Wine Jabber

Piedmont 3

Luca Sandrone describes 2007 as one of the finest vintages he and his brother Luciano have ever seen. The fruit came in perfectly – no problems with rot or mold. The vintage was not too hot, had sufficient temperature differential between night and day, and the rains came exactly when needed, giving the vines just enough moisture to keep from stressing out completely. 2007 will be a great, great year. Though harvest was 15-20 days early, so was bud break – so the season was the right length for full maturation. The only difficulty is the elevated sugar levels – their Barbera came in at potential 15.8% alcohol – and though the Nebbiolo was high as well, it wasn’t off-the-charts like that.

In contrast, he’s not nearly as happy with the 2003, just released. Too hot, he says, the vines stressed, and the growing season was compressed – while the skins and flesh had gotten to full ripeness the pips had not, and the defining characteristic, for him, is astringency in the tannins. The fruit is delicious, though, and if the winery managed the tannin extraction properly, they made good wines. Sandrone has crafted two of my favorite wines of the vintage.

At Cortese, the sentiments about 2007 are echoed – Tiziana Cortese describes her father and brother as ecstatic about the vintage – perfect fruit, tremendous growing season, classic vintage. The 2007s should rival the best wines of 1989, 1996, 2001 and 2004 – all classic, long-lived years.

Dante Scaglione, the oenologist at Bruno Giacosa, calls 2007 the vintage for which one waits a lifetime. Bud break at the Falletto vineyard in Serralunga was 3 weeks early, in the second half of March, but the harvest began almost equally early, affording the plants a full slate of growing days – a near-perfect season. The winter had been dry and warm, so many were worried about vine stress, but rains came just before the plants shut down from lack of water. Dante asserts that the vines use half of their water requirements in the last month of maturation, so the rain that deposited 120mm of moisture on their vineyards on August 5-6 was perfectly timed, as the Nebbiolo harvest began the second week of September. The wines have mostly finished their alcoholic fermentation and are into the malolactic, and all look incredibly good – easy fermentations, no problems whatsoever, gorgeous color and extract. He’s visibly excited by the wines they will make.

2003 Sandrone Barolo “Le Vigne”
Intense sweet cherry nose, with black plums, spices, vanilla and chocolate. On the palate, incredibly pure, ripe fruit, with seemingly lower acids than normal, but very delicious. There are no burn or scorch problems apparent in the bottle. Long and very velvety. Luciano has crafted this one for less ageing – and his use of tonneaux instead of barrique makes his wines less aggressively oaky. There is a lovely integration of the wood and the wine, and none of the bitter tannic aftertaste that some 2003s display. One of the best of the vintage. Drink 2009-2016. Impressive. 4.5-

2003 Sandrone Barolo “Cannubi Boschis”
Typical for Sandrone is the deep cherry fruit he extracts from his vines. The nose also has a good floral aspect, but none of the tarryness we get from Cannubi in great years. This is a delicious wine, reflective of the vintage and its difficulties, but nicely rendered and well-delineated. The palate has a touch of cranberries and the tannins are bigger and a bit rougher at this point than the Le Vigne bottling. Still delicious, and a triumph given the vintage. Drink 2009-2015. 4.0+

2007 Cortese, Chardonnay Langhe, tank sample.
Intensely pure fruit, layers of apples and green pears. This is one of my favorite chards in the world (!!) because they have the good sense to keep it in steel and make it fresh and lively. This one shows a very minerally side that I associate with great Chablis. Cortese’s Cahrd is simple, joyous and fun. Drink at release – in about 4 months, though none comes to the US, they only sell it at the winery. Ready to drink now – amazing, only 45 days old, and delicious. 3.0+

2006 Cortese, Dolcetto d’Alba “Trifolera”
Grapey nose – truly the “Beaujolais” of Langhe – though not that crap nouveau, this is more like cru. With the plums and minerals, good structure and presence. Smoky. Soft in the mouth – well-structured tannins. Drink 2008-2011. 2.5+

