Ulivi (Cascina Degli Ulivi) 2007 Vin de Table Montemarino (Old Vine Cortese)

[Steve_Manzi]

I purchased some wines from Chambers Street, because I had a moment where I felt like buying some wines that I felt were very different from the normal wines most of us buy. And being someone who enjoys a fun, different white too, I picked this one up.

I had NO idea what to expect. The snow was beginning and I figured it would be nice to open something different, with no idea what it was. No food, just my wife and I sitting in the LR trying to find a movie that might be of interest.

I opened the wine and poured us each a little taste. A bright golden color immediately makes you realize this is a biggish white wine. Being from Italy, I did not expect the color at all.

Taking a whiff, I knew this was something I’d never even come close to having before. For me, very hard to explain. But after we talked it over, here is what we came up with, understanding that for those who don’t know me, I don’t do wine notes other than “Mmmm this is really good” or" ugh, this sucks".

Big, full bodied, with a complex aroma that was very hard to figure out. After quite a while of back and forth with Karen, here is the best we could do. For a few moments, we thought of cognac, or even scotch was brought up, because it was THAT weird at first, and we even felt maybe an oxidative profile. Karen could not warm up to it, but I did. Not a wine for everyone. Certainly a wine for the more adventurous. Karen’s final thought before going to open something else, was “sauerbraten”, which after she looked up a recipe, it made great sense. Women always have the better palate, don’t they. With that said, the best descriptions I can come up with is a wine that is full bodied, with a clove, minty, slight hazelnut aroma, with a chewy, earthy and almost oily texture in the mouth that finishes with a hypothetical mix of slightly candied orange/grapefruit/honey PITH, with nice acidity and a pleasantly weird powerful “tannic” finish. I tried to imagine what I would eat with this, and thought of a really nice salad with goat cheese, candied pecans, dried cranberries etc.

This is a wine I want to have again, and would really like to hear from others who have some familiarity with this wine, or its “cousins”. Really fun wine, at least for me. Karen, not so much:)

[Lee_Short]

@Steve Manzi

I purchased some wines from Chambers Street, because I had a moment where I felt like buying some wines that I felt were very different from the normal wines most of us buy. And being someone who enjoys a fun, different white too, I picked this one up.

I had NO idea what to expect. The snow was beginning and I figured it would be nice to open something different, with no idea what it was. No food, just my wife and I sitting in the LR trying to find a movie that might be of interest.

I opened the wine and poured us each a little taste. A bright golden color immediately makes you realize this is a biggish white wine. Being from Italy, I did not expect the color at all.

Taking a whiff, I knew this was something I’d never even come close to having before. For me, very hard to explain. But after we talked it over, here is what we came up with, understanding that for those who don’t know me, I don’t do wine notes other than “Mmmm this is really good” or" ugh, this sucks".

Big, full bodied, with a complex aroma that was very hard to figure out. After quite a while of back and forth with Karen, here is the best we could do. For a few moments, we thought of cognac, or even scotch was brought up, because it was THAT weird at first, and we even felt maybe an oxidative profile. Karen could not warm up to it, but I did. Not a wine for everyone. Certainly a wine for the more adventurous. Karen’s final thought before going to open something else, was “sauerbraten”, which after she looked up a recipe, it made great sense. Women always have the better palate, don’t they. With that said, the best descriptions I can come up with is a wine that is full bodied, with a clove, minty, slight hazelnut aroma, with a chewy, earthy and almost oily texture in the mouth that finishes with a hypothetical mix of slightly candied orange/grapefruit/honey PITH, with nice acidity and a pleasantly weird powerful “tannic” finish. I tried to imagine what I would eat with this, and thought of a really nice salad with goat cheese, candied pecans, dried cranberries etc.

This is a wine I want to have again, and would really like to hear from others who have some familiarity with this wine, or its “cousins”. Really fun wine, at least for me. Karen, not so much:)

I’ve had the Ulivi Gavis, two bottlings. Loved the basic, liked the other one too but not as well. Very distinctive wines. I liked most of the other Ulivis that I tried, too, but no others were from Cortese.

I haven’t had this one – haven’t seen it here in Seattle. Is it a Chambers exclusive?

[Steve_Manzi]

@Lee Short

@Steve Manzi

I purchased some wines from Chambers Street, because I had a moment where I felt like buying some wines that I felt were very different from the normal wines most of us buy. And being someone who enjoys a fun, different white too, I picked this one up.

I had NO idea what to expect. The snow was beginning and I figured it would be nice to open something different, with no idea what it was. No food, just my wife and I sitting in the LR trying to find a movie that might be of interest.

I opened the wine and poured us each a little taste. A bright golden color immediately makes you realize this is a biggish white wine. Being from Italy, I did not expect the color at all.

Taking a whiff, I knew this was something I’d never even come close to having before. For me, very hard to explain. But after we talked it over, here is what we came up with, understanding that for those who don’t know me, I don’t do wine notes other than “Mmmm this is really good” or" ugh, this sucks".

Big, full bodied, with a complex aroma that was very hard to figure out. After quite a while of back and forth with Karen, here is the best we could do. For a few moments, we thought of cognac, or even scotch was brought up, because it was THAT weird at first, and we even felt maybe an oxidative profile. Karen could not warm up to it, but I did. Not a wine for everyone. Certainly a wine for the more adventurous. Karen’s final thought before going to open something else, was “sauerbraten”, which after she looked up a recipe, it made great sense. Women always have the better palate, don’t they. With that said, the best descriptions I can come up with is a wine that is full bodied, with a clove, minty, slight hazelnut aroma, with a chewy, earthy and almost oily texture in the mouth that finishes with a hypothetical mix of slightly candied orange/grapefruit/honey PITH, with nice acidity and a pleasantly weird powerful “tannic” finish. I tried to imagine what I would eat with this, and thought of a really nice salad with goat cheese, candied pecans, dried cranberries etc.

This is a wine I want to have again, and would really like to hear from others who have some familiarity with this wine, or its “cousins”. Really fun wine, at least for me. Karen, not so much:)

I’ve had the Ulivi Gavis, two bottlings. Loved the basic, liked the other one too but not as well. Very distinctive wines. I liked most of the other Ulivis that I tried, too, but no others were from Cortese.

I haven’t had this one – haven’t seen it here in Seattle. Is it a Chambers exclusive?

Lee,

I have NO idea if this is an exclusive. I just want to the Chamber’s site and picked out a case of odd sounding wines. I would love to know more, and hope I learn something here.

[Steve_Manzi]

Guess that not many people have had wines made with the Cortese grape.

[Lee_Short]

I just popped a bottle of the '07 Gavi. It’s bigger than I remembered, rich and mouthfilling. At the same time, it’s got a lot of acid, and is half-rancio (edit: how’d they do that?). Great with some local ‘gouda’ with arugula, but this will not match some other things that come to mind when you think Gavi. Here in the NW, the squash is just perfect. I’m thinking a curried squash soup will be amazing with this. I suspect that there are a number of other “non-wine foods” that will go well, too.