Hey! Where'd The Bubbles Go?!

You break out the flutes, open a bottle of fine sparkling wine to enjoy with your significant other -- let's say Franciacorta -- and pour: It's perfect! Beautiful brassy greenish hues, fine rich perlage, wonderful aromas, and the flavor -- things don't get much better than this.

So you refill your flutes, the foam settles down, and... Wait a sec. No perlage at all. Nary a bubble rising up through the wine.

What's wrong?

It's not the wine; as you'll discover when you sip: It's as sparkling as ever. The problem is the glass, which is too smooth -- perlage rises up from minute imperfections, and if they're quite minute, they're only able to produce perlage on the first pour.

What to do? Restaurant owners who want to guarantee perlage will scratch the insides of their flutes, just a little down by the stem where it won't show, using fine-grained emery paper.

Tiny striations, and guaranteed perlage!

Elvio Cogno: Fine Wines from Piemonte

I first met Nadia Cogno and her husband, Valter Fissore, on my first trip to Piemonte more than 10 years ago, and much enjoyed both their wines and the dinner Nadia cooked for us, which involved a mixture of fine foods and fascinating conversation that was absolutely delightful. And since then I've made a point of tasting their wines every year at Vinitialy, and stopping to say hello if I happen to be driving through Novello -- their winery is just below the town, and the views are spectacular.

We began with Nas-cëtta Langhe DOC, which is made from Nas-cëtta , an autochthonous white varietal very few have. Up until last year wine was called Nas-cetta, and was bottled as a Vino da Tavola, but the Piemontese wine bureaucracy ruled that one cannot give a table wine a varietal name, and they were therefore forced to reclassify the wine as a Langhe DOC. The 2005 Nas-cëtta Langhe DOC is pale papery yellow, and has a delicate bouquet with floral accents supported by bitter almonds, citrus fruit, and some white pepper. Pleasant, and it's equally pleasant on the palate, with lively citric fruit supported by deft acidity that flows into a long citric finish that gains depth from some bitter overtones. Quite nice, and will work well as an aperitif with cheese or egg-based antipasti, with creamy risotti, or with simple fish.
2 stars

Elvio Cogno Dolcetto D'Alba DOC 2005
Barrel sample
This is from a truly ancient vineyard; it's impenetrable pyrope ruby with deep cherry rim, and its bouquet is fairly rich for a barrel sample, with bitter almonds mingled with warm cherry fruit, some underbrush, and savory overtones. On the palate it's full, and softer than some vintages, with rich cherry fruit supported by smooth rich tannins that have dusky overtones, and by lively acidity that flows through into a long cherry finish. By comparison with previous vintages I have tasted it's softer and more graceful, and will drink quite well with grilled meats or hearty meat-based pasta dishes. Worth seeking out.

Elvio Cogno Barbera D'Alba 2004
Barrel sample
Deep black cherry ruby with ruby rim. The bouquet was closed, though some promising berry fruit emerged with swishing. The palate better shows what the wine is about, with full, rich, powerful cherry fruit supported by considerable acidity and by smooth sweet tannins that reveal some oaky notes (youth at work) and flow into a clean deft finish. Quite promising, and will be an elegant wine by the time it reaches the stores (this fall, most likely). Seek it out, and enjoy it with succulent grilled meats.

Montegrilli Langhe DOC 2004
Barrel sample
This is a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera, and was deep ruby, with a shut-tight nose when I tasted it. The palate was however rich and full, with cherry and forest berry fruit supported by a nice balance of bright acidity and fresh steely tannins -- both varietals contribute to the structure -- that flow into a clean berry fruit finish. Elegant, and will drink very well with red meats, for example roast leg of lamb or roast beef. Well worth seeking out.

Elvio Cogno Barolo DOCG 2002
Nadia and Valter did make some Barolo in 2002, carefully selecting the best bunches of grapes and putting them all together; it's simply labled Barolo because they didn't think it was up to Ravera's standard. It's pale almandine with almandine rim, and has a delicate bouquet with rosa canina and elegant red berry fruit with some underlying green leather and leaf tobacco: Proof that even in a poor vintage one can obtain nice things. On the palate it's rich, with fairly powerful red berry fruit supported by tannins that are weaker than they would be in a better vintage, but nicely balanced and not splintery, while the finish is warm and bright. It displays considerable grace, and will drink nicely with roasts or stews.
2 stars.

