ALL WHITE WINE CLUB
MARCH 2021
Two Wines From: March 2021 Italian Wine Club – MARCHE MADNESS!
Two Wines From: March 2021 Rebel Grape Society – THREE LITTLE BIRDS
DOWNLOAD PDF OF TASTING NOTES HERE
MADONNABRUNA 'MAREE'
Falerio, Marche, Italy, 2019
PECORINO [pek-or-EE-no]
Pecorino was rediscovered by Marchegiani wine icon Cocci Grifoni, by way of a rumor about an 80 year old farmer in Aquata del Tronto who owned an abandoned vineyard perched at 1000 meters above sea level planted entirely to a forgotten variety. Now Pecorino is having a bit of a moment in the sun in both Marche and Abruzzo as producers are discovering its versatility as a high quality wine that compliments their local terroir and climate perfectly.
Just a few miles inland from the picturesque seaside town of Porto San Giorgio, Madonnabruna is a small 30 acre family winery focused primarily on the two local grapes, Pecorino and Passerina. There are still very few high quality examples of Passerina, but families like the Petraccis are doing a great job changing that perception. The family has farmed these grapes for three generations, but have only been producing their own wine for the past 20 years. The Fermo growing region in southern Marche, but just north of the Offida DOCG, has a notably more mild coastal climate and is marked by its distinctly white colored mineral rich clay soils.
Pecorino is not normally renowned for brightly floral aromatics, but this is certainly an exception. Fresh cut flowers, wild mint and green pistachio. Tense but texted, the palate shows the kind of salinity you expect in a good Fino Sherry. A kiss of confection from Salt water taffy and honey nougat is balanced off by crunchy Granny Smith Apples and a soft karate kick of spice to bring it all home. Crisp and briny sushi juice.
Much of the Marche coastline is peppered with insanely good restaurants featuring raw seafood crudo straight out of the Adriatic. This wine should be inescapably served alongside those dishes.
ANDREA FELICI
'IL CANTICO DELLA FIGURA'
Castello di Jesi, Marche, Italy 2018
VERDICCHIO [ver-dikkyo]
Although Verdicchio is no longer a secret to those who have dug deep into this subject, there is still a massive ceiling that has barely been scratched since the regrettable years of rather neutral wines sold cheaply in fish shaped bottles. In recent years Italy gave DOCG status to many deserving grapes. Verdicchio now has DOCG status in the crisp mountainous appellation of Matelica as well as the rounder wines from the Castelli di Jesi that reach down towards the coast. The difference is evident in the soil as well as the altitude: Matelica is rich in mountain minerals where Jesi is rich in coastal clay providing deeper layers complexity and more powerful wines in general.
The Andrea Felici winery sits on a hillside at the foot of Mount San Vicino at an altitude of 516 meters above the Adriatic. While most of the surrounding area is rolling farmlands for cereal grains, their organic vineyards are framed by untouched woods and backdropped by the mountain peak views to the North, West and South. The Felici’s are well versed in the advantages of their Limestone rich soils (when compared to the more prominent dense clay) which produce phenomenal results. This single vineyard Verdicchio has a bit of skin contact for texture, but otherwise is fermented and aged entirely in Stainless and cement as opposed to some of the other modern examples where one might find oak influence.
Puffed corn and Marcona Almonds dipped in Mandarin marmalade. Mango granita served in a terra cotta clay bowl. Gritty crushed stone, white pepper and celery salt sprinkled over a nest of nectarines. A really good Verdicchio can deliver a level of complexity that can get you poetically tongue tied. This wine, as well many other examples of Verdicchio, just continue to evolve to a ‘next level’ category of Italian white wines. Bangin.
The Castelli di Jesi is highly influenced by the Adriatic Sea climate, but soils in the western hillside towns of Apiro, Cupramontana and Staffolo are fast becoming recognized as ‘Cru’ subzones as the quality of Verdicchio continues to skyrocket.
