Tasting Notes: Friuli

Cecilia was in Birmingham this week helping her mom recover from surgery. Good news for her mom (plenty of help). Bad news for you folks, because she left me the keys to the Blogger account. In honor of baseball season starting, just think of me as that lightly-used right-hander in the bullpen.

This past JavaMonkey wine tasting, conveniently enough, occurred on April Fool's Day. This is always a great day for fooling people with pranks. For those of you who are too busy for pranks because you're, say, passing health care legislation or sitting on Congressional committees, you can settle for just making yourself sound like a fool like our wonderful Congressman.

Now I can't speak for Guam, but I certainly wouldn't want Decatur to tip over and capsize. The only prudent action I could think of was to ensure that there wasn't too much wine on Church Street to cause such a thing. Armed with this sense of duty, I arrived at JavaMonkey to find out that five of the six wines were whites. From Italy. And this was no joke.

Uh oh.

For those that don't know my tastes in wine, I typically find Italian whites too light-bodied even with food -- especially Pinot Grigio. It's just a personal thing. Inevitably, though, an Italian wine tasting is going to have one or two, so I feared the worst when I heard that this tasting was tilted towards the whites.

The region of Friuli is located in the northwestern corner of Italy along the Slovenian border. (Token "Italy is a boot" reference: Friuli would be in the middle of your calf muscle. Or right behind your knee if you're into those sort of boots.) The climate of the Friulian plain is good for growing white wine grapes, so that explained the 5-1 split towards the whites. The phylloxera infestation was particularly bad in this region, and winemaking was more or less dormant until the 1970s. When Pinot Grigio's popularity increased in the 80s and 90s, the region's winemaking became very sucessful. (See here and here for some great, in-depth information about the region.)

2007 Villa del Borgo Pinot Grigio, Grave
All of the descriptions of this wine seem to focus on what it's not. It's not aged in oak, it's not aged on the lees, it doesn't use any malolactic fermentation, and despite the name, it's not made in a Village run by the Borg. (Thank you, try the veal, and please tip your waiter.)

For the three of you that didn't run screaming, I can also tell you that it's not a very good wine to pair with a Cuban sandwich. That was my insanely bad choice of dinner before this tasting, and it completely killed this wine. Others noted a strong flavor of lemon pepper. I definitely got the lemon part of that.

I did go back later and try this again, and it struck me as typical for an Italian Pinot Grigio.

Rating: Probably good if you like this type of wine and don't moronically order a spicy sandwich before drinking it.

2008 Marco Felluga Pinot Grigio Mongris, Collio
I had hopes that "Mongris" was going to be some mythical creature of the region, or some beefy type of Pinot Grigio that flourished there. Sadly, it's just a bastardizaion of the word for "single varietal" and the Friulian word for Pinot Grigio. These are also all stainless, but they age on the lees unlike the first one.

This finish on this one caught me off guard. It was very "warm" for a Pinot Grigio, and I think that distracted from some of the fruit. The glossy marketing material describes it as "complex," and I definitely didn't have enough brain power left for complexity on Thursday. This one would probably stand up better to its more fruity cousins from Oregon, and I could easily see it being a good one for the back porch after a hot day.

Rating: Not bad, though the finish was odd.

2008 Russiz Superiore Sauvignon, Collio
This wine is from the same maker as the previous one, but this particular label is aged 85% in stainless and 15% in oak. I took my first whiff, and scribbled down my thoughts. I didn't want to say anything, though, because my comments on the noses of wines have been known to garner me very strong "WTF?!" looks in the past. But then one of the other people at my table said she got the same nose that I had written.

Cat pee.

Yikes. The nose mellowed, but it destroyed anything else in its way. Chalk one up to the power of a wine's nose.

Rating: Ummm... No.

2007 Marco Felluga Friulano and 2006 Marco Felluga Tocai Friulano, Collio
I'm going to cheat and group these two together because they're the same wine from two vintages. The removal of the Tocai has nothing to do with the grapes and everything to do with Hungary getting the EU to prevent any non-Hungarian wine from using Tocai on the label.

These two were about as full bodied as you can get in a white. They weren't as buttery as a Chardonnay and didn't have the grass of a Sauvignon Blanc. They were just pleasantly fruity, though I had a hard time pinpointing a specific fruit (stupid pollen was messing with my nose). The 2007 was a bit more green and acidic that its 2006 counterpart. The 2006 was more intense, but some others found it to be a little musty. Like most Italian wines, food would help both. (I would say seafood, but Cecilia would quickly point out that I always say seafood.)

Rating: Good, very good with a nice Italian fish dish

2005 Tenuta Luisa Cabernet Franc, Isonzo del Friuli
Ahhh... A red at last! And a Cab Franc, no less. A bit unusual in comparison with other Cab Francs I've tasted, there's no oak used in the aging. Perhaps this is what the glossy marketing material meant when it described a "rare personality."

