SPQR & Poggio Antico



Hello all Happy Monday.  It is June and thus the beginning of summer.  Always a great time to get out and explore, visit wine regions and enjoy the art of wine tasting, or the skill of wine consumption depending on your philosophy.  I always encourage people in Northern California to be grateful and take advantage of all the fantastic wine and beautiful scenery of the vineyards we are surrounded with.
With that being said today I wanted to take a little time to share a recent evening hosted at SPQR Restaurant in San Francisco.  This is where I am currently employed and without a doubt enjoying the opportunity to work and study.  http://www.spqrsf.com/.  We recently welcomed Paola Gloder Montefiori, the daughter of Giancarlo Gloder who originally purchased the estate.  She was kind enough to share some of her fantastic wines with us.

Poggio Antico is a winery and estate located in the Montalcino region south of Siena in Tuscany.  The first vines were planted in 1970, and in 1984 Giancarlo Gloder purchased the estate.  The estate measures about 200 hectares, with about 32.5 hectares planted to grape vines.  The majority of this is Sangiovese, here called Brunello, with a sprinkling of Cabernet Sauvignon vines which go towards a newer concept blended wine from the property.  The estate is home to the highest elevation vineyards in all of Montalcino.

2009 Poggio Antico Rosso di Montalcino
   This wine is the same juice as the Brunello Normale, only bottled early.  There is no distinction made in the vineyard with the fruit, only in the cellar.  The wine is aged for about a year in large French barrels and allowed to settle in the bottle before release.
   Pale ruby in color with a medium concentration, bright red cherries and strawberries mix with a pleasant spice element which develops into warm eathenflavors on the palate.  The wine is well integrated with a long plush finish.  The wine to drink while the Brunello's mature.

2007 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Normale
   Moving on to the Brunello Normale, which is again the same juice as the the Rosso, you begin to understand what the aging of the wine does here.  Here we have 3 years in large Slavonian oak barrels before bottling and settling. 
   The wine shows more aging and a lower intensity of color, but the aromas have more depth.  Darker cherries with warm leather begin, backed by the classic roasted wood herb aromas.  Also a hint of nutmeg from the time spent in wood.  The tannins are noticably bigger here, and while this wine has a long life ahead, it was very apporachable and enjoyable in its youth.

2007 Poggio Antico 'Altero' Brunello di Montalcino
   "Altero,' or self-confident is a wine special to Poggio Antico.  It began in 1983 as a table wine out of a want to try something different.  Since its' first vintage Altero has always been aged for 2 years in French barrels, not tradtional for the production of Brunello di Montalcino.  In fact it was not until the laws were revised for the aging of Brunellos that this wine was able to apply for reclassification. 
   The aromas take a shift, but the essence of the estate is preserved.  The fruit goes darker and more black, while the spices of nutmeg and cinnamon become more dominant.  Also I found more of a meaty quality to the palate which left a savory element to a very long finish.  Not quite as open right now as the Normale, give it a couple years, if you can wait that long...

2006 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
  The Riserva selection is sourced from a parcel of vines which were the original plantings in the early 1970's.  The first year the wine is aged in French barrels, and then transferred for 2.5 years into large Slavonian oak botti (very large barrels).  This allows for the best of both worlds in flavor, as well as an opportunity to soften the naturally strong tannins.  This win was still very young and very tight, the tannins needing more time to unwrap themself.  2006 was an amazing year for Montalcino and this wine showed it.
   Black cherry and blueberry notes were drizzled with hints of aged balsamic vinegar and again a bit of a gamey/meaty quality.  The oak spices were there, but now more dressed with vanilla and lingered long after the wine was gone.  Give this wine a few years and it will be even better.

2004 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
   As a treat we were able to offer ethe 2004 Riserva as well, out of a magnum no less.  This was my favorite of the night because of its complex sturcture and also because it had been given a little more time to fully integrate.  Also a big full flavored vintage like 2006, this wine has a very long happy life ahead of it, that is if you can wait...

Cheers to All!

