Moving the Wine Blog

Hi all, 


I've made the decision to move the wine blog over to my new website raelinn.com where I will be writing not only about wine, but also about food, travel, and whatever else comes to mind. I will continue to write about wine most Wednesdays with a Wine Ophelia post. I hope you might join me there and continue our lighthearted journey through deliciousness. 


Cheers!


Raelinn 


-aka Wine Ophelia 

All I Want For Christmas Is...

'Tis the season to be jolly! Fa la la la laaaaaaaaa la la la laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! 

This is MY photograph. It is copyrighted. Please don't try to steal it. 


I've said it before... I'm a simple woman (eyeroll, snicker). And because I know you are just dying to find out what I want for Christmas (and my birthday, which is Tuesday the 13th ... hint hint!!) Here you go! 


I also happen to think these would make fabulous gifts for ANYONE! 

Luce & Hawkins - Pinot & Burger

I cannot believe I forgot to publish this... sigh...

Better late than never.

I need to preface my tale with the fact that I hadn't planned on going to Luce & Hawkins tonight. But I was in a bit of a foul mood after what turned into an emotionally rather trying day. I'm human. I have those sometimes. And I JUST WANTED A @%^K&*) BURGER! On the North Fork, that means Luce & Hawkins. It is by far the best burger out here. They have ruined me for sure. 

La Torricella - Food, Wine and Comfort with a Spectacular View of the Langhe

A brief apology for the long hiatus! Sorry. I've been packing and moving and storing and packing and traveling! I've finally landed in the GORGEOUS Piemonte region of Italy and am living in Dogliani until December. Don't hate me.

__________________________________


As my incredible good luck (aka very hard work and careful planning) would have it, I was on a three-day educational tour of the Langhe for my budding culinary/wine tour business (WARNING! Shameless plug alert!)  SAVOR - Food | Travel | Wine  (site still under contstruction...please be patient and gentle with me!) when I first had the opportunity and pleasure to visit lovely La Torricella, a beautiful small agriturismo, a working winery with guest rooms and a restaurant, in the heart of the Langhe run by the equally charming Pressenda family, the whole family: mother, father, 2 sisters (chef and winemaker), brother and son-in-law!

I was first greeted by this spectacular view of the Alps in the distance. This is really what it is all about here in Piemonte --- Family, friends and the table...fantastic food, great wine, all in a gorgeous setting.

Really, I could just stop right there and be perfectly happy, but I won't! It just keeps getting better and better and BETTER! 

An evening at Luce & Hawkins - Smoke, Fire and Acid

Prelude: The ambiance at Luce & Hawkins is the perfect balance of elegance and comfort, a style that permeates the entire experience here. Attention is paid to every last detail, right down to the music selection. Overheard chef Keith Luce who was walking through, "This isn't right." And he changed the music to low key techno/funk fabulousness. I asked about this later and he told me that he doesn't like to use vocal music much because it distracts the guests from their experience with their meal and with each other. I love it that he thinks about this kind of thing. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

I walked into a busy Luce's Landing and prowled around for a seat for a few minutes, ending up in one of the massive cushy wingback chairs near the bar, now praying for a cocktail. (I can quit whenever I want) Heh. I wind up sidling up to the bar to get a drink. I look at the new beverage director Sarah (Who is fantastic by the way. Go meet her.) So she looks me in the eye knowingly and says to me, "You need a beverage." To which I reply smiling, "I NEED A BEVERAGE!" Very happy we are on the same page. 

Wine Bloggers' Conference 2011 - Part II - The Novel

----------------------------------

WARNING. IT. IS. LONG.

The 2011 Wine Blogger's Conference held in beautiful Charlottesville, VA was, for me, a fun-filled, thought-provoking, even inspiring weekend. 

BUT

I have to admit that when I first arrived at WBC11 I was feeling a little, shall we say...

FUSSY

 

found on google search. not mine.

Wine Bloggers' Conference Part I - THANK YOU!

I have to start by saying Thank You for the millionth time (and it wouldn't be enough!) to the generous donors who made my scholarship to WBC 2011 possible.

THANK YOU! 

Wine Ophelia goes (BACK) to Virginia! 2011 Wine Blogger's Conference!

A Prelude to a Conference.

BOOOOH YAAAAAAAAAAAH!
I got a scholarship! I got a scholarship!! Yay! Yay! YAY!

