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Colle Picchioni, Marino, Lazio
This is a very important estate owned by one of the most famous chefs and cookbook authors in Italy, Paola di Mauro (known here in LA as Piero Selvaggio of Valentino’s adopted second mother and culinary muse). This year we made it a priority on our buying trip to visit with Paola and her son Valerio and make them an offer they could not refuse...
Colle Picchioni Lazio Rosso Perlaia 2006 Sold Out, New Vintage Soon!
Really elegant and delicious, this is Merlot, Cabernet and Sangiovese in roughly equal parts and will show well with anything from a Roman style Porchetta sandwich to a nice big T-Bone with lots of grilled onions and ‘shrooms.
Colle Picchioni Lazio Rosso Il Vassallo 2005 Sold Out, Returning Soon!
One of the most important Bordeaux style wines made outside of Toscana, Il Vassallo has staked out a permanent claim to territory at the top of the Euro-Crit hit parade and is still a relative bargain compared to similar wines from California and France. 60% Merlot / 30% Cab / 10% Cab Franc, this is truly elegant in style but excruciatingly limited in quantity.
Agricola Allessia di Paolo e Noemia d’Amico,
Vaiano, Castiglione in Teverina, Umbria
As anyone who has ever visited knows, Umbria is an enchanted place full of hillside towns, delicious wines, black truffles, sunny afternoons and general agrarian bliss. This is what attracted Paolo d’Amico, a shipbuilder from Naples, and his bride Noemia, a beautiful and charming Brasileira (who was a top model for Christian Dior for fifteen years, and now brings that sense of elegance to the world of wine) to claim their little corner of paradise and found a vineyard, winery and agriturismo. We were hipped to them when one of our favorite customers (grazie, Michael!) kept coming back from summering near the estate and raving about them and their wines. So, this year we went, we tasted, we ordered...
Paolo e Noemia d’Amico Rosso Seiano 2008, Lazio $18.99
This is a lush, plush, soft, smooooooth blend of Sangiovese and Merlot that still has enough gumption in the form of spice and acidity to pair well with a wide variety of hearty foods. Gorgeous minimalist packaging no extra charge...
Azienda Agricola Marcella Giuliani, Anagni, Lazio
Nestled deep in the hills east of Rome, surrounded by her vineyards and olive groves, you will find the serenely gracious Sra. Giulani overseeing this estate while insisting that her credo of “richiamo delle proprie radici”(“remember your roots!”) is adhered to at all times even as she brings her family’s 120 year old cantina into some rapport with the modern wine world. As a result, the main line of wines are based on the local grapes, Cesanese del Piglio for the reds and Passerina for the white, varieties that even most Italophiles may have never tasted. The vines are planted with full southeastern exposure where they can get plenty of sun as well a stay dry thanks to the steady winds coming down from the central mountains of the boot. We have been looking to bring you some quality wines from Lazio for a while now so we are very excited to finally present these for your approval:
Marcella Giuliani Cesanese del Piglio Alagna 2005, Lazio $18.99
Very deep and structured, with a touch of herbaceousness on the nose and a deep plummy fruit character, this is a perfect introduction to Cesanese. Just add pizza, burgers or some hearty pasta plus some friends and MANGIA!
Marcella Giuliani Frusinate Rosso Il Graffio 2005, Lazio Sold Out, New Vintage Soon!
An intense blend of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon, this is anything but “International” in style: the grapes are macerated for 22 days with 10% of the juice being drawn off to concentrate the remainder then fermented in stainless steel before extended bottle aging. No trees were harmed in the production of this wine so, despite the intensity of flavors and textures, you will not be looking for the wine under a pile of oak OR picking twigs out of your teeth. If you don’t happen have a Roman style whole roast pig lying around (you can get a pretty good facsimile at Lucky Deli in Chinatown, call us and we’ll be right over!), it will also be wonderful with most any meat with a nice char on it, hearty sausages or a nice pot roast. And, at just 13% ABV, you can have another glass...
Gotto d’Oro, Marino, Lazio
This is a large cooperative winery in the heart of Lazio that produces a very broad range of wines in all styles and price ranges (you may even have seen some of their giant demijohns with handles in super markets in Italy!). But, like many such cantine, they also make some flagship wines from their best vineyards and, due to the economies of scale they command, they are STILL great values. Here are two that even a starving actor can drink with abandon:
Gotto d’Oro Castelli Romani Rosso 2006, Lazio Sold Out, Returning Soon!
The best red made here, this fun mistura of Montepulciano, Merlot and Cesanese has very pretty rose petal and red fruit notes on nose, medium body and a soft and friendly finish. Just add Pizza!
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