2004 Cortese Barbera “Morasina”
16 months in barrel, 30% new, and the wine is made from the oldest Barbera vines. The color is forbiddingly dark, and the nose has layers of vanilla, plums, berries and cassis. The flavors are similar, with appealing minerality and plenty of structure. Drink 2009-2015. Lovely. 3.5

2004 Cortese, Nebbiolo Langhe
Made from younger vines in less-good positions on the Rabaja (the Corteses only own vineyard land directly below their home above the Rabaja vineyard – an enviable position). Interesting nose of Rainier Cherries, red plums, cassis, smoke and earth. Though the palate is very closed and tight, plenty of cherry fruit and violets come through. The whole thing is held together by huge ripe tannins and plenty of acid which keeps the whole thing hard as nails. Drink 2012-2017. 3.5-

2004 Cortese, Barbaresco Rabaja
Powerful. The Corteses are traditional winemakers – no barriques touch their Barbaresco. This one is closed tight, but still shows up violets and black cherry- a very classic young Barbaresco nose. On the palate, this is a pure, big wine – reflecting both the vintage and the way this wine is made: without compromises that make the process easier or more consistent. The Corteses do it the same way it has been done for generations, and every vintage they craft is unique and individual in ways modernist winemakers can only dream of. Tremendous extraction, dry, slightly chalky tannins, pure fruit and a finish that goes on and on … wow. There’s no use in opening one up a this point, though – maybe try one in 2012 to see how it’s coming along. I suspect it will be best from 2019-2029. 4.5. Amazing value as well.

2003 Cortese, Barbaresco Rabaja
The nose shows sweet berries and rose petals, a bit one-dimensional but very nice. On the palate, this wine is still a touch tight and shows the slightly astringent tannins so characteristic of the vintage, though this only comes out after a few minutes of holding the wine in your mouth. The flavors are really nice – berries, tea rose, licorice, red fruits and loamy soil. The structure is surprisingly good. Delicious, but not extraordinary. Drink 2010-2016. 3.5+

2001 Cortese, Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja, bottled sample, not yet released
Amazing what even few months can do for a wine that was forbiddingly tight from tank sample even 6 months ago (I tasted this from tank in both March 2006 and 2007). Now, this is becoming compellingly gorgeous – an incredibly elegant nose of black cherry, violets, cola and dark fruits. On the palate, loads of minerality and cherries, with anise, rose, earth and stone. Amazingly well-put together at such a young age. Drink 2013-2026. 4.5-

1999 Cortese, Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja
Supremely refined and elegant nose, harmonious and balanced – like Audrey Hepburn in a bottle. Layers of violets and dark stone fruit, with crushed pepper, licorice, cola and hints of smoky berries. Still closed, but complex and layered, with the fruit and acid in good balance. Needs time. Drink 2012-2024. 4.5-

2001 Giacosa, Barolo Riserva, Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba
Loads of pure raspberry and rose petal, with minerals, licorice and violets. The nose is among the most harmonious that I have ever smelled. On the palate, it is tight, but still offers up layers of fruit, acid and tannins, gorgeous structure … light as air and solid as steel. Crafting a wine that is both elegant and powerful is among the most difficult of the winemaker’s tasks – and Dante has succeeded again, brilliantly. Drink 2013-2031. 5.0-

2004 Giacosa, Barolo Riserva, Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d’Alba (just bottled in August, not yet released)
A treat, to say the least. Classic Barolo nose of black cherry, violets, rose petals, licorice and black raspberry. This is young, crazy closed, but still rocks with intensely pure fruit and extraction. Though closed, it drinks well now. It is amazingly well balanced for such a young wine – and embodies, for me, the sense that great Nebbiolo makes wines of both power and elegance when reared correctly – the “iron fist in a velvet glove.” It is almost impossible to tell just how big and brooding this wine is, as it is so perfectly calibrated in the balance of its elements. This is intensely pleasurable – it will be hard to resist drinking these wines on release. Drink 2014-2029. Amazing achievement. 5.0

Piedmont 2

Day 2 I hit the ground running, meeting Carlo and Enzo Revello at their winery. We taste through the lineup, discuss the vintage and look at the vines. Their winery looks over the Gattera vineyard (always recognizable for the huge Lebanese Cedar that grows at the top of the hill). The vines, picked clean, are lovely, and just beginning to change color. I find a few stray bunches of Nebbiolo. Wow – these are delicious! Three weeks after the harvest, they are super-sweet, but still with bright acids. By the time I get back to the winery, my hands are sticky from grape juice.

