A Natural Food & Wine Pairing

Date: Mon, Sep 22, 2008 Wine Tasting

My one and only trip to the medieval village of Jesi, back in February of 2006, was scheduled with a single purpose in mind: to visit the winery of Mario and Giorgio Brunori. Jesi is situated just inland from Ancona, about 20 kilometers from the Adriatic Sea in Italy’s Le Marche. Mario and his father Giorgio’s property sits astride the hillsides just outside of town. We visited their vineyards, toured their facilities and tasted their lineup of tank samples and wines (plus a stunningly good Grappa) that were current at the time. It was a typical winery visit – informative, straightforward, pretty in its own way. What followed a short while later is what really sticks out in my mind.

We picked up Mario’s sister, Christina, at the enoteca the Brunori family owns back in the center of Jesi and headed to one of their favorite local trattorias for lunch. It was clear that the Brunori’s were regulars as, after just a few quick exchanges between Christina and one of the owners, platters of food began to arrive at our table. Seafood. Nothing but. An incredibly diverse array of goodies. Tiny cockles stewed in tomato sauce. Equally tiny sea snails served in their shells and studded with garlic. Fried calamari and grilled sepia. Several varieties of fish cooked with herbs and local olive oil. And linguine con le vongole. Seafood is a staple of the diet in this part of coastal Le Marche. In speaking with the Brunoris, it became clear that, aside from the hillside vineyards, the nearby sea is considered the major “farm” of the area.

We drank just one wine with the entire meal – the Brunori’s Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “San Nicolò.” A single vineyard, San Nicolò includes the Brunori’s oldest vines that produce a naturally concentrated, zesty, brisk and soulful example of Verdicchio. The wine we drank that day, it was probably the 2004, worked – and worked really well – with everything we ate, from the lightest shellfish to the most richly flavored finfish.

It’s been a go-to wine for me at home, before and since, whenever I think of something to go with one of my favorite comfort food dishes – spaghetti with white clam sauce. Linguine con le vongole, if you prefer. It’s a heartwarming pairing. “What grows together goes together,” the saying goes. It’s now overused, perhaps, but it became an adage in food and drink circles for good reason.

Boutique Wine Collection Portfolio Tasting, Part Three

Date: Sat, Sep 20, 2008 Wine Tasting

This shall be the third and final installment of my tasting reports from Boutique Wine Collection’s portfolio tasting held earlier this week along the parkway in Philadelphia. How to handle a big, broad tasting like this is always a challenge. Nine tables, in this case, with an average of fifteen wines at each. Four hours from start to finish. I suppose it would be possible to taste everything, but not for me. I’m not a power taster. I prefer to spend at least a little time with and give at least a little thought to each wine, even if it is with just an ounce or two in my tasting glass, a spit bucket always close at hand.

I suppose if I were an egalitarian, blank slate kind of taster, I’d try to focus on the areas where I’ve a lot to learn – Argentina or South Africa, for instance. But I’m not out to build an intentionally multinational wine list or to stock a price-point driven, one-stop liquor mart. So, after years of tasting like this, my approach is usually to focus on my areas of strength, always looking for new discoveries, and then to dabble a little in the realm of the lesser known. When it comes to wine, I really don’t believe there’s such a thing as an expert, certainly not in the widest sense. For my own purposes, I’d much rather know a lot about a little than a little about a lot.

This is all, in my typically long-winded fashion, to explain that, when it came to working my way through the core of Boutique’s direct imports at the tasting, I focused on their offerings from France, Austria and Germany and just dabbled a little in the New World and Spain.

Sandrine DuPouy, the French Portfolio Manager for Boutique Wine Collection, is originally from Toulouse but is now based in South Africa – an unusual commuting arrangement, to be sure.
From my perspective, Sandrine was pouring the strongest line-up, from start to finish, of the event. Maybe not the most impressive – that title would have to go to the grower Champagne part of the array at the Terry Theise table – but certainly the most consistent. There really weren’t any lowlights at her table, so I’ll just run through what was on offer.

• Huber Traisental Grüner Veltliner “Hugo” 2007: Very clean, crisp GV. Simple but with all the right stuff in all the right places. A really good value in entry-level Austrian wine. For more info on the estate, check out my notes from a tasting with Markus Huber earlier this year.
  
  
• Huber Traisental Grüner Veltliner “Obere Steigen” 2007: Broad, prickly texture. Very typical, in the good sense, expression, with white grape, pepper and five spice aromas.
  
  
• Huber Traisental Grüner Veltliner “Alte Setzen” 2007: Riper texture, more powerful and dark fruited. Redolent of fresh peach preserves.
  
  
• Huber Traisental Zweigelt 2006: Plummy, supple and food friendly. Easy-going Zweigelt.
  
  
• Rolly-Gassmann Rorschwihr Moenchreben Auxerrois 2001: Rolly-Gassmann farms and makes wines in the old way. Their methods are largely biodynamic and the wines are not released for sale until deemed ready to drink. 2001 is the current release for their Auxerrois, which is relatively low acid, deeply perfumed, a bit earthy and touched by a little botrytis. Tasty even if a tad awkward.
  
  
• Rolly-Gassmann Alsace Pinot Gris 2004: Excellent acidity, pure fruit and a dab of RS. The star of the line-up.
  
  
• Rolly-Gassmann Alsace Riesling 2006: Concentrated, slightly rustic and quite vinous. Not a finesse Riesling, but quite savory.
  
