Wines from northern Italy are among my favorites, particularly those from Alto Adige. Kerner, Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sylvaner, Lagrein … those names make me happy. The region is home to some great producers, and the wines they make will always have a home in my collection.
This week was a great one, in part because I opened two bottles from Alto Adige, a 2019 Pinot Bianco ($15 SRP) and a 2019 Pinot Grigio ($16 SRP), both from Alois Lageder’s Terra Alpina line, and both Dolomiti IGT.
The wines produced by Lageder never fail to impress me; they are made well, and they represent great value. (Alois Lageder was founded in 1823, and is led today by the sixth generation of the family.) While we are not at the moment hosting dinner parties, a Lageder bottle or three will certainly be in the mix at our initial pre-Covid gathering.
A Pinot Bianco from Alois Lageder, 2019 vintage …… and the 2019 Terra Alpina Pinot Grigio from Lageder.
Lageder works with growers in the Dolomiti to produce wines in its Terra Alpina line, and is encouraging all of them to transition to organic farming . The producer’s estate vineyards are all certified organic and biodynamic.
Back in 2018, in Houston, I spent some time with Alois Clemens Lageder, Alois Lageder’s son. We talked Fußball and Rudolf Steiner, and, of course, wine, three things we both care about. His pride in his family’s history and dedication to the land they own was evident.
I tasted the two Terra Alpina wines on an early evening, slightly chilled. (Here is where I remind you to drink your white wines warmer than you probably do now, and your red wines a bit cooler than you likely do now. Disregard this if you have already heeded my request.)
The winemakers behind both of these wines are Jo Pfisterer, Georg Meissner, and Paola Tenaglia.
Alois Clemens Lageder and his father, Alois Lageder. (Courtesy Alois Lageder)
The Pinot Bianco is produced from grapes grown in soil containing primarily limestone, with some volcanic (porphyry) content, and the vines are at 300-500 meters. The Pinot Grigio’s soil makeup is the same, and the vines grow at 200-300 meters in elevation. Both spend up to four months on the lees, and are aged in stainless tanks.
We began with the Pinot Grigio; in the glass, it possesses a straw-yellow tone, inviting. Citrus and faint cinnamon aromas are evident, and it sparkles on the tongue. Poached shrimp would be ideal with this wine.
The Pinot Bianco, just as lively as the Pinot Grigio, with which it shares its color profile, offers apple and peach aromas — those notes make one think the wine might perhaps be “sweeter” than it is. It does drink heavier than the Pinot Grigio, has a slightly heftier body. My grocery delivery was full of asparagus, so we paired the Pinot Grigio with some stalks roasted with olive oil and garlic.
Alois Clemens Lageder says that Herman Hesse is his favorite author; Hesse is one of the first writers I gravitated to upon moving to Germany, and I’ll close this with a quote from him; feel free to replace “tree” with “vine”:
A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought, I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail.
If you are like most people I know, Zoom (or another online-meeting platform) has more than likely become a fixture around your home. This past Sunday, we used it to host my virtual birthday party, and a few days before that I participated in a virtual tasting put on by Benzinger Family Winery.
Chris Benzinger, the winery’s vice president of trade relations, hosted the tasting, and the tales he told of his family’s love affair with the land on Sonoma Mountain in Glen Ellen that they purchased in 1980 made me want to leave my lockdown in Los Angeles and head north for a visit.
Chris Benzinger
The occasion for the tasting was the 20th anniversary of Benzinger’s certification as a biodynamic farm by the Demeter Association, something of which Chris, who joined the family business in 1993, is clearly proud.
We began with the 2017 Reserve Chardonnay ($30), and followed that with the 2016 de Coelo Quintus Pinot Noir ($69), the 2016 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon ($20), and the 2016 Sunny Slope “Signaterra” Cabernet Sauvignon ($59). Each of these wines is drinking well now; I especially enjoyed the Sonoma County Cab and the de Coelo Quintus, and I want to taste the 2016 Sunny Slope Cab five years from now. (If you join a Benzinger wine club, discounts are offered on these bottles.)
The Benzinger family left New York in 1973 and headed out to California to make wine.
These wine are, of course, available from the winery, or you can check with your favorite merchant.
