Craig Camp
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Posts posted by Craig Camp
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punching down the cap by hand
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the cap on a tank of fermenting Deux Vert pinot noir
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Great photos, Craig! I'm glad to see an Oregon member chiming in here, particularly one who, ahem, mentored my earliest posts on eGullet.
Will you be posting more photos and reports as the season progresses?
What is the forecast for your autumn up there? Does harvest look like an all at once slam now that fruit is finally getting ripe?
I will keep updating with photos as I get a chance. Rain is the biggest issue right now. After several days of rain last week, some vineyards dropped a full two brix. Then there is the issue of botrytis after many berries burst. We had to rush in several vineyards because of this, but after some tough selection, what we got was very good.
Rain is threating again today, but the weather service is more often wrong than right in the Willamette Valley. If the rain holds off long enough, we will have about 12 tons of pinot noir arriving today - 8 from our estate vineyard behind the winery, with the rest being Pommard clone from Hawks View.
On the bright side it looks like 2005 will produce (like 2004) more graceful wines with alcohol levels closer to 13 than 14 where they were in 2002 and especially 2003 (where many pushed 15).
More later...
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The sunshine has finally peaked out this afternoon after a string of cold and rainy days. The 2005 north Willamette Valley growing season has been an up and down affair. First a drought plagued winter with only 25% normal precipitation, was followed by a cool, wet spring that made for a poor flowering and extensive shatter. The unusually warm summer was plagued by powdery mildew, mites and even voles.In early September it seemed the harvest was going to be early, but it suddenly cooled off and then rained and here it is October 4th and we have only just started to pick pinot noir. It is far too early to judge quality, but the fruit in the fermenters is of very high quality due to rigorous selection in the vineyard and winery. However, quantity is going to be very low for the second vintage in a row.
Here is a look at some of the pinot noir so far:
Deux Vert Vineyard - a warm site on Willakenzie soil in the Carlton-Yamhill AVA - picked September 28th
Hawks View - a cool site at the eastern end of the Chehalem Mountains - picked today, October 4th
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1. If given the choice of someone who was a passionate advocate for the product or someone who was a great sales person (the two are often not the same).
In my experience--I would hire the great sales person.
2. As I see it, the mission of a wholesaler (of anything) is to sell.
In an ideal world the passion for the product and the salesmanship would go hand in hand--in reality they usually do not.
1. If you are looking for someone to sell Rutherford Hill Merlot I could not agree more. However, if you need someone to sell Dover Canyon Sangiovese passion and knowledge wins out over sales skills. If you need to move boxes hire a sales ace, if the quality of your placements is more important than the quantity hire a passionate wine person.
2. This is why small wine producers should avoid big wholesalers like the plague. If a company's mission is only to sell, my 200 case lots of single vineyard pinot noirs are not very interesting to them. In fact, small allocations are more an irritation to a major wholesaler than an asset.
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There is no doubt that the wholesale tier of the three tier system is the weak point when it comes to wine knowledge. For every top wine sales professional out there, there are a dozen who are just there for the job - they could be selling anything. This also applies to the management of these companies. Of course, most of the wine sold is not fine wine, but mass brands and these can be sold by anyone with enough hustle.
Wholesale wine companies with well-trained wine sales professionals (Skurnick in New York, Maverick in Chicago and Henry Wine Group in California to cite just a few examples) often dominate their fine dining wine market, while the mega-distributors flounder and retreat to the grocery stores and chain restaurants. Their usual solution to this inability to enter the fine dining market is to buy up smaller wine companies, which they then quickly destroy by corrupting their fine wine culture. They never understand that if the sales representative on the street does not have a passion for fine wines, they will never be able to sell them. Hustle is not enough to sell small production wines with distinctive personality, it takes knowledge and passion to tell their story.
The best fine wine salespeople share the passion and see the vision of the winemaker. They drink wine at home and match it with fine food as these things are something they love and it shows in their work. While you can train someone in good sales technique, you can't give them this passion for food and wine if they don't have it.
