Muddy Boots

93 Points to Cascina Roccalini Barbaresco 2007

Cascina Roccalini has been awarded another 93 points by Bruce Sanderson in the Wine Spectator (31 December 2011). Link here to review. 

To those of you who don't know this already, Cascina Roccalini's wines are made by the young and very talented Paolo Veglio with the close collaboration of Dante Scaglione, the one and again enologo of Bruno Giacosa.

This time the 93 was given to the Barbaresco 2007, which some have tasted and declared it was "infanticide" to drink so soon. Sanderson does say the wine will be best between 2014 and 2025.  (Pictured label is for the 2005, to which Sanderson gave a 92. Consistency at this level is a fine thing.)

Yes, the wine is still youthful and bursting the young vitality. It hasn't yet knitted together as well as it should be within a couple of years.

Our advice: Stock and store. 

Or drink now. It's interesting to taste a fine wine in its obsteperous youth, no less than to drink it with appreciation of its development over a number of years. It's too delicious to pass up at any time.

Ode to Falanghina

Yesterday Franco Ziliani, well-known Italian wine critic and blogger (vinoalvino.org), published what I can only call an ode to Falanghina -- namely the Falanghina produced by the Mustilli family in the province of Avellino. (Link to article in Italian here.)

In the piece, Franco, pictured here, explores the various suggested etymologies of the word Falanghina, and then provides a bit of history of the grape, with its "modern era" starting with the research and advocacy of Leonardo Mustilli. (Blessed be he.)

I won't go into the etymological side of it, since the evidence that Franco presents -- like many others' before him -- strikes one as equivocal. To me it's Category We Really Don't Know. But that makes no difference to one's appreciation and enjoyment of one of the great white wine grapes of southern Italy. (Maybe one should just say Italy, no qualifiers.)

Anyway, allow me to translate Franco's enthusiastic review of the Mustilli Falanghina, with all my difficiencies as translator on display (spiacente!).

Cascina Roccalini. Again! Bis

Just a link to a rave review of the beautiful and still very young Cascina Roccalini Barbaresco 2007: link here.

Sorry to have been so lax about posting, but at this time of year it's run run run. 

Ciao a tutti!

Freisa in the news!

When we held our portfolio tasting in late September we had little idea that Cascina Gilli's Freisa "Vigna del Forno" would be the standout review hit of the day. 

But then that's not accounting for the informative charm of Chiara Martinotti, who represented Cascina Gilli at the event, and whose passionate advocacy of Freisa is undeniable.

In the past two days her "Vigna del Forno" 2008 has won rave reviews from Bill Tish of New York Wine Salon and Elin McCoy, who contributes wine articles to a range of print and online publications, including Bloomberg News and Zester Daily.

In his review (click here), Tish waxes rhapsodic about the wine:

"This is a wine that could enthrall connoisseurs and neophytes alike. A worthy fill-in for its Piedmontese compatriots Barbera and Dolcetto. Might be my Thanksgiving red...."

McCoy concludes her information-rich piece (click here):

"The 'Vigna del Forno' bottling isn't aged in wood, so the fruit flavors are bright, intense, and immensely appetizing. Now a firm Freisa fan, I urge you to give it a try."

For Cascina Gilli and for Domenico Selections these are reviews that help validate the advocacy we've done on behalf of this lovely wine. Mom couldn't have written better ones. 

Now, we're ready to write your order.

   

Aquila del Torre: Good vibrations on Tanzer's site

If you follow Steven Tanzer's reviews at all, you quickly realize that he and his reviewers are not ones to indulge in grade inflation. Wines that others may deem a 92, Tanzer & Co. seem to mark 3-4 points lower. They do not subscribe to the Lake Wobegon philosophy of "illusory superiority."  

So it's with pride and pleasure that I inform you of some excellent scores and reviews by Ian d'Agata, Tanzer's man in Italy, frequent contributor to Decanter and Director of the International Wine Academy of Roma.