Whew... ok.  (fans self.) I'm ok. Really. But DUDE! I'm GOING TO WBC11!! THIS WEEKEND!

Ok, ok.  I'll stop shouting. But seriously. I couldn't be more excited to meet up with some people who have become dear friends, to meet people whose work I admire so very much, and to learn a TON about how to make my blog the best it can be for you, my dear readers! All 5 of you ;o)

The Perfect Summer Red - Lieb Cellars - 2008 Bridge Lane Cabernet Franc

MASSIVELY HUGE DISCLAIMER:  

I WORK FOR LIEB CELLARS. I BOUGHT THIS WINE FOR MYSELF. 

I REALLY LIKE IT.

Ok. I feel better now, don't you?

So. I've been hanging out in the tasting room lately so I can meet as many of my FABULOUS!! wine club members as possible and to show off our yummy wines to our throngs (and I mean throngs) of admirers. I've been pouring a LOT of our wine. 

Forlorn Hope Wine - Spring Releases

My dear readers,

I'm pleased to be able to share with you some of my all-time favorite wines from winemaker Matthew Rorick. Below are his spring releases.

Enjoy!

Wine Ophelia

aka Raelinn Doty



Welcome to the Forlorn Hope 2011 Spring Release.

In a verdant explosion, the vineyards of northern California have launched themselves into the 2011 growing season. With all of the excitement that accompanies the shedding of winter's grey for the green of spring we offer up a trio of Rare Creatures for your enjoyment: the 2010 La Gitana, 2009 Ost-Intrigen, and 2009 D'Anconia. Read on...




Aromatic glories: 2010 Forlorn Hope La Gitana Torrontés

This, our third vintage of Torrontés, is quite possibly the best yet. Arrestingly aromatic and bearing a remarkable degree of elegance and refinement as a result of the cool 2010 growing season and an ultra-gentle press regimen in the winery, this Gitana's cante jondo is seductively sinuous and delicate but as laconically defiant as ever. And though it is brilliantly clear in the glass, just like its slightly cloudy predecessors it has seen no filtration or fining. Moving in a stylistic space all its own, it is redolent of the promise of spring.

87 cases produced. $20/bottle, $240/case.

Click here to order your 2010 Forlorn Hope La Gitana Torrontés



A passion for the exotic: 2009 Forlorn Hope Ost-Intrigen

What would you do if you came across the only 90 vines of St. Laurent planted in California? Why, you'd probably make vanishingly small quantities of wine out of it, wouldn't you! With its feet deep in decomposed volcanic rock and Carneros clay, the St. Laurent of the Ricci Vineyard continues to produce a tiny amount of supply textured and exotically scented wine: in 2008, we were only able to release 10 cases. Due to the unexpected bounty of the '09 growing season, we're pleased to be able to offer nearly double that -- but if you're keen to enjoy the Intrigues of the East, don't wait too long.

17 cases produced. $22/bottle, $264/case.

Click here to order your 2009 Forlorn Hope Ost-Intrigen St. Laurent



A deep, dark swan song: 2009 Forlorn Hope D'Anconia Malbec

From high atop Mt. Vaca comes this swarthy, complex and irreverent interpretation of Malbec. At once fierce and tender, it is proof positive that passion lives in the blood and bones of those bold enough to follow their dreams and plant vineyards in the most unfashionable yet viticulturally compelling locales. The rewards are great for those who dare, as this densely layered ultimate offering from 2900 feet above sea level will readily attest.

13 cases produced. $24/bottle, $288/case.

Click here to order your 2009 Forlorn Hope D'Anconia Malbec


And a nice note from Matthew:


If Tallulah were here she'd point out that this will be the first release of Forlorn Hope Wines featuring our new packaging: specifically, sans capsule. The reasons for eschewing the foil top for our corks are many but may be summed up by saying that we're moving toward a more ecologically friendly package in general, and reducing the amount of waste that our bottles generate puts a smile on our faces here at FH-HQ. There are still vintages yet to be released which have foils on them so there will be some overlap of foiled and unfoiled bottles for a year or so yet, but this release is something of a novelty in being the first to feature all naked necks.

More information about the direction of our new package, the wines of the Spring Release, vineyard and cellar updates, and other FH news can always be found at the Forlorn Hope blog: fhwines.wordpress.com

We're very pleased with the three Rare Creatures of the Spring Release and look forward to getting them into your hands right away!