  
• Rolly-Gassmann Alsace Gewürztraminer 2004: Classic profile of exotic fruits, lychee and yellow flowers. Full-flavored but not at all over-the-top. I don’t drink much Gewürztraminer but I’d be happy to find a place in the fold for this one.
  
  
• Dr. Hermann Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2007: Direct and fruity, with classic Mosel delicacy. Cleansing acids.
  
  
• Dr. Hermann Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2007: Denser than Treppchen, red fruits and spiced, baked apples. Good nerve.
  
  
• Dr. Hermann Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spätlese 2006: Consistent expression of terroir, even across the two very different vintages. Darker peach fruit, with the expected extra degree of richness relative to the Kabinett.
  
  
• Dr. Hermann Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese 2006: Much showier than Treppchen. Decadently spicy – the vineyard site is appropriately named (Würzgarten means spice garden) – and quite well balanced.
  
  
• Le Signal Côtes de Roussillon Villages “Vieilles Vignes” 2005: From an estate based in St. Paul de Fenouillet, not far from Maury. The odd man out in the lineup but it rounded out Boutique’s entire European portfolio. Soft up front but with more interesting sensations on the finish. Garrigue-driven aromas and mineral-laced fruit. A Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blend from 80-100 year-old vines. Not the greatest value but a very solid effort.

John Toler, pictured at right, is Wholesale Sales Manager for Boutique Wine Collection. John was pouring wines from a Friulian producer, Scarbolo, brought in by Dark Star Imports. To my chagrin, I never managed to taste them. Next time, I hope. John was setup next to Boutique’s Spanish Portfolio Manager (whose name I somehow managed to miss).
A couple I liked from Boutique’s Spanish and South African portfolio:

• Ken Forrester Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2008: Commercial style, squeaky clean but a good quaffer. I won’t rush out to buy it but I wouldn’t shun it as a by-the-glass pour.
  
  
• Gratavinum Priorat “2πr” 2005: That's "Two-Pi-R." Modern style blend of the “traditional” Priorat varieties: Cariñena and Garnatxa. Super ripe cassis fruit. Minty nose. Solid tannin/fruit balance.

And a couple on the dark side:

• De Trafford Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2006: Over the top nose of tropical fruit, followed-up hard by overwhelmingly green, aggressive oakiness. 100% barrel fermented. 15% alcohol, plus residual sugar. There’s a suggestion of good fruit but the winemaking is way too heavy-handed for the Chenin to stand a chance.
  
  
• Ardevol Priorat “Coma d’en Romeu” 2005: Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. Savagely tannic, oak dominated and just plain unpleasant.

That's all, folks. Unless, that is, you missed the first two installments:

• Boutique Wine Collection Portfolio Tasting, Part One
  
• Boutique Wine Collection Portfolio Tasting, Part Two

Boutique Wine Collection Portfolio Tasting, Part Two

Date: Fri, Sep 19, 2008 Wine Tasting

Yes, I actually did make it past the first table at Boutique Wine Collection’s recent portfolio tasting. It was only a few steps to the next, which featured a hodgepodge of wines from various segments of Michael Skurnik’s book, including a few Daniel Johnnes Selections.

Jonathan Schwartz, Terry Theise Portfolio Manger, was down from New York for the day to pour wines for the Skurnik team. Sorry about catching you with your eyes closed, Jonathan.
Some of the highlights:

• Raventos I Blanc Cava “L’Hereu” Brut NV: This was the highlight of the table for me, not only because it was so good but also because I’ve always had a really hard time finding a Cava that moves me. Very dry attack and highly floral aromas, with a chalky, banana pith character on the palate. Neat wine. Raventos I Blanc, I was told, is apparently the only estate bottler of Cava.
  
  
• Domaine Mardon Quincy “Tres Vieilles Vignes” 2007: Savagely dry Sauvignon, driven by honeydew melon and chalky, limey minerality.
  
  
• Domaine des Hautes Noelles Cotes de Grandlieu Muscadet sur Lie 2007: There’s a creamy aspect here, on the nose and in the mouth, but it’s offset by loads of green extract and a pretty savage mouthfeel. Needs food.
  
  
• Domaine des Hautes Noelles Vin de Pays de Val de Loire Gamay 2007: One of the most simply enjoyable reds at the entire tasting. Light and lean wild cherry fruit with an ample sprinkling of cracked white pepper. Chill it.

A few wines that were neither here nor there:

• Domaine Barraud Mâcon-Villages “Les Pierres Dorrées Vieilles Vignes” 2006: Barrel fermented white Burgundy. Mute on the nose and fairly mute on the palate. Though not terribly oaky, the wood still dominates the fruit.
  
  
• Domaine de Moulines Vin de Pays de l’Herault Merlot 2004: Solid, drinkable but boring.
  
  
• Huarpe Mendoza (Argentina) “Lancatay” Bonarda 2005: Taking a big geographical leap, I tasted this one mainly out of curiosity. Fairly pleasing, sweet-fruited chocolate and black cherries, but with a glossy texture that sings over-manipulation.

A few that I didn’t care for:

• Les Garrigues Côtes du Rhône 2007: Decent fruit but alcoholic and aggressive.
  
  
• Mud House Marlborough (NZ) Riesling 2006: A ghost costume, made of threadbare sheets that Riesling once slept on.
  
  
• Mud House Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2007: Jalapeno juice.
  
