2016 Negro Lorenzo Roero Arneis

2016 Negro Lorenzo Roero Arneis

Who: Lorenzo Negro
What: 100% Arneis
Where: Roero, Langhe, Piedmont
Tastes Like: White flowers, mineral, and lush tree fruits.  Clean yet round in texture.
Pairs With: Grilled seafood or poultry; shellfish


Negro Lorenzo is located in Monteu Roero, in the Langhe region, north of Alba and the famous Barolo/Barbaresco territory. Roero is a territory that is unlike Asti or Barolo in that it is jagged and rough around the edges.  The winery overlooks a very dramatic and beautiful valley. Throughout the countryside here, you can clearly see where the ocean once receded from, as the valley is cut out as if by a knife.  At Negro Lorenzo, they have been making wine for over a hundred years. In fact, Lorenzo’s grandfather of the same name and his two brothers carted wine from where today’s winery stands to Turin and Cuneo to sell at the local markets. In the last ten years, however, Lorenzo has recently decided to bring this production to another level with the creation of Negro Lorenzo. 

Though not certified organic or biodynamic, Lorenzo pursues a naturalistic and traditional method winemaking, caring for the vineyard by hand and without chemicals. 

The sandy soil full of marine fossils leads to more elegant wines compared to the surrounding zones. In fact, the scallop shell that is on the label of all of Lorenzo’s wine was found while planting new vines. The fossils are apparent inside the cantina as well, where the wines are aged. Fossils are part of the actual foundation of the building and a constant reminder of the history of this land.
The best versions of Arneis come from the sandy soils of the Roero, which give a gorgeous minerality to this wine that you won’t find elsewhere. Lorenzo’s Arneis is therefore a true expression of terroir. White flowers, chamomile, pear and apricot. Well balanced, medium bodied wine.

Harvesting Period: Mid September. Grapes are hand harvested, destemmed and pressed.  The wine ferments with selected yeasts in temperature controlled stainless steel. After fermentation the wine is racked into another stainless steel vessel where it will age on the fine lees until Spring to add body and structure. The wine is bottled in late Spring and will age several months in the bottle before release.  One thing worth noting is that Lorenzo releases his Arneis almost a year after his fellow producers as he believes this wine benefits from time in the cellar.

2016 Granbazán “Etiqueta Verde” Albarino

2016 Granbazán “Etiqueta Verde” Albarino 

Who: Manuel Otero Candeira
What: 100% Albarino
Where: Rias Baixas (Ree-ass Bye-shass), Spain
Tastes Like: Medium-minus, floral, tree fruit (apples and pears), with a dry finish.
Pairs With: Very versatile; white pizzas, light pastas.

Rias Baixas:
The Rias Baixas DO was founded in 1988.  Though there are 12 permitted varietals, Albarino dominates, making up 90% of the region’s production.  The climate is Atlantic, with wet winters and sea fog. In general rainfall is high and the temperatures mild: maximum temperatures in summer rarely usually exceed 30 °C and only drop to 0 °C in December and January.

The coldest areas are Ribera do Ulla and Val do Salnés due to their proximity to the coast. The warmest is Condado do Tea where temperatures in summer sometimes approach 40 °C, but the winters are cold with frequent frosts and rainfall of over 2,000 mm a year. Granbazan is located in the Val do Salnés, located on the lower reaches of the river Umia and centred on the town of Cambados. The landscape is of low undulating hills and the vineyards are planted both on the slopes and on the flat valley floors. The soil is generally rocky and alluvial.


The Winery:
The Granbazán story starts in the 1960s when Manuel Otero y Otero bought a land parcel planted with eucalyptus wood and feed for cattle. An entrepreneur, Otero dreamed of expanding the family's business of fine foods to fine wines. In the 1980s, his son, Manuel Otero Candeira, realized his dream with the construction of Granbazán, a chateau with a magnificent building surrounded by pergola trained vines. Granbazán’s attention to detail and high quality wine has been instrumental in the quality revolution in Galicia as well as in raising the reputation of Rias Baixas wines to their rightful place among the top white wines of the world.