All best,

Matthew

Ode to a Wire-Haired Dachshund - For Thierry Puzelat

After my first taste of Le Telquel I was inspired to write a silly poem!


Ode to a Wire-Haired Dachshund
by Raelinn Doty

O mon cher tekel du poil dur,
O comme je t’aime avec ton ame pure.
“Rouge, beau, et meme mieux que beau…
Tu as du chien”* telquel, sur.

in honor of
Thierry Puzelat’s Touraine VDT gamay, and sometimes cot and pineau d’aunis

*borrowed and changed a little Yourcenar

Barone Fini and Wine Twits Taste Challenge!

Wine friends... we are gonna have some serious FUN!

Taking the Barone Fini Pinot Grigio Taste Challenge is as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Sign up to take the taste challenge and you'll be automatically entered into the sweepstakes.
2. Order your Taste Challenge Tasting Kit via WineTwitsDeals.com. (If you are tasting with me in Chattanooga, I'm providing the wines! You just show up! see RSVP below)
3. Join producer Giovanni Bonmartini-Fini live on March 24, 2011 at 8PM EST to blind taste and to share your preference during a Twitter powered virtual tasting.

1. Sign-up now
2. Order a tasting kit <<< I already did it for you if you live in Chattanooga!!
3. Taste, tweet, share

Meet The Winemaker




Giovanni Bonmartini-Fini has lived most of his life with one foot on each side of the Atlantic Ocean. He was born in MA but lived on his family’s farm on the shores of the beautiful Northern Italy’s Lake Garda, facing the Alps where he now makes wine.



Learn more here from Wine Twits

Chattanooga friends JOIN US IN THE FUN!! Please click on my Facebook Event to RSVP so I know how many people, how much wine and food and the size of the venue! I can't wait to see you and taste these wines together!

Sponsored by Barone Fini and Wine Twits

Foillard 2008 Morgon "Côte du Py"

One of the only decent importers I can get my hands on here in Chattanooga, TN is Kermit Lynch. So I go searching back labels when I am looking for reliability when looking for a wine I haven't tried. This one, however, I've had the great pleasure of drinking in the past and I love it! I am an enormous fan of Cru Beaujolais in general and Morgon is probably top 3 for me. This 2008 Foillard is showing very nicely.

I'd give it about 15 minutes of air before really attempting to enjoy it or run it through a decent aerator. I like the Soirée aerator for both beauty and functionality.



The wine has a beautiful translucent, nearly transparent light violet-red color. On the nose it shows a lot of spice...white pepper, nice earthy, funky barnyard aromas, raw beef and herbs. At first I thought I caught a whiff of brett but changed my mind after a few sips. On the palate, it has a vibrant acidity and continues the spice theme with a definite white pepper nuance along with gorgeous ripe strawberry, thyme and chervil, and after a few tries my beloved violets made their appearance on the very front end. The finish is long and pleasant with a tingling acidity, pepper, herbs and subtle, delicate fruit that lingers.

After my initial tasting, I paired this wine with truffle popcorn and a beautiful local raw milk cheese. Cumberland from the Sequatchie Cove Creamery.





It was perfect.

Hope you enjoy! Cheers!!


Wine Ophelia

aka Raelinn Doty

a woman who loves wine

Valentine's Day Wishes. It's just not that complicated.

It's almost Valentine's Day. I don't know about you, but I have always had a love/hate relationship with Valentine's Day. I find it a ridiculously contrived holiday. Part of me hates this, but part of me just adores it! So cheesy. So silly and over the top. I confess that Valentine's Day has not normally gone all that well for me with a couple of rare exceptions. But I think it was my own fault for not being REALLY REALLY clear about what I would love. This year, since there is no one in particular to tell, I figured I'd just tell EVERYONE! Heh. Maybe I'll actually get some of it this time! Ok. I'm a bit of a paradox when it comes to what I like. Most of the time I am rather unconventional in my tastes. But on Valentine's Day, I'm all about the traditions. Really, I'm a simple woman at heart. I swear!



I'd love to wake up to a box of Hot Chocolatier chocolates,





a bottle of Larmandier-Bernier Terre-de-Vertus,




and some confection from La Pelrla.


Yeah, I did. I put knickers on my blog. And?

Once that's all be put to its best uses, I confess that a dozen red roses would be FABULOUS! Hell, I'd settle for tulips! (I actually prefer them anyway.)