  
• Mud House Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc “Swan Reserve” 2007: A bit more refined than its little brother but why bother – at its price point, you could drink very fine Sancerre. I didn’t move on to their reds. Sorry, Mud House.

And one that I managed to leave out of yesterday’s write-up:

• Sattler Burgenland Saint Laurent 2006: My favorite red of the entire tasting. Crunchy, juicy blueberry fruit, a little spice and lots of character. Sattler produces reds only. (From the Terry Theise Selections table.)

On the opposite side of the room, manning the last table, Nicola Biscardo was pouring selections from his own Italian portfolio, part of The Country Vintner’s line-up.
Some highlights from Nicola’s table:

• Piane di Maggio Trebbiano d’Abruzzo “Agriverde” 2007: Typical, apple-y Trebbiano. Good acidity and clean fruit.
  
  
• Vallerosa Bonci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico “Carpaneto” 2007: Medium bodied, fleshy and zesty. A little low acid as Verdicchio goes but quite pleasing.
  
  
• Vallerosa Bonci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore“San Michele” 2007: Ripe, honeyed, creamy and concentrated. A touch sweet-fruited but about as hedonistic as Verdicchio gets, in a good way.
  
  
• Feudo di San Nicola IGT Salento Primitivo 2005: From one of Nicola’s own properties. In his words, “Southern wine with a northern touch.” Clean, aromatic and very juicy. Ripe but restrained. Aged in Slovanian botte. Surprisingly good Primitivo.
  
  
• Ortaglia Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2003: More than a solid effort for the vintage. Classic expression of both place and variety. Firm and tannic, with a mouthful of expressive, tarred red fruits. Good length. Best of the bunch.

A few on the fence:

• Terre di Sole IGT Sicilia Sangiovese 2007: Another of Nicola’s properties. Juicy fruit. Simple and refreshing. A nice quaffer that would have made it to the first list if it actually showed any varietal character beyond its cherry-driven fruit. Lower yields might do the trick but then the wine would become too pricey to make any sense.
  
  
• Terre di Sole IGT Sicilia Nero d’Avola “Apalos” 2005: Surprisingly pale for Nero d’Avola. Jammy blackberry fruit. Very soft.
  
  
• Borgo Pretale Chianti Classico “Le Crete” 2006: From Castellina. Real Chianti, with lean, high acid Sangiovese character but a bit hollow and lacking in depth.
  
  
• Marchesi Biscardo Amarone della Valpolicella 2001: From Nicola’s family property. Very traditional blend, dried for between 4-5 months. Medium color, lightly raisined flavors and medium-bodies. Food friendly but a touch dilute.

And a couple I’d avoid:

• Piane di Maggio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Agriverde” 2007: Bright mulberry colors. Some tannin. No character. I’m not a big Montepulciano fan, so take this as you will. Typical in all the wrong ways.
  
  
• Ortaglia Rosso di Montepulciano 2006: As much as I liked their Vino Nobile Riserva, I disliked this. Decent structure but lacking substance and way overpriced.

The third and final installment, to come soon, will touch on miscellaneous and sundry from the core of Boutique Wine Collection's own portfolio.

Addendum:

• Boutique Wine Collection Portfolio Tasting, Part One
  
• Boutique Wine Collection Portfolio Tasting, Part Three

Boutique Wine Collection Portfolio Tasting, Part One

Date: Thu, Sep 18, 2008 Wine Tasting

Boutique Wine Collection held their annual trade portfolio tasting in a sunny atrium at Philadelphia’s Moore College of Art on Monday. Thanks to an invite from Boutique’s Wholesale Sales Manager, John Toler, I had the pleasure of attending. Boutique’s own import book focuses in Spain and South Africa, augmented by small presences in Austria, France, Germany and New Zealand.

Like many other importers in the mid-Atlantic region, they’re also distributors, not only brokering their own portfolio but also clearing wines for other importers. In Pennsylvania, their book includes the entire Michael Skurnik Wines portfolio as well as the wines of The Country Vintner. In Delaware, they manage all of Skurnik’s range with the exception of the Terry Theise Selections (which are brought into DE by Bacchus). Convoluted enough for you? That’s the wine biz.

To keep things readable – and to keep my time manageable – I’ll be breaking my report on the overall event into two or three posts, each one focusing on a particular piece of the puzzle. There were a lot of wines to taste, so I’ll be touching mainly on the highlights along with a few lowlights. Notes will be much breezier than usual, so hang on.

Highlights from the Terry Theise Selections lineup:

Skurnik reps were manning the first two tables in the room, an enviable position that captured much of the early (and my) attention. Table 1 featured a strong lineup of grower Champagnes, as well as some odds and ends from Theise’s German and Austrian portfolio. Not a bad way to get things rolling.

Kevin Pike, Director of National Sales & Marketing for Michael Skurnik Wines, seems to be the go-to guy where Theise's Champagne portfolio is concerned. This is his second appearance at MFWT and bubbly brought him here both times.

• Aubry Brut NV: In spite of sitting in leadoff position, where just about anything is likely to be sipped then overlooked, this came through with plenty of character. Creamy, with fresh red fruit, breadiness and a little floral funkiness. 60% Pinot Meunier and 20% each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
  
  
• Marc Hebrart Brut “Cuvée de Réserve” NV: Bottle one was a bit mute and tasted more evolved than its disgorgement date would suggest. Bottle two was better, showing generously textured, ripe red fruits on a very effusive frame of bubbles. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay.
  
