2011 Tasting Wines With Our Customers ... that's how the headline should finish above.
Actually it was owner and wine-maker Ludovica ( she and two others make the wines and extra virgin olive oils at their Tuscan estate ) was at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 anthony.quinn@clevelandparkwine.com , www.clevelandparkwine.com also on Facebook at : Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits and on Twitter at : cpwinespirits ) yesterday, Saturday afternoon from 3-7PM tasting her three red wines as well as her extra virgin olive oil with our customers. We had a grand time together and we sold all of Ludivica's extra virgin olive oil at $32.99 a bottle and so I will have to order more from Brennan Downey when I see him next. I am sure Brennan that Ludivica herself will tell you that we sold out.
It was a good tasting and everything sold from the SAVIGNOLA PAOLINA Chianti Classico ( $21.99 ) to the Riserva ( $37.99 ) and the Super Tuscan ( $37.99, 70% Sangiovese and 30% Merlot ). We still have a few bottles for our shelves but I feel that we will soon need more of all of these as people will return for more shortly.
They all showed well, especially the Chianti Classico that was the most forward and pleasing and easy to drink by itself. Both the Riserva and the Super Tuscan would be better suited served with some food. We spoke of this as our customers tried first these excellent three reds and then the olio extra virgin Tuscan olive oil that Ludivica herself spoke that there was so very little and that the olives were picked really early to minimize the acidity and bite in the olives thus making the taste as smooth and silky and pure as possible.
I went over to the Firehook Bakery to buy some bread to serve along with the olive oil. I got two baguettes cut up : one regular and one sourdough bread and the olive oil was drizzled sparingly onto each piece of bread and it was the first to sell through. Greg that works with us now was in rapture over it and declaring at the end of the tasting that we would have to fight over it ( hand-wrestle even he proposed ? ) to see who would get to take it home ? I think it will be him this coming week after we get another baguette and enjoy some of it in the store. It was so elegant and smooth and I could see using a whole lot of it given the chance. What a grand treat that would be.
The wines also showed equally well, especially the Chianti Classico ( blend of Sangiovese and Colorino grapes ) at $21.99 that makes for a fine treat and reasonable gift to oneself or to one's friends and Family. It's special and so reasonable in price with it's finesse and polish and so very approachable and ready to drink now.
The Riserva ( blend of Sangiovese and Colorino grapes ) was a bit heartier and a bit more robust and in need of food immediately. I liked it's bolder and thicker structure. But I thought, too that it could use more time in the bottle and that it definitely would be better served and fleshed-out with some cheese and food. I could enjoy that with many white meats and game as well.
The Super Tuscan red ( blend of Sangiovese 70% and 30% Merlot ) was also showing as if it could certainly age more and be better with some food served alongside of it. I think that it could easily age another 6-8 years and the Riserva could certainly age another 10-plus years as well.o need to rush these reds. They are made the traditional way and though they may certainly be enjoyed now they are definitely going to improve and develop with more bottle-age.
Ludovica had a post card picture of her vineyard in Tuscany all in greens, yellows , reds and some blues for the skies and some browns for the homes. The red in the picture was of the Colorino vines and the yellow was for the Sangiovese grapes. It was taken just after the harvest Ludovina told us. Beautiful and this one picture spoke a thousand words and really helped to set the stage for the tasting of these reds and extra virgin olive oil. Oh, I had to go buy another baguette at Firehook because the olive oil was such a success.
I managed to get some quick portrait sketches of Ludivica while the tasting was going on ( three in all - gave her two and kept one for myself ) : as well as a quick one of owner Maurizia Di Napoli of CASTELLO DEI RAMPOLA when she came to get Ludivica at 7 PM after the tasting ended. It was great to meet Maurizia, too. She reminded me of Andrea Fossi quite a bit. I will have to post a picture of each side-by-side here later so that you can see what I am talking about. It started for me the comparison when looking at Maurizia's really curled and pepper-and-salt abundance of hair that I liked very much with her two sparkling eyes and her thick-rimmed brown-frame glasses.
I will get to see both women again at the Michael Downey portfolio annual wine-tasting on Monday, May 16th, 2011 ( 11am-4PM ) at the Hendry House in South Arlington that I intend to attend.
I enjoyed this tasting very much and we sold quite a bit and tasted with quite a number of people with both Ludivica and me working hard to direct everyone her way to taste. What a treat. Ludivica's English is quite good and we had no trouble communicating and I think many of the customers enjoyed the experience quite a bit. We had a group of young ladies tasting and one of the three was quite interested and she bought a bottle to share with all their friends at a part this weekend. WE asked Ludivica to sign the bottle she bought and put the names of a number of these friends on the bottle. It was all fun and I asked Ludivica to give the young lady one of her cards which she did as well as to the other two young ladies that asked for a card as well! You just never know how things will develop but this was all very good because right then and there and quite out of the blue we all made a real connection at that moment in time and that's memorable and meaningful and invaluable.
Another customer coming into pick up the bottles that she had already reserved of owner Jeff White's GLEN MANOR Front Royal, Virginia Sauvignon Blanc , 2008 ( six half bottles at $14.99, and two full bottles of 2008 at $23.99 - Jen only wanted the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc to drink - also sold to me , by the way, by Brennan Downey. We did a wine-dinner and wine-tasting first at the store and then later dinner at Dino ristorante - both with Jeff White ) wrote yesterday on my Facebook entry after the tasting how much she enjoyed meeting Ludovica and tasting her wines. She was sad that we did not have the extra virgin olive to sell her - and yet we teased her with a taste of it! Oh well Jen, as I responded we will have it back shortly.
I have sold the CASTELLO DEI ROMPOLA Tuscan wines over the years and yet I had never met one of the owners. It was both a surprise and a tremendous treat to meet Maurizia yesterday. I got her as well as Ludovica to sign our poster as well as our guest book. I also got Ludovica to sign many of the bottles of wine on the tasting table. She also had signed many already for our customers.
Ludovica had come from Seattle and from Portland just recently visiting her importer there and now she was in our store. We talked about wine, beer and other alcohol, too. She told me that at the end of any day talking all day about wine that she needed a beer to wash away everything - like a cleansing moment. I can see that. We were able to get her three six packs of local beer to enjoy with Maurizia and the others after our wine-tasting. We selected a six-pack of MAGIC HAT with the red beet in it, a 6-pack of THE RAVEN and a 6-pack of Maine's Organic Beer, too. I will find out on Monday if they were a big success or not? Fun, so many variables and facets of life to enjoy and to intrigue us by?
As I said this was a fine experience yesterday in the store in our Washington D.C. Cleveland Park Northwest neighborhood. I look forward to doing it again. I will include later here some of the pictures that I took during the wine-tasting. I will probably add to this time-permitting. Cheers e a presto e caio Ludovica e Maurizia. And thanks Peggy ( Downey ) for bringing these two fine, lovely ladies to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. What a treat. Loved it! TONY
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