Benvenuto Brunello, etc.

Yesterday we all met at the Hilton on 6th Avenue for the big event, the Brunello tasting and so on.  The weather was miserable, the crowd more or less the same, and the event over all had some of the clusterfuck qualities of Vinitaly, on a much smaller scale, of course.

As always, the crush of people in the most prestigious exhibit/tasting areas was intense.  You had to have your badge rescanned to get into the Brunello room, which had the allure of a Mumbai railway station at rush hour.  I managed to get a taste of a couple of well-known Brunellos -- quite nice but if they were 100% Sangiovese, I'll eat my cappello. Too drinkable and round too young, too darkly grapey.  To me it was all redolent of the Merrill Lynch bonus scandal:  Have these people learned nothing? 

Allora, as they say. We spent most of our time scouting other wine-producing areas, Chianti and Abruzzo (successfully) and Calabria (more disappointments -- stop the new-American-oak barrique madness!) among them.

We spent a lot of time tasting and chatting with Stefania Pepe, winemaking daughter of the iconic Emidio Pepe, and her husband, who has the wonderful name Adone Del Negro ("Adonis Black").  Each of them owns vineyards, some certified biodynamic, some certified organic but working through the stringent, seven-year process to be biodynamic as well.  Every one of their wines was highly individuated and utterly compelling.  What knockouts. 

I mentioned to Stefania that her father's wines can be off-putting; they not only require a very long ageing to show their stuff but are also uneven and too particolare.  Not to mention very expensive.  She handled that one nicely.  "I want to make the best wines I can.  Not to be the most expensive or particular.  I want everyone to like them." 

By the way, like Emidio, Stefania and Adone are making more of their wines in cement rather than stainless steel.  The contrast between two of Adone's -- from the same vineyard and 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo -- illustrated the distinctive character each fermentation container imparts to wine. When asked which of them we preferred, we declared, "Both!"

Speaking of asking awkward questions, I'm never one to shy away.  We found another good Abruzzese producer, whose wines are very well priced.  His low end, super-economy line was impressive.  A lot fuller and rounder than is typical of Montepulciano.  So what did I ask him?  "Any oak?"  No.  "Trucioli?"  (Oak chips?)  I admire the gentleman for keeping his composure.  Well done, sir.  

 

Comments

[Sfuso]

Trucioli - great name for a Trattoria?! ;)

I had one of those barcode invites in my bag all day and I said f it. I love a good Brunello but can I afford to buy one? Glad I avoided it.

Peace

[Strappo]

Sfuso,

I like some Brunellos very much but find their "rapporto qualita'/prezzo" VERY off-putting. I feel your pain.

But I'm one of those idiots who generally prefers the 2nd level wines, the wines with much less oak and (dare I suggest?) spoofilation. They're also cheaper, good from a sales POV, not to mention the consumer's.

[Sfuso]

Amen

[AJ]

I missed the Benvenuto Brunello held here in San Francisco last week. Despite the bad press I was looking forward to the new arrivals. Your comparison of well known Brunellos to the Merrill Lynch bonus scandel makes me glad I was unable to attend. Ditto on the new american oak in many of Italys wine regions. Susan Powter even thinks some of the producers are overdoing it.

[Strappo]

LOL @ the Susan Powter reference. Great!

Whatever happened to her anyway?

[AJ]

Last I heard she cashed out and is busy raising her kids.

[Strappo]

wow, she has kids...deceptively normal.

funny...we who look normal are, like, really OUT THERE.

but not in a ted bundy sorta way, of course.