  
• Gaston Chiquet Blanc de Blancs NV: An unusual wine in that it’s the only Blanc de Blancs from Aÿ imported into the US, not to mention one of the very few BdBs made there at all. Broader, darker and less racy than the usual entry from the Côte des Blancs but still quite delicious. Lemon oil and almonds. Very expressive.
  
  
• Gaston Chiquet Brut Tradition NV: A blend of 45% Pinot Meunier, 35% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir. Apple-y, firm and chalky on the finish.
  
  
• Vilmart & Cie “Grand Cellier d’Or” 2001: This was the showstopper among the Champagnes, even though Skurnik’s Kevin Pike later suggested that he thought it might not be a perfect bottle. It showed its ten grams of dosage with a sweeter flavor profile than the preceding Champs but handled the extra richness with grace. Pineapple, exotic fruits and baking spices on the nose. Striking on the palate. Great phenolic structure. One of the very few vintage Champagnes declared in the difficult 2001 vintage.
  
  
• Geoffroy “Rosé de Saignée” NV: A blend of 60% Chardonnay, rounded out with a rosé of Pinot Noir bled off its skins and just a touch of Meunier. Lots of peach pit and strawberry fruit with a savory edge of bitterness on the finish. Solid if not entirely elegant.
  
  
• Schloss Gobelsburg Caruntum Grüner Veltliner “Steinsetz” 2007: Totally wound-up aromatically but finely balanced and solidly built on the palate. Very persistent.
  
  
• Gysler Rheinhessen Silvaner halbtrocken 2007 (liter bottle): A bit pricey in PA but I liked it enough for it to make the “good” list. Soft, with very typical pear fruit and direct floral aromas. At the sweeter end of the halbtrocken scale.
  
  
• Leitz Rheingau Riesling “Dragonstone” 2007: The purist in me wanted not to like this, as I’m not too crazy about the trend for labeling wines for the export market. Frankly, though, this is pretty decent stuff. Good nerve, fruit and balance. Declassified Spätlese from Rudesheimer Drachenstein (thus, Dragonstone).
  
  
• Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2007: Excellent wine. Really pretty acid balance with a fine vein of apricot driven fruit.
  
  
• Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese 2007: Another delicious ’07. Classic Spätlese. Much showier in the fruit department, with lots of spiced apple character. Crystalline acidity.

And a few (only a few in this grouping) I wasn’t too crazy about:

• A. Margaine Demi-Sec NV: 92% Chardonnay and 8% Pinot Noir with 32 grams dosage. Banana driven (yeast?) fruit and confected character point to solid pastry pairing possibilities. But not my cup of tea.
  
  
• Berger Kremstal Grüner Veltliner 2007 (liter bottle): In states where this is still $12ish, this isn’t a bad choice as a house wine to keep in the fridge and serve ice cold and with aplomb. But in PA, in the high teens, it’s not a value. Soft, slightly clumsy but very easy drinking.
  
  
• Glatzer Carnuntum Grüner Veltliner 2007: There’s more going on here than in the Berger, some of the peach, melon and white pepper typical of the variety. But it’s coarsely textured and a bit short.

I’d planned to write about some of the other Skurnik selections in this edition but I think that's more than enough for now. More to come from Skurnik, along with some Italians from The Country Vintner, in round two.

Sad News in the Wine World

Date: Wed, Sep 17, 2008 Wine Tasting

I've just learned that Didier Dagueneau, the man behind some of the most intense, controversial and respected Sauvignon's in the Loire -- really, in the world -- died earlier today in a small aircraft crash. Joe Dressner has written a fitting memorial that well captures the man's spirit. Rest in peace, Didier. (Photo courtesy of Bertrand Celce.)

WBW 49: Sending Bush out with a Bash

Date: Wed, Sep 17, 2008 Wine Tasting

Yep, it’s time for yet another entry in the annals of Wine Blogging Wednesday. Today’s host is D. Honig – political cartoonist, wine blogger behind Two Days Per Bottle and organizer extraordinaire. He’s asked participants to raise a toast to the end of the Bush era. The spirit in which that toast was meant he diplomatically left up to those partaking.

The wine I’m writing up for today’s episode was bottled in June 2001, just a few months after George W. Bush assumed office. I drank it about a week ago, just a few months before he will have no choice but to leave office. The bottle spent most of the time in between resting peacefully in my cellar. The wine came through its near 8-year term in good shape; only its label was a little worse for wear. I wish I could say I’ve taken as much enjoyment from W’s two terms as President.


California Red Table Wine “Pleiades X Old Vines,” Sean Thackrey NV
About $16 on release. 13.9% alcohol. Cork.
Forget about McCain, Bush’s wannabe successor. Sean Thackrey is a maverick. Like his wines or not, there’s no denying that he’s an iconoclast. Though he doesn’t own a single parcel of vineyard, Thackrey has established a reputation over the last twenty-plus years, in spite of his disbelief in the importance of place, as one of the wild and wise men of the CA wine scene. He ferments at the natural end of the spectrum, using techniques that hearken back hundreds of years and relying very little on modern technology, much more on gut feeling. It’s a risky approach but one that seems to have worked for him. Just read this excerpt from a piece published in the San Francisco Chronicle a few years back.

