October Newsletter: 2012 August Clape Pre-Arrival, Peter Dipoli: A Pioneer from Alto Adige, Atypical Alsatian Selections
The October newsletter is now available.
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Highlights from this month’s newsletter…
PIEDMONT
TWO FROM FANTINO
by Dixon Brooke
I’m itching with excitement to introduce these two, from opposite ends of the wide spectrum of vinous wonders emanating from the Fantino vines and cellars in Monforte d’Alba. A starter and a finisher, if you will.
2013 ROSSO DEI DARDI
ALESSANDRO E GIAN NATALE FANTINO
A pure Nebbiolo from younger vines in an eastern-facing portion of the Dardi subsection of Bussia in Barolo, this has to be tasted to be believed! Aromatically, you have the feminine side of Barolo, all flowers and perfume. The wine is just firm enough, with mouthwatering acidity and explosively fresh and energetic fruit. It may be the most delicious Nebbiolo you’ve ever tasted. And you can afford to do so by the case.
$19.00 per bottle $205.20 per case
1999 NEPAS • ALESSANDRO E GIAN NATALE FANTINO
Ne + pas is short for Nebbiolo Passito. This style of wine is an increasingly lost art, and here is an example made by its surviving master. Think Amarone meets Barolo. It is decidedly old school, with all the secondary glory you might expect from a fifteen-year-old wine. Almost dry, with only three grams of residual sugar, it displays a wide range of flavors, including nuts, spices, herbs, dried fruit, and smoked meat. The grapes are harvested two to three weeks before the Barolos and then dried until Christmas, after which they are pressed. You will not find another wine like it anywhere in the world (including Piedmont). Open it with good friends toward the end of a meal.
$60.00 per bottle $648.00 per case
CORSICAN WHITES
by Anthony Lynch
2013 CORSE CALVI BLANC “E PROVE”
DOMAINE MAESTRACCI
The nose of this Vermentinu is beautifully expressive, reminiscent of white flowers and sea mist. Crisp, vibrant, and bright, it carries some flesh on the palate along with a tangy salinity. Yum!!!
$19.95 per bottle $215.46 per case
2012 ILE DE BEAUTÉ BLANC • YVES LECCIA
With suggestions of seashells and fleshy white fruit, here is a white that is best enjoyed outdoors. It worked quite well for me on a camping trip to California’s Lost Coast, where it paired to perfection with Pacific sea breezes coming off the rolling waves. This blend of Vermentinu with Biancu Gentile refreshes and stimulates, though I guess it could do that in the comfort of your home, too. Wherever you may be, this is a white you will appreciate most by way of big sips.
$26.00 per bottle $280.80 per case
2012 PATRIMONIO BLANC “HAUT DE CARCO”
ANTOINE ARENA
If Patrimonio is the greatest terroir for Vermentino, this might be the greatest terroir in Patrimonio. A steep slope littered with hunks of chalky limestone, Haut de Carco gives Vermentino’s grandest expression: a generous perfume of honeysuckle and ripe pear, richness of flavor kept in check by a nervy mineral lift, and a sustained finish accented by Mediterranean brine. The depth and complexity here leave no question that this is grand cru material.
$45.00 per bottle $486.00 per case
Corsican charcuterie © Gail Skoff