Saturday Tasting - Michael Downey Imports
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Time:
1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Location:
The Wine Cabinet
Category:
Bill McKenney knows all about St. Patrick's Day (he's Italian!!)
Bearboat Vineyards Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley $23:
Bearboat Vineyards Chardonnay, Russian River Valley $20:
Grotta del Sole Aglianico $13:
Grotta del Sole Coda di Volpe (Tail of the Fox) $13:
Vietti Barbera D'Asti $20:
Vietti Roero Arneis $25:
Bearboat's Pinot is very fruit-forward and concentrated, but without the “candied” element in so many at this price level-- really quite restrained and serious.
Excellent with a variety of meats, game, even tuna!
Bearboat Vineyards Chardonnay, Russian River Valley $20:
Bearboat’s parent company, Rémy-Amerique , also owns one of the most highly-regarded French barrel-making companies, enabling Bearboat to use virtually the best wood on the market for their reasonably-priced, top-notch Russian River Valley wines from burgundian varietals. Bearboat’s winemaker, Raphael Brisebois, hails from Alsace; he trained at Piper-Heidseick in Champagne; helped start Piper-Sonoma; and was winemaker for Iron Horse Vineyards for seven years. He sure has experience with Chardonnay and Pinot-- now he does it without the bubbles. Beautiful balance of apple and pear flavors, with just a hint of oak. A great all-round Chard at a very reasonable price.
With rich seafood dishes and poultry.
Grotta del Sole Aglianico $13:
Throughout the region, Cantine Grotta del Sole has a group of growers under longterm contract to grow one of the regions most historic grapes, Aglianico. The name is a corruption of Hellenico or Ellenico, from vitis hellenica, meaning “vine of the Greeks.” Considered southern Italy’s noblest vine, it may have been the grape of Rome’s famed Falernian, a wine that was the object of many a Classic Roman writer’s interest. This bottling is young Aglianico, fresh and soft, meant to be drunk in the first few years after release.
A real Pizza-Pasta-Burger wine.
Grotta del Sole Coda di Volpe (Tail of the Fox) $13:
The estate Cantine Grotta del Sole is owned by the Martusciello family of Quarto, province of Naples, and was begun as a “wine project” to rediscover and bring to notice the quality wine traditions of the Campania region. The focus is on tipicità, or “authenticity,” emphasizing the finest historic traditions. Coda di Volpe is a native grape, grown around Vesuvius (the Roman writer Pliny the Elder named it Cauda vulpium (“fox tail”) after the form of its berry clusters). It has aromas and flavors of citrus and apricot, and a pleasant finish.
Perfect with calamari; try it with other seafoods and chicken dishes.
Vietti’s Barbera d’Asti is a blend from three vineyards in Agliano d’Asti. Production is about 1,500 cases per year. It is aged for 10 months in large barrels and held in bottle for another year before release. Dark berry flavors with mild tannins and a fine finish.
With full-flavored pasta dishes and many meats.
Vietti Roero Arneis $25:
Arneis quite nearly became extinct-- the money to be made was in Nebbiolo, and many producers would remove old Arneis vines and replant with the cash crop--until the Vietti family, together with a few others, decided to make Arneis a specialty. They have largely succeeded: With clonal selection, they have brought to the market an Arneis with lovely floral scents. It has that intense pear-peach-apple fruit, with hints of almond, and the body is surprisingly full, with a lovely texture. All in all, a success.
Superb with full-flavored fish: trout, pike and salmon, and with most poultry dishes.
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