Best White Wine of the Year – Terlano Quarz

27 Sep 2012

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Südtirol

Quartz Rich soil of the Suditrol

I realize we are only three-quarters through the year but I continue to be so impressed with a wine that I am announcing my white wine of the year early. I am convinced the greatest sauvignon blanc comes from Italy. The Terlano Quarz, named for the quartz-rich vineyard soil in the Suditrol area of Alto Adige. I have tasted this wine 6 times this year, including at a Beverly Hills trade event where a Master Sommelier compared the Quarz to the great Dageneau Sancerre Silex wine from France.

terlanQuarzLabel

Brian's White Wine of The Year - Terlano Quarz 2010

The Terlan wins out because of the intensity in the bouquet and on the palate and the excitement it produces with its ripe citrus and sweet grass aromas, the 50 second finish…and the price. Golden straw in the glass, it has a complex nose of apricot, white peach, papaya, lime and red grapefruit, and herbal aromas of sweet lemon grass, mint and green tea. Flinty mineral tones emerge in the background along with a hint of salt air. On the palate, the wine offers up juicy vibrant fruit with a delicate yet deliberate minerality. This wine is pure class and elegance. Don’t be afraid to decant this for 20-30 minutes to allow its flavors to emerge.

Where else can you taste the greatest version of a varietal in the world for less than fifty dollars? I have put this wine to the test again and again, with the same result… It will not disappoint. My white wine of the year – 2010 Terlan Quarz

$49.99 – Available now!

-Posted by Brian Holowka, Santa Ana

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Italian Wine Lesson #1: Sparkling

13 Oct 2011

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No matter who you are, or what style of wine you prefer, chances are excellent that there is an Italian wine made for you! Let’s look at the basics… call it Vini Italia 101: We should look at the four wine varieties, Sparkling, White, Red, and Dessert…this post is about Sparkling.

Sparkling wines from Italy are divided into two classifications: Spumante and Frizzante. Spumante wines are the fully charged sparklers and wines classified “frizzante” possess less effervescence. Think “fizzy” for frizzante and “sparkling” for Spumante. (Never, ever think of spumante as a sweet sparkling wine made by the Andre company! I deny any existence of this creation!)  OK- so Italian Sparkling wine = Prosecco and Franciacorta. There are others, but this is 101, so we’ll talk about those two.

Prosecco, to start with, is a grape grown in Veneto and bottled as such. Next year Prosecco grown outside of the traditional areas will be labeled “Glera”; so if you see Glera, it’s really Prosecco grown in regions of Italy other than the Veneto. Prosecco can be vinified Dry to Extra Dry, and its main purpose is to kick an event off the proper way… Prosecco is used to cleanse the palate, and to stimulate the appetite… It does both in a clean, refreshing way!

Franciacorta is much more serious. These wines come from the region of Lombardia, and are comprised, like Champagne, of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and unlike Champagne, Pinot Bianco. The process for making Franciacorta is Methode Champenoise, or “Champagne Method.” Generally speaking, the best Franciacorta sparkling wines are on par with Champagne, that is, they are world class sparkling wines.  Examples? Try the Bisol Prosecco for $18.99… Really the finest Prosecco I have tasted in a long time fresh and fruity, but with a fine elegance that is the epitome of Prosecco…Very Fine!

For one of the very best bottles of Franciacorta, look no further than the Ca Del Bosco Cuvee Prestige for $32.99. I will put this on par with most of the excellent non-vintage Champagnes for a better price. Sourced from 135 different vineyards, this is amazingly seamless spumante. Celebrate Italian Style!

More next time!

Grazie,

Brian Holowka, Santa Ana store

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Two Classy Italians

5 May 2011

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2007 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve

Available at The Wine Club Santa Clara (San Jose) for $109.99

This 100% Sangiovese from the Flacianello della Pieve vineyard has beautiful floral nose coupled with a sweet bright cherry with sage, dried herbs. In the mouth a more powerful black cherry takes charge, along with mocha elements and the dark, fruity elements black pepper and a touch of olive and grilled bread. This is very complex and exiting wine that drinks quite well now: the bright cherry notes giving it a freshness and enough lift and lightness to drink today or cellar for twenty years.

 

2004 Ciacci Piccolmini d’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino

Available at The Wine Club Santa Clara (San Jose) for $59.99

This is fabulous. Let’s get that out of the way right now. Based on the reviews, I’m assuming this wine has developed tremendously in the bottle over the last two or three years. Tanzer gave this 92 points, and it is much better than that today.  Of course, this is 100% Sangiovese (they call it Sangiovese Grosso in Montalcino.) This is wonderfully deeply fruited with dark cooked cherry, fresh Italian plums and a touch of raspberry and blackberry. The palate is broad and deep, with fresh and dried fruits, and the brooding concentration gives this Brunello uncommon length, power, and persistence. There is a mocha element with subtle dried herbs and smokiness. Bravo. This is as good of a Brunello as I have ever tasted. I’d rarely think in terms of points, but this is a solid 96 pointer to me.

-Posted by Dean Alexander, Santa Clara (San Jose) Store Manager

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