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IWM e-Letter: November 3, 2005
Treasures Along the Mediterranean |
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this Issue:
•
A Note from Sergio
• Azienda Agricola Bruna
• Grattamacco Rosso
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and
more:
•
Gift Baskets: Simple & Elegant
• Vintage Babbo with IWM
• Can't Attend? Try These Six Packs!
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A
Note from Sergio
Due to limited
production from steep terraces vineyards, scarcity
of quality producers, lack of strategic marketing
efforts, and an abundance of indigenous varietals
and wines with long names not common outside
of Italy, Liguria, the coastal area just north
of Toscana and south of Piemonte, makes very
little wine that reaches international borders.
The ones that have made it here never really
sold very well and importers, retailers, and
restaurants often held onto stock well past
its optimal drinking time. This, being very
common, had led to a negative image of Ligurian
wines in the US market. Chances are you’ve
never experienced a quality wine from this region
unless you’ve made the trip to the Italian
Riviera and knew what to request. If you’re
lucky, you enjoyed a nice glass of the native
Pigato or tasted the rare Cinque Terre passito
wine Sciacchetra with the area's fresh Mediterranean
fare. However, tucked in the hillside is a treasure
from the small artisanal producer Riccardo Bruna,
who creates magnificent, delicious whites that
are rich in character. His top white, U Baccan,
optimal for aging, has been the “buzz”
in Italy since its first vintage less than six
years ago and this is its first (extremely limited)
release to the US market. If you’re bored
with oaky, fat, lush, creamy whites that sit
on your palate and camp out in your gut, then
these fresh, herbal, mineral-laced old vine
Pigatos are probably what you’re looking
for.
From the Riviera, we continue
to the coastline of Toscana at Bolgheri, made
famous by Sassicaia
and later Ornellaia
and best known for its world-class reds, to
experience vintage wines and new releases from
Piermario Meletti Cavallari’s Grattamacco.
Maurizio Castelli’s work as enologist
at Grattamacco is evident in this uniquely delicate
red made from the highest altitude vineyards
in the area.
Read on below to learn about
these wines and their importance. For specific
questions or to make a purchase, please contact
Perry
Porricelli at 212.473.2323.
My best,
Sergio Esposito
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Azienda Agricola
Bruna
For more than three decades
Riccardo Bruna has worked the native Ligurian
varietal Pigato on the steep terraces that rise
out of the Mediterranean. Here at the end of
the Imperia province, the Azienda Bruna, highlighted
by the Russeghine vineyard, experiences exceptionally
conducive climate conditions for the production
of the Pigato grape, which is enhanced by the
gravelly subsoil of the dry, permeable red earth
that allows for deep root development.
Though undoubtedly ancient,
this grape is said to be many things, from a
Greek import to a native of the Castelli Romani,
planted by Caesar’s legions, to a relative
of Vermentino. In fact, some experts posit that
Pigato and Vermentino are inherently one and
the same, their apparent differences born of
distinct terroir and treatment in the vineyard
and cellar. In tourist country the wine is often
used simply as a table wine for the local seafood.
But Riccardo's mission is different. He makes
three Pigato wines - U Baccan, Le Russeghine,
and Villa Torrachetta - each with different
intentions. Unlike their neighbors, Riccardo
and his daughters Francesca and Anna Maria refuse
to mask the grape’s true character with
the hocus-pocus of technological "innovations."
They therefore limit technical input in the
vinification and aging phases to the bare necessities,
especially in the case of the U Baccan, their
signature wine which has only been produced
since 1999 and is not created in off years.
As a result, and with only 180 cases produced,
this is one of the year’s most highly
sought-after wines.
Bruna
Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato U Baccan
The term Baccan is Ligurian dialect for the
boss or the most charismatic person in the family.
The U Baccan is produced entirely from late
harvest Pigato grapes primarily from the old
vines on the Russeghine vineyard on a hill above
Ranzo Borgo with southern exposition; a minimal
portion of the fruit is from the white clay
vineyard Garazin above Pogli. Intensely floral
on the nose with accents of ripe tropical fruit
that are greeted on the palate by honey, peach,
herbs, and an almond finish. Extremely well-defined,
structured and balanced for longevity.
Bruna 2004 Riviera Ligure
di Ponente Pigato U Baccan $59.97
Bruna
Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato 'Le Russeghine'
Like the U Baccan, this wine is produced entirely
with Pigato grapes, here coming from the Russeghine
vineyard. This standout wine brought prestige
to the estate. The vineyards are in the middle
of the Valle Arroscia, a historic zone for the
Pigato grape about 15 kilometers from the sea
of Albenga, where optimal temperature fluctuations
allow the grapes to work harder throughout the
vegetal cycle. Slightly less dense and defined
than the U Baccan, this is another exceptional
interpretation of the Pigato grape that displays
flavors of apricot, peach, and aromatic herbs.
Bruna 2004
Pigato 'Le Russeghine' $24.93
Click
for more artisanal producers!
