“Message in a Bottle”, Il Palagio, Tuscany

Il Palagio

The first time I can remember ever consciously listening to a band – not just listening to music – I was sitting by the radio in the kitchen and waiting for “Every Breath You Take”, “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and “King of Pain”. It was 1983, I was 12 years old, and this was some of the most passionate sound I had ever heard. I became, though the Synchronicity album, a fan of The Police.

Very little changed for me two years later when Sting began to explore his solo career: Sting went through jazz to Celtic to Spanish-influenced and was even recognized for contributions to classical music. At the same time I was going through that hormone-induced metamorphosis from pre-teen through angsty teenager and on to the madcap evolution of a young adult. All of these genres resonated with me at one time or another… And as I sit in my second floor office at home, two decades later and my children playing so loud in the living room below that I’m forced to wear headphones, I marvel that once again I’ve found resonance with Sting’s work.

But this resonance is with music – of a different nature: wine.

I recently read that Sting has told his children that they shouldn’t count on a fat inheritance to provide for them when he parts this mortal coil; he and wife Trudie plan on spending it all! Of course, one’s thoughts instinctively turn towards the “musician lifestyle” and how this couple must be “tripping the light fantastic” in nightclubs with rare bottles of Champagne, bathing in pools of rubies and wearing golden underwear. You would have to do all of that, and more, if you wanted to burn through an estimated fortune of $300 million dollars, right?

But try as I might, I can’t imagine Sting practicing Jivamukti yoga after umpteen bottles of bubbly, nor the couple who have helped raise over $25 million for the Rainforest Foundation Fund wearing gold-plated anything. The truth is actually more spectacular than even I could have dreamt: Trudie and Sting have invested a significant portion of this hard-earned wealth in the renovation and rejuvenation of a heritage estate in Tuscany. Il Palagio.

Estate: just the word conjures images of a decadent lifestyle filled with too much tennis and wine, too little hard-work and callouses. And that image may have been accurate in the past, when Il Palagio was the home to nobility; there were lavish meals, many bottles of wine and, yes, there is a tennis court! But with changes to a global economy the noble lord who owned this land up to 1997 was forced to sell off bits and pieces of the property, forgoing maintenance to many buildings on the (originally) 800+ acres. The gem of Figline Valdarno (the local town) was becoming a bit – dated.

It was Trudie who found the property… unless one wants to be metaphysical about it and then it was the property who found her. In either case, Trudie had spent 7 years searching for a patch of land that would bring solace to a family that spent an inordinate amount of time working and, when they worked, working sometimes 7 days a week for months at a stretch (Sting did a reunion tour with the Police in 2007 that lasted 15 months). Trudie wanted to find a hidden corner where rest could be found and the family could give something back to the land.

the gardens at Il Palagio – courtesy of Il Palagio

At Il Palagio Trudie and Sting have found this and much more.

I could talk about the honey for another 1000 words and that’s without ever having tasted it! The intrepid couple are both ardent bee-advocates and Trudie has spear-headed the establishment of over 80 colonies on the property. The resulting honey is now sold via the estate (and on-line) and has a devoted following. But the spin-off from this effort is what’s most exciting for me…

By raising their sleeves, digging their hands in the dirt, two people have helped re-create an environment that everywhere bursts with life! This is why customers pay $20 USD for a bottle of the olive oil, this is why people willingly fork over almost $10 for a jar of the small-lot honey offering such individual flavors as “Chestnut“, “Forest” and “Thousand Flowers“. Some might say that there will always be consumers willing to pay these prices because of the “star-factor” that’s attached.

“Bollocks to you” I retort.

It’s no secret that a poor product with a significant name attached is inevitably doomed to failure. And it makes the a-fore mentioned star look like a schmuck.

People; locals and tourist alike, line-up to buy a bounty of products from Il Palagio as, indeed, they did hundreds of years ago. And it’s because two dreamers fell in love with this hillside running down to the village and the way the wind sounds in the centuries-old olive groves where once strode Italian Dukes, the weight of the world seeming on their shoulders but finding solace in these glens. It is this love, this feeling of “home” that compelled Sting and Trudie to invest heavily in returning a fading beauty to her proper place in the community.