Aquila del Torre in late February. All organically farmed,

vineyards are set within a nature preserve

Recently, on Tanzer's wineaccess.com site, reviews of three of Aquila del Torre's wines were published. We applaud this, to us, new and very impressive producer from the Colli Orientali district of Friuli.

Here are the reviews, along with links to wineaccess.com. 

Friulano 2010 -- 88 points

<http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=11281000>

Green-tinged straw-gold. Rich nose of fig, lime blossom and almond. Fat, thick and sweet, with an almost syrupy texture to its apple and almond flavors. An impressively rich and big Friulano, but compared to the sauvignon it comes across as slightly blurry, in need of a little more acidity (or less alcohol) for better definition. Finishes long and rich, with hints of lime oil and cut grass.

Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - 89 points

<http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=11280999>

Pale, straw-gold color. Fresh nose verges on the exotic, offering pineapple, grapefruit, green fig and lime skin notes. Solidly built, but with lovely delicacy to the pineapple and grapefruit flavors. Has the flesh to support its very good acidity. Nicely done: Aquila del Torre, long known for an excellent picolit (the Savorgnano subzone is an absolute grand cru for the variety), actually makes one of Friuli's more interesting sauvignons as well.

Picolit 2008 - 90 points

<http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer/ecommerce/product.html?product_id=11281072>

Bright yellow-gold. Pure aromas of lime oil, mango and ripe yellow peach complicated by dried apricot. Bright and sweet, with lime and honey flavors on entry, then rather gently styled in the middle. Could use a bit more length, but it's so pure and varietally accurate that it rates an outstanding score.

We have in stock the Friulano and the Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the relatively unsung Riesling, but the Picolit wasn't available when we placed our initial order in the summer. That luscious nectar, bright with enough acidity to make you want another glass, then another, will be here early in 2012.

Open a week: Wine with a backbone

Sunday night, October 2, 2011

 

Every once in a while somebody blogs [people still blog? how cute!] or tweets a nugget like:

Mierda Hills Cabernet '00 open 3 days. Wow! Better than when I opened it, 95 pts! :))))!!

It is a marker of quality -- of excellent winemaking -- when a wine improves for some days after opening.

We all know the sinking feeling when, the evening after opening a bottle, we pour and taste and realize that, despite TLC in a wine fridge, the left-over bottle is characterless and off. So we either open a new bottle or do without wine. 

I was going to say that it "sucks," but I overcame the age's bush laziness and decided to ennoble my statement with "characterless and off." Give a guy credit for sort of trying.

Now to get to my point in under 150 words.

Friday, when I was wrestling with some cases of samples chez moi, I noticed that in a box under another box there was an open bottle from our tasting last Monday, September 26, 2011 A.D. -- that's how momentous it was, though if it had been all that momentous I'd have written "Anno Domini" despite the highest of Jewish holy days going around right now -- where am I in this sentence? I am no Addison and Steele, O! English majors.

Ah yes. I discovered an open bottle, hardly touched, of the 2005 Rosso Veronese from L'Arco. L'Arco is the winery owned and operated by Luca Fedrigo, who, as we have told everyone we've met in the recent past, learned his art from the one and only Giuseppe Quintarelli. The lad has learnt well. 

But I digress.

There was a slow-pour cap on the bottle. The bottle was hidden from the stresses of heat and cold in my apartment -- corrugated cartons have impressive insulating powers -- but, still. It had been opened and was slowly but surely aerating.

FF to now. Sunday evening. We had tuna steaks in an umami* kind of marinade, rice, bok choy. We drank the left-over, open-for-six-days Rosso Veronese with it. 

Can I tell you, without all the damn "!!!!!!!," how good the wine was after all that time? How well it paired with the umami-ish tuna and all the other fixin's? It was perfect. Delicious. Moreish.

L'Arco Rosso Veronese 2005. Some damn fine wine. And it's Luca's "base" wine at that. If that was his base...exactly, my friends. Ex. Act. Ly.

 

*I'm told the marinade was salt, pepper, garlic, white wine and olive oil. Who knew it was so simple and could deliver such yummumaminess? Hats off to anyone who can cook more than toast.

