Cantine San Marzano

A couple weeks ago we had the opportunity to taste six from Cantine San Marzano located in the heel of the boot of Italy.  The larger wine appellation running up the back side of the boot is called Puglia but the heel itself is called Salento.  It is comprised of three wine producing provinces; Tarantino, Brindisi and Lecce; from north to south.  Marzano is a small village near the middle of the boot (Brindisi region) located in the Primitivo di Manduria DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta.)

At their website Cantine San Marzano traces their history to 1962 when nineteen growers affiliated for the purpose of advancing their common interest - grape growing.  In 1996 through the efforts of their leadership they built their physical plant and in 2000 they created their signature wine, Sessantani Primitivo Di Manduria.  Of the six new Marzano wines in the store only two have DOP status, the one we just mentioned and the 62 Anniversario Riserva Primitivo Di Manduria.  Much of Salento is apparently undistinguished according to Italian wine law.  Even perhaps the best known wine of the region, Salice Salentino, is considered vino da tavola.  

Traditional red wines from Salento are powerful, dry, rustic reds that are meant to complement strongly flavored red meat meals.  Because of the hot and dry growing conditions there, that is basically the only red wine style possible for them.  Fifty grape types are allowed in Salento, most of which arrived on their shores thousands of years ago from Greece.  Primitivo (Zinfandel), while originally from Croatia, most likely arrived here like the others, courtesy of Greek traders.  Most reds are constructed of Primitivo or Negroamaro with Malvasia Nera as filler.  The main white of the region is Fiano.

Like elsewhere in Italy and around the world, the international grapes have taken hold in Salento.  The white wine in our Marzano purchase is predominantly Chardonnay.  We have both a Primitivo and Negroamaro that are exceptional everyday-priced reds.  Aside from the two primo Primitivos listed above we also have a Negroamaro called F, short for Feudi di San Marzano.  

As we said, the two lower priced reds are formidable entries into that category.  The white is exceptional.  F is an IGP (Indicazione Geographica Protetta), a less distinguished quality level, but still priced like a DOP and of comparable quality to the two Primitivos.  What makes the higher tier worth the bigger bucks?  The grapes are hand harvested from old bush vines.  They have a 24-48 hour cold soak maceration before undergoing a temperature controlled malolactic fermentation.  The wine is then aged a year in oak. 

Slovenia

When we think of Slovenia, if we think of it at all, Melania Trump may be what comes to mind.  We need to expand our horizons.  Slovenia, like so many other eastern European countries, has fine wines that probably rank with the better known examples from France and Italy.

The Slovenian type we are most familiar with is Pinot Grigio.  The grape originated in northern France centuries ago and migrated east showing distinction only sporadically, like in Alsace and Alto Adige, Italy.  Ordinary Pinot is light, simple and without distinction.  In Slovenia, adjacent to Italy to the east, it's fatter, richer, softer and ideal for lazy afternoon porch sitting.

Other successful wine grapes in Slovenia include Riesling and Pinot Noir and some native types that are probably as good or better than the acclaimed types but we won't see them here because they won't sell in this market.  Spelling and pronounciation are the issue.  Slovenian names for places and things are kind of hard to digest.  But because they have a winemaking history that goes back to the 4th-5th centuries B.C., you have to assume they know what they're doing.  

We have two types in the store right now, a Pinot Noir and a Dry Riesling.  They are both 100% varietal wines, sourced from eastern Slovenia just south of Austria.  The climate there is continental, featuring great temperature variation and windy steep hillside vineyards suitable for blowing off pests and fungi.  The soils are marl, clay and sand.

The Sanctum Pinot Noir has a bright cranberry and vegetal nose with an elegant and intense mouthfeel featuring a garden salad of vegetable and spice flavors.  It would complement soups, stews, sauces and gravies and most any red meat dishes.

The Joannes Protner Riesling has a floral nose with pronounced stone fruit and petroleum.  Those structured flavors become electrified on the palate when combined with the wine's chalky minerality.

Demarie & Roero

Paolo Demarie is a third generation winemaker for his family-owned Demarie wine company.  Their easy drinking Barbera d'Alba Superiore has been a staple here at the store for the last couple years.    Only recently have we learned how good their Langhe Nebbiolo is; first from our vendor and then from our customer base who tried it.  So rest assured, the Nebbiolo should be a fixture here for the foreseeable future.