The Granbazán winery is located in Vilanova de Arousa, very close to Cambados, the "World Albariño Capital." The soils here have a high granite content, grown 262.4 feet above sea level, with over 60 in. of annual rainfall. The maritime influence is very intense, providing a distinctive salty aftertaste, and a consistent ripening cycle. Harvest takes place the second half of September.The fruit is hand-picked, then gently de-stemmed and cooled for 8 hours at low temperatures in rotary macerators. Alcoholic fermentation takes place with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks.

Minimal invasive viticulture is a key practice to capture the elusive essence of the Albariño grape. The ranges of wines produced at Granbazán have a common soul with crisp citrus fruit, and in some wines peach and green apple flavors, bakery aromas and a light musk fragrance. The leading wines are Granbazán Ambar and the Granbazán Verde. Ambar is produced from the property's oldest vines with a gentle lees aging and 100% free-run juice, while the Granbazán Verde is very softly pressed, to produce a typical Salnes Valley Albariño style: dry, crisp and salty.  It is aged on the lees for no less than four months before bottling.

2016 Cantine Antonio Caggiano "Tauri"

2016 Cantine Antonio Caggiano “Tauri” 

Who: Antonio Caggiano
What: 100% Aglianico (“ah-YAH-knee-koe”)
Where: Irpinia, Taurasi, Campania, Italy
Tastes Like: Saddleblanket and dark, dried fruit on the nose.  Big tannin, but well integrated so it is not overwhelming.
Pairs With: Grilled or smoked meats.  Governatore Pizza, spaghetti all'amatriciana.

The What: Aglianico is a grape native to Greece, brought to the southern part of Italy by early Greek settlers.   The name comes from a corruption of “vitis hellenica,” or quite literally “greek wine.”  The grape is mentioned by name by Pliny the Elder and is arguably the oldest consumer grape planting still grown today.  Its finest expressions are grown in Basilicata and Campania, 2 southern, sunny, and dry regions of Italy.  It tends to perform best when planted on volcanic soils, making southern Italy a perfect home for it.


The Where: Taurasi is an important wine center for the region of Campania, giving its name to the DOCG red wine of the region made from Aglianico with the option of blending in Piedirosso and Barbera.  The area is noted, in addition to its award winning wines, for homely cooking based on homemade pasta, cattle-breeding, and oil and walnut production.


The Who:  Antonio Caggiano pursued a career as a photographer before starting the winery on his family’s land in 1990.  He really wanted to capture the history and culture of his home region, and the winery he built feels more like a museum of viticulture than simply a cellar.  All of his wines are rooted in the indigenous varietals of the area, and he tries to adhere to traditional methods and equipment as much as possible.  The Aglianico dell’Irpinia is a single varietal bottling, with the grapes grown on a mix of clay and limestone.  Fermentation occurs in 100% stainless steel, and then the wine is rested in oak barrique for between 4 and 6 months, depending on the vintage.

2015 Trimbach Gewurtztraminer

2015 Trimbach Gewurztraminer

Who: Pierre Trimbach
What: 100% Gewurztraminer
Where: Ribeauville, Alsace, France
Tastes Like: Honeyed nose, nectar, flowers, and tropical fruit.  Lush and full-bodied, with a dry, almost savory finish.
Pairs With:  Great with cheese boards.  Anything spicy.

The Winery:
The Trimbach’s have a purist vision. For three centuries and across 13 generations, the family has produced wines that are structured, long-lived, fruity, elegant and balanced: the celebrated Trimbach style. The family personally looks after each operation, from planting to harvests and from vinification to bottling. The viticultural origin of the Trimbach family dates back to 1626, when Jean Trimbach, was recognized as a citizen of Riquewihr. From then on, the Trimbach’s were renowned for their wine-growing. Maison Trimbach’s vineyards are all situated around Ribeauville (Ribeauville, Hunawihr, Bergheim, Rorschwihr, Riquewihr and Mittlewihr). They benefit from the unique Alsatian microclimate, thanks to the Vosges Mountains protection, which preserves the plain from the rain. The vineyards were planted on the Ribeauville’s fault line that fractured 50 million years ago between the Vosges Mountain range and the Black Forest offering a mosaic of terroirs including the complex calcareous limestone and bio-degraded seashell fossils called “Muschelkalk”.

