By Steve Hicks
Two local residents, friends Bill Hockett and Gary Kalbach, recently celebrated milestone birthdays in Tuscany - in the Renaissance town of Pienza. Pienza is located between the fortified hill towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano and not too far south of Siena. What made this five-day party special were the 50 friends and family, mostly from this area, who joined them.
A spectacular luncheon and tasting was arranged for the group at the Poggio Antico Winery in Montalcino. A young Englishwoman led the best tour and tasting I have ever experienced. She arrived at the winery 10 years ago and stayed. She not only conveyed vast amounts of wine knowledge, she laced it with her dry English wit. It kept us interested and transfixed. The five-course, all-afternoon lunch (the best kind), accompanied by Antico wines, was nothing short of superb!
Poggio Antico makes wine from the Brunello grape. This clone of the Sangiovese Rosso grape was developed by the Biondi-Santi Winery over 100 years ago. Brunello is a stand-alone varietal that needs no blending, just aging. The wine is bottled as Brunello di Montalcino, and it is arguably the best wine produced in Tuscany and perhaps Italy. The problem with Brunellos has always been that they are huge and require 10 to 20 years of maturation in the bottle. Also, buying old Brunellos - particularly a vintage Biondi-Santi - often would require a home equity loan.
Poggio Antico wines are expensive but won’t break the bank. They are also more readily accessible. Brunellos by law must be aged in wood a minimum of three years, and the Riservas (exceptional vintages) must have four years. They make a delicious proprietary wine called Altero that has reduced aging and is less expensive. A third wine made by many of the Montalcino producers is called Rosso di Montalcino. It is made in off-vintage years and/or from younger vines. This is their cash cow, as it requires only one year of wood and is easy to drink.
The Hotel Relais Il Chiostro in Pienza was the scene of the actual birthday celebration, and it was quite a night. Bill Hockett, resident bass player of Los Altos, got the party rolling as he graciously consented to play with the jazz band that performed prior to dinner. Dinner featured a roast suckling pig, a uniquely decent Italian Chardonnay produced by Antinori, a wonderful ‘97 Cerreto Vino Nobile Montepulciano that only got better as it breathed, and a poem written by the guests and recited by three of Bill’s granddaughters.
Gary Kalbach provided the grand finale to the week and the party. Gary is an opera buff, and he got Ezio Di Cesare, a tenor from the Rome Opera Company, to perform for us. The Steinway grand and the pianist came from Florence and the tenor from Siena. They had never seen each other before, but it worked. They performed for almost two hours in what seemed like an acoustically perfect room. I have to admit the music was so good and the situation was so right (sitting in the middle of Tuscany, with an Italian tenor singing just for us), that it was very easy to tear up. It was truly an unforgettable experience!
Steve Hicks is currently a wine advisor and consultant. He may be reached at shicksvine@aol.com.
