After Brunello with Banfi, Barbaresco and much more with Angelo Gaja … where does one start?  This was simply one of the greatest experiences you can have in Italian or world wine, laid on by Decanter magazine as part of its Fine Wine Encounter.  But it was really two related experiences, with an underlying connection: Gaja the man and the Gaja wines. 

Angelo Gaja, the man

Now 69, Gaja has spent a lifetime promoting his wine, his village, Barbaresco, Piemonte, Italy, his family, in other words, all the things that have become the Gaja brand.  It’s now a bravura performance, delivered with utmost conviction and carries all before him.  On arrival he nearly looked his age.  We had met him briefly at his Bolgheri winery in the height of summer where he had looked immaculate, sun tanned, every inch the successful man on his own (expensively irrigated) turf. In London on a cold and windy day, he started quietly, if securely, apologizing for his English (which is excellent), going through the basics of his story which he has told hundreds of times before.  As he warmed to his theme the confidence grew visibly. He spoke lucidly and passionately for an hour and a half about the things he cares most about. By the end he had his large audience eating (drinking?) out of his hand and received a huge ovation. 

And what is the secret of the Gaja magic? 

First and foremost the family: both personally and professionally.  This is the classic tale of the family business, with Angelo’s children (now mainly grown up) being the fifth generation in the wine business.  The company’s small brochure has an evocative photo from a hundred years ago of the second generation of commercial winemakers, the Angelo of 1866-1944 and his son, Giovanni, today’s Angelo’s father.   There is also a fine portrait of Clotilde Rey, the matriarch (1880-1961).  Gaja’s delivery is punctuated with great humour: Giovanni, he says, the less forceful of the couple, had only two choices with Clotilde – to kill her or to follow her! So Clothilde was the driving force, though Giovanni set a standard that the firm has lived by: poor vintages should not be bottled but sold for a song as open wine.  While hardly revolutionary in some circles, this was remarkable in Italy at the time, especially when the climate and the state of wine-making was only delivering 7 decent vintages out of 10.  But Giovanni compensated for this hard choice by charging the highest prices in Piemonte for the successful years – higher than the famous Barolo.  The Gajas don’t lack conviction or business sense. 

Today’s Angelo took that further, though of course he didn’t talk about his own contribution.  He studied the methods of the French fine wine trade and put them to good use in conservative, rural Piemonte:

• experimenting with French barriques, even French grape varieties
• working with the local star grape, Nebbiolo, utterly convinced that it could produce one of the world’s great wines
• producing single vineyard ‘crus’ in an area that had never had them – and then charging unheard of prices for the rare bottles. 
• finally, he put himself about and created single handedly a market for top quality Barbaresco.  Its easy to forget now that before him, Barbaresco was unknown. 

The full story is told in Edward Steinberg’s The vines of San Lorenzo (Slow Food Editore 1992, updated 2006), an outstanding book, to which I will return in another post. 

The story of the marketing is remarkable.   Gaja showed a slide of the labels of 1937 and 1978. On the

1978 label not only has the fussiness of earlier times gone, what is prominent is the family name, not the appellation.  Once you have learnt to recognise the name Gaja, then you can ask about whether its Barbaresco or Barolo.   

He also attends to small things that make a difference.  The brochure is functional and factual but it consistently gives a pronunciation guide. ‘Guy-ah’ he has told English speakers to say. If you can pronounce the Italian or dialectic name on the bottle, that itself gives confidence. 

The Gaja discourse covers a multitude of topics:

• the family history, especially if you include long time winemaker, Guido Rivella, as an honorary member; 
• his philosophy of healthy living, eating and drinking: wine is like food, you need a partner or a friend to share it with, and then relax on the health issues;
• his line on tackling the danger of alcohol: we must persuade governments to distinguish naturally made alcohols from spirits; if anyone can carry off this argument, he can;
• when to visit Piemonte (after the truffle fair, ‘a disaster’, ie mid-November to December or spring);
• why he didn’t enter a joint  venture with Robert Mondavi, who he praised as a great man.  It wasn’t just the presence lawyers at the initial meetings.  Rather, to have  a good marriage you need complementary interests, companionship and … sex.  ‘And in size terms, you Mondavi are an elephant and I am a mosquito.  Sex between an elephant and a mosquito? Well, it would not give much pleasure to the elephant and could be worse for the mosquito!’

The Gaja wines

The one thing he didn’t talk about was the wines.  He flatters his audience – you people know about wine, you have a good wine culture, and I don’t need to try to explain the inexplicable.  The metaphors continue to flow.  Cabernet Sauvignon as John Wayne to Marcello Mastroianni’s Nebbiolo – one dominates the room while the one is beckons you over to the corner.  While he spoke the wines of his four production areas await our attention, completely un-introduced.  So while we are treated to Gaja the orator, in front of us are an array of great – and on this occasion I mean great – wines. 

Gaia & Rey, Langhe DOC, 1994 – named after Gaja’s daughter (Gaia Gaja if you will) and the matriarch Clothilde Rey, this is 100% Chardonnay, planted back in 1978.  As he says, you will all be identify this wine, it’s white. But what a white: with 15 years of ageing, it’s between yellow and gold in colour, a complex blend of aromas from slight, residual oak, then melons and apples, dried fruit, nuttiness.  An hour later the nose is dominated by powerful caramel tones, remarkable. And that’s just wine number 1 of 12. 

Camarcanda, Bolgheri DOC, 2006 – the top wine of Gaja’s most recent estate of the same name, on the Tuscan coast.   Mostly Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s very promising, with rich fruit, mainly blackcurrants and vanilla.  Highly drinkable now, many years ahead of it for development.   The care taken over the landscaping of this estate was remarkable – hiding most of the winery underground and and landscaping with old, transplanted olive trees – but that’s another story. 