The Wine:
Sourced from the Trimbach’s family’s own vineyards and from growers with whom the family has long-term relationships. Gewurztraminer is one of Trimbach’s most unique wines. The wine is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete vats. There is no secondary malolactic fermentation in order to maintain as much natural acidity as possible. The wines are released after two years of cellar ageing, when they have the perfect balance of fruit and acidity.

Bright pale gold with aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, lychee and rose petals. Rich, intense, luscious and well balanced with a dry, spicy finish. Perfectly pairs with Asian and fusion cuisines as well as spicy entrees. Also an ideal wine to pair with strong cheeses.

2015 Bodegas Frontonio

2015 Bodegas Frontonio 

What: 100% Garnacha
Who: Mario Lopez and Fernando Mora
Where: Valdejalon, Aragon, Spain
Tastes Like: Intense and jammy, toasted cinnamon and cooked red fruits. 
Pairs with: Spaghetti all’Amatriciana; charred vegetables; smoked meats.

The What:
Garnacha (Grenache in France, Canonnau in parts of Italy) is planted widely across the Mediterranean, and flourishes in California and Australia as well.  The grape tends toward easy ripening and therefore high alcohol levels.  Hallmarks of the grape in blind tastings are a medium body, a hint of citrus rind on the nose, and intense candied cherry notes followed up by oregano or cinnamon.  Garnacha from the Catalayud (an area neighboring the Valdejalon) reaches very high sugar content (vinifying to almost 15%), and typically smells of ruby red grapefruit, with lots of cherry and licorice on the palette.

The Where:
Valdejalon is primarily influenced by the River Jalon, with the vineyards owned by Bodegas Frontonio planted on the hillside along the left bank at an average elevation of 350 meters, though some small plots are at elevations up to 700 meters.  The climate is Mediterranean-influenced and continental, with high temperatures in summer and medium to low temperatures in winter, very little rain, and continuous wind patterns that help aerate the grape clusters.  The winemakers boast that their region has more than 3000 hours of sunshine per year.  Soil is mostly grey chalk with a clay layer, helping the vines to hold onto the little rain that falls in the area. 



The Who:
Bodegas Frontonio is helmed by 4 friends with a passion for making wine that is delicious, well crafted, yet approachable.  Fernando Mora, their master of wine and a former engineer, started making wine in the bathtub of his apartment in 2008.  He teamed up with Francisco Latasa to establish the firm, and when the two of them met Mario Lopez (not that Mario Lopez), Bodegas Frontonio was born.  Lopez’s father and grandfather planted small vineyards on the family property and for the first time someone really focused in on what could be achieved by working the land.  They refer to their style as “Garage Wine!,” or rather, wine made in a garage.  Minimal manipulation, attention to detail, and the utmost respect for the environment and the grape are at the focus of the company.  All harvest and grape crushing is done by hand (and foot).

2016 Tacchino Gavi di Gavi

2016 Tacchino Gavi di Gavi

WHO: Tacchino
WHAT: Cortese (Gavi di Gavi DOCG)
WHERE: Gavi, Piedmont, Italy
TASTING NOTES: A sleek dry white with a crisp and characteristically long, chalky finish that frames lemon, apple, melon, and straw flavors
PAIRING NOTES: Pasta, Shellfish, Cured meats, soft cheese, lean fish
About the Grape:Cortese is a white grape variety that is most famous for its role in the crisp, lime-scented wines of Gavi. The variety is known for its bracingly high acidity and its ability to retain freshness, even when grown in hot environments. Apple, peach and honeydew flavors are commonly associated with Cortese wine, with lime, almond and light herbal or grassy aromas.