Next up, tastings of a Pinot Bianco and a Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige. Until then, drink well, with those you love, and stay safe.
The moments in which everything changed etch themselves into my mind, never to leave. On September 11, 2001, I was living in New York City. On March 13, 2020, I was (and am still) living in Los Angeles. Things have changed, as never before, it seems.
We’ve been indoors, in our apartment in downtown L.A., since March 13. We’ve taken one stroll in the neighborhood — and need to do that more, with masks — and late last month I made a quick trip to CVS for a prescription. Otherwise, we are doing our part, happily. California’s political leaders have responded well to the pandemic, as have most of the state’s citizens.
On March 12, I had lunch with Joel Aiken, a winemaker from California (he’s featured in this Wine Talk). I met him and Rusty Eddy at NoMad , in downtown Los Angeles. The hotel occupies the former headquarters of The Bank of Italy; the building was constructed in the 1920’s, and it’s gorgeous. When you are next in L.A., and when this pandemic is under control, book a table at the restaurant and enjoy the splendor.
I liked speaking with Aiken; he’s a seasoned winemaker, and his conversational manner is relaxed and thoughtful. We discussed his academic education (see the Wine Talk), his beginnings in wine, his tenure at Beaulieu Vineyard, and his current main venture, Scattered Peaks (a project with Derek Benham).
We tasted through several wines at lunch, including the two Scattered Peaks Cabs — the 2017 Cabernet ($40 retail) and the 2017 Small Lot Reserve ($125 retail). Aiken also brought along a 2009 BV, the Maestro Collection Ranch No. 2.
Joel Aiken, a winemaker of distinction.
The several hours at the table passed quickly, beginning with a Riesling and ending with espresso. Aiken and Eddy were scheduled to conduct an online wine course in the early evening, I had some work to do, so we parted ways. Until, it turned out, dinner.
Once back home, I recalled a brief exchange during lunch about restaurants in the area — Aiken and Eddy wanted to get a reservation in the neighborhood (their hotel was near our apartment). Angela and I had been wanting to eat at Nightshade, and I knew that she would enjoy meeting both men, so we decided to meet there after their course.
Scallop at NightshadeShrimp toast at NightshadeBeef rib at Nightshade
It turned out that the meal that evening, on March 12, was our final one before COVID-19 locked us away. We were already not shaking hands in greeting, and neither were hugs in the mix. I miss both of those things, and I miss sitting with others in a communal space, sharing wine and talk and being human.
I love to talk about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and soil types, terroir and residual sugar, and we talk of taste and food and restaurants. We recommend wines to one another, we drink, and we learn a lot.
In Wine Talk, I introduce you to some of my friends, acquaintances, and people I meet as I make my way around the world, individuals who love wine as much as I do, who live to taste, who farm and make wine. You’ll appreciate their insight, and I hope you’ll learn something from them as well.
Pisoni is a name that needs no introduction — especially to lovers of wine. First, there’s Gary Pisoni, who, back in the 1980s, convinced his farming family to plant grapes on their land in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Those hallowed 40 acres of vineyards have been producing great fruit — Syrah, Chardonnay, and, of course, Pinot Noir — since then.
A family of wine: Jeff, Gary, and Mark Pisoni
And it is a family affair, which brings me to the subject of this Wine Talk, Jeff Pisoni, Gary’s son and Pisoni Estate’s vintner. (Jeff’s brother, Mark, is vineyard manager at the estate.)
Jeff, who has a bachelor of science degree in enology from Cal State, Fresno, worked at Bernardus and Peter Michael prior to joining the family concern. Since 2009, he has also been head winemaker at Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery, about which he says, “I’m not trying to make a style. Fort Ross Vineyard is the style.”
Fort Ross is the sole winery Pisoni works with apart from his family enterprise. The vineyard, the closest one to the Pacific Ocean, is in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. “I tried the Fort Ross Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at a tasting and was struck by the luscious fruit, fine minerality and crisp acidity in each wine,” Pisoni says, referring to his introduction to the fruit there. “The cool climate and the strong character of the vineyard were clearly evident. My goal is to continue to express the personality of the vineyard and the wonderful style the winery has worked so hard to establish.”
