Castello di Potentino, 2006 Sacromonte

 

The first document to mention the Castello di Potentino is dated 1042. It then belonged to a certain Count Pietrone or Pepone. However, the original foundations are probably Etruscan. Over the centuries the property passed through the hands of many well-known Tuscan families of noble descent - the Tolomei, the Bonsignori and the Salimbeni. At the end of the 16th Century, it became a center for the charitable works of the hospital order of Santa Maria della Scala.  The vineyard at the Castello di Potentino is situated on the slopes of the highest peak in Tuscany, Monte Amiata, an extinct volcano. The valley is low, and sheltered which means that in the summer the days are hot, but the nights are cold, allowing the fruit to ripen but not mature too early. The earth is volcanic, geologically very new and mineral rich. 

I was visiting a friend who has an incredible wine collection from California. His Italian collection comes second. We just randomly picked this wine after an hour of debating what we were in the mood for)!

Tasting notes:
Nose: Delicately floral, lightly spiced, liquorice, black fruit and some chocolate.
Palate: Dry, medium bodied, well-balanced acidity. Slightly more tannic than I had expected it to be perhaps because it needed a few hours to open in order for the fruit to show.
I.G.T. Tuscany, Italy

Grape Variety: Sangiovese

Approximate retail price: $22.00

(History is made available through: http://www.potentino.com/history/)

Rioja Vega 2009

 

This Rioja has complimented everything that I have eaten today:  a Mushroom rissotto (which I am cooking as I write this post), salt and peppery snacks, cheddar cheese, turkey slices, ha! Almost everything. There's a reason why this wine is known to pair with all forms of tapas.

Established in 1882, Rioja Vega is one of the oldest wineries in the Rioja region. Located in the Rioja Alta sub-region, the wine is predominantly Tempranillo (90 percent) blended with 10 percent Garnacha grapes to add color and weight.  Minimal aging in French and American oak maintains a youthful wine while imparting structure and texture. 

Tasting notes mainly comprise of characteristics notes of cherry, plum and tomato. Surprisingly the wine opened with a refreshing acidity and nose which I wasn't expecting from this vintage.  Common synonyms for the varietal are: Tinto del Toro, Tinto Fino & Tinto del Pais (Spain), Tinta Roriz & Aragonez (Portugal).  I have tasted the 2011 vintage of this wine and wasn't as pleased.  Even though the 2009 could be slightly past it's cellering age it was still drinking extremely well.  With it's elegant gentleness and brave acidity it made me realise that I don't indulge in Rioja's as much as I ought to.

Price: $ 12.50

Varietals: 90% Tempranillo,  10% Garnache

Origin: Spain

La Pizza Fresca

What a night...a whirlwind affair that started at the offices of Christie's fine wine department, and then culminated at La Pizza Fresca downtown. MK, RY and yours truly along with 5 bottles of wine (3 Reislings, 1 Zierfanlander and 1 Burgundy) sat at the Italian restaurant's bar and just talked wine for 3 hours non stop. 

1. Goldberg Riesling, Weingut Van Volxem, 2007: Saar Riesling from the Roman Niewodniscanski’s estate is a treat. Rich melon fruit on the nose with a bit of lemon. The palate is concentrated with a silky texture and a faint hint of minerality. The delicacy and perfume of the Mosel region are the distinguishing characteristics of this polished wine. An absolute pleasure for Mosel lovers.

2. Weingut Knoll, Reid Loibenberg Riesling, Smaragd, 2002: Opened at just the right time! Muted petrol notes greet the nose, distinguishing characteristics of an aged Riesling. Notes of honey, dried apricots and the complex concentration of mature fruit are obvious from the first few minutes. The harvest usually takes place during the second week of December for this rich Smaragd. Wonderful accompaniment to our 3 Pizzas.

3. Weingut Knoll, Reid Schutt Durnsteiner Riesling, 2001: my favorite wine of the evening,  with the Austrian Saint Urban the Golden (Austria's favored saint) on the wine label, it would be indeed difficult to go wrong with the wine inside the bottle! The year 2001 was blessed with a warm summer and a rainy fall in which the grapes did not get as ripe as the ones in the year 2000 but matured with their acidity levels remaining high. I find that Knoll is always a little difficult when young but when opened during it's time of maturity it is intrinsically delicious.

4. Morey Saint Denis, 'en la Rue de Vergy' Domaine Perrot Minot, 2002: Simple perfection. A classic style Burgundy, delicate, with a hint of gaminess, faint blue cheese on the nose, well balanced tannins and an incredibly long finish. The 2002 is drinking very well. Notable through it's lovely light color, I can understand how wine lovers 'start with Bordeaux and end up in Burgundy.' This wine is quite a find, a village wine but with grapes grown right next to a grand cru vineyard. 

5. Stadlmann Zierfandler, Mandel-Hoh 2006: An old traditional grape varietal from Austria which grows almost exclusively in the tiny Thermenregion of the country. The Mandel-Hoh vineyard is the world's top site for this grape planted with decades to their  vines. Most plantings of Zierfandler were pulled out during the 80's and 90's and planted with Riesling and Gruner Veltliner but now the varietal is showing  a revival and this particular bottle is probably the best expression of the grape. Fruit forward with a refreshing acidity, some spice and mineral notes, the Mandel-Hoh vineyard Zierfandler was a very pleasant surprise.