In doing so, they have created not only a beautiful home for themselves, their friends and family and you – should you have the means with which to do so… they have created an anchor in the community. There is work here for those who want it; meaningful work. And there is rest. And there is harmony with nature. And there is wine… very, very good wine. And I’ll step out on a journalistic-ledge and contemplate that this is the hidden meaning behind the name of the wine. It’s like the famous guru Zig Ziglar said “Help enough people get what they want and you’ll get what you want”. Trudie and Sting reached out to a community, to a special place, and gave it the love and attention it needed and in giving of themselves have found some measure of peace at last. At least that is, until you finish this article and book your next trip to Firenze!

I hope you enjoy the wine, and the “Message in a Bottle”, as much as I did.

2011 “Message in a Bottle”

Rosso Toscana IGT

Sangiovese 70%, Syrah 15%, Merlot 15%

91+ points, $22+ USD, EXCELLENT Value

*BENEFITS FROM AERATOR OR 1-HOUR DECANT*

…it is my personal opinion that the work that Trudie Styler, Sting and the entire Il Palagio team have done to create a vineyard filled with bio-dynamics and bio-diversity is paying off huge dividends. This wine is fantastically concentrated with pure, elegant expressions of varietals and local terroir. On the nose are huge aromas of wild blackberries/blueberries, musky notes like damp forest floor and wild mushrooms and the sophisticated finish of freshly crushed black peppercorns (thank you Syrah). The palate is fresh, clean, brisk and alive! Medium+ red currant/young raspberry acids work symbiotically with a full, fine yet chewy tannin structure to deliver flavors perfectly in-sync with the bouquet. Excellent balance, structure and concentration, this wine drinks superbly now (thanks to Merlot) but will reward cellaring. Enjoy 2015-2020+

…wine with such dimension will pair easily with a variety of foods and, given the ease with which it was consumed in my house, needs no food at all to be enjoyed thoroughly! However as a chef, and husband to a beautiful wife of Calabrese descent, I suggest: baked penne with roasted garlic, chickpeas, fresh basil and Asiago. The bright acid will certainly delight in a touch of fat, the savory tones to the wine will evolve next to earthy garlic and chickpeas, the fresh basil will play well with the fresh berry tones and the salty Asiago brings the minerality in the wine back into focus.

vista at Il Palagio – courtesy of Il Palagio

Many thanks to Maritime Wine (importer to the USA) and Il Palagio for the very generous sample bottle. As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on:

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Thorn-Clarke wines, South Australia

Thorn-Clarke Wines

 With the 2015 Vancouver International Wine Festival just around the corner my mind has started leaping ahead to the star-studded line-up of world-class winemakers who will be jetting in. Over 1,700 wines from 170 wineries will be poured and some of the most exciting, to me, are from this sixth-generation producer from the Barossa valley.

 Let's be honest about why I'm so excited to meet these folks: it's all about quality. But maybe I don't mean quality in the way that you're thinking. It's not just that this family, who've been pouring heart and soul into South Australia since the 1850's, released an entire line-up of wines that are great value for money. Hey - it's the "Golden Age" of wine! We're used to getting great wine for a great price.

the vineyard of St Kitts

THE thing to me is that I'm continually impressed, each and every year, because this is what they do with every vintage. I'm entering my fifth year writing about wine (a "youngster" still to many) and I taste a silly amount of wine... on average it's over 2,000 per year. And I can tell you, without reservation or hesitation, that there are very very few producers who are releasing quality of this magnitude year after year after year. Every year just a little better than the last, every wine being sold for less than it's true value.

The Clarke family state categorically that they:

"-take a long-term view of the future and our goal is unashamedly to be still growing grapes and making wine for another six generations."

And this is how it's done. This is why James Halliday, who knows more about Australian wine than any person who ever walked the Earth, has given Thorn-Clarke 5 stars for the ninth time in a row! Not familiar with Mr Halliday? Suffice it to say that when a winery earns it's first 5-star rating, it's going to be written about in the news. It is the benchmark for "outstanding quality" in Australian wine and is used as the yardstick by which every winery judges it's calibre versus it's colleagues and it's own previous vintages.

Nine times in a row means that the man who knows the most about Australian wine considers this tightly-knit team to be amongst the top echelon of a country brimming with brilliance. And when one hears the stories - of David Clarke testing soil samples by the light of the headlights of his car, at night, so as not to arouse suspicion in local farmers... well, stories like this are what feed the intuition that herein lies something beyond a desire to make good wine, it's (mild) obsession in the best of all possible ways.

This is the team that outfitted entire vineyards with moisture-probes: calibrated to only allow the vines access to irrigation under the most stringent conditions. Is this an environmental responsibility? Of course it is, but the benefit to you and I is that Thorn-Clarke is keeping it's berries small; less water per grape means a higher concentration of flavors!

