Vinfolio Blog

The mighty Sagrantino might be the most noble and hearty red skinned Italian varietal you never heard of. Sagrantino, the other “S” varietal, has too long been overshadowed by the commercial success of Sangiovese in neighboring Tuscany.  Its sanctum is in the southern Perugian Hills of Umbria. In 1992, Sagrantino di Montefalco was honored with the highest distinction of quality, the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) sharing the same guaranteed quality standards of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo and Barbaresco to name a few.

Its origins are somewhat unknown, but many feel it is native to Montefalco and the surrounding area. The name may refer to the "Sacrament" and to when the Franciscans made sweet wine for religious rites. Historically the grape was cultivated into a sweet wine, but now it is the ‘dry’ version that is driving the Montefalco promotional campaign.

Our featured Sagrantino on the site is the 2003 Perticaia (VF$ 45). The success of the Perticaia estate is fueled by visionary, proprietor and winemaker, Guido Guardigli. He knows Sagrantino from his days making wines at Colpetrone and Scacciadiavoli, two noted Montefalco estates. He hired legendary enologist Lorenzo Landi to do initial consulting on his dream project. The property was a working farm that included grain fields and olive groves. Today, the estate has amassed 14 hectares of Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Colorino, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The Sagrantino thrives in the cool, deep, clayey-calcareous soils, which was the impetus for the site. Perticaia Sagrantino is now mentioned in the same terms of quality as Arnaldo Caprai, Paolo Bea, Adanti, Colpetrone and Scacciadiavoli.

Every varietal has a flavor and textural footprint, and with Sagrantino, it’s all about gritty natural tannins and notes of slightly bitter dried cherry. With proper clonal selection and yield maintenance, Sagrantino can be coaxed into a wine with immense mid-palate richness, followed by a super-dry finish that displays finesse and length. More affordable than most Super Tuscans and Brunelli, Sagrantino is an ideal case purchase for mid-term cellaring. I suggest cracking open a bottle for explorational purposes and decanting for a minimum of 60 to 75 minutes before serving.  Grill up some NY Steak or Rib-eye and brace yourself for a gastronomical match made in heaven! Perticaia’s 2003 Sagrantino boasts a sensory overload of bitter cherry similar to Amarone. When properly decanted or aged for at least three to seven years, this effort can roll with some of the Tuscan big dawgs!

All this praise for Sagrantino di Montefalco doesn’t mean you need to scratch your budget on 2004 Tuscans (another blockbuster vintage for Montalcino Maremma & Bolgheri Coast). However, thinking outside of the box and venturing down the unknown wine road can have tremendous benefits. Contact Neil for more unsung heroes on the VF site at neil@vinfolio.com.

 

 

 

In 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 conditions were so favorable that the Perrin family decided to make a special cuvée in honor of their father who passed away in 1978.

•Collectibility—Truly one of the finest, most singular, and complex wines in all of the Rhone Valley and France
•Production—typically 400-425 cases are produced from 5 acres
•Average age of the vines for Hommage are 65-90+ years
•Appellation/Location—Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the Southern Rhone, northernmost sector of Chateauneuf du Pape near the town of Courthezon
•Terroir—Mediterranean climate (mild winters and hot summers), Beaucastel’s vineyards are covered by galets roulés which store heat and also help retain soil moisture. Retained heat reflects back onto the vines at night for increased ripeness and reduces acidity, Beaucastel’s vines are planted on clay soils
•Varietal Blend—typically 60% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Counoise except for the 1998, which had 60% Grenache and only 20% Mourvedre
•Mourvedre cuttings are from Domaine Tempier in Bandol
•Varietal Profile—Mourvedre has small, thick skinned berries that tend to be high in alcohol and tannins and are somewhat gamey in youth.  The tightly formed bunches of Mourvedre are highly susceptible to rot but this is mitigated by the drying influence of the Mistral.  Mourvedre also has excellent antioxidant qualities
•Varietal Aroma and Bouquet—Mourvedre aromas and bouquet include blackberry, spice, an earthy character like forest undergrowth, truffles, tree bark and animale notes like fur, leather, and game
•Mourvedre can be misinterpreted by tasters as brettanomyces
•Viticulture— most vines are Gobelet trained although Syrah is trained on wires in single Guyot, farmed organically since the 1950s and estate grown fruit only
•Vinification—destemming for Mourvedre and Syrah, fermentation in cement tank, then large oak foudres for 8-18 months, bottled after 24 months.  Syrah is fermented in small oak barrels
•Vinification includes vinification a chaud—heating of the must on arrival for extraction of color, flavor and aroma, to slow fermentation and to hault oxidation.  The must is subsequently cooled as it goes into tank.  This heating also breaks long chain molecules to liberate valuable nitrogen for yeast nutrition and greatly reduces sulphur requirements during elevage
•Cellar Recommendations—Hommage requires proper ageing for a minimum of 6-10 years to develop and integrate (depending on vintage), and can age effortlessly for many decades

