TN: Idlewild Sunday School: Val d'Aosta..(long/boring)

Idlewild SundaySchool: Wines of the Valle d’Aosta Dec 9, 2018

1. Maison Vevey Albert Blac de Morgex LaSalle Dd’OP: Vallee d’Aoste (12%; Prie grape; Own rooted; 7000 btls) 2015:
   Med.gold color; very fragrant appley/pear/spicy/cardamon bit pungent light chalky/perfumed talc classic Alpine
   white lovely nose; quite tart/tangy strong floral/pear/peach/apple some chalky/perfumed talc fairly rich taut/
   wirey flavor; very long/lingering strong floral/apple/pear rather stony/chalky/perfumed talc finish; a lovely
   classic Alpine floral white some richer than most Alpine whites.

2. Elio Ottin Petite Arvine Dd’OP: Vallee d’Aoste (14.5%) 20??: Light yellow color; quite fragrant alpine/floral/
   pear blossom fairly chalky/stony rather perfumed nose; quite tart/tangy bit lean/metallic somewhat austere rather
   stony/mineral/chalky quite floral/pear blossom flavor; very long stony/chalky/mineral rather aromatic/floral/
   pear blossom quite stony/chalky/mineral finish; a classic Alpine white but a bit richer & more aromatic than many;
   a lovely Alpine white.

3. Gros Jean Premetta Dd’OP: Vallee d’Aoste (13.00%; 400 btls) Ollignan 2016: Pale cranberry/garnet rose color;
   very fragrant/perfumed rose-like cranberry/strawberry/floral/spicy quite aromatic nose; very tart/tangy lean/
   light bright strawberry/floral/rose petal slight stony/earthy bit herbal/thyme flavor w/ very light tangy tannins;
   very long/lingering bright rose-petal/floral/cranberry/strawberry quite tart/tangy slight earthy/mineral;
   a very pretty expression of an Alpine rose; reminds a lot of a light Ligurian Rossese.

4. ViniRari Cuvee d’Emile (13.5%; 70% Vien des Nus/ 15% Fumin/15% PetiteRouge; louisdressner.com/producers/vinirari/;
   LOUIS/DRESSNER) 2009: Light color; rather aromatic/perfumed grapey/bit strawberry/
   Grenache-like bit earthy/loamy somewhat rustic quite lovely nose; quite tart rather grapey/strawberry/Grenache-like
   some earthy/loamy/mineral bit complex flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long/lingering quite fruity/grapey/
   strawberry/Grenache-like bit rustic/stony/mineral complex finish w/ light bright tannins; a really lovely
   lightweight Alpine/mineral red that reminds some of Grenache w/ a strong mineral component.

5. Institut Agricole Regional Cornalin Dd’OC: Vallee d’Aoste(13.5%) 2016: Med.light color; very fragrant/perfumed
   raspberry/bit Zin-like light earthy/loamy quite attractive aromatic nose; rather tart bright/spicy/raspberry/
   Zin-like light earthy/loamy slight mineral/stony flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long bright/spicy/raspberry/
   Zin-like/bit peppery light earthy/loamy/stony very pretty finish w/ light tannins; a very pretty rather Zin-like
   red some like a DryCreekVlly/Nalle Zin, some like a Ligurian Rossesse.

6. Feudo di SanMaurizio Vuillermin (13.5%) 2016: Med.dark color; very fragrant/perfumed raspberry/cherry/bit Zin-like/
   somewhat spicy very aromatic nose; fairly tart/tangy strong/fragrant raspberry/cranberry/spicy/bit Zin-like/
   slight peppery bit earthy/stony flavor w/ light tangy tannins; very long/lingering tart fragrant spicy/raspberry/
   cranberry/bit Zin-like/slight peppery slight earthy finish w/ light tannins; quite a pretty aromatic delicious red.

