The Friday Fermentable: Tuscan Wines, by Erleichda

Another Wine Escapade : The Tuscan Dinner
by Erleichda, special guest correspondent to The Friday Fermentable

(Note to readers: As mentioned in previous editions, guest-blogger Erleichda is a slightly more senior colleague with a much more experienced and seasoned palate. I find Italian wines to be especially vexing, mostly due to their number and use of grape varieties seen rarely outside of Italy, but enjoy them tremendously when educated about them. Erleichda lives in one of those states with odd alcoholic regulatory laws, but I'd welcome the chance to do BYOB with him and his Sweetpea anytime - a great opportunity to drink some great wines at 1/2 the price of a restaurant, even if some of these are a little outside my normal Friday Fermentable price range. - Abel Pharmboy)

Many visitors to the area think it's curious that so many restaurants in our neck of the woods are BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage). They are so prevalent, that corkage fees are almost non-existent in these establishments. (It has to do with the local government allowing but so many liquor licenses per 100,000 capita, or so I think someone once told me). For those of us who might find themselves spending 33% of a typical (non-BYOB) restaurant bill on wine, the opportunity to bring one's favorite wine(s) to a restaurant represents a substantial savings.

Now it so happens that there is a group of us who enjoy the grape with our meals, as well as sharing the discovery of new wines amongst friends. The BYOB restaurants afford us this opportunity, and no one couple needs do all the cooking and clean-up. At the most recent such outing, the theme (we take turns choosing the restaurant, making reservations, and the wine theme) was the wines of Tuscany, which seemed appropriate for the Italian restaurant selected. It is with some care we ponder which wines to bring, and all of us eagerly await the issuance of "the list" (the round robin organizer also prepares "the list" and makes sure there are no duplications).

There are usually about 10 of us, for any more we find limits the degree of interaction among participants, and becomes just too boisterous for a typical restaurant (unless a private room can be arranged). Our 10 wines that evening included two Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, three Brunello di Montalcino, and six super Tuscans. No one brought a Chianti. Yes, we could have been even more restrictive, and just had a Brunello or super Tuscan tasting, for instance, but on this occasion we did not.

Each bottle was opened upon arrival at the restaurant and passed around the table in an order dictated by "the list", whose arrangement of wines was based upon commonality of grape, and in order of vintage within a grouping with the youngest wine first. We each had been provided with two wine glasses so that side by side comparisons could be made.

I had brought a 2001 Tenimenti Angelina "TreRose" Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and this was the first offering of the evening. Following along was a 1999 Caprineto Reserva Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Of the two, the "TreRose" was preferred greatly; its price was $17. (Where I know the price paid I will provide it, which is the case for about half the wines at the table). My tasting notes (amazing I'm able to remember to take any, amidst food, wine and the conversation of friends, but this was our first two wines tasted so I retained a semblance of organization) indicate the "TreRose" to have a "nice nose, and was extremely well balanced", with a "very nice" added. Good! Because I had purchased six of them taste "unseen". The other Vino Nobile di Montepulciano had notes of "nose ok, soft tannins and thinner than the first" entry. Both of these went well with my warm goat cheese and arugula salad.

Three Brunellos (a grape variety unto itself, believed to be a clone of the Sangiovese grape) came next, the first a wonderful 2000 Tenuta La Fuga, $25 (on sale), with tasting notes (still legible) saying "wonderfully soft ; mouth filling ; buy more". I compared this side by side with a 1999 Silvio Nardi Brunello, but the aromas were closed compared to the first, and my notes among the tomato sauce droplets said "soft and well balanced although a little thin". The last Brunello, a 1998 Poggio Antico was characterized by a "pleasant nose; first taste quite nice but finishes with a spicy off-taste". Then later, "improves greatly after 5 min in glass". A general point worth mentioning here: by all means, go back and re-taste after 5-10 min, after eating some food, and again, if you're able , after an hour. For so many, not just a few, wines you taste, especially red wines, your impression of them will modify during the tasting period, and often relative to how much and what you've drunk, and the foods you're having at the time.

Super Tuscans, those blends of all that Tuscany grows, often with Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes predominating, but also some Merlot often thrown in the mix, were represented by six different bottlings. The initial super Tuscan tasted was a 2001 Terrabianca Campaccio Toscana Rada di Chianti. I've bought this for $25, but I don't know what was paid for the bottle brought to our tasting dinner. "Tannic" said the tasting notes, "softens after 5 min in glass, but still a little sharp". What can I say?

There was not a bad wine in the lot, but some were "more equal than others". The 7th wine of the evening was 2001 Ruffino Modus, with 25% Merlot. As one might expect with that much Merlot, the notes read "nose ok; very soft and well balanced". Wish I would have written more, but I was probably well into my spicy sausage and pepper pasta. For the 2001 Il Pareto Tenuta di Nozzole which followed, I had written "very earthy nose, structured [tannic] but just not wonderful". And for the next super Tuscan, a 2000 Banfi Castello "cum laude" which was my second offering purchased for $35, I had simply written "same as No.8". You'd think for $35 I'd have given it a bit more thorough an examination. Finally, and yes, taste buds were beginning to kick their feet up and call it a night, the 1996 Luce Frescobaldi/ Mondavi, a blend of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Merlot, at a cost of $75 (but I've seen it listed for less). Tasting notes read : "nice nose; VERY soft and ready to drink now".

As desert was being served we went around the table to compare notes, and everyone got to vote on their three favorite wines of the evening. No official tally was kept, but I believe the following to be a reasonable reflection of the weighted average voting results: No. 1 overall favorite of the evening was the 2000 Tenuta La Fuga Brunello. I concur, and purchased four more bottles the next morning. No. 2 favorite: the expensive Luce Frescobaldi/ Mondavi super Tuscan. And, the No. 3 wine, the 2001 Tenimenti Angelini Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Have a favorite Tuscan wine of your own? Let's hear about it. Personally, I find the Vino Nobile de Montepulcianos to be, as a group, the best value wines of Tuscany. I remember dining in a wonderful Trastevere neighborhood trattoria in Rome after a week plus of hiking in Umbria (and drinking the best Sagrantino de Montefalcos we could while there) we ordered a Vino Nobile de Montepulciano as our wine selection, and Sweetpea exclaiming "now this is wine". But if someone else is buying, or its on sale, or I otherwise rationalize its purchase, I'll take a Brunello. Ciao.