We tried tonight (4/15/15) Some Interesting Wines From Corti:
1. HatzidakisWnry PDO: Santorini/Greece (13.5%; Assyrtiko/Aidani/Athiri; www.HatzidakisWines.com) 2012: Med.gold
color; some pineapple/mango/floral almost muscat-like quite perfumey/aromatic slight stony/chalky really
lovely nose; fairly tart rich/lush spicy/pineapple/mango/floral slight stony flavor; very long mango/pineapple/
floral light stony finish; loads of dried mango character; a lovely white w/ a nice combination of aromatic
fruit and stony minerality; a steal at $15.30 (CB)
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2. Jidvei FeteascaRegala Tarnave/Romania (12%) 2013: Med.yellow color; rather low-key perfumed talc/spicy bit
simple/pleasant nose; soft slight apple/quince/perfumed talc somewhat vapid/watery flavor; short light/quiet
bit apple/quince/perfumed talc simple/watery finish; rather on the neutral/vapid side for a white. $8.50 (CB)
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3. Cotnari Grasa de Cotnari Dd'OC: Cules la Maturitate Deplina van alb demidulce (Koverszola grape in Hungary)
Romania 2010: Med.light gold color; very ripe/overripe pineapple/tropical fruit bit hybridy-like/earthy slight
rotted apples-like rather strange nose; off-dry very ripe/overripe slightly oxidized rather rotted apples/
pineapple compote bit vapid flavor; med. bit watery off-dry stewed apples/pineapple compote/dried mango finish;
quite ripe/overripe and a bit weak/watery but a somewhat interesting wine at a good price. $10.50 (CB)
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4. Murfatlar MuscatOttanel Romania (12%; Chasselas X Muscat d'Eisenstadt) 2008: Med.gold color; very spicy bit
peppery almost GWT-like/lychee quite perfumed/aromatic lovely/exotic nose; slightly sweet (2%?) bit tart
spicy/lychee/very GWT-like bit spicy/peppery flavor; med.short slight metallic/bitter spicy/lychee/GWT-like
slight muscat/floral/spicy slightly sweet finish; very much like an Alsatian GWT but a bit sweet;
a very good-drinking/attractive white at a great price. $10.50 (CB)
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5. Vinia Bohotin Busuioaca de Bohotin Sweet Rosy Wine (11.5%) Iasi/Romani 2009: Light ruby/bronze/bit bricked color;
quite attractive spicy/floral/rose petal/grapey/muscat-like slighht herbal/basil almost MoscatoRosa very attractive
slight pencil shavings nose; rather sweet (3%?) bit soft/oxidized quite spicy/floral/roses/grapey/MoscatoRosa-like
quite perfumed flavor; long floral/rose petal/orangey/strawberry slighht herbal finish w/ little tannins; quite
a pretty Rose much like a MoscatoRosa if you don't mind the RS; a steal at $9.50 (CB)
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6. Alaverdi Monastery Cellar Rkatsiteli Qvevri Traditional Kakhuri (Since 1011; Dry Unfltrd Amber Wine; #519;
13%) Kakheti/Georgia NV: Quite golden/burnished bronze slightly brown color; rather phenolic/cidery/orangey
earthy/dusty quite perfumed/smokey quite complex nose; very dry/austere/tart quite phenolic/orangey/smokey
earthy/dusty flavor w/ hard/bitey tannins; long quite phenolic/cidery/orangey/ripe/smokey rather earthy/dusty
finish w/ ample/hard/astringent tannins; no signs of oxidation whatsoever. $24.30 (CB)
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7. Pargolo DOCG: ChiantiClassica (80% Sangiovese/20% Merlot; 14.5%) Podere LaVilla SanCasciano in Val di Pesa
2011: Med.dark color; strong cherry/black cherry/Sangio/spicy slight peppery bit dusty slight bretty rather
attractive nose; bit tart some cherry/Sangio/black cherry cola very slight bretty some dusty flavor w/ ample
hard/rough tannins; long quite earthy/dusty/root cellar/bit herbal rather attractive cherry/Sangio finish w/
ample hard/rough tannins; needs age badly; lots of pretty Sangio fruit but hard as nails on the palate.