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I don't know where you are looking, but it must be in the wrong places. If anyone does not drink the best Italian wine it is the Italians. The top ranked producers throughout Italy routinely export 80+% of their production outside of Italy.
You mention wines like Roero and Valtellina Superiore Sfursat, but in Italy you will be hard pressed to find them outside their own regions at anything but the most enlightened wine bars, ristorante and enoteca. I lived in Italy for several years and it is far easier to find extensive selections of the full range of top Italian estates in New York or Chicago than it is in Milano or Roma. Sagrantino di Montefalco is a hot topic in the American wine press and I can buy good Negroamaro or Primitivo in grocery stores in the small town I live in in Oregon. New York has some staggeringly inclusive wine lists that dig deeply into even the most obscure wine region.
The fine wine business in Italy is driven by exports not by domestic consumption.
By the way the French are no better than this than the Italians.
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..by the way. I did not realize what a great deal Marcarini had become. The Vietti Brunate 01 (a wine I also like) is $105 at Zacky's. A quick look at Marcarini Brunate 01 averages in the mid-$40s. That may be the best value in Barolo out there for this vintage.
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thinking there is great Barolo out there for under $50 in today's market.///The best value out there for under $50 that is easy to find is probably the Fontanafredda Serralunga Barolo. No, it is not great Barolo, but is is very good Barolo, fine nebbiolo and fairly priced.
Craig,
wouldn't you put Marcarini in the very good, if not great, category? Or is their something about 2001 I don't know? I just ordered some Brunate and 1 La Serra for $40 each from Zachys, maybe I goofed.
Those are some great prices. I consider Marcarini one of the finest producers in the entire Barolo zone and the finest in La Morra. Brunate is always in competition for the vintages finest wines. I have tasted the 2001 Marcarini wines many time over the last two years and they are extraordinary. Grab them both up.
Marcarini has worked very hard to keep their prices down in the face of bad exchange rates as has their importer, Neil Empson. Vintage after vintage they are bargains. There are still Marcarini 98's and 99's around that are a veritable steal!
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The next food match was fennel sausage and a ratatouille (OK- the latter was southern French, but there must be an Italian equivalent….)
Next up was a vitello tonnato – veal cooked in wine and covered in a tuna sauce, served cold (it would be interesting to know the origin of this dish). Better with white wines because of the fish, but passable with reds.
With a Tuscan meatloaf (what is the Italian for meatloaf?)
ratatouille is about the same as the Sicilian Caponata
vitello tonnato is a Piemontese classic.
Meat loaf would be called Polpettone
..by the way I love Vintage Tunina.
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I read in Wine Spectator that there are some quality 01' Barolos for under $50USD but I can't find any 01's on the market. Were they premature in their story?
Well you have made two mistakes, one is relying on The Wine Spectator for information on Piemontese wines and the other is thinking there is great Barolo out there for under $50 in today's market.
For better information try www.piedmontreport.com
The best value out there for under $50 that is easy to find is probably the Fontanafredda Serralunga Barolo. No, it is not great Barolo, but is is very good Barolo, fine nebbiolo and fairly priced. For great Barbaresco value you can't beat the Produttori dei Barbaresco.
If you are looking for value in nebbiolo seek out 2001 Nebbiolo d'Alba or 2000 Gattinara or Ghemme. Also you can still find excellent Barolo and Barbaresco in the market from the very fine 1998 vintage and outstanding 1999 vintage at better prices than current releases.
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Tom Wark's impassioned comments on the Enologix article that appeared in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine (NY Times link) on his "Fermentations" Blog are well worth a read as is the interesting article by David Darlington in the Times discussed above.
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Global Wines
in Wine
Let's not forget that both Gallo and Kendall-Jackson are responsible for a number of "induividual" or more interesting wines under various labels in addition to their "mass produced" wines.Like what?
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How many will there be in your group? This makes a big difference with which tour company to recommend.
Also, please come visit us!
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The 1983 Tokaji Oremus, 5 puttonyos is not past its prime. The director of Oremus was the director of the former communist cooperative that produced Tokaji and was able to select the finest wines to be acquired by the new Oremus label, which by the way, is the property of the great Vega Sicilia of Spain.
