Cal-Italians for Pizza and Pasta

It really feels like autumn here in Southern California. And before you laugh, yes, we DO have seasons (they're screwy, but we have 'em). There's a whole lot of stew, soup, and pasta being cooked up in my house these days, whereas a month ago if it couldn't be cooked on the grill it wasn't on our table.

Today I have two picks for your pizza and pasta nights--and if your calendar looks like mine does between Halloween and New Year's Eve that means most nights of the week. Both of them come from California, but are made with traditional Italian grapes: Sangiovese and Dolcetto. When you are having tomato-based dishes and want to serve a red wine, it's important to pick one with good acidity and not too much tannins (that pucker on the sides of your tongue). So if you can't find one of these selections, ask your local retailer for their suggestions.

First up is the 2008 Ortman Family Vineyards O2 Series Sangiovese. (suggested retail, $17; available for $17-$22)This is a rich, layered wine that will pair beautifully with robust, meaty pasta dishes and spicy pizzas. The wine had aromas of cherry cola and chocolate. Expect to taste cherry, blackberry, dark chocolate, and spice as you sip the wine. The nicely layered quality of the flavors extends into a juicy finish, with plenty of acidity to keep the wine from getting heavy. Very good QPR.

The other wine to try is the 2007 Naughty Boy Dolcetto ($15.99 in my local independent grocery store; available for $15-$17). The grapes for this wine were grown in the cool Mendocino County AVA, and they made a very enjoyable wine with kirsch, blackberry, and licorice aromas. When sipped, the wine was smooth on the tongue with cherry, blackberry and pepper notes. There was a slightly smoky aftertaste, which made the wine ideal with an easy, hearty eggplant bolognese. Try it with sausage or mushroom pizza, too. Very good QPR.

Full Disclosure: I received a sample of the Ortman Sangiovese for review.

A Ligurian Red That Dresses Up--or Down

I'm finishing up with my whirlwind tour of Ligurian wine as part of my ongoing trawl through Italy's wine regions and grape varieties.

Even though I spent more than $20 on this wine ($25.99, to be precise), I'm still pretty pleased with the very good QPR on the 2005 Azienda Agricola Durin Ormeasco di Pornassio. ($25.99, Wine Expo--and I can't seem to find it anywhere else!) This is a classy, distinctive wine that offers up lots of character for the price.

Ormeasco is Ligurian for Dolcetto, I discovered, and one of the things I like best about the grape is that it's a wine that is just as good with pizza and spaghetti with meatballs as it is with grilled beef, roasts, and more elegant fare. It's a dress-me-up, dress-me-down kind of wine. This was a really lovely example of what Dolcetto/Ormeasco is all about. First, Dolcetto is a treat for the nose. There were aromas of licorice (which I love and it can be hard to find in a wine), cherry, fresh green fennel, and blackberry that you had to coax out of the glass at first, but which were worth the wait. I found echoes of all these notes in the flavors, with additional grilled herb nuances emerging in the aftertaste. There are cheaper Dolcettos out there, but they are far simpler than this wine turned out to be.

This wine would be fantastic with dishes that involve rosemary or fennel (to pick up the herbal notes), with meats (chicken, duck, and beef), and with anything that is Mediterranean in its culinary influences.

It's Official: Bonny Doon Is Biodynamic

Last month, Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm received Demeter Certification for his Ca' del Solo estate vineyard in Santa Cruz. Since 2003, the vineyard has been farmed biodynamically and with the Demeter Certification now in place for both the vineyard and the winery it will be fascinating to see how these changes alter the market perception--and the taste--of Bonny Doon wines. (image from the Biodynamic Agriculture Association UK)

Grahm's goal is to make Bonny Doon a 100% biodynamic estate winery, a goal that I heartily approve of since I felt like the brand was getting a bit out of hand and losing its focus, and that its marketing strengths were in danger of outrunning his winemaking abilities. I'm happy to report as a DEWN (Doon Esoteric Wine Network) Club member, that I have received some of the smaller production Ca' del Solo wines and have really enjoyed the post-2003 bottlings. Going biodynamic has meant that Grahm cut back on production. He's also drawing on the skills of a talented team including director of viticulture Philippe Coderey, vineyard manager Nicole Walsh, and associate winemaker Jillian Johnson.