After lunch at the Osteria del Vingnaiolo (in the hamlet of Santa Maria – highly recommended), I stop at the Mauro Molino winery. No-one is around, though I am exactly on time for my appuntamento. I find an open door to the fermentation barn, wander down into the barrel room, and there’s Mauro, moving just-filled barrels with his forklift. (I’m jealous; I love forklifts.) Mauro leads me though the cellars o find his son Matteo, who is bottling with his ipod blasting.

Matteo had been in Colorado Springs in January 2007, where we’d done a dinner with him, Enzo Revello and Marco Marengo. Matteo, though, is the only one who speaks any English, so visitors are his bailiwick. He’s a talented winemaker in his own right – he’s finished oenological school, and though he has been assisting his father for years, he’s now slowly taking over parts of the process. The Molinos are just down the hill from the Revellos (literally less than 100 yards) and their wines show certain stylistic similarities, though the Revello wines tend to be a bit more powerful, while the Molino wines showcase the appellation’s elegance and balance.

2006 Revello Dolcetto
Juicy nose, loads of plums and berries, some vanilla, pencil lead, shows nicely. 2.0+ Simple and good. Drink now-2009

2006 Revello Barbera
Grapey and mineral, with spices and fresh acids. Fresh in the mouth, touch of chocolate, no tannins. Drink now-2009. 2.0

2005 Revello Barbera “Ciabot du Re”
Aged 18 months in 100% new oak, mostly allier. Loads of vanilla, chocolate, cherry and plum. Spicy finish. Nice, bit boxy, needs some time - 2-3 years – to come together, then should be a good modern-style Barbera. 2.5+ Drink 2010-2015

2005 Revello Nebbiolo Langhe
Red cherry with an annoying pine tar aroma, some floral elements. This wine sees 18 months in 2-3 yr old barrels. A bit tart on the palate. The middle drops out. Not recommended. 2.0-

2003 Revello Barolo (normale)
Correct in every way that a modern wine should be correct, but lacks excitement. Violets, cherries, minerals, plums, fresh acids. The tannins are a bit bitter, typical of the vintage. 3.0 Drink 2011-2016

2003 Revello Barolo Gattera
Has opened up since I tasted it in the spring. Layers of vanilla, cocoa, floral elements and dark cherries/berries. Tight in the mouth. The tannins are better rendered than in the “normale” bottling. Drink 2011-2017. 3.5

2003 Revello Barolo Giachini
Graphite, clove, cinnamon, plums and vanilla. A very modern wine. Lush on the palate, but with characteristic acids and tannins. 24 months in oak, of which 50% is new. Good balance. This is surprisingly nice, given the problems with this vintage. Drink 2011-2019. 3.5-

2003 Revello Barolo Conca
The nose shows class – layers of cherries, cherries, cherries, followed by graphite, vanilla and dark flowers. On the palate, very pleasant, though not yet balanced – chocolate milk, plums, candied cherry finish. Not an ager. Drink 2010-2015. Nice. 3.5+

2003 Revello Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata
Loads of sweet fruit, mineral, violets and a nicely wrought balance to the whole thing, this is delicious. The tannins are less edgy than in the other bottlings from this estate. Cherries round off the finish – very long, the tannins still quite big and unresolved, give this one a few years. Drink 2011-2017. 3.5+

2004 Revello Insieme
Though the sentiments behind this project are entirely admirable and worthy of support, I wish the wines were better – every Insieme (“together”) bottling that I have tried has left me wanting. This one, assembled from Nebbiolo, Caberent Sauvignon, Barbera and Petit Verdot, is a big wine and is completely overwhelmed by the cab in the mix – all I get are annoying green overtones that remind me of Silver Oak or just about any other California Cab. Why bother, even if the profits go to charity? I’d rather enjoy something fully after volunteering at the zoo or CASA or Children’s Literacy Center. 2.5- eh.

