The Tre Bicchieri wine tasting event in NYC

The NYC Gambero Rosso event was a true wine lover orgy: over 200 producers, barolos, amarones and brunellos poured generously, tables full of quality cheeses and fruit... A formidable vino extravaganza! Without a doubt a great strategy to educate New Yorkers about Italian wines... I tasted probably around 50 wines, mostly reds, obviously after first 10 my judging ability was seriously compromised:)

If I was to complain about anything, it would be the general, systemic overoaking of Italian reds... I guess this is the taste of the ruling class (chuckles), but i don't give a crap: if I wanna smell a wooden floor I stay home. And so I would like to mention a few memorable selections from ambitious, small and not so big producers that allow grapes be grapes.

My favorite red was a Sagrantino di Montefalco from an Umbrian micro producer Villa Mongalli: the 2006 and 2007 vintages, offered to distributors at $28, were the first (and last, to make sure it was really that good) wines I tasted... The real, deep dark chocolate and giant, gripping but fully under control tannis, along with cherry liquor, dark fruit, coffee, molasses and so much more, this traditionally produced wine is a gentle powerhouse. Ironically although aged in oak for 8 months, oakiness is just a minor background note in the palette... Equally interesting was Vigneto Fracia Valtellina Superiore red from Lombardian staple winemaker Nino Negri. Floral smelling, savoury tasting high-altitude nebiollo with fantastic, engaging dry fruit in the finish. So well done.

Amongst white selections I was totally seduced by this modest yet incredibly sophisticated/ complex Soave Il Casale 09' from Agostino Vicentini (Veneto). Mineral, vibrant with pear, apple and tropical fruit notes, drinking this wine is like watching a good movie... Finally the Colli de Luni Vermentino by Ligurian winemaker Lunae... a wonderful, energetic white with a floral nose and acacia honey, peach and almond mouth. Also delicious and full of rustic personality was their red blend Niccolo V.

I'd like to also mention two wines that perhaps I wouldn't drink daily but were great and stuck with me: a classic, austere and no nonsense Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato 2006, and cheesy/meaty/funky on the nose Codronchio Albana di Romagna 2008 by Fattoria Monticino Rosso, which was truly refreshing and striking in its balanced tartness.

It is also important to mention that the whole event was free after registration: right on!

Antonelli Sagrantino di Monterfalco Secco, 2000

Dry cheese and white flower nose (acacia, lily of the valley). Pretty full body, deep red shifting toward tea brown. The mouth revealed some signs of maturity: yellow apple, very dry prune, seriously bitter spices, licorice and molasses. Followed by a sudden onset of mouth-puckering tannin, fading into cocoa and funky, lasting sugar cane. Paired with porcini papardelle and pork sausage appeared to be slightly overwhelming: this wine calls for wild game. The real stuff.

80 points

Less known Italian varieties...

Motta Giove Ciliegiolo 2008

Very seldom Ciliegiolo appears as a varietal wine. It's a Tuscan/Umbrian grape which was traditionally added to Chianti. This bottle comes from a small producer located on the south-east corner of Tuscany.
Young, medium body, fruity with a unique bitterness which makes the whole thing attractive. The nose is a puny sweet cherry... but the taste is pretty awesome: red currant, black sour cherry, cherry pit and a bit of tobacco in the finish. Nice vibrant red color with shades of purple. Gave me a minor headache in the morning, but it was worth it:)

$20 @ Union Square Wines NYC
79 points







Zongola Montefalco Sangrantino 2003

Not exactly rare if you are into Italian wines... but Sagrantino from Umbria is local and quite fantastic. I believe in a few years it will make it to the pantheon of great Italian wines along with Amarone, Brunello and Barolo. Thick, full bodied, very tannic, ripe dark fruit, dry and chalky, big chocolate and cinnamon finish. A perfect winter treat.

$32 @ Union Square Wines NYC
75 points









Agricola Punica Montessu Isola dei Nuraghi, 2007

This Sardinian cuvee was really tasty, mainly Carignano (60%) and the rest Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. Powerful, deep fruit, mainly plum and some anonymous berries, licorice, pretty long tannic finish. This wine scores over 90 points. The bottle was good, but for the price I would hope for a little more personality. A bit too generic...

34$ @ Italian Wine Merchants NYC
79 points

Some decent Italians

Antano Montefalco Rosso, 2007

This was probably the most successful of the three bottles...
A hearty, organic Sagrantino/Sangiovese/Merlot cuvee from Umbria. Rustic, chunky, charming... cherry/plum and gentle, buttery oak bottle, nothing extraordinary, but very pleasant and solid. It will age well, I'd like to try it in a couple of years.

The Ten Bells, NYC $49
73 points











Cantina Rotaliana Teroldego, 2006

An easy drinking item from Alto Adige: medium body, ruby red, ambiguous red fruit and green apple acidity. I didn't like the Rioja style sweaty/lactic nose which took away from the experience. Over all, teroldego is an ancient and interesting Alpine variety worth checking out.

D.O.C Wine Bar, Brooklyn 39$
69 points











Taurasi Dei Feudi Di San Gregorio, 2005

I picked up this bottle in a supermarket in Rome (25 Euro) and was quite excited about trying Taurasi from Campania for the first time. What a disappointment: the perfectly fine Aglianico grape was totally overwhelmed by harsh, abrasive French(?) oak tannin. Some prune and fig managed to break through after a while. This wine is a victim of the global oak-till-you-drop trend:(
60 points

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).