February 6,2014
Add snow and sleet to the mix of the cold in February and my wine pairing is an Amarone.
Just tasted the 2008 Amarone della Valipolicella Classico from Tenuta Lena di Mezzo of Monte del Fra. Use the cold weather as excuse to drink this tonight.
January 29,2014
The 2009 vintage for Brunello di Montalcino made its way from the Montalcino wineries into New York City on January 27,2014.
Weather alone can not be solely responsible for making a good vintage. Weather wise, 2009 did not have the best weather and it is reflected in some of the wines. Location, altitude, soil and winemaking skills were all important in this vintage.
Vineyards from central Montalcino seemed to make the best wines. These wines have some more complexity than those from the southern area.
The southern regions wines were ripe, fresh and were not as complex as expected. They had great acidity and are enjoyable to drink now and the near future. The structure for long term seems to be missing.
The central Montalcino area wines were ripe, slightly earthy and round on the palate with soft tannins. Those with more structure and stronger tannins were sure to have the high acidity on the finish.
All these wines are drinking nicely right now with a shorter future (7-10 years) ahead of them than other vintages. These should be on all restaurant wine lists being so food friendly and drinking nicely right out of the winery.
Click Here For the 2009 Brunello di Montalcino wine reviews
From these My Favorite Wine IS
January 29,2014
The 2009 Brunello di Montalcino wines can be officially released in accordance with the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino regulations on January 1,2014. So this is a good time to reflect back on the weather of 2009 to give us a glimpse of what we may expect in the final bottled wines being currently released.
The Spring season had more rain than usual and the rain lasted through the middle of July. The balance of the summer was dry and hot. Keep in mind that warm temperatures are much better for the vines than hot temperatures.
In the southern portion of Montalcino, where clay soil is predominant, the heat gave the excess water in the ground some positive purpose. In these areas with the water retentive clay soil, the vines were les stressed.
The heat created an accelerated ripening process and grapes with higher sugar levels resulting in a higher alcohol level vintage of 14.5%.
The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino rates each vintage using a scale of five stars. With this weather, the Consorzio have declared that the 2009 vintage is a Four star vintage.
The proof of this will show in our glasses.
January 8,2014
Amarone is a great pairing for the freezing cold weather or a good excuse to open that warm thought provoking bottle. The colder you feel the younger the vintage should be.
In the younger vintages, the higher alcohol content can be more easliy felt with the delicious dark dried sweet cherries.
The cold does not bother me that much. So I am keeping warm with a 1988 Zenato Amarone Classico.
It is drinking with all the powerful fruit mellowed out to be pleasant and elegant. The warming pleasure that it presents hides any of the 14.5% ABV.