7. Danilo Thomain Enfer d’Arvier Dd’OC: Vallee d’Aoste (13.5%; 100% PetiteRouge) 2015: Med.light color; some earthy/
   dusty quite perfumed strawberry/raspberry/some Zin-like/bright/spicy some juicy/Gamay-like beautiful somewhat complex
   beautiful nose; fairly tart/tangy some earthy/dusty/bit loamy perfumed/spicy/Zin-like/strawberry/raspberry bit
   Gamay-like/juicy flavor w/ light earthy tannins; very long rather earthy/dusty some floral/raspberry/strawberry/
   bit Zin-like/bit Gamay-like rather tart finish w/ light tannins; fair amount of earthy/dusty character but very
   attractive aromatics.

8. Cantina di Cuneaz Nadir Badabec Rosso Dd’OP: Vallee d’Aoste (14.0%; Fumin/PetiteRouge/Vien des Nus) 2011: Dark color;
   bit metallic/earthy/dusty light spicy/perfumed rather complex very interesting nose that suggests a slightly musty/TCA
   presence; bit funky/maybe TCA rather rustic/earthy/dusty slight spicy/perfumed rather complex interesting flaver w/
   light rough/rustic tannins; has a rather rough/rustic/funky character that some thought was due to TCA but not
   obviously corked to me.

9. Les Petits Riens Ici et Maintenant (13.5%; 80% Mondeuse/20% Syrah; own rooted) Stefania Gilamberti & Fabien Bonnet
   2015: Fairly dark color; fairly classic Mondeuse/herbal/thyme/rosemary/pungent somewhat earthy/dusty quite aromatic
   nose; fairly tart/tangy pungent/herbal/Mondeuse/thyme slight blackberry bit earthy/dusty/stony slightly rustic very
   interesting structured flavor w/ modest chewey tannins; very long bit rustic/earthy/dusty strong Mondeuse/herbal/thyme
   finish w/ light crunchy tannins; speaks strongly of Mondeuse but more structured than most from Savoie; actually
   resembles Lagier-Meredith Mndeuse but more rustic and w/o the oak; much like the CortiReserve Mondeuse but more
   earthy/rustic; quite a good expression of Mondeuse.

10. Caves de Donnas Donnas Rosso (13.00%; 100% Nebbiolo) 2015: Light color; some tarry/pungent/Nebb bit floral/lilacs/
    perfumed slight funky/bretty bit rustic/earthy/dusty fairly complex nose; quite tart/tannic rather bretty/funky
    strong floral/Nebb/lilacs bit tarry/pungent fairly complex flavor w/ modest chewy/hard tannins; very long some
    bretty/funky/rustic strong floral/lilacs/Nebb slight tarry/pungent finis w/ light hard/crunchy tannins; speaks
    strongly of Nebb but w/ a more rustic side more like Vaaltelline or Val d’Ossola Nebb; note the high-toned
    character of B/B Nebb; noticible brett but not really dirty/unclean.

More pigafrittle from TheBloodyPulpit:

1. Once a month, SamBilbro offers up in his Idlewild tasting room in Healdsburg what he calls “Sunday School”. This
   is a tasting that focuses on wines from a single region of Italy. The wines of the Val d’Aosta are some of my
   favorite Italian wines. Alas, not at all easy to find. When I found out several months ago that Sam’s Dec
   SundaySchool were Val d’Aosta, I knew that I had to go out for it. That, along w/ Jake’s LimerickLane debut
   of Cruz’s Grenache, sealed the deal for a trip.
   The wines for SS are usually selected by Thomas deBiase, the sorta GM at Idlewild (not exactly sure what his
   title is, if he even has one). His father, Tom deBiase, is a longtime friend from when we met long ago at HdR.
   I knew that Thomas was very knowledgeable about Italian wines, but I was totally blindsided by his extent and
   depth of knowledge. I’m sorta geeky when it comes to obscure Italian varieties. But I was totally unprepared to
   be so vastly out-geeked on these wines by Thomas. I was left in awe. I was expecting to have several/many of
   the Val d’Aosta’s I’d tried before. This turned out to be hardly the case. There was only one of these wines
   I’d ever tried before. In fact, though familiar w/ the D d’OC’s we had, they were all (save one) from producers
   I’d never even heard of. In fact, several of these wines only send a few hundred wines to the entire USofA.
   I would venture to say that this was probably the greatest tasting of Val d’Aosta wines ever held in the USofA.
   A totally unprecented event. And right here in little ole Healdsburg, not NYC or TheCite where hip somms are
   the norm. This kind of SS is enough for me to get religion again!!