Elvio Cogno Vigna Elena Barolo DOCG 2001
This is named after Nadia and Valter's daughter Elena, and the label is based on a fun drawing she did when she was about 6. It's deft almandine ruby with almandine rim, and has an elegant bouquet with delicate rosa canina and hints of leaf tobacco mingled with berry fruit and slight savory overtones. Calssic Nebbiolo. On the palate it's rich and full, with powerful cherry fruit that's supported by steely tannins that still have a youthful dusty overlay I found a touch distracting, but that will fold in beautifully over the next year or two as the wine comes into its own. Those fortunate enough to come across a bottle will be happy indeed; it will add great pleasure to a meal built around a thick steak or rich braised meats in the short term (3-5 years), and be something to enjoy with friends as it ages into its second decade.
93

Vignamaggio's Wine Obsession: A Vertical

It didn't take Gianni Nunziante long to realize, after buying Villa Vignamaggio, that winemakers were different from everyone else. "All they talked about is wine," he recalls. "I couldn't even get them to talk about soccer."

With time he was bitten by the bug too, and decided to make a wine that wasn't Sangiovese plus something. Rather, he wanted to make a completely unconventional wine, with different grapes, different vines (from France) and planted by different people. So he brought in French vineyard workers, who planted 5 hectares of vines in three days, working around the clock to do so.

When they planted them by machine, it caused a stir in the area because nobody did it that way then in Tuscany. The combination of the Bordeaux blend and Syrah is again unusual, but has worked quite well. The vineyard, which is planted to a density of 5000 vines per hectare, is by now 12 years old, and is coming into maturity; the hesitancy of the first years is becoming assurance. Merlot, 60% of the blend, holds things together, because it grows very well in the area, with considerable consistency. The remainder is Cabernet Franc and Syrah, in varying percentages.

The vinification is separate, and some of the aging is too; assembly happens after a year in wood, and they keep a few pure barriques in reserve to fine tune the final blend as necessary. Of the three, Merlot is the most continuous, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Syrah that does better in very hot years, but is a touch thin skinned for less perfect vintages.

Over the years they have increased the concentration of the wines and worked on the tannin balance as well. The maturation of the vines has also had a major impact, because the different varietals respond differently to dryness or rain, especially when the vines are young and their roots are still undeveloped, and especially towards the harvest. In terms of wood, they use barriques, rotating over three years.

The reception of the wine has varied from region to region. The Germans and Swiss took to it immediately, whereas other markets, for example the United States, were initially much more hesitant. As a general rule it's seen as a Vignamaggio wine, and not considered Chianti or Tuscan.

Last thing: The name? Mr. Nunziante says he saw a bottle of Calvin Kline's Obsession perfume in New York, and the name just clicked.

The wines, tasted at Villa Vignamaggio:

Vignamaggio Wine Obsession IGT 1996
Deep black cherry ruby with some almandine in the rim. The bouquet is powerful, with elegant red berry fruit supported by underbrush and some spice that gains peppery notes with time, while deft sour currant acidity laced with vegetal notes provides definition. Elegant. On the palate it's medium bodied tending towards full, with rich berry fruit that gains direction from lively currant acidity and is supported by ample sweet tannins that flow into a clean slightly bitter finish, with lasting warmth and bright fruit. Quite pleasant, though fairly direct -- one can tell the vineyards are young; it will drink well with succulent red meats now, but also has the legs necessary to age well for many more years. A fellow tasted says esile (slender), though I'm not sure I agree. But it is direct.
2 stars

Vignamaggio Wine Obsession IGT 1997
Deep black cherry ruby with some almandine in the rim. The bouquet is powerful, with rich black currant fruit supported by some chalk dust and deft underbrush, with pleasant underlying nutmeg spice. Harmonious and nicely balanced, in a fairly direct way -- it brings to mind a well sculpted athlete. On the palate it's full, though not quite as rich as I might have expected from the nose; the fruit is full but a touch flat, and fairly direct, with powerful vegetal laced black current and forest berry supported by moderate acidity -- there's less than in the 96, though it is enough to give direction -- and by ample tightly woven smooth tannins that have slight bitter vegetal notes, and flow into a warm clean tannic finish. By comparison with the 96 it's larger and more settled; this is the vintage at work, and though it is nice it's not quite as deft as I might have liked. Rather, a touch muscle bound.
2 stars

