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Italian goodies
My pal John Given was back in town for a trade tasting yesterday, and much to my delight, he got in touch and suggested we get together to enjoy dinner and pull the corks from a few of his wines.
What's not to like about a portfolio that includes such rarities as Ruché from Lombardia, Nerello Mascalese from Sicily or the heirloom grapes Albana dei Castelli Romani and Tor di Passeri from Lazio around Rome? I figured John would have something just as interesting with him on this trip, and I wasn't disappointed. We enjoyed a fine Persian dinner at Saffron's, an excellent upscale Iranian eatery in downtown Louisville, and accompanied it with three of Given's goodies. I took home a few more intriguing Italian dessert wines that I'll review under more analytical conditions and report in another edition soon. For today, here are my quick notes on the wines we enjoyed with dinner.
A relatively rare red grape whose name implies at least a legendary Croatian origin, Croatina is grown in Oltrepo Pavese ("Across the Po from Pavia") where Lombardia meets Piemonte in Northwestern Italy. It's a pretty garnet color, dark but clear, and breathes an attractive dried-cherry aroma that reminds me more than a little of a good Valpolicella. It's juicy and ripe on the palate, crisp and tart, with subtle leathery and "barnyard" notes appearing as a restrained, pleasant note of complexity. A pleasant touch of bitterness adds flavor interest in the finish. An impressive wine and a steal at $10 to $12 retail; it made a remarkable match with one of a trio of duck appetizers, rich duck confit stuffed into ripe dates. The label (pictured in our Graphics Edition) is jokingly nicknamed "The Orgy Label" in Given's shop because of its small but distinct portrayal of naked satyrs in revelry. Pian dell'Orino 2001 Piandorino Toscana Given almost abashedly pulled out the next two bottles, feigning embarrassment simply because one's a Super Tuscan, the other a Brunello, which make them exceptions in an import portfolio mostly filled with less familiar grapes and regions. They're standout wines, though, capable of drawing attention from more familiar labels. This Super Tuscan - 75% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot and 10% Cabernet - is a dark garnet color, with beautiful aromas of black cherries and blackberries, pure fruit and warm spice. Fresh and tart in flavor, clean fruit is balanced by mouth-watering acidity, smooth tannins and a long, long, long finish. Wine-Searcher.com shows a few vendors offering it at $18 to $20, a remarkable price point for a Super Tuscan of this quality. Both this and the following wine went beautifully with rack of lamb, dusted with subtle Persian spices and grilled medium-rare. Pian dell'Orino 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Brunello di Montalcino, an upper-crust cousin of Chianti, is one of my absolute favorite Italian wines and, frankly, bears comparison with the world's other top wine regions. This is a splendid example, deep garnet in color, with full but elegant black-fruit aromas of plums and cherries enhanced with earthy but clean hints of leather. Flavors follow the nose, amply structured and well balanced. Concentrated black fruit flavors carry smooth but substantial tannins suggesting that this one will benefit from significant cellar time. Given guesstimates that this bottling will retail in the $55 to $60 range, more than fair for a wine of this quality.
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Today's article is cross-posted in our Netscape WineLovers Community, where we also welcome comments and questions. To contact me by E-mail, write wine@wineloverspage.com. I'll respond personally to the extent that time and volume permit.
PRINT OUT TODAY'S ARTICLE Administrivia To subscribe or unsubscribe from The 30 Second Wine Advisor, change your E-mail address, or for any other administrative matters, please use the individualized hotlink found at the end of your E-mail edition. If this is not practical, contact me by E-mail at wine@wineloverspage.com, including the exact E-mail address that you used when you subscribed, so I can find your record. We do not use our E-mail list for any other purpose and will never give or sell your name or E-mail address to anyone. I welcome feedback, suggestions, and ideas for future columns. To contact me, please send E-mail to wine@wineloverspage.com All the wine-tasting reports posted here are consumer-oriented. In order to maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, I purchase all the wines I rate at my own expense in retail stores and accept no samples, gifts or other gratuities from the wine industry.
Friday, Sept. 8, 2006
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Tenuta Maggiore 2002 Sentito Provincia di Pavia Croatina