The variety has been grown in the southeastern part of Piedmont for hundreds of years, and is mentioned in documents that date back to the beginning of the 17th Century. It has long been considered as Piedmont's finest white variety and is often credited as introducing the world to Italian white wine. Nowadays, however, it has been usurped somewhat by Arneis and Moscato d'Asti.

While Gavi wines are the grape's most famous incarnation, a few varietal wines are made from Cortese in other parts of Piedmont: namely Cortese dell'Alto Monferrato and Colli Tortonesi. It is blended into Bianco di Custoza wines alongside Trebbiano and Garganega, and is also found in Oltrepo Pavese wines from Lombardy to the east.

Cortese must be watched carefully in the vineyard to ensure success: it is a vigorous, productive vine and if yields are not kept in check then the wines can be bland and lacking in character. Ripeness is another key issue – while it does well in Gavi's warm environs, it can struggle to ripen fully in other parts of Piedmont. This leads to wines with almost unmanageably high acidity, which is why Cortese is used more often as a minor blending grape outside of its home town.

About the Producer:For more than three generations the Tacchino family has produced superb fresh and vibrant wines in Castelletto d’Orba in Monferrato, Piedmont. This is perfect wine country as the hills provide a natural amphitheatre which protects the vineyards from the northerly winds. Alessio and Romina represent the new Tacchino generation and have certainly inherited their father’s and grandfather’s passion. This passion and respect for tradition is harmoniously blended with modern wine-making methods and equipment and a rigorous attention to detail, resulting in a range of wines of outstanding elegance and purity. Tacchino’s vines are spread over 25 hectares, about half of which benefit from a south/south-easterly aspect and great care is taken to restrict yields.

Spring Menu: Rigatoni, Agnolotti, Broccoli Rabe, Bergamo

Grilled Broccoli Rabe   $6 
Tutto Calabrian Chili Vinaigrette, Pecorino, Olio Verde, Breadcrumb

We will toss the rabe in olive oil and salt and grill.  The plant will be toothsome and have a charred flavor.

The vinaigrette is made of crushed calabrian chilies, grapeseed oil, red wine vinegar, and confit garlic.  Calabrian chilies are very reflective of their terroir, much like grapes.  For that reason we are using Tutto chilies to make our vinaigrette; this producer’s fruit is prized for being smokey and flavorful.

At service we will toss the rabe in vinaigrette, lemon, olive oil, pecorino, bread crumbs.

Bergamo $15
White Pizza, Mozzarella, Zucchini, Squash Blossom, Lemon, Chili

The Base of the pizza is olive oil.  It is topped with mozzarella and crescenza cheeses and sliced raw zucchini, then baked.  After cooking, we add squash blossoms, and garnish with lemon zest, espellette, fennel pollen, salt and pepper.

Zucchini was developed near Milan, Lombardy, Italy.  Bergamo is a nearby city where most modern agriculture in the region comes from.

ALLERGIES: Gluten, Dairy

Rigatoni $12/18
Wild Mushroom Scoppio, Asparagus, Parmesan, Bread Crumb

Rigatoni is made from semolina, durum, and 00 flour.
We start the dish with a mushroom stock made from porcini mushrooms: they are ground, cooked with onion, garlic, thyme, and parm rinds.  They are then pressed overnight.

At service, we caramelize Bluefoot, Yellow Foot, and Cremini mushrooms.  Then we add the mushroom stock and chicken/pork stock before reducing.  The sauce is then tossed with the pasta and topped with shaved asparagus. 

We finish the pasta with butter, olive oil,parmesan, and sourdough breadcrumbs.

ALLERGIES: Dairy, Gluten*, Nonvegetarian*, Allium

Prosciutto Agnolotti
English Peas, Mint, Parmesan  

Agnolotti: Pasta shape from the piedmont.  Meaning small pillows.

Filling:  Ground prosciutto (3X on the meat grinder for smooth consistency), mascarpone, ricotta, Parmesean, Pecorino, pepper

Pan sauce:  Confit onion and garlic, Pork/chicken stock, butter, lemon, parmesan, mint, basil, olio verde

Finished: parm, sour dough bread crumb, olio verde

Allergies: Dairy, gluten, allium, pork