I don't know that I would've had a chance to pick this in a blind tasting. It was far smoother than most Italian reds I've had, and far lighter than most Cab Francs. It reminded me a bit more of a French red like Côtes-du-Rhone -- light bodied, but waiting for the right food to make it shine. The winery's suggestion is a spiced dish or venison. The table suggested that it needed carbs. I'm more inclined to the carb idea (but Cecilia would quickly point out that I'm as inclined to carbs as I am to seafood). Perhaps a nice plate of bruschetta and a seat on the patio of an Italian restaurant in North Beach...

Rating: Very good

Tasting Notes: Italian Wines at JavaMonkey and Majestic Fine Wines at Sherlock's

Yes, it's a plethora of tasting notes this week!

My New Year's Resolution was to drink more European wines, but after going to California in February and the Pacific Northwest in June, I haven't been good at keeping it. Like with other resolutions, temptation got in the way of follow-through. So thanks, Jess, for helping me keep it with the Italian wine tasting at JavaMonkey!

The wines (all Italian, so will just give regions):

2008 Ricossa Gavi (Piemonte): 100% Cortese
This is a good Italian white for those who complain that Pinot Grigio just doesn't have much to it. Mineral melon-citrus nose with a lot of lemon following through to the finish. Pesce, per favore!
Rating: Very Good

Lunetta Prosecco (Trentino):
Smells like beer, seriously! Yeah, it's a Prosecco, basically bubbles in a bottle, but trying it with an orange slice -- Italian Mimosa? -- brought out some interesting steely notes.
Rating: Good

2006 Rocca delle Macìe Chianti Classico (Toscana): 95% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot
Berry nose, and acidic with a little bitterness around the edges and a funky finish. Didn't stand up to food at all.
Rating: Meh

2006 Ricossa Barbera d'Asti (Piemonte):
Plum-berry-currant nose with that fruit and a little bit of oak on the palate.
Rating: Very Good

2006 Rocca delle Macìe Sasyr (Toscana): 60% Sangiovese, 40% Syrah
Butter and blueberry on the nose, well-balanced with more berry and a little anise on the finish.
Random quote from another taster: "Smells like dinner, not like wine!"
Rating: Very Good

2008 Ricossa Moscato d'Asti (Piemonte):
Peaches and honeysuckle, sweet but not quite syrupy.
Rating: Good

The Barbera was my favorite with the Sasyr close behind.

Every so often, I get an email from Sherlock's about an "Extraordinary wine tasting event!" I guess that's opposed to their ordinary wine tastings on Saturday. This past Friday's hyperbolic tasting was of wines from Majestic Fine Wines, who do not have a public web site. They distribute Murphy-Goode wines and had some at the tasting. For those who are wondering why that sounds familiar, Atlanta's own Hardy Wallace is now their "Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent." He has the job that the rest of us oenophiles really want, getting paid to drink wine and write about it. His personal blog is Dirty South Wine. Now if only I could land a gig like that...

Yes, there were a lot of wines. Yes, I tasted all of them. Yes, I was there for a while and had lots of bread in between. Yes, they were all free for everyone, so I didn't get any wine-blogger privileges (bite me, FTC). Here are the wines:

2008 Murphy-Goode Fume Blanc (Sonoma):
Tropical grapefruit nose, but the finish fades into the tropical sunset a bit too quickly.
Rating: Good(e?)

2008 Longboat Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand):
Herb and green apple nose with a little toast on the palate. Yep, a typical grassy New Zealand Sauv Blanc.
Rating: Good-Very Good

2007 Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma):
Pink grapefruit and melon, very light.
Rating: Good

2007 Cambria Chardonnay (Santa Barbara):
Smoky oaky vanilla melon. Yeah, it's an oaky chardonnay. Not to my taste.
Rating: Okay

2006 Stonestreet Chardonnay (Sonoma):
Fruit and mineral with only a little oak.
Rating: Good

2007 Paco & Lola Albarino (Rias Baixas region of Spain):
Basil and floral nose, nicely balanced floral and citrus on the palate.
Rating: Very Good to Excellent

2007 Murphy-Goode Chardonnay:
Although this wine was billed as "apple pie in a glass," I found more pear and vanilla with a watery texture.
Rating: Meh

2006 Murphy-Goode Merlot:
This part of the given description cracked me up: "It's sourced from bench and hillside vineyards, where the grapes struggle in character-building conditions."
The character is blackberry with moderate tannins and smooth texture.
Rating: Good

2005 Matanzas Creek Merlot:
Boysenberries, cherries, and clove on the nose; blackberry, pepper, and earthy notes on the palate.
Rating: Very Good