 

  

 

Tuesday night at Eataly NY

Our experience pouring the wines of Cascina Gilli last night only reinforced what we already knew about that shrine to all things Italian, Eataly: The place was jammed on an ordinary Tuesday night. It's a phenomenon. It's a bloody goldmine.

Our little part in the attaction to Eataly was the tasting of three Cascina Gilli wines in the wine shop, which, according to New York State's antique laws, is required to have its own separate entrance (on 23rd Street right between the main entrance and the main exit of the food store.)

Whatever contortions the state made Eataly go through to create the wine store, this compact but ingeniously laid-out space provided us with one of the most commodious tasting stations in our fair city. Lots of glasses, lots of bread for palate-cleansing, attractive displays of the product, lots of product most conveniently on hand to be sold.

Which we did. I filled in for Chiara when things got very busy -- Friday-night busy at most shops -- but her charm and sense of humor, not to mention almost perfect American English, made her and her wines a big hit. The Barbera d'Asti in stock -- gone. The Freisa (my personal favorite), half gone. The sparkling Malvasia, at least a case down. In two fast-paced hours.

Thus is the magnetic magic of Eataly.

Of course, dealing with the public is always funny. One couple, well-born and high, enthused forever about the wines and kept asking for more tastes. Not a bottle did they buy.

A serious guy who lives in the neighborhood asked a lot of questions and went home with five bottles.

A quiet woman tasted the sparkling Malvasia and said, "It's sunshine on your tongue." We told her we were stealing that one. I guess we just did.

And I do believe that calling the Freisa "Nebbiolo in a bustier" really helped move some of that wine. Everyone likes sex, or at least something suggestive of it.

Anyway, at the end we wanted to go to the new beer garden atop the building. There was a 45 minute wait or standing-only at the bar. Waiting in line is something this one doesn't do. Sometimes you can get too popular. (I imagine so. Never having experienced it personally.)

Instead, we headed over to Apiary, and we had a delicious meal in attractive, unfrenetic surroundings. This was most welcome after the producers, both Chiara and Francesca Ciani of Aquila del Torre, had seen wide swaths of New Jersey all day long with the tireless Jeff Mazen. Tuesday was a long but highly productive day. 

 

In photo at top: La Bella e la Bestia

In the Decanter tome

Some days ago I received the October issue of Decanter. Due to busyness and the intimidating bulk of the issues 376 pages, I didn't open it till today.

Among any of the Domenico Selections producers who may have submitted tasting samples to Decanter, Cascina Gilli came up smelling like a rose. Or, rather, a "ripe grapey nose with floral notes," as was used to describe their Silver-winning Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco 2010 (page 182).

Cascina Gilli also fared well with the first wine of theirs that we championed, the Freisa "Vigna del Forno" 2008 (page 183). The description: "Inky, rosy, with herbal notes. Raspberries with freesia [!] and liquorice palate. Satin texture with coffee finish."

Let's hope some discerning folk in Our Leading Restaurants and Wine Stores read Decanter deeply enough to open their minds to this very charming grape, and the winning way Gilli has with it. It's a shame that Freisa is so little known or understood. On the bright side, Decanter's Ian D'Agata notes that 40% of the Piedmont winners of awards and recognition this year are not Barolos and Barbarescos. In truth, Piedmont is about lots more than all-singing, all-dancing Nebbiolo, or Barbera, a grape more sinned against than sinning.

To conclude with comments from Ian D'Agata's lead-in, under the subhead "What should we buy from here?" he singles out the Malvasia with this comment:

Even better, Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco, made with the Malvasia di Schierano grape, is a lightly alcoholic (5.5%!) sparkling, sweet red that's hard not to fall in love with.

And under "What should we keep an eye on?" he again mentions both Freisa and specifically the Malvasia from Cascina Gilli. About Freisa in general:

Freisa has a lot to offer, with both a light sparkling version [which we don't bring in -- yet] and a more important oaked one [ditto]... 