Availability as of 7/17/07

1998 blend includes 60% Grenache and only 20% Mourvedre
1998 Beaucastel - Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin    $549
WA 100    Drink Date 2003-2033
….” an extraordinary effort, and from a purely hedonistic standpoint, probably my favorite Jacques Perrin”…..Robert Parker

2003 is a blend of 40% Mourvedre, 40% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Counoise
2003 Beaucastel - Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin    $329
WA 95        Drink Date 2011-2046
….” A 50-year effort”….. Robert Parker

2004 was an exceptional vintage for Mourvedre
2004 Beaucastel - Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin    $349
WA 96-98    Drink Date 2007-2047
…. “The 2004 is potentially one of the legendary Jacques Perrin cuvees since the debut vintage of 1989”….Robert Parker

Smile broadly and extend your hand as I’m convinced you’ll be rewarded for getting to know this quiet, somewhat reserved vintage: 2004 White Burgundy.  I’m taking a stance for one wine in this entry that I hope will echo the voices of many other 2004 white Burgundies. There are a few reasons why I think this wine can be the spokesperson for the vast majority of 2004s we have in stock. It’s not the most famous, nor does it have the longest history. But I’ve been paying attention to Domaine Paul Pernot wines since the 1992 vintage. They’ve gotten better and better in their own right and are no longer ‘under the radar’ for the Burgundy consumer. His vineyards, at least have been on the “map” so to speak for years and sought-after by at least one large domaine/neighbor of his (he’s been a fruit-source for Domaine Drouhin for years). Now with a slow increase of his holdings, more and more proof of his winemaking skill makes it to bottles that bear his own labels.

Mostly, the wines are prototypical Burgundy: precision, higher-toned, lighter in body yet concentrated.  And there’s the main idea: that the 2004 White Burgs are demonstrative of archetypal Chardonnay from this famed region. Though the reviews for 2004 are generally excellent across the board, I think the wines merit the same respect as 2002s and maybe 1995s (longer lived than 1995 perhaps). It’s also sandwiched on many tasting tables between the 2003 and 2005 vintages which are the sexier wines (2003 is also fairly underrated as a vintage overall but the top-end wines are even higher scoring that the 04s).

No discredit meant to these wines at all, I’m just saying that you have to remember to let the 2004s do what they do. Somewhat shy (sexy in its own right at times), the wines prefer to act stereotypically “European.” They’re not very showy, they might seem a little snooty until you get to know them, their opinions can be ‘bracing.’ But they’re generally long-lived, complex and concentrated! The 2004s are still quite austere and edgy overall. But when the mango fruit softens in the Pernot Folatieres, for example, it broadens as it will along with the flowery aromas. And when the spicy, almond-notes from the oak fully soak-in—wow! An out-and-out provocative wine!

