Italian Winemaker Tasting
* Who: Our friend Giovanni Dubini from the Palazzone winery in Orvieto, Umbria, Italy.
* What: Italian Winemaker Tasting of Umbrian wines.
* Why: Because Giovanni will be in town, and we love his wines!
* When: Tuesday Feb 9th
* Where: The Downtown store.
* How: Show up, ask for a glass, taste, buy wine.
* Time: TBA, but we expect 5-7 pm
See below for my notes on our delightful visit to the winery on a rainy Friday afternoon in September 2008.
Click here for the Palazzone website
Click here for great pictures of Orvieto at the Patrick Nicholas Gallery (in Orvieto) website
The wines to be tasted:
Palazzone, Orvieto Classico Superiore "Terre Vineate" 2008, $14.99
see review below
Palazzone, Dubini Bianco 2008, $8.99
Lucignano, Chianti Colli Fiorentini 2007, $17.99
(Sangiovese 80%, Canaiolo 10%, Merlot 5%, Colorino 5%; Lucignano, Tuscany)
"What would we do without the 10,000 cases of Lucignano Chianti Colli Fiorentini made each year? Every vintage, this wine gets my nod as the most consistently successful inexpensive Chianti produced in Tuscany." "The 2008 Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio Rosso (Piedirosso, Aglianico) flows with the essence of cracked black pepper, spices, earthiness, wild cherries and herbs on a deceptively medium-bodied frame. There is a lot going on here, especially at this level. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2016. 90 points." --Robert Parker
The fine microclimate and unique soil characteristics surrounding the medieval town of Lucignano, located only a mile outside the western border of the Chianti Classico zone, make it without a doubt the finest cru of the Chianti Colli Fiorentini appellation. Lucignano is extremely consistent in quality, achieving delicious results in every vintage
De Angelis, Lacrymi Christi del Vesuvio Rosso 2008, $19.99
( Aglianico 60% and Piedirosso 40%; Sorrento, Campania)
"The 2008 Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio Rosso flows with the essence of cracked black pepper, spices, earthiness, wild cherries and herbs on a deceptively medium-bodied frame. There is a lot going on here, especially at this level. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2016. 90 points." --Robert Parker
"De Angelis’ vineyards, planted on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius overlooking the Bay of Sorrento, are situated in one of the most beautiful areas of Italy. Though this was one of the very first parts of the peninsula to be planted during Greek settlement, it is only recently that the young generation of local winemakers has begun to rediscover the great potential of these coastal Campania vineyards. The “Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio” DOC wines have long been produced by only a few large estates, and De Angelis is one of the few small estates to bottle independently. The 2000 vintage was the first under Angelo Valentino, formerly assistant winemaker and cellarmaster at Caggiano, though the De Angelis family has been producing wine since 1936. The red wine is 40% Aglianico and 60% Piedirosso, matured briefly in barriques. The wine is remarkably vinous and fruity, deep purple-ruby in color, a wine best enjoyed when young." --importer Skurnik Wines
Orvieto Classico Superiore "Terre Vineate" 2008, Palazzone $14.99
(Procanico 50%, Grechetto 25%, and the rest Verdelho, Malvasia Toscano, and Drupeggio; Orvieto, Umbria, Italy)
.....On our penultimate day in Umbria we drove through the cold misty rain from Todi past the cliff-top city of Orvieto to the hamlet of Rocca Ripesena and the Palazzone winery. There we met the charming and erudite owner/winemaker Giovanni Dubini. After touring the winery we moved next door to the recently restored Locanda Palazzone. This 14th century "hospalitis" or Pilgrim Inn lies on the route of the ancient Via Francigena that ran from Canterbury, England to Rome. The Dubini family, all artists and artisans, have done a remarkable renovation.
.....Giovanni opened all nine of his wines including an old vintage of one wine, the 1997 "Terre Vineate" Orvieto that was alive and intriguing with a deep gold color and showing very different fruits than the current vintage. He described the 2007's "elegant, vivid bouquet with a definite scent of hazelnut. The impact on the palate is intense yet refreshingly dry and the finish is a perfect balance between the perfume of the fruits and a touch of bitterness. Terre Vineate is a wine for pasta dishes, for meat accompanied by rich sauce and for fish cooked in piquant fashion." I found peach, pear, mineral, and hazelnut. Round on the palate with a lovely fruit depth, it is my favorite Orvieto. "Terre Vineate" is the medieval map designation for a vineyard. It is from the heart of Orvieto in the "Classico" zone and is a reserve bottling, thus "Superiore."
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....Giovanni shared many of his ideas with us, "In wine, everything is written in the vineyard." And also, "A bottle of wine should be a bottle of life, not a bottle of oak and dead trees." After an enlightening visit, he called his favorite trattoria in Orvieto, La Palomba, to arrange a hearty lunch of umbricelli tartufati (Umbrian pasta with truffles). He left us with this thought: "We accept the tradition of Orvieto Classico with its distinctive mix of grape varieties; we are happy to let the more immediate, fragrant Grechetto and the austere, earthy Procanico assert their character. We love the idea that the profile of a white wine from central Italy might stand out -- graceful yet incisive... We are proud to be able to make a white wine that can be relied upon but where you can taste the difference from vintage to vintage."
"Hard to find a serious Orvieto like this." -- The Wine Spectator, Apr 30, 2008
“Unquestionably the number one small estate of Orvieto” -- Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
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