Well, we are abashed in that we currently offer neither the vivace nor the oaky versions at this time. The Freisa Vigna del Forno is unoaked and, as Ian writes, has a "satin texture with coffee finish." 

This Freisa really is Nebbiolo in a bustier.

 

  

 

Why is it called "Vero" Pinot Grigio?

We sought high and low for a well-priced Pinot Grigio with a few things that other PGs tend to lack. Things like body, acidity, flavor.

That's why we selected the Pinot Grigio from La Prebenda. It's got all those things, and it's delicious. How many times have we heard, "I don't normally care for Pinot Grigio, but this..."

One thing that makes our Vero ("real") PG so unusual is that it's made 100% from Pinot Grigio grapes. One reason serious wine-drinkers avoid PGs is that most of the wines are "kitchen-sink" blends: lots of Trebbiano, some Malvasia, maybe a squirt of Chardonnay to give it a minor kick of refreshing acidity. Basically, the producers throw in any old white grape they might have in excess.

A 60% percentage of Pinot Grigio is not unusual, and in fact may be the norm. Not many are made 100% of the grape in question, and very few of those made in purezza are in Vero's price range (mostly under $15).

Another factor in making Vero so good is that it isn't grown in the flatlands of Veneto, hard by the autostrada as so many are, but way up the Adige valley at the border with Trentino-Alto Adige. Warm sunny days and brisk nights make for a more aromatic and nuanced wine.

The Zanoni family have been making wine here for just shy of 200 years, so their depth of understanding of the microclimate, soil and native grape varieties is second to none.

 

That's why we called it "Vero" Pinot Grigio. In a world of fakery, it's the real deal.

  

 

A view of the vineyards, winery and home of the Zanoni family. The "prebenda" is the church in the background. The word prebenda, or prebend in English, signifies a stipend or a living furnished to a canon (clergyman).  

3 Bicchieri gives the nod to Serra del Prete

Serra del Prete by Musto Carmelitano is a forceful, magnificent Aglianico del Vulture from the beautifully desolate region of Basilicata. Rich with brambly fruit and loaded with true Aglianico tannins, it's hardcore Southern goodness. Added points: it's aged in cement, the vines tend to be quite old (many 40-50 years) and it's totally organic. 

So you can imagine our delight when Elisabetta Musto Carmelitano emailed us today with news that Gambero Rosso has given the 2009 Serra del Prete the nod. The premiazione ceremony will take place on October 22 in Rome. We guess Betty will be going to Rome pretty soon. And the trip and the prize will be richly deserved. Her wines are a brilliant expression of Aglianico and of the best traditions of the Mezzogiorno.

Good news week: our producers go from strength to strength

Imagine our joy when, as we stumbled from the land of Nod this AM, we saw this missive from the Queen of Freisa & Malvasia Schierano, Chiara Martinotti of Cascina Gilli. Actually, it is a rave review -- 92 points -- by Ian D'Agatha of the International Wine Acadamy in Rome and reviewer for Steven Tanzer:

There you have it, folks, in two languages. Because accolades in one language fail to convince.

Commercial interruption:

Have a party in your mouth, if you dare. Cascina Gilli Malvasia. Sparkling fruit & sweetness balanced with refreshing acidity! 

 

 

Pecorino: Get out your spicy tuna rolls!

I first drank Pecorino a number of years ago at Lupa in New York, which was and is one of the most popular of the Bastianich-Batali eateries in town. I liked it very much. It was new (to me) and had a zesty, rather spicy, quality that made it go down real easy. I had it with cacio e pepe. Simple and utterly satisfying. Just like the wine.

A couple of years later, in the torrid summer of 2006, we visited Camillo Montori and tasted his Pecorino. Given the abysmal quality of the white wines we were encountering in the supermercati of Abruzzo, this wine was like a gift from the gods. It was a clean, zesty, oak-free charmer that helped compensate for the lack of air conditioning when temperatures were well over 100F.