I tasted through a selection of Fort Ross wines this week, including the 2017 Stagecoach Road Pinot Noir and the 2018 Chardonnay, both clearly made with precision and care. Pisoni’s approach is on display here, and it’s one I appreciate and admire.
Let’s see what he has to say in Wine Talk:
Tell us about three wines you think are drinking well at the moment. What makes them worthwhile? How about a food pairing for each one?
Jeff Pisoni: 2013 Prager “Steinriegl” Riesling. Wachau, Austria. With the down time from shelter in place, I did some organizing in the cellar and opened up this bottle. It was tasting great — fresh, complex, and elegant. My wife and I drank this with grilled sole. I purchased this wine upon release for $30.
Next, 2018 Fort Ross Vineyard Chardonnay. This variety can take many forms. Our approach with Fort Ross is bright and vibrant, but still with nice texture from the high-elevation mountaintops. I found it particularly satisfying, as I think a lot of people turn to a reassuring familiarity while being in a shelter-in-place situation in the world. This brings the beauty of California with a refreshing finish. You can get this for $44 a bottle.
Finally, the 2015 Renaissance by Clape. I love this producer. Clape has a way of capturing so much intensity and purity. Weather recently has also been cold and rainy, which I think fits well for a rich syrah. This was paired with a grilled ribeye steak. What else is needed? This wine was purchased for around $75 per bottle.
JB: If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why?
JP: Sure! I would buy a 6-liter bottle of 2017 Chateau Latour. It’s my younger son’s birthyear and I still need to find a bottle for him. Might as well go big, right? As a backstory, my father gifted me a 6-liter birthyear bottle of Chateau Latour, 1979. (And yes, Bordeaux was a little cheaper back then!) I have not opened it, yet.
JB: What is your favorite grape, and why? If you can’t single out one — I know, it’s difficult — choose one that speaks to you in a particular way.
JP: Right, it’s hard to choose a favorite, but I am extremely passionate about Pinot Noir. Yes, there is the beauty and enigmatic nature of it, the fine balance between amazing and mediocre, the multitude of elusive nuances. I am also really drawn to challenges, and nothing challenges one’s winemaking skills like Pinot Noir.
JB: How about one bottle that our readers should buy now to cellar for 10 years, to celebrate a birth, anniversary, or other red-letter day?
JP: Our Fort Ross Vineyard “Top of Land” Pinot Noir cuvée. It’s a wonderful combination of Pinot Noir’s power and elegance.
The wine blend is of specific blocks and mostly heritage clones. It really conveys the essence of what Fort Ross Vineyard is about. The structure comes from the rugged mountain soils of our high-elevation sites, while the elegance is from the coastal climate that is only possible from a vineyard like this, at one mile from the Pacific Ocean. Overall, it has a great depth of flavor and structure that will age well for 10-plus years in the cellar.
This wine also speaks to the history of the vineyard. First planted by Linda and Lester Schwartz in 1994, the vineyard in total is 50 acres, but made up of over 30 unique blocks. Each block has its own personality. This wine, being a block selection, shows unique aspects of the vineyard and also the idea that Linda and Lester wanted to explore this detail of the vineyard.
Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery occupies a special place near the Pacific Ocean.
JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle?
JP: There is a great restaurant here in Santa Rosa called Stark’s Steak & Seafood. It has a fantastic wine list and a great bar scene in the evening. It is a wonderful atmosphere for a relaxing glass of wine and/or dinner. When you are in Sonoma County, check it out.
JB:If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?
JP: I hope that if people have a chance, they will buy a wine for drinking early and a bottle (or more) for aging. It’s fun and educational to watch the evolution of wines. It also gives you more bottles and opportunities to taste, evaluate, and discuss. I enjoy collecting things in general, so I always default to saving wines for a long time.
Fort Ross Vineyard wines need to be in your cellar and on your table.
JB: What is your “wine eureka moment,” the incident/taste/encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?
JP: Blind tasting wine with my father when I was a teenager. My father was instrumental in me deciding to be a winemaker. He was a farmer turned grape grower turned winemaker — and a viticultural pioneer.