There followed three wines, Brunellos, from the Gaja estate in Montalcino, Tuscany:  Pieve San Restituta, the property he bought after not having gone in with Mondavi.  First the multi-vineyard Rennina, 2004, a recent great vintage.  By comparison with the modern style of Banfi (see previous post), a subtle combination of dark cherries, cloves and tobacco, smooth in the mouth, characteristically high acidity, very good.  Then two vintages from the single vineyard, Sugarille (that’s Suh-gah-REE-lay):

Sugarille Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2001, followed by the 1996.  The latter is in its prime: powerful, complex, velvety, dark fruit, perfectly balanced and smooth.  In between these two vintages they declassified the whole of 20o2 (too wet) and 2003 (too hot) …

All these wines were really the grand warm-up act for the Nebbiolo based wines that followed.  Tasted in a slightly odd order, they went Barbaresco, single vineyard Barolo, single vineyard Barbaresco.  I suppose the point was: Barbaresco, where it all started; then Barolo; then back to the finest wines, the single vineyard Barbaresco. 

Barbaresco DOCG 2004, 1997, 1964 – after the Brunellos, the change of aromas was dramatic. With Nebbiolo you are now in the perfume department, rather than at the fruit counter or even in the garden centre.  The 2004 is perfumed but only slightly so, refreshing, with great acidity and really very young despite its five years.  The 1997 is more like it – soaring aromas of roses, followed by liquorice and balsamic notes, silky, stunningly good.  And this is the ‘basic’ wine.   1964, pictured left, is anything but a museum piece.  In the mouth it is still lively, with a refreshing finish and very, very long.  The nose is remarkable: the obvious wood notes have long gone, replaced by truffles, roses and other flowers, forest floor.  Whether you prefer the 12 year old or the 45 year is really a matter of taste but they are both remarkable wines. 

Having put Barbaresco on the map, Gaja turned to the more famous Barolo region. The family bought in grapes until 1961, but then decided only to make wine from their own estates, establishing complete control.  They bought the vineyard in 1988 and named it Sperss (‘nostalgia’ in the dialect).  The two wines tasted were the 2004 and the 1995.  These immediately showed the effect of ageing, the former showing a very perfumed nose, small berries, some youngish wood, a rich texture, edgy but gorgeous.  By contrast the 14 year old no longer leads with fruit but with the classic ‘tar and roses’ combination, very complex, liquorish and mushrooms to the fore.  Rich and supple in the mouth, outstanding. 

And finally to the famous single vineyard Barbaresco, Sorì San Lorenzo, the young wine of 2004 and the mature 1989.  The ‘trouble’ with this sort of tasting is not so much the embarrassment of riches but just running out of words.   The 2004 is already scoring in the mushroom/truffle register but with elegant, red fruit.  1989 is darker in tone, rich and supremely elegant, but still lively and highly drinkable.  Sumptuous, life affirming wines. 

The lasting impression of these wines was of great perfume, lovely clear fruit, increasing complexity with age, balance, supreme poised and highly drinkable.  They never stop being real food wines, though it would have to be some feast to match this sublime quality. 

(italiatv.it)  Gli USA hanno dato il via libera definitivo alle importazioni di Brunello di Montalcino, dopo le minacce di blocco dell’import in seguito all’inchiesta della procura di Siena su alcune cantine accusate di aver ottenuto il vino da vitigni non conformi alla disciplina di produzione. La notizia arriva il giorno dopo l’incontro a Washington fra il ministro e l’amministratore dell’Agenzia federale Usa per l’alcol e il tabacco, John Manfreda. Gli Stati Uniti sono il mercato in cui finisce un quarto della produzione totale del Brunello, il cui giro d’affari complessivo è stimato in 120 milioni di euro l’anno. Il 18 luglio scorso un’indagine della Guardia di Finanza sotto la direzione della procura di Siena aveva condotto al declassamento a Igt di oltre 1,3 milioni di litri di Brunello di Montalcino. Le indagini, che avevano coinvolto sette cantine, erano iniziate nel settembre 2007 e avevano interessato i più importanti produttori di Brunello di Montalcino Docg e Rosso di Montalcino Doc. Dei 6,7 milioni di litri di Brunello sequestrati, il 20% – oltre 1,3 milioni – è stato declassato a Igt Toscana Rosso. Su un quantitativo di 1,7 milioni di litri di altri vini a denominazione sequestrati (fra cui Rosso di Montalcino Doc, Chianti Classico Docg e Igt Toscana Rosso), oltre il 40% è stato declassato, e 100.000 litri sono stati inviati direttamente alla distillazione. Inoltre erano stati “sequestrati 400 ettari di vigneti sui quali erano coltivati vitigni non riconosciuti dal disciplinare di produzione”. “In estrema sintesi, si può dire che ingenti quantitativi di vino relativo alle annate dal 2003 al 2007 sono stati ‘tagliati o ammorbiditi’ con uve e vini differenti dal sangiovese, unico vitigno ammesso dal disciplinare del Brunello e Rosso di Montalcino”, spiegava una nota delle Fiamme Gialle. Nell’ambito dell’inchiesta sono state denunciate alla procura di Siena 17 persone: otto hanno richiesto il patteggiamento, mentre le altre nove hanno ricevuto l’avviso di conclusione delle indagini per i reati di frode in commercio e falso in atti, in alcuni casi commessi in associazione. Una è stata inoltre denunciata per false informazioni al pm. Soddisfazione per lo slocco in USA è stata espressa dal Presidente del Consorzio Patrizio Cencioni in una nota dal sito ufficiale. (itv-reuters)

Primeiro iDEN Slider da Nextel

Depois de postar sobre o lançamento do primeiro aparelho iDEN com teclado QWERTY da Motorola para Nextel (que por coincidência ganhei eu uma promoção interna da empresa !). É a vez do primeiro aparelho slider iDEN o i856.