2006 Molino Barbera
Smooth plums, lots of rounded fruit flavors, quite fresh and lively on the mouth, earth and mineral aspects. Touch tart, but acceptable. 2.5-

2005 Molino Barbera, Gattera
Very viscous vanilla and coffee bean aromas and flavors. Red plums, good harmony, and decent balance for a wine this young. Good finish, slightly smoky, sweet fruit. Moderate tannins. 3.5-

2007 Molino Barolo tank samples. All have completed or are completing malolactic fermentation. What is amazing to me is how pure this already is – I get the fruit, tannins, acids and alcohol, and though they are young and not in balance, I can see that this is special – most red wines I’ve tasted in their first year are incredibly awkward. This is gangly but lovely. Loads of sweet fruit, black and red cherries, violets and roses, minerals galore. The potential is enormous.

2003 Molino Barolo, Galinotto
Nicely perfumed nose. Stony, with cherries and flowers. Soft in the mouth – they’ve really been careful about tannin management with this difficult vintage, but the slight astringency underlies it. The wine is round and silky, well-delineated fruit, Drink 2010-2018. 3.5+

2003 Molino Barolo, Conca
Far more closed than the Galinotto bottling, this one still offers up some fresh fruit aromas, earth, vanilla and anise. Though reticent, the nose has great potential. Floral elements begin to come through after a while – while the palate, in contrast to the nose, is very forward, with layered cherry and berry fruit. Espresso, flowers, spices and vanilla round out the flavor and aroma. Really nice soft smoky tannins. 3.5+ Drink 2010-2019

2004 Molino Barolo (normale)
Tight nose. Black plums and cherries. Did I say tight? It’s tight. Licorice, dark chocolate, sfumato. On the palate, big, hard, needs time – this will require at least 7-9 years of patience from the vintage. What is expressed in the glass is formidable – very deep and ripe fruit, ripe but big tannins, fresh acids and great potential. Really nice. 3.5+ now, but I would think it could reach quite a bit higher as it evolves. Drink 2012-2022

2004 Molino Barolo, Conca
Very delicate floral quality comes through on the nose, almost like strawberries, along with the more typical violets and roses of Barolo. The fruit is almost secondary to the incredible floral qualities of the nose. Though it is a touch blocky, it’s quite a nose! On the palate, loads of ripe plums and berries, with a kirsch-like intensity at the back of the mouth. The mid-palate is solid – with anise, chocolate and spices. Though modern, this one has the stuffing to really let the sense of time and place shine through. Tannins are silky already, long and dry. Drink 2012-2019. 4.0+

Piedmont 1

I arrive in Monforte d’Alba late afternoon on Monday. It is a beautiful day, sunny, wispy clouds, much cooler than Rome. I pass Nino (my landlord while I’m here) just in front of his family’s restaurant – he’s about to show some other guests their apartment in a building his family owns a hundred yards up in the village. I settle down on a bench next to the church to wait for him. When he says 5 minutes, I know he means 20. I catch up on some calls and enjoy the late afternoon sun.

22 minutes later, Nino pulls up in a cloud of dust; I didn’t know that Fiat minivans had such good brakes. (ahem). “Ciao young man!” – his standard greeting, which he knows annoys me because I am his elder … by about three months. He gives me my keys – “you know, your room” the usual apartment, and I’m off. The view, as always is spectacular.

Dinner with S, daughter of a famous, famous Barolisti – we discuss everything except work – i.e., wine. Instead, we talk about books, art, cars, dating, travels, skiing, philosophy, the joys and difficulties of working with family, great meals, cooking, where to buy the best olive oil, prosciutto and salumi, where we’ll eat on Friday, her sister Elena, and just how freakin’ good that last bite was of whatever it was that was last enjoyed. She takes me to Marsupino, a little restaurant in Briaglia, a village past Dogliani, about 30 minutes by car. We feast on tajarin (a local hand-cut linguine), a fried egg with tartufo bianco (white truffle season!), fried porcinis (they grow like weeds here) and a veal flank braised in nebbiolo. All good, especially washed down with a bottle of Bruno Paillard Rosé Champagne and a 1998 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo “Canubbi-Le Coste.”