Planting cover-drops between the rows of vines, planting thousands upon thousands of trees on the properties; these are environmentally responsible as well right? Once again - the winery and it's team are to be lauded, but as someone who's just one generation off the farm I'm thinking about the bio-diversity! What is happening is a return to, as some call it, ancestral farming. Through these techniques Thorn-Clarke is creating an environment that will allow full expression of flavor to come through the grapes and give their land it's own unique taste.

And this vision is all the more apparent when one hears them speak of their ardent efforts to now return the local waterways to " -a pristine example of native vegetation.". It's funny in a way, to think that in 100 years we as a First-World culture have come full circle; from the early 1900's and respecting the land and it's cycles, to the mid 1900's when we first decided that we needed to control Mother Nature and her many flights of whimsy, to the early 2000's when the trend is coming back to a place of respect.

And perhaps that's what separates Thorn-Clarke most of all from their competitors. In a time when quality is easier to come by then ever before and even great value can be found on almost any wine-vendor's shelves, respect in it's most sincere form is still rare enough to be extolled when we see it. Respect for the land, respect for the water, respect for the grapes and the winemaking process and, most of all, respect for you - the customer.

I hope you find value in my thoughts on these beautiful wines.

2011 "Terra Barossa" Shiraz-Cabernet-Petit Verdot

89+/90 points, $13+ USD, Great Value

... Expansive yet not expensive: this wine is rich with aromas of wild blueberries and Saskatoons, tomato leaf, warm earth, hints of vanilla, oak. On the palate is a perky acidity with fine, well integrated tannin and an intensity of flavors that well-matches the nose. Very good balance and structure, the length on the palate is also substantial for the price.

... When I smell and taste those darker berry flavors: blueberries, black currants, Saskatoons, I immediately think of venison! To me there's nothing that would pair better with this then a dish of venison stew/ragout with steamed new potatoes and fresh garden veggies. Although, I say that and then I savored the bottle over successive evenings and a ration of premium, hand-made, fresh peppercorn beef jerky from Hopcott farms, Pitt Meadows.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon

89+ points, $16+ USD, Great Value

... What I love about this wine is its ability to express young Cab: big, beautiful, pear-shaped tones of ripe red fruit, summer flowers, the backbone of pencil-shaving/minerality and the warmth of musk/forest aromas. The bouquet is inviting, the palate offering substantial yet well balanced acid and more of the trademark well-integrated tannin though these are more substantial then the previous blend. Great structure.

... Food pairings abound! A natural for beef dishes, this will also bring beauty to the meatier Italian dishes like a lamb bolognese but I found it light enough to serve with grilled panini for lunch. This is a terrific introduction to the "softer-side-of-Cab" and pairs well with Tuesday nights and a warm fireplace :)

 

 2010 Barossa "Quartage"

Left Bank Bordeaux-styled blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot

91+ points, $18-$25 USD, EXCELLENT Value

... it's no secret that I love Bordeaux, but good Bordeaux is becoming out-of-reach for a writers salary. Top-tier Bordeaux is out-of-reach for most doctors and lawyers. But~! But there is great Bordeaux-style coming from all corners of the world and Australia is certainly a part of that wave. This wine is a personal favorite of mine and I have been constantly impressed vintage after vintage. For the money, this may be one of the best values in the North American market! Rich, nuanced dark floral aromas burst from the glass with violets and dark roses followed by black currants/black cherries/red raspberries. The palate is brisk with lean/focused young red currant acid, fine/chalky tannin and a concentration of flavors that well-mimic the nose and outperform the price-tag. Excellent balance, very good structure, this wine drinks well now and holds for several years but will not develop in bottle due to the Stelvin enclosure.

... Food pairings? Try cigar pairings! From Rocky Patel "Decade" to Montecristo, this wine is a cigar-lovers delight. If you must pair it with food, consider the price and then spoil yourself: this is a decadent treat for a Wednesday afternoon and gourmet pizza, capicollo panini or a simple steak frites... use great ingredients and let the beauty of this Barossa shine!

