This past Monday Vinitaly and Slow Food held their New York stop of their international wine tour. The event was held at the Tribeca Rooftop event space in Tribeca. I’ve been to many wine events at that space and it’s a gorgeous spot to hold an event on the top floor of the building with outstanding views of downtown Manhattan.
This was actually two wine tasting events and various seminars so there was a lot of juice to be had. I went to the trade portion of the tasting in the afternoon and they held a consumer tasting that evening as well though the consumer event had about a quarter of the wines that were available for the trade.
I started the festivities in the Slow Wine room. Some of the wines I enjoyed included the 2008 Damilano Barolo “Cannubi”. The color was brick-red with a nose of smoky leather with chewy and silky fruit, great balance with some dried herbs on the long finish. They also poured the 2008 Barolo “Lecinquevigne”. It was brick red with a nose of sweet tar and leather followed by firm mouth coating tannin on the finish. The 2009 G.D. Vajra Barbera D’Alba was dark purple to black with a nose of crushed red berries with juicy but firm fruit and a long finish. Another Barbera D’Alba I enjoyed was the 2010 Borgogno & Figli. Dark violet with a nose of crushed berries and slate with chewy dusty fruit and good balance at the end. They also poured their 2005 Barolo Riserva. Medium red with a classic nose of cigar box and tar, dusty fruit with the tannin and acid nicely balanced on the long finish.
Bertani poured their 2005 Amarone. Brick red to dark in color with ripe red fruit on the nose with chewy fruit and a tight finish. A couple of Tuscan wines I liked included the 2009 Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rufina “Bucherchiale” Riserva. Medium red with a big nose of earth and barnyard with silky chewy fruit and great balance on the earthy and rustic finish.
The 2009 Isole e Olena “Cepparello” was medium dark in the glass with a pretty nose of crushed raspberries velvety with some nice tannin on the long finish. I had some unusual wines from Podere Il Carnasciale. They had three magnum of their “Caberlot” As the gentleman pouring explained to me, Caberlot is a grape varietal hybrid of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, very unusual. The 2008 was black in the glass with a nose of mint with great concentration and balance with a long finish.
I made my way into the Vinitaly part of the room to see what might interest me. My first table was the Tuscan winery of Carpineto and I had some nice juice. The 2008 Chianti Classico Riserva was violet in color with a pretty nose of red roses, dusty with some bitter almond on the long finish. The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino had a nice nose of smoky leather with silky fruit and great balance. The 2006 “Farnito” (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) was dark red in the glass with a nose of green peppers and dark berry with tight and chewy fruit and a medium to long finish.
At the next table I sampled the 2007 Biondi Santi Brunello di Montalcino. These guys have improved their wines the last few vintages and this one was very tasty. Medium amber in the glass with a nose of warm leather and roses with sweet fruit with a moderate to short finish.
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