Neddless to say, when we started working with the Costantini family, we were interested in the reds first -- we needed a well-priced Montepulciano d'Abruzzo with structure and excellent fruit, and we got it. We got their barriqued riserva (Tornese), which has turned into a steakhouse staple. But we had a lot of whites on the list back then, and we held off on the Pecorino.

In a way, we're glad we did. The wine has only gotten better, with more refreshing acidity and more of that slightly spicy fruit that makes me salivate just to think of.

The Costantini Pecorino 2010 came in only about two weeks ago, so the day I tasted a couple of customers on it, it was still a little dinged up from the trip. Not at its best, and I knew it wouldn't be -- I had been just eager as hell to start trotting it around.

But I have to say that the wine showed pretty well after its recent crossing. At dinner that night we drank the rest of the sample bottle. It was hot, we had no desire to heat up the kitchen, and so we ordered sushi from our favorite sushi place, Umi Sushi on East 56th.

Hello, spicy tuna roll, meet your Italian soulmate, Pecorino.

This is a white wine you'll love in summer and need, every so often, in the cooler months as well. Somehow I can't see spicy tuna roll pairing too well with Aglianico or, indeed, a California Pinot Noir. Pecorino fills the bill. And, hai, it even stands up to ginger and wasabi mustard.

****

Once not long after I first tasted Pecorino, il vino, I went to a well-self-regarded New York wine shop. I asked if they had any Pecorino. Confusion. "We don't sell any cheese here." 

That, as they say, was then. This, happily, is here and now.

 

 

 

Wines just in: New ones and old friends

At long last a passel of new wines have arrived and are now in our warehouse in New Jersey. Waiting for an order to get here is very much like being a little kid and waiting YEARS for December to pass and for Santa to squeeze down the chimney. Red-nosed as his reindeer, the cheerful old elf has finally landed and left us some fine new (and old) wines that we'd love to tear into and guzzle down immediately. 

Here’s what’s new in the warehouse:

• Wines from Aquila del Torre – a wonderful organic producer in the heart of the eastern Collio district of Friuli. We have their Friulano 2010, Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and their Riesling 2009. No oak, plenty of lively acidity and delicious fruit. By the way, Francesca Ciani of the family that owns AT will be pouring at our tasting on September 26. 

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

 

• The zippy and easy to drink Pecorino 2010 from Costantini is finally — yes, in mid-August — finally here. To coin a phrase, “Try it, you’ll like it!” 

• And of course we’re thrilled to have the wines of Luca Fedrigo, L’Arco winery, finally here too. As you may recall, Luca is the young guy who worked for Quintarelli for 11 years and still collaborates with Giuseppe and the younger family members in myriad ways. The wines are gorgeous and, while not cheap, they are less costly than the famed master’s. At present we have Luca’s Rosso veronese, Ripasso, two extraordinary blends (Pario and Rubeo), and of course his Amarone. Quantities are small but our motto is: First come, first served. By the way, these are all from the 2005 vintage except for the Pario 2004.
  

        We're hoping that Luca will be able to make it to our         September 26 tasting. Fingers crossed.

By the way, in other news...

• Newly restocked & in the warehouse are some favorites -- the Boccella Taurasi 2005, Cascina Roccalini Barbaresco 2007 and the Pinot Grigio 2010 from La Prebenda.
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming soon!

• At the end of August we’ll be receiving the super value line (2010) from Costantini. It’s called Febe (Phoebe), and we’re getting the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and the Bianco d’Abruzzo. Meant to be floor-stacked and served by the glass. Impressive fruit and acidity.  And in spring we’re bringing in the Febe Cerasuolo 2011, the rosé made of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. If that doesn’t sound like a summer party wine, I don’t know what does. (Come to think of it, the Febe red sounds like it, too. And the Bianco. You get my drift...)

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• Lest we forget...we’re trying out the Cascina Gilli Barbera d’Asti 2009, also coming in at the end of this month. It’s unoaked, clean, straightforward — a tasty everyday wine with great fruit and balance. Sorry to say, this is the only wine that hasn’t been added to our website. Someone better remedy that real soon. By the way, the charming and very smart Chiara Martinotti of Gilli will be at the trade tasting on September 26. 