I have had the pleasure of this wine several times including in the cellars at Oremus and it is a lovely bottle. A Tokaji with 5 puttonyos is so sweet it can last almost forever, so a 83 is not past its prime, but only warming up. Don't serve it too cold as it will kill many of the nuances of this fine bottle. I would suggest cool celler temperature, or about 45 degrees.
I would recommend it with some fine cheeses and nuts to highlight the flavors.
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This may or may not be helpful but when the grouphead gasket of a commercial espresso machine (where the portafilter/brew basket assembly locks on) is replaced, one generally applies a thin film of food graded silicone lubricant to the top of the gasket where it stays (gel form in a tube for about $4 per tube) in constant contact with the hot internal metal part of the machine.
This simplifies removal but I suspect that it also facilitates a better seal and lengthens the life span of the gasket. Might be worth trying with a moka pot.
By the way, a moka pot does not make expresso, it makes a moka.This is true but in every Italian-Americn family I know people call it "espresso" when it's made at home in a moka pot and still call it espresso when it's acquired in a cafe where it's made in a real espresso machine. I'm curious to know if this is also the case in Italy.
No, in Italy they would not call coffee from a moka espresso. In fact they don't really say espresso that much as if you order a coffee at a bar or restaurant it is assumed that it is an espresso and they they will make a point to tell you if it is not espresso and is a moka. At home you are very likely to be served a moka if you are offered coffee, this is also expected. Any Italian can tell the difference between a moka and an espresso just by looking.
There are a lot of Italian American expressions that don't have much to do with Italian usage.
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Today, just like almost every other day, I made myself coffee/espresso i
By the way, a moka pot does not make expresso, it makes a moka.
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Today, just like almost every other day, I made myself coffee/espresso in my Bialetti Moka Pot. The difference was, that it started to whistle at a very high pitch. I went over, and saw some bubbling around the area where the two pieces come together. Now, I just replaced the rubber ring about a month ago, after the original was in there for about a year and a half, so I doubt it's that. Once it was cool, I checked it out and nothing seemed out of place. Could the threads on the two pieces be wearing down? What do you all suggest?? Has this happened to anyone before?
Try cleaning the gasket and if that does not work replace it again. The gasket is the usual culprit. It happens to ours all the time, but we use it several times a day.
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Andre, I could not agree more with your first comments. However, most of the wines you list are from some of the very people leading the way down the path you decry. Argiolas, Antinori, Chiarlo and Morgante are perfect examples of producers with no regard for terroir, while Pasqua is neutral industrial wine. At least your Brunello producers have some respect for terroir.
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It might be an inferior grade of cork. Does the cork have a tight, smooth grain, or is it full of "swiss cheese" type holes?
The Natural Cork Quality Council
A fun site, with a (somewhat oversimplified) visual grading system
Llosent & Forschner Cork Suppliers
A good description of the different grades of cork available
I think it goes without saying that Domaine Drouhin is using the finest grade of corks available. I opened a bottle of this elegant beauty last Saturday without a problem. However, as with all natural products, there will be some corks that have faults (other than TCA). Also, as this wine has been in the market some time now, if there were any kind of widespread problem it would have been well reported by now.
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The room is packed with wine lovers clutching oversized wine glasses. Behind each of the dozen or so tables covered with wine bottles stands an Italian winemaker busily pouring their wines into the mob of outstretched glasses in front of them and trying explain in their best English their vinous creations. Through the crowd darts the energetic and passionate Jens Schmidt, owner of Montecastelli Selections. Each of these producers are part of the Montecastelli portfolio - his selections. Jens seems to be at every table at once as he tries to convey his passion for these wines to each of the consumers attending.
The sold-out tasting is at Sam's Wine Warehouse in Chicago, one of the world's largest fine wine retailers. It is not easy for new importers to get their wines into such a high profile store, but almost the entire Montecastelli catalog is represented on the wine racks at Sam's - a tribute to their quality and the sharp palates of Sam's Wine Director Todd Hess and Italian Buyer Greg Smolik. Hess and Smolik are looking over the crowd at the tasting with satisfaction as each guest departs with shopping carts laden with the delicious Montecastelli wines. Their customers are sure to return for more as these wines will taste even better at the dinner table.