A Operadora de serviço móvel especializada NEXTEL, lança o aparelho i856 com a função Push-to-talk que permite a utilização do rádio que a Nextel fornece de forma ilimitada para todo Brasil nas áreas com cobertura.

Cada vez mais, a Nextel inova em aparelhos para atender a

Um aparelho com design diferenciado !

necessidade de seus clientes, hoje a Nextel disponibiliza vários modelos que ficam a escolha do cliente, ao todo são mais de 15 aparelho modernos para todo tipo de gosto, desde os aparelhos de barra, flip, barra c/ teclado Qwerty e agora um aparelho Motorokr slider.

A linha Motorokr da grande Motorola, é desenvolvida para oferecer o melhor do aparelho, e principalmente o melhor da música, pois o aparelho comporta até 8 GB de memória para armazenar dados como músicas (Inclusive o aparelho vem com conteúdo da mega banda Black

O aparelho conta com a função Push to talk (PTT)

Eyed Peas). E como é um aparelho designado para música, inclui o serviço MotoID® que identifica a música que esta tocando fornecendo informações da faixa como; Artista, nome do álbum etc. O USB é de alta velocidade, Bluetooth Estéreo 2.0 ,conector de fone de ouvido padrão (3.5mm), e inclui um cartão de memória de 2GB, lembrando que o aparelho disponibiliza recurso avançados de multimídia e câmera digital de 1.3 MP.

Além de um aparelho muito funcional, também conta com um design diferenciado, alternando em tons de cinza e vermelho, e todo charme do teclado slider. Se você trabalha e usa dos recursos PTT da Nextel e precisa mandar e receber sms/mms, usa o WAP Ilimitado, mas é também moderno e não vive sem um bom player de músicas? Então foi pensando em você que a Nextel disponibilizou o novo Nextel i856 MotoRokr Banfi, é a Nextel inovando mais uma vez ! BEM VINDO AO CLUBE.

Por Fábio Santos

Aparelho vem com um Cartão MicroSD de 02GB, mas suporta até 08GB para adicionar seus arquivos e muitas músicas.

Off-Topic

Olá pessoal, devo compartilhar com vocês esta novidade da Nextel que está ampliando seus modelos de aparelhos, pois o cliente quer novidades, e a Nextel prioriza as necessidades de seus cliente. Primeiro com o primeiro celular com teclado QWERTY i465, no qual eu ganhei em uma promoção interna na empresa, e agora o primeiro Celular iDEN Slider, hoje a opção de escolha de aparelhos é muito diversificada, você sempre acha um com a sua personalidade !!!

Muitas coisas boas acontecendo, e a gente sempre correndo atrás do melhor, quero agradecer o acesso do  pessoal (que é cada vez mais constante), e o público do meu blog é um público diversificado ,sempre antenado nas novidades em relação a Tecnologia e curiosidades do dia-a-dia !!!

Por enquanto é só, mas logo tem mais…

Tracie B snapped the above pic of me using my Blackberry the other night, when she came home with an open bottle of Banfi 2004 Brunello di Montalcino in her wine bag (when not otherwise occupied being knock-out gorgeous, Tracie B works as a sale representative for a behemoth mid-west and southeastern U.S. wine and spirits distributor).

The moment of truth had arrived: it was time for me to taste the wine with my dinner of Central Market rotisserie chicken, salad, and potatoes that Tracie B had roasted in her grandmother’s iron skillet.

The wine was clear and bright in the glass and had bright acidity and honest fruit flavor. The tannin, while present, was not out of balance and the wine had a slightly herbaceous note in the finish that might not please lovers of modern-style wines but that I enjoy. If ever there were a wine made with 100% Sangiovese grapes, I would say this were one — tasted covertly or overtly.

According to WineSearcher.com, the average retail price for this wine in the U.S. is $65. I can’t honestly say that I recommend the wine: it’s not a wine that I personally look for at that price point. I did not find this to be a great or original or terroir-driven wine but I will say that it is an honest expression of Sangiovese from Montalcino.

Anyone who reads my blog (or follows news from the world of Italian wine), knows that Banfi has been the subject of much controversy over the last year and a half. But fair is fair and rules are rules and I cannot conceal that I enjoyed the 04 Brunello by Banfi. (Btw, Italian Wine Guy, who is Glazer’s Italian Wine Director, recently posted on 04 Brunello, including a YouTube of Banfi media director Lars Leight speaking on the winery’s current releases at a wine dinner in Dallas.)

Above: Facing south from Il Poggione’s vineyards below Sant’Angelo in Colle, looking toward Mt. Amiata.

Despite the will of some marketers to make us think otherwise, 2004 was not an across-the-board great vintage in Montalcino. In my experience with the wines so far, only those with the best growing sites were able to make great wines in the classic style of Montalcino and wines that really taste like Montalcino.

Btw, in all fairness, it’s important to note that the Banfi vineyards lie — to my knowledge — primarily in the southwest subzone of the appellation, one of the historic growing areas for great Sangiovese. When you drive south from Sant’Angelo in Colle, you see signs for the Banfi vineyards on the right. Earlier this year, my friend Ale over at Montalcino Report posted this excellent series on understanding the terroir of Montalcino using Google Earth. It’s one of the best illustrations of why the wines from that part of the appellation are always among the best, even in difficult years. (Ale’s killer Il Poggione 04 Brunello, which I tasted for the first time at Vinitaly in April, received such glowing praise from one of the world’s greatest wine writers that it caused near pandemonium in the market, prompting wine sales guru Jon Rimmerman to write that it “may be the most offered/reacted to wine I’ve ever witnessed post-Wine Advocate review.”)

