Showing posts with label Tuscany. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tuscany. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

ANTINORI SANGIOVESE SANTA CHRISTINA 2009 AT PANE E VINO


Antinori Sangiovese Santa Christina

Pane e Vino, on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, has been a nice Monday evening dining option lately.  The food's great any night, but Monday the restaurant has been offering half-price wine from their list which features a healthy assortment of Italian options.

The Antinori Sangiovese Santa Christina is from Toscana IGT.  The Tuscan red doesn't bowl you over with brawn, but it drinks easily even for a young wine.

Medium dark color, this wine offers a nose of cherry and licorice with a tar component.  On the palate, I find cherry to be the dominant flavor.  It's not too rich, even a bit thin for my taste.  It does pair well with pasta, though, especially the dish I had with Italian sausage browned almost crispy.  At $7.75 it's a good deal. At half price, a steal.

My friend Chris commented that he had taken his Italian mother to Pane e Vino, and she was quite impressed with the food. He added that the cooking tastes as good as his mother's, which is high praise.

Monday, September 6, 2010

PRELIUS VERMENTINO MAREMMA 2008 AT GRICO IN EXETER, PA


Prelius Vermentino

Another night, another family and friends gathering in northeastern Pennsylvania for my wife and me.  This dinner found us at Grico's  in Exeter, PA.  We were advised to grab one of the curtained, private booths, but they are best for smaller, more romantic tete-a-tetes.  Our party of six ended up in the Library Room, a private dining room in the front of the restaurant with pictures of books on the walls.
Owner/chef Pat Greenfield maintains quite a reputation in the Wyoming Valley and her restaurant is recommended by locals as a dining hotspot.  The food certainly deserves recognition.  It's good enough to keep people dining there for 75 years - much, much longer than she's been around.  The Grico's wine list showed plenty of imported - and expensive - choices by the bottle.  Maybe as a nod to the hard times the area has seen in recent years, there was a separate "20 Wines For Under $20" list.  That's $20 per bottle, by the way.  Our wine for the evening came from that list.
The Prelius estate is in Tuscany's hilly Maremma region.  The grapes are organically farmed and the estate has Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Vermentino growing in the sandy soil of a slope just two miles from the sea.
The Vermentino is only 13% abv, and is aged three months in the bottle.  A 100% varietal wine, it is very pale in color and has tons of minerals on the nose, along with a hint of sea shells.  Tropical notes dominate the palate and a bit of lemon zest adds a nice zing.  The acidity level is plenty high for food pairing, but maybe a little too high for sipping.  It matched quite nicely with my sea scallops.  Despite the acidic edge, the mouthfeel of this wine was actually somewhat creamy and full.

Friday, June 25, 2010

BIBI GRAETZ TESTAMATTA CASAMATTA BIANCO 2008


Casamatta Bianca Vermentino 2008

Terra Rossa is the Italian restaurant in the Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas.  I always like to stop in for at least a glass of wine when I'm there, as their wine list offers lots of tasty Italian varietal wines.  The food's pretty good, too.

The underlit onyx bar is just past the maitre'd stand in the entrance from the casino floor.  Once inside, it's easy to get a break from the sound of the casino and spend a little of all that cash the slot machines and blackjack tables have been awarding.  (Pause for laughter.)

My most recent visit to Terra Rossa was in the early afternoon.  I seem to remember them opening later, around 5:00, so it was nice to see them open for lunch on Saturday.

I'm a sucker for Vermentino, and when I saw one on the menu, that's all it took to make up my mind.  It's from Bibi Graetz , Testamatta Casamatta Bianco.  A white wine from the Tuscan coast, this is one of Terra Rossa's less expensive wines by the glass at nine dollars.

The nose has bit of ocean air and a wonderful greenness to it, more like a plant than a flower.  There's a hint of petroleum in the aromas, too, which was a surprise.

The taste is heavy on the minerals with a canteloupe note and hint of lime.  Acidity isn't really a factor until the finish, but it does come along nicely there and linger awhile.  It should pair nicely with any kind of seafood.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Terrabianca Campaccio Toscana 2005


After a trip to the Santa Monica Farmers Market, we stopped in to a restaurant familiar to us from its fantastic Larchmont Village location.  La Bottega Marino in West Los Angeles also serves great Italian cooking.  If you're worried about authenticity, don't.  Their chef is from Naples.  My spaghetti Bolognese was so good that my wife - of Italian heritage - was tasting it from my plate.  Her meatball sandwich met with her approval and mine.  She took home half of it and I was the beneficiary of it later in the day.

The only complaint I have is that their by-the-glass wine list is a bit skimpy.  As a matter of fact, the Piemonte Barbera I ordered was out of stock.  The waiter offered me a Tuscan blend at the same price - nine dollars - and I gladly accepted. 

Terrabianca Campaccio is a Tuscan blend of 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The winery is in the heart of Italy's Chianti Classico region, and the 12 clones of the two varieties were produced 40% in that region and 60% in Maremma. 

Some soapy looking bubbles around the edge of the glass after pouring dissapated quickly.  The wine has a dark purple color waith an earthy blackberry scent and a trace of pencil lead.  The structure is quite nice.  Its dark, earthy aroma is borne out on the palate, too.  The fruit presents itself strongly in this brooding, full-bodied drink. 