Gee, thanks, Santy Claus.

 

Jancis likes the Aglianicos. And one of them is ours

Our excellent biologico producer of Aglianico and Fiano, Roberto Nicodemo of Terra di Vento, sent us a link to Friday's article in the Financial Times. Jancis Robinson wrote an even-handed article about Aglianico, that noblest of Southern Italian grapes, in its Taurasi and Vulture (Basilicata) versions. (Link to article here. Link to the new Terra di Vento site here. Note the stunning new "agriturismo" -- which is of a very high class indeed.)

Interestingly enough, she lists as a "pick" the Terra di Vento Petrale 2007 even though the property is far from Vulture and Taurasi. In fact, Terra di Vento is a few kilometers from the sea in the area not far from Salerno (hence the appellation "Colli di Salerno") and the Amalfi coast.

The soft coastal climate and chalky soils make Petrale far less tannic and tough early in its life than wines from Taurasi and Vulture -- there is more immediate fruit on the palate and nose. It's extremely approachable. 

We love all versions of Aglianico. We value Petrale for its pleasing, up-front drinkability and its versatility with a wide range of food than the big, sometimes rather overpowering brothers up in the volcanic hills.

Buon lavoro, Roberto e Fortunato!

 

Langhe: A country for old men. Then there's Paolo Veglio

Jeff just passed me a wonderful link to a piece on Intravino by Alessandro Morichetti. (Here's the story.)

In his setup, Morichetti notes that the Langhe seems to consist of ancient partiarchs and hallowed names with, seemingly, nothing much new to be seen. Then he raises our friend, Paolo Veglio of Cascina Roccalini, as a shining exception and worthy standard-bearer for the production zone. Morichetti also raves about Paolo's wines and their very reasonable prices.

Paolo is only 34, but he has been farming since he was 14 -- and Morichetti notes how few young people want to devote themselves to the hard physical labor and constant attentiveness of farming. The author also notes that, while some vineyards of Gaja's Sorì Tildìn are very near to Paolo Veglio's property, the two producers exist to two different worlds, thanks to age, experience and the relentless grinding of the PR mills for Gaja, not to mention the other semi-deified winemakers of the zone.

At present, Paolo's Cascina Roccalini is making three wines: a Dolcetto, Barbera and Barbaresco. He has also begun work on a Barbaresco Riserva which will, of course, not hit the market for several years. (Go here for the Domenico Selections entry on Cascina Roccalini and the wines.)

Finally, I chckled when I read that thing were going slowly, but slooowly, forward for Paolo until February 2010. On the 15th a British importer came, tasted and, on the 17th, made a deal.

We arrived on, as I recall, February 28, tasted and said yes on the spot. That's how winning these wines are, and how much confidence and enthusiasm Paolo excites with his elegant, more than merely "typical" wines. We love them and, happily, so do our customers.

Sangiovese in purezza from Casale Pozzuolo

Overlooking the Val d'Orcia, in the emerging Tuscan wine area called Montecucco, there is a very old property named Casale Pozzuolo. The owner, Daniele Galluzzi, is an energetic, passionate man who strives for top quality in all things. You can see it in the design and construction of his facility, including an agriturismo, in the cellar, and in the vineyard. Assisted by his cousin, Giuseppe, his agronomo, Daniele makes wines of uncommon purity and elegance. To that end he grows one grape and only one. Sangiovese.

(Above: Daniele Galluzzi in his tasting room)

One grape, two wines: One a Rosso, one a Riserva. Completely organic and easy on the wood. The land is dry-farmed -- in stark contrast to his neighbors, whose vineyards are hooked up to hoses and sometimes languish under stagnant pools of water -- and the yields are low. Everything is done by hand, including, of course, the harvest. 

The result is a "base" wine (Rosso della Porticcia, no oak) that blows you away with its vibrant fruit and elegant balance; and a Riserva, a selection of grapes from the property, that seems like a Platonic ideal of "Sangiovese."