2007 Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon:
Blackberry and thyme nose. More fruit with vanilla and oak, this one opened nicely.
Rating: Good to Very Good

2007 Edmeades Mendocino Zinfandel (Mendocino, CA):
The nose is bright fruit with dill, and it follows through with stone fruit and a little caramel.
Rating: Very Good

2006 Murphy-Goode "Liar's Dice" Zinfandel: 96% Zinfandel, 4% Carignan
Raspberry, currant, and black cherry nose. Nice follow-through as a jammy Zin (love it!) with blackberry, but balanced enough to still be a dry wine.
Rating: Very Good

2006 Yangarra "Cadenzia" (McLaren Vale, Aus):
Chocolate-covered cherries -- so smooth!
Rating: Excellent

We came home with bottles of the Paco & Lola Albarino, Murphy-Goode "Liar's Dice" Zinfandel, and Yangarra "Cadenzia." Guess it was worthy of the hyperbole after all.

Review: Five Seasons Brewery and Tasting Notes: Italian Wines at JavaMonkey

I somehow ended up being double-booked last Thursday with an office happy hour at 5 Seasons Brewery at the Prado in Sandy Springs and the wine tasting at JavaMonkey. I was the only one at the office with a potential conflict when we decided on the date, and since getting my colleagues together after hours is almost as difficult as scheduling a dissertation committee meeting, I couldn't object too hard. Even so, I arrived on time, but about 10-15 minutes before anyone else from the office.

The restaurant has a lovely covered patio with a fountain, but as we found when we were seated, the noise level is too high to easily carry on conversation without shouting. So we moved inside, ordered drinks, and started the negotiations for appetizers. Since Five Seasons is a brewery, I decided to try the Kartoon Brune, a complex, Belgian-style ale. I love the St. Bernardus Abt 12 and found this to be similar in flavor profile. I'm not sure what the alcohol content is.

You may be familiar with the "Difficulty Principle of Appetizer Sharing:" for each additional person in the group beyond two, the difficulty of agreeing on an appetizer increases exponentially. I'll add that it gets more difficult the more years of education the individuals in the group have, which for our five, added up to multiple decades. We just ended up each getting a salad and one appetizer, which were then passed around. I got the Organic Farm Greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette as well as a special appetizer, Lamb Meatballs, which were served with "garlicky spinach" and some sort of tomato sauce. They were good, but definitely not lean meat. Other appetizers I tried included the Seared Jumbo Scallops, served with an orange glaze and farm micro greens, and the Wild Mushroom pizza. The scallops were cooked to the point that they came apart easily but were still tender in the middle, had a mildly spicy crust on them that balanced well with the orange glaze, and the greens gave it a nice texture. The pizza was good, too.

Score card:
Atmosphere: Casual and open; noise level outside is high, inside is medium
Food: Very good
Wine list: Limited; I'd go for the beer
Wait staff: Very Good, but the kitchen seemed slow
Desserts: Looked good (didn't try)
Vegetarian friendly? Somewhat with four "Little Plates," three pizzas, and one entree
Kid friendly? Hmmmm... Doubt it
Would I go back? Yes

I arrived at JavaMonkey just shy of the 9:00 p.m. cutoff for starting wine tastings. I felt the need to catch up, so my notes were limited, and I'll be using Hubby's as well. The theme was Italian wines.

Carpene Malvolti Prosecco, Veneto:
This family created the Method Charmant. I found it to be well-balanced and drinkable with just a hint of vanilla sweetness.
Rating: Very Good

2008 MontAsolo Pinot Grigio, Veneto:
An oddly buttery Pinot Grigio, the wine rep said it would work well with spicy and saline foods. I could see that, especially with scallops. Hubby described it as "H20" and "Better than NASCAR," which he doesn't like. Right, we'll just go with my rating: Meh

2006 MontAsolo Merlot, Veneto:
Strike two for the MontAsolo winery. This one was pretty unexciting as well, just Merlot spice with a little fruit. Hubby noted that it wanted a good Italian-style pizza.
Rating: Meh

2007 Pietra Majella Montepulciano d'Abruzzo:
Rating: Good, but still not exciting.

2006 Castello Monaci "Liante": 80% Negroamaro and 20% Malvasia Nera
Dark fruit with a little chocolate, and some butter as well. Yep, this one's a "pie wine."
Rating: Very Good

Ca'Bianca Ante Barbera d'Asti, Piedmont:
Nice, smooth berry flavors.
Rating: Very Good

Yeah, I know, those were pretty sparse notes. I'll do better next time. The thing to remember about a lot of Italian wines is that they tend to be better with food because of their acidity. There are exceptions, of course. One trend that intrigues me is that West Coast wineries are now making forays into Italian varietals. On our most recent trip, we tasted some that were great, and some that were not so good, but all were interesting.