Jens and Ruth Schmidt have come a long way in a very short time. Montecastelli was only founded in 1997 and their American importing company was born in 2002, yet they have established themselves with some of America's most demanding retail buyers and are distributed in 22 states. They have accomplished this with only two tools: a dedication to quality and old-fashioned hard work. Montecastelli is the name of their home and farm in Tuscany where they have restored an 11th century monastery. Here they produce their excellent olive oil and have also established a lovely agriturismo. They are living in reality what so many thousands only dream about.
One thing that is certain when tasting through this portfolio is that all of the wines are absolutely delicious to drink. They are modern wines, yet they pay homage to traditional winemaking and never let modern methods overwhelm the integrity of the vineyard. Jens describes his palate in this way, "Technically speaking I value cleanliness, fruit and natural balance of acidity. I disapprove of even only small amounts of Bret (brettanomyces-a winemaking fault that is sometimes considered acceptable in small amounts), oxidization and lack of acidity. However in our wines I am looking for more: To make things unique I always look for character and integrity. Integrity is the combination of the vintners approach and individuality confronted with the things in nature he cannot change: history, climate and soil type. Character is emerging as a unique expression of the vintner findings over time and his ability to listen and taste."
Indeed each wine in the Montecastelli portfolio is a wine of character.
Recently tasted wines all of which I highly recommended:
Cesani, Toscana (2002 Chianti Colli Senesi, 2001 Ireos, 2000 Luenzo, 2002 Sanice); Cima, Toscana (2001 Montervo, 2001 Romalbo); Col Vetoraz, Veneto (Prosecco di Valdobbiadene - Brut, Extra-Dry, Cartizze, 2001 Millesimato); Collelceto, Toscana (2001 Rosso di Montalcino); Destefanis, Piemonte (2000 Nebbiolo d'Alba); La Rasina, Toscana (1999 Brunello di Montalcino, 2001 Rosso di Montalcino); La Tenaglia, Piemonte (1999 Barbera del Monferrato Tenaglia e', 2000 Barbera d'Asti Giorgio Tenaglia); Le Fonti, Toscana (2001 Chianti Classico, 2000 Vito Arturo); Novaia, Veneto (2000 Amarone della Valpolicella, 2001 Valpolicella Cantoni); Palazzo Bandino, Toscana (2002 Chianti Colli Senesi, 2000 Bandinello); Perticaia, Umbria (2000 Sagrantino di Montefalco); Pira, Piemonte (2001 Dolcetto d'Dogliani -Bricco Botti and Landis, 2001 Barbera - Fornaci and Briccobotti, 2000 Nebbiolo d'Alba Bricco dell'Asino); Ronchi, Piemonte (2000 Barbaresco, 2001 Barbera d'Alba, 2001 Dolcetto d'Alba); Terre del Sillabo, Toscana (2001 Sauvignon, 2001 Gana); Torre Quarto, Puglia (2001 Guappo Rose, Bottaccia Uva di Troia, Quarto Ducale and Tarabuso Primitivo)
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Somewhere between the sublime complexity of the wines of Giuseppe Quintarelli and the dramatic port-like extract and drama of the wines of Dal Forno lives the real Amarone. No other great Italian wine shows such an extreme range in style than that offered by these two renowned Valpolicella producers. Giacomo Conterno and Elio Altare in Barolo and Montevertine and Fonterutoli in Chianti Classico may vary dramatically in style and method, but it is nothing compared to the differences between Quintarelli and Dal Forno.
In between these extremes are many excellent producers and, unfortunately, many commercial producers who use the commercial appeal of the Amarone name to sell wines of inferior quality. I would recommend four very good, but very different producers that fall between the extremes: Speri, Novaia, Castellani and San Rustico.
Currently the wines from the small, but lovely and balanced 2000 vintage are now in the market, but many bottles of the charming, forward 1998 vintage are still on the shelves and may be relative bargains due to better exchange rates when they were released. While Amarone certainly improves with age, the up-front hedonistic character and bit of residual sugar often proves too tempting and pleasurable so few wait to pull the corks - although, if you do, your patience will be rewarded.