2. Premetta: This is a very rare grape, also known as Prie Rouge, that has only about an acre planted in the Vd’A.
   Probably the best writeup on Premetta is in Rob Tebeau’s (RIP) FringeWine:
   (Fringe Wine: Prëmetta - Valle d'Aosta, Italy). Probably the best source on these obscure
   Vd’A grapes is: (www.vitis-vea.de/admin/volltext/e046571.pdf). It does the DNA analysis on a bunch of these
   grapes and the surrounding Savoie/Valais/Piemonte. A rather difficult read. Clearly a grape they should be
   planting all up&down the coast of Calif. Prie Rouge is an ofspring of Prie Blanc and an unknown parent.

3. Vien des Nus: Another indigeneous grape of the Vd’A, particularly associated with the village of Nus. Vien and
   PetiteRouge are the two mostly widely planted varieties in the Vd’A, mostly used in blends. An offspring of
   PetiteRouge & another unknown parent. Clearly another grape they should be planting all up&down the Coast of
   Calif. Giulio Moriondo has a day job w/ the Agricultural Research University and makes only about 100 cs of wine
   on the side, of three Cuvee’s.

4. Cornalin: Another indigenous variety to the Vd’A that was brought back from extinction by the Institut. A grape
   that is on the resurgence in the Vd’A. DNA identified it as the same grape as the HumagneRouge in the Suisse Valais.
   A PetiteRouge X Mayolet cross. The Institut has been very important in bringing back many of these Vd’A indigenous
   grapes. Rob Tebeau has some comments: (Fringe Wine: Cornalin - Valle d'Aosta, Italy)

5. Vuillermin: Another indigenous Vd’A grape that was thought to be extinct, but some vines were discovered in the late
   1900’s by the Institut and rescued from extinction. In 2011, DNA indicated Vuillermin was an ofspring of the Vd’A
   variety Fumin and related to the Trentino’s Nosiola.

6. PetitRouge: Easily the most commonly planted variety in the Vd’A, but it is most often used in blends. Indigenous
   to the Vd’A and no DNA studies relating it to its parentage that I could find. The Enfer d’Arvier DOC is the smallest
   in the Vd’A with only 5 hectares planted to vines.

7. Badabec: This is a mythical giant monster that lives in the forests above Gressan (location of Cuneaz) that feasts
   on misbehaving children in the village. Only 40 cs of this wine brought into the USofA.
   Some people thought this wine was slightly TCA-infected. It certainly had a sort of funky character and lacked
   the perfumey aromatics of the other reds (robbed by the TCA?) but it was not obviously corked to me and to a lot of
   others there as well.

8. PetitsRiens: Pretty rare to find Mondeuse in the Vd’A (I’ve never heard of one) but makes sense since the Savoie
   is fairly close. Only one case of this wines was imported into the USofA.

9. Donnaz: One of the least known outposts of Nebbiolo, along w/ Valli d’Ossola. Up to 10% Freisa is allowed to be
   blended in. The vnyds here appear to be very heroic viticulture much like in the Valtelline.

10. Prie: Also known as Prie Blanc to distinguish it from Prie Rouge or Primetta. It is one of the oldest grape
    varieties in the Vd’A and is the parent of a number of other varieties. It’s a very hardy grape that is mostly grown
    in Morgex in the shadow of MountBlanc.

11. PetiteArvine: A variety mostly found in the Valais of Suisse. And a tiny amount if the Savoie. In fact, d’Agata
    doesn’t even mention it in his Italian varieties book. RobTebeau has a good discussion:
    (Fringe Wine: Petite Arvine - Valle d'Aosta, Italy and Vétroz, Switzerland)

12. Much of this BP was cribbed from Thomas’s handout at SS. I expect he would make you a copy of it, w/ pics,
    if he was asked to do so.

13. Alas, the Vd’A is the smallest growing area in Italy and damnably difficult to find. BionDivino in TheCite is one
    such source, mostly specializing in natural wines. (https://biondivino.com/). Another good source is Enoteca Vino
    Nostro, also in TheCite. (https://www.enotecavinonostro.com). But the Vd’A wines are worth searching out.