Jeremiah

http://www.spqrsf.com/

http://www.poggioantico.com/

A Sampling of Piemonte

A Sampling of Piemonte

Hi there all, hope all is well and all the Mother’s out there very much enjoyed their weekend and were treated well to celebrate all you do. In response to my love and obsession with Italian wine I have decided a great way to share this would be to share my thoughts on the wines that I am fortunate enough to work with at SPQR Restaurant in San Francisco. Our list is 99% Italian (we have a couple Champagne selections right now) and we get to showcase some very rare and unique wines. While not all of these wines may be familiar or easy to source, they should be out there since I am getting to try them.

My hope is to build a database of tasting notes for Italian wines which can be beneficial to many.

Today’s post will compare 2 Barbera wines and 2 Nebbiolo wines.

Cheers!



 

Wine #1 Braida ‘Montebruna’ Barbera d’Asti, 2010

Giacomo Bologna was the Barbera pioneer. Plantings in better sites to yield more intense wines, using new French barrique in aging of some of his wines, he was at the forefront to bring the grape to such fame. The Montebruna bottling comes from a single estate in Asti and is of DOCG status.

The wine is bright in ruby red color with a moderate concentration. Tart red cherries and plums mingle with violet flowers and subtle herbal notes. The 12 months in large barrels with the palate a soft round finish while preserving the bright acidity.



 

Wine #2 Ca’Rome Barbera d’Alba ‘La Gamberaja’ 2006

A classic style producer, Romano Marengo (hence Ca’Rome the house of Romano) this Barbera showcases the denser complexities that the soils of Alba deliver to Barbera. Also given the aging in the bottle more of the secondary qualities were able to emerge.

Slightly darker and denser in color, with more deep ruby and magenta. The use of smaller barrels, including barriques, deepened the flavors to more of an intense cherry and some anise spices. Also the subtle sweetness of the vanillin oak spice mingled with the juicy qualities of this wine on the palate. Medium tannins on a long finish.

Wine #3 Sottimano ‘Curra’ Barbaresco 2005

From the 2 different bottling I have had from Sottimano I can say that their style is that of the more modern approach. The influence of oak in both the bottlings of this wine I have tried, along with a 2001 from another Cru they bottle showed that to me.

Warm fleshy cherry skins mixed with the toasty oak spice elements showed for an intense wine with only moderate complexity. Some dried dark tobacco leaf and black liquorice notes emerged, but the tannins were still a little austere for me.



Wine #4 Giacomo Grimaldi ‘Le Coste’ Barolo 2001

A very heady wine and a nice treat to get to try, the 2001 vintage is a classic, and while it is just past that 10 year mark, these wines still have much grip left ‘.Le Coste’ is a vineyard site in the town of Barolo in the famed Brunate Cru.

The flavors are very mineral driven with a lot of tart black cherry and black liquorice, with aromas developing hours after being opened. Greta finesse and integration, while still being a big robust wine.



Anaheim 2013: One Year and Counting....

The Advanced Sommelier Exam in Anaheim, California finished up last Friday and the newest Green Pins were introduced.  Congratulations to all who sat the grueling exam, and hats off to those who excelled and achieved passing honors.

For me, the countdown begins. I aim to sit the exam next year, 2013, in Anaheim.  That's one year and counting. 

The exam itself consists of three independent sections.  The scoring for each section is separate, not cumulative.  There is a Service exam, a Blind Tasting exam, and a Theory exam.

The service portion is much as it would be a restaurant anywhere, dealing with proper practice.  Things like champagne service, decanting, and pairing recommendations are common.

The tasting portion consists of the analysis of a selection of wines representing classic typicity for their provenance.  Things like region, varietal, and vintage are topics to be determined.

The theory portion is the written part of the exam.  It will consist of a series of questions selected to determine knowledge in a variety of regions, styles, and a full understanding of beverages outside of wine.

Signing off, back to the books...

Cheers

JNM



Tuesday Tasting April 17, 2012

Blind Tasting

Hello all, Happy weekend and warm weather to all. It’s been so nice in San Francisco the past couple days and people have been out and about. Hopefully we are all enjoying something tasty in our glasses this weekend.

