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July 2006
A Letter from Chianti Classico
Posted: 11:08 AM ET, July 31, 2006
Marco Pallanti, the new president of the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium (Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico), wrote me this letter in Italian last week following a blog post I wrote on his region. I thought you would find the letter (translated, of course) interesting to read:
Dear James,
I feel honored to receive your approval for my new position, and I thank you for the extremely nice words you said about me. Read more
The Big Bottles Next Door
Posted: 12:44 PM ET, July 27, 2006
Couple nights ago, my buddy Thomas and his Korean friends hosted a dinner at the restaurant below my house for a dozen or so Italian wine producers, from Tuscany and Piedmont. It’s become an annual event with people attending like Lamberto Frescobaldi, Giacomo Neri of Casanova di Neri, Leonardo Raspini of Ornellaia, Enrico and Enrica Scavino, Luigi Scavino of Azelia, Carlo Revello…you get the idea. Read more
Olive Oil and Barolo
Posted: 10:28 AM ET, July 25, 2006
You have to be careful leaving open olive-oil bottles on the dinner table, especially late at night and when the olive-oil bottles look like wine bottles. Last night, my buddy Thomas and his two Korean girlfriends came for dinner. It was a simple outdoor affair. Read more
Flat Champagne in Tuscany
Posted: 12:03 PM ET, July 23, 2006
Talk about “brutta figura” -- making a bad impression, as Italians say. I was at a birthday party last night in Castiligone della Pescaia for a very pretty friend of mine. About 20 of us came for her 39th -- again.
The event was centered on a double magnum of 1995 Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne -- the flower bottle fizz. Read more
Hope for Chianti Classico?
Posted: 10:18 AM ET, July 19, 2006
A couple of days ago Marco Pallanti was named the new president of the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium (Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico), which boasts that it represents 96 percent of the bottled wine of the region. I had to ask myself why he would do it. Read more
Tuscany Tales 1
Posted: 11:00 AM ET, July 18, 2006
The other night I was at a friend’s summer rental house located near my home at Il Borro near Arezzo. We were having dinner by the pool, and some local carabinieri walked down the driveway. I was a bit worried at first. I am not a great fan of uninvited police visits in any country. Read more
H2...O
Posted: 05:52 PM ET, July 16, 2006
Gave my “O”s another go last night with a dinner “al fresco” with my ex-wife and children. She commented how I had some “lovely new water glasses…”
These glasses sort of grow on you. I served a slightly chilled bottle of 2003 Vietti Barbera d'Alba Scarrone Vigna Vecchia with a frittata and green salad. Read more
A Wine Glass for Rock Stars
Posted: 04:59 PM ET, July 14, 2006
Just had my first experience with the Riedel “O” glass. It was the Sauvignon Blanc model. I had a barbeque tonight at my house in Tuscany with my children, Jack, 11, and Isabel, 8. We had grilled sausages and a tomato and cucumber salad – no big deal on a hot and steamy Tuscan night. Read more
Musigny in Munich
Posted: 01:50 PM ET, July 12, 2006
It seemed almost too good to be true. A few weeks ago I came across a magnum of Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 1989 for 435 euros on the wine list of a mega-buck restaurant, Tantris, in Munich. Okay. It wasn’t cheap, but if I split it with two other guys at the table, it was a good buy, and this was a wine that I rated 96 points myself for the magazine back in 1992 when I used to taste in Burgundy. Read more
Latour Makes A Move in Burgundy
Posted: 09:06 AM ET, July 10, 2006
I've just learned that the owner of Bordeaux first growth Château Latour, fashion magnate François Pinault, signed an agreement last week to buy close to 16 acres of prime Burgundy vineyards, planted to Pinot Noir and all near the town of Vosne-Romanée. Read more
Kudos Italia!
Posted: 05:53 PM ET, July 09, 2006
Football (soccer) is life in Italy. I am sitting in Castilgone della Pescia on the coast of Tuscany with some friends, and I can hear the horns of cars and the screams of people. Everyone is so happy here! Italy is the champion of the world tonight. Read more
Crazy Thoughts in the Hills of Florence
Posted: 01:03 PM ET, July 07, 2006
I went to visit winemaker Bibi Graetz of Testamatta yesterday in the hills above Florence near the town of Fiesole. Bibi, 38, is a cool winemaker and is producing some exciting reds from classic Tuscan varietals such as Sangiovese, Colorino and Canaiolo. Read more
Ferrari or First Growth 2005?
Posted: 05:35 AM ET, July 05, 2006
Visited the Ferrari factory in Maranello for July 4th with a couple of friends who were picking up their F430 convertibles and then driving to Le Mans for the 24-hour race – lucky guys! During a lunch at the factory, I was shocked to hear that they wouldn’t be buying any 2005 Bordeaux futures. Read more
Piedmont Sunday
Posted: 04:22 AM ET, July 03, 2006
Had a couple of friends over for dinner last night and sat outside in the patio drinking a couple of Barolos with a grilled pork loin and parsley salad. The wines were 1997 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito and 1996 Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi.
During dinner, the latter showed fabulous ripe fruit and silky tannins with a raspberry and light spice aftertaste that lasted for minutes (93 points). Read more
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