This is a fun and really educational story that I have to share with you all now concerning Giuseppe Vaira's visit and wine-tasting in our store this past Friday September 12th, 2008. I really appreciate this past week's opportunity to report on my findings ( sounds so scientific and yet believe me it is not ! ) on drinking some over these last seven days from five of the six open bottles of " new " vintages that Giuseppe left after his tasting in our store. He was flying back to Italy the next day at 4 PM and did not need these open samples anymore and so kindly left them with us at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 202-363-4265 www.clevelandparkwine.com, sales@clevelandparkwine.com ). Thanks Giuseppe, without knowing it you have left me with a wealth of ' new " experiences and tastes and I greatly appreciate that.
The sixth bottle that Giuseppe left was a bottle of Nebbiolo and I gave that to Mike on Saturday night ( Sept. 13th, 2008 ) just before leaving to drive home and enjoy two days-off with my family and not having to sell another bottle of wine in that time. I just had wine to enjoy with family, friends and food and that suits me just fine!
On Friday night the six bottles of wine ( a " Coste & Fossati " 2007 Dolcetto D'Alba, a Barbera D'Alba 2006 " Superiore ", a " Kye " Langhe Freisa 2005 , a Barolo 2004 " Bricco Delle Viole " and a Barolo 2004 ) were sitting in a cardboard wine box just off to the side of our tasting table in the store. I took a picture of these bottles and one is included in an earlier blog on this event that you can look at, read and enjoy as it is also a big part of this story. I will take a picture here of these remaining bottles and include it shortly as either tonight or tomorrow I will finish off whatever is left and drinkable still in the bottles. I can't wait. I just pulled the corks on each and smelled and what greeted me immediately were real spicy, earthy, herb and mineral, pungent overtones of both warm and heady plant and soil and minerals with dark,dense, unopened fruits.
On Friday towards the end of a very successful tasting of four of Giuseppe's wines currently available ( a Rosso red blend, a Dolcetto, A Nebbiolo and a Barolo 2003 ) I began to taste these samples of " new " vintages in my Reidel burgundy-glass. I shared them with our good customer Michael that happened by then and together we really had a nice time comparing individual comments and tastes of these six wines. The impressions I had this evening for the wines almost completely reversed themselves over the course of the week and that is what I found especially fascinating.
On Friday I determined the ones that showed the best ( put their best grape-cluster forward so to speak ) and was the most agreeable to drink then and there. I remember really liking the Dolcetto that evening, it was full and ripe and bright that I could easily have drunk a couple of glasses then and there. I also liked the Barbera and I loved the silky elegance and finesse of the 2003 Barolo ( $52.99 ) more than the slightly tighter, less-open 2004. I was not taking notes and was also working on Friday and so I have to depend on what I recollect now. That is always a problem except it is not crucial to my point and discovery. Those were that not only have the five bottles held up and not become oxidized and undrinkable ( to the contrary, they all rewarded me with different really enjoyable tastes and styles ) ; they have also changed, evolved and worn different flavor components and styles that I could never have guessed without experiencing first-hand.
On Sunday night I uncorked the bottle of 2006 Quincy Loire valley white 1005 Sauvignon Blanc ( from Philippe Portier, proprietaire-recoltant - owner, harvester 18120 Brinay tel: 02 48 51 04 47 , a Robert Kacher selection ) that Ronnie Miller had left with me to taste on Friday night when his winemaker Ithier Bouchard ( of DOMAINE TARIQUET, Cotes du Gascogne www.tariquet.com ) tasted alongside Giuseppe. That Friday night I could not believe how unctuous and ripe and bright-fruit-forward-smack-in-your-face this Quincy was! I was pleased that by Sunday eveining it had calmed down enough and was not so extroverted as before. I liked it better on Sunday evening as I poured both my wife and I a glass. My wife continued with the Quincy and I started in with first the Freisa, then the Dolcetto, then the Barbera and on to the " normale " Barolo 2004 and then into the 2004 " Bricco Delle Viole " Barolo. They were all still amazing.
It was on this Sunday that I thought that the wines had flip-flopped for me in the order in which they awere most drinkable and appealing then. I liked better the Freisa ( toned-down some, less edgy ) and I loved the opulence of the Barbera whereas the Dolcetto seemed a bit leaner and edgy. The 2004 Barolo " normale " was divine and the 2004 Barolo " Bricco delle Viole " was denser, darker and a bit softer, rounder than on Friday. Noe of them were tired, they continued to amaze and fascinate me!