2010 Barossa Shiraz

90+ points, $15-$22 USD, Great Value

... first, a word on Shiraz if you're thinking right now "Oh - I don't like Aussie Shiraz, I only like French/Spanish/California/etc". In a recent blind tasting with a dozen highly skilled industry professionals, no one could tell which Shiraz out of ten bottles was from Australia. Well... I could tell one of them, but only because I was incredibly familiar with that particular winemaker and knew his "signature". But my point is that there is a new era in winemaking and what you tasted 10 years ago (or older) isn't necessarily what you will find today! I have shown colleagues time and time again that the "New Face" of Aussie Shiraz is a sophisticated, elegant one that merits attention.

... Harmonious. This wine achieves a delightful balance of dark floral aromas, dark exotic chocolate and warm earth tones. The palate is awash in fresh red berry flavors and achieves mouth-watering acidity yet in a balanced and approachable manner. Very good concentration of flavors that match the nose with that ever-present peppercorn finish, to me this is a great example of the modern Shiraz.It will keep well for several years in cellar but, once again, will not develop due to Stelvin enclosure. Enjoy it young with sea-salt and olive grilled lamb and an herbaceous quinoa-tabbouleh salad!

2010 "William Randell" Barossa Shiraz

93+/94 points, $40-$50+ USD, WORLD CLASS

*97 points James Halliday

*in my TOP WINES, 2014

*minimum 1 hour decant or 2 runs through the aerator

... made from small, select lots and only in the best years, this is the essence of truly Great Barossa without the staggering price that some can fetch. That James Halliday of the Australian Wine Companion would bestow 97 points on this is enough for any reasonable person to ascertain that here-in lies beauty... created as an Ode to one of the patriarchs of the Clarke family, this wine offers the "Holy Trinity" of stunning: balance, structure and concentration.

... if you open this wine and find the aromas closed, just try decanting another 30 mins to an hour; it is impossible to over-decant this. To the eye this wine is so dark in it's bruised purple tones that it appears black in the glass. I was most struck by the plethora of floral aromas; the usual suspects of red and dark berries, dark cocoa, peppercorns and warm Barossa soil abound, but the lifted scents of violets, soft roses and irises is both feminine and tremendously alluring. On the palate, it presents tight, lean, well-focused red currant and young red raspberry acid that reminds one of Northern Rhone; tremendously fresh. The tannin is full, yet ultra fine/chalky/chewy and is delightfully approachable considering it's relative youth. The flavors are as full, and full of life and dimension, as the bouquet; a true craftsman's work. If you would drink this now (and it is utterly delightful now) I would highly encourage buying another few bottles to set aside. This wine will live and evolve for at least 15 more years with grace. Food pairing? Consider this dish I created for my Chef du Cuisine final project:

lamb, 3 ways               (sourced from Elliot Ranch, Strathmore, Alberta)

1. tenderloin (wrapped in duck pate and spinach) on braised chicory

2. two points of rack, baked in coarse salt with vanilla bean & fresh thyme, Hainle vineyards Gewurztraminer icewine poached Anjou pear, warm crab-apple compote

3. individual tortierre with braised shank and shoulder, charred heirloom tomato ketchup

the vineyards of Thorn-Clarke

Many thanks to Renaissance Wine Merchants (importer to Western Canada) and Thorn-Clarke Wines for the very generous sample bottles. As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on:

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Juan Santos 12-year rum

Juan Santos Rum

One of the best evenings I had in 2014 was with the fine folks at the Vancouver Cigar Company as we shared a host of genuine Cuban cigars and a terribly fine bottle of Colombian rum courtesy of Juan Santos. Latin music drummed in the background and the machismo energy was on overdrive as we savored the world-class spirits, smokes and slick rides. It was impossible not to remember the year before and the massively brilliant evening shared by hundreds of cigar aficionados.

Simon Yang of Vancouver Cigar Company

And it got me to thinking: there's an art to smoking great cigars! Notice my friend Simon Yang, customer service-extraordinaire at Van Cigar Co, and the way he lights this beautiful Cuban tobacco; the time he takes, the attention to detail... every bit as much an artisan as the inspired rum that comes from Juan Santos. I've long been a fan of their work and wanted this chance to share with you the why: why do I love the rum, why are they working so hard and why haven't you tried it yet?

But I can't do that.

It seems that, for all my research skills, I can't find any proof that the distillery for Juan Santos exists. Or, at least, that it exists in Colombia. I started wondering: "Why would the importer not want to link their website to the website of the distillery?" but it goes further than that... they won't even name the distillery, or the name of the family who theoretically own the business. Why would that be?