Folatieres itself is even a typical vineyard to represent this vintage. It is often “of the orchard” and is a wine that has to come along its path before it drinks at its best (kind of like high school-er getting through his or her freshman year at college). Or like a reserved person, the first meeting might not even reveal a significant sample of what that person’s about. Well, the 2004s are sort-of at a “3rd time meeting” stage. A drinker is able to get some of the background of this wine; you’re intrigued to learn even more but you still can’t expect to know what’s “on their mind.” Trust that they’re on the right path and you’ll surely make great friends from this exceptional vintage.

2004 Pernot, Paul Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er Cru - $57

As girls are known to shop, I decided to compile my own personal wish list from Vinfolio’s wine store. Over the coming years I would like to considerably expand my collection so that it represents a diverse selection of wine regions and vintages. Although I have a tendency towards the Old World, I also favor many wines from Oregon, cool-climate California and New Zealand.  

My favorite wines tend to have high acid (Champagne, Riesling, Chablis, Brunello) and reflect a sense of terroir (Burgundy, Bordeaux). I especially enjoy the influence of chalky soils in Champagne (from oyster fossils in the Kimmeridgian soil), the role of limestone and clay on Merlot in St. Emilion, the mineral notes of slate in Mosel Riesling, and the ripe, rustic quality imparted to Aglianico or Galioppo grapes by volcanic soils in southern Italy. I also love the concentrated flavors of wines whose vines have had to struggle, whether grown on a mountaintop or by restricted yields (perhaps through a green harvest). High altitude climates (Argentina), coastal breezes and ocean currents (the Benguela Current near South Africa, the Humboldt Current off Chile, and the California Current along the Pacific NW) also bring clarity and intensity of flavor. There are so many factors to producing great wine that it makes the discovery process (through tasting, of course) all the more fun!

I think a good cellar should have a mix of every day wines (albeit tasty ones) and special event, collector bottles that benefit from aging. Here is a start to my wish list, beginning in France (to be continued in later posts):

Champagne – The ideal aperitif and palate stimulant, whether white or rose.
Good value, every day favorites:
    NV Lafitte, Charles Brut Rosé $35
    NV Ruinart Brut Rosé (375ml) $35 – one of the original Champagne houses
    NV Jean Vesselle Brut Oeil de Perdrix $38 – with a beautiful salmon color
    NV Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition $54
    NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé $66 – a classic rosé

Luxury bubbles for special events (1990 and 1996 are especially good vintages):
    NV Krug Grande Cuvée $127 – a Champagne staple
    1998 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne $129 – the 1990 is also amazing
    1990 Heidsieck, Charles Brut Blanc des Millénaires $135
    1996 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill $159 – so classy and brilliant
    NV Bollinger Brut Special Cuvée (1.5L) $225 – creamy and big for parties
    1990 Möet & Chandon Dom Perignon (1.5L) $850 – everyone must have Dom!
    1996 Krug Clos du Mesnil $1,065 – yes, we can dream of the ideal Grand Cru

White Burgundy – Where Chardonnay reveals minerality, clarity, and complexity.
The values:
    2005 Long-Depaquit Chablis Les Vaillons 1er Cru $25
    2005 Daniel et Martine Barraud Pouilly-Fuisse La Verchère $36
    1996 Latour-Giraud Meursault Narvaux $39 - one with some age
    2004 Long-Depaquit Chablis Blanchots $42 – a Grand Cru at an amazing price
    2000 Henri Germain et Fils Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru $59

The collector items:
    2004 Raveneau Chablis Les Forêts 1er Cru $75 - another classic producer
    2004 Marc Colin Corton-Charlemagne $79 - this made a friend become a Burgundy believer
    2002 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne $94
    2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru $133
    2004 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet $196 - gotta love Leflaive
    2004 Comtes Lafon Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru $349
    1998 Ramonet Montrachet $599 – a true life experience
    1996 Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet $950 – ditto
    1989 Ramonet Montrachet $1,899 – we’re at the pinnacle here!

I see that my thoughts stayed with the high acid whites; next time I’ll peruse the reds. Cheers and happy collecting! What’s on your list?