October 2008 Wine Club Selections

The Unique Varietals of Italy You've got to love Italy's dedication. As the world around them adopts the most globally popular varietals as their own (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and Pinot Noir topping the lists), year after year Italy sticks to its guns. They like their regionally developed grapes. Tuscany likes their Sangiovese because it goes so well with their tomato-based pastas and ribollita. So why would they want Pinot? Same goes for Umbria and their Sagrantino, Friuli and their Tocai, and we know Piedmont isn't pulling up their precious Nebbiolo anytime soon. (A relief, to say the least.) That's not to say that Italian winemakers don't experiment with a little Cabernet Sauvignon here and there, add a little oomph to their SuperTuscan blends or a little Chardonnay to fatten up their northern whites wines. But it took a long time to develop a marriage between regional wine and regional cuisine that many consider the best in the world. The pairing of gnocchi with wild boar and Barbaresco didn't happen overnight! So it serves us well that Italy keeps with these traditions a little longer. Let everyone else grow Chardonnay. Italy's got a pretty good thing going here.

2007 Monteflor Satis Tocai Friuliano Grape variety: Tocai Region: Friuli, Italy Food pairing: Prosciutto di Parma Tocai is a Venetian wine most likely indigenous to the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region, though some claim it may have hailed from neighboring Hungary at some time in history. No matter, the grape has been grown in Friuli since at least the late eighteenth century, so they've obviously learned a thing or two about making a great, refreshing white wine from this fruit. Viticulturalist Pier Antonio Fabbro and enologist Sergio Biasinutto work together at Monteflor to create the Satis Tocai Fruiliano: a lightly aromatic wine raised on gravelly soils just below the Friulian Alps and aged in stainless steel for six months before bottling. The crisply acidic wine carries tart gooseberry and floral aromas, refreshing citrus flavors, and just a bit of a peppery finish, and pairs extremely well with cured meats, particularly the prized Proscuitto di Parma. 2006 La Mozza Morellino di Scansano I Perazzi Grape variety: Morellino, Syrah, Alicante, Colorino, Ciliegiolo Region: Scansano (Maremma), Tuscany, Italy Food pairing: Tagliatelle with Brown Butter and Sage This Maremma regional bottling has a lot more going for it than the attractive geometrically-encased-fruit label; it's got a little star power and a lot of attention to "experimental authenticity" behind it. Italian wine expert and author Joe Bastianich, Food Network and New York restaurant star-chef Mario Batali, and winemaker Maurizio Castelli teamed up together to create this blend. They wanted a classic expression of the flavors characteristic of Morellino, but with an added dimension of oak-ageing in French barriques, which is uncommon practice for the Tuscan grape. The result is a food-friendly, red-fruited wine with a subtle smokey nuance. So why the pears on the label? I Perazzi refers to a wild pear-like fruit tree that Batali and Bastianich saved from being uprooted on the 100 acre vineyard/orchard property... just a little more of that "preservation of authenticity" ideal.

2007 Re Manfredi Bianco Basilicata Grape variety: Muller Thurgau, Traminer Region: Basilicata, Italy Food pairing: Trout Sautéed with Bianco Wine and Tarragon Many miles from the wine super-haven that is Tuscany, farther afield to the south lies Basilicata, a rugged region of Southern Italy in which relatively little wine is produced. But where just the right climate happens to meet with just the right volcanic soils of Monte Vulture, the Re Manfredi Estate vineyards flourish, surrounding an avante-garde cellar and...well... not much else in the scarcely populated Lucanian Apennines. Within these obscure vineyards, two equally unique grapes are grown: the lightly aromatic Muller Thurgau and the crisp and floral Traminer, which combine forces in Re Manfredi's signature white bottling. Made on a small scale, this wine exhibits pear, apple, tart orange and slightly floral character and pairs beautifully with delicately sauced white meats and fish. 2005 Fattoria Montellori Moro Toscana Rosso Grape variety: Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon Malvasia Nera Region: Tuscany, Italy Food pairing: Ribollita (Tuscan bread, bean and vegetable soup) Tuscan winemakers often find themselves entrenched in a tug-of-war between tradition and modernity. Since the creation of the term "SuperTuscans," there's been much controversy over whether non-traditional varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc have a place in Tuscan blends, or whether Sangiovese should be Sangiovese, period. The folks at Fattoria Montellori formerly marketed this wine as a Chianti, but sought to express a new personality with the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malvasia Nera to the blend. Smart move, as these two grape varieties added another dimension of depth and aromatic complexity, rounding out those currant Sangiovese flavors with notes of vanilla and a bit of sweet perfume. Tradition with a bit of innovation never hurts!