The Terrabianca paired very well with the bolognese, as if it had been made for it.  Oh, I suppose it probably was.  Great food and great wine are enough to make me want a return visit to La Bottega Marino.  Throw in some of that Billie Holiday they were playing during our lunch, and that return visit could be a reality by the time you read this.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Ruffino Il Ducale Toscana 2004

I saw Il Ducale (a more recent vintage) on sale at Ralph's recently, and it made me think of a bottle of their 2004 I had at least a year ago, maybe longer.  I had notes on it, so I'm presenting them here.

"Classy looking maroon and wheat label with a picture of an etching.  It looks to be a nobleman being served a glass of wine by a young fellow dressed a lot like Robin Hood.  There is a woman waiting, off to the side, and some horses on the other side.  A hilltop peaks in the background and forms a pyramid directly over the nobleman's glass of wine.  Or maybe it was water.  Who really knows?

"There's a lot at play on this whiff.  Seems like blackberries, cherries and what my wife calls a "grape jelly" aroma predominate.  She means the liquid grape jelly, before it is made into jelly.  We also smell Band Aids and a little petrol, or creosote.  Something like that.  Very interesting smell.

"I love Sangiovese, and Ruffino does it so well.  This is no exception. The fruit is bold, but not overpowering.  The wine feels good in the mouth, but not too heavy.  Nice finish that leaves me wanting more. I had the wine with a blue cheese.  It tasted great, although the cheese was probably a bit too much for the wine.  This bottle came from my local supermarket, Ralph's, who had it on sale for about $16.  It's usually a $22 bottle.  It always tastes better when you got a good deal, doesn't it?"

Variety:  80% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot, 5% other red varieties
Appellation:  Italy > Tuscany
Vineyard:  Ruffino Estate and other Tuscan
Vintage:  2004
Alcohol Level:  12.5% abv
Price:  $16
Acquisition disclaimer:  Purchased by the author

Monday, September 7, 2009

Il Poggiale Trebbiano 2007


The Bottle: The front label proudly proclaims this Tuscany White Wine to be a product of Italy, with an abv of 12.5%. It's imported by Casa Torelli of Santa Monica.

The Nose: There's a lot of minerality in the aromas, producing a fairly pungent nose to go with the pale golden color. A faint fruitiness or even a floral aspect is present, but definitely in a supporting role to the aroma of wet rocks. Nice!

The Taste:
This wine feels very good in the mouth. It's got a some heft and a good, clean taste that carries a bit of smoky nuttiness along with the minerals and fruit. It's great with Parmesan cheese.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Tasting Event: A Taste of Tuscany


I really should have written about this event already. It's two weeks after the fact, and I want to go to it again. My friend Nicolas Soufflet - pictured at right - staged this little taster in Hollywood, and did a fine job with it. When he does another one - and I know he will - you should attend.

A Taste of Tuscany was held at Victors Square Restaurant, on Bronson north of Franklin in Hollywood. It was a
very nice setup, with the restaurant pretty much devoted to our crowd. Three tables were arranged like a square with a side missing. This gave Nicolas a stage of sorts from which to work. A stand-up map of Tuscany loomed large, so we could all have a visual reference of where the wines were produced. Much of the space was filled with cases of the wines we were to taste. Nicolas stood in front of the map and explained in detail the specifics of the wines we were tasting. His knowledge and personality provided at least as much enjoyment as the wines. And that's saying a lot.

Big props should go to
Bill Gotti, the owner of Victors Square. He not only provided the space for the event, he also provided a few stories for our pleasure, as well as a menu of some mighty delicious pasta dishes.

On to the wines! Here's what I tasted:

Vernaccia di San Gimignano - Tuscan white, 100% Vernaccia. A pale golden color, very light nose. Dry and refreshing with minerals, citrus, good acidity. Hint of wet rocks, strong minerality.

Trebbiano Toscano Bianco
- Another white, from the Barco Reale region of Tuscany. Trebbiano is the white counterpart to Sangiovese. 85% Trebbiano, 15% Malvasia. Pale color and pungent nose, very clean taste with a good finish. Smokey flavor, very smooth. Great with Parmesan cheese.


Morellino di Scansano
- 100% Sangiovese. Medium purple, dark fruit nose, great flavor of blackberry, plum, black cherry. A nice finish, very clean with a kiss of oak.


Morello Toscano Rosso
- 75% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. Darker ruby color, oakier nose. Aromas of black cherry. Medium mouthfeel, dark fruit, currant, some vanilla. Good acidity; needs a steak! A bit lightweight for me, but a nice taste saves the day.


Chianti Riserva
- 100% Sangiovese. Quite dark ruby color. Oak very predominant on nose. Medium mouthfeel. A little oaky, showing a bit of spice, plums, some raspberry. Again a lightweight feel.


Rosso di Montalcino - 100% Sangiovese. Deep red with a nose full of roses and oak. Tannic & fruity - plums. Very good for food, with great acidity. This wine is very easy to drink.

Vin Santo del Chianti
- 70% Trebbiano, 30% Malvasia. Very good dessert wine, salmon in color with some tawny looking shades. Could be the light. A sweet nose and a sweet, nutty palate. VERY good with biscotti. My wife is a big fan of barley candy, and she said this wine had very strong notes of that treat from her childhood.