Nite in Park Slope

With our recent move back to Italy, our time has been cut short on writing about our experiences in New York- no thanks to the economy. However, we do have a few wines and restaurants that we want to talk about before we close the page. The last few weeks in my beloved New York were filled with friends and family. On one occasion friends of our made dinner for us in their home in Park Slope. By the end of the night we had gone through 6 bottles, but a few more than others stood out in our minds.
Ermintage du Pic St. Loup, a 2005 meritage of Syrah (55%), Grenache (35%) and Mourvedre (10%), is from the Coteaux du Lanquedoc region in the southeast of France. Not as well known as other french regions, its probably a good reason the price was really good for a french wine! A thick, consistant purply red, with peppermint, grass, licquorish, earth, red fruits, blackberry, chocolate and mineral perfumes. It was an intense taste that was extra persistant with a bit of freshness, minerality, warth and velvetness. A definate must try.
Another wine we really enjoyed was the Sassoalloro. Produced by the famous Biondi Santi in 2000 (American Vitners in Tuscany) it is neither a 'Supertuscan' or a Brunello, but falls rather in the 'rosso' catagory and is therefor cheaper even if the quality is top. Since it is a 2000, it has aged longer than the other bottles and had a granite color with lots of legs to prove it. Woody, foresty, plum, aloe, vanilla and bit of salt and honey, the smells were quite interesting and I wondered how the taste would compare. Dry and tannic, warm and velvety, as weird as it sounds i went well with chocolate chip cookies! (or maybe I had drunk too much by that time!)
Last and not least was a 2001 merlot called Il Tesoro. Although Im not a big merlot fan, Paolo really enjoyed this one, and so therefor we are writing about it. An IGT Toscana, it had a light granite color with light consistancy. A medium intensity with a much better persistancy, there were hints of woods, dark cherries, strawberries, balsamic and black current. It even smelled aged. The taste was similar to the smell- medium intensity, persistancy, and tannicity, it was very dry, with a medium acidity and minerality- to me it was lost in time.

Purtroppo a causa della grave crisi americana abbiamo fatto ritorno in Italia. Non che qui l'aria sia assai meno pesante ma sicuramente è meglio degli States. Prima del ritorno salutando i numerosi amici di nuova e vecchia data abbiamo passato una bellissima serata con amici che abitano a Brooklyn esattamente a Park Slope una zona famosa per i numerosi artisti che ci abitano, infatti la serata di cui vi sti parlando era organizzata da tre giovani pittori americani.
Come spesso accade una bottiglia tira l'altra e siamo finiti in 5 a "spegnerne" 6 non male.
Tre delle quali vi voglio parlare.
Ermitage du Pic St. Loup 2005 un blend di tre vitigni Syrah 55%, Grenache 35% e Mourvedre per il 10%. Il Mourvedre è un vitigno a bacca nera che cresce molto bene nelle zone calde della Spagna e della Francia usato spesso negli uvaggi con il Cinsault e il Grenache perchè dona al vino struttura e frutto. Per l'appunto il vino si presenta di un color porpora intenso e consistente. I profumi son di grande intensità e complessità: la liquirizia, la menta, anice, terra bagnata, more, cioccolata e minerale. In bocca ha un bel corpo, una buona intensità, tannini vellutati, ottima mineralità e una grandissima persistenza. "Meraviglioso" come cantano i Negroamaro.
Anche un supertuscan come Il Sassoalloro 2000 della Azienda Biondi Santi mi è particolarmente piaciuto dal color granato con profumi di sottobosco, prugna, aloe, vaniglia e un po' minerale. In bocca secco intenso, abbastanza persistente, vellutato e caldo.
Il terzo vino di cui scrivo è il un Merlot 2001 che proviene dalla zona del Chianti Il Tesoro della Fattoria Terrabianca. Color granato leggero con profumi di legno, more, fragole, ribes. Al palato molto vellutato intenso e persistente con una media acidità e sapidità.