Bracco Chianti Classico Riserva 2004

This was a very balanced Chianti. Typically this wine can retail from anywhere between 30 and 40 dollars per bottle but at Warehouse Wines & Spirits in Manhattan it retailed for about 10. The store recommended opening the bottle two hours before being served. An interesting note on Chianti wines is that they must be produced in Tuscany and made up of at least 80% Sangiovese grapes in order to be called Chianti per Italian legislation set forward in the 70's. Another interesting note on this wine is that it belongs to Bracco Wines of Lorraine Bracco, the actress who plays the psychotherapist in the HBO series The Sopranos.

On the nose this wine had a hint of berries, vanilla and pepper. On the taste, with two hours of decanting, this was one of the most well balanced wines I have ever had. Granted I don't have too much experience with Chantis. It had faint tannins, a slight licorice taste mixed with berries. Medium body and medium red color, this wine will go well with pastas and salads.

Map of the Côte de Nuits

Check out this pretty detailed map of village appellations in Burgundy/ Côte de Nuit. Red areas represent red Grand Crus, purple 1-er Crus. Probably the best place on earth to drink pinot noirs. Click on the image to enlarge.

Player 1!

My friend Paul found this... God knows where:)
How cool is this, I can't wait to order a bottle and check it out. I'll keep you posted!



"8-Bit Vintners is the creative love child of Mike James. His passion for wine and love of gaming has come together to create the coolest mash-up since The Flintstones met The Jetsons. All fruit comes from high-end vineyards within Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley AVA's. It is produced with the highest winemaking standards in Walla Walla, WA and aged in a selection of fine cooperage.

My wine is for anyone who spent time trying to save a princess or fit odd shaped blocks together. We may have never met, but we have more in common than we ever knew. So blow out that old Contra cartridge, give the NES a good dust off, and pour yourself a glass"

Player 1, $18

The inaugural vintage of Player 1 displays the quality and diversity of fruit that is being produced in Eastern Washington. Player 1 is blended from various vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope, and Walla Walla Valley. 2007 was a moderately warm growing season with long, dry, sunny days that allowed for extended hang time during harvest. This wine shows an accessible and approachable style that is both fun to drink now and has the acidity and tannins to hold up for 5 years plus.

Appellation: Walla Walla Valley, Wahluke Slope, and Columbia Valley
Blend: 50% Syrah, 30% Tempranillo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carmenere, 5% Malbec
Harvest Date: August and September 2007
Bottling Date: July 2009
Cooperage: French, American, and Hungarian for 18 to 22 months
Alcohol: 14.1%
pH: 3.74

Callia Alta- Syrah/Bonarda 2006 Valle de Tulum, San Juan, Argentina

Callia Alta - Syrah/Bonarda 2006 Valle de Tulum, San Juan, Argentina

Price U$ 8

Found this at a food fair in South America. Great wine for under 10 dollars.

San Juan has become one of the newest regions in Argentina to come out with quality wines
along with the Patagonia.

This combines the Bonarda and Syrah varieties which gives a rich ruby wine,
with sweet tanins and rich fruit aromas. Pretty smooth finish as well.

Combines well with pasta, thai and chinese food according to the maker.

The Umbrian Experience

So, about my Umbrian experience…

We were staying amongst the rather wild and empty hills of Umbria. The closest town was Spoletto, but to go to Montefalco wouldn’t take us longer then 1 hour. Because of the isolation of our house (nearest trattoria was about 7 km away of twisting, hilly road) we had to organize our meals at home, along with some more serious wine tasting sessions. Eventually it turned out to be the best solution: the restaurants in the area had a tendency to serve kind of “touristy” food, while the products of the region were awesome. Also our landlord was supplying us with fresh veggies and fruits from their garden, as well as homemade cakes…

http://www.agriturismovalnerina.it/home.htm

Both of us are devoted white wines drinkers, and, of course, we went through several lovely grechettos and trebbianos spolettino from Antonelli (nice choice – flowery, slightly spicy nose, for me best with simple food – prosciutto or seafood).
The interesting thing was that in Umbria, with it’s dry air, climate, and constantly present aromas of rosemary, truffles and venison, I suddenly started to feel a vampiric need for heavy, dry and even tannic wines. And that was exactly what the area had to offer.



Sololoro (Fontecolle, Montefalco 2005) – I really enjoyed this wine. It’s cuvee of sangiovese (about 70%), sagrantino, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Nice structure, fresh and fruity. Tender but expressive. We had it with pasta with dried ricotta and truffles, wild boar sausage and local olive oil. (I would rate it 82/100)


Rubesco Lungarotti (Rosso di Torgiano, 2005) – forest fruits, some spices, it was a little bit too concentrated for me, but drank with serious steak (look at the grill) worked pretty nice (73/100).

Hubert Lignier, Bourgogne, 1998

I took a little risk with this $35 Burgundy: a bit too old for a regional appellation from a mediocre vintage... But I knew that Ligner is known for some serious pinots, which are often biodynamic and crushed by pigéage (actually climbing into the tanks and pushing down the cap with your feet). Apparently only natural yeasts are used.