Above: Facing north in Il Poggione’s vineyards, looking at the village of Sant’Angelo in Colle (literally, Sant’Angelo “on the hill”).

Franco recently tasted 93 bottlings of 04 Brunello at the offices of The World of Fine Wine in London and wrote of his disappointment with the wines delivered by even some of the top producers. Here are Franco’s top picks and straight-from-the-hip notes, posted at VinoWire.

In other news…

One of the greatest moments of personal fulfillment in my life was when my band NN+’s debut album reached #6 in the college radio charts so I guess that stranger things have happened: a colleague in Italy emailed me last week to let me know that my blog Do Bianchi was ranked #9 in the official (?) list of “top wine blogs.” Who knew?

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to read Do Bianchi. The blog has been such a rewarding experience for me and it means so much to me that there are people out there who enjoy it.

Erst jetzt ist mir ein Beitrag bei The Pour von vor zehn Tagen aufgefallen. Die Ergebnisse der Brunello-Untersuchung zum Jahrgang 2003 wurden veröffentlicht. Die Behördne haben Antinori, Argiano, Banfi, Biondi Santi, Casanova di Neri, Col d’Orcia und Frescobaldi geprüft. Nur zwei von ihnen haben sauber gearbeitet: das altehrwürdige Biondi-Santi und das eher robuste Col d’Orcia. Alle anderen haben gepanscht. Gerade die Massen- und Markenproduzenten Antinori, Banfi, Casanova di Neri und Frescobaldi.

Zum Hintergrund: Brunello und auch Rosso di Montalcino dürfen ausschließlich aus Sangovese bestehen. Alle anderen Sorten sind verboten. Gerade moderner Weine (Stichwort Massenmarkt) erfordern einen weicheren Geschmack, deswegen wird gerne mit Merlot gestreckt. Dafür gäbe es zwar eine DOC, Sant’Antimo, aber die lässt sich natürlich nicht so geldbringend vermarkten wie Brunello. Der Jahrgang 2003 hat nun ein Stigma, 2004 hingegen ist großartig und gerade auf dem Markt.

In case you don’t know him already, “Monty Waldin, a British wine writer who has been living in Italy for the last few years, is one of the best known commentators on (and advocates of) biodynamic wine growing.” — Jamie Goode

Here’s just part of what British television wine personality and wine writer Monty Waldin had to say about Decanter’s post on Friday claiming that Banfi has been “cleared of Brunello adulteration”:

Decanter also swallowed a press release last year in which Brunello’s biggest winery Banfi declared itself as innocent — when this was absolutely not the case as the Siena prosecutor subsequently made perfectly clear. Although some (most in fact) of the wineries who were investigated have not been charged others — perhaps with something to hide, perhaps not — have taken the option of plea bargaining pre-trial (a perfectly legitimate option in Italy if you, ahem, feel you may have broken the “Brunello must be 100% Sangiovese” rule).

Monty posted his thoughts on Jancis Robinson’s pay-per-view site and Franco was gracious enough to repost them at Vino al Vino.

Read the entire post here.

Evidently, Franco and I are not the only ones outraged by Decanter’s egregiously disinformational post. Today, I’m trying to get to the bottom of what actually happened in their editorial offices. Stay tuned…

Bien podría decirse que esta semana ha sido un largo episodio de “Cositas y cosotas”. Mucho folloncito y follonazo en la cultureta del vino…

Está el asunto de Anthony Dias Blue y su diatriba antiblogueril. Ahora Dr. Vino ha tomado cartas en el asunto con una entrega de su blog que revela muchísimo sobre el tipo de “crítico” y “periodista” que es el Sr. Dias Blue. Quien habló de “infomerciales” (o, como se dice en inglés de la versión impresa de ese tipo de publicidad, advertorials) andaba muy cerca de la realidad. Sin embargo, el individuo osa hablar de “ética periodística.” Es que hay que leer cada cosa…

En particular me ha resultado interesante un comentario extraido por Dr. Vino a Dias Blue, en el que este último habla de muchos blogueros como individuos “en pijama” derramando ponzoña, etc. Era lo que faltaba ya. Que se metan con el atuendo de uno. No que me vaya a mí bloguear en pijama. O usar pijama, punto. Como predicador de un extraño concepto de moral, la única prenda apropiada para bloguear acaban siendo los calzonci—er, perdón, se me va la onda. Me puse a buscar un video del “Pijama blanco” de Javier Krahe para ofrecerlo en dedicatoria, pero no aparece ni por los centros espiritistas.

Pero a otras cosas. Hoy no les diré nada sobre el “Caso Sierra Carche”. Aunque quizás sí. Leo esta mañana en VinoWire que, tras ya unos cuantos meses de acusaciones,  investigaciones y revelaciones  en torno al escándalo Brunellopoli, el Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino al fin se manifiesta en un par de cartas enviadas a sus miembros. Según VinoWIre, Patrizio Cencioni, presidente del Consorzio,  “exhortó a los miembros a proyectar ‘un mensaje positivo’ a la luz de los descubrimientos de la Tesorería Italiana (más detalles sobre estas revelaciones de fraude aquí; se investigó a siete bodegas toscanas de mucho renombre bajo sospecha de adulterar sus brunellos con variedades de uva no permitidas. Entre los investigados estaban Antinori, Argiano, Casanova di Neri, Banfi y Marchesi di Frescobaldi. Exoneradas tras la investigación fueron Biondi Santi y Col d’Orcia) y anunció que la firma de auditoría Valore Italia ha sido contratada para certificar la calidad de los miembros de la asociación en el futuro.”

