Last night, H & T have much of her family in town - T is preparing a pasta feast, and I'm invited. Woo-Hoo! I've known H's dad (Daddy R), stepmom (the Orc) and brother (TC) since college, and it is a great pleasure to catch up and reconnect. T prepares three sauces: A basic pomodoro, a pomodoro with pancetta, and a bechamel with chicken, with gnocchi and linguine. Talk about great. I bring over two magnums. Also on hand, along with other family members, are TC's wife and two kids, in from Park City, Utah, where wine is a mighty difficult necessity to acquire, poor dears - I have a gummi-bear conference with the younger son after dinner. As in: which part of the gummi bear does one bite off first? Is the head tastier than the butt? And does one change the order for certain colors? Good questions, all. We raid T's gummi-bear stash and begin scientific inquiries.
The next day, writing this, with a fire going and the cat sleeping in front of the woodstove. I've spent all day in the kitchen, prepping for Christmas Eve - 12 people will be here for dinner and it will be fabulous. I made a bolognese sauce for the pasta course, and prepped all the veg and meat for tomorrow's dinner. Roasted lamb with a shiitake mushroom sauce, with seared garlic-drenched kale and polenta. Should be quite lovely.
Though I don't celebrate Christmas, I find it to be a great time for reflection and thanks, not unlike Thanksgiving (also known as Throgsgafen here at the "Manley Manor for Wayward Boys and Girls" - has anyone read Irving's "The Water-Method Man?). As the end of a difficult year draws near, I an thankful for the friends that have been present and supportive this last year, and to all the people who've told me - in person, via email, or by posting a comment here - how much they love or hate, agree or disagree, are irritated or charmed by Winejabber and my writing. One of my favorites, which helped me find the voice of this blog, was said to me after my fourth or fifth post went up: "it's like a life, with wine." I appreciate all the comments and look forward to a great 2008. Many thanks to all, wishing you peace and prosperity for the new year -
warm regards,
Alan
1997 Caparzo, Brunello di Montalcino "La Casa," magnum
Sangiovese can be a problematic grape. If it is not fully ripe, or mishandled during harvest and vinification, it can be harsh, green (piney) and overly metallic. Caparzo is generally a good producer, but I've had regular bottlings that were fit to cook with and not much more. This 1997, however, reflects the awesome vintage in Tuscany, and the depth and complexity that Sangiovese can reach. The "La Casa" vineyard is the estate's single-vineyard bottling, and the vines are located on the Montosoli hill, which also produces Altesino's top single-vineyard wine. The winery and the Montosoli hill are located in the northern part of the Brunello zone, which produces, for my taste, wines of greater complexity and depth - compared to the sun-drenched southern half of the zone, the northern wines are more austere and elegant. This wine could still, at ten years old, sit a few more years, though if it will get significantly better is open to debate. It possesses delicious red cherry, raspberry and chocolate, with significant mineral, cedar and earth elements that I love in great Brunello. On the palate, the mix of fruit and milk chocolate is wicked delicious. The wine is incredibly smooth and velvety in the mouth, even though the tannins, which are well-balanced and mostly evolved, could do with another year in bottle - but 750 ml bottles of this wine should be on everyone's "drink now" list. Nice finish, all silk, minerals and cherries. (4.0+nb)
1997 Bartolo Mascarello, Barolo, magnum
The Bartolo Mascarello winery is one of the great bastions of traditional winemaking in the Piedmont - and has resisted all change toward modernism even after the death of Bartolo two years ago. His daughter Marie-Therese runs the estate exactly as her father did with an iron hand. No compromises are made here, ever, ever, ever. The 1997 is still backward and tannic, and needs more time, especially in relation to the über-smooth Caparzo we'd just finished. The Mascarello nose was all black cherries, earth, tar and roses, with bits of violets and truffle beginning to peek out. This was a big surprise - 750ml bottles of this wine seem to be more ready to drink, but in magnum it is backwards, unyielding and youthful, and somewhat mute. (Mute in the sense that all the flavors and aromas seem to be present, but aren't communicating anything succinct at the moment.) The 1997 vintage, in general, has been in need of reconsideration - even though it got great press, I was never really convinced of the "greatness" of this hot vintage, an opinion confirmed by much discussion and tasting in Piedmont (privately, many vingerons complained of stuck fermentations from the sky-high sugar levels in the grapes, and many of the resultant wines are high-alcohol fruit-bombs). In the last year, I've been opening many '97s as they are reaching their peak ... and many of the traditionally made wines seem to have aged far better than their modernist counterparts. '97s from Rinaldi, Giacosa and Mascarello, especially, seem to have put on some weight and lost much of the baby fat. This Mascarello is no different - it is now big and powerful in the mouth, with the excellent fruit so characteristic of the vintage, but with surprisingly firm tannins and acidity. I will let these magnums sit for another two years before trying one again. The finish still needs time for all the tannins to resolve into velvety goodness. (3.5-nb; 750 ml bottles are currently in the 4.0+ range)