Varietally speaking, the new focus seems to be on Mediterranean grapes. If it's a grape grown in Spain, southern France, or Italy, the folks at Bonny Doon are interested in it. I don't usually write up my reviews of Bonny Doon wines on the blog, since the ones I drink can be hard to find. But in light of their announcement, I thought I would share my reactions to two wines I've had recently that were made from grapes harvested near the beginning of the biodynamic transformation:

2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Piemontese Blend Cá del Solo Vineyard ($20) had abundant initial aromas of cranberry and plum develop that developed herbal notes as the wine opened up. More cranberry was in the flavors, along with berry, plum, herb, and mineral notes. Mild tannins, and a dry, almost austere finish, this wine was made for pasta with red sauce or a simple grilled beefsteak.

2004 Bonny Doon Vineyard Dolcetto Cá del Solo Vineyard ($18) was very, very good. Dark purpley-red in color, its aromas were a tad alcoholic at first and there was a strong tannic grip to the first sips. Once it was left open for an hour, the tannins and plummy fruit integrated, and aromas of rose petal emerged to accompany a distinctive spicy flavor note. It's nice smooth finish made this a good partner for spaghetti carbonara.

These tasting notes bode well for the future of Bonny Doon. Though neither of these particular wines is available any longer, there are several wines from the Ca' del Solo vineyard that are available over at their website, including an albarino, a muscat, and a grenache. (sorry there are no direct links, but the site if flashified, so you're on your own!) Also, it is worth noting that even wines that are designated DEWN, and are therefore restricted to club members for a time, often become available to everybody a little later on. This was the case with their grenache, for instance.

But buyer beware. Not all Doon wines are biodynamic--only those from Ca' del Solo grapes harvested after 2003. And the first certified biodynamic grapes will be picked this fall. Additional caveats: last summer Grahm sold off the Big House and Cardinal Zin brands, so those aren't even made by Bonny Doon anymore. The Pacific Rim wines are in the process of relocating to parts north, although Grahm seems (for the moment at least) to still be involved in the project.

I'm enjoying being on Bonny Doon's journey from mega-brand to biodynamic estate winery. If you want to join me, head over to the website and pick up a few bottles. See what you think.

2003 Ca'Viola Dolcetto d'Alba Barturot

It's Halloween and the ghosties and ghoulies will be out soon, so I came home early to make some soup to slurp between the rings at the doorbell and to bring some warmth to what it turning out to be a rather chilly and grey day. Perfect for trick-or-treaters, less so for the rest of us.

I thought the wine to go with my hearty Nigella Lawson minestrone might be this 2003 Ca'Viola Dolcetto D'Alba Barturot ($24.69, Costco). This is slightly above my normal price cut-off, but I do love dolcetto, which translates roughly from the Italian as "little sweet one." A grown-up treat then, or so I tell myself, and far better for me than diving into the bowl of candy set aside for the ghosties and ghoulies.

The Columbia Wine Guy over on Brim to the Dregs is working his way alphabetically through wine (great idea!) and he hit "D" just the other day and gave some great information on dolcetto, as well as a more budget-friendly recommendation than mine is tonight.

My minestrone recipe comes from Nigella Lawson's How to Eat (recipe not online). I should note here that this is not a tomato-based minestrone, but instead a pale, golden version with lots of vegetables and a special, not-to-be-omitted ingredient: a parmesan cheese rind. I tried to take a picture of my soup in the kettle (clearly a lot to be learned about this), to show both the color and (in the upper left) the rind bobbing around in the soup. The parmesan rind gives it a little kick of salinity, and a richness of flavor that is indefinable, but distinctive. On Ms. Lawson's advice, no parmesan rinds are thrown out in my house: they are all bagged up popped into the freezer to stick in soups, stews, and pasta sauces. (PS: You discard the rind before you serve the soup. It gets gummy. You are forewarned.)