2004 DiFilippo Sagrantino di Montefalco Grape Variety: Sagrantino Region: Montefalco, Umbria, Italy Food pairing: Fresh Pasta with Shaved Black Truffles For better or worse, it often happens that the inhabitants of a particular region are compared to the wines they make on merits of character. In Bordeaux, for example, both the wines and the people are often considered seriously refined, even if they do take a little time to open up. In California, both wines and people can be rather upfront, friendly, bold and vivacious. If such tenets are to be applied in Montefalco, then the Umbrian people must be a tenacious force to reckon with. Sagrantino is perhaps the richest, most powerful and hard-to-tame wine in Italy. Because it carries such robust flavors and tannins, it was assumed until thirty years ago that the grape couldn't be crafted into an elegant dry wine, but only a dark, sweet dessert wine. But with proper cask-"taming" (dry Sagrantino requires at least 30 months of ageing, 12 of which must be in casks or barriques), modern Sagrantino like this can exhibit intense blackberry, plum, violet and tobacco notes, ample but rounded tannins, and a bold, lengthy finish. 2003 Socre Barbaresco Roncaglie Grape variety: Nebbiolo Region: Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy Food pairing: Gnocchi with Wild Boar Ragu Socre Barbaresco Roncaglie enjoys a very special provenance. It hails from ten to fifty year-old vines in a single vineyard within Roncaglie: one of the ÒGrand CrusÓ of Barbaresco. (Neighbors include the very popular Angelo Gaja Sor Tildin and Costa Russi vineyards.) Here, the Nebbiolo grape flourishes on sandier soils than those of nearby Barolo, lending more beneficial minerals and a more delicate structure to the grapes. After 24 months of barrel-ageing and 12 months resting in bottles, this wine displays classically refined notes of roses and violets, backed by wild red berries and earthy aromas. The silky texture is what stands out the most in this lovely wine: not a small feat in such a challenging, hot and dry vintage. A testament to the quality of both the land and the winemaking, Socre is indeed a fine example of what Barbaresco, and indeed the Nebbiolo grape, can be.

2003 Bolsignano Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese Region: Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy Food pairing: Escarole-stuffed Veal Chop This is what Italy is all about. Sure, the big producers have their place, but the real heart of Italy is in the small, artisanal producers. The Bolsignano winery lies on the south-west slope of Montalcino, about 300 meters above sea level. The nearby Monte Amiata shields them, creating a climate of dry summers and autumns with little rainfall: ideal conditions for the grapes to ripen at their own pace. The style of this tiny winery is entirely traditional; many would say even rustic. After careful harvesting, the grapes are aged in big 30 hectoliter oak casks before bottling. And true to tradition, the winery also turns out some lovely Rosso, olive oil, and a mean grappa from the property. The 2003 vintage was an admittedly difficult one. Many wines from this year ripened too quickly, suffered sunburn, and were considered over-ripe and unrefined. But the benefit of a hot vintage like this is that those who handled the wine carefully made wine that was still complex and balanced, but approachable to drink at an earlier age than typical Brunellos. That's just what this bottling is: riper, yes, than their usual bottling, but balanced between sweet, dark fruits and notes of leather and spice. With medium body, lovely depth, and hints of sweet toasted oak on the lengthy finish, this is a great Brunello to enjoy immediately. Drink between 2008 and 2013. 2004 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Grape variety: Nebbiolo Region: Barolo, Piedmont, Italy Food pairing: Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms In the year 1897, then 23 year-old Luigi Einaudi took the earnings from the publication of his very first book and bought a farmhouse in San Giacomo, Italy. Along with a chapel and an 18th century residence that was in ruins, the property included 15 hectares of Dolcetto vineyards. But Einaudi was officially a landowner, and by default, a vineyard owner. Over the following decades, Einaudi went on to become the President of Italy, and his vineyards too grew in stature and fame. In addition to his original Dolcetto vineyards, the Einaudi property acquired vineyards in Barolo, and earned a reputation for creating some classic vintages of the noble wine. Today, the vineyards are still cultivated by employees who live in nine farmhouses within the property, each tending its own plot within the estate. In an ever-changing world, tradition lives on at Poderi Luigi Einaudi. The 2004 vintage was a phenomenal one in Italy: so phenomenal, in fact, that our Italian buyer often says that anyone who made a bad Barolo in 2004 should find new work. Consulting enologist Beppe Caviola certainly held on to his job in this vintage, creating a wine that Antonio Galloni of The Wine Advocate said, "offers gorgeous aromatics and well articulated fruit on a medium-bodied frame of notable elegance." 91 Points, The Wine Advocate. Drink between 2009 and 2019.