Nicely done article by JasonWilson in WE about the surging interest in Italian varieties in Calif:
http://bit.ly/4izXCie
I find the Italian whites particularly interesting.
Most of the usual suspects are featured… though he managed to overlook Sam Bilbro, one of the earliest enthusiasts at Idlewild.
Tom
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If we’re talking WBers: Briceland’s @Andrew_Morris and Prima Materia’s @Pietro_B do great things with Italian grapes. @Emilio_Castelli too if we’re talking Nebbiolo.
The Briceland Sangiovese was preferred to Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona’s RdM during a dinner I was at.
I’m sure there are more…
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Kevin Harvey hasn’t been seen around here in a while, but he was a regular, and Rhys’s Sonoma operation is doing very interesting things with white and red grapes from Piedmont and Sicily.
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Agree… his Centennial Mtn Vnyd is making some very interesting wines… if a bit pricey.
Tom
Agreed on the price.
I did a CA Italian variety themed dinner a couple months ago in Los Gatos. Pietro came, as did other Berserkers. Very successful. Crazy number of wines, with most being impressive. I have a few different angles of interest here. I have quite a few we made at Harrington, an interest in what people are doing with Siletto fruit, checking in on known favorites and discovering new ones, checking how various bottles are aging, helping producers network, giving exposure to worthy new producers, my own geekery and so forth.
One issue these producers have faced for decades is the refusal of Italian restaurants to carry these local wines. I have no sympathy for oaky overripe messes than cost more than superior imports. I’m talking about wines made with the right mentality, so they go well with Italian and other food, and have their own expression. Something different and good to compare and contrast. Idlewild is a board favorite that’s exactly that. There are a growing number of others.
The first Cal-Ital movement fell flat on its face through amateurish mistakes. This new wave comprises a lot of more insightful people.
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Do you think the restaurants are justified in the sense that the wines wouldn’t sell? Or that if they did take the chance to carry them, they’d do very well?
Why would an Italian restaurant want to offer ersatz Italian wine at multiples of the cost of the real thing?
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They wouldn’t. Not relevant. But, same price and quality, why not? Some sell absolutely shitty American Cabernet that doesn’t go with the food at all for a lot more. A lot of the sites that grow southern European grapes well here are far away from high real estate costs of prime Cabernet and Pinot Noir regions, so you can make that same quality for a fraction of the price. My whole premise is same quality (or better), different enough, food fridndly, same price-ish. Some European grapes do better here than where they’re from.
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Not any more. Those wine are earning a place on other wine lists. The first Ghost Note wines made five local Michelin Starred restaurant lists, for example.
I’m definitely a homer for California wines and love lots of the producers working with Italian varieties in the state. I feel like they should dominate the lists of most Italian inspired restaurants in California. If the produce is seasonal and the tomatoes are from within 50 miles of the restaurant, why not the wines? At least a chunk of them? There is a wide enough breadth now from classic examples to more natural expressions and versions that don’t look to Italy for their inspiration beyond the variety. Andrew from Unfiltered wine festival did an event with Brad and Pietro at a local Italian restaurant showing how local wines can pair with the food, it’s a step.
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Interesting that it’s shifting. What I was picturing is a restaurant saying “We’re an Italian restaurant, people come here to drink Italian wine, so these won’t sell for us."
Is that still an unjustified belief on the buyer’s part, or is there something real in it? Regardless of price and quality, would diners in an Italian restaurant not order a Californian wine made from an Italian variety? In other words, is the barrier with the restaurants or with the consumer? I know what I’d prefer to drink in a Californian Italian restaurant but I’m curious about the broader market.
Regardless of where the barrier lies, do you think there is anything unique Ghost Note did to get that kind of traction?
There’s an authentic Italian restaurant here with a great list of only Italian wines. Great as in diverse, good quality, with ready to drink wines, light reds, very food friendly and well curated. There’s no gaps. It’s perfect how it is.
Most Italian restaurants here aren’t close to that. The list isn’t particularly good or diverse. Really, what i want is affordable food-friendly ready to drink wines on lists. Not too young or mediocre. Some $25 clunker on a list for $60 is an insult. An exciting $25 wine that adds to the meal for $60 is a treasure. Take my money! Non-pretentious exciting new experience wines get customers coming back to discover more. Better if it’s a wine they can seek out and buy. And pretty cool if it’s a winery they can visit.