He had a vast wine collection he started in the 1970s, and he would often open wines and introduce them to my brother and me. We loved the learning and experience of the different wines and regions. Well, many times, he would open wines and not tell us what it was — he would ask us to guess the variety, region, and vintage. It was an awesome experience, and very influential for me. In the blind tastings, we obviously had plenty of wrong ideas, but I remember making a few great calls and it brought a very strong connection to wine and the concept of terroir.
JB: What has been the strangest moment or incident involving wine that you have experienced in your career?
JP: One time an intern had filled a 15-gallon stainless steel keg with juice and closed it with a valve. This was during harvest, so it went unnoticed for a few days — long enough for the keg to ferment and build up a lot of pressure. When we tried opening the valve, it plugged with grape solids, so we could not release the pressure. We then had to very, very carefully remove the fitting that held the valve in place. This exposed a 2-inch hole in the top of the keg. In a fraction of a second, a 2-inch vertical stream of wine shot up from the keg and hit our 25-foot-high ceiling. Nearly all the wine was lost to the upward stream, and we all just looked around in awe for a few moments.
JB: What is your favorite wine reference in a work of literature or film?
JP: I grew up in Monterey County, so John Steinbeck was an important author for us. And Cannery Row was a fun read:
“Two gallons is a great deal of wine, even for two paisanos.”
Want moreWine Talk? From Paris to Los Angeles and many other places, the goodness flows
Tasting rooms are closed, no one is traveling, and you need more wine. Here is a perfect way for you to buy a few bottles (or cases) of Napa selections: Open The Cellar.
Napa Valley Vinters has organized the two-day event (April 14 and 15), and if your cellar needs to be restocked, take a look at the selections on offer. Many of the bottles are normally available to clubs members only, while others are typically sold only at the wineries. (Library releases are also available.)
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the wine industry hard, and this sale is a great way to help out. Plus, it’s easy: “You support the employees and small family businesses in wine country, get an exclusive wine and you don’t have to leave your couch,” Napa Valley Vintners says.
Let me know what you decide to add to your inventory.
Wine is without question the best liquid to drink while dining. Water comes in second in this equation, of course. But wine always. Hamburgers or pizza? Try a Chianti. Rouget or scallops? Open a white Rhône blend. Or if your palate calls for something entirely different, indulge it. Drink what you like, drink what pleases you and yours, by all means.
I recently received a few bottles from Joel Gott Wines, and two of them stood out to my palate. The 2017 815 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2017 California Chardonnay. You can find the former for around $17, and the latter for $13 or so.
The (100 percent) Cabernet Sauvignon is immediately approachable, and it’s a fruit-forward pour, full of black cherry and raspberry. Eighteen months in oak produce a wine with pronounced, defined tannins and decent acidity. I paired it with a New York Strip, and was pleased.
The Chardonnay is made with grapes from Monterey, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo vineyards, and you can taste Napa and Sonoma fruit in the glass. Jasmine, citrus, and a touch of peach greet you in this easy-to-drink wine.
Both of the Gott selections are ideal for by-the-case stocking, and you can find them at a wide variety of merchants. (I’m going to sample Gott’s California Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc soon.)
I have been cooking a lot lately. I mean, I cook all the time, but since the evening of March 12, I have not dined in a restaurant, so I’m in our home kitchen even more now, for reasons of which you are aware. I have not yet given this much thought, other than being reminded that our public dining spaces, be they taco stands, food halls, or Spago or Le Bernardin, are a vital part of our existence. I hope you feel the same.
Orrechiette with green peas, zucchini, and feta
In our home kitchen, I’ve stocked up on beans and pasta, firm tofu (for saag paneer and other dishes), canned tomatoes, a lot more garlic than I usually have on hand, plus cold cuts, mushrooms, tuna, and … you get the picture, and I imagine you have done similar. My attempts at procuring yeast locally failed, but a few fine people have offered to send some, and my sourdough starter is under way (thanks for the reminder, Evan Kleiman!) We are ordering from Whole Foods and Ralph’s, and tipping the delivery workers well.
I have purposefully refrained from mentioning COVID-19 here, while I work out my myriad thoughts about what the world is going through. I am glad John Prine’s condition has stabilized, but grieving for Wallace Roney and Ellis Marsalis. I will say that I am touched by the selflessness being shown by so many medical professionals and caregivers, and disgusted by the examples of idiocy demonstrated by leaders of some states — I will single out the governors of Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
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