Back at the apartment, I play with making time exposures of the full moon.

nv Bruno Paillard, Champagne Brut Rosé
Pale salmon color. Tiny bubbles. Nose of muted cherries, earth, peach, framed by a fresh-baked bready yeastiness. You can really smell and taste the Pinot Noir in this mix – it comes across as the aroma and flavor of really fresh strawberries. The mousse is luxurious, very nice. (3.5-nb)

1998 Giuseppe Rinaldi, Barolo “Brunate - Le Coste”
Beppe Rinaldi, nicknamed “Citrico” for his jolly disposition, is one of the best traditional producers of Barolo. He disdains the use of any technique that his father didn’t have, going so far as to not force his red wines into malolactic fermentation until spring, when the warm breezes naturally heat the wine to the temperature that gets the second fermentation going. This bottling is beginning to come out of its shell and blossom. ON the nose, deep black cherry and rose petals emerge, with graphite and violets, some soft spices, leather and earth. There’s an appealing tobacco aspect to this, but perhaps this is my memory of Beppe blowing his cigar smoke at me while tasting. On the palate, the flavors have harmonized well – the fruit, acids, tannins and alcohol are beautifully integrated and balanced. The tannins are smooth an ripe, and the finish carries for at least 20-25 seconds. Lovely. Drink now-2018 (4.5-nb)

Casa Bleve, Rome

What is it about certain restaurants that just make you feel at home the instant you walk in? Is it the host’s welcoming smile? Is it the attractiveness and warmth of the room? Maybe a sense of the staff, bustling about, taking care of their guests? I’m not exactly sure, but as I walk onto Casa Bleve with my sister C, I know this will be good.

Right away, one of the owners recognizes us – Alessandro remembers us vaguely from previous visits to his family’s other enoteca, the Antica Bottega di Anacleto Bleve - C and I had visited that enoteca 15 years ago on our first visit to Rome, and had spent a very agreeable long lunch getting totally snockered with Alessandro and his crew. Later that visit, we’d come across Alessandro at a stoplight on his Vespa scooter; he was loaded down with about 6 cases of wine he was delivering to customers (they were stacked on the floorboard, held between his legs, as well as being stacked high on a specially-made luggage rack on the back). How he maintained balance while zooming around in the chaotic Roman traffic was a complete mystery, much less how he managed to keep his tires from exploding under all that weight.

I’ve been back to that little enoteca several times since that first visit – it is essentially a wine store that serves lunch. I stopped in on Friday (10.19.07) midday. It is two rooms with floor-to-ceiling wine bins, and scattered tables. You go through a line to a glass cold case, point at the amazing-looking antipasti you want, they put a plate together for you, and you return to your table to enjoy. Order up a few bottles, and you’re pretty much guaranteed that it will be a most excellent day indeed. Just don’t be surprised if you need a nap later. S’all good, babe.

More on NYC Restaurants

As promised in an earlier post, a bit more on favorite NYC restaurants. I was born and grew up near New York City, and it still exerts a pull on me – it’s one of my favorite places to visit, and I can’t seem to get through the day without a copy of the New York Times. Customers and friends ask me about places to visit and at which to eat – here are a few suggestions from three trips over the last year.

I’m a big museumgoer, and in addition to the usual suspects like the Met, Modern, Whitney and Guggenheim, don’t miss the excellent small collections at the Frick, the newly re-opened Morgan Library, International Center for Photography and the Neue Galerie. Also, the National Academy of Design, the Jewish Museum and PS1, the contemporary gallery of the MoMa over in Queens are all worth visits. If you’re going over to Queens for PS1, the Noguchi Muesum is nearby, and worth seeing. The PS1 website has a list of neighborhood restaurants and bars they recommend – a nice touch.

The Chelsea gallery scene is also amazing – though harder to get to by public transport, so you may have to splurge for a cab. Be prepared for great stuff as well as the most ridiculous self-indulgent crap you've ever seen. Highly entertaining, in any case.

