November Inspired Wine Club: Scents for the Season

Autumn is filled with a cornucopia of aromas. The musty smell of golden and crimson leaves gathered into piles. A sweet waft of cinnamon and apples that can permeate an entire house when a pie filled with orchard-fresh fruit quietly bakes. And of course, that alluring aroma of turkey roasting in preparation of a Thanksgiving feast for family and friends. Yes, this is a time of year for wonderful aromas that evoke childhood memories and comforting times. As the writer Vladimir Nabokov said, “Nothing revives the past so completely as a smell that was once associated with it.” So in honor of the great smells of autumn, Hinsdale Inspired Wine Club offers two wines that promise a captivating olfactory experience. Whether you enjoy the earthiness of a perfected Pinot Noir or the exotic fruitiness of a lesser-known Italian white varietal, this month’s selections are sure to fit into this season of sensory delights.

2009 Fess Parker Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir

For red wine lovers, Pinot Noir is often their wine of choice when it comes to turkey time. And, this particular Pinot is certainly one worthy of a special affair. “The 2009 [Fess Parker Santa Barbara] Pinot Noir is a gorgeous wine bursting with dark cherries, spices and sweet French oak,” says Robert Parker Jr. in an August edition of Wine Advocate. “It shows fabulous textural richness and depth, especially for an entry-level offering. This is a tasty, accessible Pinot to drink now and over the next few years.” Indeed, this ruby-colored elixir composed completely of Pinot Noir grapes from four vineyards with complementary terroir offers an exquisite nose of black cherry, autumnal spices of cinnamon and clove, vanilla and foresty earthiness. On the palate, the black cherry comes through with red currant, cranberry, vanilla and spice. Ten months of aging in new Burgundian French oak adds that impressive depth, and its texture is pure velvet. Enjoy at Thanksgiving or to enhance a meal of bourbon-glazed salmon or crispy roasted duck.

2009 Caleo Inzolia. Sicily

One sniff of this Sicilian white, and you will recall a vacation to the tropics with its captivating exotic fruitiness — most notably of kiwi and pineapple. Made from 100 percent Inzolia grapes, this Italian varietal has a spicy aromatic character that is refreshing and unique. Inzolia grapes, also known as Ansonica, have been traditionally used to make the lighter-colored Marsala wines that come from this region. More recently, as Sicilian wines have become popularized through export, those outside of Sicily are enjoying Inzolia as a well-structured, crisp, clean white wine with an intense bouquet. The cool, breezy Sicilian nights add to the wine’s brilliant straw color and distinctive nose. The Caleo Inzolia is a particularly well-balanced, harmonious wine with hints of citrus that pair perfectly with seafood dishes like a shrimp and fennel risotto, linguini con vongole or sole Meuniere.

 

Montalcino’s Brunello: A Taste of Tuscan Perfection

Perhaps sheep, goats and a cowbell-clad donkey don’t greet everyone heading down the dirt and gravel road to La Magia vineyard in Montalcino, but they should. Even as a particular long-horned goat unflinchingly stared into our car, my four wine-loving friends and I had to chuckle at the setting’s perfection: a Tuscan sun illuminating the verdant pastures and vineyards, a charming cowbell clinking in concert with the leaves that gently swished in the breeze, the smell of lavender and herbaceous air – how could fabulous wine NOT be produced in this environment?

And sure enough, as we made our way to the unassuming vineyard known as Fattoria La Magia, we were soon to learn just how great that wine could be. Winemaker and owner Fabian Schwarz greeted us and casually took us to a hillside overlooking his grapes with a breathtaking view that also included a distant Benedictine St. Antimo abbey that Charlemagne built so many centuries ago. While it is far from being the biggest vineyard in the world (approximately 52 hectares of which you can see all of it from this one vantage point), here is a winery that has flourished, exporting its wine around the world.

“Do you ever get sick of this view,” I said while transfixed by the gentle vineyards with the abbey beyond and a backdrop of the majestic Apennine Mountains.

Fabian chuckled and said, “No, but sometimes they look even better after I have been away traveling.”

The Brunello everybody loves

Most wine experts will say that Brunello is Tuscany’s greatest wine varietal; others say it is the best in all of Italy. Roughly translated as “nice dark one,” this is a red wine lover’s dream with its smooth tannins and robust dark fruit and leather flavors. Brunello di Montalcino was awarded with the first DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) in 1980, which means it can only be grown and produced in Montalcino, that everything used to make the wine must also come from Montalcino and that it can only be made from 100 percent Brunello grapes, which are a perfected clone of the Sangiovese grape that dates back to the mid-19^th century. Fabian explained that Brunello must age at least two years in oak barrels and a minimum of four years overall as part of the DOCG rules. Riserva Brunello ages at least two and a half years in oak barrels and five years overall.

Like many of the local winemakers, Fabian and his wife offer tastings and tours by appointment, and depending on what you taste and whether you would like some charcuterie alongside your wines, the price ranges between 10 and 18 Euro ($14-25 US).  The tour starts in the vineyard, goes through the cellars and finishes outside under a shady tree, where the family dog is quick to nestle herself comfortably under the tables as well.

