Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Italy's Reds & Whites Delight at Marino Ristorante

“Wine refreshes the stomach, sharpens the appetite,

blunts care and sadness, and conduces to slumber.”

-- Pliny the Elder

I learned during my years-long study to achieve my WSET Diploma that Italy did not become a nation state, or one unified country, until 1861. This had never sunk in during my high school history classes; it was only when I began studying about Italian wine that I learned that prior to 1861, and after the fall of Rome in the fifth century, Italy was a fragmented collection of numerous, politically divided city states, often at war with one another. Once united, however, Italy faced other obstacles, including two world wars and its own civil war, before ultimately surviving as a democracy and a European power.

In spite of its disruptive history, Italy has consistently been producing killer wines dating back to ancient times. In fact, there is some belief that the first vitis vinifera vines were grown in Italy, although there are some folks in Spain, Greece, and Georgia (the Eastern European one) who would strongly object to this notion!

Regardless, it's safe to say that Italy has been producing wine for thousands of years, in all its different regions, and is much glorified in wine circles throughout the world. The popularity of Italian wine amongst the clientele of The Wine House in West Los Angeles, where I am employed, is pretty amazing. Folks love Italy, Italian food, and especially Italian wine. Our Italian tasting events usually sell out pretty quickly (in non-COVID times!).

LA Wine Writers recently spent a lunch hour at Marino's Restaurant in Los Angeles, hosted by Bethany Burke of Taub Family Selections & Palm Bay International, where she presented a tour of Italy via the wines of four producers that she represents. We "traveled" up and down the boot of Italy, from Piedmont to Sicily. It was a nice reminder of how diverse and good Italian wines, both red and white, can be, and also how reasonably priced.

(From top left, clockwise) Bethany Burke of Taub Family Selections;
Torbato sparkling wine; the day's white selections; Chef Sal Marino's first course.

Here's what was tasted:

The Whites, and Bubbles

From producer Sella & Mosca, whose estate is on the island of Sardinia, we tasted three wines, two of them whites. First there was Torbato Brut Alghero DOC sparkling wine, made with 100% Torbato, produced using the Charmat method. Turbato is an indigenous grape to Sardinia (although some say it's originally from Spain), and it's been revived on the island. It's made in both still and sparkling, and this sparkling was just lovely, especially on a warm September day in LA. It's also well priced at around $21, and is a perfect aperitif wine.

Also from Sella & Mosca was the 2020 Monteoro Vermentino di Gallura Superiore DOCG, from the northeast section of the island of Sardinia. This area experiences hot days and cool nights, which are perfect conditions for this grape. A lovely summer sipper with crisp acidity, and well priced at around $24.

Like Sella & Mosca, Mastroberardino is responsible for the revival of indigenous grape varieties, but in the Campania region of central Italy. First up was 2019 Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Biano DOC. The wine is 100% Coda di Volpe, Italian for "tail of the fox," so named because of the long pendulous bunches these grapes grow in. And ever the romantic language, Lacryma Christi is Italian for "tears of Christ." This is a citrusy, spicy white with medium acidity, priced at about $20.

Also from Mastroberardino was the 2019 Fiano di Avellino DOCG, a more full-bodied white, with notes of almonds, citrus, flowers, and herbs. It's priced at about $22.

At just 12.5% abv, these beautiful wines paired beautifully with Chef Sal Marino's starter courses of tuna tartar and salad.

The Reds

After the appetizers and whites, things got seriously red, with three Chianti Classicos and three Nebbiolos.

From Tuscany, the wines of Rocca delle Macie showcased the beauty of Sangiovese in its various iterations of Chianti Classicos. The Zingarelli family runs this vineyard, which was started by the late Italo Zingarelli of "spaghetti western" fame in 1973, when he moved from making moves to making wine. His son and his family now run the operation, and are active in the Chianti Classico growers' consortium.

The red wines and their pairings.

The 2018 Chianti Classico DOCG Tenuta Sant'Alfonso features 100% estate Sangiovese, and is aged in French oak for a year (retail price $28). The 2018 Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva Familia Zingarelli is a fine example of the Riserva style, which means the wine has spent at least two years in oak and at least three months aging in the bottle (retail price $28). The 2018 Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva di Fizzano Gran Selezione is the historic cru of the winery, and a fine example of this fairly new category of Chianti Classic, which is above Riserva (retail price $41). The additional requirements above Riserva are .5% more minimum alcohol and 30 months aging, as opposed to 24 months. Paired with Chef Sal's red-sauce pasta and braised lamb with polenta, these were just spectacular wines for the money, and a good lesson on Chianti Classico wines.

