Club Vino October 2020
Ciao a tutti,
October is Italian Heritage month and as a proud first generation Italian - American, I just wanted to re-emphasize my sincere gratitude by stating again this month:
“Hello to all my fellow club members and wine lovers. In light of recent events, I feel the need more than ever to thank you again for all the continued support of Enoteca Della Santina and the wine club, which has been a passion of mine for over 25 years. From its early 90’s inception late at night in the dining room of the ten table Della Santina’s to its current location at 127 East Napa Street, Enoteca Della Santina has always been ahead of the curve in its pursuit of discovering fine value wine. I never assume the quality of a wine from a name or region and I strive to find juice from every corner of the world. In short, I love wine and the stories that a bottle can tell about its region, climate and even culture.”
This month’s club highlights one of my favorite varietal regions - Burgundy, France. This term use to be thrown around fifty years ago with boxed wines and large 3 liter glass bottles. These were used as house red wines and labeled as “Red Burgundy!” On the contrary, the two main varietals found in the Burgundy region of France are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These two varietals have definitely made their way around the world in popularity even though they are two of the most difficult grapes to cultivate. I’ve pushed the envelope in this club shipment by including a Gamay Noir from California which is another Burgundian varietal. So you may be thinking, “what is the purpose of having Pinot/Gamay Noir from California, New Zealand and Italy or Chardonnay from France and Oregon in the same shipment?” It’s simple, I wanted to show how all of these varietals, grown in different climates and soil types, can vary significantly in flavor profile and alcohol levels. And, how these varietals have evolved in each of the different growing regions.
This club shipment has three Pinot Noirs from New Zealand, California and Italy as well as a Gamay Noir that I could not pass up from one of my favorite winemakers - Byron Kosuge. The two Chardonnays highlight Oregon and the region of Chablis in Burgundy. Enjoy these wines and give us any feedback you may have. In addition, I would like to introduce Liza Gershman to our Enoteca team. She is our new wine club manager and can be reached at wine@dellasantinas.com. Her experience and marketing expertise bring a wealth of knowledge to the Enoteca and its future direction. Thanks again and remember, “wine is only as good as the company in which it is shared.”
Rob Della Santina
CLUB ARGENTO
B. Kosuge Wines 2018 Carneros Gamay Noir - $21 Cool climate loving varieties like Gamay and Pinot Noir like this kind of weather, and the Gamay in particular shone in 2018. Although the crop was a bit larger than the last few years, there is no drop off in concentration. The fruit came in the door looking about as good as it gets—clean, deeply colored, plump berries but fairly loose clusters.
Prendo Pinot Nero by Elena Walch Italy 2018- $18 Elena Walch is a leading Alto Adige wine estate, in family hands, and belongs to the elite in Italian wine production, with international success. The philosophy of the estate is dedicated to its terroir – the idea that wines must be the individual expression of their soil, climate and cultivation in the vineyard – and that this must be maintained according to principles of sustainability and passed on to the next generation. This wine has a mouth filling and velvety, rich and elegant body with mild tannins. A fine aroma, delicious and fruity on the nose.
Stroller Chardonnay Oregon 2019 - $16 The unoaked Dundee Hills Chardonnay is a mix of all the Chardonnay clones on their property. Whole cluster pressed to mitigate phenolics, delicate aromatics leap out of the glass. Showing notes of ripe pear, candied lemon, and jasmine on the nose, the palate is vibrant yet succulent. Flavors of mandarin orange, baked apple, and ginger along with hints of wet stone fill the front and mid-palate. The initial vibrancy winds down to a long soft finish.
CLUB ORO
Anthill Pinot Noir 2018 - $30 The 2018 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is a blend of wine from the Anthill Farms single-vineyard cuvées, made with about 15% to 20% new French and Austrian oak and 40% whole clusters. Medium ruby-purple, it has pure scents of cranberries, blackberries, black tea leaves, fragrant earth and garrigue. In the mouth, it's concentrated but light on its feet with a silky texture, floral fruits, seamless freshness and a long finish.
Greenhough Pinot New Zealand 2017 - $28 A combination of machine and hand harvested fruit from the Home and Morison Vineyards Vineyard, both managed organically. A young block of Abel clone is currently in conversion to organic certification. The composition of this wine is weighted towards the Dijon 667, 777, 115 and 114 clones which generally provide an attractive fragrance and vibrant, red-fruited elegance. Average vine age for this blend is 15 years.Attractively aromatic. Summer berry-fruits, citrusy, floral notes and a lightly spiced, herbal fragrance. Suggestive of the outdoors. Earth mushroom notes evolve as the wine opens in the glass. The palate is vibrant and brightly red-fruited with a light spicy savouriness and supple structure of well-bound tannins. There is a depth in the exotic guava and quince which have a secondary, preserve-like richness. A refreshing plum-skin tanginess and chalky, minerality balances these ripper flavours.
Angst Chablis,France 2017 - $27 Chablis is an historic wine-producing town and region in northern central France. It produces light, dry, white wines famed for their flinty minerality and crisp acidity. AOC Chablis wines are produced exclusively from the Chardonnay grape variety.This is a delightful and refreshing AOC Chablis with a strong core of fruit.Initial aromas of apple, white peaches, apricots, white flowers, and hints of pear, quince, and cream progress into flavors of peach, apricot, honeydew melon, and quince.Initially, the wine seems medium bodied with perfect balance but then evolves into a very fully flavored and memorable finish.Overall, this is very refreshing and has perfect acidity.