This was a really great visit for me and I felt a tremendous bond with Armando after having spent about an hour with him tasting his current vintages, taking my many digital photos, drawing quick portrait sketches of him and more. I loved the wines : I loved the man. This was very special for me as Amando makes wines that really speak to me : cry soft and soothing lullabies, stit the soul with heat and earth and sweaty dust and have that grit and grip and tug that starts right away with an intoxicating bouquet od heat and dried fruits, sun-saturated pips and grape skins, shriveled bunches of grapes that are reduced to their essence of the vine and the roots and land and everything above that beats down mercilessly for months upon them. I love this reflection/connection of land and sky and sun and impoverished soils that drain well but are so hard on the roots that start off tender but have to harden more than the soil and rocks, minerals and dust and mud/clay itself. Ahhh, the toil and the life of a bunch of grapes hanging for their dear life on a vine that is attacked incessantly and harshly from above and from below.
Look at this smile in the picture above on Armando's face : it tells a great story. It's his moment to finally relax and reap his rewards that are very hard to earn and take lots of time and perseverance and patience. He can tell that I am enjoying his wines and getting into the spirit of what he is doing and accomplishing with his unwavering dedication. His whole family must live this life as intensely as he does. I look forward to meeting your family some day Armando and asking them about the life of a wine owner and wine-maker in the Valpolicella region of Veneto. Italy? And I expect that you make some extra virgin olive oil as well?
As we sampled I asked you many questions about the wine and food combinations and you had immediate responses that you wrote in your own handwriting on the back of the list of wines that Arielle had typed up and offered to me so that I could easily take notes on them. Thank you Arielle, that is a very smart thing to do for each account as many of them see lots of people each and every day. I know that I do and it is great to have a reminder of wines names with vintages and prices all gathered together on one sheet of paper.
Armando and I tasted from TENUTA SANT' ANTONIO : one white ( a 2008 Soave, $13.49 ) and three reds ( a 2007 Valpolicella DOC " Nanfre ", $14.99 ; a 2006 Valpolicella Superiore " Ripasso " DOC " Monti Garbi ", $25 : and a 2006 Amarone della Valpolicella DOC " Selezione Antonio Castagnedi ",$48. I enjoyed each and every one of these four wines.
The 2008 TENUTA SANT'ANTONIO Soave DOC " Fontana ", $13.49 I wrote : " Smooth, good, soft, no bite. Very elegant, a touch of dusty dryness nut not tart, good accents of citrus ". I'd enjoy this with a meal and I may buy some when we need some Soave in our store. WE already have three good Soave whites so we don't need another right now.
I asked Armando about what foods he would recommend with this soave and he said : fish : branzino, grilled fish, halibut. Also grilled tuna for me in interessante! "
Turning now to the three reds I started by tasting the 2007 TENUTA SANT' ANTONIO Valpolicella DOC " Nanfre " which is a dry red blend of 70% Corvino and 30% Rondinella. It's made in 100% stainless-steel from the young vines. I wrote in my notes : " Very bright/ bright/ crisp / fresh / toasty-roasted cherry-some dusty dry, touch of " grip "/grit - fermented low temperature to have " more fruity " - have extraction - stay in stainless-steel.
I asked Armando what he would serve with this " Nanfre " and he wrote : " come si dice - pasta, pane e salamie. Carni bianchi! " I like that, no waffling here at all.
With the TENUTA SANT' ANTONIO 2006 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC " Monti Garbi " I wrote : " Love the " mouth-feel " - Wow!! Great - my " fave " so far! Great, elegant : Corvino 70% / Rondinelle 20% / Croatina 5% and 5% Oseleta. So smooth - so nice to let it simply sit on your palate / tongue and work it's magic... "
With the 2006 Amarone della Valpolicella DOC " Selezione Antonio Castagnedi " ( named after his father Armando had a whole lot to say. I simply wrote as I listened and quickly copied his thoughts and words : " lovely, great , lovely and balanced ". Then I had no time for any more of my thoughts as Armando spoke with passion and conviction and very quickly. He spoke of this Amarone as the " most important wine at our farm. It represents a " new style " for food/ grilled bifstek/ Fiorentina. Great for me. The sugar of this wine is not too high with balance and fruit-fresh ".
In Italian on the back side of this paper I had Armando write about this new Amarone style : " Per il suo equilibrio vengono apprassise per un periodo pius conto quin di cambia l'espressione verso un frutto piu fresco e piu bevibile. "
About the Ripasso I had Armando write in Italian what he was telling me in English : " E il vino per it tavolo in generale perche e molto bilanciato fra zucchero acidita e alcol. Per tutti i piatti! "
Armando told me that the Ripasso 2006 spent time in new French oak for one year plus in others, older, too - 500 liter barrels. He talked about the importance of the barrels being clean.
As I said I really enjoyed this interaction that we were having together. This meant a whole lot to me as I snapped away quickly at all of these pictures and many more that I do not have time to include here. I will save them for a rainy day in the future.
For more technical information you may go to : Armando Castagnedi +39 348 859 0643 Azienda Agricola Tenuta Sant' Antonio di Castagnedi Massimo, Armando, Paolo e Tiziano , Via Ceriani 23 Localita San Zeno Tel : +39 045 760 0383 Fax : +39 045 617 1098 www.tenutasantantonio.it and : info@tenutasantantonio.it.
I think that I will post what I have written and downloaded so far as to not get things bogged down and forgotten as I see lots of people daily and I take all my tastings/ meetings very seriously. And as I said I felt a real bond with Armando and want to get things rolling from my side.
Both the TENUTA SANT'ANTONIO 2007 Valpolicella DOC " Nanfre " and the 2006 Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOC " Monti Garbi " Veneto reds are on our shelves at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. If you read this and are local stop by and pick up a bottle of each. You will be very happy that you did, indeed.
Cheers to one and to all and to Armando : grazie e a presto! TONY
Look at the incredible red hues, oranges and rich browns - lovely brick reds as well as deeper garnets, too. Let's have a glass right now to celebrate life and being alive to enjoy it!
In the picture above Armando you are studying my every move very carefully. In the picture below you are relaxed and enjoying my photographic and artistic " antics ". Thanks for giving me some room to move here.
As in the picture below I love to include the wine with the owner and wine-maker when possible to show the tangible connection/relationship between the two.
In the picture below Armando is speaking equally with his hands as he is with his gestures and words. I like that a lot. He's focused here as he is telling Arielle and me something very important I am sure. What was it Arielle? Do you remember what Armando was saying at this moment? Help me out here. There was so much to absorb and so little time.
I always like the wine owners and wine-makers to sign something and in this case it was the sheet of wines that Arielle provided me with early as we first met, Thanks Arielle.
Below are the three quick portrait sketches that I did of Armando at the end and which I handed him as my gift to him and for sharing such a memorable and meaningful moment with me and Arielle. I loved it.
Below Armando is holding up one of these three quick pen portrait sketches that I did of him just before it was time for him to leave and go to his next appointment with Arielle. I keep them with me a long time and I appreciate no one being in such a hurry when they come to Cleveland Park. There is so much to share and so little time to do it. Oh well, I'll take gladly what I can get.
Grazie Armando and I look forward to selling your wines at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. Here's a glass raised to us and to the beginning of a beautiful relationship!
No comments:
Post a Comment