I know that the label Juan Santos has been created solely for the Western Canadian market and so, should you live outside of that, there is the very good chance that you will never try this rum. Or will you? It turns out that a colleague of mine who writes about rum prolifically was gifted a bottle of aged rum from Cuba. Now he ascertains that the company producing Juan Santos is Casa Santana and they claim to have started their company in Colombia in 1994 - having come from Cuba.

It's a good story and might very well be true and, yet, it immediately raises a red flag: how did a distillery started in 1994 start releasing a 21-year rum in 2012: 18 years later? And how did this colleague of mine, who was gifted the rum from Cuba, end up with a bottle that looked and tasted identical to Juan Santos? The Cuban distillery I speak of Ron Santero and they may very well be the producers of Juan Santos rum. Cuba does, after all, share a bilateral free trade agreement with Colombia.

Well enough of my "Conspiracy Theory"... at the end of the day all I know for certain is that an importer bringing beautiful rum to a population of 10,000,000 people (Western Canada) hasn't figured out that they need to share Who the producer is. As if, somehow, the Who and the Why aren't as important - or even more important - than the What. A shame... I'm betting money that there is a great story in this and one that I sincerely hope I get to share with all of you one day.

For today, I'll let the tasting notes stand on their own. Quality spirits, and quality cigars, are meant to be shared. Indeed, to me, that's where most of the pleasure comes from; seeing a friend, a brother, a colleague, your sister - try something truly special and savor the moment. Every time I've been to the Vancouver Cigar Company I have been wholeheartedly impressed with the consummate professionalism and the unquenchable enthusiasm these master tobacconists display. Their functions are memorable, as was the rum, and I hope I have the pleasure of bumping into you the next time I'm down there.

[cincopa AwFAMPsnrOGR]

the 90+ point Juan Santos 12-year

Anejo 12 anos / aged (for) 12-year

89+ points on its own/90+ points with a dram of water: Very Good Value

... warm caramel and toffee pudding. Summer flowers growing in the garden - the aroma wafts through the kitchen window as you snooze on the couch. These are the kind of  inviting aromas that surge from the glass; a plethora of sweet-welcome, like the beautiful girl you dated in college. Slightly hot alcohol hiding beauty; the palate conveys strength and discipline: the (expected) caramel tones warm the tastebuds to open for mineral tones, hints of peach and apricot and the savory edge of Macadamia nut. Very well balanced, with good structure and medium+ length, this has just passed the realm of mixed drinks and entered the "land-of-rocks" because, really, we should only enjoy this just with a glass or "on-the-rocks" with an ice-cube if you must (a dram of water does a better job). For rum aficionados this is a must to show yet another dimension to artisanal rum.

the smiling faces of Van Cigar Co have kept customers returning for years

And so what have I learnt through this? I admit, I was a little jealous of my friends and colleagues down at Van Cigar Co when they started talking about the Cuban cigars we were smoking. It seemed like for every cigar that was lit there was a story about "the last trip to Cuba" or "remember when that cigar-roller visited us a few months back?". I was so proud of the fine rum that I'ld brought but had no story to share. Maybe it shouldn't matter! Maybe I should be able to look beyond who made a product and where and just concentrate on the quality of what's in the bottle. Right?

But we human beings aren't like that; we aren't so analytical. In fact we're anything but. We make decisions impulsively and with our hearts. We yearn to hear a fantastic tale of a "David" slaying the mythic "Goliath"... without this human connection consumers are soon left cold and move on. This is a lesson that Van Cigar Co learnt a long time ago and is why, in a sea of non-smoking legislation, they not only survive but continue to thrive. My hope is that other businesses will learn from their success.

Many thanks to The Liber Group for the very generous sample bottle of Juan Santos and to (General Manager) Trevor of the Vancouver Cigar Company for their incredible hospitality. As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on:

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Anarchist Mountain Vineyard, BC

It’s natural, at the start of a New Year, to ask ourselves: “What does it mean to be alive?” We breathe, we eat, we give thanks through our day for the blessings we’ve received. Does that make us alive? Or is it something more?

In my life, the times when I feel most alive are when I struggle; when I strive against the obstacles, the nay-sayers, the obstinate will of those who would deny the possibility of more. This is when every breath is full of oxygen, when every flower is imbued with a kaleidoscope of color and the wind is the breath of god.

Andrew Stone loving his work

Look at this photo: this is a man who is filled with life. Even if you don’t know him and, before a few weeks ago, I didn’t know him either. But I don’t have to know him to see his joy. I don’t have to know him to see that this is someone who has found his place in the world, his home and that life is more to him than the passage of time.