The most exciting of the first Ghost Note release was the Corvina. It’s a thin skinned grape, so resembles a rose, but has great complexity and length. Ready to go on release, but also ageable.
I’ll add in the article There’s reference to Sangiovese being ill-suited to California. Not true. That’s the grape the original Cal-Ital movement fell on their face with, but planted in the right place and made with understanding it excels.
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While I am definitely a lover of Italian wines (and not just Barolo and Brunello, but whites and reds from all over), my preference is to go with a true Italian wine as opposed to a new world Italian grape unless I am particularly intrigued by a producer that I have heard makes wine that I am pretty sure I will enjoy. I don’t like big, jammy, or oaky wines and want something that has good acid and that I know will go with food. We visited Idlewild a few years ago and while I liked their wines, there was nothing there where I couldn’t easily find a real Italian example that I like better and often for half to 2/3 of the retail price. So with restaurant markups that makes them even more expensive.
We’ll be in Santa Cruz, Monterey and Carmel in two weeks, and when I travel I do like trying and drinking wines from the local area. Are there any producers near there who make good, food-friendly versions of Italian grapes?
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Which ones?
If I was a restaurant visitor I’d love to see US takes on Italian varieties in addition to the Italian wines!
I can imagine traditional Italian restaurants being reluctant, however maybe some progressive ambition places can make it work.
Zinfandel
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The most obvious one! Should have come with an except, though I haven’t had any serious Zinfandel, Primitivo or Tribidrag myself to say anything meaningful. Out of the three the mother country is the the place with the least wines, vine (age) and experience working with the variety.
Roughly speaking, restaurants shouldn’t.
The opportunity is really in the $30 to $50 retail range–mark up accordingly in your heads for restaurant pricing. At lower price points, there isn’t economy of scale to match Italian producers’ costs. At higher price points, one quickly finds top tier producers’ entry level wines or good producers’ mid to upper echelon cuvees.
For the most part, Langhe Nebbiolo and Chianti start to get interesting these days around $30 to $40. That’s a challenge terroir-focused US domestic producers should be able to take on.
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Given that Napa is at about the same latitude as Sicily, varieties like Nerello Mascalese (Etna in Sicily) and Agliano (further north on the mainland in Campania and Basilicata) seem theoretically promising where there are volcanic soils and warmer zones. Cabernet will be king of course until irrigation, shade canopies, viticulture, etc. costs exceed the marketing value of the varietal name. Though outside of Napa, there’s likely already a stronger argument for establishing a varietal identity based on terroir suitability rather than fight for shelf space with Cab S or Pinot.
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Ghostnote is the label of Fogarty’s assistant winemaker. His wines aren’t in the tasting room, but if arranged to meet with him, you could buy and maybe taste. Busy time of year, though, so keep that in mind. His Corvina is great. His '23 Super Cruz (Super Tuscan) from the Ascona Vyd. took a year to shed its baby fat and showed really well a couple months ago. He tweaked the proportions for the '24, which i think will be even better. I haven’t had his Sangratino from Siletto Vyd. with age, but i had the '18 Harrington from the same vineyard recently and it was impressive.
Fogarty makes a Nebbiolo that needs serious age from their Gist Vyd. They did a one-off Falanghina/Greco di Tufo blend from Siletto that was released this year that’s really good. Worth asking for if you go.
Driftwood Cottage is Fogarty’s Cellar Master’s label. She has a recently bottled Sangiovese from Ascona. It needs a year.
I think highly of the Ascona Vyd. It’s got a singular character that suits Sangiovese very well.
I’m not home to look over the list of wine from this year’s Undiscovered Grapes and Unfiltered wine events this year, but those were both well-curared events. Mostly small producers, with Italian varieties in the mix.
Keep an eye out for wines from Siletto/Calieri/Wheeler vineyards in San Benito. The Blade & Talon Falanghina is excellent. Lots of tiny producers source that fruit.
Look for Vermentino from Arroyo Seco when you’re in Monterey.
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