This Riserva has everything: red-fruit aromas and flavors, ringing acidity and a layered, subtle use of oak that reveals the wine's depth. Some intriguing, elusive quality keeps you sipping and discovering the wine's nuances. The Riserva has proven to be a big hit in steakhouses, and I suspect part of the reason may be the unencumbered way the oak enhances the richness of the prime beef.

 
The terroir of Casale Pozzuolo. Or, as we call it back home, dirt 

We're delighted to have these wines back in stock. They are seriously good wines. 

 

Lettie Teague in WSJ: On Soave. One of them's ours

There was a nice video and print review of Soave in general and several Soaves in particular in Saturday's Wall Street Journal, as presented by Lettie Teague. The title of the piece is "Italy's Soave White Wine Makes a Refreshing Return." For the past few years now wine writers have been heralding the new wave of Soaves, wines of much higher quality than was associated with the region for decades. And they've been correct.

Here is the link to the article.

Note that our producer, I Stefanini, is mentioned in the main body of the piece as well as at the end, where four specific wines are reviewed. In this case it's their wonderful cru, Monte de Toni. 

We deeply appreciate Lettie's solid review and her enthusiasm for the Stefanini wine.

 

This Freisa is a Nebbiolo in a WHAT??

Funny story.

My partner, Jeff Mazen, reports that a customer of his in New Jersey tasted the Freisa by Cascina Gilli and said:

"Oh my God! This is Nebbiolo in a bustier!"

Dignity. Always dignity

Which is the most accurate description of this wine ever. Kind of makes your mouth water.

 

 

This just in!

Some tasty Domenico Selections news bites today:

* Arriving in warehouse today new shipments of La Prebenda "Vero" Pinot Grigio. It's vero because it's 100% Pinot Grigio. Rather rare, that.

* Also newly arrived: Casale Pozzuolo's Rosso della Porticcia, an elegant 100% Sangiovese Grosso, unoaked and organically farmed and made. Glad to have it back in stock.

And a really tasty morsel:

* Lettie Teague is going to review our I Stefanini Monte de Toni 2008 in the Wall Street Journal this Saturday. Indications are that it will be quite a favorable review. Fingers crossed!

I'd provide links to our site, as usual, but the site's suffering from SQLitis and won't be repaired for a couple of days yet. We soldier on.

 

 

Beyond the sea

Cue up the jaunty sea music - click on the bar for a Django classic -- 

Beyond the Sea

 ladies and gents, we have a slew of new and reordered wines hitting these shores in July. 

Arriving next week, and not a minute too soon, will be our hit Pinot Grigio, "Vero" from La Prebenda on the Veneto-Trentino border, and the elegant, compulsively drinkable, unoaked Rosso della Porticcia from Casale Pozzuolo, the organic Tuscan producer of all Sangiovese, all the time. We recently ran out of these and are more than eager to get them back in our customers' cellars and glasses.

 

Another ship for these shores will be leaving Livorno in the next ten days, and this will be a larger, more varied cargo: More Barbaresco from Cascina Roccalini, the new 2010 "Selese" Soave from I Stefanini, yet more of the splendid 2005 Taurasi from Boccella, snappy 2010 Pecorino from Costantini -- and wines from our two newest producers, a trio of marvelous Friulian whites from Aquila del Torre and of course the stunning Valpolicellas with the Quintarelli "pedigree" from L'Arco.

As yet we have no Domenico Selections entries for the last two new wineries on our site. That would be your humble servant's job over this long weekend. Meanwhile, please visit the producers' sites at L'Arco and Aquila del Torre.

All of these wines will be present at the Domenico Selections trade tasting on September 26. We will be graced, at the New York venue, by several of our producers, notably Chiara Martinotti of Cascina Gilli, whose frizzante Malvasia is doing very well despite Strappo's personal misgivings about its sellability; Francesca Ciani of Friuli and the family winery Aquila del Torre; and, for one day only in New York, that up-and-coming wine star, Luca Fedrigo of L'Arco, he of the Quintarelli "pedigree."