$24.00 (CB)
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8. SantaCaterina IGT: Liguria di Levante Rosso (14%; 50% Sangiovese/Canaiolo; L01/13)) Sarzana NV: Med.color;
very strong bretty/horsecollar/sweaty leather quite earthy/dusty bit herbal/coffee/roasted nose; off-dry
very bretty/leathery/unclean quite earthy/dusty biit coffee/funky/pungent/diaper pail/fecal flavor w/ light
hard/bitey tannins; very long bretty/horsecollar/unclean/funky earthy/dusty finish w/ hard/bitter tannins;
hard to find any Sangio fruit in her; way too unclean/bretty for my tastes. $31.00 (CB)
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9. FranzGojer Vernatsch AlteReben Sudtirol/AltoAdige (13%; OliverMcCrum; www.OMWines.com) Glogglhof/Bolzano
2013: Med.light color; rather earthy/dusty/AltoAdige terroir/root cellar some cherry/Pinotish rather fragrant/
perfumed nose; rather tart earthy/dusty/root cellar/mushroomy quite cherry/Pinotish/bright/spicy flavor w/
light bitter tannins; long quite earthy/dusty/root cellar bright/floral/cherry/Pinotish finish w/ light/bitey
tannins; speaks very strongly of the AA terroir w/ lots of Pinotish fruit; one of the best Vernatschs I've
had from the AA; very good price at $21.00 (CB)
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10. Castello di Verduno DOC: Verduno Basadone (Pelaverga Piccolo; EB; 13.5%) Verduno/Piemonte 2013: Light color;
some dusty quite peppery/cracked black pepper/pungent light floral/rose petal/strawberry quite perfumed very
attractive nose; bit soft/ripe strong pungent/cracked black pepper/whole-cluster rather dusty some floral/
rose petal/strawberry/scented flavor w/ light bitey tannins; long floral/rose petal/strawberry very cracked
black pepper/pungent/w-c almost Pinotish finish w/ light bitey tannins; some like a Freisa but less tannic;
some aromatics like a Brachetto; quite a lovely/perfumed red at a very attractive price. $25.00 (CB)
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11. Ch.Cahuzac AOC: Fronton (12.5%; Negrette/PinotStGeorge; www.Vignobles-NicolasGelis.com) NicolasGelis
2010: Very dark color; strong licorice/black cherry/boysenberry rather earthy/dusty/OV almost Zin-like bit
rustic complex very attractive nose; bit tart fairly rich herbal/thyme/pungent licorice/black cherry some
cracked black pepper (whole-cluster?)/root beer bit Zin-like flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; long bit tart
cracked black pepper/herbal/thyme strong licorice/boysenberry/peppery finish w/ light/gentle tannins; some
like a ripe Zin, some like a NorthernRhone Syrah; seems to have some whole-cluster character; a terrific red
at a stupid/silly price. $12.00 (CB)
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12. Tohaner Feteasca Neagra DealuMarc vnud (Late Hrvst; 11.5%) Romania 2012: Dark color; weird very ripe/overripe
peppery/root beer/RCCola/spicy/pomengranate/chocolate covered cherries some herbal/hay mow slight bretty rather
earthy/rustic nose; quite sweet very ripe pomengranate/grapey/chocolate covered cherries some herbal/haymow/
dusty/earthy/loamy/composty rustic flavor w/ little tannins; long overripe/pomengranate/chocolate coverd
cherries earthy/loamy very sweet finish w/ little tannins; pretty sweet but actually an interesting, if weird,
red wine; tastes like it was made in a 3'rd world country by peasants. $9.50 (CB)
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13. Clau de Nell Grolleau IGP: Vin de Pays du Val de Loire (12.5%; Terroir de Gres et Silex; www.ClauDeNell.com)
AnnClaude LeFlaive 2011: Very dark color; some dusty/earthy quite spicy/herbal/thyme/rosemary bit roasted/
green olive/mustard slight bretty some cracked black pepper/Rhonish/whole-cluster beautiful nose; bit tart
some cracked pepper/w-c/peppery herbal/spicy/rosemary/green olive fairly rich slight earthy/dusty/root cellar
lovely flavor w/ light/ripe tannins; tart rich some earthy/dusty/OV rather peppery/w-c/cracked pepper some
green olive/spicy/herbal/rosemary/pungent finish w/ some hard/bitey tannins; needs some age; one of the best
red Loires I can recall and more NorthernRhonish than Loire; a unique & wonderful wine & fairly priced at
$45.00 (CB)
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And the same ole stuff from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. CortiBros: I've been shopping at CortiBros since about 1974, when I first met Darrell. Darrell is one of my
genuine heros (in a world filled w/ too many celebrities and not enough heros). Web: (cortibrothers.com)
He is always eager to share his knowledge with me and I've learned so much from him over the yrs. I've
always said that if Darrell had become a physicist (instead of a Grocer...which is how he terms himself), then
the Higgs' Bosun would have been discovered years earlier.
