I am undone

[Florida Jim]

Of all places, St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to one of the finest Italian markets I have encountered this side of New York City. For Christmas, my brother had gotten us a gift certificate and today we planned to redeem it for a wonderful assortment.

Among the goodies that went home with us were breads, pastries, biscotti, olives, capers, cheeses and, of course, wine.

Working at one of the counters was an acquaintance of some years, Pasqual. He is the owner and only salesperson of a small distributor of mostly French wines. He is always impeccably dressed, soft spoken and filled with the passion and knowledge of his trade. Today he asks me to try the 2001 Domaine Montaude, Minervois, which he says is made from 100% Carignan. The only other Minervois I have had, Pasqual introduced me to; the Abbaye de Tholomies. I have written about it several times and, although its varietal make-up is different than the Montaude, it is a fine wine, indeed. I still have a few bottles collecting dust in the cellar and I look forward to tasting each.

Pasqual tells me that the Montaude vines are all over 100 years of age, some almost 125 years old. The wine is aged in Asian oak and, upon tasting, I notice a very slight sort of caper-like aroma accenting the berry and spice tones that dominate. The palate is quite rich and integrated, smooth, concentrated and ripe without any hint of over-ripeness. Of course, I am tasting from a plastic cup the size of a fifty-cent piece, so I am less than convinced. But the price is $9/bottle, so I take one along.

At dinner tonight, we opened this Minervois to accompany grilled porkloin; sautéed mashed potatoes with celeriac; and, caramelized onions with sautéed green beans, peas and wild mushrooms.

What a wine!

I keep silent so that Diane can speak her mind uninfluenced – about three sips in she says, “this is yummy.” Precisely.

It is ready now, with remarkable concentration that must come from the old vines and as smooth and seamless as it is rich. I pace myself so that I can see how it develops over time and it does nothing but get better. I am undone.

All this for $9, full retail.

Imported by Siema LLC, Springfield, VA.

I will be calling Pasqual tomorrow. If I thought he’d answer, I’d call tonight.

Amazing juice.

Best, Jim

[Andre]

Hi Jim and thanks again,

A couple of questions if I may:

I am not familiar with Asian wood, do you have any information about that?

Is the wine AOC ?

The local wine production law [1985] of the AOC Minervois requires a maximum of 40% Caignan.

I have enjoyed some quite interesting wines made entirely from Carignan like the Fitou, myself.

Also you describe a typical spicy minervois finish. Much of the spices that I have tasted in wines from this area come from Grenach and Mourvedre. Ofcourse there is the oak aging, any idea ?

[Susan in FL]

Thanks, Jim, will check it out next trip to that area of the west coast.

[TatarsHat]

Hi Jim...

Thanks for the tip!! Can you narrow it down a little bit as to where this market is in St. Pete? I live about 45 minutes south and it would make a lovely drive some weekend to find food that you mentioned..

[Fat Guy]

Of all places, St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to one of the finest Italian markets I have encountered this side of New York City.

Well, hey, didn't St. Peter live in Rome?

[Florida Jim]

Hi Jim and thanks again,

A couple of questions if I may:

I am not familiar with Asian wood, do you have any information about that?

Is the wine AOC ?

The local wine production law [1985] of the AOC Minervois requires a maximum of 40% Caignan.

I have enjoyed some quite interesting wines made entirely from Carignan like the Fitou, myself.

Also you describe a typical spicy minervois finish. Much of the spices that I have tasted in wines from this area come from Grenach and Mourvedre. Ofcourse there is the oak aging, any idea ?

Andre,

I never heard of Asian oak - maybe he meant Russian?

It is labeled as Minervois but the bottle has gone to recycling so I can't tell you if it was AOC - in view of the regulation you site, likely not.

No idea about the spice.

For those interested in the market it is:

Mazzaro

2909 - 22nd Avenue North

St. Petersburg, FL

727-321-2400

Best, Jim