Vamos, como los óscares, con firma de auditores la cosa… Al Sr. Presidente del ilustre Consorzio quisiera yo dedicarle un videito:

¡A que silbaron un poquito! Al mal tiempo y la mala conducta, pues, buena cara y pensamiento positivo… ¡Esa es nuestra cultureta!

En otras noticias de empresas que buscan cepillar un poquito su imagen, cuenta Decanter.com que Starbuck’s comenzará a vender vino y cerveza en tres de sus tiendas de Seattle, que serán reconceptualizadas “en el estilo del coffeehouse tradicional”.

Esperemos que el vino sea un poquito mejor que los últimos diez “cafés” que habré tenido que zumbarme de Starbuck’s por pura necesidad de cafeina.

También de Decanter.com, que Kraken va a sacar un libro de 30 kilos dedicado a “los 100 mejores vinos del mundo”. Copias del mamotreto en cuestión se venderá a un precio apropiadísimo para la actual situación económica mundial:  US$1,000,000.

“Cada comprador del libro recibirá estuches de seis botellas de cada uno de los vinos reseñados, así como invitaciones a visitar algunas de las bodegas…. Se producirán solamente cien copias del libro, de las cuales 25 han sido pre-ordenadas”, dice el artículo de Decanter.com.

En alguna parte hay un bosque llorando.

Ya saben. El que se lo compre, que lo preste, ¿eh?

Fuera del tema del vino, me he topado por casualidad con que Prince a levantado las restricciones a sus videos en YouTube, por lo que ahora podemos ver unos cuantos sin aquellos necios letreros o supresiones del sonido. Este clip, de allá por principios o mediados de los noventa, se lo regalo a cierto buen amigo, muy purista en cuanto a los Stones se refiere…

Bueno, y antes de que se me olvide: A principios de semana llegó a mi atención que Diccionario del Vino ha abierto ya la votación para su Premio Diccionario del Vino al Mejor Blog del Vino del Año 2009 y este blog aparece entre los candidatos. Les juro que yo no lo inscribí, o sea que a alguien por ahí le debo estar participando. Tankiu. Aparte de enterarme sobre la existencia de unos cuantos blogs de vino que desconocía completamente, engancha la onda de ver como uno va subiendo y bajando en el listado según le votan o no.

Dense ustedes la vuelta y, si lo merezco, échenle un voto a La otra botella y a todos los demás blogs amigos que forman parte de la lista de candidatos (pueden votar pro cinco blogs cada día, con puntuaciones del 1 al 10). A ver como quedamos al final…

Y ahora sí, para terminar-terminar: El otro día, en la fructífera sesión de sugerencias y reclamaciones que tuvimos aquí, alguien me pidió que iniciara una sección periódica de carácter más técnico/educativo. Me complace informar que estoy trabajando—en conjunción con un florido y cortés elenco de entendidísimos ponentes invitados—en una primera clase sobre el envejecimiento del vino. No sé si se vea mal, pero no es sobre esa clase que les daré un adelanto, sino sobre la segunda. En mi caótico esquema de las cosas, ésta tratará sobre vinos naturales. A manera de anticipo, les brindo un maravilloso ensayo publicado esta semana por mi querido Joe Dressner en su genial blog Captain Tumorman. Es uno de esos momentos en que el entendimiento llega como emoción.

Plaque hanging outside the offices of the Consorzio Brunello di Montalcino

A few weeks ago, I wote a post on Brunello di Montalcino (read here) in which I discussed ths wine’s characteristics and makeup along with listing some of the finest producers. I thought readers would be interested in learning what some of the top authorities in Italy as well as this country think about Brunello, so I asked several experts in this field to provide me with a list of whom they believe are the finest producers of Brunello.

I asked for a list of ten, letting them know they could add brief comments if they wished. One contributor gave me twelve names, saying he couldn’t get his list down to just ten, while another gave me his list of his top ten followed closely by another ten. No problem- the more the merrier – and it shows you how many excellent producers of Brunello di Montalcino there are.

So without further ado, here are the lists:

Jeremy Parzen – Author of dobianchi wine blog and co-author of vinowire blog. Italian wine writer, educator and marketer, currently living in Texas.

“Based on what I feel are indicative, traditional expressions of Brunello, available in this country… 

• Le Presi
• Il Poggione
• Poggio di Sotto
• Salvioni
• Canalicchio di Sopra
• Paradiso di Manfredi
• Campogiovanni
• Collemattoni
• Caparzo
• Fornace

Alfonso Cevola – author of On the Wine Trail in Italy blog and The Blend blog. Italian wine writer and marketer, currently living in Texas.

• Altesino- cellar worthy
• Angelo Sassetti – ultimate contadina
• Argiano- stylish and elegant
• Costanti – another classic their 2004 reminded me of their 1964
• Fattoi- great pruners and dog trainers
• Il Poggione – Love these guys
• Lisini – classic archetype
• Poggio alle Mura (Banfi) – their ‘71 was so great
• Poggio San Polo –  new young winemaker and energy

Tom Maresca – America’s leading writer on Italian wines, having contributed hundreds of articles on the topic for more than 25 years. Lives in New York City.

• Banfi: great quality-to-price ratio
• Barbi: very traditional house
• Biondi Santi: self explanatory
• Casanova di Neri: elegant
• Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona: big, structured
• Donatella Cinelli Colombini: very true to Montalcino character
• Col d’Orcia: great finesse
• Fuligni: a pace-setter in recent vintages
• Lisini: the essence of Montalcino
• Nardi: great strides in recent years
• Poggio Antico: more and more, intensely Sangiovese
• Il Poggione: superb vineyards

Charles Scicolone – Author of the blog Charles Scicolone on Wine. One of America’s leading authorities on Italian wines. Wine writer and restaurant consultant. He lives in New York City.

