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WHITLEY ON WINE
| ROBERT WHITLEY |
WINE FOR THE AGES
was invited on a recent Sat- were no off aromas. With a bit
urday night to join my friend of air and a little time, it began
and colleague Jeremy Parzen to exhibit aromas of tart cherry
for dinner at a wine savvy and nuances such as leather and
c
o
l
I al restaurant. Jeremy, a spice. So far so good.
native Californian who is fluent in
Italian, writes the closely watched Finally, the taste test. Despite its
Do Bianchi wine blog. The focus, as age, the Brunello had structure
you might imagine, is on the wines and tannic grip, with complex
of Italy. savory elements on the palate
and ever more intense fruit as
We would be joined on this eve- it got more air. I did a little fist
ning by winemaker Paolo Cantele, pump. The wine was that good.
one of the young lions of the wine
industry in the Puglia region of Not to be outdone, someone
southern Italy. Everyone would produced a bottle of 2001 R.
bring some wine to share, as is the Lopez Heredia “Vina Tondonia”
custom. And our small group grew Rioja Reserva; only 12 years old
as the evening wore on and the but a wine of legendary longev-
wine flowed. ity. At my favorite wine shop,
this is the vintage of Vina Ton-
I confess I was a bit nervous about donia Reserva that is currently
my contribution, apologizing in available.
advance should the wine I chose be
over the hill. You may have heard You would think this Rioja would
that wine improves with age. That’s show some signs of age: loss of
not always the case, and even when color, taming of its fruit profile,
it is, there comes a time when any soft tannins. Instead, the color
wine is completely shot, devoid was brilliant. On the palate the
of flavor and past the point of re- wine was remarkably fresh. The
demption. structure was bold and firm.
I hoped for the best but feared the It took me back to a recent time
worst as we pulled the cork on my when I ordered a 1970 Vina Ton-
bottle of 1971 Argiano Brunello donia Reserva from the wine list
di Montalcino. When this wine at another restaurant. It was de-
was made, the producer was bare- canted and brought to the table,
ly known outside the boundaries and my guests at dinner were
of Tuscany. The only Brunello pro- convinced it was a “young” wine.
ducer of world renown was Biondi
Santi. And there was serious doubt Older wines are not for every-
that many of the rustic wines of one, and they may not be for you.
the era would improve over time. They evolve over the years and
the flavors change. Most wines
As the cork came out intact (at 42 sold today are consumed within
years on, it would not have been a days, if not hours, of purchase.
surprise if the cork had crumbled) You get a blast of fruit and a
there was a sigh of relief around the table. The cork was in blast of alcohol and that’s just fine for most people. Nothing
excellent condition, always a good sign after four decades in wrong with that.
the cellar.
But if you are at all curious about profound wines for the ages
The first glass was poured and all around we marveled at and can’t afford the high price of Bordeaux or Burgundy, you
the bright color, for red wines tend to lose color and brown could do worse than explore the possibilities presented by
around the edges with significant age. Based upon the visual top-notch Brunello di Montalcino and Rioja Reserva.
inspection, the wine appeared to be very much alive.
Then you, too, might be inclined to add a little fist pump to
After a few quick swirls for aeration came the smell test. There your wine-tasting experience.
Wine Dine & Travel Summer 2014 99

