With video taken last November and the editing prowess of Beryl Ray Levy, we’ve just cut a new piece on our friend Roberto Stucchi and the magnificent Badia a Coltibuono in Tuscany.
It seems like a good time to also mention we are currently serving the 2007 Riserva by the glass in both the restaurant and the cafe. And the 1999 Sangioveto (one of Roberto’s personal favorites), which started out rather austere, has recently begun to open up. Therefore we’ve taken some of our bottle out of the cellar and put them on the Wine In Time menu. It will be interesting to observe how this wine changes over the next couple years.
Eighty-two degrees and rain in Barbaresco today. Aldo Vacca just sent us our latest vineyard report. The “green harvest” is now complete (thinning the vines of fruit, for the benefit of remaining grapes). We’re glad it looks like summer–somewhere.
In Monday’s New York Times, wine writer Eric Asimov described a recent tasting of twenty Chianti Classicos and lamented the lack of classically styled wines from the region, particularly at the Riserva level. His primary complaint centered on the unnaturally dense, dark appearance of many of these wines, often due to over-extraction, heavy use of oak, or blending of international varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. We here at Oliveto couldn’t agree more. From the outset our wine program has focused on sourcing Italian wines made in a more traditional style: “Typicity, authenticity, and honest, traditional methods are key factors in the wines we typically find interesting. Balance, elegance, and the ability to age gracefully are defining characteristics that guide each selection for our list.” Of course, defining exactly what is typical, authentic, and honest is not a black and white issue; as Asimov points out, the indigenous grape, Colorino, has long been used to deepen the color of Tuscan wines, preceding the influence of international varietals and globe-trotting critics. Nevertheless, in our opinion and for our palates, over-extracted, heavily-oaked wines supplemented by non-indigenous varietals rarely, if ever, offer the balance, elegance, and ability to age that we prefer.
Admittedly, this isn’t my most timely post ever; my notes on the wines of Montevertine date from April 27th when the owner and winemaker, Martino Manetti visited the Bay area. However, in a way it seems appropriate to have taken my time. These wines are imbued with a sense permanence and classic style, with an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation. Since 1968 when Martino’s father, Sergio, started this fabled estate almost nothing has changed in the winemaking style, and I get the very strong feeling nothing will be changing in the near future either. The elder Manetti was among the first in Tuscany to leave the Consorzio and to forego the status of the Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. in order to follow his conviction that authentic and truly great wines can be made entirely of Sangiovese or other indigenous varietals such as Canaiolo and Colorino. Continue reading ‘Tasting Notes: Montevertine’
One of the best parts of my job is planning out the wines to serve for the variety of special dinners we host throughout the year. However, several weeks ago I was stumped trying to finalize the list of wines to offer during our Balsamico Dinners. Usually, I have some pre-conceived notion of the types of wines I’m looking for; the best choices for the Oceanic, Truffle, and Whole Hog dinners come easily. Yet, wines that seemed like an intuitive fit with Balsamico weren’t obvious to me. I decided to go with the idea that wines from the area where Balsamico comes from might be a natural match. Unfortunately, other than Lambrusco, most of the top wines of Emilia-Romagna didn’t exactly role off my tongue… Continue reading ‘Tasting Notes: La Stoppa’
Since January, Aldo Vacca of Produttori del Barbaresco has been periodically visiting his vineyard with a video camera & recording what’s going on there. We saw the vines’ first pruning of 2010, and then bud break in April. And finally this week we get fruit set.
Please join us for a wonderful evening of fine Piemontese wines when Cristiano Garella of the historic Tenuta Sella joins us on Thursday, May 27th. Lovers of Barbaresco, Barolo, and all things Nebbiolo will not want to miss this chance to taste the fascinating expressions of the grape produced in the northern Piedmont zones of Lessona and Bramaterra. The cooler climate, higher altitude, and unique soils of these two areas all combine to create elegant, pure expressions of Nebbiolo.
Cristiano’s visit will be a celebration of both old and new. The Sella estate has produced wine from its own vineyards in Lessona since 1671, and their cellars hold vintages dating back to 1881. In contrast, Cristiano is a Continue reading ‘Oliveto welcomes Cristiano Garella of Tenuta Sella’
I had the pleasure recently of meeting Antonio Terni, the owner of Fattoria Le Terrazze, one of the leading estates of the Marche. Terni is quite a personality. An avid Bob Dylan fan and yachtsman, he was born in Argentina and worked as a nuclear scientist before returning to his family’s estate in the foothills of Monte Conero on the beautiful Adriatic coast. The estate has belonged to his family since 1882 and under the direction of Terni and his wife, currently produces about 7500 cases of wine each year.
The Le Terrazze wine I was most familiar with from the past is “Chaos,” a blend of Montepulciano, Syrah, and Merlot named in honor of Terni’s physics background. “Chaos” is a full-blown, rich, modern-style, jammy wine. It was nice during this visit to taste Le Terrazze’s more traditional wines. In contrast to “Chaos,” and “Planet Waves,” which are both blends, the basic Rosso Continue reading ‘Tasting Notes: Fattoria Le Terrazze – Le Marche’
