CC 2.0 Image courtesy of Jacob Bøtter on Flickr

Pio Boffo of Pio Cesare from Alba Italy was just in Vancouver for a dinner showing some of his excellent Piedmont wines. He is 4th generation of the estate vineyards started in 1881. They now own 70 hectares (160 acres) with historic cellars but I have also met up with Pio not only there but on his tours around the world including seminars at the Wine & Food Festival in Singapore. At a tasting with his father just before he died in December 2000 Pio received what he considered a rare compliment from him that with money available to buy the latest equipment Pio was still making wines now the same old classic way he had done. I was fortunate to sit next to Pio on this visit while enjoying two of his famous single vineyards – the “darker bigger fuller” 2010 Barolo Ornato (9,000 bottles) & the more “elegant feminine finesse” of 2010 Barbaresco Il Bricco (5,000 bottles). Pio says they are “brother & sister in the same family and one is not more important than the other” and compares nebbiolo to domaines in Burgundy where “all are pinot noir but still quite different”. He believes that 2010 “will be for long aging with big fruit hiding the high acidity and balanced tannins underneath”.

The 2015 Piedmont harvest has been completed marking Pio’s 44th vintage back to his 1st one in 1971. During dinner I pressed him for his brief summary on Barolo crops and resulting wines over the past years. His knowledgeable comments are summarized as follows:

2015:  Perfect. Best berries in 44 years for him. Down 25% from 2014 but the healthiest clusters ever. Clones recently producing less weighty 250-300 grams allowing more clusters per vine and intense smaller berries with darker colour & better tannins. Blends of vineyards will be outstanding in 2015 as well because all the raw material is truly excellent.

2014: Concentrated big fruit from challenging vintage that Pio loves.

2013: Another 2010 with even more guts for nebbiolo.

2012: Elegant but not too concentrated with purity vibrancy and longevity.

2011: Warmer year with some concentration.

2010: Cooler weather long ripening leaner more classic style.

2009: Hotter but round and silky.

2008: Purity of fruit.

2007: Warm Powerful.

2006: Cooler Classic style.

2005: Smaller crop Good acidity Firm tannins.

2004: Late picking resulted in a very good warmer year.

2003: Unique Heatwave Older vines fared better.

2002: Poorest conditions.

We both like the old style for long aging of 1996s.

Do you have a favourite Barolo vintage?

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By Joseph Temple

It’s hard to believe that the flourishing vineyards you see today across Suffolk and Nassau counties were once used for growing simple spuds less than fifty years ago. But in the early 1970s, a watershed moment occurred when academics at Cornell University thought the cool climate influenced by the Atlantic Ocean made Long Island the perfect spot for viticulture in lower New York State. Starting with a few visionary trailblazers who decided to put that theory into practice, the island’s wine industry has grown enormously to over 4000 vineyard acres and 56 wine producers by 2015. Benefiting from a supportive state government while being part of the largest consumer market in North America, Long Island has become more than just a picturesque getaway of palatial summer homes. With three recognized AVA’s, it is now an integral part—along with the Finger Lakes and the Hudson Valley—of New York’s growing wine business. And below are ten facts to get you up to speed on the wines from Long Island.

http://www.cgpgrey.com [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

1. Long Island’s first vineyard was started by Alex and Louisa Hargrave in 1973 when they purchased over sixty acres of land in Cutchogue, New York.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc were the first grapes to be planted.
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2. The vast majority of Long Island’s vineyards are located on the North Fork of Suffolk County – a thirty-mile peninsula on the island’s east end.
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http://www.cgpgrey.com [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

3. On the North Fork, the waters have a moderating effect, cooling the hot summer temperatures while curbing the cold winters of the American northeast.
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http://www.cgpgrey.com [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

4. The ripening period on the North Fork is two to three weeks longer than it is in the Hamptons, which can get spring frosts as late as May and where the prevailing winds are cooler.
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By Dianne Patrizzi [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

5. Because approximately 2/3rds of New York wines come from the Finger Lakes, the state is often thought of as a white wine region.  However, Long Island is known largely for its red varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – which can be full of spice, black cherry and blueberry aromas.
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6. Due to island’s maritime microclimate and the red wine grapes it’s most known for, local vintners see many similarities between Long Island and Bordeaux.
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7. With its close proximity to Manhattan, Long Island can be one of the most expensive places to own a winery in North America.
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By Mark Jenney (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

8. A sizable chunk of Long Island wine sales come from tourists visiting the North and South Forks during the summer season.
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http://www.cgpgrey.com [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

9. A big threat to Long Island’s wine industry comes from birds. Being on a migratory route for numerous species, they can destroy a vineyard in a matter of days, requiring winemakers to net their vines.
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10. Another threat comes from storms and hurricanes that have caused severe damage throughout the American northeast.

The International Wine & Food Society is proud to have a strong presence across the state of New York with branches in New York City, Long Island and Buffalo. Please click on any of the links to visit their respective websites.

Sources:

Cattell, Hudson. Wines of Eastern North America: From Prohibition to the Present—A History. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013.
Clarke, Oz & Spurrier, Steven. Clarke and Spurrier’s Fine Wine Guide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001.
Harding, Julia. The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.
McCarthy, Ed & Ewing-Mulligan, Mary. Wine For Dummies. West Sussex: Wiley, 2011.
Pinney, Thomas. A History of Wine in America: From Prohibition to the Present, Volume 2. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.
Long Island Wine Region Statistics. The Long Island Wine Council. LIWine.com. Retrieved from http://www.liwine.com.

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Question: What white wine variety in the Northern Rhone style do you prefer?

Answer: Traditionally the viognier grape has been the star in Condrieu showing highly perfumed peach and apricot styling & the even smaller appellation of Chateau Grillet delivering more chardonnay-like fruit but really a unique terroir. It is growing well for Chapoutier in Domaine des Granges de Mirabel in the southern Ardeche and in some regions of the New World. I like the marsanne variety showing rich oily deep textures from old Victorian vines planted by Tahbilk in Australia and the more delicate Road 13 Vineyards one grown in Cawston BC. Rousanne is another variety successful in California with more acidity and aromatics that often is even better when blended with marsanne and viognier. Okanagan Valley is having wonderful success with this 3 grape aromatic blend led by among others Ava of Le Vieux Pin Winery & Afraid of the Dark by Moon Curser Vineyards.

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