For the All-Star game, I ordered pizza with linguisa sausage, roasted red onions, garlic and capers.
That called for Sangiovese. The obvious choice was Italian, but I pulled a great surprise out of the cellar: 1999 Martin & Weyrich Il Palio Paso Robles Sangiovese.
I haven't been a big fan of American Sangiovese, and neither has the public: sales have been poor, so in the last five years a lot of wineries have replanted their Sangio vines. Over the long haul, this is good for US Sangiovese, as the people still making it are committed to farming it the right way (it's bushy and ripens unevenly), as opposed to making a few hundred cases because it's trendy.
Martin & Weyrich makes some of my favorite Sangiovese in California year after year. There are a few other good ones: Altamura and Sebastiani have succeeded, and Shafer's Firebreak had some good vintages. But those are all pricier than Martin & Weyrich's: their current release (the 2005) is just $16. (Check out martinweyrich.com)
I don't remember what the '99 cost, but it was a bargain. This wine is holding up great. It has generous aromas of ripe cherry with some plum, cherry tomato, orange and dried cherry. On the palate, it's striking how much fresh fruit it delivers: ripe cherry with dried cherry, along with orange and cherry tobacco. The vibrant acidity keeps it fresh, with a medium-long finish. If you have a bottle of this in your cellar, it's drinking great right now, and probably has at least 2 more good years.
It's just 13.6 percent alcohol -- amazingly low for a Paso Robles red. It's well-balanced and a great pleasure to drink. Normally I don't finish the bottle, but this one was gone before the All-Star Game reached extra innings. It was great with the pizza and would have been a good choice with just about any kind of meat or pasta dish. This wine was much more elegant and less pretentious than the Fox All-Star Game broadcast, that's for sure.
Martin & Weyrich earn my MVP award for the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment