Go-To-Wine Tuesday
Posted on | January 10, 2012 | Written by Annie Davis | 2 Comments
I like to think of myself as a cursory capitalist. I try to avoid the long arm of advertising, eschewing a big brand name wherever I can. I can proudly exclaim that I’ve never visited a Walmart or polished off a wing from KFC. When it comes to wine, though, as it is with fashion, a name can mean everything.
Case in point with wine: Bartolo Mascarello–a true visionary and one of Piemonte’s few mainstays of great tradition. With the onset of the Super-Tuscan movement in the late 1960s, palates and ideas about Italian wine began to shift, but Mascarello’s relationship to its wine and its traditional practices would never sway, despite popular and critical notions. This is the kind of producer that we absolutely cherish at IWM, and in fact, the producer who transformed Sergio’s ideas about wine entirely (read about it in Sergio’s memoir Passion on the Vine). You come upon a bottle of Mascarello and you know you’re encountering the fruits of love and dedication, whether it is the estate’s show-stopping Barolo, lovely Barbera (a step above the rest in its category) or, as I tasted recently, the absolutely delicious Dolcetto.
Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba 2010 is the sort of wine that I would be afraid to find myself alone in a room with, for fear of complete consumption in under twenty minutes. It’s a wine that calls for no great contemplation or pondering (you could ponder until the end of your days over a glass of Mascarello Barolo), just for pleasurable imbibing. Even upon uncorking and first pour, the vibrant fuchsia hue is just joyful. With a palate of fresh red fruits and a whiff of slate, this wine makes me want to have a few cases in my apartment to open for every guest who walks in my door. What better way to be greeted?
A spectacular everyday drinking wine from such an iconic winemaker is really something special, and with the weather in New York finally dropping to those dreaded 30-degree temperatures, Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba 2010 is what I will be snuggling up with.
Tags: Bartolo Mascarello > Dolcetto d'Alba > value wines
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Confessions of a Bibliotaph
Posted on | January 9, 2012 | Written by Janice Cable | No Comments
I am an inveterate bibliotaph. I have three floor-to-ceiling bookcases packed with books, some shelves two deep. My iPad holds no fewer than 300 books, and on my bedside table teeters a tower of books twelve high. There are more books scattered around my New York City apartment like errant Easter eggs. Sometimes it looks like a vintage clothing store got into a Bukowski brawl with a second-hand bookstore. I have, in short, many books.
I don’t, however, read all the books I have. I acquire them, piling one upon the other, because I’m a bibliotaph, a book hoarder. Books make me feel safe. If I don’t have at least a few unread books around me, I feel exposed. Books are my fortress, my citadel, my ramparts. I build moats of books because without them the barbarian hordes could storm my castle, and then where would I be.
Here’s the rub: I have, I recently realized, shifted this obsession to wine.
I wasn’t, as I’ve noted previously, a wine person before I started writing for IWM. I liked wine; wine was fine. I just didn’t really know fine wine from plonk. In fact, I’m not sure I even knew the word “plonk,” and I have a capacious vocabulary. I was a writer, not a wine writer, and I was a recovering academic, so I was also an adept autodidact.
Then I spent five months in Italy. I traveled extensively throughout Tuscany. I made trips to Piemonte, the Veneto, Lazio. I went to VinItaly and ViniVeri. I made friends with winemakers. I had long, lingering dinners with bottles and bottles of wine—Rinaldi, Gravner, De Bartoli, Mascarello, Il Palazzone, Paolo Bea—there are too many to recall, really.
Producers were generous with me. The loaded me up with bottles to take home and drink on my own time, slowly and with food, as God and Italians intended. Which is what I did, and doing it changed me. The first time I left Italy last June, I carried five bottles home with me–Biondi-Santi Brunello, Davide Rosso Brunello, Grattamacco, Castello dei Rampolla Sammarco, and Ornellaia. When I left this past December, I brought home eleven bottles—and this time I paid for most of them. I had become, despite my best intents, a wine person.
This past weekend, I found myself in a wine shop outside of New York City. It was just a small, jewel-like boutique. I bought two bottles of wine. I didn’t need them. I have eight here in my small apartment; nothing unusual for most of you, I know, but I live alone and this is all so very new to me. I couldn’t really afford them. But buy them I did.
And I realize now that I bought them in the same way that I buy books. Because to see the number of pristine, unopened and not-yet-enjoyed items dwindling inspires a clutch of fear in my chest. It’s not an unpleasurable frisson, but it’s there, and I must soothe it. Clearly. By buying more wine. The barbarians cannot win.
