July 2003
Bedford photo
Mario Longabardi is on the left. He is our Nevada District Manager. Mr. Babini is on the right. He is a Bedford VIP account. Mr. Babini is the Food and Beverage Director of the Ritz Carlton in the new and chic Lake of Las Vegas development. The Ritz Carlton is one of Bedford's best accounts in Las Vegas.
"Wine Company" of Greenwood Village, CO - Nick's European Trip
Cantine Volpi Gavi Vobis Mea 2001 Gavi, Piedmont, Italy
Arguably the greatest revolution in Italian winemaking in recent years has been the emergence of great quality white wine and today there's lots more going on than Pinot Grigio. This lovely refreshing white from the village of Gavi, with its wonderful fragrance of fresh fruit and spring flowers, was one of the favorites from my trip. Its brief aging in oak barriques gives it a touch more body than Pinot Grigio, with a pleasantly rounded texture and a nice harmony of bright fruit and delicate nutty flavors. It makes a fabulous choice with light appetizers, white meats, and fish dishes.
Fattoria Le Sorgenti Chianti Colli Fiorentini 2000 Tuscany, Italy
Reading the travelogues and seeing it merely in pictures, I had often thought the descriptions were a bit overdone, but now actually having been there, I've come to see that Tuscany truly is one of the most beautiful places on the planet! This magnificent estate, located in the hills surrounding Florence, was a highlight of the trip. With its relatively high elevation and rocky calcareous soils, the estate enjoys ideal conditions for growing vines as well as olives, and they produce magnificent Chianti. It's done in a rich, opulent, and accessible style; with lavish black cherry fruit with enticing violet and iris aromas… one of the best of the 2000 Chiantis!
Castellani Amarone Della Valpolicella Cinque Stelle Riserva 1997 Veneto, Italy
The notes I wrote when I tasted this incredible wine read more like the steamy passages of a romance novel. This is a voluptuously rich red wine, one of the best Amarone I've ever tasted! It's a majestic, beautifully proportioned wine with a dense sensuous texture and beguiling mosaic of flavors, offering rich aromas of dried currants and plum pudding along with plumy chocolaty flavors with hints of coffee and spice. One taste could easily seduce you into drinking it all down right now, but it will serve an even more hedonistic maturity in another 6 to 8 years.
Rivera Cappellaccio Aglianico Riserva 1997 Castel del Monte, Apulia, Italy
One of Italy's oldest grapes, Aglianico was introduced here over 3000 years ago by ancient Greek settlers. Cappellaccio, which means "bad hat" in Italian, refers to the hard limestone crust or cap underlying the vineyard's soil, which must be broken up before the vines can be planted. It is a bold powerful red with dark berry aromas and rich plumy flavors. Aged for 12 months in oak barriques, it shows an elegant spiciness and firm tannins, not too dominated by oak. It's perfect with roasted meats or rich pasta sauces.
Dessilani Arneis 2001 Roero, Piedmont
The region of Piedmont is a hedonist's dream come-true with some of the best wines and richest food in all of Italy. It's also home to one of the world's best-kept white wine secrets… Arneis. An elegant dry white wine, it's pale yellow in color, with a vibrant floral bouquet with hints of fennel and fresh apply fruit flavors. It's very clean and bright. Try it with asparagus, and a seafood risotto.
Palazzo Brunello di Montalcino 1998 Montalcino, Italy
Palazzo is on the eastern slope just below the famous town of Montalcino. Although a relatively young producer, they are already making spectacular age worthy wines. Unlike many famous Brunellos, which are hugely tannic and extremely oaky, Palazzo makes a style that is the perfect marriage of power and grace. The '98 is certainly big, intense, and youthful but it shows more exuberant cherry and red berry fruit than many of its peers at this stage. It is firmly structured on the palate, with supple balanced tannins and aromatic anise spice. Perfect to put away for another 6 to 8 years!