"If [Thackrey] succeeds, he gets a wine of unique character. When he fails, he usually puts the wine into his nonvintage blend Pleiades, which he calls a 'disobedient wine.'

'It pays no attention to winemaking rules,' [Thackrey] says of Pleiades. 'I use fruit that's incomplete. Some has good flavor and not much mouthfeel. Some has good mouthfeel and not much flavor.'"

Pleiades is a non-vintage blend of just about everything under the sun, all leftovers apparently. To quote Thackrey again, "People sometimes ask me to tell them the varietal percentages, and I say, 'Give me a break.'" That’s an outlook I generally applaud, though I can’t get on board with the dismissal of the concept of terroir often attributed to him.

Anyhow, back to the wine. When last I opened a bottle of this, about three or four years ago – in keeping with today’s theme, let’s call it the end of its first term – I was none too enamored with it. Gobs of in-your-face fruit, squishy tannins and somewhat heavy handed oakiness. As it nears the end of its second four years, however, Thackrey’s tenth Pleiades has reached full maturity and done some interesting things along the way. It’s still not perfect. The alcohol, even though low at 13.9% by today’s CA standards, stands out. Fruit and oak, on the flipside, have become much more harmonious. A generous deposit of tartrate crystals on the cork and sediment in the bottle speak to Thackrey's relatively non-interventionist approach in the winery.

On day one, a distinct eucalyptus element dominated the wine's aromas, backed up on the nose and in the mouth by developed flavors of red berries, spiced plums and kirsch. Day two brought major changes. The fruit became lighter in tone, driven more by dried cherries. But what really stood out was tobacco. The wine practically reeked of tobacco – think Red Man chewing tobacco. Sweet, spicy but still definitely tobacco. Not the most food friendly wine out there – its tannins and acidity are both a little too soft relative to its body – but an easy pleasure, simply to drink and enjoy, after two terms in bottle.

History, I expect, shall not be so kind to Mr. Bush.

Real Sangiovese that’s Not from Tuscany

Date: Tue, Sep 16, 2008 Wine Tasting

In the wake of all the attention paid to the Montalcino scandals of late – Dr. Parzen wrote a good piece on the matter just the other day – it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that there are plenty of wineries out there still making honest wine from good vineyard sites using the traditional, local clone(s) of Sangiovese. Most of it, not surprisingly (at least not to me), comes from relatively modest, hands-on estates, from people who Alice Feiring might refer to as “emotionally connected vignerons,” from wine growers with a true passion for their land.

In the wake of all the attention paid to Tuscany here in the States, it’s also easy to forget that not all Italian Sangiovese comes from Tuscany. Sangiovese, by most accounts, is the most widely planted red grape variety in all of Italy. It’s particularly focused in central Italy. But I’ve tasted examples from as far removed as Lake Garda in the Veneto and enjoyed, just yesterday at the Boutique Wine Collection tasting here in Philly (more on that in the days to come), a simple but eminently quaffable example from Sicily. One of my current favorites when it comes to everyday examples of Sangiovese – of real, expressive Sangiovese – comes from Umbria. It just happens to come from a larger estate, one that might not fit Alice’s description to a tee but one, nonetheless, which has chosen to play not just by the traditional rules but also according to their natural passions for their land.


Montefalco Rosso, Antonelli San Marco 2004
$17. 13.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Laird & Company, Scobeyville, NJ.
Antonelli’s Montefalco Rosso is typically a blend of 65% Sangiovese with 15% Sagrantino and 10% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Though Sagrantino must be considered the signature grape of Montefalco, this wine gives proof to the existence of characterful Sangiovese in the region, as Sangiovese certainly dominates the wines profile. Decry it for the inclusion of Cabernet and Merlot if you must, but they’re actually fairly traditional here as opposed to in, say, Montalcino.

In spite of their inclusion, the wine shows a transparent, ruby hue in the glass. Aromas are high-toned, of wild cherries, dried Mediterranean herbs and an attractively subtle touch of freshly tanned cowhide. In the mouth, acidity plays the leading role, focusing a beam of clean, silky red fruit across the middle of the palate. Tannins are fairly gentle and supple. There’s enough innate structure here to stand up to roasted meat dishes but enough versatility to work with a wider range of foods, from hearty pastas to simple, country fare, to sheep’s milk cheeses. On day two, things broadened out a bit with respect to acidity, giving the wine a softer, riper yet no less nuanced feel.

If you’re looking for a Tuscan powerhouse, this ain’t it. Then again, most real Tuscan Sangiovese, most honest Tuscan Sangiovese, isn’t about power. If you’re looking for a lovely example of what Sangiovese can do in Umbria, and what it can do without breaking the $20 threshold, this would be a good place to start.

A Slightly Incomprehensible Riesling from Beate Knebel

Date: Mon, Sep 15, 2008 Wine Tasting

Riesling feinherb – “feinherb” means something along the lines of “delicately dry” – is a stylistic term that’s started to appear with greater frequency on German wines over the last few years. For many producers, it’s nothing more than a preferred synonym for halbtrocken, a style (or at least a term) that’s started to fall out of favor on the contemporary German market. For others, though, feinherb provides a subtle distinction, crossing over between the richer end of the halbtrocken spectrum (up to 18 grams of RS) yet stopping short of the amount of RS usually found in a fully fruity-style Kabinett, Spätlese or Auslese. A handful of the wineries in this latter group have even been known to produce halbtrocken and feinherb wines from the same vineyard and at the same pradikat level in a single vintage.