Dinner would be just lovely too. A little pan seared foie gras with crostini topped with evoo and toasted pistachios. Ok, who needs dinner. Just the foies gras and some more champagne!

Dessert is an absolute necessity. And because no one can (well, I can't anyway) have enough chocolate...

This chocolate chestnut cake covered in Nutella makes me swoon. This ought to be fabulous with champagne too! How convenient!



SWOON.

Now, here's the part I like best... I'd like to do all this from the comfort of one of these chairs in Turks and Caicos:


That about covers it. See. Simple.

Happy Valentine's Day from Wine Ophelia

Cheers!

Gin 75...my variation of a French 75

I have not found another recipe that is the equivalent of this. If you do, please let me know...






So it's not exactly wine. But it IS a Champagne cocktail that I absolutely LOVE.

Here's how I make it:

1 cube of sugar or a splash of simple

2 shakes of bitters

squeeze in the juice of half an orange

1 oz of gin

shake over ice and strain into martini glass

top off with champagne

twist of orange



The cocktail is aptly named after this big, bad boy and you are apt to suffer its consequences if you don't imbibe in moderation.


Check out the original French 75 cocktail as seen in Savoy Cocktail book
photo credit

Forlorn Hope Wines

Hello friends of Wine Ophelia. I asked winemaker Matthew Rorick of Forlorn Hope Wines if I might share his fall releases with you. ENJOY!





Welcome to the Forlorn Hope 2010 Autumnal Release.

As this season of harvest draws to a close and we prepare ourselves for the coming winter, the Forlorn Hope is pleased to present a trio of Rare Creatures for your enjoyment: Ost-Intrigen, Sogni della Speccia, and Les Deux Mathieux. Each distinctly different from the others in texture, weight, and character, as a group they bring into focus the wondrously diverse potential of the winegrowing regions of northern California.


Introducing the 2008 Sogni della Speccia: Seductively textured field blend from Shale Peak
Veins of vertically upthrust volcanic shale comprise the soil in the remote Solano County Shale Peak Vineyard. These earthen seams form a foundation from which rises fruit of uncommonly pure and resonant character. Just under an acre in size, the plot is planted mainly to Sangiovese with a little Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah rounding out the cast of characters. This unexpected combination -- varieties grown on a site of rousing geology, in an unheralded and overlooked appellation -- yields a wine which is a testament to California’s still largely unexplored viticultural potential. While co-fermentation seamlessly brings together the disparate elements of this field blend, it is the Sangiovese whose voice rings clearly in the 2008 bottling. Focused, bright, and unrelenting, it unfolds on the palate like a hall of mirrors.

17 cases produced; 10 are available at this offering.
$24/btl, $288/cs.



Return of the Intrigues: 2008 Ost-Intrigen, because you demanded it.

The abrupt disappearance of the 07 Ost-Intrigen following this year’s Vernal Release was no surprise, considering how little of it is produced each year; what did come unexpectedly were the insistent demands that the 08 be made available as soon as possible. Though originally slated for an early 2011 release, the wine is showing so well at this moment that it seemed propitious to acquiesce. Austrian in origin, the St. Laurent winegrape yields an exotically scented and lushly textured wine of unbridled sensual allure. So uncommon in California as to be virtually non-existent—the 90 vines sequestered in Carneros that yield the Ost-Intrigen may in fact be the only ones in the state—this wine is among the rarest of the Rare Creatures.


11 cases produced
$22/btl, $264/cs.

**Please note that the 08 Ost-Intrigen doesn’t appear on the secure online order form at forlornhopewines.com; to place an order for this wine, simply fill out billing and shipping information as usual, and then indicate how many bottles/cases you’d like in the field provided for messages to me at the bottom of the form. Trés simple.



Les Deux, part… deux. The 2006 LDM is now on the loose.

This time, it’s for real! The 2006 Les Deux Mathieux is finally, officially released. “Accidentally” pre-released in a warehouse mix-up a year ago, some of you might have gotten your hands on a bottle of this long-lived Petite Sirah even before I did. Now, though, this wine -- the beginning of the whole Forlorn Hope project -- is ready to showcase its second vintage. Dense, powerful and brooding, it follows in the footsteps of the 05 in its exhibition of the captivating balance of power and finesse that is a hallmark of the vineyard. Delicious now, the 06 LDM will continue to evolve in bottle for a decade or more.

97 cases produced
$42/btl, $504/cs.



