How about an excellent Barolo for $40? If the price and the style are of interest to you then track down the 2014 Oddero. Following the rule that wonderful wines do not always receive wonderful scores, this Barolo earned an 88 (very low) from the Wine Enthusiast while the vintage received an 89 from Robert Parker. We had an opportunity to taste the Oddero to accompany a wonderful meal of gnocchi with lobster (me), and scallops (Joy) at Tradd’s, a new and excellent Charleston eatery on East Bay Street. The score is too low…

The 2014 vintage was difficult in Piedmont. The region had a stormy summer that was fortunately followed by an excellent September (perfect for harvest). While many winemakers struggled, others were able to vinify elegant wines. The Oddero DOCG is an excellent example of a successful effort.

Keep in mind that the DOCG designation is an indication of highest Italian quality. In the mid-20^th century, Italian winemaker’s had difficulty placing their product in the world market. Consumers sought a means by which to determine quality. The Italian government ultimate developed a three-level identification process (IGT, DOC, DOCG). DOCG wines must meet rigorous standards and pass taste tests administered by government licensed specialists, and finally, have their cork or foil sealed with a numbered and government approved seal.

The Oddero family has been making wine since the end of the 17^th century. The family controls nearly 90 acres of vineyards spread across the Langhe (some as small as 1 acre) and produces virtually all of Piedmont’s renowned grapes from Barbaresco and Nebbiolo to Moscato. They vinify in a winery located in Santa Maria of La Morroa. La Morra is a beautiful hilltop town in the far northwest of the Italian boot.

The families DOCG Barolo is produced from 100% Nebbiolo grown on three plots 250 meters above sea level, and from vines that are as old as 60 years. They manually sort grapes by vineyard, then ferment in stainless steel for 20 days and follow with malolactic fermentation.  Juice from each of the three vineyards are then aged separately in varied sized Slovenian and Austrian oak barrels for 30 months. The Barolo DOCG is blended in the spring, bottled at the end of the summer and then aged in bottle for an additional six months before it is released to the public.

The result is bright and fresh garnet colored wine with an excellent floral nose with hints of truffle. There is excellent balance between tannins and fruit, and while this is a wine that will age nicely for the next few years, it is also a wine very ready to consume now.

That truffles are a key element of the flavor package is ironic. Giacomo Oddero, who managed the winery through the 20^th century, its period of greatest growth, was instrumental in the development of the National Center for Alba Truffle Studies to study and promote “The King of Mushrooms”. It is not surprising that he produced wines ideal as companions for a variety of cuisines.

The 2014 Oddero DOCG is worth a little hunt.

We will be out of the country for a couple of weeks. The trip should provide an opportunity to share insights on new wines and spirits.

This past week Joy and I were fortunate to find two seats at one of Charleston’s most noted restaurants, the Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan’s Island. Noted for combining unique flavors with fascinating presentations, the small but well-staffed eatery offers a limited but very interesting wine list. Most of the wines are available by the glass.

I choose a Primitivo Antico Sigillo 2016 to enjoy with the Obstinate Daughter’s baked oyster special (lightly seasoned).

Thus, it seems like the right time to talk about a wine/grape that is both an ideal pairing with food and is price friendly (should be under $20).

Primitivo has been the subject of substantial study by oenologists. In the 1990s there was DNA evidence that linked Italian (Puglia) Primitivo and California Zinfandel. Apparently, there is a real DNA link between Primitivo and Zinfandel. However, rather than being ‘two peas in a pod’ the two grapes are clones of a Croatian grape Crjenak Kastelanski. Primitivo and Zinfandel are, in reality, cousins.

The Crjenak Kastelanski is the basis of fruit-forward and spicy wines…sound familiar…could be a description of both Primitivo and Zinfandel. Both Primitivo and Zinfandel are prodigious producers and ripen early. And, like their Croatian relative you will find both sweet pepper and sweet spice on the nose. They both produce wines that are ready to consume young with an excellent balance between tannin and fruit. These are wines that are not vinified with the intention of long-term aging.

They are, however, distinctly unique grapes. They grow in different climates, and, interestingly, they produce wines that far too many wine drinkers choose to ignore. But both are dark-skinned grapes that produce inky and deeply flavored wine. A dark and deeply flavored wine should be enough to drive customers to Primitivo and Zinfandel. Unfortunately, ‘red’ Zinfandel is too often confused with the ‘white’ version, and Primitivo is often viewed as another confusing and expensive European grape.  

Most Primitivo is oak barrel aged (generally for less than a year), and the result is a fresh wine with depth and character.

Be sure to look for the 2016 Puglia Primitivo. The 2016 vintage was a challenge for Italian winemakers. Risk of too much and too little rain as well as frost both during bud break and early growth negatively impacted winemakers in the central part of Italy. Puglia was fortunate. The weather issues that impacted both Abruzzo and Campania struggled, but the temperatures were moderate and the skies clear. The moderate temperatures will keep alcohol down. Recent vintages of Primitivo have been bottled above 16% (like many Zinfandels). Lower alcohol by volume allows for more elegant and food friendly wines.

Let’s talk price. The 2016 Primitivo Antico Sigillo can be purchased for less than $15. Unfortunately, the only place that the $15 price was advertised was in Colorado. Checking the websites of my favorite wine outlets, I could not uncover any Antico Sigillo. Fortunately, I could find many 2016 Primitivos currently in the market.