Recommended wines:
2000 Novaia Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Vigneto Le Balze (15.5%) ($65)
Brilliant, bright ruby. Just translucent. Warm, rich baked cherry aromas layered with dense fresh raspberry with an earthy note adding complexity. Smooth, yet powerful on the palate with concentrated super-ripe cherry flavors that blend sweet dark fruit flavors with a hard mineral touch. The finish explodes with brilliant fruit and a smooth warmth that is balanced by a fresh acidity. (A-) A Jens Schmidt Selection-Imported by Montecastelli Selections
2000 Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Vigneto Monte Sant'Urbano (15%) ($60)
Brilliant, bright ruby. Barely translucent. Rich sweet and bitter chocolate notes blend with ripe, fresh cherry aromas and a concentrated minerality. Exceptionally rich yet firm and balanced on the palate. This is an intensely firm and flavorful wine with great complexity and depth of fruit. The concentrated bitter chocolate flavors blend with sweet cherry, bitter oranges, build on the palate and flow into a the warm, structured finish that ends with touches of mint and iodine. Ripe, complex and delicious. (A) A Neil Empson Selection-Imported by Empson USA
2000 San Rustico, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico (15%) ($40 - best buy)
Brilliant, bright ruby. Just translucent. Delicate rose and violet aromas expand into cherry liqueur and bitter chocolate notes. Firm tart cherry flavors blend with ripe cherry notes balanced by minty cherry cough drop highlights. The finish is firm with warm cherry fruit balanced by complex earthy, minty and mineral notes.. A very firm wine that has great potential in a few years. Very classic in style.(A-) A John Given Selection-Imported by John Given Wines
1998 San Rustico, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Vigneti del Gaso (15.5%) ($50)
Brilliant light ruby, just translucent. Warm, earthy nose with layers of cooked porcini blended with baked cherry, cassis, cigar smoke and a touch of iodine. Smooth, velvety deep bitter cherry flavors blend with fresh raspberries, cassis and fresh mint. The finish is very expansive with the mint flavors growing joined by bitter chocolate, bright cherry and menthol. Complex and exceptional layered - the lively long cherry menthol finish is amazing. This is not an overwhelming, port-like Amarone, but a balanced wine with fresh acidity to counter the alcohol and ripe fruit. (A) A John Given Selection-Imported by John Given Wines
1998 Michele Castellani, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Monte Cristi ($40)
Deep, bright ruby. Just opaque. Pungent, raspberry jam and cassis aromas. Clean deep cherry fruit. Ripe and big on the palate. Long huge bittersweet fruit flavors blend with bitter chocolate and cassis liqueur flavors. The mouth-filling flavors are long and complex. Warm, lush dark cherry flavors broaden into a warm satisfying finish. (A-) A Mario Belardino Selection-Imported by Bedford International
1998 Michele Castellani, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Cinque Stelle, Collezione Ca' del Pipa
Dark dense ruby. Big bittersweet black current nose with a pungent iodine note broadening into tar and burnt cherries. Bitter cherry cough drops with big, tarry black raspberry fruit flavors. Very tight and firm even with all this sweet fruit power. The finish is hard and soft at the same time with firm tannins and very ripe cherry and dark chocolate flavors going into a warm almost brandy-like burn. (A) A Mario Belardino Selection-Imported by Bedford International.
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Considering the general effectiveness of ICE at marketing Italian wines, perhaps this will be a more successful than usual Vinexpo for Italian producers.
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Same old, same old - visit Free the Grapes
Oregon Pinot Noir Harvest Starts...
in Wine
Posted
A tank of Deux Vert Vineyard pinot noir has finished its fermentation and is being loaded into the press (by myself and Juan). First the free-run wine is drawn off and then the remainder needs to be shoveled by hand into the press. We use 2-ton open top fermenters for pinot noir. After being loaded into the press, the remaining free-run wine is put into tanks for malolatic, while the press run is separated for our second label.