• Fattoria dei Barbi- Some where between traditional and modren but I think more traditional
• Biondi-Santi -Traditional and one of the best
• Caparzo – Some wines in Traditional style, others modern
• Casanova di Neri – use of botti, small french oak barrels and tonneau
• Col d’Orcia
• Il Poggione
• Constanti- I think he is still traditional
• Poggio Antico- They changed their style went modern with the 2001 vintage -loved the wine before this
• Mastrojanni – in between
• Pian delle Vigne- Antinori

“ I really liked the 2004 Brunello from Banfi- I think it is the best Brunello they ever made. 

“It is difficult to tell the modern from the traditionalist except for Franco Biondi- Santi.

“In most cases the “traditionalists” are using more modern methods and the modern producers less small oak. Some make one Brunello in a traditional style and other in a modern style.

“I find Brunello to be very confusing. That is why I like my Brunello to be 1990 or older.”

Franco Ziliani – Author of vinoalvino blog and co-author of vinowire blog (with Jeremy Parzen). One of Italy’s most important wine writers and arguably the most influential in the country. Lives near Bergamo in the province of Lombardia.

• Case Basse
• Il Greppo Biondi Santi
• Il Colle
• Poggio di Sotto
• Giulio Salvioni Cerbaiola
• Lisini
• Col d’Orcia
• Fuligni
• Gianni Brunelli
• Capanna

Plus others like:

• Il Poggione
• Caprili
• Gorelli Le Potazzine
• Le Macioche
• Sesta di Sopra
• Il Marroneto
• Uccelliera
• Pian dell’Orino
• Salicutti
• Mastrojanni

And finally, my choices (in alphabetical order):

• Biondi-Santi
• Caprili
• Col d’Orcia
• Fuligni
• Il Poggione
• Le Chiuse
• Pian dell’Orino
• Poggio Antico
• Poggio di Sotto
• Sesta di Sopra
• Talenti
• Uccelliera

Do you have favorite Brunello producers? I’d love to read your choices- send them along.

The server that hosts VinoWire is having problems today and so I’m unable to post there but I will do a detailed post asap.

Today’s Florence edition of the Italian national daily La Repubblica reports the names of the seven wineries investigated in the Brunello inquiry, dubbed by Italian authorities, “Operazione Mixed Wine” or “Operation Mixed Wine.” The five that were found by the Italian Treasury Department to have bottled wine “not in conformity with appellation regulations” are: Antinori, Argiano, Banfi, Casanova di Neri, and Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi. According to the article, Biondi Santi and Col d’Orcia were also investigated by were cleared by investigators of any wrongdoing.

Above: Franco Ziliani (left), my friend and co-editor of VinoWire, and Mauro Mascarello, winemaker and producer of one of the greatest expressions of Nebbiolo, Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo. We tasted at Vinitaly last year together. This year, Franco and I will be tasting together at Vini Veri.

Passover and Easter will shortly be upon us and the who’s who of Italian wine is preparing to descend on the province of Verona for our industry’s annual trade fairs: Vinitaly (the largest and most commercial), Vini Veri (a gathering of natural winemakers and the most interesting in my opinion), and VinNatur (an assembly of winemakers who broke away from Vini Veri some years back). I’m particularly excited for Vini Veri because this year’s tasting sees the unification of Vini Veri with the Nicolas Joly biodynamic and quasi-biodynamic tastings, Triple A and Renaissance du Terroir (Return to Terroir).

Above: The Banfi Castle at last year’s Vinitaly. There were rumors — unfounded and untrue — that Banfi’s wines were seized on the floor of the fair last year. I am looking forward to tasting the 2004 Brunello di Montalcino by Banfi. Charles Scicolone and Tom Hyland — whose palates I respect greatly — have both told me that it’s classic Brunello, 100% Sangiovese, and one of the best wines Banfi has ever produced.

It’s remarkable to think that at this time last year, the world of Italian wine was gripped by the breaking news of the Brunello scandal: at least five major producers were accused of adulterating their wines from the 2003 vintage. A year has passed, a large quantity of wine has reportedly been declassified, and no indictments have been issued by the Siena prosecutor who supposedly launched the investigation in September of 2007.

It’s not surprising, however, that there has been a new push — albeit weak — within the association of Brunello producers to create a Montalcino DOC. Last week, a proposal to create such an appellation was put to the floor at the consortium’s assembly. (I haven’t been able to find out the results of the vote but according to most observers, it was unlikely that it would be ratified.)

Above: I am always geeked to taste Paolo Bea Sagrantino with Giampiero Bea at Vini Veri (I snapped this photo at last year’s fair). Tracie B and I have been enjoying his Santa Chiara 2006. It’s radically different than his 2005 and I hope to ask him about the vintage variation. (Is it the result of climatic differences or differences in the cellar? I imagine — knowing Giampiero and his radical belief in natural winemaking — that the former is the case.)

Currently, Montalcino producers must label their wines as Toscana IGT or Sant’Antimo DOC if they contain grapes other than Sangiovese. If approved, a Montalcino DOC would allow them to exploit the Montalcino “brand” in their labeling of so-called Super Tuscan wines. The proposed DOC is part of a greater push to create new Italian appellations before OCM reforms take effect in August 2009 and the power to issue new DOCs shifts from Rome to Brussels.

Above: This year, the world of Italian wine mourns the loss of Teobaldo Cappellano (photo courtesy of Polaner). Baldo, as he was known fondly, was one of the founders of the Vini Veri movement and one of Italy’s most zealous defenders and promoters of terroir-driven wines and natural winemaking. He was a truly delightful man and is sorely missed.

There’s a reason why the fairs are held at this time of year: historically and traditionally, the spring marks the moment when winemakers unveil their cellared wines. Long before the hegemony of the Judeo-Christian canon, spring was observed as Mother Nature’s moment of renewal and rebirth.