Before I left Pizza Fresca, the owner Brad was kind enough to show me his absolutely amazing and densely packed underground cellar. Probably the most unusual wine list for an Italian restaurant notable mostly for it's delicious wood fired brick oven Neapolitan style pizza.

31 East 20th Street
between Park Avene South & Broadway
New York, NY 10003

www.lapizzafresca.com/

Wine Tasting with Richard Young

Richard Young, from the wine department of Christie's, and the Barclay Hotel collaborated on pairing fine wines with a 4 course menu designed by Executive Chef Serge Devesa. The entire afternoon was influenced by different styles of honey procured from the New York city region. A languorous afternoon where honey flowed and wine flew. And where perfectly ripe figs ached to be picked.

Taittinger, Brut, La Francaise

Corton Grand Cru, Cuvee Charlotte Dumay 2003 

Chateau Fiilhot Sauternes, Deuxieme Cru Classe 1990

Chateau Tirecul, La Graviere, Cuvee Madame 1993

-Pan seared Hudson Valley Fois Gras on Toasted Foccacia

with fig compote and honey lavender reduction

-Barclay Organic Salad with Candied Walnuts

honey vinaigrette and shaved parmesan

-Spiced Roasted Crispy Duck Breast

with honey soy glaze

-Honey, Cinnamon Apple Tartlet

with honey chocolate sauce

Out of the 4 wines tasted, the Monbazillac from Chateau Tirecul 'Cuvee Madame' 1995 stood out. Probably one of the most memorable sweet wines I have tasted in a long time. Profound, elegant and just about as perfect as perfection can get. A blend of 50% Muscadelle, 45% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Blanc from 80 year old vines. On the nose one gets subtle spice notes: orange peel, apricots, nuts, hints of oak. These notes are carried over on the palate and remarkably the sweetness is not cloying or overpowering. Bravo to Claudie and Bruno Bilancini, owners of Chateau Tirecul, who are responsible for the character of these wines.

Barolo/Brunello Pre-Sale at Avoce

Two traditionally well known Italian varietals were being showcased at a pre-sale wine tasting at Avoce, a restaurant featuring Italian culinary delights located on the 3rd floor of the magnificent Timer Warner centre.

Brunello is an important clone of the Italian Sangiovese found exclusively in the Tuscan town of Montalcino and presently Brunello di Montalcinos are the greatest expressions of Tuscan Sangiovese. These wines can be huge, intense, complex and very expensive due to their their longevity and consistency. Barolo on the other hand is made with the Nebbiolo grape produced in the Northern Italian region of Piedmont and is often debated as being the finest expression of this varietal. Barolos can age for decades under the proper conditions and along with great Bordeauxs and Burgundies and some Super Tuscans are some of the most amazing wines on this planet.

Sipping all these
great wines
spitting
but more often
swollowing
with the magnificent
views of Central Park
and the intense power
of New York city
now
lying across my
vista
like an
ocean
on a placid day....

Savio Soares Selections

I was put in touch with the Savio Soares Portfolio by my friend Dan Parseliti (and for you Harry Potter fans, no he is not a Parseltongue)! Parseltongue: the language of snakes; to a human who cannot speak it, it sounds like hissing without taking a breath.

Getting back to Savio's Wines, a portfolio tasting was held yesterday at the Wined Up wine bar in New York and it turned out to be one of the best tastings I have been to this year. A small intimate affair with some of the best 'tongues' and 'noses' in the business, Savio's portfolio is yet small, focusing mostly on Germany, Austria and wines from the South West of France. An 'old world' style is the best way to describe this portfolio, high in acid, great aromatic and tannic structures with the least amount of cellar manipulation as is possible. These distinctive wine from traditionally rich wineries relate to the terroir that they come from resulting in small productions that reflects their place of origin.

Wined Up
913 Broadway, 2nd fl. (bet. 20th & 21st Sts.)
Manhattan, NY 10003

Tel: 212 673 6333

Maslow 6

Maslow 6 is an engaging, fun community of wine lovers, enthusiasts, and collectors. Members are provided with an immersive environment, covering the many facets of wine collecting and enjoyment. It also provides a forum for people to engage with one another, to share stories and notes about wines you love (or don't!) and to make new discoveries. The classes and seminars are as social as they are educational.

I attended one of their Wine Seminars conducted by David Lynch, an American writer and wine expert. He has worked as a senior editor for Wine & Spirits magazine and has authored wine-related articles for numerous periodicals and websites and along with Joseph Bastianich (an associate of Mario Batali), spent time in Italy researching and writing Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy, a book published in 2002.

This evening the seminar was about the Nebbiolo grape, grown exclusively in the North Western corner of Italy. The wines were put together by Molly Bettencourt and David Lynch and were examples of some of the finest Nebbiolo's that I have tasted in one evening.

1. Caves de Donnas 2005, Valle d' Aosta
2. Antonio Castelle 2004, Gattinara
3. Luigi Ferrando 2004, Carema
4, Rainaldo 'Sasella' 2004, Lombardia
5. Malvira 2004, Roero
6. Ada Nada 2004, Barbaresco
7. Luigi Pira 2004, Barolo