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Grattamacco Rosso
This is a monumental Grattamacco
offering, as we are not only announcing the
arrival of one of IWM’s fastest selling
reds; we are also including an older and virtually
unobtainable vintage. Grattamacco, a blend of
Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Merlot that
changes in proportion from vintage to vintage,
is remarkable even in off years. Certainly,
the extravagant 1995 is a highlight in the offering
below, as it is one of the top four vintages
of the decade in Bolgheri. The 1989, though
mostly overlooked because the vintage was poor
in the interior of Toscana, is actually a collectors'
vintage because in Bolgheri 1989 is considered
a very good vintage which produced sound, complex,
ageworthy wines. The newly released 2001 will
surely impress any Italian wine enthusiast,
as it displays all the grace and elegance, structure
and depth, and quintessentially Italian nuances
which are attributed to the very best Toscana-Bolgheri
wines.
Piermario Meletti Cavallari
has always been an enophile. He was very content
in his wine store in Bergamo but knew that he
had a further calling, so he set out to find
a vineyard that he could make his own. When
he saw Grattamacco he knew immediately that
he had found the right place, so in 1977 he
settled in and began producing wine. The 1982
Grattamacco was Cavallari's debut, establishing
him as one of pillars of the Super Tuscan movement
(along with Ornellaia, Sassicaia, and Tignanello).
The success is a result of organic wine-growing
that brings farming into perfect unity with
nature. The vinification process abides by similar
rules, following traditional methods that include
the delicate and natural processing of the grapes
with no use of mechanical pumps. Wooden casks
are used for both fermentation and aging of
the wines. These principles are endorsed by
the help of Claudio Tipa and consultant Maurizio
Castelli. This estate consistently produces
impressive Super Tuscans that are prized by
collectors, but a modest visage with no marketing
keeps this star out of the limelight and very
reasonably priced.
Grattamacco
1989 Rosso $ 89.00
Grattamacco
1995 Rosso $ 55.00
Grattamacco
1998 Rosso $ 59.00
Grattamacco
2001 Rosso $ 75.00
Click
for more Super Tuscans!
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Gift Baskets:
Simple & Elegant
IWM gift baskets are simple
but elegant and make the perfect holiday gift.
Three different size baskets are available to
present one bottle, a pair, or a three bottle
combination. The gift baskets can be customized
with any wine selection you like, but here are
three house favorites that are sure to satisfy.
To hear more gift ideas or for help creating
the perfect gift, contact a Portfolio Manager
at 212.473.2323.
Barolo
In A Box, $53.00
- Massolino
1998 Barolo 'Margheria'
- Wooden Gift Box
Massolino’s single vineyard Margheria
simply personifies the Serralunga style, with
concrete structure and developed tertiary flavors.
A great introduction to classic Barolo!
Historic
2000 Barolo and 1999 Brunello Basket, $128.49
- Castello
di Camigliano 1999 Brunello di Montalcino
- Scavino
2000 Barolo
- Small Woven Wood Gift Basket
Italy’s two most collected wines, Barolo
and Brunello di Montalcino, side by side in
a beautiful woven wood gift basket. Experience
a Barolo from Enrico Scavino, the distinguished
“Grand Master” of this “King
of Wines,” and try a ripe 1999 Brunello
di Montalcino from Camigliano and famed enologist
Lorenzo Landi.
A
Taste of Toscana, $170.61*
- Felsina
2001 Chianti Classico
- Querciabella
2000 Camartina
- Tenuta
la Fuga 1998 Brunello di Montalcino
- Large Woven Wood Gift Basket
*Free delivery in Manhattan
Here's a chance to see why Toscana is Italy's
most widely recognized wine region through a
sampling of three important categories: Chianti,
Brunello di Montalcino, and the Super Tuscans.
Click
to download the 2005 Gift Catalog!
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Vintage
Babbo with IWM
Please join us for two more
terrific themed wine tastings as we continue
to uncork Italy's best at the Babbo wine dinners.
Can't attend? Try the six- packs below.
PIEDMONT
RETROSPECTIVE
Monday, November 7, 2005
$495 per person
Great vintages from the ‘60s to the
present.
Starting with Gaja’s 1967 Barbaresco and
following with ’74 and ’85 as well,
we’ll uncork four decades’ worth
of great Piedmont red. Also on the list are
recent acquisitions such as Roberto Voerzio’s
1990 “La Serra” Barolo, Bartolo
Mascarello’s legendary ’85,
and Paolo Scavino’s 1990 “Cannubi,”
among others. The white truffles will be flowing
as well, so don’t miss this aromatic evening
with the best of Piedmont.
TUSCAN
TITANS
Monday, November 21, 2005
$495 per person
A raft of top ‘97s
highlights this menu of rich, wintry reds.
Muscular reds from Tuscany get the call as winter
draws near – particularly a number of
luscious super- Tuscans and Brunellos from the
famed 1997 vintage. Taste the ’97 “Sassicaia”
from magnum, the spectacular ’97 “Vigna
d’Alceo” from Castello dei Rampolla,
Caparzo’s ’97 “La Casa”
Brunello, and a number of older Tuscans from
the ‘80s and ‘90s (Soldera’s
“Intistieti” Brunello may make a
return engagement!). On the menu will be some
hearty pastas, some red meat, and likely more
truffles, so try to forget that this is just
a few days before Thanksgiving!
How to Reserve
Contact Caroline Marshall at 917.715.3599 and
specify which tasting you would like to attend.
If you have questions, contact David Lynch at
212-614-8495 x110.
Click
for more event details!
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