Corti Brothers Newsletter for February 2006   Page 1 

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To our customers:

Now that you have spent money on good, fancy gifts for friends, why not spend some money on yourself, for things not necessarily expensive, but very good? In this our first newsletter for 2006, there are many very fine products which are delicious, out of the ordinary, and well priced–or at least I think so. Some are brand new to Corti Brothers, starting out 2006 with a BANG.

Darrell Corti

This is a very pleasant, simple red wine from a good producer in Santa Barbara county. Made entirely from sangiovese, in equal parts of 1999,2000,2001,2002 vintages, it satisfies when what you want is a good, flavorful glass of red wine without having to think about its cost, origin or other such impediments to easy drinking.

It is produced and bottled by Bill Mosby, one of the early promoters of Italian varieties in the Central Coast, at his winery in Santa Barbara county. Well colored, aromatic with both fruitiness and vinosity, it is soft and appealing. Lucca accompanies full bodied meat dishes, braises, and anything that is hearty for winter.

Served cool during the summer, it is also delicious. But unless you hurry, there may not be any of this blend left.

Lucca, Vino Rosso di Santa Barbara, Mosby Red Wine, non vintage Out of stock. 750ml (#1300)

The Roero in Italy’s Piemonte is across the Tanaro river from Alba, literally what was the beach of the ancient sea that created the hills of Barolo. Here the soil is sandy with clay as opposed to the Barolo/Barbaresco area which is chalk, mixed with clay. The Roero is comprised of several communes and outlying villages of the old fiefdom of the Counts Caretta, whose coat of arms is a wagon wheel. Roero red wines are 95-98% nebbiolo, with a tiny amount of arneis white grapes permitted. The first document of vines in this area dates from 861.

The Filippo Gallino estate has produced a wonderful example of nebbiolo in the 2000 vintage. The word "superiore” means that the alcohol level must be 12% minimum rather than 11.5% for the normal wine. This is a hold over from the “old days” when it was difficult to get high alcohols in certain wines and the higher than normal level put the wine into an exceptional category. Certainly this is not the case today!

In a recent tasting in San Francisco of awarded Italian wines, I thought that the Gallino Roero Superiore Wine 2000 was the best nebbiolo in the room; a room crowded with Barolo and Barbaresco.

Nebbiolo should have a good color, not black, but dark ruby. Its varietal perfume should be distinctive: rose-like, fragrant like the pit of a white peach, austere, not prune-y or chocolate-y; with a savory , balanced flavor, still fruity and not excessively tannic. Tasting this kind of nebbiolo, you will see why, until the mid 1860s for Barolo and 1900 for Barbaresco, these wines were left slightly sweet.

Gallino Roero Superiore 2000 is a dry wine, with an elegance of flavor that is a benchmark for nebbiolo. Ready to drink, it will keep several years, but since it is so perfect now, why wait?

Roero Superiore Wine 2000, Filippo Gallino $16.49  750ml (#1301)

Jadot Beaune Boucherottes is fine Burgundy. It is not a cheese Burgundy, but a food Burgundy. Boucherottes, is a premier cru vineyard divided between about seven proprietors. Located just outside of the south western corner of Beaune city, it sits east of the Clos des Mouches and south of Chouacheux and Vignes Franches. The total vineyard surface is 8.65 hectares of land of which Jadot owns the major portion of 2.57 hectares. Part of the vineyard also goes into the Hospices de Beaune cuvée Maurice Drouhin.

At the Chevaliers de Tastevin dinners given at the Clos de Vougeot generally the main course wine is from Beaune which is described as “frais et gouleyant,” fresh and gulpable. In short, it is a wine that goes with food, to be enjoyed, not worshiped.

I first encountered the 2002 Jadot Beaune Boucherottes wine in Hong Kong in the Ritz Carlton dining room. It was delicious. Nicely colored and very pinot noir-ish, its harmony and softness made it a wonderful accompaniment to a dinner with friends.

There is much to like in 2002 burgundies and this one fits the bill. A few days later, after dinner in Kobe, Japan, I was asked to select a wine to drink with friends and on the Hotel Okura list was the Jadot Beaune Boucherottes 2000. Again quite delicious, it was different from the 2002, but now not available in the US. I am trying to get some, but if you find it anywhere, taste it.

Anthony Hanson, M.W., in his book Burgundy, defines a premier cru of Beaune: “[Its] Character is difficult to define. It does not have the lightness and perfume of Savigny, nor the structure and power of Pommard or Aloxe, nor the superfine balance of Volnay. A good one is harmonious, broad yet not rough, supple when young, improving for a decade.”

Beaune Boucherottes Wine 2002, Domaine Heritiers Jadot   750ml (#1302)

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