On to the 2003 Ca'Viola Dolcetto d'Alba Barturot. Ca'Viola is in the Piedmonte region of Italy, and the oenologist, Giuseppe Caviola, has been dubbed the "King of Dolcetto" and received the 2002 Gambero Rosso Winemaker of the Year. This wine was made of 100% dolcetto d'alba grapes aged in stainless steel for 10-12 months. For those who have not tasted a red wine that has not had any oak aging, this is your chance.

The first impression you get of this wine is purple--the color of dark aubergines. Once you pick it up and take a good look at it you see it is really a true ruby red with lovely bluish tones to it. I found this wine needed a fair bit of time to settle down and open up. When it was first opened and poured it smelled very alcoholic (14.5% alch./vol.). Even after it's been in the glass a while the aromas are spicy rather than fruity. This is confirmed on the palate, which is predominantly spicy with an undertone of red fruit. Lots of acidity and a tinge of minerality at the end of each sip. It was much better with the food than as a stand alone wine.

I felt this wine needed a bit more fruit to balance out all those intriguing spice and mineral flavors, and that for the price this represented good QPR. If you are looking for a low-tannin, high-acid red with little oak influence that would go well with pasta with red sauces, it is for sale at many merchants throughout the US, and typically retails for under $30.

Field Trip to Piedmonte via the Heritage Wine Company, Pasadena

This afternoon we went out to see The Queen which we highly recommend and then over to the Heritage Wine Company in Old Town Pasadena for one of their weekend tastings. Heritage Wine is a great wine resource in the Los Angeles area, with a very knowledgeable staff and a great inventory, including hard-to-find German Rieslings, a nice selection of wines from Oregon, and a selection of Burgundies. You may not find many bargains here, but it is the place to go if you want excellent advice on special wine purchases.

Each weekend they offer special themes tastings in addition to the regular flights you can purchase (such as great whites, or interesting reds). The one we went to focused on the wines of Piedmonte in Italy. Tastings like this are great because they offer budget wine drinkers like me a chance to sip wines we might otherwise never purchase or taste (like Barolo).

There were six wines in the tasting, 2 whites and 4 reds:

NV Il Conte d'Alba Moscato D'Asti ($8.99)
2004 Fratelli Oddero Chardonnay($28.99)
2003 Icardi Pierino Barbera D'Asti ($16.99)
2004 Castello di Nieve Dolcetto D'Alba ($15.99)
2000 Giribadi Barbaresco ($49.99)
2001 Mauro Sebaste Barolo "Monvigliero" ($64.99)

None of us were that impressed with the whites, and the red that we liked best was the 2004 Castello di Nieve Dolcetto D'Alba, which I would give a rating of good QPR. It was a light bodied red wine, with a spicy, chocolatey taste. We felt it was a bit one-dimensional, and were not sure any additional ageing would improve this wine. This was in contrast to the Mauro Sebaste, which need another 2-4 years in a cool, dark place before the tannins balance out--not that any of us bought it to try the experiment!

Saturday Wine Shopping

Today I went to Costco in Alhambra and picked up some white wine to restock the shelves after the warm September we've had in the LA area. Here were my purchases:

2004 Ch. Sancerre Sancerre, $17.99
2004 Ch. St. Jean Fume Blanc, $7.49
2002 Rosemount Chardonnay Orange, $7.99

I also splurged and bought a special wine that is over my traditional $20 ceiling:

Ca'Viola Dolcetto d'Alba, $24.89

Then, it was off to Trader Joe's on Rosemead, where I bought:

2005 Contadino Pinot Grigio Frizzante, $3.99
2005 Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling, $8.99

Tasting notes and impressions will be available soon!