Eden Mylunsch
Eden Mylunsch
1995Albino Armani Corvara Del Veneto Wow, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend for fashionable white folks? Oops, wait a minute. They've put Corvina in there too, thereby elevating the geek factor to a level appropriate for drinking on a windy-cold (not Chicago-cold though) Malibu evening.
Of course, Armani is best known in these parts as the keeper of the flame for the Foja Tonda variety. Not that this is a flame that burns particularly brightly around here (I usually pick it up at auction for about $10) but it's interesting in the way that Pinot St George is interesting; it's soft and drinkable and picks up complexity as it ages and it's NOT cabernet-like in any way. There are about 12 hectares in the world of Foja Tonda (all owned by Armani, FWIW) and it's a variety that plays nicely with food but few in the USA can pronounce it ("Foja" is apparently spoken as "Mike Wallace and a camera crew are waiting out in the foja to speak to you about those photographs on your computer" and perhaps that's offputting to wine consumers in the flyover states who might be more comfortable with "meritage". But I digress...
This wine has evolved nicely over the past 15 years. It's on the herbal side of the northern Italian Cabernet equation, but not offensively so. The wine is totally resolved but not totally over the hill. At 12/5% alcohol it's anything but a big bruiser and has nicely resolved into a wine that's okay to drink, as long as you aren't looking for a wine to think about too much. It reminds me of a Super Second Bordeaux from a second-tier vintage. But not at all like the 2002 Cos d'Estournel I had the other night that left me wondering what the people at Cos were thinking to even fucking release this wine under their primary label. It was so insipid we didn't even sip it (well not more than one sip, but I needed to taste it for the alliterative possibilities). It was so smooth and mellow that even my mother would have liked it, and she doesn't even live wine, so what does that tell you?
Sadly, the wine's not really working with the food (whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce, broccoli, tofu, and leftover prime rib), but I'm not sure that anything is going to be an appropriate match to a dish where the Trader Joe's broccoli has a hint of TCA to it (what does it think it is, carrots?) but maybe it's my sensory evaluation ability this evening. I spent a good chunk of the day rust-proofing, sound-proofing, and heat-proofing my car and there's a minuscule-verging-on-slight possibility that my high school huffing memories (or lack of same) were resurrected with my use of an aerosol can full of adhesive gunk. The shit sticks stuff to other stuff really well, so I'm not complaining, but I'm just saying that maybe I'm not at my analytical best. But the wine's pretty good, easily worth picking up if you see it somewhere. It (obviously) ages gracefully and is an ideal alternative to Bordeaux, if you seek such a thing.
-Eden (why does it seem that the IFC network plays Chuck Norris and Charles Bronson movies like, every other night? Where's the edgy, arty shit that they used to run?)
Of course, Armani is best known in these parts as the keeper of the flame for the Foja Tonda variety. Not that this is a flame that burns particularly brightly around here (I usually pick it up at auction for about $10) but it's interesting in the way that Pinot St George is interesting; it's soft and drinkable and picks up complexity as it ages and it's NOT cabernet-like in any way. There are about 12 hectares in the world of Foja Tonda (all owned by Armani, FWIW) and it's a variety that plays nicely with food but few in the USA can pronounce it ("Foja" is apparently spoken as "Mike Wallace and a camera crew are waiting out in the foja to speak to you about those photographs on your computer" and perhaps that's offputting to wine consumers in the flyover states who might be more comfortable with "meritage". But I digress...
This wine has evolved nicely over the past 15 years. It's on the herbal side of the northern Italian Cabernet equation, but not offensively so. The wine is totally resolved but not totally over the hill. At 12/5% alcohol it's anything but a big bruiser and has nicely resolved into a wine that's okay to drink, as long as you aren't looking for a wine to think about too much. It reminds me of a Super Second Bordeaux from a second-tier vintage. But not at all like the 2002 Cos d'Estournel I had the other night that left me wondering what the people at Cos were thinking to even fucking release this wine under their primary label. It was so insipid we didn't even sip it (well not more than one sip, but I needed to taste it for the alliterative possibilities). It was so smooth and mellow that even my mother would have liked it, and she doesn't even live wine, so what does that tell you?
Sadly, the wine's not really working with the food (whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce, broccoli, tofu, and leftover prime rib), but I'm not sure that anything is going to be an appropriate match to a dish where the Trader Joe's broccoli has a hint of TCA to it (what does it think it is, carrots?) but maybe it's my sensory evaluation ability this evening. I spent a good chunk of the day rust-proofing, sound-proofing, and heat-proofing my car and there's a minuscule-verging-on-slight possibility that my high school huffing memories (or lack of same) were resurrected with my use of an aerosol can full of adhesive gunk. The shit sticks stuff to other stuff really well, so I'm not complaining, but I'm just saying that maybe I'm not at my analytical best. But the wine's pretty good, easily worth picking up if you see it somewhere. It (obviously) ages gracefully and is an ideal alternative to Bordeaux, if you seek such a thing.
-Eden (why does it seem that the IFC network plays Chuck Norris and Charles Bronson movies like, every other night? Where's the edgy, arty shit that they used to run?)