New Years, New Challenges

So what did you promise yourself last year? Did you accomplish it?

Last year I told myself that I would do two things. The first had to do with finding direction. This was the theme of 2010. It was an exploration to what lies at the root of who I am. This involved training as hard as I could to prepare for this season, so that I could find where my heart was in regard to sliding and my future....I love sliding and I always will, but it seems that as I come into 2011 I have found my answer.

I need a new environment, I need new challenges, I need new people, I need new loves, I need new passions, I need to ramp things up a notch and execute.

Your past experiences prepare you for your future and the key is to keep the ball rolling. Its like a snowball, as it rolls down the hill it picks up more and more snow ( experience ) and speeds up...it rolls easier and easier, faster and faster....this is life. Keep the compound effect going.

I am no longer challenged in my current state, I need to enter an existence where true failure is more of an option, where I am challenged like a vine in a marginal climate to produce the finest fruit...Game on.

My second resolution for last year was to teach myself italian. I spent every blank moment of the last year studying Italian and I am making great progress, so much so that I should be very comfortable when I arrive in Italy in September for harvest.

So what are my resolutions for 2011??? First I need a few glasses of Cabernet and then ill give it some thought :)

All of my best

Caleb

Barolo Trip, Episode 2, Monfortino for breakfast

Monfortino for Breakfast

How often in your life have you awoke to a breakfast of Barolo? I know it sounds odd, but stay with me...drinking young tannic barolo is actually quite satisfying at 900am. Fueled by Italian moca and a few eggs the situation actually feels quite natural. Darting and weaving up the hill to Monforte from Alba, the glistening sun contrasting the dark sleeping vineyards with the snow capped alps in the distance, life seems pretty good. When im in wine country this is what I do. Tour from sun up to sun down. Dart from producer to producer in search of knowledge, passion and just enough wine to keep a slight grin on my face.

My first Barolo breakfast involved none other than the famous Roberto Conterno, the producer of the famous Barolo, Monfortino. This was my second visit to the estate. I pulled off the main road in Monforte darting through a narrow alleyway down the hill to the cantina. I approached the wrought iron gate with the call box and stated my name. The gate promptly but slowly creaked open. Erica who hosted Joe and I on our last visit was here to greet me again. As I passed into the brick tasting room we caught up on the changes in our lives, including sport, business and relationships as we waited for Roberto.

This connection with guests is something I find very special within Piedmont. You are never just a number in a tasting room, you are always forming a friendship with either the family or the winemaker. Piedmont is a place of humility and acceptance. Sometimes you feel as if it is hidden behind the somewhat conservative and austere outward demeanor, but with one display of passion, knowledge or inquisitiveness towards the wines of the region and the doors of hospitality fly open like no where else in the world. I asked Fabio Conterno of Conterno Fantino about this and he responded this is who we are, and it is also our way of marketing our wines to the world. This hospitality allows us to differentiate our wines from the other wine regions of the world.

Roberto entered the room grinning cheek to cheek, far more expressive than during our last visit, and what unfolded next was reflective of his mood. Perhaps during our last visit his demeanor was more stoic because that is the way the Piedmontese are at first encounter, or perhaps it was because I was living with his first cousin, I am not sure. But to see an animated and jovial Roberto set the mood for a great tasting. I was hoping this was a sign there would be Monfortino involved, but only time would tell.

Roberto handed me a beautiful long stemmed Riedel Burgundy glass as we descended into the meticulously clean cellar. We started with Cascina Francia Barbera 2009 vs his new vineyard acquisition/bottling, Cereretta Barbera 2009, both out of Botti.

2009 was a warmer and more humid vintage during the summer months than 2008, which benefits the earlier ripening varieties of Barbera and Dolcetto. The later ripening nebbiolo relies more on the next few weeks as it needs a long cool fall to mature to full phenolic ripeness and resulting balance of acid and tannin. In 2009, the nebbiolo vineyards where vineyard managers controlled yields produced spectacular wines as the heat/humidity encouraged the vines to produce a lot of fruit requiring a strong green harvest and canopy management strategy. If the manager controlled yields early in the summer, the vine subsequently produced the right amount of fruit despite the intense growing conditions. Once the fruit was set, luckily the fall cooperated by bringing the necessary freshness to the wines.

2009 Cascina Francia Barbera- Very juicy black and red fruits. Reminds me of an extracted form of normal barbera fruit, but not a result of winery work but limited vineyard yields. There is a depth and complexity to this barbera that I do not find in other barberas. Finishes +30 seconds with multiple layers of complexity. 92-93.