Because of the reputation of CortiBros Grocery, many people (who have never been there) perceive it as
a high-end/high-price food emporium. It is anything but that...it's not a Draeger's. It's nothing but a
friggin' grocery store....it even carries Velveeta in a Box and Kleenex. But as you walk the aisles, you
soon realize this is not just your ordinary "grocery store". Tucked in amongst everything, you find all
sorts of hidden gems...things you've never heard of before. Darrell was the first to import BalsamicTraditionelle,
Spanish & Portugese canned tuna (don't laugh..they make a great tuna salad samwich...probably even a great
Kansas-style tuna casserole), and many other things. Darrell prides himself at providing great foodstuffs at
reasonable prices. It a grocery store worth the journey.
The wine department is not particularly large. But when you wander up & down the aisles, you soon realize
that this is not your ordinary wine shop. You'll see wines you've never seen before. The dessert wine section
is one of the best in the Nation. Though there may be some high-end wines, again the focus is on value...
providing very good drinking at a reasonable price. The wines above reflect Darrell's philosophy.
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2. Vinia: The grape for this Rose (Rosy??) is Busuioaca de Bohotin, a variety indigeneous to that area.
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3. Alaverdi: This is probably the most interesting and best Georgian qvevri orange wine I've had. It is very
austere and hard to taste on its own, but I suspect would be very good w/ certain foods. This is a wnry
I have, of course, followed from the very start.
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4. Pelaverga: Or PelavergaPiccolo, is a grape indigenous to the Piemonte. It was nearly extinct until in the
'70's a block of it was planted by Burlotto. It makes light/scented wines and is often used to make
Frizzante wines. I was quite taken by this wines for its aromatics. The peppery character suggests it
had some whole-cluster fermentation in it.
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5. Cahuzac: This was a mightly impressive wine, especially for the price. Back in the '70's, EdFreidrichs was
the winemaker at Almaden and he made some quite nice PinotStGeorge under the CharlesLeFranc label. KenVolk
resurected that wine as a Negrette in his days at WildHorse. He still makes one under his KenVolk label.
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6. GrolleauNoir: A grape that is primarily grown in the middle Loire, often used in Roses. It was thoroughly
trashed by a certain Monktown attourney, who scolded all the Loire growers to rip out their Grolleau. This
wine was made from Bio-dynamic grown vines some 60-90 yrs old. Obviously...they should be ripped out. The
variety is thought to be related to GouaisBlanche
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7. Notes from a friend from Romania: Sorry I can't be of much help, I rarely drink Romanian wines and don't know
much about them. But I did a little research for the Los Alamos tasting group, so here it is:
Jidvei Feteasca Regala Tarnave - The region Jidvei is in the middle of Transylvania, the vineyard Tarnave is between
two rivers, Small Tarnave and Big Tarnave. The temperatures are mild, the mornings are foggy, especially in the Fall,
which allows for good acidity and balance in the grapes. The grape is a native one, Feteasca Regala (royal maiden)
Cotnari Grasa de Cotnari - the grape is Grasa (fat) and the vineyard in Cotnari, 50 km south of my home town, in
north-eastern Romania. The original vineyard was very small, established since mid-1400s, known for its high quality
dessert wines.
Busuioaca de Bohotin - is a native grape, originally from the village of Bohotin, region Iasi (eastern Romania), with
nose of rose and basil, very aromatic. The color of the wine is an unusual shade of rosé.
Murfatlar Muscat Ottonel - The Vineyard Murfatlari is in southeastern part of Romania, between Danube and Black Sea,
with warmer temperatures and mild winters. The grapes are grown in this region for more than 2000 years and was used
in the trade with the Greek colonies at the Black Sea. In college we had to work there one fall for a month, to
harvest grapes, which were the best and the most aromatic grapes I have ever ate. The boys were drunk most of the time.
Tohani Feteasca Neagra Dealul Mare - The grape Feteasca Neagra is a native one. The Domain Tohani is relatively new,
40 yrs old, in the region Dealul Mare, which supposedly has a milder climate, with 14 days more sun than in other
parts of the country. The grapes are harvested late, in november, to allow to reach full maturity. For some reason,
Feteasca Neagra (as well as Pinot Noir) is often made semi-sweet. Silvia
Tom