What follows is a necessarily incomplete list of restaurants – these are simply some personal faves from the last year or so.

Veritas. Hands down, my favorite New York restaurant, and not just for the 3-4,000 selection wine list. The food in this 55-seat is designed simply to complement the wine selection, and is frightfully good. The sommeliers here are remarkably knowledgeable and un-snobby, and have always guided me well (I often feign ignorance of wine at restaurants with big lists so as to see how good the soms are). But really, it comes down to the meals – every one I’ve had here has been stellar. News Flash: Scotty Bryant, the chef here since inception, is leaving. I hope they can continue the stellar excellence from the kitchen. If you're curious, there's an excellent chapter on Bryant in Tony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential."

Esca. A year ago, I did the “Mario Batali Tour,” eating at five of his places in five nights – this was and remains my favorite, an amazing place for fish. The crudo seafood app is sparkly amazing – some of the freshest fish I’ve had outside Sicily, raw and often simply dressed with just some olive oil and sea salt. The grilled octopus app is fantastic. Nice wine list, good service … just the pastas disappoint, so I skip them (this has been corroborated by other visitors). My date that first visit is startlingly, otherworldly lovely - a fabulous situation, by the way - and though I'm mightily distracted, I keep just enough of my wits about me to realize that this is really, really good food. Subsequent visits have confirmed that the food is fabulous, but somehow, the dining companions keep getting lovelier and lovelier. (Go figure. I mean, I am not the most attractive guy.) Overall, fabulous. PS: “Esca” means “bait” in Italian. If you don’t like fish, this place is not for you.

Lupa. Another Batali project – this one a very nice Roman trattoria. Excellent, crowded, lively. Good value wines on the list. Not fancy.

Danube. A jewel-box of an Austrian-Hungarian restaurant. Don’t miss the trademark champagne cocktail with elderflower extract. The goulash was to die for. Better in winter – this is hearty fare.

Blaue Gans. A very reasonable & casual Austrian neighborhood restaurant in Tribeca. I loved the funky décor, the lively room, the tasty food. A nice selection of Austrian wines complemented the meals. Good selection of wurst and schnitzel. Smoked trout palaschinken rocked.

Vino Vino. Small wine bar near the Tribeca Grand Hotel (BTW, if you like this style of funky, individualistic hotel, the Soho Grand, Royalton and W Tuscany are all better than the Tribeca Grand, which I find a bit generic). Good selection of wines by the glass, snackies and a wine store, all under one roof – if you want a bottle, buy it from the store at retail and they’ll open it in the bar for $15 corkage.

Flute. Just across the street from Veritas, this wine bar has a great selection of champagne by the glass. Also vintage Champagne by the glass – wow! The last time I was here, it was full of rail-thin really really really attractive people, just lounging around; it looked like a photo shoot for Juicy Couture or American Apparel. People-watching heaven!

Bar Jamon. Next door to Batali’s also excellent Casa Mono (the Monkey House), this tiny wine bar has just three communal tables, Spanish wines galore, and two enormous hand-cranked meat slicers, which are in constant use, putting out plate after plate of the eponymous delicacy. Great selection of Priorato wines – my faves. This is a fun place to come to late, after dinner, when you’re not yet ready to call it a night but don’t want to wait for the bouncer at a nightclub to finally notice you and let you in.

And a few I haven’t visited recently but would recommend wholeheartedly:

Le Bernardin
Picholine
Bouley
Felidia
Tabla
Union Square Café
Tocqueville

OK, OK. I ... I have a thinking problem.

An alert reader (yes, we have those at WineJabber) sent this to me. Thanks to S. My degree was philosophy, and I found this hilarious.

---

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then - just to loosen up. Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker. I began to think alone - "to relax," I told myself - but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.

That was when things began to sour at home. One evening I turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's.

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't help myself. I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau, Muir, Confucius and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"

One day the boss called me in. He said, "Listen, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job."

This gave me a lot to think about. I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confessed, "I've been thinking ..."

"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!"

"But Honey, surely it's not that serious." "It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver.

"You think as much as college professors and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking, we won't have any money!"

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently.