2009 Cerretta Barbera- Out of barrel the cerretta is equal in quality to the Cascina Francia, but with a more exuberant and fruit forward personality. While you had to dig into the depth of the Cascina Francia, this is far more forward about who it is. 92-93

Roberto and I spoke back and forth in English and Italian. His English was notably better than our last visit, and my Italian, virtually non existent last time, was passable. We proceeded to the other side of the barrel room where 2007 Cascina Francia awaited us. 2007 was a vintage in Piedmont that new drinkers of Nebbiolo will love. In virtually every bottling I had, the tannin was no higher than medium, and the fruit extract was through the roof. Personally I think the vintage is not a classic vintage as the complex aromas that make up classic nebbiolo aromatic profiles were lost in the heat of the vintage. That being said, I do believe this vintage will be a very important vintage for new drinkers of nebbiolo as well as the American market in general as it offers the extract and accessibility that so many people want.

2007 Cascina Francia Barolo- I was a bit taken aback when I tasted this in how monochromatic and fruit focused the nose was. Ive never had a Cascina Francia like this. Sure this is still in tank, but this wine was so exuberant, I had a hard time believing it was Roberto’s. Medium tannin at best and just under med + acid. 91-92. Side note on 2007 Barolo- During my entire trip I struggled to find any Baroli that would not drink great right on release.

Switching back to English, a smile slowly emerged from the corner of Robertos mouth as he asked, “ do you want to drink some Monfortino?” My response was not necessary. We headed to a non descript barrel across the room, simply labeled Nebbiolo d’Alba. All of the barrels of Nebbiolo were labeled this way, no matter what they were destined to be in bottle, as the DOCG board had not yet tasted the wine to certify it as “Barolo.”

I have had Monfortino once before (1999) I knew what I was in for in regard to barrel tasting. When I had the 1999 it was not even close to ready. These wines wouldn’t be a. finished or b. as expressive as they are with age. The first pour of the 2004 confirmed that. I first took note of the balance of the wine, which was impeccable, fruit/tannin/acid were all in perfect proportion to one another. In addition the finish went on for minutes. I would get caught up in conversation with Roberto and then realize I was still tasting something new in this wine. This was a great lesson in what the longest lived Barolos from storied vintages taste like when young. The structure of this wine is hard to see through if you are looking for flavors, but the balance and length are there from the start. With age comes the fine ethereal aromas and emergence of fruit that traditional Barolo can bring.

2004 Monfortino -Incredible length, with a core of PURE licourice, mineral, plum, spices and cherry fruit. The purity here aligns with the forward and pure profile of other 2004s that I have tasted. This is drinking better out of barrel than the 99 out of bottle at this point. There is amazing structure here as well which will certainly allow the pure fruit to come forward as it peels back over the years. The flavor profile of this wine is almost delicate The balance is incredible here. Sweet Tannins should make this accessible for most of its life. Mind blowing length. As the wine finished it kept surprising me with new flavors around every corner. 97-100

After a lengthy discussion about Monfortino, the vineyard location and peculiarities of the vineyard, we smiled again and noting my preference for classic Italian nebbiolo vintages said, lets go taste the 2006. Monfortino is a selection of vines set within the Cascina Francia vineyard that have the best exposition and age characteristics. I have to say that out of the last 8 vintages of Barolo, the 2006 is the most exciting vintage I have tried to date. These are large scaled classic Barolos with huge tannin and acid, but very rarely did I encounter any angles to these wines as big as they were. They were structurally huge but had fruit concentration to match…these wines will take time but they are incredibly balanced and will drink well for a very long time.

2006 Monfortino- Huge internal structural balance, Perfect harmony, but massive relative to the acid and tannin in the 04. Fruit is a bit less forward here, but there is a weight and concentration that is there to balance with the acid and tannin. Seems like the fruit isn’t showing itself yet. Perhaps this is more normal for monfortino out of barrel as the 04 could have been more expressive due to either age and/or vintage character. This wine being younger struck me us “unfinished” more so than the 2004. 95-100

At the conclusion of our enlightening conversation we headed upstairs to try a finished Monfortino. Something I was not expecting. Breakfast was tasting pretty good at this point. The wine we would try was the 2002 Monfortino, and there is a story worth telling behind this wine. It is said that there are only bad wines not bad vintages and this rings true in this instance. This is Robertos favorite vintage of Monfortino along with the 1958. In 2002 this was the only wine that Roberto produced. Roberto decanted and warmed the bottle as our conversation continued. Regarding the production of Monfortino and the vintages it is produced in, Roberto said, “Monfortino is only made when it can produce what drinkers or Monfortino expect” When he says this he is referring to traditional vintages that can allow Monfortino to age gracefully over a very long period of time in a very classical/traditional way. To Roberto with Nebbiolo there is a loss of varietal character when you treat it with modern technique. His maceration times and botti use are his tools in expressing the true essence of nebbiolo from Cascina Francia. With every vintage, his goal is to express nebbiolo in as pure a way as possible. His traditionalism seemed to me a reflection of the man and the traditions he comes from, but it never struck me as stubborn or irrational at any point. There was always a reason for everything they do. I have encountered this across Piedmont along the entire spectrum of production styles. This creates more quality options for more consumers at every point along the curve. Roberto noted that Monfortino will be produced in 2004, 2006, 2008, Not sure about 2009 and definitely in 2010.