Meet Andrew Stone: one half of the team that is bringing life to a vineyard 1700′ above the ocean; high above the northern tip of the Sonoran desert in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. A place filled with its own ancient magic that, to some, may seem ethereal. But watch the sun begin to set over the hills, feel the last rays touch your face, the earth, the grapes on the hillside, and tell me that you don’t hear the land whispering its own primordial song.

I asked Terry (wife/partner/better-half to Andrew):

the vista at Anarchist Mountain

“Why? Why do this? Why give up your great jobs with great incomes and great security – to take on the life of winemakers?”

And though we were speaking on the phone I assure you that I saw most plainly when Terry smiled quietly before her response.

“When we came to this place, when we looked out on this vista, we knew that this was our place. This is our home and the lifestyle of being a part of this land makes it all worthwhile.”

I knew she was being completely honest. I knew because I’ve felt the same feeling. I tried to steer the conversation around to the actual business side of winemaking and asked Terry what their inspirations were for the Burgundian-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that I tried. But Terry is humble, to the point of even deferring that they were truly wine-makers.

“We’re still trying to figure that out Kristof: are we really winemakers or are we grape-growers? There is so much inspiration to choose from but, of course, my brother (Jak Meyer of Meyer Family Vineyards) has been significant for both of us. It was being there with him, right at the beginning of his adventure into the woolly world of wine, that got us hooked.”

But – there must be a style that you’re striving for… certainly with your Pinot Noir, which is one of the most unique I’ve tried.

“Yes, there is a style…. the style the land wants to express. And that’s what we’re trying to better understand.”

Andrew and Terry Stone

Humbling words coming from a couple who have staked their future on these grapes and so I had to know: What would be the biggest goal for Anarchist Vineyards in 2015?

“You mean besides survival?”

And we both laughed ruefully at that, for we both knew what it is to take that leap into the unknown and gamble not only with our own future, but the future of our family on a new venture. “It’s a roller-coaster-” Darren Hardy of Success Magazine likes to say, “-and if you don’t like roller-coasters then you’ld better not get into business for yourself.”

“We’ve both kept our full-time jobs to help support our work at the vineyard, but it means long days and very little rest on weekends, holidays… we’ve always got something to do! Which we love! But we’ve got to get the word out there – get people trying the wine so we can get feedback and do better next year, and better the year after that.”

And then came one of the hardest parts of being a journalist; I had to tell the truth. I’m not including a review of the Anarchist Vineyards Chardonnay: the acid was untamed/out of balance and though the wine showed excellence in mineral concentration, the structure was overwhelmed by these full++ lemon zest acids. And I said as much to Terry who, to my surprise, concurred.

“It was a difficult vintage for us. I’m not making excuses, but it was tough, and we’ll do better next year. That being said we have noted that, with time, it is softening; making it a wine that will come into its own over time “

And listening to her, I found myself nodding in agreement. It is part of the process and a necessary one. You and I know that we all learn better from our stumbles in life than we do from our triumphs. Lucky for you, the consumer, Anarchist Mountain Vineyard has both.

2012 “Wildfire” Pinot Noir

Okanagan Falls, Osoyoos

harvested at 2.3 tons/acre

70 cases produced

89 points, Very Good Value

*BENEFITS FROM DECANTING OR 1-2 RUNS THROUGH THE AERATOR*

… inviting aromas of ripening red raspberries, wild lavender and thyme, punctuated by a light seasalt minerality. Refreshing medium+ raspberry acid acts much like great examples from its cousin Gamay Noir in that it conveys a candied fruit quality. Tannin is fine and incredibly light – far less then I would expect – and again, acts much like a good Gamay. This being the case, and the wine having very good balance, structure concentration, I would use this the same way when pairing with food. Think of this as a “mid-afternoon” Pinot Noir; perfect with a grilled mortadella e provolone panini at the park or out on the deck with a plate of charcuterie (coldcuts), local cheese and warm bread. Unfined and unfiltered means that this wine is made with Old World skill and, though under Stelvin enclosure (screw-top), will benefit from a few years of age… it helps, in my opinion, to soften the eager acid and let the wine find it’s balance.

livin’ the life at Anarchist

Many thanks to Andrew and Terry Stone of Anarchist Mountain Vineyard for the very generous sample bottles. As always you can find more recipes, free wine reviews and my notes on premium distillates and cigars on:

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