She exploded in tears of rage and frustration, but I was in no mood to deal with the emotional drama.

"I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door.

I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche. I roared into the parking lot with NPR on the radio and ran up to the big glass doors. They didn't open. The library was closed.

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night. Leaning on the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye, "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked.

You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinkers Anonymous poster.

This is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker.

I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting.

I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life just seemed easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking. I think the road to recovery is nearly complete for me.

Today I took the final step ... I joined the Republican Party.

Recent Tastings, September 2007

Some excellent bottles consumed over the last month. I'm not lising the insipid ones. If you're really interested in insipid wines, I'll keep a log for a week of wretchedness, and post that.

The pics are from NYC, all of a one-block stretch of sidewalk. Then, one of my nephew O. All completely gratuitious, I know. But I like them, even if they have nothing to do with wine.

1998 Pingus, Ribera Del Duero, Spain
The nose offers up really sweet cassis and blackberry, a slate-like minerality and surprisingly well-integrated wood. On the palate, it is a chocolate-covered plum extravaganza - with fine ripe, chalky tannins. I sense that this one has eveolved quite a bit since release as the oak and sweetness of extract are not as over-the-top as some other Pingus bottlings I've had - this one has dries aspects at the edges, and is surpisingly harmonious. I like it a lot. (4.0-nb) Thanks to R for bringing this to Creede, where we enjoyed this with buffalo steaks.

2005 Waters, Syrah, Columbia Valley
Pretty, pretty, pretty. Lovely dark fruits, cedar and smoky bacon on the nose and palate. Good mouthfeel and weight - it is not heavy, but with plenty of flavor and extract. This is drinking so beautifully, and will imrove for a year or two, but why would you want to wait? Drink 2008-2013. (3.0+nb) Full disclosure: The owners of this winery are good friends. Even so, I like their wines.

Dinner with some goooood Barolo & Barbaresco

Dinner with C & C, and H &T last Friday. I hit the supermarket 55 minutes before everyone arrives and put the menu together. Pork chops marinated in rosemary, olive oil and garlic, seared spinach, and grilled shitakes. I prepare a nice dressing for a mâche salad as well, but forget about it when I serve the meal – typical for me – I find the greens and dressing in the fridge after everyone’s left and I’m cleaning the kitchen. D’oh! C & C bring over some lettuce wraps with avocado and seaweed, which go amazingly well with rosé Champagne. We finish off with a selection of cheese that T has brought over – he is known locally the Cheeseman. As in, “The Cheeseman Cometh.” And boy did he ever. A whole bunch of fine cheeses, all from the Truffle in Denver.

The next morning is difficult, to say the least.

Nv Jean Lallement, Champagne Brut Rosé
Deep red-garnet color. Nice strawberry and cherry nose. Good-looking mousse, with subtle bready aromas and flavors. Surprisingly robust on the palate, the Pinot Noir essence really comes through – I would pair this with whole roasted bass anyday. The finish is long, dry and very cherry. I find the bubbles a touch heavy on the tongue – minor detail, though. (3.0+)

2006 Maculan Vespaiolo, Veneto.
I’ve sung the praises of this wine numerous times in this blog; I won’t bore you with any more. (3.0+) Plus, I have a terrrrrible singing voice.

1997 Bartolo Mascarello, Barolo
Brilliant ruby color. Lovely violets and black cherry on the nose, with a touch of anise & earth. On the palate, this shows the weakness of the 1997 vintage – very hot, with excellent fruit development, but lacks the backbone and structure I expect from Mascarello, who makes on of the most traditional Barolo. The wine is delicious, with loads of dark fruits, mineral, roses and violets, with a soft mouthfeel and finish – not lots of tannins on this wine – though the acids are present and very much help keep the wine in balance. Drink now-2010. (3.5+nb)

1990 Elio Altare, Barolo “Arborina”
The 1990 Altare Arborina Barolo (don’t confuse this with his “Arborina Langhe” bottling, also 100% Nebbiolo) is an amazing wine. The nose shows brilliant fresh and dried black cherry, sweet rose petals, tar, mushrooms and licorice. The palate is similarly styled, with layers of flavor revealing themselves as the wine opens. The tannins on the finish are perfectly integrated, ripe and long – the finish goes on for about 25 seconds. Though it is a balanced, medium-bodied wine, it has considerable power and presence. Classic. This is my last bottle of this wine, and this makes me sad. (4.5nb)

