On Saturday I took a road trip to Philadelphia to attend Philadelphia Magazine’s annual Wine and Food fest. It was advertised as an opportunity to “sample over 600 exclusive wines from around the world” plus food from local vendors. The event took place at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. It was a huge space, the size of an airplane hangar filled with vintage autos. A pretty spectacular venue for a tasting. My only gripe was that it was in the middle of nowhere in south Philadelphia. To get there by mass transit involved taking a trolley and walking a mile (just in time for a rainstorm) through industrial nothingness to get to the place, a situation that made me splurge on a cab for the ride back to town. In my opinion, a large-scale wine event should have access to mass transit, I can only imagine the chaos at the end of the event with scores of cars leaving the area and people attempting to grab a cab.
In any case it was a fun event with tables upon tables of wines from around the world to be sampled with a crowd that was there to have fun.
Some of what I liked:
2012 Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir “Carter Vineyard” (Oregon). Closed nose of plums and violets with silky, dusty fruit and great balance.
2010 Cade Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley). Dark purple with dusty plum on the nose and was juicy with dark chocolate notes with firm tannin and acids.
2010 Cade Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Howell Mountain). Dark purple with a pretty nose of sweet violets and sweet fruit with a touch of oak and was nicely balanced.
2010 Shafer Vineyards Merlot (Napa Valley). Dark red, brambly with herbs and violet on the nose with roasted coffee on the balanced fruit with some smokiness on the long finish. Nice.
2011 Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “One Point Five” (Stag’s Leap District). Dark purple with ripe black berries and red licorice on the nose with tight, concentrated fruit with red cherry tartness on the finish.
2010 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Georges de LaTour” (Napa Valley). Medium, clear red with a big perfume of camphor and pencil shavings with dusty, plum fruit, great grip and a long finish.
2010 Dominus Estate “Napanook” (Napa Valley). Bordeaux blend and was medium to dark red with stewed red fruit on the nose and was juicy with some mint on the finish.
2010 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon “Oakville” (Napa Valley). Dark red to black, with dusty mint and plums on the nose and was tight and concentrated with a very firm finish.
2011 Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Special Selection” (Napa Valley). Black in color, closed nose of slate and crushed rocks and was chewy with black licorice notes on the fruit with dark chocolate on the finish.
2007 Rivetto Barolo “Leon Riserva” (Piedmont). Dark amber with ripe red cherries and tar on the nose with roasted meat notes on the silky fruit with mouth-smacking tannins at the finish.
2008 Rivetto Barolo “Briccolina” (Piedmont). I was told by the winemaker, Enrico Rivetto that only 1,700 bottles of this wine was produced for this vintage from a 1/2 hectare parcel of land. Dark amber with a closed nose of violets, tar and sweet fruit with silky and firm tannin and a long finish.
2008 Damilano Barolo “Cannubi” (Piedmont). Had the ’09 vintage of this wine not too long ago which I enjoyed and they continue with this vintage. Medium red with a nose of sweet pencil shavings, sweet tar on the firm fruit with a tight finish. Great balance.
2006 Damilano Barolo “Brunate” (Piedmont). Medium to dark red with sweet tar on the nose with deep black fruit, firm and balanced with nice silky tannin at the end.
2010 Seco-Bertani “Original Vintage Edition” (Veneto). Something new from these guys, made from a recipe, style and taste “from days gone by” packaged in an old style 1930’s hefty wine bottle and made from 80% Corvina with the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Syrah. Medium red with dusty, ripe plums on the nose and was rustic, chunky and chewy with notes of damp earth coming through on the finish with great balance. Tasty.
2006 Bertani Amarone (Veneto). Medium red with floral and roasted meat on the nose and was juicy with bitter-sweet almonds on the finish.
2007 Carpineto “Farnito” (Tuscany). Made from Cabernet Sauvignon, medium to dark red with mint and black berry on the nose with chewy, tarry and earthy fruit on the long finish.
2010 Lapostolle “Borobo” (Chile). A blend of five grape varietals, medium to dark red with plums and crushed black fruit on the nose and was very fruit forward, chewy and chunky with mint notes with a nice grip and good balance.
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