of Italy. Careful attention is paid to the quality and food
matching capabilities of each bottle. We are constantly
searching for great, small producers that you might not have
tried before. Here is a small sample of some of the choices on
our list. Prices and selection change constantly.
Brunello di Montalcino
Brunello is one of the most luxurious wines we have at
a tavola. Its deep red and black cherry flavours are
velvety smooth and ripe. It offers the best Italy has to
offer in Tuscan Sangiovese. Here is some background:
" In a country like Italy, which has been producing
wines for about 3,500 years, a Brunello di Montalcino
can be considered a modern invention. It is not, in
fact, a wine made in homage to local traditions but
the result of the studies of a single winemaker,
Ferruccio Biondi-Santi. Around 1870, Ferruccio
Biondi-Santi began to set out in his vineyards a clone
of the Sangiovese variety known as Brunello. The
young viticulturist had noted that a subvariety of
Sangiovese, referred to as Grosso to distinguish it
from the breed that had originated in the Chianti area
and that produced smaller berries, was more resistant
to attacks by phylloxera, which was then ravaging
the vineyards of the district. In the end, Biondi-Santi
completely replanted his vineyards and was soon able
to produce an entirely satisfactory wine made from a
single variety.
Biondi-Santi did not stop there but went on to break
with the traditions of the place. At that time, Tuscans
generally preferred young red wines, which were
softened and rendered more immediately drinkable
through the use of the governo. Tastes even ran to
fizzy reds. However, the innovative winemaker
subjected the wine, as it still is, to a process of fining
involving a stay of at least four years in oak casks,
completed by a period in the bottle where in time it
developed outstanding qualities. Brunello began to be
talked about after 1880. The first great vintage,
officially, was the 1888 Brunello, of which five bottles
still exist. Their contents are perfectly preserved, a
proof of the wine's great powers of longevity. With
the passing of the years, it steadily acquires greater
fragrance, a more velvety flavor, increased harmony
and an odor that is delicate and at the same time quite
intense.
Those attributes were mentioned by Baron Luigi
Ricasoli, a politician and leading Tuscan producer -
he laid down the discipline for Chianti - in 1930, after
he tasted a Brunello of the 1888 vintage. "Well, I'll
never reach this point,'' he said in comparing his own
production with the quality and the longevity of the
exceptional Brunello. In 1988, Italian President
Francesco Cossiga attended the celebration of the
100th anniversary of this extraordinary wine's
creation. "
Italianmade.com
Nino Franco Prosecco Rustico $7.50/$26
2002 Pala Vermintino Crabilis $6.50/$24
2003 Hess Select Chardonnay $8.00/$26
2002 Castello di Nieve Arneis $9.00/$32
2003 Villa Nova Pinot Grigio $9.00/$32
2003 Terlano Classico $9.50/$34
2002 La Ghersa Sivoy $10/$36
Ca De Terra Calda Lambrusco $7.00/$24
2001 cavalchina Bardolino $7.00/$24
2002 San Fabiano Chianti $7.50/$26
2001 Boccadigabbia Rosso Piceno $9.00/$28
2001 La Ghersa Barbera Piage $8.00/$30
2001 Dievole Rinas Ci Mento $8.00/$30
2000 Apollonio Primitivo $9.00/$34
2002 Planeta La Segreta $10/$36
Fattoria Del Cerro Vino Di Noble Montepulciano 1999
Castello Di Brolio Chianti Classico 1999
Tenuta Dell Ornellaia La Volte 2002
Clerico Barbera 2001
Podere IL Palazzino La Pieve Chianti Classico 2001
Ellio Grasso Nebbiolo Di Alba 2002
Ceretto Barbaresco Faset 1995
Dievole Novecento Chianti Classico Riserva 1997
Grasso Fratelli Barbaresco 1999
Dievole Plenum 1999
Planeta Burdese Cabernet 2001
Vietti Barolo Brunate 1995
Vietti Barolo Rocche 1995
Sole Di Sesta Cottanera Syrah 2001
Elio Grasso Barolo Runcot 1997
Tommaso Bussola Amarone Classico 2000
Paolo Scavino Barolo Carobric 2000
Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin 1998
Ciacci Piccolomini D Aragona Brunello Di Montalcino 1998