Fall Six-Pack with free shipping

For the 2010 Autumnal Release we are pleased to offer the friends of the Forlorn Hope free shipping with the purchase of two bottles each of the 08 Ost-Intrigen, 08 Sogni della Speccia and 06 Les Deux Mathieux. Just include a message for me at the end of the order form that says “Fall Six-Pack with free shipping” and it’s on. Wine cost: $176 plus tax.



Click here to order your Forlorn Hope wines

As always, we thank you for your interest in the Rare Creatures of the Forlorn Hope collection. It is our great pleasure to continue to produce natural wines that are the pure expression of the relationship between site and vine, offering a diverse array of alternatives to the ordinary and overproduced. We enjoy nothing more than sharing them with you.

Please contact us directly if you have any questions regarding the wines, the Forlorn Hope collection, events, private tastings and winemaker dinners.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Matthew

Koyaanisqatsi

-


My dear friend Khan Duong of iKhanh Studio (It is worth your time to check out his photos.) posted this video on his Facebook page the other day.



Khanh gets it. Here is what he said in response to the video:

Beautifully executed visual and music combo..Reminds me of "Koyaanisqatsi"

In the Hopi language, the word Koyaanisqatsi
means "crazy life, life in turmoil, life out of balance, life
disintegrating, a state of life that calls for another way of living".

Yep. That sounds about right. I think that not enough of the rest of us "get it." The people I'm meeting here in Italy get it. Maybe Italians in general just get it! (I'm starting to think this.) I also think I'm beginning to get it. I had an amazing day yesterday and I'd like to share some of what it taught me. I spent the day driving up to a little village called Sampeyre in Italy. Then we drove up into the foggy, chilly mountains high above the village to the home of Quinto, an amazing cheese maker. It made me think to myself that if more people would only take the time to invite friends and family over for a meal more often, take the time to create that meal with love and care from ingredients raised, grown with love and care, that the world would be a much different, better place. Yes. Yes, that sounds totally cheesy. I know it. I don't care.




Here is how we spent our day:

We got up early and had our caffé and biscotti and left the house at 9:30.
We stopped at a great little bar on the way for an aperitivo at around 11:30
We stopped in 2 adorable little mountain villages and bought some incredible gnocchi-like noodles to serve later and some bread, stumbled upon a small event in a square with a brass band. We listened to all kinds of music in the car and laughed and told stories and jokes the whole way (about 2.5-3hours all told.) It seemed like half an hour!







We arrived at our destination at around 1pm and were greeted by Diana and Orso the sweet cattle dogs, a couple of hunters and our dear host Quinto who makes very literally the best cheese and butter I have ever tasted.

We started off with some artisanal salumi and Quinto's delicious cheeses and butter with the bread we just picked up an hour before. Wine of course! Started off with Armonia from La Bruna a delicious, light dolcetto. Lots of stories, laughing, talking, eating, drinking and general merriment.








After this we dug into the delicious beef and potatoes Quinto had been cooking all morning. We got into the San Luigi DOCG dolcetto di Dogliani 2007 from La Bruna for this one. Medium body and delicious. Perfect with the beef! Delicious! More stories, more joking and laughing. Some cookies for dessert with caffè corretto. Then off for a nice walk with Quinto, my new friend Nadia and the cattle dogs Diana and Orso to find his happy Alpine milk cows.


We found them:






Talk about happy cows... the cheese and butter from these glorious beasts is incomparable.






















After our walk, we came back and somehow managed to eat even more! This time some spaghetti with salumi, white wine, shaved parmesean and a little bit of tomato. Simple and perfect. More bread, more cheese, more wine. Now the Luigina from La Bruna a nearly opaque blend of barbera, merlot and nebbiolo and sublime with the salumi and strong cheeses.

This is when the real fun began! After dinner we pulled out the digestivo and the harmonica! Yes, NOW it's a party! Turns out that Bruno and Quinto are fantastic singers and harmonica players! Not the time to forget the video camera! And NOT the time for the camera battery to die. But, you know... sometimes these things happen. Sigh... You'll have to take my word for it that there was a lot of laughing and carrying on!








