RFN # 2, pub. 3/5/09

The Riggs Fulmer Newsletter
No. 2
March 5, 2009

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Well, friends, it’s been a busy week in the purple world, and if it’s stylistically inelegant to begin with a spoken trope like “well” in a written piece, I trust you’ll forgive me, because the sheer volume of delicious wines being poured earlier this week could indeed overflow and well up and make Daniel Day Lewis himself proud.

The first big news of the week was, of course, the Taste of Walla Walla, held at the Portland Art Museum. The room was gorgeous and expansive, with a huge display of a green vineyard projected over the stage, giving the space a real sense of openness. Although the cheese selection left a little to be desired, the conversation, networking, and plain ole people watching were second to none. The wines were massive, and beautifully extracted, as you’d expect, but I was pleased to find a new delicacy among many of the offerings there. As usual, I began with whites, tasting as many as possible, but the reds were more impressive this year than in recent memory, so I began to go back and forth. I can do that- I’m a professional, right? Here are some highlights:

Ensemble Cellars Release Number Three
This eclectic blend of three vintages (2004-6), a house winemaking trademark, was the talk of the tasting, and I barely got to it before it was snatched away. A Bordelais blend, the wine was a riot of cherries, while still quite Euro in styling, with beautiful restraint and spicy acid on the finish. It struck me as an impeccable filet wine…

K Vintners 2007 “The Velvet Devil” Merlot
As the pourer said, “We’re bringing sexy back to Merlot,” and she ain’t lying! (Full disclosure: I really like WA Merlot in general…) What can you do, love him or love him more, the Big Man can sure make a great wine. This tremendous value- prices were not given, but I know this one to be under $15- had all the parts, an enticing bitter chocolate nose spun ‘round a core of cherry compote, but with (gasp!) great, food-loving acidity on the finish.

Adamant Cellars Sauvignon Blanc/ Semillon
This one wasn’t listed on the program, and my purple-toothed self failed to note the vintage, sorry! That said, this wine was delicious. Made in a slightly sweet style, which I often do not care for in SB/ Sem blends, the racy acids at the finish made it work. A feral, citric nose hovers over sweet gooseberry fruit in the mouth, with great European restraint and structure. Grill some halibut, serve it with mango salsa, and drink this wine!

Tertulia Cellars
This was my star at the tasting, a new winery to me. From the first sip of the Viognier, I knew I was going to like the rest, to wit:

2007 Viognier
Blended with 25% Roussanne, this wine is a dead ringer for Cairanne blanc. No joke! Far from a florist’s fruitbomb, this wine was lean and elegant, with charming French character from the very present Roussanne. Lavender blossoms from the Vio wound around white almonds, lemon zest, and stones-after-rain.

2006 Pepper Bridge Vyd. Merlot
As I suspected, this wine was also quite European in style. Although one wouldn’t mistake it for Bordeaux- it actually reminded me of an excellent Tuscan Merlot- it nonetheless oozed class, pedigree, and structure, with its dried cherries and pepper framed by sanguine acids.

…Moving on…

Tuesday found me in a tasting marathon, criss-crossing the city with stained teeth and scrawled notes, wandering about bemused in the half-warm afternoon, and what better way to begin than with a cornucopia of amazing northern Italian wines? What better way to end than with some of the best Spain has to offer? Read on-

First up was the Italian portfolio at Lemma Wine Company. Over the years, the Lemma family have built a great rapport with some of the most prestigious Italian producers, so this tasting is a treat year after year. Walch, Vietti, Vajra- the stars were out in the early afternoon! I’ll give you the highlights, then tempt you with a couple of superb rarities.

Elena Walch 2007 Pinot Bianco, Alto Adige
These wines are some of my favorites, year in and year out. That the two lovely Walch daughters, Karoline and Julia, held forth with wit and charm, didn’t hurt that impression. This great value shows a delicate nose of lemon meringue and pain grille.
On the palate it is vibrant, all crisp Asian pear fruit and a soft finish with feathery acidity.

2007 Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige
My favorite Grigio in some time, the nose had a compelling, acidic, green papaya aroma, and in the mouth, had great breadth and weight, with sexy, lifting acids on the finish. Wonderful with fresh seafood or delicate sheep’s milk cheeses.

2006 Chardonnay, Alto Adige
Wow! A steal at its sub-twenty price, this Chard is completely bereft of woody aromas. Instead the nose has a wonderful intensity, with fineness and edgy acidity: lilies, buddha’s hand citron, and evergreen breeze. On the palate it showed elegant lime-flower persistence, elegant and light on its feet.

2003 Lagrein Riserva Castel Ringberg, Alto Adige
A tre-bicchieri winner in Gambero Rosso, this is perhaps the best Lagrein I’ve ever had. The nose seethed with blueberry skins, blood, dried roses, and leather. These sexy, sanguine notes were joined by Lagrein darkness and coffee-bean flavors, knit up with mouthwatering acidity. A home run.