The ancient allegory — and it is an allegory, not a metaphor — could not be more apt this year.

Ascolti TV di domenica 22 marzo: vince la fiction con Lino Banfi, «La Fattoria» sotto i 4 milioni « TV Sorrisi e Canzoni

Lino Banfi e Lino Toffolo Lino Banfi e Lino Toffolo

La prima parte di Scusate il disturbo, la fiction di Raiuno con Lino Banfi e Lino Toffolo, è stata vista da 5.757.000 telespettatori, pari al 22.71% di share.

Su Canale 5, La Fattoria, terminata intorno alle 00,30, ha raccolto meno di 4 milioni di affezionati (3.969.000; 19,55%).

Intorno ai 3 milioni anche gli ascolti di Colorado (Italia 1, 3.054.000; 13,61%) e Report (Raitre, 2.905.000; 11,35), mentre Siska su Rete 4 si deve accontentare di 1.643.000 spettatori (5,82%).

fonte….

Above: A political cartoon poking fun at Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi who called a fan a “ball breaker” at a rally last year.

The Latin expression par condicio is used in contemporary Italian to denote “equal air time.” (See my explanation of its origin here.)

In keeping with our “fair and balanced” policy of reporting Italian wine news, Franco and I have published this enthusiastic review of the 2004 Brunello di Montalcino by Banfi by our friend, respected colleague, and Italian wine authority Charles Scicolone at VinoWire. Charles called it “classical” in style and “the best Brunello that Banfi has ever produced.”

I haven’t tasted the wine yet but am looking forward to tasting it at the earliest opportunity and I will promptly post my tasting notes.

Another authority on Italian wine, Kyle Phillips, also gave the wine a good review in his excellent overview of 2004 Brunello. I really like what Kyle had to say about the annus horribilis in Montalcino and how the 2004 bottlings tend toward “garnet” in color as opposed to the opacity favored by certain producers in the past:

It is quite possible that those who in the past bent the rules, adding other things to make their Brunello more appealing to the international markets before bottling it (while some people to blend wines made from several varietals at the outset, many prefer to keep the varietals separate until bottling, because doing so allows them more control over the wine) decided to forego the practice, and I cannot but view this development favorably, as I think that a well-made Sangiovese has no need of crutches. I also think it is sad that it took the concrete threat of criminal investigation to deter the practice, and can only hope that garnet will continue to be as prevalent in future vintages as it was in this one.

I, too, hope that “garnet will continue to be prevalent” and — to borrow a phrase from James Suckling — that Montalcino producers will continue to “let Brunello be Brunello.” (For the record, Suckling liked the 04 Brunello by Banfi as well and gave it 93/100 points.)

The strangest post found its way to my inbox yesterday. In it, someone who calls her/himself WineCentric reports that last year the Banfi winery “came under fire from Italian authorities who claimed that varietals other than Sangiovese were being blended into Brunello di Montalcino” and she/he claims that the winery “has emerged sagacious and smelling as sweet as the rose petal and raspberry bouquet found in their Rosa Regale sparkler… Lab tests eventually cleared Banfi of any impropriety.”

Sagacious? Smelling sweet as rose petal?

Reports by leading Italian news outlets don’t jive with such claims. According to L’Espresso, for example, wineries like Banfi had to declassify considerable amounts of Brunello in order for their products to be allowed back on the market.

I wrote to Winecentric but received no response.

I’m sorry, Banfi: you still stink… Me? I’m just trying to keep the world safe for Italian wine.

Fight the power…

Nun ist auch der Brunello 2003 von Banfi als regelkonform frei gesprochen worden, sprich, Analysen haben nicht nachweisen können, dass der Sangiovese mit anderen Trauben verschnitten wurde. Er wird ausgeliefert. Nachdem zuvor auch Antinori seine Absolution erhalten hat, scheint sich der Brunello-Skandal in Luft oder Weingeist oder was auch immer aufgelöst zu haben. Was bleibt übrig? Scheinbar hat nur Argiano gepanscht. War alles andere nur ein böse Kampagne? Oder doch eher Mafia-Gemauschel? Nicht viel veritas im vino, würde ich mal auf Grund meiner persönlichen Erfahrungen mit italienischen Behörden unterstellen. Ein Misstrauen, dass übrigens die meisten Italiener mit mir teilen.

Zwei positive Ergebnisse hat das ganze aber doch: Der viel versprechende Jahrgang 2004 wird sicher sehr sorgfältig geprüft und rein serviert. Und das Consortio hat entschieden, beim reinen Sangiovese zu bleiben und die DOCG-Regel nicht aufzuweichen. Es hat sich gezeigt, dass die Welt eben Sangiovese im Brunello will und nicht den allgegenwärtigen Merlot.

Via Wein Plus und La Nazione

That’s Cristina Mariani to the left, owner of Banfi Vintners, one of the world’s largest and most powerful winemakers. Her family’s winery is one of the largest producers of Brunello di Montalcino.

Yesterday, on the eve of the Brunello Consortium’s historic vote on whether or not to allow blending of grapes other than Sangiovese, she and her company issued a statement in which they declare their support for a 3-5% “tolerance” of other grapes and for a new “Super Tuscan” Rosso di Montalcino designation:

“It is our strong belief that the heritage of Brunello rests solidly on the ennobled Sangiovese grape, and therein rests its future as well. This is why we dedicated our resources over the past thirty years in our ‘Pursuit of Excellence,’ collaborating with leading scholars to research, register and plant optimal clones of Sangiovese in their ideal soils on our estate. And this is why we will support the move to maintain the definition of Brunello di Montalcino as being made exclusively from the Sangiovese grape, with only a minimal (3%-5%) tolerance to be included in Brunello Appellation Rule to provide for human error in the vineyards or winery, as befitting a truly artisan production.

