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*WINE TASTING: GIFT-WORTHY WINES SAT. DEC. 10, 2-5PM

After a long day of digging out and re-shoveling on Friday, we received an early xmas present: a delivery of wine. Yes, we get a lot of wine delivered here, a lot of really great stuff – but we waited more than five years for this one: a very memorable wine that we encountered on our first trip to Italy. No, it’s not a Barolo or Barbaresco – it’s not even red—it’s a Pigato from BRUNA. A dry, minerally white that may belong more to summer than to winter, but it’s here now, finally, and we’re happy to share it with you at the tasting on Saturday.

Whites

2004 RICCARDO BRUNA “Le Russeghine” Pigato Riviera Ligure di Ponente $30 We first tasted this enchanting white five years ago while visiting the Ligurian coast (Italian Riviera). Enamored of its maritime aromas, crisp, dry fruit and velvety texture, we asked for it everywhere we ate as the perfect partner to the tender, sweet seafood all along the coast. Grown on steep, terraced slopes that run down to the Mediterranean, this is 100% Pigato from old-vine grapes in Le Russeghine vineyard. Riccardo and his daughter Francesca run the family wine operation, and they insisted that there was too little production to export to the U.S. Undeterred, we began what turned into a five-year quest to obtain this very wine on our shores! It’s here on our shelf, at long last, and there is no better pairing with frutte di mare (seafood)!

2004 COLTERENZIO SAUVIGNON BLANC “LAFOA” $36 (Alto Adige) Top Sauvignon Blanc from perennial award-winning producer Colterenzio. This wine is produced from 100% Sauvignon Blanc grapes grown in the cool rolling hills around Girlan in Alto Adige, which enjoys optimum exposure to sunlight. This is an extraordinarily harmonious wine, tightly-knit on the palate, smooth and generous with a firm backbone of acidity.

2004 FORCA REAL “Les Hauts de la Forca Real” Malvasia $30 Only 166 cases were made from 100 year-old Malvasia vines. Quite aromatic with great richness, weight and ripeness. The schiste soil provides an underlying minerality and refreshing acidity. Toasty notes from oak, beautiful fruit and substantial grip contribute to the significant palate presence. 

Reds

2002 CLOS ADELINE POMEROL Bordeaux $35 Only 4,000 bottles (333 cases) from 4,000 vines were made by winemaker Patrick Esben- a true garagiste in Pomerol. Predominantly Merlot blended with cabernet franc, this tiny production-bordeaux offers rich raspberry fruit with garrigue herbal notes. Distinctive and strong personality. Extraordinary.

2001 TRIACCA SFORZATO “San Domenico” Valtellina $54 Three Glasses  Domenico Triacca’s extensive investment of time and energy into his Valtellina vineyards and research into the nebbiolo grape has resulted in wines with a strong personality expressive of their terroir. The Sforzato 2001 has won a well-deserved Three Glasses Award for the second consecutive year, bringing the number of top awards to four. Valtellina is a small valley in the alpine foothills. The Sforzato is made from Nebbiolo grapes that are dried before being made into wine, similar to an amarone. Sforzato combines the fine-grained quality of Nebbiolo with a hint of dried fruit character that adds richness and complexity.  “From a unique marriage of human skill and the forces of nature, this wine opens up slowly on the nose with spicy notes and hints of coffee. The palate is elegant with balanced concentration, a firm tannic weave, and a long, expanding finish.”—Gambero Rosso

1999 PIAN DELL’ ORINO BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO $57

This small property (located next door to the famed Biondi-Santi estate) farms 12 acres of Sangiovese Grosso. This Brunello is a classic: warmly aromatic, complex, lush, earthy dark cherry fruit intermingled with hints of dark chocolate, all carrying through beautifully on the palate. Medium-bodied and solid in structure, its velvety tannins deliver a long finish. What a Brunello should be.

1999 PRODUTTORI DEL BARBARESCO RISERVA “Montestefano” $50 Winner of “Three Glasses” Award VINTAGES EXCLUSIVE  The 1999 Montestefano is sensuous stuff, made simply and purely in the traditional way. Known as “the Barolo of Barbaresco,” 1999 Montestefano reveals a classic vintage of great complexity and power, intense fruit, firm tannins, and a very long finish. 1999 was a great vintage in Piedmont; according to Aldo Vacca, the best since 1971. “Montestefano” has excellent aging potential (20-40 years), but this wine is deeply seductive even now. Aromas of white truffle and cocoa, beautiful sweet tannins, pure flavors of dark cherry and leather. Best enjoyed with risotto, fresh pasta, game, pork, red meat, cheese. (Avoid garlic and spicy tomato sauce with these wines.) 36 mos. aging in large oak barrels. Five hectares of vineyard; 1,400 cases made.

Salut!

Eric & Carolyn
VINTAGES-Adventures in Wine
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