever ever EVER seen her mad, unhappy or yelling in all his time at the winery; always happy, never irritated. She tells him to ask Luca if he’d agree with that statement! HA!

More Harvest

Barbera harvest is in full swing in Valmaggiore. The grapes are gorgeous. We walk through one farmer’s vineyards to get to Luciano’s plots. I am amazed by the sheer quantity of fruit in the neighboring vineyard: 10-14 bunches per vine. I pick a berry and taste it – yuck. All tart acid, no sweetness whatsoever. We cross over the dirt track into Luciano’s vineyards, where there are 4-6 bunches per plant, and the difference is startling. Even though Barbera is a high-acid grape, these berries have a balance of sweetness and acid that is extraordinary. Luca and Luciano talk, I listen to their Piedmontese chatter. They instruct me on the differences between Nebbiolo and Barbera, and shows how when a Barbera grape is pulled off the stem, a tiny drop of liquid pushes out of the stem-hole; clear with a faint hint of rose. When you see the rose tint, the grapes are ready. These are delicious, and I much on a bunch as we trudge back to the car.

A Day in the Life

Some of you have written to me wanting to read more about the routine of my life here.  All right.  My alarm goes off at 6.05, and the first thing I do is walk out on the porch – barefoot, but wearing pyjama bottoms and an old HFOZ t-shirt - and just smell the air.  It is still dark at that hour, but I can get a sense of the day from the quality of light of the yellowish streetlamps in the village below.  Usually mornings are foggy, misty and cold.  I have some fruit and yogurt or a few slices of braesola for breakfast.