This was probably one of the top wines of the day. It had superb balance of flavors, that is, nothing overpowered anything else. There was cocoa, orange, spice, earth. A great variety. And this balance held true for the wine components as well. There was just the right amount of acidity, alcohol, tannin, etc. Everything was just right.
Yesterday I spent the day tasting Brunello di Montalcino from the 2010 vintage in Tuscany. A full report will be up soon, but I thought I'd highlight one wine that I'd probably call out as my favorite. This is the 2010 Mocali Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Raunate. This is a single vineyard wine from Mocali, a producer who is known for creating vineyards that work with the local eco-system to provide balance. They make several excellent wines from $10 Rosso Toscana wines to their $70 Brunello Riserva. This wine is somewhere in the middle, between $30 and $45, depending on the store. It is aged for three years in large oak casks, a traditional style of production in Tuscany. This was probably one of the top wines of the day. It had superb balance of flavors, that is, nothing overpowered anything else. There was cocoa, orange, spice, earth. A great variety. And this balance held true for the wine components as well. There was just the right amount of acidity, alcohol, tannin, etc. Everything was just right.
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Back when this wine was released in 2011, I bought a bottle to see what it was like. At the time, it was a little more than I would typically spend on a bottle, so I remember thinking it was a stretch. But I bought it sort of as a Christmas present to myself and we drank it with Christmas dinner, which in my house was always flank steak. Even in 2011, I remember being incredibly impressed with the wine. It was bold and peppery, and yet elegant. At that time there was quite a bit of structure and the tannins were still pretty powerful, even after being decanted for a forty five minutes to an hour. So I knew that while this wine’s flavors impressed me then, it could only get better. Shortly thereafter I bought four more bottles. My goal was to hang on to these four bottles for a while and see how the wine evolved over time. Since it’s been one of my favorites so far, I wanted to savor it. But I’ve always been a little impatient, and we opened this bottle (the third) just the other night. I’m glad we’ve been drinking it, though. I definitely have bottles that I want to hang onto for a while--some 2006 Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, a 2004 Barolo Reserva, a 2009 Sauternes. But there’s something to be said for drinking while the drinking’s good. Or, as my father-in-law would say, “Life’s uncertain. Eat dessert first.” True to my first taste, this wine has loads of black and blue fruit flavors like blueberry, black cherry, plum and blackberry. But, there’s also a proper amount of pepper and spice character along with some earthier flavors like mushroom and leather. I could keep going, which is something that makes this wine so good. This is made from 100% Syrah, which my wife commented she doesn’t always like. In fact, we had drunk a South African rendition just a couple nights before and neither of us were crazy about it. There was something too fruity and maybe a little sweet that wasn’t pleasant. But this was much more well-balanced and enjoyable. It was like a completely different grape. We drank it alongside some wonderful roast chicken and purple potatoes. It was an excellent pairing. I plan to tuck the last bottle away and hold onto it for a little while. I really do want to see what it’ll be like in 5, 10 or even 20 more years. We’ll see if I can make it that long, but I hope I do. There’s something unique and special about seeing a wine change like that over time. Some things really are worth the wait. There's a wine store near me that I like to go into every so often because I've found some great bottles there. I can't afford to go in all the time, because when I see something good, it's hard for me to pass up. But I was in there the other week and came across this bottle, and, of course, I couldn't pass it up. I'm a sucker for older vintage wine, especially ones that are from a good vintage, and seem to be in good shape. And at half the price that they should be at. I usually don't pay too much attention to scores and reviews, but when it comes to older wines, where I don't have as much experience, I like to at least get a guideline to what I might be getting into. For this wine, famed wine critic Robert Parker said when tasting this wine in 2011, "A bountiful, nearly perfect crop of consistently high quality grapes was created by flawless weather with moderate, but steady temperatures throughout the summer and beautiful weather in September and October. The result is a great vintage in both quality and quantity...the 1997 exhibits wonderful plum, blackberry, cedar, spice and subtle smoky oak notes, a gorgeously opulent texture, full-bodied power and hints of roasted espresso and white chocolate in the flavors. This beauty can be drunk now and over the next 12-15+ years. One of the all-time great Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserves." He gave it 95 points on his infamous 100-point scale. Going in, I knew that the 1997 vintage was one of the greats in Napa. People still talk about it in hushed tones. It was plentiful but still had excellent quality. I expect 2013 to be of similar ilk. And I must agree with Mr. Parker in many respects on this wine. Even three years after his review, this wine still had luscious plum and blackberry fruits. The tannin had mellowed a bit, but the color was vibrant, not at all tinged with orange or brick (a sign of oxidation) and the finish did speak of roasted espresso; and I would add leather as well. And I must also agree on the age-ability of this wine. It still tasted very youthful. I think there's probably another 5-10 years in this wine. I love finding wines like this. And while buying older vintages can be a bit risky since it's hard to know how the wine was stored or whether the wine is still any good, with a small amount of research in hand, I think it was well worth the risk. Earlier this week I tasted the 2012 La Ferme du Mont Côte du Rhône “Première Côte”. I’ve long been a fan of the Côte du Rhône style: medium-bodied, good red and black fruits, well-structured but drinkable. Côte du Rhône’s are typically made from a blend of grenache, syrah and a smattering of other grapes. The Rhône Valley is split up into two primary regions: Northern and Southern Rhône. Côte du Rhône’s come from the southern part, an area that sprawls out from the town of Avignon near the Mediterranean Sea. It can be very hot and dry here so the grapes need to be able to survive with a lot