Mosel Winninger Hamm Riesling Kabinett feinherb, Weingut Reinhard und Beate Knebel 2005
$19. 12.5% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Mosel Wine Merchant, Manhasset, NY.
In the simple context of residual sugar, Beate Knebel’s 2005 Winninger Hamm Kabinett feinherb seems to slot right into the feinherb category, most likely at the drier end of its possible spectrum. There’s nothing delicate about it, though. The sprightly minerality, light, fresh fruit and lithe acidity I’ve come to associate with most other Kabinett level wines from the Terrassenmosel aren’t in evidence. Instead, the wine expands across the palate with earthy, pungent flavors of slate, displaying a breadth and darkness of flavor along with the muscular expression of acidity I’d expect more from a Spätlese trocken from the same area. Flavors are less of crisp apples and white peaches than of apricots and baked apples. At 12.5% alcohol – even though Winningen is considered a warm spot – it’s also way up the scale relative to what I’d expect from a Kabinett feinherb (something more along the lines of 10-11% perhaps).

In case the notes above left you wondering, I liked it but it definitely caught me off guard, made me scratch my head a little. My translation: I’d hazard a guess that this is declassified Spätlese, fairly ripe Spätlese at that, fermented long and slow. This is speculation on my part, not backed up by technical specs from the winery or importer, so I’d be more than happy to hear from anyone with more experience with Knebel’s wines.

Pif Night Wines

Date: Sat, Sep 13, 2008 Wine Tasting

As promised, here are a few thoughts on the wines we opened at "Pif night" on a recent trip to Ansill. The great thing about BYOs (or BYO nights at normally non-BYO restaurants) is the opportunity they afford to open and enjoy several wines at dinner without running up an astronomical tab. Given the $15 corkage policy on regular evenings at Ansill, I'd be inclined to carry my own juice on any night of the week, not just Tuesday or Sunday.


Vouvray “Cuvée de Silex,” Domaine des Aubuisières (Bernard Fouquet) 2007
$16. 13% alcohol. Stelvin. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA.
Where has this been all my life? Really delicious young Vouvray, just about all you could ask for from a wine at this price point. In terms of both aroma and palate, it displayed a classic up-front profile of d’Anjou pear, honeysuckle, honey-laced apples and a touch of succulent stoniness. Its sec-tendre style (just slightly off-dry), along with visceral, shimmering acidity, makes this an ideal aperitif and a solid choice for shellfish dishes (think scallops) or a cheese course. It should also be quite suitable for mid-term aging.

By odd coincidence, given that I had carried this from home and bemoaned the absence of anything interesting on the wine list at Ansill, it turned out that one of my coworkers was sitting in another restaurant about eight blocks to the north, at the very same time, and ordered this exact wine from the restaurant’s list. If their wine list is any indication of what they’re up to, I’ll need to give Fork a revisit sometime soon. It’s a spot I frequented when they first opened but have neglected for many a year now.


Bourgogne Rouge “Cuvée Prestige,” Domaine Philippe Charlopin-Parizot 2005
$32. 13% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Elite Wines, Washington, DC.
I’m not sure how to explain the fact that, to the eye, this looked transparent and pale in the bottle but inexplicably dark in the glass. My other sensory abilities, though, told me that this was probably a little heat whacked. Soft, even a little spongy in texture, with sweet red fruit and an almost Port-like nose. The alcohol stood to one side, the wine to the other, with a gap in between. Hardly the epitome of Burgundian grace. When all was said and done, it was short and simple. Almost certainly a compromised bottle.

Marsannay “Langeroies,” Domaine René Bouvier 2005
$38. 13% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Elite Wines, Lorton, VA.
Sniff. Ahh, that’s more like it. There were some definite modern evocations at play but plenty of interest as well. Oak was evident but well knit, allowing the bright, gamy and wild red-fruited character of the wine to leap up and strut its stuff. Cherry stones, blackberries and thyme all came to mind. Excellent balance and quite food friendly, there was a very attractive sappiness – a sense of green energy – at the wine’s core. Definitely worth seeking out, this is offering plenty of drinking pleasure already but should only get more interesting in a few years. A pretty solid value given the economics of the vintage.

Pif Night at Ansill

Date: Fri, Sep 12, 2008 Wine Tasting

In spite of it often being considered an off night in the restaurant industry, I love going out to eat on Sunday. On the downside, one runs the chance of encountering less than pristinely fresh ingredients or kitchens running without the star chef. On the flipside, though, it’s far more relaxed than dealing with the Friday/Saturday dining frenzy and can be a great way to wrap-up the weekend and kick start the week to come. Choose carefully and the freshness issue should be a moot point. Choose even more carefully and you may find one of an increasing number of spots that are running Sunday night specials.

Ansill Food & Wine (Ansill, for short) is one such spot. Ever since owner David Ansill’s first spot, the widely beloved Pif, faded into the sunset in the summer of 2007, Sunday has been Pif night at Ansill. The regular Ansill menu remains available, while a second menu – a $40, three-course prix fixe option – is added, based on some of the more straightforward French bistro classics that originally put Pif on the Philly dining map. The “Pif night” menu is quite simple really. It offers a choice between four starters, four principal plates and four desserts. Dining with two friends recently afforded the opportunity to sample just about the entire menu, leaving off only the simplest option (salad, steak and ice cream) at each course.