On Monday I continued to enjoy the evolutions of these wines that were in some cases becoming lusher, brighter and more fruity were others were becoming more firm and taut and herbal/spicy. They just continued to evolve and I was really enjoying their various journeys of development ; five at a time for me each tasting - whoa, that's a lot.
I tried to drink and enjoy as much as I possibly could because I realized what a wonderful experience and chance this was for me. I was racing against time and I did not want to lose and not be able to fully enjoy these five wines before they turned. I was bemoaning this on Monday night when I hit my limit and realized that there was still quite a bit left in the bottles. What do do? I reluctantly stopped and said " oh well, it's been a good ride ". I feared that that was that and the end of the story.
On both Tuesday night and Wednesday night I was just plain too tired to try any of these five open bottles. I just did not have it in me. On Thursday morning I realized that I would be getting off early that night and that perhaps there was still something alive and waiting for me in one or more of these five bottles?!? I was hoping that there was. OH BOY, was there ever! These five wines were all still amazingly alive, kicking, shouting, singing, crooning sweet lullabies and melodies to please, excite, thrill and awe me. They did not disappoint. Again the wines were flip-flopping and I was finding ones that I liked more Thursday evening than I had liked on previous nights. I don't remember all the details. I did not take any notes.
And so now on Sunday night or at the latest tomorrow ( Sept. 22nd, 2008 ) I will bring closure to this whole wonderful oddysey of these five excellent red Piemonte wines from G.D. VAYRA, Barolo, Piemonte, Italy. There appears to be a poem on the back of the FREISA wine :
E il sole o e la luna?
Sulle nostre colline la luna, a volte,
ha questi colori: e meravigliosa,
quasi ci confonde e cri rimanda al sole!
Padre Costantino Ruggeri
l'autore dell'etichetta, punta diritto verso il sole.
Il sole e segno di clui che E:
e bellezza, e calore, e vita.
Vayra Kye: la luna o il sole?
Per noi la seduzione del Freisa,
vecchio vitigno piemontese,
vino dalle qualita in confondibili,
quasi dimenticato perche poco consciuto
nel suo vestiti migliore.
Kye: e il nostro lavoro, e condisione, e gioia.
milena e aldo vaira
Poem or beautiful text/description? I do not know, but I love the sound and I loved typing it just now. Stay-tuned for the finish of this grand story very soon. Milena and Aldo Vaira are the parents of Giuseppe who also has a brother and a sister. Cheers to them all and their fabulous wines. Also, this is the vineyard that I was brought to back in 2005 by importer David Bryant who was sadly taken from us when he passed away quietly one Friday afternoon ( July 4th, 2008 ) in a hospital close-by. Giuseppe tells Chris Pigott and me ( at Lia's restaurant he mentioned this after our Friday in-store tasting ) that some of David's ashes will finally find their way to Vaira's Barolo vineyard where they will be scattered January, 2009. Cheers to David, too and all his fine efforts.
Speaking of David Bryant I must also now mention Michael Downey, founder of the Michael Downey Selections imports with his wife Peggy Downey and now children Brennan and Shannon Downey. I am closing this blog now to get ready to go celebrate the 10th -year anniversary of Michael Downey selections. It will be quite the moment I am sure and I am looking forward to it. I will hopefully take pictures there and have them to include in a blog later about this event.
Sadly, too that Michael Downey was taken from us a few years ago as well. Peggy, Brennan and Shanon continue on in his as well as their own footsteps providing great service and wines and making Michael proud as sure as all the rest of us are. Cheers to the Downey's as well. David and Michael were good friends. What do you both say to all of this? Are you drinking some excellent VAJRA or POPPIANO or other great Italian wines while you look down on us and all this good cheer and libation, laughter, smiles and good will to one another?!?! I really hope so guys! We hope we all make you proud, too.
Here are the pictures I took of the VAJRA wine bottles that I have enjoyed over this past week at my home. Like many of the pictures I take they are on the artsy side of things with colors, textures, wine glass and bottle reflections all being important. I like experimenting and these photos are attempts to see what will materialize after snapping the pictures, what can I draw-out, what new associations are revealed to those that look carefully!?!
Also, equally important for me is to show the actual wine, it's color and clarity and gradations of colors depending on the lighting along with the people, the bottles, etcetera : in all their unvarnished yet supreme glory wrapped in both the strengths and the weaknesses which speak to the truth, the humanity, the realness and wonderfulness of it all. I have just added these pictures and last couple of paragraphs Monday afternoon at home, 2:40 PM on October 27th, 2008.
Hope you enjoy them. Caio ,TONY
