This month’s edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, hosted by the crew at Grape Juice, snuck up on me. Truth is, I almost decided not to participate. I could cite a multiplicity of excuses. However, it’s mainly just that the theme – wines having something, anything, to do with the letter “S” – struck me as, well, Silly. But then I realized that since I first started participating in WBW, I’ve only missed one episode, number 38, hosted by Ryan and Gabriella at Catavino. (Sorry guys, I had appendicitis.) Not wanting to drop the ball again, I decided to take up the reins and take this “S” thing Seriously.
I didn’t go crazy trying to hunt down something with maximum S-potential, nor did I go out of my way to come up with something smart and snappy. Instead, I opted for a wine I’d tasted and enjoyed recently that just happened to include a leading S or two.
Coste della Sesia Rosato “Rosa del Rosa,” Proprietà Sperino 2007
The Coste della Sesia – literally, Slopes of the Sesia – is a relatively obscure DOC region, nestled alongside Lessona and near Ghemme and Gattinara, in the northeastern corner of Piemonte. The name comes from the river Sesia, a tributary of the Po, which finds its source in the glaciers of Monte Rosa at the Swiss/Italian border.
Winegrower Paolo de Marchi, of Tuscany's Isole e Olena fame, came to the region a few years back, seeking to return to his family’s original roots. Along with his son Luca, he established a new wine estate, Proprietà Sperino. This is their third vintage of “Rosa del Rosa” – a saignée of Nebbiolo, Croatina and Vespolina – to have been released commercially in the US.
The leafy backdrop in my garden studio makes the wine look a bit darker than it actually is. Nonetheless, it’s far from pale. Great color extraction hints at the grip to come. Notes of cranberry, orange peel, citrus confit, raspberry and red licorice all come to mind on the nose and follow through in the mouth. At once completely dry, bracing in acidity, generous in texture and boldly fruity, it’s really a pleasure to drink and delivers a wide range of food matching possibilities. Simply superb with a Monday night dinner of turkey burgers and farm fresh salad. $18. 13% alcohol. Cork. Importer: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ.
If you'd like to test your Italian, here's some info about the DOC discipline for Coste della Sesia. And if you're up for more reading, feel free to check out my write-ups of a few other wines from Coste della Sesia and Lessona.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
WBW 47: S is for…
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12 comments:
at least you didn't drink Syrah......
Dugg (or is "Digged"?) it. Nice work. And sorry bill, I did a Syrah (http://2daysperbottle.blogspot.com).
Have you had the Sella coste della sesia rosato? All Nebbiolo. Tasty - I liked it much more than the Orbello. It had grip and a real bitter snap that grew endearing (or maybe it mellowed with some air). The Propieta Sperino Rosa del Rosa sounds good too, I've only seen their Uvaggio rosso until your post.
What's up with the WBW site it hasn't been updated lately.
Thanks for the Digg, D. Bill's comment is a bit of an inside joke, as he thinks he doesn't like Syrah.
Like the new tag, Joe. I haven't had Sella's rosato yet, so thanks for the tip. Now that you mention it, there's an attractively bitter element so Sperino's rosato as well. Also look out for Sperino's Lessona -- seriously expensive but serious juice. Concentrated yet finely detailed and elegant, like just about all of De Marchi's wines.
TWG,
I don't have any privileged insider knowledge. However, I do believe that both the WBW and WBC (Wine Book Club) sites are administered by Tim Elliott (Winecast). He's been on hiatus for the last couple of months so the sites, including his own, have hit the backburner.
Not to nitpick but "coste" here means "slopes"
Nit well picked, Terence. And thank you. Correction made. For those curious, I had originally translated Coste della Sesia as "Coasts of the Sesia."
Thanks, David, though the tag will unfortunately be short lived. I figured that there is already the well known and widely respected SFJoe, and I don't want to follow a similar formula of city followed by Joe tag. Not to mention the possible confusion between SFJoe who lives in New York (?) and B-more Joe who lives in SF. All future comments will be under my civilian name.
Joe,
Given how I post, I obviously respect your decision. However, if you decide to go back to the B-more Joe tag, I think there's plenty of room in the world. Besides, who would confuse San Francisco with Baltimore?
You say "silly" like it's a bad thing. Personally, with all the serious snobbishness that surrounds wine, I find silliness refreshing!
I can be as silly as the next guy, Dale, probably sillier. And I'm also sure I've been called a snob by someone or the other at some point.
When it comes to WBW, I tend to favor the episodes that have a more focused theme, i.e., region, variety, etc. The "pick a wine, any wine" versions just don't make my socks run up and down.
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