Mar 4, 2010
My Top 9 List – February 2010
I thought that publishing my top 9 list would be fun for people to see and also for me to look at in the future to see if my favorites remain my favorites and also to watch my moods change! Why is it a top 9 list instead of a top 10 list? Why not? For now, the wine style I can’t seem to get enough of is that lightish red colored, fresh and slightly CO2’d wine sitting at between 11 and 12% alcohol. Wine number 2 is a good example of what I am talking about (although the last bottle I drank noted an alcohol of 12.5.5% – there’s no mistake in my post, this is exactly the way it was printed on the label)! (I have left out vintages because I didn’t feel that they were necessary here.. )
- 1. Frank Cornelissen Munjabel Bianco
- 2. Jean-Marc Brignot Rayure
- 3. Camillo Donati Rosso della Bandita
- 4. Laureano Serres Montagut Vinyes Arrencades Blanc 2008 *
- 5. Maison Pierre Overnoy Arbois Pupillin
- 6. Domaine Le Mazel Cuvée Raoul
- 7. Camillo Donati Malvasia Secco
- 8. Domaine Griottes P’tite Gâterie
- 9. Jean-Pierre Robinot Concerto d’Oniss
* (I noted the 2008 vintage here because this is the first and only vintage of this wine I have ever tasted.)
Of course I have many more favorites and could have made this list quite long… but these are my favorite 9 for now!
Ah very wild list. Nice. Not familiar with the first Donati I thought I had bought all types he made. Can you bring some light into this? What is it made of?
Griottes & brignot are great. I might add a Marcillac from Cros but haven’t had it for a while. Not readily available here in Italy.
Now an important question are we going to http://www.viniveri.net/ or to http://www.vinnatur.it/info.html……. Never had Cornelissen (yes true) so might opt for the last.
Hello Ed! (I hope you get this response – I didn’t know how else to leave it)
Here’s what I know about the Rosso della Bandita from Donati (I work a bit with the importers of this wine, and almost all the others on this list) – it’s a wine made for Donati’s local market in Emilia Romagna. The importers tasted it early last year when they were visiting Donati. They loved it and had them bottle the wine for Norway. So, it’s to my understanding that it is only available back home in Italy (locally) and here in Norway. It’s a huge hit over here. In fact, when I first took the wine in last fall, I didn’t know how people would react. In fact, they reacted positively and I sell tons of it at the restaurant. It’s a blend (of course) of Barbera, Lambrusco, Malvasia and Trebbiano. It sits at 13% alcohol (although you wouldn’t believe it), is purplish-red in color and fruity (but dry). And of course, it sparkles! If you follow my blog, I am going to do a tasting note on this wine very soon!
I haven’t tasted the wines of Domaine du Cros.
You need to come to Norway it seems then to taste Cornelissen – he’s readily available here and his Munjebel Bianco is the greatest wine I have ever tasted. His Rosso del Contadino is also fantastic, but wild. It almost made my top 9 list and if it were a top 10 list, it would be there!
I hope to make it to Villa Favorita this year. I was at Vini Veri last year. It all depends on sponsorship 😉
BTW, do you have a blog I can follow? (perhaps I am already following!)
-cheers!
Hello,
Got the message 😉
First a blog My girlfriend has one on which I write now and then. She rents villas/houses/appartments in Umbria. Here is the link
http://villainumbria.wordpress.com/ I’m trying to up the amount of wine related info but it should be more or less Umbria related Purtroppo there is not a big natural movement here yet. There is link however to the natural wines via Perugia, don’t know the guy but planning to go to a tasting saturday http://www.enoicheillusioni.com/. Paolo Bea will be there as well.
Villa favorita is this one http://www.vinnatur.it/ right? I think we’ll head to that one as well so we can try mr. Cornelissens’ wine :-)) Thanks for the Donati info. I’ll try to give him a call, he might be willing to bring some bottles for me. I like the DOnati’s very friendly people. I recall that last year at, http://www.vinidivignaioli.com/, he wasn’t there the first day because he wanted to go hunting! It was there we bought his whole collection. Great stuff and sadly almost finished 🙁
Hey Ed!
I have added your girlfriend’s blog to my RSS feed so I can follow. I am also checking out e noi che illusioni and have added that as well to my RSS. Thanks
I visited Paolo Bea back in 2003. I liked his wines back then, but i have to admit that I have not tasted them since then! ARgh!
I am not sure if I will make it to Italy for the fairs, but please let me know what you think of Cornelissen’s wines – esp the Munjebel Bianco …
ciao!
Grazie Vinosseur,
Just posted a little piece on the vinix event. Real Italian some ‘modern’ wines but Bea and Collecapretta were nice. Really driven people, great to talk to. Paolo’s Sagrantino dolce is very nice but you pay for it. He convinced us that we have to go to both the natural events. So the 10th Viniveri and 11th Vinnatur. I hope I survive 🙂 His other wines are very well made and nice but as stated they come at a price which ufortunately makes them out of my reach. Do try them if you get a change and fa mi sapere! I’ll get to back to you on the Cornelissen wines. Do you know the La Stoppa Ageno? If it is anything like that I’ll love it. Don’t know if yu have seen it but somewhere on the net there was a post on ‘yellow wines’. Maybe Brooklyn Guy or the NYT. If I find it I’ll send you the link.
A presto!
Ed,
I have not tasted the Ageno from La Stoppa because the importer is sold out. I have the Gutturnio on my wine list and i love it! Please do send me the link on yellow wines when you find it!
Mandami un email cosí possiamo communicare con facilità! Il mio indirizzo email é vinosseur@gmail.com
Come vedi, scrivo anche in Italiano, ma malissimo! Pero, lo leggo benissimo! A presto!
Ecco:
http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/orange-wines/
Ed,
Thanks!
I am drinking a Laureano Serres wine right now, though it is the 08 L’Abeurador, not the Vinyes Arrancades. Quick google search and your blog comes up – nice! So apparently, my understanding was that the ’07 Vinyes Arrancades is the last vintage of this wine, the 100 year old macabeu vineyard was ripped up, just hardly producing enough fruit to make it affordable to make a wine from here. If you in fact had the ’08, then, maybe that was the last vintage or maybe I was misinformed. Anyway, the L’Abeurador is no slouch either. Not as long in stainless steel without top-off (about 8 months instead of 18) but still 14 day maceration with skins and minimal sulphur (15ppm at bottling). Less oxidative qualities and a bit more Radikon goes to Catalunya, as opposed to Puffeney. Well, different wines of course, but that is how each sort of struck me.
That’s a nice list too, by the way. Does Houillon Ploussard disappear as quickly in Norway as it does in the US? Quicker??
Cheers,
Joe
Hello Joe!
Thanks for tuning in!! Cool about the google search result!
I don’t know the vintage of the Arrancades I drank, I am waiting to hear back from Laureano about this question! Too bad if he stops making this wine, it’s glorious!
His wines should make it to Norway soon!
Regarding the wines of Overnoy (Houillon), they are currently NOT available in Norway! The hopefully will be soon!
-cheers!