The signature dish from the days of Pif – escargots plump and redolent of butter and Pernod, served alongside a head of sweet, nutty roasted garlic – practically disappeared before it even hit the table, certainly long before I could train the camera and snap a picture. The salad of red beets, first roasted and then marinated, delivered a nice sweet and sour contrast that paired well with its topping of fresh goat cheese. The only slightly ill conceived dish of the starters was the mussel soup. It’s not that it lacked flavor, just that it lacked depth. A spike of red pepper was the predominant flavor in the broth and soggy croutons did little to help, though freshly sliced scallions livened up the dish a bit.


To spice things up a bit, and for added insurance against leaving without full bellies, we supplemented our orders with a couple of small plates from the regular Ansill menu. Roasted mussels turned out to be an interesting preparation take on a bistro classic. When the little mollusks were just right, they were tender, savory and intensely infused with the aromas of the fresh rosemary sprig included in the roasting pan. The technique, though, did seem to result in less even flavor distribution relative to steaming or sautéing, and a few of the mussels were a little on the fishy side. I had no compunctions, however, about the deliciousness of our roasted bone marrow crostini, full of rich, zesty flavor and topped off perfectly with a sprinkle of smoked sea salt and a tousle of fresh greens.


Our main courses delivered the most uniformly successful round of dishes. The sweetbreads – ample, tender and meaty – may have been the showstopper, their perfectly cooked accompaniment of sliced shiitakes providing icing on the cake. Not lagging far behind were two petit filets of branzino, pan-seared to a perfect level of exterior crispiness and interior moistness and set atop sautéed greens, all surrounded by an intensely citrus yet light-footed beurre blanc. A duo of richly meaty lamb chops, seared just barely to the medium side of rare, matched nicely with crispy potato gaufrettes and roasted artichokes. Those artichokes, I’d swear, tasted like they’d been infused with lemon and pekoe tea.



An otherwise perfectly nice if somewhat perfunctory cheese plate was marred by the inclusion of Époisses that had gone to ammonia. I know it’s supposed to be pungent. And I know it’s expensive. But come on, sniff it – better yet, taste it – before you serve it. Our desserts, on the other hand, showed that the folks at Ansill don’t treat the final course as an afterthought. Both the pot au crème and bread pudding were delicious enough that I could envision stopping by late-night and ordering either of them just to top off the evening.

One more thing: wine. It’s tough to put together an interesting wine list in Pennsylvania – tough but not impossible. The list at Ansill includes a couple of dependables at the lower price points but otherwise falls short. I'd have a hard time finding anything I'd really want to order. On the bright side, Ansill smartly offers corkage ($15/bottle) at all times, a nod no doubt to the power of Philly’s BYO culture. Additionally, Tuesday night is their official BYO night, with all corkage fees waived. Finally, on Pif night, assuming everyone at the table orders the Pif prix fixe menu, then Sunday too becomes BYO night. It's an added Sunday bonus. Details on what we opened in the next installment....

Read more: A previous visit to Ansill.

Ansill Food & Wine
627 S. 3rd Street
(3rd & Bainbridge)
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-627-2485

Natural’s Not In It, aka Dead or Alive in Minervois

Date: Wed, Sep 10, 2008 Wine Tasting

I don’t drink wines from the Mediterranean areas of France with anywhere near the regularity that I once did. It’s only by odd coincidence that I recently had two wines from Minervois within just a few days of each other. Read the literature on these wines from Domaine Khalkhal-Pamiès and Château d’Oupia and you'll find that both estates place themselves firmly in the center of the natural winemaking camp. Natural or not, though, only one of the wines tasted alive.


Minervois "Loriza," Domaine Lauraire des Lys (Khalkhal-Pamiès) 2005
$15. 13.5% alcohol. Cork. A Thomas Calder Selection, Potomac Selections, Landover, MD.
This bottle passed all my usual inspection parameters – a clean bottle and label, perfectly spinning capsule, no run-up or soak-through on the cork, good fill – but the stuff in the bottle tasted heat damaged. While I suppose a lightning fast hot flash could account for it, my gut tells me that this is just in a style that’s not to my liking or, worse yet, a wine made by careless hands. The heat damage could have occurred in the winery, caused by a fermentation allowed to run unchecked or perhaps by a facility ill equipped to fend off the heat and sun of the Minervois climate. Its color is a dark, muddy garnet, matching the soupy, muddled flavors of the wine. Flavors are of caramelized, baked fruit. Think of taking plums that have been allowed to ripen too far, losing not only their acidity but also their freshness. Stew them, add a little cracked pepper and then flambé them in brandy but don’t finish burning off the alcohol. Sound good? Not to me. This wine is lifeless.

Minervois, Château d'Oupia 2006
$12.50. 13% alcohol. Cork. Louis/Dressner, New York, NY.
As with “Loriza,” Oupia’s Minervois passed the spot bottle inspection with flying colors. In stark contrast, though, it also passed the all important palate check. This was full of crunchy, wholesome goodness. Dark and plummy in color, it had the vibrancy of tone that was absent in its stable mate. Aromas of spicy, dark earth and macerated red berry fruit were followed by a mouthful of similar sensations. Mulberries, ripe blueberries, black raspberries and, yes, a little plumminess. Though hardly a high acid wine, there was enough acidity and freshness here to keep the wine’s ample fruit feeling buoyant and snappy. Tannic structure was gentle but firm enough to lend balance. My palate told me that the alcohol was probably closer to 14% as opposed to the stated 13% but, as it was completely in check, I didn’t find it problematic. This is definitely a great value, something I’d be happy to buy by the case (even though I rarely buy anything by the case). If there were more Languedoc wines like it – bright and alive – I think I’d find myself revisiting old habits more often.