You may have difficulty tracking down a bottle of the 2016 Antico Sigillo Primitivo, but there are many other 2014-2016 Puglia Primitivo that will serve you equally well. The Sigillo does appear on the front-page website image at Bottles in Mt. Pleasant…thus we could assume that they carry the wine.  Talk with your favorite wine merchant for their favorites. Good luck and good drinking…

A few Saturdays ago, Joy and I decided to participate in a theatrical double-header. Pure, a company previously located on King Street in Charleston, recently moved to a newly renovated performance space on Canon Street. Pure was offering two different (and well-performed/directed) plays by the late Sam Shepard.

Following the matinee, we walked a few blocks to a new restaurant (new for us – it has been open for about a year), Goulette. The restaurant is billed as a French Bistro, but there are some items (like fish and chips) that are not traditional French Bistro fare. They refer to themselves as ‘frenchish’…”French heritage with just the right amount of American”. I know this is not a food blog, but a shout-out is appropriate for this relatively new addition to the excellent Charleston food scene. However, more to the point, the wine list was both focused and reasonably priced. And, on the wine list, was a 2013 Chateau Pibran from Pauillac. This wine, which we had never experienced, was an excellent choice as a companion to both the restaurant’s ‘famed’ Rotisserie Chicken and very flavorful Grilled Merguez Lamb Sausage.

Pibran is, by Bordeaux standards, a new winery. The Chateau can date its history ‘only’ to the beginning of the 20^th century.  By comparison, Haut-Brion from neighboring Pessac can trace its legacy to the mid-17^th century. Lafite Rothschild, also of Pauillac, likewise qualifies as a 17^th chateau, but has actually been producing wine in the same location since the early 13^th century. The Pibran estate was purchased in 1941 by Paul Pibran Billa and was renamed using his middle name. In 1987 the AXA Insurance Group purchased the winery and its 42 acres of grapes. Jean Michel Cazes of Chateau Lynch Bages was named manager of the estate.  If you are familiar with Lynch Bages then you know that the new ownership made an excellent decision to hire Cazes. AXA has also acquired Pichon-Baron, Quinta do Noval (Port) in Northern Portugal, and Disznoko, Hungary’s outstanding Tokaj producer. AXA clearly considers fine wine a worthy element of the company’s portfolio.

Unique for the Pauillac region, 54% of the Pibran vineyards are planted with Merlot. Pauillac is located on Bordeaux’s West Bank. The West Bank is considered the ‘holy grail’ of Bordeaux.  Three of the five Grand Cru wine, Latour, Mouton Rothschild, and Lafite Rothschild all claim Pauillac as home. But Grand Cru producers focus on Cabernet. First Growth wines are created with aging as an expectation and Cabernet is fundamental to their aging calculus. By contrast, the Pibran, with its Merlot base, offers a very smooth texture and is approachable soon after bottling.  The Pibran will not age as long as a Lafite nor is it intended to do so…

Despite its youth, the Pibran is a dark and dense wine (despite being only 13% ABV) with dark fruit that appears on the nose and continues through the palate and lingering finish. Wine reviewer Steve Spurrier graded the 2013 Pibran with an 88 (a rating that needs to be revisited) noting that it offers “very good depth of fruit, spicy, smoothness, ripeness, and elegance, good future”. Spurrier also suggests that the 2013 version of the wine we experienced is now at its peak of ‘drinkability’. Recent vintages of the wine have earned even more favorable reviews.

Sterling Cellars of Mahopac, New York still offers the 2013 on its website at $29.99. Total Wines in Charleston offers the 2015 at $39.99. And, of course, try this wine at Charleston’s Goulette, or look for the Pibran on a wine list near you.

Last night, we visited Summerville’s Accent on Wine to enjoy a “The Whole Shebang” (a generous amount of six personally selected meats and cheese) a nice red. South Carolina permits the sale of wine by both the bottle and glass in the same establishment, and Accent of Wine has a modest, but very interesting (and well-priced) collection.

We chose a bottle of 2014 Robert Foley Napa Valley Charbono.

Foley only produces about 600 cases of Charbono each vintage sourced from grapes grown by the Heitz Family in Napa Valley’s Calistoga region. Heitz originally sold the grapes to Inglenook but when Inglenook stopped vinifying the grape, they were prepared to rip out the vines and growing a something they could sell. Robert Foley came calling. Today, Foley is the largest producer of Charbono in the world.

Charbono is widely planted in Argentina where it is known as Bonarda. Second only to Malbec is acreage but is primarily vinified for fruity and medium-bodied bulk wines. The grapes European origins are thought to be Savoie where is also referred to as Bonarda or Douce noir. France gained control of the region from Italy in 1860s, and the original cuttings are thought to have been transported to California by 19^th century immigrants.  Originally the cuttings were thought to be Barbara. Researchers at The University of California at Davis eventually determined that the Barbara and Charbono were unique varietals.   

The Charbono grape, grown on vines as old as 70 years, thrives in the wild temperature swings inherent to Calistoga. Interestingly, the sugar content (brix) stops developing late in the summer while the skins continue to mature. The wine is deeply colored and full-bodied with a wonderful mouthfeel. Enjoy black fruit and plum from the nose through the lingering finish. And, although Foley suggests that the wine could have a long life despite the relatively low alcohol (generally less than 14%), you can enjoy the Charbono young.

The Foley 2014 Charbono was a wonderful addition to our Whole Shebang. This wine would also work wonderfully with beef brisket or a well-grilled burger. The 2015 is currently on the shelf (approximately $40).