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a
 ennett Traub was back in town, and he had some spare time to spend with
his Gangster bredrens, so we renewed acquaintances at a local spot with
a liberal policy regarding what we could bring in and uncork. Bennett,
Kim and this taster were joined by
that vivacious bon vivant,
Margaret Marchak, and
Bill Schwab aka The Psychopomp also made a
brief cameo
appearance. As is usually the case with such gatherings, we got things
started with a glass of white.
2002 Donna Fugata Chiarandà Sicilia DOC, 13.5% alc.: Made from not -
quite - equal parts of the native Sicilian Ansonica and Chardonnay, this
pale golden libation sports notes of toasty oak lending a subtle touch of
butter and maple syrup over fairly rich apple and pear flaves and
whiffs; Mr. Schwab added an impression of key lime meringue, while
Bennett found the oak to be a little sour. The wine has a creamy
texture, with undertones of minerality and just enough acidity to make
it all come together nicely. A nice starter on a hot summer's evening,
but you probably won't find this in stores; we were informed that it's
an "on - premises (restaurant) only" selection.
Bennett brought along the following two little gems, and they were each
delightful and delightfully different.
1978 Monte Vertine Le Pergole Torte, 12.5% alc.: A bricked ruby red in
color, this gives up a slightly funky, musty (in a good way) nose
showing mostly cheese rind and a little cedar. While the flavors are
predominantly secondary, there's still a solid, fairly rich core of
fruit underneath it all, garnering such impressions as red currant,
mushroom, forest floor, herbal, ferny and potting soil. Fully mature,
and by no means over the hill, this is drinking very nicely indeed,
making a fine match for a plate of carpaccio and giving testament to Mr.
Traub's cellar master skills.
Imported by Diamond Wine Merchants, S. Francisco, CA
 1985 Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvée du Clos de la Dioterie Vieilles Vignes,
11 - 14% alc.: There's little rust as of yet to the ruby garnet color of
this 20 year old Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, and it exudes copious
notes of herbs and underbrush on the nose, following through on the
palate with plums and berries. As it opened in the glass, it attracted
such impressions as lemon balm, lavender, savory, bay leaf, dirt and
pepper. Fresh, yet fully mature, this may not be for everyone, due to
its heavily herbaceous character, but it was very well received at our
table, and was my favorite wine of the night. Bennett and I hooked up
online because of our mutual admiration for Joguet Chinon, and I'm
pleased that he carried through with his promise to bring one of these
oldies, a veritable revelation for this taster.
Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
1993 Pogio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Reserva
DOCG, 13.5% alc.: Margaret
pulled this one from her bag of goodies just in time for our entrees;
it's another one of those
things she brought back from her travels in Italy.
Showing just a hint of rust, this dark garnet is all about sticks and
underbrush over deep, dark sour cherries, black cherries, licorice and
earth. Lots of structure here, and while it really opens with air,
giving a good idea of what's ahead, and was probably the best match for
some prime, medium rare Colorado lamb chops, it's really best to leave this in the cellar for at least
another 3-5 years.
 1993 Fisher Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon Wedding Vineyard, 13% alc.: From
what I heard, this deep, dark garnet colored cab was rather tight when
first poured, but I gave my glass half an hour to open whilst
considering the previous two selections, so by the time I got to it, it
was quite tasty, offering hints of cedar and tobacco over cassis and
black currant, with a kiss of well - integrated oak on the nose and
subtle earthy undertones on the palate. A classic Fisher cab, this is
rich and sweet, without being in any way excessive, and it still has at
least a few years of improvement left in it. The only
thing wrong with it is that it had the disadvantage of being thrown into
a mix of more complex, and dare I say, more interesting wines.
There you have it, another fine evening with great friends enjoying some
delicious food with excellent wine, and isn't that what it's all about?
~A few other nice things
we've had with friends lately:
 1996 Dunn Vineyards Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% alc.: Dunn's style of
Cabernet Sauvignon is a little hard to describe, because it doesn't fit
neatly into any of the usual pigeon holes; it's not well oaked (au
contraire, any oak comes off as neutral, at best) and the fruit is
certainly not "bright" (austere might be a better descriptor, although
the wines do tend to be big), yet they don't really resemble Bordeaux
that much either.
Tom Natoci opened this dark garnet colored beast for
us, and the best characterization I can up with for it is black currant
and old wood, deep, dark and dirty, and those are positive impressions.
