Wines of the Month - February 2020
Posted by Wine Gourmet on
- Field Recordings, Chenin Blanc Shell Creek
- Dievole, Novecento Chianti Classico Riserva
- Center of Effort, Effort Chardonnay
- Centonze, Sicilia Nero d'Avola
Tasting Notes
Field Recordings, Chenin Blanc Shell Creek
"Field Recordings is winemaker Andrew Jones’ personal catalog of the people and places he values most.
Spending his days as a vine nursery fieldman planning and planting vineyards for farmers all over California, Andrew is sometimes offered small lots of their best fruit on the side. Having stood in just about every vineyard on the Central Coast, he has a keen eye for diamonds in the rough: sites that are unknown or underappreciated but hold enormous untapped potential."
Dievole, Novecento Chianti Classico Riserva
"Dievole is set in tranquil surroundings, nestled in the beautiful Tuscan hills, long known as a little piece of heaven on Earth.
Here the dialogue between Mankind and Nature has never been interrupted, and its very name explains why: In fact, the root of the word Dievole comes from “Dio vuole” or “God willing”.
The name Dievole officially appeared for the first time in a contract in which Rodolfino and Vinizio paid two capons, three loaves of bread, and 6 silver Lucca denari for a promise of the divine vineyard. It was on the 10th of May 1090. During those years Leif Erikson was discovering North America, the Chinese were inventing gunpowder, Bologna opened the world’s first university, the Normans were invading Rome, and Pope Urban II was conquering Jerusalem.
Eight centuries and countless generations later, another contract mentions Dievole. This time it was a wedding gift. Count Giulio Terrosi-Vagnoli gave the Estate, costing 361,632 lira, to his future wife Ildegonda Camaiori, who was to be the last noblewoman of Dievole. She is responsible for an invaluable document that has survived to this day: Dievole’s Ledger of Balances containing all the names of the peasant families at the time, and the name of the holding entrusted to them. These are names that hint at the passion of Chianti’s people for their own land. Many descendants of those families are still here. Since the 1980’s, their age-old wisdom has returned to care for Dievole’s vineyards: 16 vineyards, just like the 16 holdings into which the property was divided."
Novecento Chianti Classico Riserva was made to celebrate 900 years of history at Dievole. The story began all the way back in 1090, when, according to the contract conserved in the State Archives in Siena, “two capons, 3 loaves of bread and 6 lucchesi coins forged from good silver” were paid as the annual rent for a vineyard in the “divine valley”, Dievole.
The color is intense ruby red with garnet highlights and an intense bouquet of ripe red fruit and spiced notes. The wine is bodied and balanced wine, with elegant, pleasant tannins. Good acidity and a distinct minerality with a long, elegant finish.
Center of Effort, Effort Chardonnay
"Effort is the companion label to our flagship Center of Effort wines. Each lot of the vintage is crafted in accordance with our vigilant standards of quality, all competing for the crown. However, only a handful of elite lots are ultimately designated for Center of Effort. What remains is our best effort of the vintage. Stylistically, Effort wines exhibit a more approachable, fruit-forward style, bringing diversity and dimension to our portfolio."
The 2016 Chardonnay has a classic Bourgogne aroma profile - lemon zest, asian pear, faint fennel frond, and a flinty, struck-stone mineral note. Cointreau and flambéed orange peel come across on the palate, along with a balancing fresh acidity.
Centonze, Sicilia Nero d'Avola
"The Company was established in 1998 by a family of oenologists, Giovanni Centonze together with his son and daughter Nicola and Carla. Approximately 20 hectares of vineyards belong to the Company in the area of Trapani and the Centonze family manages the best vineyards and selects the best grapes in the most representative Sicilian terroirs. Nicola and Giovanni have given an important contribution to modern winemaking in the region and the Centonze label is a guarantee for high quality and typicality."
Defined the prince of Sicilian wines. With its clear cleanliness and aromatic fragrance, freshness and flavor, it brings to mind the fantastic landscape of Sicily; fully preserving the varietal expression and the territorial identity of the grape.