This must have been the driest, most schizophrenic French pinot noir I have ever had. I am suspecting some Négrette was added along the way... Over the two hours of drinking I briefly went through every item on the taste wheel, as if the wine was undergoing a rapid chain reaction.

If I was to describe some of the more stable elements of the nose I would say red fruit compote and fresh cheese, maybe yogurt. But there were also micro-bursts of truffle, jasmine, white pepper and wild strawberries. It was medium-bodied, very viscous, particulate and purplish-red with no signs of oxidation.

The mouth was more consistent (and mighty dry) with cranberry, mature yellow apple and bitter spice. The amount of tannin in this wine made me think of nebbiolo or tannat... I guess that was what kept it from yellowing. It was an adventure for sure ... if I had another bottle I would let it open for two hours... It coupled pretty well with ham wrapped prawns and boiled leeks.

Tartness in the finish would be my only real complaint.

Santa Julia, Organic Tempranillo 2008

Just a quick enthusiastic note about this $8 organic tempranillo from Maipu, Mendoza... I had it at friends gallery afterparty, and was pretty surprised...
This is a big, complex wine; figs, blueberry and other fruit jam flavors, with a nice round nose of blackberry. And its organic! Earlier that evening i had some $14 a glass Rioja at La Boqueria and it didn't even come close. Seriously, I am going to Argentina!

Brunello Di Montalcino, Fattoria La Lecciaia 2003

This is how The Wine Spectator describes this bottle : "Raspberry, flowers and citrus fruits on the nose follow through to a full body, with lots of fruit. Almost jammy, but fresh and dense. Generous. Best after 2010. 9,000 cases made. 91 points".

Our bottle seemed to have none of the noble bouquet characteristics listed above, which means that either, for real, every bottle is different, or The Wine Spectator was drinking their stuff well after 2010:)

Brunello is a highly fetishized Toscan clone of Sangiovese isolated in the late 19 century by Clemente Santi. Indeed it is hard to find a Brunello that sucks, it is also hard to find a good one under $50.
2003 was not a stellar year for Brunellos, and that's why I found this bottle for $32 (BQE Liquors, Brooklyn).

Dark ruby color with amber tinge, full, oily body. Prune and a touch of banana on the nose.
Taste ways it was all prune, fig, some fennel, and a slightly dissappointing oak finish. I guess my expectations were a little too high, still an awesome treat. And definitely don't drink it with baked bronzino and spicy mussels.

Agua de Piedra, Mendoza, Argentina 2007 - Malbec

It looks like I am on Malbec roll these days, and this one has been the best one yet. Agua de Piedra is about an 11 USD bottle; great value. The texture rather silky and the color is on the lighter side for a Malbec. On the nose I got blackberry, salt, fresh cut grass and pepper. The view beyond the bottle by the way is the Hudson River Valley north of NYC.

On the taste this Malbec has some red plum, cranberry, and a hint of apple. It is slightly bitter on the aftertaste which is long lasting. Definitely worth its money and it actually surpasses many Malbecs that are even twice its price.

Dom Martinho, Domaines Barons De Rotschild (Lafite), 2005

Tonight's treat was a Portuguese bottle from the southern region of Alentejo, produced by a Rotschild/Boredeaux affiliated Sociedade Agricola Quinta Do Carmo. ($17)

This rather intense wine is a blend of Aragonez (Tempranillo), Cab. Sauvignon and Syrah. Think of it as your nice Bordeaux on steroids. After the first sip I felt like I just smoked a Cuban cigar... while sucking on a salt-lick. Over all a super fun wine, but it completely overwhelmed our dinner of acorn squash soup, prosciutto and sprout salad :(

Full body, deep red shifting toward brick, a nose of sweet plum an cherry.
The mouth begins with an attack of syrupy sour cherry, then cola and salt mid palette, with an over the top finish of tobacco and some other bitter, herbal notes.

You simply have to have a rare buffalo steak with this bottle.

Update: saved a glass for the next day and the salt/cola tuned into a very smooth blueberry... also pretty good. Go figure!

Otello Malbec Reserva 2007 Mendoza Argentina

Personally I am not a lover of Malbec wines but this was an interesting bottle. The retail cost of this bottle is about USD$ 25.00. The nose had blackberry, vanilla and hints of other fruits.

On the taste it was slightly bitter with black olives, quinine, and wood. It was fairly tannic and had a very long finish. It would be interesting to hear some feedback about this wine from a Malbec fan.

Reserva Especial Sibaris Undurraga Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 Chile

This Sibaris was a fantastic bottle that I bought for about USD$30.00 in Medellin. I thoroughly enjoyed this wine and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys new world Cabernets. Chilean Cabernets are in my experience mostly very heavy dark wines but this one was lighter, almost playful with a lot of complexity.

The nose has black currant, oak wood, soil and minerals. The taste is rather dry with hints of pepper, green peppers, plums and cherry. The color is light for a Cabernet. It has a very gentle middle and finish. This wine is easy to drink and could go well with meats or spicy foods.