The Results Are In

Date: Tue, Sep 9, 2008 Wine Tasting

The big question -- should I continue with the "Coming Soon" ticker in the sidebar here at MFWT -- has been answered. Polls closed at midnight yesterday and the final votes in our inaugural survey have been tabulated and confirmed as follows:

12 for "It stays"
1 for "It goes"
13 for "I never noticed it in the first place."

That's a whopping 26 votes -- not exactly a stellar voter turnout but I suppose it could have been worse. The majority having gone by a hair to those who'd never even noticed the section would seem to support one commenter's suggestion that most blog readers ignore the stuff in the sidebars and just focus on primary content. However, the 12:1 ratio of for vs. against votes clearly suggests victory for the incumbent practice.

So, fair readers, the Coming Soon section remains, at least until I tire of trying to maintain the illusion of democracy.... My thanks go out to all who participated. Here's a little tunage to help kick-off the post-polling festivities.

Labeling Quirks and a Blog of Note

Date: Mon, Sep 8, 2008 Wine Tasting

As I expect most food and wine bloggers do, I spend a decent amount of my non-blogging on-line time reading other food and wine blogs. The ones that keep me coming back tend to be those that both entertain and educate. One such that I’ve really been digging of late is Amy Lillard’s, La Gramière. It’s named after the property she and her husband purchased in the Côtes du Rhône a couple of years back and the winery they subsequently established on the estate. On her blog, Amy is chronicling the happenings throughout each vintage at La Gramière. It’s one of the most enjoyable winery blogs I’ve come across, neither tiresomely technical nor grossly marketing driven. Instead, it’s honest. Amy’s not afraid to talk about the difficulties faced at the estate. Reading her work gives me a sense of their place, their struggles and their joys, and it often teaches me something along the way. As one might expect given Ms. Lillard’s responsibilities in the vineyards, it’s not updated every day but she always keeps it fresh enough to keep me coming back.

Her recent post on some of the inherent hassles of wine labeling for a diversified distribution chain didn’t just teach me something, it also got me thinking. In it, she details running afoul of US regulatory authorities as the result of a labeling snafu and the subsequent conscription of labor and impromptu assembly line required to get her latest release into the US market. The offending item: a tiny icon of a pregnant woman overlaid with the classic “no” symbolism of the circle and slash. Many a French winery began placing the symbol on their labels as early as a year or two ago in anticipation of it (or a textual version) being required on all bottles of wine in France as of 2008. It’s very much the equivalent of the Surgeon General’s warning that has appeared on all wine in the US for years.

Even though she doesn’t much like the image, Amy chose the symbol over the prolix version of the warning for its less space-intensive traits, only to find out that the US has now banned any appearance of the symbol on bottles of wine entering the US market. While I’d seen the icon popping up on French bottles over the last year or so and was aware of the new French warning requirements, this was the first I’d heard of the American ban on the appearance of the symbol. Her solution was to scrape the back labels off a sizeable portion of her bottles – an ugly job from the sounds of it – only to reapply new ones that would meet with the demands of US regulatory authorities.

This first got me thinking of how all the other wineries throughout France would deal with the situation. La Gramière had placed the symbol on their rear label. The majority of French wines, when sold on their home market, don’t even have a back label. (The marketing novellas so common on the back of New World wines are still relatively uncommon on the European front.) A winery that sells to multiple nations will almost always have a different rear label for each country, even one each for multiple distributors in larger markets such as the US. But front labels? In my experience, they’re the same for most if not all markets. Put the pieces together and you’ll realize that most French producers who opted for the iconic warning option had to place the symbol right on their front labels.

Here’s how at least one producer handled the situation. The first shipment of Henri’s 2005 came through with the symbol intact. The second time around, it had simply been colored in with what I suppose is the French equivalent of a Sharpie®.
After talking about the issue with a few of my coworkers, what really got me thinking – actually, what really irked me – was why the powers that be in the US had to make an issue of this in the first place. From a bureaucratic perspective, it’s just nitpicking to the nth degree, at the expense of time, money and frustration for the people affected. From a sociopolitical perspective – whether or not you like the imagery of the symbol – it amounts to cultural whitewashing – censorship if you prefer. If it’s accepted as meaningful in France, why can’t it be accepted here as well? The Surgeon General’s warnings are going to appear on the back label either way. Are the American people that much in need of being protected from potential offense? I don’t have the answer to that, but my sympathies go out to Amy and all the other wine growers like her who’ve had to jump through hoops to prevent the question from ever being faced.

Noteless Wonders

Date: Sat, Sep 6, 2008 Wine Tasting

The photos below are of a few casualties from a dinner with friends. It was actually a decent while back. So long ago, in fact, that as I didn't take notes -- I was too busy cooking and enjoying -- it's way too late to wing it now.

What's my point, you may be pondering? As long as I'm turning over a modicum of organizational control, I figured why not just open things up creatively as well. So, whether or not you've actually tried any of the above wines, here's your chance to write your own tasting notes. There are bonus points for creativity, y'all, so hit the comments and have fun.