2007 Vietti Arneis, Roero
Writing that Vietti make fabulous wine is a bit like writing that the Beatles were a good band, but this Arneis was so spectacular that I’m risking a statement of the obvious. The explosive, sun-bright nose of raw almonds, lemon skin, mango, and fresh-cut grass started my engines right up; and the palate, awash in spring wildflowers and enticing citrus flavors, finished the job. Tremendous.

Fattoria Zerbina 2006 Sangiovese di Romagna “Ceregio”
Perhaps the best value of the tasting, this precocious little charmer was as yummy as I expected. Charming, pure, cherry-bomb Sangiovese fruit; very, very pretty, and simple without being plain, with soft tannins and a breath of acids on the finish, this is a perfect springtime red.

Now we get to the big boys, the too-rich-for-Tuesday crowd, stunning, rare wines of impeccable class and structure… If you didn’t just sell the condo in Mill Valley, maybe you should just skip these few…

G.D. Vajra
Giuseppe Vajra is as elegant and handsome as his wines. Like him, they show excellent breeding, but are surprisingly approachable. This is the kind of guy you want to share a beer with, but with whom you can discuss philosophy while so doing. His wines are very like their creator.

2005 Freisa “Kyè,” Langhe
The name Freisa probably doesn’t have much to do with strawberries or freshness, but the wine surely does. In fact, “Kyè” is an alternate spelling for “chi è?” meaning “who is it?” as in “who the hell is this Freisa character, anyway? Bright, smoky berries preen over a delightful, compelling body, with gorgeously light structure. The flavors go on and on, like the parade of lovely dancers in Brando’s Sayonara. Pretty, yet exquisite; serious, yet full of laughter.

2004 Barolo Bricco delle Viole
This cru Barolo was breathtaking, the nose a fan of sweet mountain herbs, bloody cherries, and dried wildflowers. A symphony of sexy earth in the mouth, its soft leather, truffley sotto bosco flavors, and violet acidity only hint at the tremendous heights this wine will attain with age. It is nonetheless beautiful right now.

And to a few other producers:

2000 Poderi Alto Conterno Barolo Granbussia Riserva
Super-classic, feminine, floral Barolo, all truffles, black raspberries, with wonderful delicacy and complexity, like a dancer rippling with muscle yet light as air in motion. Long, gentle tannins cry out for elegant Piemontese fare… A night at Alba, in SW Portland, anyone?

1997 Vietti Barolo Riserva Villero
Perhaps the Platonic ideal of Barolo, this wine was almost indescribable. Almost, but not quite: flesh, dried rose petals, starry minerality over soft, comforting earthy tones, with a cascade of mountain herbs, copper penny, and the tiniest hit of leather, super-elegant, complex, and looooooooooong on the palate. Stunning, and incredibly rare.

And, for dessert:

Marco de Bartoli Marsala Superiore Oro, Five Years Old
What an eye-opener this was. I am not experienced with Marsala, but now I know a few things: it’s made from the grape Grillo, and it does not need to be restricted to marinade of pollo! This wine had an austere, Sherry-like bitterness to the nose, like a shorn flower-stem or a wet stone. These flavors shone in the mouth as well, plush, structured, and focused. But the finish, sweet heavens, the finish! I was literally rocked back on my heels by the seemingly endless wash of ultra-sexy roasted hazelnuts and walnuts. I’m telling you, friends, the finish of this exquisite dessert wine went on for at least forty-five seconds. Breathtaking, erotic in the classiest way, and yet completely accessible. Whew!


That’s just about enough to throw at you now, amici! The amazing Spanish tasting at Pata Negra, put on by Henry Wine Group to display their Jorge Ordoñez Portfolio, was just too good to cram in here, but I will write of it in detail next week, and presently point out two great spring wines that you might need to jump on now:

Bodegas Muga 2007 Rioja Blanco
Thinking of this as a palate-cleanser after tooth-staining Tinto del Pais was a bad mistake. This wine is ludicrously good, with wonderful acidity, citric lift, and a crisp, kissable finish. I couldn’t believe how good it was, even better than last year!

Bodegas Muga 2007 Rioja Rosado
The first rosé to seduce me this year, this annual coquette did not disappoint. My notes, breathless and blushing, read, “Spicy strawberry minerality, a thirst-quenching delight!!!” I think the preponderance of exclamation points speak for themselves, ¿no?

OK, folks, have a fabulous, safe weekend! Drink some great wines, and feel free to get in touch with me with comments, complaints, suggestions, cajolery, or whatever else is on your mind.

Till next week!
yrs,
Riggs