Hey friends, happy Friday! Enjoy this edition of the Wine Bullets, and hit reply to let me know what you’ve been drinking recently.
Some great Tuscan wines
I have a big soft spot for Sangiovese. These are the wines that got me into wine, and also I just love Tuscany, having visited five times and counting, including our honeymoon in Montalcino. I’ve drank a couple bangin’ Rosso di Montalcino wines recently and wanted to share.
Quick refresher - Rosso di Montalcino is essentially “baby Brunello”. By law, a Brunello has to age 5 years before release, but the Rosso is the winery’s chance to release an “entry level” wine sooner, as early as 10 months after harvest. Some of these wines are simple… not much more than table wine. Really just something to be enjoyed with food but not pondered or revered. But some are serious wines. Certain winemakers produce a Rosso that’s on par with other Brunello’s. Here’s two that blew me away recently:
Pian dell’Orino — this wine floored me. I’ve had their Brunello (which is phenomenal) but this was my first time trying the Rosso. This is a serious wine and I don’t think calling it their “entry level” does it justice.
La Torre — introduced to me by my favorite Charlotte restaurant l’Ostrica. Paired so well with their Italian Sunday Supper and a big plate of roasted meats.
A Hall of Fame food pairing
Ruinart Champagne + Chickfila — We hosted a Champagne + Salt happy hour last week, and I recreated the classic Champagne and fried chicken pairing with a bottle of Ruinart and a Chickfila nugget tray. I’m scared to know how many nuggets I consumed. No regrets though. Ruinart Blanc de Blancs was delicious as always.
An all-time second wine
The concept of “second wines” was invented in Bordeaux — secondary labels from prestigious wineries, often using younger vines that don’t quite meet the criteria for their flagship bottling. But some are still pretty damn tasty. Guidalberto is the second wine of the famous Sassicaia from Tuscany. I drank a 2011 this week, and I wasn’t sure how it would age but it was awesome. A nice reminder why Guidalberto is one of the most highly regarded second wines.
Cork Beats (wine+music pairings)
There is a ton of great music being released right now, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Tame Impala’s new album Deadbeat. The pulsing rhythm of the opening track, My Old Ways, sets the tone early. I’m pairing this with an orange wine from Radikon, a wine very much made in the “old way”, but at the same time very hip and en vogue. I’ve always loved the labels because they give me 90’s bowling alley vibes.
Check out the full Cork Beats archive here, or listen to the Spotify playlist here.
German wine auctions
If you’re a freak like me, tune into the YouTube livestream of the German VDP wine auctions. Every year, some of the top wineries in Germany auction off rare, small-lot wines directly to the public, some of which will never be available on the open market. The Mosel auction was today and the Nahe auction is tomorrow. People often wrongly assume auction wine = expensive wine. I won a few bottles around 30-40 euros.