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Home from Hong Kong for the Holidays
Posted on | January 6, 2012 | Written by Crystal Edgar | No Comments
Living abroad is an extremely enriching, rewarding experience, yet it also requires a certain amount of sacrifice and time for adjustment. There is the great adventure of living in a foreign land – new faces, foods, smells, a new language and, for some, a very different way of life. Learning about new cultures and experiencing life from a different viewpoint has been one of the highlights of my career and life thus far. However, being away from family and close friends has not been easy, moving life takes time and patience. I have grown tremendously and strive to keep a healthy balance of time way from home and time with family. On the special occasions when I return home, I spend time reflecting on past visits, reliving great memories and creating new ones.
During my time Asia, I have been blessed with a great group of great friends and colleagues who have been my “family away from home.” There are a large number of expats living in Hong Kong and China, and we all reach out for the same sense of familiarity to home, which not only gives us something in common, but also pulls us together. I can easily say that the holidays spent away from the USA have been the most adventurous (perhaps I should write a separate blog on holiday bloopers abroad). This year I was very fortunate to have spent the holidays with my entire family. Although there were not as many outrageous events as I have experience overseas, my family is quite colorful and I can say there were plenty of laughs, copious amounts of comfort food and a few decent bottles of wine.
We can all agree that every bottle of wine has a story and for some of us a special memory. My humble cellar holds a rather eclectic mix of wines that mark past wine trips, gifts, special events and indulgent visits to the wine store. One of my favorite memories consumed was a bottle of 2000 Domaine du Chay from the Cotes de Blaye. The wine showed exquisitely and I was very pleased we did not wait another year to pop the cork. The bottles was given to me by the generous owner/winemaker, an elderly gentleman who only had three or four teeth from what I remember. Hailing from an area of Bordeaux that is often overlooked, Blaye occupies the northern end of Bordeaux’s right bank, an area that produces lovely white and red wines at tremendous value. This elegant red brought back fond memories of my broken French and a lovely meal among French friends overlooking the citadel. It is these rather unknown bottles that are at times the most memorable and enjoyable.
Sitting at the airport observing all of the post holiday traffic, I reflect on my trip. Not once do I think about the tree, Christmas carols, presents, fireworks or holiday food and fuss. Instead, I think of the people, my surroundings and spontaneous silliness that each day brought. It is these intangible details that are truly special about being home for the holidays. Now that I am heading back to Hong Kong, I look forward to the many adventures of 2012. Happy New Year!
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The Wines of 2011, Continued
Posted on | January 5, 2012 | Written by Evan LaNouette | No Comments
Yesterday, Francesco Vigorito gave his top 2011 wine experiences. Today, Evan LaNouette’s take on the same.
Over the last twelve months I’ve had the opportunity to taste many wines—very good, less enjoyable and absolutely astounding. The greatest part of working as an IWM Portfolio Manager is the constant exposure to the best wines in the world. There are few wine operations in the where you can taste a Giacomo Conterno Barolo, next to a Sassicaia, along with a Miani Merlot. It’s just not the type of thing that happens readily out in the great blue beyond. Before the 2011 memories fade, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on a handful of wines that gave me “wow” moment, changed my understanding of wine, or inspired me to make recommendations to my clients.
Sandro Fay Sforzato Ronco del Picchio 2006
Azienda Agricola Fay is a small estate named after the winemaker and founder Sandro Fay, who began his small family-run business in Valtellina, Italy in 1973. Nebbiolo is called “Chiavennasca” in this region, and grows on mountainous landscape with spectacular terraced vineyards carved into the sides of every little hamlet. The Ronco del Piccio is the result of a long phase of experimentation of partially drying (appassimento technique) Chiavennasca grapes grown between an altitude of 350 and 900 meters. Such a vertical gradient leads to immediate flavor complexity, while the appassimento process adds richness and depth. This wine takes the best features of Nebbiolo and adds the complexities of Amarone. Bold and rich, I never tasted Nebbiolo like this.
Paolo Bea Rosso de Veo Umbria IGT 2005
From an old standard of traditional winemaking, Paolo Bea represents the best of the passionate old school. Harvested exclusively by hand and in cooperation with his two sons, this trio in the Bea family oversees all winery operations. The Rosso de Veo is a 100-percent Sagrantino, but all the grapes come from the younger of Bea’s two Sagrantino vineyards. This is the sexiest wine at IWM right now; the flavors on this wine are seductive. It’s what I imagine rubies taste like if you could melt them down and drink it. The wine also carries a wild accent of oxidative flavor, a vestige of the wholly natural approach to winemaking the Paolo Bea exercises. It’s a great introduction into Sagrantino that has a signature of timeless style.
Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo 2005
The wines of the Conterno family require little introduction. Easily one of the best producers year to year, Aldo Conterno Barolos consistently display an otherworldly quality. Some might say it’s a bit of a cop-out to have a pick of the year go to Aldo Conterno. It’s like predicting the Yankee’s will go to the MLB playoffs, but in my defense, the 2005 vintage was largely overlooked. It sits bookended by two amazing vintages 2004, 2006, and even more so 2007, so for most it was easy to miss. However, this wine made me an advocate of the vintage, as it’s a perfect example of how 2005 made “sweeter tannins” rather then austere masculine structure. Although this is not the most classic to Barolo, these sweeter tannins make for a delicious wine that you can drink earlier than 2007. Currently I’m buying up 2005 Barolo’s like crazy, and I recommend you get on the same dark horse and ride.
La Torre Brunello di Montalcino 2004 — $64.00
This is my top Brunello of the year. The wines of La Torre are all Sangiovese based and come from a small 7-hectare farm. The winemaker and founder, Luigia Anania, began the estate in 1977 after a long period of researching the correlation of vine-age to wine complexity, specifically with Sangiovese-Grosso, at the University of Milan. His long studies lead him to make outstanding wines that are complex, but offer pleasurable differences vintage to vintage that differentiate each year from the next. This wine is drinking amazing right now and will mature in complexity for another ten years. More is expected to come to my cellar in the next few months because we sold through our fall allocation so quickly. It’s a breathtaking Brunello, and I should know; I drank a lot of them last year.
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The Wines of 2011
Posted on | January 4, 2012 | Written by Francesco Vigorito | No Comments
Forget what critics say, forget scores and forget what magazine writers write. The only thing that makes a wine great is your ability to remember it and the conversation it inspires.
That being said, here is what I remember best from 2011:
1. 1975 Castell in’Villa Chianti Classico Riserva – THE best Chianti I have ever had
Who would ever think a Chianti could make it this long and still be really enjoyable? When tasting this in LA with a few colleagues, I was just mesmerized at how well this wine had aged. This was a pristine example of more than twenty-year-old Sangiovese, and it showed that Chianti Classico Riserva can hold up to the likes of Barolo and Brunello–and even outperform many if you ask me.
2. 1997 Quintarelli Recioto della Valpolicella – might be the favorite of the year
I have always been fascinated with dessert styles of wine ever since I got started on drinking wine. Most are way too sugary, one-dimensional and boring. Quintarelli brings Recioto to a celestial status, as he does with all of his other wines. This wine, I believe, is extra special. The finish lasts an eternity and the balance between fruit, sugar and acid is absolutely amazing. If you are not careful you can down $700 in six pours.
3. 2005 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo – this is what Barolo is all about
Every time I drink a Mascarello something happens: I fall in love with wine all over again. These wines seem to ignite a wine wick deep inside my body that gets dampened by the long-gone shrouds of poor, uninspiring wines. I enjoyed this wine on more than one occasion this year, but it never fails to impress either my clients or me. Those looking for some old-school Barolo, look no further than Mascarello.
4. 1988 Salon – mesmerizing
It’s not often you get the opportunity to taste Champagne this old, from a magnum, and from a house as prestigious and sought-after as Salon. This was THE best Champagne I have ever tasted and drinking it will be a memory that lasts a lifetime. It’s hard to choose favorites at a Salon dinner when you have bottles of ’83, ’90, ’95, ’96, ’97 and ’99 to choose from, but the ’88 had the perfect balance between those older qualities we covet so much and the freshness we expect out of Champagne.
5. 2010 COS Pithos – I just love this wine
This might be the most unassuming wine of the bunch, but I can guarantee it is one the most interesting. Aged in clay pots and buried in the soils of Sicily, the Pithos will make you rethink wines from the South. The aromatics alone are enough to intrigue while the baby-bottom smooth palate will finish you off fantastically.
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January 10th, 2012 @ 2:43 pm
i have a friend that currently is in Rome and ask me if i new a source where he could get the following wine: Casa De Paolis,I quattro Mori De?
January 10th, 2012 @ 2:46 pm
Hey Ed,
When I was in Rome this past fall, I found some really nice wines at Trimani at 20 Via Goito: http://www.trimani.com/