Vanessa

9.2

One of our favorite wine discoveries from a recent trip to Piemonte, Italy was the Alta Langa DOCG.

Alta Langa is a quality spumante (fully sparkling) wine made in the “traditional method” (metodo classico), modeled on the champagne method. It was the first region in Italy to make traditional method wine, starting in the mid-1800s, and became recognized as a DOC in 2002 and a DOCG in 2011.

Alta Langa wines are subject to rigorous legal parameters; for example, they must always:
--be vintage
--be brut or non-dosage (so dry!)
--undergo a minimum of 30 months aging and longer for “Riserva” wines
--be made in a white or rosé stye
--use only Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir (Pinot Nero) grapes from a delimited production zone

Here is a bottle we brought home from our visit to Coppo: it’s the 2009 Piero Coppo, Riserva del Fondatore, made with 60 % Pinot Nero & 40% Chardonnay.

It matured 9 months on the fine lees in French oak barrels before the second fermentation; and spent another 99 months sur lie in the bottle before disgorgement, lending layers of autolytic and savory characteristics & a creamy texture with a fine, well-integrated mousse.

It’s an excellent wine capable of aging for decades. — 5 days ago

with Deked1

Adam Kincaid

9.2

Strong standard Barolo characteristics are flush throughout in this bricking red juice. You immediately know what it is when you smell it. Typical cherry, tar, and bruised strawberries. All beautiful, of course. There are some major English breakfast like tannins all throughout as well.

I bought another just to try it again in 10 years. — 2 years ago

with Jillian

Martinez

9.0

100% Pinot Noir by natural wine pioneer Friedrich Schatz. From about 3 hectares of biodynamically farmed vineyards in Ronda. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. Ruby color. Lively nose with black fruit (bramble, blackberries) and herbal notes. Balanced, good acidity — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

It took me 10 minutes to remove the cork but I was able to extract it largely intact…and it was gnarly. Completely saturated. In fact, it oozed the moment I pierced the cork with the worm. A producer I have no previous experience so no context. The color is garnet/orange with all the sediment and opaque as a result. So much earth, mushrooms, teriyaki, toasted coconut, wood, nuts and leather but there is fruit there too! Desiccated red and dark fruits; deep and dark. There’s tannin, still but it all integrated. The acid is a gorgeous girdle. The finish is long, mature and complex. Drink now? But considering it’s lived this long, it will probably continue to last. For how long? Who knows. A lovely surprise.
— 5 months ago

Gabriella Boros

9.3

Beautiful mineral wine with nice finish. No sharp tannins. Accompanied our meal at Dirt Candy in nyc. Don’t know vintage!!! — 2 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.1

2022 spring. Another nice Friulano that isn’t wildly complex but plenty inviting in its emerging maturity — 2 years ago

Jean-Francois Pelletier

9.2

1982 Piero Talenti Brunello di Montalcino. Vibrant garnet color, with barely any bricking. Complex nose of dried red fruit, leather and spice. Soft on the palate, with a great presence through the finish. This bottle is in perfect condition and showed beautifully. — 4 years ago

with Frankie

Vanessa

9.3

We absolutely love exploring the world’s many expressions of Pinot Noir!  It’s a lifelong endeavor and we’re here for it. 😆

Tonight, we’re taking a sensory trip to South America and, more specifically, Río Negro, Patagonia 🇦🇷 – the most southerly wine-producing region of Argentina – where Antarctic currents, winds descending from the Andes, & high latitudes offer cooling influences, ideal for producing elegant Pinot Noir styles.

Bodega Chacra was established in 2003 by Tuscan Piero Incisa della Rocchetta (grandson of Sassicaia’s founding father) in search of purity and nuance in fruit expression from the terroir of Patagonia. 🍇
 
Piero now partners with esteemed Burgundian winemaker (and friend) Jean-Marc Roulot in the production process, each contributing their respective oenological “genes” to the final wine, which is first and foremost a child of the earth in Mainqué, Río Negro. 🌱
 
Paying utmost respect to the land, Bodega Chacra cares for its vineyards organically and biodynamically aided, in part, by the arid, windy conditions that naturally mitigate fungal pressure in the vineyard. Their fruit is harvested by hand, allowing for selectivity and the use of whole bunches during fermentation. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This wine is called ‘Cincuenta Y Cinco’ (fifty five) because its fruit comes from vines first planted in 1955, carefully preserved by the team at Bodega Chacra, whose oldest vines actually date back to 1932!

This wine was fermented in cement vats using native yeast, adapted to the environment and matured 11 months (50% in concrete, 50% in French oak of various ages) before release. ⚖️

In a word this wine is ethereal.
 
We served it with a slight chill. Its pristine, berry and cherry fruit profile, complements the delicate cherry blossom, peony 🌺 and baking spice notes. It’s light on its feet w/ medium alcohol (12% ABV) and bright acidity.  It’s lovely & perfumed.

Cheers to Bodega Chacra and all of the beautiful Pinots of Patagonia! — a year ago

with Deked1

Tree Kilpatrick

9.3

Has all the silly stuff on the label. Flag like, face of ancient lord, weird crown on an egg symbol, and raised print on the name. Only subtle thing is that it’s grey. Lovely red, red rose color in the glass. Smells great. Flowers, rose hips, rocks in rain, wood. Flavors are also excellent. Savory edge with nice smoke. Plenty of tart berries. More rose hip and citrus. Some black tea. Almost an earl grey tone. This is a steal of a Rioja from Gross Out. Under $10 I think and it’s dense, complex and full of flavors that Rioja does so well often. — 4 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.2

Busso’s 2016 Barbaresco San Stunet is a very pretty wine. Sweet dried cherry, spice, mint, star anise, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco open first as this aromatic, translucent Barbaresco opens in the glass. Light on its feet and ethereal, the 2016 is inviting, but also a bit more ethereal than Busso fans are used to. Despite the mid-weight style, the alcohol (15%) is at the limit of being intrusive. I would prefer to drink it over the next decade or so. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2020) — 4 years ago