The Riggs Fulmer Newsletter
No. 12
May 21, 2009
The Newsletter is affiliated with no one but its author
Please respond to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line and you will be removed from the list.
Retailers and restaurants set pricing; think of the prices below as very educated guesswork- restaurant prices will likely be around double those listed.
No. 12
May 21, 2009
The Newsletter is affiliated with no one but its author
Please respond to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line and you will be removed from the list.
Retailers and restaurants set pricing; think of the prices below as very educated guesswork- restaurant prices will likely be around double those listed.
Well, friends, I’m returned from my sojourn in the steamy southlands, having suffered gas station food, sunburn, hives, and California drivers along the way. It was well worth the trip, although I have absolutely nothing of vinous import to impart, unless you count the Thai restaurant review I promised. I visited Siam Lotus, on Haight Street, and I’ll give you the skinny post wine.
But, without furthur ado (ahem), let’s get back to what’s important: Italian wine! Just a few golden weeks ago, at the fabulous Italian winetasting I attended courtesy of Triage, I tasted some of the most delicious, esoteric Oenotrian wines I’ve had in some time, to wit:
Degustazione di Vino Italiano, Triage Wines
This was, as I mentioned, a great tasting. The folks over at Triage are known for such, and this one was typical, from the huge boulder of Reggiano to the brilliant array of completely interesting, extra-Piemontese wines. I’ll get it started with a reprise of the two wines from this tasting I’ve already written up…
2007 Muri-Gries Lagrein Rosato $14 (Südtirol)
This rosato sees no skin maceration at all- the free-run juice is already pink in color. This wine is actually their traditional wine; they did not make a red Lagrein until recent years, in response to international demand. Made to this day by monks, this little charmer preens with cranberries and summer hay. On the palate its minerality will make you blush, twining around and through blueberries, fresh melon, and mossy stones. Soft, but with excellent lift, this is a wonderful rosé.
2006 Lonardo Grecomusc’ Campania Bianco IGT $27 (Campagna)
Grecomusc’ (pron. Grek-o-moosh) is an indigenous white grape to the region. This is the first I’ve had, and I shore do hope it ain’t the last! The nose only hints at the sunny opulence below, all sweet papaya skins and banana. Then comes the breathtaking, mouth-watering cascade of galactic minerality, starfruit, and gushing key limes and citron zest. My notes read, “Gorgeous! Say it again! Gorgeous!”
…and now, the best values…
2006 Felline Alberello Rosso Salento $10 (Puglia)
A regionally typical blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro, this bloody little gem is a perfect burgers-and-steak wine. Its sweet, stewed, Amaron-y cherries call out for grilled flesh, and there’s even a touch of minerality to the finish. Very nice.
2006 Montellori Chianti DOCG $12
Perfect, thirst-quenching Chianti, possessed of old-school structure, but hung on a graceful, new-styled frame. The wine is all sexy, animal leather and black cherries, with wonderful minerals and typically Italian earth in the mouth.
…and the highlights…
2006 Camillo Donati Malvasia dell’Amelia $18 (Emilia-Romagna)
A beautiful nose of hops and spring flowers is knit with rich cedar and dried herbs. This lightly sparkling wine is slightly cloudy, and a darker amber hue than most bubblies. This is due to extended maceration- indeed, the house vinifies their reds and whites in the same fashion. Persistent and absolutely delicious, this wine is in many ways reminiscent of a dry Belgian Saison ale. The long, dry finish goes on and on.
2006 Ca’ de Noci Bianco Frizzante Querciole $25 (Emilia-Romagna)
This wine is 100% Spergola, a native white grape possessed of naturally high acidity, making it particularly well-suited for sparkling wines. A big, bold, cheesy nose of Reggiano and stones hovers over a piercing, sexy sourness. 10 days’ maceration on the skins and unfiltered bottling make this an esoteric, animal little beauty, quite worth seeking out.
2006 La Biancara di Angiolino Maule Pico $35 (Veneto)
Almost like a super-Soave, this Garganega wine has the kind of R-rated nose that initiates crave…as do the shamelessly concupiscent. The nose is cheerfully dirty, showing sexy flesh, hops, and lemons. In the mouth it twirls and preens, completely pretty, all stones and limes, with excellent length and lip-tickling acidity.
2006 Noussan Torrette $28 (Vallé d’Aoste)
What a remarkable red wine! Composed of indigenous varietals (Petit Rouge, Cornalin, and Vien de Nus), the juice is a celebration of sweet, piercing dark cherry and Italian blueberries. Gorgeous and expansive in the mouth, it flaunts perfect minerality on its medium-long finish. So sexy and delicious- yum!
2002 Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore Riserva “Sassella” $35 (Lombardia)
The locals here claim that Nebbiolo, or, as they call it here, Chiavennasca, is native to this northern region, that the Piemontese are mere upstarts with the grape. Whatever the truth, they make some really nice wines from it up in the mountains. This one, smelling for all the world like a well-aged Oregon Pinot, but with darker fruit, shows wonderful expanse. It is a wash of delicious herbs, cherries, and blood, a deft balance of weight and lift.
2004 Nusserhof Lagrein Riserva $25 (Südtirol)
Always one of my favorite Lagreins, this wine is all cherry compote and chocolate, sotto bosco blood and jam. The finish, alive with starry acids, has a killer wild cherry minerality. Unusually light on its feet, this is a beautifully serious wine.
2005 Montesecondo Chianti Classico $25
A geeky, delicious celebration of old world Chianti. The nose is all barnyard trumpet oil and cherryskins, while in the mouth the hops, blood, and wild cherries show fabulous extraction, and a surprising fan of roasted nuts graces the finish. Raw and refined- classically Tuscan.
2006 Occhipinti Siccagno Nero d’Avola $36 (Sicily)
Maybe the best Nero d’Avola I’ve ever had, the grapes for this wine are grown at the very edges of vegetative possibility, high in the arid crags of the Sicilian mountains. This wine, in its sexy, feminine complexity, is like a desert flower. Its savage beauty sings of sweet black raspberries and stones, bloody roses, wild cherries, and the Mediterranean wind. Not too heavy, with great balance… OK, I’m smitten, what can I say?
...all right, now you’re ready for my
WHERE TO EAT THAI WHEN ROAMING THE UPPER HAIGHT RECOMMENDATION
Have you ever wondered where to eat Thai when roaming the Upper Haight? Nothing will complement that bag of incense in your hand like the succulent, spicy fare at Siam Lotus Thai Cuisine (1705 Haight St., San Francisco, CA). The specials board is awash in yummy seafood, and all the hits are seemingly available, as I found when I ordered their pad ga prau (spicy basil). The tofu was perfectly fried, the vegetables plentiful and fresh, and the spicy brown sauce was lifted by the abundance of fragrant basil leaves. And, at $12 with a soda, not too bad a deal when visiting the big city. It was a lot better than the $9 torta I experienced the next day!
OK, then. Sorry if you were hoping for all sorts of juicy stories from my adventures on the Bus, but it was really quite a tame little voyage. Our driver is a born-again Christian teetotaler, after all! This did cut into my plans to finally get some use out of my albariño thermos, but I made it through nonetheless.
I hope the week away from the RFN found you all well; personally, I’m feeling just like Nixon: tanned, rested, and ready! We’ll see you next week. Have a great, safe weekend.
And remember to check out all the action over at The Purple World: http://riggsfulmerwine.blogspot.com !
--
Riggs Fulmer
Wine. Words. Music.
Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.
-Aristophanes
No comments:
Post a Comment