What is my point with all of this? I mean, sure... it is fun; the food is inspired; the wines are delicious. But what am I getting at? I'm getting at slowing down, at taking time, at change of pace and venue, at sanity, balance and a better way of living. Can we do this every day? Probably not. But I'd like to encourage you to do this:

Invite your family and friends to your home often. MAKE TIME FOR THIS on a REGULAR basis. This is what life is for as far as I'm concerned---to share sweet moments together. And really, most of them are sweet if you think about it. If you are really THERE for it. Invite your friends, family, even strangers into your home, into your life, into your heart. I think this could change the world. Really. (Yes, there I go getting all cheesy again.) Try spending a little less time in front of the tv, a little less time complaining, thinking about useless arguments, or busying yourself with unproductive pastimes.

Pick up a cookbook. Go to your grandmother's house. Invite your sisters over, your best friends, some coworkers, a stranger. Leave your door open (haha depending on your neighborhood of course!) Set an extra place at your table (you never know who might pop in.) Cook together; eat and drink together; laugh and sing and be silly together. Spend a long day/evening together. I think you might be amazed at the restorative effect this will have on everyone it touches---simple but profound effects---a few more subtle smiles on the faces and in the hearts of people throughout the day as they remember the good times around the table with the people they love best.





Now, run along, call your friends, your family and invite them over for some food, some wine, and really spend some time together. Take a walk, play some games, sing songs, be silly together, laugh and hug each other.

Where in the World is Wine Ophelia

Right now I'm here, at the beautiful winery La Bruna in Dogliani, Italy. It is nestled in the hills of San Luigi in between Dogliani and Monforte d'Alba. I've been working harvest (la vendemmia) here while I work on my current culinary/wine tourism project seeking out beautiful, historic, local, artisanal wines and foods as well as charming, culturally relevant accommodations. (And am I EVER finding it!!) My deepest thanks to Sebastiano Ramello of Piemonte Wines for helping me with my trip and to Bruno Andriano my host for his incredible kindness and generosity.



I'd like to share with you the story of La Bruna and the truly lovely wines that they make here:

The historic winery and vineyards of La Bruna have been in the Andriano family since the beginning of 1850 when Dogliani was but a speck on a map. Giuseppe Andriano, great-grandfather of the current owner Bruno Andriano, inherited this lovely piece of land between picturesque Dogliani and Monforte d'Alba In the rolling hillsides of San Luigi.
The vineyard extends over 20 hectares, 17 of which are planted exclusively with dolcetto with 39,000 vines. The southwest exposure and 400m altitude are quite favorable for viticulture. The vineyards are cultivated with great respect for the environment and all work is done by hand.





The vines are trained in Guyot style rendering a production of around 2kg of grapes per vine.

Piero Ballario, oenologist for La Bruna and his wife Alessandra provide the winery with the expertise to pull the best out of the dolcetto,producing around 55,000 bottles.



The wines of La Bruna are:

This is one to drink every day if you can! (I certainly am!!)

Langhe Dolcetto ARMONIA: Fermentation in small tanks of 25-50 hectoliters for around 7 days, then in steel tanks for 8 months. Armonia has lovely translucent violet-red color. The bouquet offers bright, just-ripe cherry aromas. On the palate it is youthful with pure, clean fruit, a lively acidity and good tannins and the same bright, ripe cherry notes with a pleasant, faint rose petal acidic finish.

Dolcetto di Dogliani pi cit: Fermentation in small tanks of 20-50 hectoliters for around 7 days then in steel tanks for 9 months. Pi cit has a translucent ruby red color with violet hues. The bouquet is ample with intense ripe black cherry and ripe blackberry and a whiff of spice. On the palate, gorgeous ripe black cherries, subtle leather and a slight chervil note, good tannins and a long pleasant floral, bright cherry finish.

This is the staple of the winery and has developed an incredible reputation in the area.

Dogliani San Luigi DOCG: Fermentation in small tanks of 20-50 hectoliters for around 7 days, steel tanks for 5 months, oak barrels for 5 months, then in bottles for 6 months.
La Bruna Dogliani San Luigi has been DOCG since 2005.
This is the house Cru and is among the most celebrated in the region.
This wine is a very intense, almost opaque ruby red with violet hues. On the bouquet it has concentrated ripe black cherry aromas. The palate is mature and well-structured with delicious ripe black cherry and dark forest berry notes. Firm and pleasant tannins support the ample fruit. It has a long finish with tobacco notes, cherry and herbs.