Putnam Weekley
ruminated upon it thus: "It smells like cabernet; cold,
northern pine forest; herbal, old and grapey; it asks the question, 'What is Napa cab?!'" He and Tom both find it to be "like meat." Despite
at least 10 years worth of tannins, it opens quickly and beautifully in
the glass, becoming more harmonious by the minute. Tom and Putnam are
both big fans of that "dirty Dunn" style, and it's easy to understand
why, based on this and a '97 that we all tried about 6 months back
(sorry, no notes taken, but the wine was quite similar to this, and
remarkably approachable coming from a winery with the reputation for
producing massively tannic cabernet). Despite the insistence of my
better half that it was time to leave, I had to linger an extra twenty
minutes or so, because this one is just too good to slug down.
1993 Dunn Vineyards Napa Petite Sirah Howell Mountain, 13.6% alc.: Like
the cabernet noted above, there's nothing sweet or bright about the
fruit in this wine; if there were an old French Petite Sirah, it might
taste like this. Inky opaque, fading to pink at the rim, and very dry,
bordering on rustic, with black currant - older barrel character and
overtones of cedar that become accentuated with air. Deep, dark and
still pretty tight, this has the structure to age for years, and it
needs the time, so no reason to open one any time soon, unless of
course, you want to.
};^)>
1996 Fisher Vineyards Sonoma Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard, 13% alc.:
Bright golden color, with well
integrated oak over pretty pear flavors and aromas, accented with hints
of hazel nuts, butterscotch and a note of maple syrup as it opens. Silky
soft, with excellent balance, presence and a lovely, mature personality.
Putnam Weekley called it "possibly the most thrilling wine of the
evening so far," even after we'd already enjoyed some very impressive
reds before getting to this. I have yet to taste a Fisher wine that I
don't like, and now I see why the Whitney's Chards are so highly
regarded. I'd love to taste the '02 version that
Whitney Fisher herself
is so jazzed about.
 1994 Kathryn Kennedy Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.5% alc.:
Dark garnet, with no rust to speak of, as of yet; creamy oak with modest
coconut and confectioners' sugar over spicy red currant and black cherry
on the nose. Gains some cassis and black currant on the palate, with the
coconut becoming even more accentuated at first, but as it opens with
air, the oak begins to take on some "old wood" characteristics and a
note of tobacco emerges. With an hour's air, the coconut and cream
mostly dissipate, revealing a more balanced, well integrated, "correct"
cabernet character, if you will. There're still some silky tannins here,
with just the right amount of acidity and a nice, long finish. I'd only
decant this to avoid the clump of fine sediment at the bottom of the
bottle; otherwise, it's quite interesting to observe the evolution of
the wine in the glass over time. An enjoyable Santa Cruz Mountains
cabernet that's probably at or near its peak.
1998 Chateau Montelena Napa Cabernet
Sauvignon Estate, 13.9% alc.: I had the chance to taste this inky
garnet colored cab with the guys from
Cloverleaf Fine
Wines, and my first impression was, “Boy, this certainly isn’t a
casualty of a so – so vintage!” Full bodied and powerful, almost chewy,
it offers lots of sticks and licorice and earth vying for dominance with
the big cassis and black currant fruit, along with some dark chocolate
and underbrush as it opens. It still has plenty of tannins to resolve,
and it’s mostly twigs and sticks on the otherwise long finish right now,
so the wine needs a minimum of another five years. We’ll probably get to
the one stashed in the cellar from heck sometime around 2010 – 2012.
2000 Antoniolo Gattinara, $45, 12.5% alc.: Ruby garnet color, with
earthy red currant and cherry flavors and aromas; medium to medium full
body, with medium tannins, a nice finish and lovely Nebbiolo character.
No bright fruit here, but it sure is nice fruit, and this should be
singing on its 10th birthday. Real wine, which Putnam describes as
"ephemeral and fragrant, like silk," and "the unbearable lightness of
being wine." I couldn't have said it better myself.
A Marc de Grazia Selection, imported by Vin Divino,
Chicago, IL
1999 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Reserva Grandi Annate,
13.5% alc.: A deep, dark garnet in color, with sticks and underbrush
over dried sour cherries, black currant and black licorice in flavor and
aroma, this is decidedly dry, with excellent structure and a good dose
of tannins, but not so much so that you can't drink it tonight. Indeed,
it really opens with air, becoming more and more harmonious, but still,
another five years or so in the cellar wouldn't hurt it at all. Bill
Lucas done good to pick this one up, and even better to open it whilst
we were visiting!
Imported by
Dalla Terra
Reporting from Day-twah,
Bastardo
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