Buon Natale with Mucci Imports
Free tasting | Saturday, December 16, 2017 | 4-6PM
Buon Natale with Mucci Imports
Merry Christmas with Mucci Imports! Join us for a festive evening of all Italian wines as Nick Mucci pours a line-up of all Italian organic, biodynamic and natural wines! Buon natale a tutti!
Cantina della Volta, Sparkling Bianco Lambrusco (NV) – Emilia-Romagna, Italy ($32)
White Lambrusco?? Yes!! And it has been one of my favorite dry sparkling wines for almost all of 2017! It is extra delightful with Cravero Parmigiano too. Fourth generation winemaker Christian Bellei is the closest thing to a rock star when it comes to sparkling wines in Italy. Christian learned how to make sparkling wine in Champagne, France. His goal back in Italy, was to take the pesky, dirty, good-for-nothing Lambrusco di Sorbara grape and turn it into something magical - a champagne style wine, with secondary fermentation in bottle. With his Lambrusco bianco, Christian removes the dark skins of the Lambrusco grape at first press making white juice instead of red.
Muscari Tomajoli ‘Nethun’ (2016) – Lazio, Italy ($24)
An organic Vermentino from the hills of Tarquinia, just a quick ride to the Mediterranean Sea! Marco Musari’s special Vermentino is intensely aromatic with notes of daffodils, grapefruit, cedar, sage, and tropical fruits. It has a full-bodied roundness in the mouth, and a pop of mineral drive on the finish, thanks to its vines atop calcareous clay soil beds. The four fish on the label is a drawing by Guido Silconi, based on frescos found in local Etruscan caves. Tarquinia was once the Etruscan capital, before the Roman invasion.
Cantine Rao, Pallagrello Nero ‘Silva Nigra’ (2014) – Campania, Italy ($24)
Franco Rao and his tiny 5-hectare farm fit right into this Campania ecosystem. He has been on the front lines of bringing the grape Pallagrello back from near extinction. Today he has 20 hectares of this varietal planted, all of which can be seen from the hill above Rao’s cellar. Pallagrello has historical ties to Caserta dating back to the 1200's, as the wine was known to be a favorite in the court of the Bourbon king. This is a hearty, and chewy dry wine that can handle a rustic lamb stew or roast beef.
Cantine Rao, ‘Silva Aura’ Pallagrello Bianco (2015) – Campania, Italy ($23)
Pallagrello Bianco is not to be outdone by its red wine sibling, also receiving high acclaim in the 17th and 18th century before both varietals went nearly extinct. Today, just like with the red, there are about 10 producers in the world growing this varietal with total production no more than 100,000 bottles. The sandy soils in Caizzo bring great minerality to this wine and time on the lees brings structure into the equation. Treasure this ripe wine with its lovely notes of honey and freshness.
Regina Viarum, Falerno del Massico ‘Zer05’ (2014) – Campania, Italy ($25)
Primitivo (aka Zinfandel) that reminds you of…Sangiovese? Yes! This wine isn’t all ‘fruit bomb’ - there’s structure, minerality, elegance and earthy notes. The Maddalena family has been farming in Campania for centuries. The winery is located in the basement of their house and their winemaking operation is as old school as it gets. The soil is a mix of some volcanic undertones with clay and sand and vines are upwards of 100 years old. This vineyard has serious character with some very old vines, some of which are pre-phylloxera. A natural ecosystem grows wild amongst the vines, helping to enrich the soil and create a unique ecosystem.
Palmento Costanzo, Etna Rosso Nero di Sei (2012) – Sicily, Italy ($40)
In 2011, Mimmo and Valeria Costanzo purchased and renovated Palmento Santo Spirito in Castiglione di Sicilia. This palmento (winery) was built over 100 years ago. Like many of his colleagues on Etna who have done similar work, Costanzo maintained the integrity of the existing building, while adding state of the art winemaking equipment and temperature control. The two principle grapes produced at Palmento Costanzo are Carricante and Nerello Mascalese. In Santo Spirito, you have portions of very rocky terrain, and volcanic rocks. This red blend is a deep, crunchy, warming wine full of notes of balsamic and harmonious black fruits.