of heat and little rain. Grenache works well for this and so is the primary grape for most of the wine made in the Southern Rhône. Côte du Rhône is by far the Rhône Valley’s largest appellation and can be made anywhere in the wine-producing areas of the Valley. However, because it’s much easier to farm the vineyards in the Southern Rhône, almost all Côte du Rhône comes from there. This one from La Ferme du Mont is thoroughly enjoyable and may be my new go-to Côte du Rhône. It had just enough fruit to be pleasant, but not too much that it felt sweet. There was enough structure (tannin and oak) that it didn’t taste like grape juice but not so much that I couldn’t taste anything. And it felt fairly versatile, meaning I think it would do well in a number of situations. We drank it with sausage and peppers and it worked very well. I could see it working equally well with most major proteins (chicken, pork, beef, etc.). The only thing I probably wouldn’t try it with is Asian and tomato based dishes. And, at around $13, it is well worth it. I’d never heard of Kunin wines before Tuesday. But I was looking to try some new Santa Barbara wines and this one crossed my path. The name caught my attention right off the bat: “pape star,” a clever allusion to Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, so I knew this would be an interesting taste. Kunin Wines was started in 1998 by Seth Kunin who chose to focus on Rhône and Loire Valley varietals. That means he works primarily with Grenache, Syrah, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. Sixteen years later Kunin makes eleven different wines and only a total of 5,000 cases. With such small production, it’s much easier to pay attention to detail. The 2012 Pape Star is lighter than a traditional style of Châteauneuf. It has a great peppery quality that I enjoy. Not particularly robust, but velvety. Most Châteauneuf are made in a very age-worthy style; that is to say, most Châteauneuf is best drunk after 3-5 years. This gives the flavors time to integrate and balance out. Pape Star, however, is much more approachable and drinks well now. In addition to the pepper notes, there are some nice strawberry flavors and just a hint of chocolate as well which is quite pleasant. Don’t believe me? The best way to find out is to try for yourself. Find the closest bottle at wine-searcher.com. And you can find out more about Kunin at their website and by following them on twitter. Known for its sweet Tokaji, I was expecting this offering from Royal Tokaji to be tart or astringent. Instead, it is refreshing and enjoyable. Not incredibly flavorful but beautifully drinkable. I was shocked that it is 14% abv (I would have guessed only 12%). Went just as well with fettuccine, ham and peas as it did with berry pie because it had decent acidity, nice citrus and stone fruit (apple, pear, peach) flavors. Tokaji, as a sweet wine, is one of the best botrytized wines available. From Hungary and made from the furmint grape, it's a bit less well-known than Sauternes., but can be equally rewarding. This is a rare example of a dry style Tokaji. Definitely worth trying if you get the opportunity, but even the back label of this wine says it is rarely seen outside of Hungary! I just recently found out about annual #SauvBlanc day which will be celebrated this year May 16. The day, sponsored by St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery, celebrates sauvignon blanc of all shapes and sizes as described on their website. To get in the mood, I'm drinking St. Supéry's Virtú. While this is only 44% sauvignon blanc and 56% sémillon, it's a nice Bordeaux-style that does let the sauvignon blanc shine. In fact, it seems that sémillon does quite well in Napa Valley and based on this wine is quite a nice compliment to sauvignon blanc. And not to mention, this is a great expression of the 2012 vintage. So, on May 16, raise a glass to sauvignon blanc! Had the opportunity to taste the Azelia Barbera a'Alba Punta the other night. It was great to taste a wine from one of the wineries I visited a few years ago. As far as barberas go, this one is pretty incredible. Juicy and drinking beautifully, but more structure than a lot of barbera I've had. Definitely worth picking this up if you find it, especially for around $20. To read more about Azelia, click here. It was recently suggested to me by a good wine friend that I try the Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d'Alba 2011 vintage. Since the store I work for had started carrying this wine, it was pretty easy to get a hold of, and so this past weekend I finally decided to bring a bottle home. Not knowing much at all about this producer, I decided to do a little research. Here is what I learned: The Mascarello family began producing wine in 1918 when Giulio Mascarello returned from World War I to find a destitute Barolo wine industry. Giulio decided the best way to rectify the situation was to produce his own wine instead of selling it off to negociants who would blend it with inferior products. He was one of the first of his kind as most producers sold their wine in large demijohns (usually glass carboys of five or ten gallons) to restaurants or other consumers who bottled it themselves. Little by little, he acquired property around the towns of La Morra and Barolo. By 1960, Giulio's son, Bartolo was heavily involved in production and took over management of the estate. Giulio died in 1981, leaving his son in charge. And today, Bartolo's daughter Maria Teresa runs the business as he passed away in 2005. Through all the transitions, the winery has maintained the traditional style of producing wine in the Barolo region. Above all, I found out that I was extremely lucky to find a bottle of this incredible wine. Not only are they an extremely small producer, owning just five hectares of property (roughly 2.5 acres) but as I mentioned, they produce everything in the traditional style: concrete tank fermentation, large Slavonian oak cask aging, no barrique, and blended wines, not single vineyard. The Barolo wines are also aged for an extended amount of time, three years in cask and another year in the bottle before being released. The wine itself screams traditional to the core. It is pure and unadulterated in its expression and rich with conventional Piemonte flavors: dusty cherry, smoky blueberry, hints of anise and mushroom, with the perfect amount of tannic grip to give this wine just the right amount of structure. It is elegant in its simplicity, yet profound in the way it lingers, waiting for you to take another sip. I can taste the tagliatelle and parmesan traditional to the Piemonte region when I drink this wine but it needs no accompaniment since it carries all the grace it needs to be enjoyed through and through. |
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