14. Though we only had two0 whites, the Vd’A whites have a certain perfume to them that I call “Alpine white”, that
    you find in whites from Valais and the Savoie. If you listen closely to them, you can actually hear JullieAndrews,
    off on the distant mountaintop, pirouting thru an Alpine meadow and singing “The hills are alive…”.
    Of the reds, most of them had a certain perfume to them that I found very attractive. Not too unlike lighter
    DryCreekVlly Zins, but w/ a certain earthy/rustic/dusty character. Fortunately, they were not plagued by a lot of oak.
    Though not really big wines, they have a certain delicate/high-toned character that I would call “pretty”.
    As for their ageibility…haven’t a clue.
    Tom

Hey Tom, great set of notes on some of the most intriguing wines I have ever tasted. I especially liked the interaction between the consumers like you and I with the Industry people who were there Ryan Glaab of Ryme Cellars, Leo Hansen of Leo Steen Wines, Mike Lucia of Rootdown Cellars, Alex Hill of Unti Vineyards and of course Sam Bilbro and Thomas of Idlewild wines. As good as the wines were (and they were terrific) the discussions of the wines, geographies, soils, climate etc and how they relate to other wines around the world was fascinating. First hand opinions from some very knowledgeable industry people.
For me what stood out most was the beautiful minerality on many of the wines, unlike any I have tasted. These wines truly speak of their place.
Many thanks go out to Sam and Thomas for running these informative Sunday School sessions!

Tom, only thing you left out was the delicious Raclette Cheese that was served along with the wheels of Tete De Moine which made quite the pairing with the wines served .

Here are some photos of the evening with some identifying of who is in the photo.

Here is the one and only Tom Hill, friend Susan, Alex Hill of Unti Vineyards and Sam Bilbro (better photo coming up). Also plates of Cheese, potatoes etc for the Raclette.

Our presenter Thomas doing his Italian thing.

View from above. Fellow with full beard and black t shirt is Ryan Glaab of Ryme Cellars. Hidden from view is Mike Lucia of Rootdown Cellars.

Photo of Sam Bilbro, Owner, Winemaker of Idlewild Wines and host of “Sunday School”.

Gentleman with his nose in the glass evaluating is Leo Hansen of Leo Steen Wines.

Nice notes and photos, Tom and Tom! These Idlewild Sunday School sessions sound like fun and I’ll have to see if I can make it to one sometime.

I stopped in at the Idlewild tasting room right before New Year’s and Thomas led my friends and I through a terrific tasting of their current wines (their best yet). Sam was able to come by to talk with us for awhile too. And the previous day I visited Rootdown’s Mike Lucia at his place out at the end of Limerick Lane - another fun visit.

Interesting… Had no idea there was a rouge version of Prie. Have had some very nice Prie Blancs from the Cave Mont Blanc de Morgex et La Salle (both still and sparking blancs).

Also, have you tried any of the VdA Petite Arvine’s from Les Cretes? Very enjoyable wines.

Michael

Yup, Michael. Only had the still MontBlanc…but liked it quite a lot.
Across the board, I like the LesCretes wines…especially the Syrah. Classic cold-climate Syrah.
Tom

Thanks for chiming in, Tom.
Yup…I did forget to mention the cheeses. Both went very well w/ the wines.
It was nice to have all those winemakers there. Kind of lent a different perspective on the wines. But us consumers held our own
there when it came to slinging BS!!
Tom

Hi Ken, I know you would thoroughly enjoy these Sunday School sessions. Right in your wheelhouse.
Glad your visit to Idlewild went well. Didn’t realize you would be up this way, I would have stopped by to say Hi. Mike and Rootdown Cellars is a winery to keep an eye on, making some kick ass wines.

Tom

Michael, I have only had a small pour of the Les Cretes Chardonnay which I thought was excellent. Reminds me I need to try all their wines.
This tasting has me want to try everything from Valle d’Aosta!

Tom

Absolutely loved that wine. Such an interesting grape. Just bought 6 more bottles to keep.