Moving to Piedmont, in Northern Italy, we got into the Nebbiolos, one of my favorite grapes. This lighter-bodied wine was presented in three versions, all 100% Nebbiolo, in various vintages, from Beni di Batasiolo, a Dogliani family winery. First up was 2017 Barbaresco DOCG (retail price $40), aged 12 months in Solvenian and French oak plus 12 months in stainless steel. The 2016 Barolo DOCG is a mixture of all five of Batasiolo's vineyards, aged in Slovenian oak for 24 months plus 12 months in stainless steel (retail price $42). Finally, there's the lovely 2013 Barolo DOCG Briccolina, also aged 24 months in French oak and 12 more in stainless steel (retails for $115). Briccolina is a Barolo Cru, in the village of Serralunga. This absolutely elegant wine displayed a brown-tinged garnet color, and aromas of flowers, herbs, berries, delicate spices. The tannins are integrated and lovely on the palate.

Bonus Reds and Truffle Pizza

Chef Sal shaves truffles onto pizza, served with big bold reds.

From Sella & Mosca there was the 2014 Marchese di Villamarina Alghero DOC 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. And no Italian wine tasting would be complete without an Aglianico from Mastroberardino. We had the 2011 "Naturalis Historia" Taurasi DOCG. Of note, and because I like quoting Pliny the Elder, this wine is named after his magnum opus. It's a single-vineyard, old-vine, manually harvested wine, there's no doubt that this chewy, dark, opulent wine could age for another 50 years. It retails for about $114.

Until next time,

In vino sanitas!

Helpful Links

Marino Ristorante: https://www.marinorestaurant.com/; Facebook @marinoristorante

Winery Twitter: @mastroberardinowinery; @sellaemosca; @roccadellemacie; @batasiolvini

Winery Facebook: @mastroberardinovineyards; @sellaemosca; @roccadellamacie; @bastasiolo

Taub Family Selections: @taubfamilyselections (Facebook & Twitter)

Palm Bay International: @palmbayinternational (Facebook & Twitter)

The Wine House, which has a huge selection of Italian wines: www.winehouse.com

To search for any wine try: www.winesearcher.com

Monday, September 27, 2021

Applegate Valley's Troon Vineyard Leads in Sustainability

Soon after I visited Southern Oregon as part of the 2021 Wine Media Conference (WMC21) this summer, the Oregon Wine Board released the 2020 Vineyard and Winery Report, which confirmed some of the thoughts I had during my weeklong visit to this beautiful wine region. Some of my thoughts were not so good, based on the horrific wildfires and oppressive heat that were making their presence known in the form of smoky skies and parched fields. But most of my thoughts were positive, based on the fact that my eyes were opened to a whole world of wine possibilities, including the impressive organic/biodynamic/sustainability movement among vineyards in Oregon, as well as the plethora of grape varieties that the Southern Oregon climate is capable of growing successfully.

Some of the key findings of the report, which can be found in full here, support the fact that 2020 was a bad year for Oregon wine, just as it was for most of the world. COVID and wildfires are the main culprits, and both factors were omnipresent in my travels through the region. Statistically, per the report, there was a downward slide in yield per acre (-24%), grape production (-29%), and direct-to-consumer sales (-27%). Factors for these, in order, were a cooler spring, September wildfires, and COVID-caused tasting room closures.

But there were some bright spots, and they point to a rosier future for Oregon wines, although climate-change factors and pandemic-related issues are unpredictable and could have continuing negative effects. That being said, per the report, there were increases in total acreage planted, grape tonnage (particularly in Rogue and Columbia River regions), national sales (both within and outside the state), and international sales.

The state currently has 995 wineries, up 10% from 2019, and not surprisingly the bulk of them are in the Northern Willamette Valley. However, Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley AVA (which includes the Applegate Valley AVA) saw a healthier growth of 12%, bringing the total of wineries to 122.

In my last post, several of the Rouge/Applegate Valley vintners were mentioned, and this highlighted the great variety of varieties that these AVAs are producing, with most of the vineyards using fairly robust sustainability practices. My previous post on Cowhorn Vineyards is a good example of this push toward a "closed-loop" farming system.

