Help with Italian wines

originally posted by Levi Dalton:
my palate becomes more Italianate and looks for more bitterness
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I have been experiencing something similar, having started working at an Italian restaurant this summer. I have gone from drinking almost all French wine at home, with some Valle d'Aostan and Friulan incursions, to being able to think only about Ca' de Noci these past two weeks, and because of the delicious bitterness.
 
Everybody loves Ca' de Noci!!

Seriously. You wouldn't believe who is drinking Notte di Luna these days.

La Stoppa "Ageno" might interest you as well.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
La Stoppa "Ageno" might interest you as well.
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Had a glass of this last weekend at Jack's. Wild stuff, left a much more favorable impression this time than at an Italian natural wines tasting a couple of months back.

I've never come across a Ca' de Noci wine. Is this a relatively new addition to the L/D stable?
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
An '05 Pietramarina sampled today was quite good, and cork-taint free.
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I've had one excellent young, nervous bottle of the 2001. Three more bottles slumbering, hopefully taint-free.

I still haven't really been moved by a Benanti red, although I've only tasted very young, on release. I think I have one bottle of 2000 Serra della Contessa in the cellar. Have you tasted this one?
 
I've had one excellent young, nervous bottle of the 2001. Three more bottles slumbering, hopefully taint-free.

I still haven't really been moved by a Benanti red, although I've only tasted very young, on release. I think I have one bottle of 2000 Serra della Contessa in the cellar. Have you tasted this one?
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I just went through the entire Benanti current releases yesterday with the importer (who seemed surprised to hear about my difficulties with the '01 Pietramarina), and my general feeling was the same as yours. The young whites based on Carricante were more exciting than the young reds. I have not had the '00 Serra della Contessa. If you happen to open it at some point, I would be curious to hear your take.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
If you happen to open it at some point, I would be curious to hear your take.
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certainly.

I feel a little like I've slighted the reds in a way I didn't intend. I've liked and respected them, just haven't been moved. And consequently haven't purchased, with the exception of coming across this older bottle on closeout.

Speaking of nerello mascalese, what are your feelings on Terre Nere? I really fell for a bottle of '04 Guardiola on release, yet every subsequent taste has kind of left me cold. Have a few bottles of '05 but am now sort of afraid of what I'll find.
 
I checked in with the Terre Nere '06 Guardiola tonight, as coincidence would have it. Some bottles of that wine drink tighter than others. It is decent enough. I think the prices have gone up a bit too far. The wines don't offer the same value for the money that they used to. And the white is really not in the same league as the best from Etna.

I have heard it said that '04 was a standout year for Terre Nere. Perhaps. I thought the '05 Guardiola was decent, but it has been awhile since I checked in. My experience with a few bottles of '03 Guardiola early this year was not positive. They were really drinking pretty lackluster and past.

Like Passopisciaro, I feel like Terre Nere is still in the ground work laying stages. It wasn't that long ago that Marco got his cement vats, etc. And they just added a new red bottling for '06. We'll see where it all goes. The wines are definitely worth keeping an eye on, I think.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
I am not aware of a less spoofy Taurasi available today, although I would be happy if someone pointed out one to me. I guess some might say Lonardo, but I would disagree based on the texture of Lonardo.
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Lonardo is made using long macerations, puncheons and indigenous yeasts.* I would love to see them experiment with botti for 3 years, but there you are. I am not sure what part of this would be considered spoof.

It's true, however, that those who would like to love Taurasi don't have that many non-fiddled-with wines to drink. I was showing the Lonardo wines to some very good buyers in LA a month ago and most of them made this observation. I blame the Gambero Rosso.

*cultivated by the microbiologist who is one of the owners of the winery, admittedly, but still indigenous. They started with their indigenous white variety Grecomusc' and were very pleased with the results. The Sibilla wines from the Campi Flegrei are now indigenous fermentation, too; perhaps something is going on in Italy.
 
I sell Lonardo here at the restaurant and have for some time, so I certainly don't object to the wines. But texturally I would have thought that there was rotary fermentation at work. You obviously know better and I stand corrected.
 
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