It’s this kind of environment that allows one to learn about the challenges a winemaker has and see the parts of winemaking that drive his passion. My friend’s simple question about Fabian’s wine label revealed that when he was just four years old, an artist had come to visit his father to design that year’s label for the Riserva wine. However, on that occasion the four-year-old created art that proved to be longer-lived, still adorning all of La Magia’s wine bottles rather than just one vintage like the work from the more experienced artist.

A satisfying tasting

So, La Magia, like most of the wineries in Montalcino has found the benefits of location and have clearly specialized in Brunello. Like most winemakers in this area, Fabian specializes with the three wines of Montalcino: Rosso, Brunello and Brunello Riserva. While winemakers save their best quality grapes for Riserva and lesser quality grapes for Rosso, a lot of the rules can change depending on a good or bad vintage. Many reviewers will note that in bad vintage years, these wines can prove to be exceptional values. As winemakers downgrade their best grapes, the Rosso’s quality improves. Asking Fabian about which years were good years for Rosso and good years for Riserva proved mind numbing. Compounding the confusing list of vintages was the fact that as we tasted his three wines, they all had impressive aroma, taste and color, despite ranging in price from 12 to 45 Euros/bottle.

Bad quality Rosso?  Not from this place was the conclusion we drew. Yes, the Rosso lacked some of that depth and tannins in which the Brunello and Riserva bathed your tongue, but it definitely held its own as a hearty, earthy, robust red wine. We bought two bottles of each wine for the rest of our Tuscan vacation. However, we couldn’t resist opening them in threesomes to continue comparing and contrasting.

My husband likes to say that the best wines are always best because of context – you’re having a good time, surrounded by friends or family, or the setting is just perfect. Well, for six traveling friends in Tuscany, we decided La Magia has some damn fine context.

– Ivy F. Kupec

 

Off the Beaten Path: 5 Reds for Dad

Dads love their steak. Sure, they may eat more chicken than beef these days, and vegetarians will quickly pull out their portobellos and claim satisfaction. But on the whole, men love their steak. They save it for special occasions and special people. They stand watch grillside like stewards of meat perfection, mastering the alluring smokiness, taming the sizzle and flare-ups, and even getting a little geeky sometimes when they talk about their grills.

At Hinsdale Cellars, we all agree that the best Father’s Day gift is membership to our Inspired Wine Club where Dad can travel down many different wine roads for six to 12 months. However, if that’s not the direction you want to take this Father’s Day, consider how much he enjoys his traditional Cabernet or Pinot Noir with those precious steaks, and then think about treating him to something new.

Here are five red wine varietals that promise hearty satisfaction. If this year, you want to treat Pops to a new red wine that marries steak well, then here are a few suggestions:

Gigondas

Think red French wine, and one immediately turns to Burgundy, Bordeaux or maybe even the Rhône Valley with a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Outside of the mainstream spotlight, however, are Gigondas, which are gorgeously robust wines with aroma and balance that will get people’s attention and have them asking, “How do you pronounce that wine again?”  Made with mostly Grenache grapes, these wines also include Syrah and Mourvèdre, and this varietal is definitely one of France’s well-kept secrets. These are in-your-face reds that reek masculinity with their spicy, leathery aromas and tannin-rich flavor.

Malbec

Thanks to Sean Chaudhry’s trip to Argentina and his relationship with several Argentine wine makers, we have written about Malbec before. So associated with Argentina and other South American vintners that one might forget Malbec is one of the grapes usually blended in Bordeaux. Malbec, with its inky purple color, is an earthy wine that is often blended. It’s known for its jammy quality with rustic tannins that any good Gaucho would know matches perfectly with his favorite range-fed beef.

Shiraz

Another name for Syrah, Shiraz is best known as the great red wine from Down Under. Reportedly, the Australians don’t expose their Shiraz to as much oak as Cabernets, but they are still lush, fruity wines with softer, balanced tannins that measure up quite nicely with a hearty meal. Mostly Shiraz brings forth berry, black cherry, plum and pepper flavors, but they can also have hints of licorice, spices, chocolate and even coffee.

Pinotage

Considered South Africa’s signature varietal, Pinotage promises a rich, earthy, full-flavored wine. Developed in 1925, this varietal is a combination of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. It is possible to find lighter variations of this red wine, but it is best known as a smoky, brambly wine that pairs well with hearty fare and is reminiscent of fine Pinot Noir. This wine ages exceptionally well. Color is deep red with purple tinges and the texture is velvety.

Amarone

Want to splurge on Dad, then this might be the wine for you!  Never listed as a bargain wine, Amarone is considered one of Italy’s most elegant red wines. Picked late and made with partially dried grapes, Amarone is known for its intensity and its thicker texture. One might think that this sounds like the makings of a sweet wine, but that would be wrong. If done well, this blend of primarily Corvina grapes, mixed with Rondinella, Molinara and Negrara is a dry, dense, earthy wine that seems to have almost a cult-like following. If Amarone’s grape blend sounds familiar, it’s likely because they are the same ones used in making Valpolicella, the other big red from this region, but serving at only 11 percent alcohol as compared to Amarone’s 15-16 percent.

Of course all these wines have a range of producers, so the key to finding a wine that matches your wants, needs and budgetary limitations, is talking with one of the great wine experts at Hinsdale Cellars. Happy Father’s Day!

– Ivy F. Kupec

 

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