BIRDS OF PASSAGE
Santa Ynez Valley, California 2019
GRENACHE [gruh-NAWSH]
While we met another version of Grenache blanc in last month’s Rebel Wine Club, The Birds play with the grape’s characteristic rich phenolics and citrus oiliness by fermenting on the skins for deeper extraction and texture. The grapes come from a tiny one acre site growing just outside of the very bizarre tourist trap of Solvang – a rural town in the hills of Santa Barbara that doubles as a traditional Danish village, windmills and tulips and all. The Grenache blanc is de-stemmed and then fermented on the skins in a stainless steel tank for 15 days before pressing. It is aged in neutral french oak for 6 months before bottling, with just a scant 60 cases made.
The Birds of Passage project is the clever winecraft of three birds flocking together: Henry Beylen, the wine director of LA’s beloved Venice restaurant Gjelina, and husband and wife crew Peter Hunken and Amy Christine MW, the team behind Holus-Bolus wines. Peter has made wine in Lompoc since 2001, working as assistant winemaker at Stolpman Vineyards and as co-founder of Piedrasassi through 2008. Amy and Peter met in 2004 and have made wine together since, while she also represents Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. And in 2013 Amy became a Master of Wine, one of only thirteen women in the US to rock the MW title. Henry Beylen sought out the Holus-Bolus winemakers at their winery in the “Lompoc Wine Ghetto” with a flight of fancy in mind – to make wines for Gjelina Restaurant that were delicious and intriguing and made from organic vineyards in Santa Barbara County. The birds made their debut in 2018 with their first Rosé, and the following year with their Grenache Blanc and Gamay. These three wines from our clever Birds are yet another feather in California’s cap, proving what great grapes on great sites can do in the right Rebel hands.
This is a wild bird of many colors, with initial flamboyant aromatics like sweet nectarines, baked golden apples, quince paste and even dried persimmon. The palate isn’t quite as fruity, but goes more savory and saline with a full and rich texture that isn’t as waxy as one would think, both given the variety and the two weeks on the skins. There is an aromatic of sweet wood throughout like sandalwood or cedar, and just a bit of tannin that is pleasantly drying, with a quenching balance that keeps you revisiting it to discover more. Skin contact wines can be tricky, but this one has nailed an elusive balance beautifully.
BIRDS OF PASSAGE
Santa Maria Valley, California 2019
REFOSCO [ree-FOH-skoh]
Refosco is a Bergamot favorite. It is a rarity even in its Friulian home, let alone in all of California, and then on this far flung central coast hillside. The Santa Maria Valley is actually the oldest grape growing region in central California, dating back to the Mexican Colonial period of the 1830s. There was certainly no Refosco here until the Tres Hermanas vineyard planted this dark and tannic variety in their cool coastal site. The Birds press the Refosco straight away for minimal extraction, ferment in stainless steel, and age the wine in a mix of stainless steel and neutral oak, before bottling a mere 95 cases of this pink.
The Birds of Passage project is the clever winecraft of three birds flocking together: Henry Beylen, the wine director of LA’s beloved Venice restaurant Gjelina, and husband and wife crew Peter Hunken and Amy Christine MW, the team behind Holus-Bolus wines. Peter has made wine in Lompoc since 2001, working as assistant winemaker at Stolpman Vineyards and as co-founder of Piedrasassi through 2008. Amy and Peter met in 2004 and have made wine together since, while she also represents Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. And in 2013 Amy became a Master of Wine, one of only thirteen women in the US to rock the MW title. Henry Beylen sought out the Holus-Bolus winemakers at their winery in the “Lompoc Wine Ghetto” with a flight of fancy in mind – to make wines for Gjelina Restaurant that were delicious and intriguing and made from organic vineyards in Santa Barbara County. The birds made their debut in 2018 with their first Rosé, and the following year with their Grenache Blanc and Gamay. These three wines from our clever Birds are yet another feather in California’s cap, proving what great grapes on great sites can do in the right Rebel hands.
Vibrant copper colored pink that is brilliant and fleshy, bright and savory, full-bodied and spicy. The mid-palate is rich with peach yogurt and a savory cantaloupe texture, but all that fruit roundness finishes with a fistful of herbs like fresh tarragon, oregano and marjoram. A rebellious Refosco rosé – a wine making its own unique category with an obscure grape in an obscure region. Winner, winner… well, we’ll get around to making dinner after this bottle.