Vignamaggio Wine Obsession IGT 1998
Deep pigeon blood ruby with black reflections and some almandine in the rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with bright black currant fruit supported by moderate acidity, and by cedar and vanilla-laced spice with slight balsamic notes that are a bit more apparent than in the first two wines. On the palate it's full, and rather languid, with powerful black currant fruit that gains definition from deft acidity, and is supported by smooth sweet tannins smooth enough that they seem smaller than they are, which flow into a long clean black currant finish. Quite elegant, and displays considerably more finesse than the 97.
90

Vignamaggio Wine Obsession IGT 1999
Deep pigeon blood ruby with lively cherry ruby rim. The bouquet is fairly intense, with an initial rush of balsam-laced underbrush supported by pleasant spice, deft acidity, and vegetal-laced black currant fruit. Quite a bit going on, and it reveals greater complexity than the older wines; the vineyard is beginning to mature. On the palate it's full, with rich red berry fruit, a mixture of black currants and cherries with some green pepper acidity, supported by tannins that though smooth and sweet do have slight greenish notes, and flow into a long clean berry fruit finish that gains definition from acidity and bitter cedar. Elegant in a slightly more international key than the earlier wines, and quite fresh as well. It will drink very well with classic red meats.
91

Vignamaggio Wine Obsession IGT 2000
Deep black cherry ruby with bright ruby rim. The bouquet is powerful, and quite elegant, with a great rush of black currant fruit that is delicately supported by spice; it's quick to write but quite harmonious, and very pleasant to sniff. On the palate it's full, and rich, with deft black currant fruit that is quite fresh, and is supported by ample smooth sweet tightly woven tannins that flow into a clean black currant finish with underlying bitter graphite shavings. Quite elegant, and an extremely nice expression of the 2000 vintage, which is often overripe in Tuscany. Well worth seeking out, and it has many years ahead of it.
91

Vignamaggio Wine Obsession IGT 2001
Deep pigeon blood ruby with cherry rim. The bouquet is deft, with fairly intense underbrush mingled with berry fruit and some underlying cedar; harmonious and pleasant to sniff. On the palate it's full, with bright black currant fruit supported by deft strawberry acidity, and by clean slightly greenish tannins that have a delicate vegetal and cedar underpinning, and flows into a long clean finish with bright berry fruit that has some cedar laced tannic underpinning, and is supported by bright acidity. By comparison with the older wines it's younger, and has a richness that is a result of increasing maturity of the vines; one could drink it now, but it will age nicely for another 5-10 years, greatly rewarding those with patience.
90

Vignamaggio Wine Obsession IGT 2003
This is a prerelease barrel sample; it's deep pigeon blood ruby with ruby reflections and dark cherry rim. The bouquet is bright, with a great rush of black currant fruit supported by lively strawberry jam acidity, and pleasant underbrush as well. Impressive for a barrel sample. On the palate it's full, with rich jammy forest berry fruit that gains definition from ripe strawberry acidity and is supported by clean sweet tannins that are still young, and this is not a surprise. It's one of the finest Tuscan 2003 vintage wines I've tasted, with none of the softness and overripeness that are so common. It will be well worth seeking out.

They may not make the 2005. Still thinking about it.

As an overall impression, the wines display impressive continuity and balance, with the three varietals working together rather than striking out on their own, and joining forces, as it were, to counteract the effects climate. For example, whereas hot vintages all too often result in jammy notes and overripe fruit, here the Syrah steps in and mediates very well. There is an increase in complexity over the flight that is attributable to the increasing age of the vines, and also an increase in depth, which is not, fortunately, accompanied by an increase in weight; the wines display a delightful freshness that is a distinguishing characteristic of the flight, and if anything increases throughout it.

One important thing is that the wines from so-called lesser vintages stand out: I was much impressed by the 1998, which is in many cases overrated, and was also impressed by the wines of the 2000 and 2003 vintages, both of which were hot enough to be problematic in much of Tuscany.