So let’s talk about blind tasting. Every week I meet with some fellow Certified Sommeliers and we study in preparation for our Advanced Exam. One of the three portions of the exam is a blind tasting panel. So every week we meet and blind taste wines together. The rules are simple, one white and one red that would be ‘fair-game.’ A fair-game wine is one that is classic and very well defined, with distinguishable characteristics to its’ typicity. Sancerre, Chablis, and German Riesling are but a few white examples; Bordeaux, Red Burgundy, and Barolo are a sample of reds.

April 17th we met, 5 of us total. The solid core of three: Don, Rafael, and me. Dominque joined and so did Callie. We had some fun wines and it’s interesting to see how we improve each week. In total we tasted 10 wines, a bit of a marathon for our palates, but we are dedicated and thus powered through.

Wine #1 My White 2010 Bordeaux Blanc 60/40 Semillon/Sauv Blanc

Good easy drinking white with some good signs of being Bordeaux Blanc. Unfortunately it was not showing much signs of oak influence and thus made the guesses go a bit leaner. My bad.

Wine #2 Rafael’s White 2010 Albarino, Rias Baixas-Spain

I got some good notes of what this wine was about, and called Albarino in my initial, but went with Northern Rhone Viognier as my guess instead. Not too far off…

Wine #3 Dominque’s White 2010 Albarino, Rias Baixas-Spain

Another Albarino, back to back. This is why blind tasting like this can be so fun. Did I call Albarino here, nope haha! I thought it was a Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy.

Wine #4 Callie’s White 2004 Riesling Spatlese Mosel, Germany

German Riesling is one of those grapes where you really know what it is when you smell it. After that it’s all about figuring out where it is from and how old and how sweet it is. Spatlese is the ripeness level, and is definitely off-dry. I guessed that it was a 2006 German Riesling Kabinett from Rheingau, to the South of Mosel. I need to calibrate my Riesling sweetness levels.

Wine #5 Don’s White 2000 Graves Blanc, Grand Cru Classe 75/25 Sauv Blanc/Semillon

I was guessing this wine, and was happy with my synopsis, although my guess could have been better. I thought it was either Chenin Blanc or Semillon/Sauv Blanc from Graves-Bordeaux, probably about 7-10 years old. I guessed 2005 Vouvray Sec. I’m happy with the guess, but could have done better with the age/vintage.

Wine #6 My Red 2009 Cote de Brouilly, Cru Beaujolais-France Gamay Noir

Cru Beaujolais is fun stuff and a wine I like to carry and recommend to people. Everybody did pretty well with this wine.

Wine #7 Rafael’s Red 2007 Chinon, Loire Valley-France Cabernet Franc

This is a wine I need to get more exposure to. I got all the green qualities, but went new world South America. I guessed Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. The struggle continues…

Wine #8 Dominque’s Red 2007 Rioja Crianza, Spain Tempranillo, Graciano

Rioja has been a wine that has plagued me for a long time. This guess of a 2005 Rioja Riserva may be a sign of enlightenment in the future. Keep dreaming.

Wine #9 Callie’s Red 2009 Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara-California

California makes a lot of Pinot Noir from a lot of different places. Then there is Oregon too with the Willamette Valley. I guessed 2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Not a bad try

Wine #10 Don’s Red 2006 Cornas, Northern Rhone Valley-France Syrah

So here is the red I was assigned to blind. It’s always good to end on a high note. Here I said 2007 Cote Rotie, another small appellation in the Northern Rhone Valley. The funny thing is in my notes I wrote Cornas first and scribbled it out.



No matter what at the end of the day the most important thing is to drink what you like.  I enjoy blind tasting, which is good given its importance in my profession.  Have a good week everyone, you will hear from me again soon.

Cheers!



My Apologizes, but I'm Back

Hello all,

first off my apologizes for my absence but I am back and ready to start writing again.

Tomorrow I will post a new overview of my blind tasting study session in the morning. 

A domani, Ciao.

Salute

Jeremiah Morehouse, Christmas 2010-Bordeaux