Demarie owns twenty-nine hectares of vineyards in Vezza d'Alba in the Roero district of Piedmont, the finest wine region of Italy.  Only two grapes are allowed in Roero; Italy's great red, Nebbiolo, and Piedmont's great white, Arneis.  Plantings in Roero tend to favor Arneis three to one over Nebbiolo so since both the Demarie Barbera and Nebbiolo carry appellations other than Roero, it's safe to assume it's mostly Arneis growing in the estate vineyards.  Italian wine law is loose enough though to assume some of the Demarie estate Nebbiolo can find its way into both the Barbera and Nebbiolo.

The Roero wine appellation has a continental climate with steep hillside vineyards with sandy, calcareous clay.  It is located in south-central Piedmont which is in the upper western corner of Italy.  Both our Barbera d'Alba and Langhe Nebbiolo are sourced within a mile of Roero.  Langhe is adjacent to Roero to the southwest; d'Alba is due south.  Demarie also owns vineyards in Italy's two premier wine regions, Barolo and Barbaresco, which lie an equidistant three miles away to the southeast and southwest.  As should be obvious at this point, this is not a bad neighborhood to be in.

Demarie has a versatile food-friendly wine style that aims for elegance and finesse while basically complementing any meal on the dinner table.  This model for both the Barbera and Nebbiolo makes it a sure winner for most of our needs.  When you consider how tannic some of those gold standard Barolos and Barbarescos can be, the Demarie style is a pure delight.

Grana Padana

I'm sure we've written about this generic Parmesan in the past but it's probably time for a revisit.  Grana Padana is essentially a cheaper version of Reggiano.  Because of its lower cost, restaurants everywhere use it instead of Reggiano as a rule.  While Reggiano is sourced from a delimited region of the Po River Valley, Grana Padana is sourced from a greatly expanded region of the same valley.  The name Padana literally refers to the Po Valley and grana means grainy.  

Grana Padana was developed by monks back in the twelfth century.  It's geographical catchment area has been legally defined since 1954 and its European Union PDO (protected designation of origen) was granted in 1996.  

There are 150 cheese factories that make Grana Padana and they are regulated across producers.  These regulations are less strict than Reggiano but much remains the same.  Grana Padana is made with unpasteurized cow's milk and is aged nine months to two years.  The curd is pelletized and stirred into the milk for texture.  Tyrosine, leucine and isoleucine crystals form as the cheese dries out with aging.  These are amino acids that are then synthesized by our cells into proteins.

What we get from these crystals is a delightful gritty, grainy crunch that augments the intensely nutty sweet and savory flavors of the cheese.  With aging the cheese flavors become more complex and the texture becomes more crumbly.

Grana Padana, of course, is Parmesan so its utility in the kitchen is wide ranging.  Beverage accompaniments would include most import quality red and white wines and most any good quality malt brews.

Tobias

We just got in three types from Tobias Vineyards of Ukiah, California, at least that is where their winery is located.  Principle owners Tobias and Dawn Pauli Forman own forty-three acres near the top of Howell Mountain which could rightfully be called their family estate.  

Both Tobias and Dawn come from wine royalty.  Tobias is the son of Ric Forman, legendary winemaker for Sterling and Newton Vineyards.  Dawn comes from five generations of grape growers in Mendocino.  She is part owner in her Pauli family business which has vineyard holdings in Napa and Sonoma in addition to Mendocino.   Her father is the former CEO of Souverain Vineyards and a past president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.  Both were raised in the family business and are hands-on in every aspect of their enterprise today.

The three types we brought in are the Lexi's Estate Sauvignon Blanc, the Blue Oaks Vineyard Chardonnay and the 2017 Tobias Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  We chose not to carry the Tobias Formations Cabernet Sauvignon, thinking it paled beside the Howell estate wine.  Both the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are sourced from Pauli Mendocino vineyards and show their breeding.  The Sauvignon Blanc features complex, well-structured and balanced fruit with minerality.  The Chardonnay is floral and almondy and balanced with noticeable oak.  They are both centerpiece wines.

In 2014 the Formans purchased what was then called Vogt Vineyards near the top of Howell Mountain.  That vineyard was originally planted in 1997.  Since renamed Pauli Vineyard, it is now planted entirely in Cabernet Sauvignon, using five different clones for enhanced complexity.  If high-end Napa Cab is your thing, you should try this one!