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Corti Brothers Newsletter for Fall 2005 Page 5 ...Continued from page 4 1 2 3 4 << Page 5 I have known Narsai and Veni David for almost forty years. Narsai has been a noted restaurateur in Berkeley, a fellow wine judge at the Los Angeles County Fair, the food personality for KCBS radio, the CBS affiliate in San Francisco, and since 1978, a vineyard owner in Napa Valley. Owning two vineyards, one planted to merlot in Oakville and another in Conn Valley, outside Saint Helena and selling his grapes for 25 years to some of the most noted names in Napa Valley, only with the 2000 vintage has Narsai ventured out to make his first wine, Narsai Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2000 production of 375 cases is a blend of 76% cabernet sauvignon, 13% merlot, 6% petit verdot and 5% cabernet franc. The wine’s striking label, the Assyrian characters for Shulamith, Narsai’s mother’s name, was printed by Narsai himself. A fine amateur printer, Narsai also printed the original Chalone Vineyard labels in 1961. Not all wines need to be or should be long keepers. They will probably surprise us when ten years old. Narsai 2000 is a keeper. Well colored, scented with the aromas of its components, and with enough sweet wood character for interest, its youthfulness will be tempered with time. Narsai 2001 is different. The all estate fruit blend is 75% cabernet sauvignon, 15% merlot and 10% cabernet franc. Livelier on the palate than the 2000, with slightly higher acidity and fruitiness, it shows the elegance and length of flavor produced by grapes from Narsai’s vineyards. Production was 400 cases. Again, time is required. Curiously, I think it drinks better now than the 2000, probably due to its fruitiness. One of the smaller productions of Napa Cabernet, important to collectors, both wines are very fine and merit your attention. Vintage variations are just one of those things that make wine so interesting.
This late spring, the major port shippers presented their declaration of 2003 vintage ports. At the San Francisco tasting which I attended, the 2003 wines were paired with an older vintage from the same house. In one instance, I fell in love with an older vintage since it was so perfect and exemplified what classic vintage port is. It is the Smith Woodhouse 1980, a Symington Family Estate wine usually not considered with the top tier of port names, but remarkable for its straightforwardness and reasonable price. 1980 is not a vintage that many shippers now regard as a superior one. Many of the more famous named 1980s are getting old. Here is a wonderful exception! You should take note of the SMITH WOODHOUSE 1980 because it is a delicious example of traditional style vintage port, having a deep dark color, great freshness and a wonderful rose-like perfume, with a firm backbone of elegant tannin, and the long, dry-ish finish of the house style. I cannot imagine a more perfect wine, now 25 years old, for this fall/winter drinking especially with savouries at the end of dinner. For little more than the 2003 vintage price, you can have a quarter century old wine. It seems like a bargain to me.
I have been receiving news, fast and furious, about the increase in olive oil prices from Europe. It appears that the situation in Spain is very dramatic, with a 40% decrease from a normal harvest. The situation is even more dramatic in some parts of Italy. Liguria is about 60% down from a normal crop and Puglia is down about 50%. Parts of Greece are a disaster due to drought. These pressures force higher prices all along the production system, including rectified and pomace oil which have gone up in price to over 2 euros the kilo. These are the basic levels of oil sales and an increase here again pushes up the price of every other quality and product level. Both rain at flowering and a summer drought have been the major causes of mediterranean olive scarcity. The 2005 oil harvest in Italy will begin about the 10th of October. It will probably end before mid December due to lack of fruit. I have no idea how this will all play out, but this is just to inform you, our customers, that oil prices will increase, so do not be shocked. The Italian National Federation of Oil Traders (Federolio) has foreseen a 40% price increase in all oil products from Italy. California seems to have a light, late crop, but as of this date very little oil has been produced. With the inevitability of price increases, you just might want to take advantage of some fine Italian oils which we have in stock to see you through the early part of the coming year. Quantities are limited to stock on hand.
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Corti Brothers
Sacramento CA
