Posts belonging to Category Sangiovese

[ed. Our prized least coast correspondent has returned with Italian discoveries. Why does it often seem whatever he has been drinking… we just started? The more mice the more bella il vino.

It’s been hectic, irrational and nonsensical, therefore the appropriate choice here targets Italian wine. More and more, when we approach the cellar for the habitual nightly offering, we land in the peninsula whose offerings present a host of personalities.

Schizophrenic comes to mind. We love dozens. The Nebbiolos of Piedmont, while less reliable than Cotes de Nuits, either beguile, intrigue, astonish, or all three. I’m flat in love with Sangiovese, either alone, or better yet, with a dash of Cabernet or Merlot. Cab Franc (sorry Milo) from the northeast, makes increasingly more sense. Nero d’Avola from that big island near Tunisia continually represents tremendous value. Love Dolcetto, Barbera, Arneis, Moscato, and Umbria’s Sagrantinos and Grechettos. Love them all. And, without being too freaking trite, great chow wine. So, here goes… (more…)

Baseball fever is here. 100 point scales for ratings wines are dumb. Can these claims be related? YES. Baseball is dreary for 162 games then suddenly it is wonderful to watch. Most wines are bad. Until you hit on one that you know will be good but it is, in fact, remarkable. Why slog through the long hot summer when you can tune in to exciting play on the diamond come October? Why slog through plonk upon plonk from TJs or Costco – and they are the best of the worst – when every bottle of wine can be like watching at least a divisional playoff game?

BUT… does the best of every region offer the same quality and excitement? We have answers.

Forget wine’s 100 point scale for “scoring” wines. It is more useful and far more interesting – not to mention more defensible methodologically – to rank regions/varietals.

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The Field Mouse came to town, as the story goes, and found a new world. In our LA world our Field Mouse returned to LA for an extended visit and, being the natch’l born wine hunter that he is, went cruising for wine shops. When you are a tBoW wine snob this is how you spend your unscheduled time: hunting for that remote unsuspecting wine shop that will house an unusual label or a rare wine find; where at least we will encounter a knowledgeable owner who knows what he has on his floor and why it is there. In the case of the King [ed. alt Field Mouse name] the hunt these days is for Roussanne. He ain’t picky. Domestic or international will suffice. The best part of the hunt is knowing he stalks the rare and unusual wine. (more…)

After 45 minutes reading about the New Wave of Napa Cult Cabs I had to have a wine that not one post economic meltdown real estate food importer online gaming new Napa mogul would ever reach for; a wine that if it was presented to the owners of the new wave Napa cult Cabber Patch Kids would produce the same look Karl Rove had when he was told by Megan Kelly Romney really did lose. You know the look – “uh you’re kidding.” Now YOU are looking at my fantasy wine right above this paragraph: a white wine from Argentina made from an obscure if very respectable grape that is M-A-D-E-F-O-R-F-O-O-D. If you like the concept please continue reading. (more…)

God I hate the Super Bowl. Then a miracle occurs! There are SO MANY low points to the game. Ray Lewis’ canned postgame comments. The super entertaining halftime show. But when the commentators had to ad lib for 34 minutes as the crowd sat in darkness… divine justice. (more…)