At the same time, we will work with our supportive neighbors to develop Rosso di Montalcino into a broader appellation that will allow Sangiovese to contribute its special character to a blend of other varietals, and continue to pursue the expression of the region’s unique terroir in ‘Montalcino Super Tuscan’ wines.”

There’s a saying in Italian, avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca, to have your cask full and your wife drunk. In other words, Ms. Mariani and her company want to have their cake and eat it too.

I’m sorry, Cristina, but sue me, Summus. You write: this is why we will support the move to maintain the definition of Brunello di Montalcino as being made exclusively from the Sangiovese grape, with only a minimal (3%-5%) tolerance to be included in Brunello. There seems to be some faulty logic here. Or do I not understand the meaning of the word exclusive?

The critical theorist in me can’t decide if I should apply a Marxist or Freudian reading to your conflict. But the Lacanian me reminds me that the signifier always precedes the signified.

In the words of the great Big Joe Turner, either you is, or either you ain’t (Lipstick, Powder, and Paint).

And in the words of James Suckling, LET BRUNELLO BE BRUNELLO!

Earlier this week, Banfi issued a press release announcing that its 2003 Brunello di Montalcino had been released by Siena authorities (it was impounded in April 2008). Evidently in response to Banfi’s press release and the newspaper articles and blog posts that followed, the Siena prosecutor sent a statement to members of the press today.

Click here to read the post published by Franco and me at VinoWire.

Our sources on the ground in Montalcino tell us that nearly half of Banfi’s 2003 release — Rosso and Brunello — had to be declassified.

Read our post and do the math…

Above: the Brunello debate panel included Banfi’s ex-director enologist Ezio Rivella (seated stage right), moderator Dino Cutolo, wine writer Franco Ziliani, and winemaker Teobaldo Cappellano.

In 1930, at the height of the “happy years” of fascism, the founder of the Italian Futurism movement and the father of the historical avant-garde Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published his Manifesto della Cucina Futurista, in which he advocated “The abolition of pastasciutta, an absurd Italian gastronomic religion.” (The term pastasciutta means literally dried pasta.)

Today, it is hard to imagine that one of Europe’s leading intellectuals and one of the 20th century’s most dynamic figures (indeed, he who literally gave new meaning to the word dynamism) would lash out so violently against one of Italy’s greatest contributions to world cuisine and a sine qua non of its identity. Thankfully, neither the Futurists nor the fascists prevailed and today pastasciutta and freedom, however bridled by consumerism, continue to thrive in Western Europe.

As I watched the live streaming of the Brunello debate on Friday, I couldn’t help but think of Marinetti’s calls to abolish pasta and to “murder the moonshine” (uccidiamo il chiaro di luna! or let’s kill the claire de lune, 1909) when I heard one of Italy’s leading enologists, Ezio Rivella, say that “Sangiovese is a ‘lean’ grape with little color” and that the Italian wine industry would be better served by “using international grape varieties” and “making wines more international in style.”

“You don’t win a 100 points from the Wine Spectator,” said Rivella, “using just Sangiovese.”

At a certain point during the debate, moderator Dino Cutolo (professor of anthropology, University of Siena), pointed out that the calls for the abolition of Brunello as 100% Sangiovese were coming “from the right.” He quickly added, “not the political right, but from my right.” But his lapsus linguae wasn’t lost on the crowd and drew a chortle from the gallery, palpable even over the internet.

At the height of the heated exchange, when voices were raised and tempers flared, Rivella leveled his finger at Franco Ziliani: “how can we not change the appellation regulations and allow for the use of Merlot in Brunello, caro Lei, Ziliani?” (borrowing a vocative, dear sir, evocative of another era). In the light of the “enormous capital we have invested, we need to make wines for the international market.”

The bottom line: when Banfi, led by Rivella, came into the picture in the 1970s and launched a new era of industrial winemaking in Montalcino, it tried — politically and viticulturally — to impose a modern imprint and it expanded the appellation’s plantings to international grape varieties. The large, commercial producers of Brunello have lobbied twice unsuccessfully to change appellation regulations (allowing for blending of international grapes) from within the now defunct producers consortium. Their bid failed because within the consortium’s hierarchy, the vote of the smallest producer (think Delaware) carried the same weight as the majors (think California).

I’ll let the reader infer her/his own parallels or analogies from the above.

Tomorrow, Teobaldo and Franco’s response. Stay tuned…

Re del Trash anni ‘80 è Lino Banfi aka Oronzo Canà, mister tutto fare della Longobarda, neo promossa in serie A. Rievocare la Bi-zona e il suo 5-5-5 mi riporta sui campi di gioco con l’entusiasmo di un bambino.
VOTO 10!!

Oggi la figlia della vicina è uscita alle 8:34 – poco dopo il mio fanciullo.

Nel palazzo che fa angolo, quinto piano, alle 8:45, una signora non granché giovane è uscita dalla doccia con il suo accappatoio bianco.

Uscendo alle 9:30 ho visto:

- la signora vicina di pianerottolo

- una giovane peruviana piccolina con una bimbetta italiana

- il signor Banfi che prendeva l’ascensore, un uomo sui 65 anni, capelli bianchi, magro, mal vestito

Curioso.

Above: “no hunting allowed.” Photo courtesy VinoalVino.

Ne nuntium necare. I’m really sorry to report that, according to at least one Italian news service, Banfi’s 03 Brunello contains grapes other than Sangiovese. Read our post at VinoWire and for those of you who speak Italian, read Franco’s post.

I’m in Montalcino as I write this and I am speechless. Non ho parole. This sucks.