By Steve Hicks
My recent trip to Italy included a day with the Chianti consortium The Black Rooster Group, which represents over 230 Tuscan wineries. I think they got confused and thought I wrote for the L.A. Times. That “L.A.” opens a lot of wine doors! Whatever the reason, we were picked up at our hotel in Florence and treated to a day of wine and food.
We started at Melini, an 80,000-case, three-century-old Chianti producer. We tried all their 1997 vintages, and the results were quite spectacular. The 1997 Chianti Classico Riserva “La Selvanella” was my favorite. It was full of ripe berries, with a great lingering, elegant finish. The 1997 Machiavelli was equally good but not quite as ready to drink and needs another year or two. Half the wineries in Tuscany may have named a wine after Machiavelli. It has always been a mystery to me why you would name a wine you wanted people to buy after this man. His very name represents all that is shady and treacherous about politics, and he is often referred to as the “Devil Incarnate” or the “Evil One.”
Melini also makes an inexpensive white wine called “Le Grillaie,” or the cricket. They had to change the label to export to the United States as the cricket on the label bore a striking resemblance to a cockroach! The varietal used was the first classified white grape in Italy, Vernacci di S. Gimignano. I found it to be the most enjoyable of all the Italian white grape varietals. Crisp, sufficiently fruity and not sweet.
Lunch was with Dr. Giuseppe Libertore, director of the consortium. He explained the requirements necessary to have the distinguished Black Rooster seal of approval attached to a bottle of Chianti. The consortium regulates the minimum vine age; crop yield, varietals and minimum percentages used; and bottle age. The black rooster against a red background on the neck of the bottle signifies a Chianti Classico wine. The rooster against a gold background indicates a Chianti Classico Riserva, a more full bodied wine that has been aged longer and released at a later date, is generally of superior quality and usually has a higher price.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at Nitardi, a small producer that changes the artwork on their label every vintage. The bottles are wrapped in designer paper. When we asked for a piece of the paper our request was denied. We were told the wine, the bottle, the label and the wrapping paper make a complete package and that is the only way it leaves the winery. We couldn’t have any item singly, but they would be happy to give us all the wrapped bottles we wanted.
Super Tuscan wines are always pricey and hard to find, but Conners & Berk, a new steakhouse on the site of the old Fisherman restaurant in Burlingame, has a few bargains that are hard to ignore. They have the 1997 Tignanello, Ornellaia and Sassicaia selling for $95-150. I know it sounds like a lot, but these are retail store prices!
My wine pick of the month is the 1998 Lambert Bridge Merlot retailing for $22. This is a great buy at this price. The wine has layers of rich fruit, and because it is blended with Cabernet there is none of that grassiness sometimes associated with Merlot.
Steve Hicks is currently a wine advisor and consultant. He is a partner in a winery and has owned a wine shop. He is active in local, national and international food and wine societies. You can reach him at shicksvine@aol.com.
