Page 24 - Blog

The property on which Castello dei Rampolla exists has been owned by the di Napoli family since 1739, but no vineyards were planted there until visionary Alceo di Napoli Rampolla inherited the farmland in 1965. By 1975, the first bottles of Chianti Classico were produced, but Alceo, who was always striving to create a greater wine, decided to plant Cabernet Sauvignon to blend with the Sangiovese. With the help of friend and famed oenologist, Giacomo Tachis, the concept for one of the first “Super Tuscans” was born and Sammarco would eventually release with the 1980 vintage.

In 1991, Alceo unexpectedly passed away, and in 1994 his second son Luca returned to the estate to help his sister Maurizia manage the property. To further his father’s vision, Luca immediately began implementing biodynamic practices. In his 2015 article covering three decades of Sammarco, Antonio Galloni noted: “there is a clear dividing line at 1994, when the wines acquire more density,

Oreno, named after the river that runs through the property, is the flagship of Tenuta Sette Ponti. Wine Spectator has more than once placed Oreno among the best wines of the annual Top 100 Wines, right along with The Wine Advocate. An international-styled blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, it delivers incredible quality coupled with great value. You’d be hard pressed to find this level of quality at this price point elsewhere in the world, namely Bordeaux. 

On this particular occasion, Sandy and I were “kid free” for the evening so we took advantage of our new-found freedom and opened a bottle of the 97-point 2013 Sette Ponti Oreno. We enjoyed a casual, and quiet, evening at home making our favorite things. Caesar salad to start with my homemade dressing and croustade, marinated pork loin and some fingerling potatoes. Nothing all that extravagant, but a perfect complement

Finally! The weather is starting to warm which means it’s time to begin stocking your cellar with this season’s latest white Burgundy releases.  There’s nothing more refreshing than a glass of chilled Chablis on a warm spring day.  In preparation for my upcoming spring gatherings, I thought it would be fun to taste one of Patrick Piuze’s 2014 Chablis just to see what I have in store for myself and my guests.

The up-and-coming Patrick Piuze is certainly making a splash in Burgundy.  Unfortunately, so far there has only been a very small production of each vintage, but they are all fantastic and worth every cent. The good news though, you don’t have to spend much to find a quality bottle of Chablis when it comes to Piuze! His selection is under priced, but they won’t stay that way for long.

If you’re interested in trying the newest vintage of Chablis from Piuze, I would absolutely suggest the 94

Tenimenti Luigi d'Alessandro was founded in 1967, a time in Cortona that was not widely known for great wine. What was produced there largely went to inexpensive blends. That may have been where the story ended had it not been for a professor at the University of Milan, Attilo Scienza, who decided to test the potential of the soils for vine growing. Four years of studying brought him to the conclusion that Rhone varietals were the best match, and ten acres of Syrah were planted. Formal recognition followed in 1999 when the area achieved D. O. C.

This, too, could have been the end of the saga were it not for the entrance of Luca Currado of Vietti and Christine Vernay, a well known winemaker from Rhone. They put their heads together to bring this varietal to new heights at Tenimenti d'Alessandro. 2011 was a milestone in their partnership when the 2007 Il Bosco achieved the Gold Medal at the Syrah

Not many people can trace their ancestry back to the 1500s, let alone a wine producer whose family started producing wine that people nowadays drink and see as some of the best wines in the world. That being said, I recently tasted the 2010 Costanti Brunello di Montalcino, which is one of the original producers of Brunello and even was one of the original founders to call Montalcino wines by the term “Brunello.” 2010 was an epic vintage for Brunello di Montalcino and received rave reviews from wine critics.

In 1555, the Costanti family was given land in what is now Montalcino. It wasn’t until Tito Costanti in 1870, who was a lawyer at the time, presented his wines produced in 1865 and 1869 at a wine Exhibition of the Province of Siena and labeled them as Brunello that it became what the family was known for. In 1983, Andrea Costanti took over the property from his family and

Wine: 2010 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Most would question out of curiosity, what makes a wine, great? Is it the price that adds the value, or the palate of the critic that foresees the future of the bottle? Is it the producer, whom is hungry and passionate about fine elixirs, that portrays his character delineated through grape—or—maybe it is both the producer and a keen precision of perfect growing weather?

“…Deeply colored, it boasts masculine, meaty aromas and flavors of smoked herbs, pepper, licorice, lavender, crushed rock and blackberries to go with a full-bodied, concentrated and rich style on the palate. There’s ample tannin here, yet they’re sweet and beautifully integrated.” – eRobertParker.com

I am going to have to say, not only is it all of the above, but ever more so, my rhetorical questions become trivial to the pedigree in

While preparing dinner for some friends recently, and contemplating what to pair with our delicious pork roast, I decided the perfect paring would be Domaine Comte Armand’s 2007 Clos des Epeneaux.

Domaine Comte Armand has been under the ownership of the same family since 1828, which is very rare in Burgundy.  The Domaine owns only one vineyard, their famous Monopole Clos des Epeneaux.  As a monopole, Domaine Comte Armand is the sole owner and producer of wine from this vineyard, consistently producing one of Pommard’s stand out wines. 

Since his appointment in 1999 Benjamin Leroux, at the time a 23 year-old winemaking prodigy, has risen to be one of the world’s best winemakers.  Benjamin consistently produces one of the premier wines from the Cote de Beaune, it is also a tremendous value at its price point.  These wines usually

With a history going back over 100 years, the Catena family could easily be considered the “First Family” of Argentine Wine and Nicolas Catena Zapata, the country’s First Growth. 1997 was the first vintage for this cuvee, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. After its 2001 release, it was included in blind tastings throughout the U.S. and Europe with Latour, Haut Brion, Solaia, Caymus and Opus One and consistently placed first or second. Luis Gutierrez of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate mentions that the 2010 vintage “has to be one of their finest” so when our first allocation finally arrived, I naturally had to try one!

Bodega Catena Zapata began in 1902 when Nicolas Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza. His son, Domingo, increased their holdings, making the Catena family one of the largest vineyard holders in Mendoza. It was third generation Nicolas

How does a winery stand out and make a name for itself when it is surrounded by such producers as Antinori, Sassicaia, and Ornellaia? They produce single varietal wines to separate themselves from everyone else. At least that is what Le Macchiole did in the early 90’s. Now with a cult like following, Le Macchiole produces 5 wines that all consistently get highly rated by critics. One in particular that I had the pleasure of trying was the 2011 Le Macchiole Paleo which is 100% Cabernet Franc.

Le Macchiole was founded in 1983 by Eugenio Campolmi and wife Cinzia Merli. The first wine they produced was bottled in 1987, but it wasn’t until 1989 when Paleo was first created. Then in 1994 came the decision to start producing single varietal wines starting with the Messorio which is 100% Merlot and the Scrio which is 100% Syrah. Then in 2001 they changed their signature wine the Paleo to 100% Cabernet Franc. In 2002, just as things started to take off at the winery and get a

It's no secret, I am a California Cabernet fan which is why this time around I excitedly chose to taste the 2013 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon.  Unfortunately, it is resolution time of year and I am sticking to my diet which does not allow wine, but how can I resist a glass of 2013 Napa Cab?  After reading Robert Parker's review of the vintage, I was more than ready for a cheat day.  I decided my tasting experience would not be accompanied by a well thought out dish, instead the wine would be my treat for the week, and what a treat it was.

The one word that came to mind with my first sip - outstanding.  The elegance of this bottle was second to none and with each swirl of the glass this 2013 continued to open, showing the hard work and dedication that the winemaking team at Vineyard 29 displays in their bottlings year after year.  The 2013 Cru was given 93 points