There were several other Southern Oregon wineries that provided the WMC attendees with a focused look at the area. Of note is Troon Vineyard, a recognized leader in the sustainability world. Following is a closer look at Troon.

Troon Vineyard

The hospitality and information provided by Troon General Manager Craig Camp was beyond compare. This industry veteran and his team set up a four-part tour of the Troon estate in Grants Pass, Oregon. My tour started in the barrel room, moving on to the vineyard and its terroir, the composting facilities, and finally the viticulture practices. The day was complete with a multi-course dinner cooked by local chefs and accompanied by Troon wines. Talk about a wine geek's perfect day!

All quadrants of the tour (on a very hot day with wildfire smoke in the air no less!) provided insights into the factors that contribute to Troon Vineyard achieving Regenerative Organic Certified farm status, being the second winery in the US to do so (Tablas Creek in Paso Robles, CA is the other one). Troon Vineyard is also Demeter Biodynamic certified.

Following are some facts learned about Troon on this tour.

(From top left) Amphorae in the barrel room make orange wine from Vermentino; cowhorns in Troon's biodynamic arsenal; General Manager Craig Camp with vineyard dogs; Kubli Bench soils of granite loam.

In the Barrel Room

All native yeast is used, there is no "legacy" yeast. It's winemaker Nate Wall's belief that the wine is made in the vineyard, and his "minimalist" style prevails.
Amphorae are used for Troon's orange Vermentino, which Wall says grows perfectly on the estate. The clay vessels are made by Andrew Beckham of Beckham Estate Vineyard in Sherwood, OR, who is a ceramics instructor as well as a winemaker. The vessels are unglazed and unsealed, allowing for the right amount of oxidation of the wines. Vermentino is Troon's only grape fermented in the amphorae; the grapes sit for three weeks on their skins to produce an orange wine.
No new oak is used at Troon, and the newest oak barrel is third fill; barrels are used up to 7 times.
Wall would love to use a concrete egg, but so far has not.
Most of Troon's wines are Mediterranean varieties. Estate-grown grapes include Vermentino, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Syrah, Grenache, Primitivo, Tinta Roriz, and Tennat.
Piquette, or "frugal farmer fizz," per the Troon Web site, is made when the leftover juice and skins are pressed again for a light, fizzy, quaffable wine. We were served this at the end of our tour, pre-dinner (see photo below). Called Piquette!, this 2020 vintage was a delicious aperitif on a very hot day in August.

In the Vineyard

Troon's 100-acre vineyard is part of the Applegate Valley AVA, and is situated at 1300 to 1400 feet elevation.
The property sits on the Kubli Bench, a geologic plateau of sorts that part of the Siskiyou mountain range, and which has its own meso-climate. The vineyard gets more wind and sun than other parts of the Applegate Valley.
The soils are granite loam, pushed up by tectonic plates that collided thousands of years ago.
Owners Brian & Denise White bought the vineyard three years ago from Dick Troon, who planted in 1972. In 2017 the Whites implemented the robust biodynamic program which, among other things, meant pulling out diseased old vines and replanting with new vine and new varieties.
The vineyard has a thriving native garden and they are moving toward a permanent cover crop, which includes rye and fescue, which increases the earth's ability to hold water. Sheep have been added to the farm's animal life, and they forage on the cover crops.

Composting & Viticulture

Troon Vineyard has a 3,000 square composting area, which is managed by Andrew Beedy, an Organic and Biodynamic farming consultant, who has implemented a robust biodynamic program. Beedy also consults with Cowhorn Vineyard, which also has an impressive biodynamic program (read about it here).
The vineyards have been managed by viticulturist Jason Cole of Pacific Crest Management since 2018. He also manages about 10 other Oregon properties.)
Cole has slowly transitioned the Troon property to young vines, pulling out the old vines post-harvest when the soils are dry.
The goal with water (which appears to be getting scarcer year by year) is to become "off-dry,"
says Cole. The young vines require more water in their youth, but as they age they will require less.

Dinner by Fire + Wine

Mary Cressler and Sean Martin of Vindulge not only presented us with a copy of their newly published cookbook Fire + Wine, they also barbecued each and every course of our open-air dinner, from appetizers to dessert. Capping the evening, the aforementioned winds did sweep in, although not as robustly as per usual on this very warm evening.

(From top left) Troon at sunset; Troon's Piquette! 2020; Fire + Wine cookbook authors Sean and Mary Cressler.