1988 Bruno Giacosa, Barbaresco Riserva, “Santo Stefano di Nieve,” from magnum
The nose explodes – emphatically not what I was expecting – with black cherry of liqueur-like intensity, and violets, truffle, cacao, dried flower petals, black tea and a hint of game. The color is typically light ruby Barolo, not at all what I’d expect given the nose. On the palate, this is one of the finest aged wines I’ve ever tasted – it reveals an interlocking structure of fruit, acid and tannins that is impossible to describe. The tannins are completely integrated into the wine, the finish incredibly long, and the elegance and balance of this wine bring to mind great music – I can’t compare this to other wines. A wine like this makes, to me, one of the most profoundly moving cases for traditionally made wines – is speaks of a culture, place and time in specific and compelling arguments. Again, my last bottle, and I was desperately trying to fix the flavors, aromas and emotions of this bottle in my mind before it disappears. (5.0nb)

1997 Aldo Conterno, Riserva Barolo “Granbussia”
Just like the 1997 Mascarello, this wine shows loads of delicious fruit, but without the clearly defined structure that I expect from the best Barolo. This shows a bit more red fruits than the Mascarello and is bigger-bodied in the mouth, but again, lacks the sculptural quality of Barolo in the best vintages. Good primary fruit, with spice and earth on the palate. This drinks really well now, but I have my doubts that it will last like other Conterno Riservas. This is a big and mouthfilling wine, but lacks something ineffable. (3.5+nb)

nv Jacopo Poli, “Prugna” Brandy
Jacopo gave me a bottle of this at my last visit as I was leaving – something new he’s developing, for “the American market, a bit sweeter than the usual Grappas.” I adore his “usual Grappas,” so I’m immediately worried. As bringing an opened bottle back to the US is well-nigh impossible, we order this to try at a local watering hole in Bassano del Grappa, thinking that if its too sticky-sweet and we don’t like it, we’ll finish it off or give it away before heading back to the states 10 days hence. One sniff and we know that no-one will be leaving this bottle in Italy – it is a prune plum brandy, with a hint of almond extract – one of the most magical and delicious after-dinner drinks I’ve ever tasted. There’s the underlying essence of the plums, coming though as a fried fruit, raisiny caramel essence – just like the best Congnac or Armagnac. Dancing over this is the scent and flavor of fresh and roasted almonds – kind of like marzipan essence on steroids, but without the cloying stickiness (I find this aspect of marzipan an immediate turn-off). Amazing stuff. Apparently he’s having a bear of a time getting this into the US as the BATF wants to know everything about the almond extract – hopefully this will make it in soon, or I may have to bring a bottle of this back after every visit to Italy. (4.5-nb)

Hi, my name is Satan, I'll be your server tonight.

I meet S, a budding sommelier, in Denver. Many of my favorite places are closed on Sundays, so we decide to try NoRTH. S has a talented palate, and has just come out of som class, so her nose is on fire – during dinner, she catches me mixing up Barbera and Nebbiolo. Whoops! Reminds me of the time some hoity-toity wine critic was asked if he’d ever mistaken Burgundy for Bordeaux – his reply was a cheery “Not since Lunch!”

NoRTH in Cherry Creek, bills itself as “a contemporary approach to Modern Italian Cuisine.” More honest, in my opinion, would be “A cynical and focus-group tested grab bag of comfort-food values, all wrapped up in an Italianate romanticism.” But maybe I’m being too nice … because on top of all this, it’s part of a chain.

In deference to our server, he wasn’t as bad as the title to this post implies – he was polite and well-trained. So well-trained, in fact, that we overheard him parroting the exact same greeting, intro lines and segue into the drink order with each table. That’s not just training, that’s indoctrination. The recitation of specials was a study in perfect, terrifying consistency. Every time he visited our table, we just shook our heads in disbelief. A-mazing.