And this brings us to my personal favorite at the winery:

Langhe Luigina: An assemblage from the best of the barbera, merlot and nebbiolo vines. Fermentation is in small tanks of 20-50 hectoliters for around 7 days then steel tanks for 9 months. After this it rests in barriques for a year to provide it with a balanced structure, complexity and ability to age well.
Gorgeous dark, nearly opaque, red-violet color that belies its lovely extraction. Beautiful aromas of ripe cherries and thyme. On the palate it is complex, lively with acidity, and present, but not overwhelming, tannins. It has notes of mild leather, subtle chocolate, bright cherries, herbs and a lovely floral component. The finish is long and pleasant with an herbal/floral note. It is best served below room temperature and can stand up to a wide range of foods.

From time to time they also make a chardonnay that is aged in barriques for 9 months.

This is not a manifesto.

What is Wine Ophelia looking for in a wine? Authenticity. Palatability. Done.

There is a good bit of chatter these days on the internet about “Natural Wine.” What is it exactly? How does one define it? Does anyone really care? I really enjoy what many people are calling “natural wine.” But I have to say that I've had a lot of so-called natural wines that taste like shit. Really. Not that I've tasted shit, but I can imagine... Anyway, what I look for in a wine is something as authentic

authentic |ôˈθentik| (abbr.: auth.)
adjective
1 of undisputed origin; genuine : the letter is now accepted as an authentic document | authentic 14th-century furniture. See note at genuine .
• made or done in the traditional or original way, or in a way that faithfully resembles an original : the restaurant serves authentic Italian meals | every detail of the movie was totally authentic.• based on facts; accurate or reliable : an authentic depiction of the situation.• (in existentialist philosophy) relating to or denoting an emotionally appropriate, significant, purposive, and responsible mode of human life. (*added on 1/31/12)

...as possible that still tastes delicious to me. I just don't want the winemaker to haul out the chemistry set to give me a monotonous giant fruit and alcohol bomb that tastes the same year after year after boring year. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Snoozefest.

That being said, some people who have too much time on their hands and who like to hear themselves talk (and they are the only ones who do) say that wine itself isn't natural. We've grafted onto the rootstock. We add things to it and mess with it. Whateverthefuck. I don't care. You can nit pick a thing to death no matter what the subject and I don't have time for these nit pickers. Go find a monkey somewhere and have at it. What I'm after is something as authentic (*see above) as possible that is still palatable to me. I love to see what has happened in the field during the year. I want to taste the extraction of lack thereof. Don't mask it with oak. Balance it out? Sure? Give it a little structure? Sure. But I want to experience what the grapes experienced. I like a minimal hand in the winemaking process. Guide it along, but don't intervene overmuch. Don't let it die. Dont' let it get a brett infection. Don't let the VA take over. Please, for the love of all things good and decent, don't let the VA take over! Ick!

I think that's all I really have to say. I'm looking for a passionate grape grower, a winemaker who wants the life of the grape that year to show in the bottle, year after interesting year, without adding too much to it. The end.

France! Wahooooo!!

What a whirlwind I've been on! Arrived in Paris on Monday. Visited with my cousins, and one other friend.

















Got to “enjoy” a train worker strike.
While I did NOT get to go to visit Thierry Puzelat (thanks striking train workers... thanks A LOT!) I nevertheless ate well, drank well, got some great shoes (always an important part of a Paris visit) and went to a few of my favorite spots in my old stomping grounds near La Sorbonne.


My favorite still has to be the Jardin de Luxembourg. My habit was always to take a coffee at Le Rostand and to go sit and read by the Fontaine de Medicis.




Le sigh... it is as gorgeous as ever. And I had been so proud of myself for not crying. Silly. I knew I would sooner or later. I always do. One look at the Fontaine de Medicis and it was all over. Couldn't hold back the tears. Not a full on sob-fest mind you... just a few little tears of joy, sorrow. Je ne sais quoi.
I didn't get enough time in Paris. Ok. That is just a moronic thing to say. I never get enough time in Paris. But this time it REALLY was not enough. Just 2 days.




Then I was off to Antibes to visit dear old friends. I had never been to Antibes before. This place is just beautiful. It has (as do so many French cities) a little historic section, Ancien Antibes.




I loved the sandy beaches in Antibes and preferred this to the galets (large pebbles) of Nice. The color of the water is INSANE. My photos don't begin to do it justice. My friends in Antibes took me to so many lovely places. Eze and St. Paul de Vence. Both gorgeous, historic hilltop villages overlooking the Cote d'Azur



Lots of lovely little places to sit, eat, have coffee and chat...just to relax and enjoy life. Perfection.