The story of 2002 Monfortino is a story or luck, an anomaly within the greater Barolo area that year. The 2002 vintage was marked by massive hail damage and constant rain, a nightmare for growers across Europe. Roberto started with a very heavy green harvest early in the season which set a very limited amount of fruit so that the plants focused on ripening a very small amount of fruit. With a little luck the hail, while decimating everything around them missed cascina francia. The low yields that were set coupled with luck set the stage for a great final two months of the growing season. For producers who had green harvested intensly and gotten lucky by missing the hail they had something to work with! Roberto refers to the 2002 as power in its pure state, something I found quite true of the wine.

2002 Monfortino- Deep color with a very expressive bouquet of licorice, plum, spices, sotto bosco and truffle. Enter with a beautiful unfolding of layers of flavor, building like a symphony to the finish. Strangely extracted in nature, soft in texture and accessible at this point, but maintaining a weight common of traditional Barolo. 96+ pts

We finished out visit speaking of balance, barrique, closing periods, the typical conversations between visitors and Barolo producers. Roberto and I spoke of sport, his cousin Niccola with whom I was staying and my passion to one day work in these hills. Perhaps someday I will participate in a vintage of Monfortino.

As I finished my visit I reflected on Roberto, and it struck me that he is a man of tradition, and while he acknowledges the quality of other wines around the world, Monforte seems to be his world. When pressed to talk about his favorite regions and wines outside of Piedmont, Robertos response was much more muted and local than many other winemakers who speak of burgundy or champagne with excitement. There is a grace and nuance to Roberto that seems to represent both the man and his wines.

As I stepped out into the cold Piedmont air, stopping momentarily as I exited the cellars, I took in the panorama of alps that encircled me. In Piedmont these mountains are always looming, always commanding a gaze and the respect that they deserve quite similar to the people that work these lands.

Barolo Trip, Episode 1, Luca Roagna, Mad Genius.

Twisting and turning among the crisp fresh air of the Langhe evening, the crunching of the Fiat punto tires on the gravel crackle like shattering ice, their sound a metaphor for the cold freshness of the air. We dart down a small road, following the rusted out sign pointing to Roagna, Zigging, Zagging and abruptly stopping in front of a traditional aged Langhe farmhouse/winery. A sliver of light emerges from the parting of large cellar doors, the madman cracks his head through, capped in beanie standing 5’6’’ his shadow makes him appear larger.

We enter the orange light of the madmans lair, tentatively placing one foot ahead of the other as steel fermentation tanks tower above like monsters. We turn into the bottle storage room to a small table lined with a dozen unlabeled bottles and spreads of raw filet (carne cruda), Salsiccia (raw veal sausage), bresaola, prosciutto, tomme and gorgonzola. At least if the madman takes me captive I will not go for wanting in the wine and food department.

Luca Roagna is the madmans name. In attendance are Niccolo Drocco, Francesco Reva and myself. I was warned about the amount of alcohol that would be consumed on this night. This is boys night, Barbaresco style, and there would be no stopping the forward momentum once I stepped into the lair. Luca darts around the cellar lining up cases of wine for chairs. The orchestra commences and the wine flows, ravenous men dive into the raw and primal food. Dolcetto, Barbera, Barbaresco……

Luca races through the barbera and dolcetto with breakneck pace, perhaps a metaphor for the role of barbera and dolcetto in the area. For the most part simple wines drank with food, leaving the focus to the people and atmosphere rather than the wine itself.

Luca views wine bottles differently than most. For Luca a 750ml represents a half bottle, a magnum a full bottle and so on. His glass pours reflect that. The echoing words, just one more glass, suddenly strike terror into me as I realize the quantity of wine being consumed. After all I have to be somewhat responsible. I have some serious appointments tomorrow…How do I stop the madness? We aren’t even into the Barbarescos yet….Do I want to stop the madness? I give in, ill figure it out on the fly. Luca also pours wine differently than most, his calloused thumb caps the bottle as it is flipped inverted, the thumb taken away, the sound of rushing wine splashing into a pinot glass like Victoria falls. “Basta Luca, Basta!!!!” The wine continues into the glass until a third of the 750 is gone…im not sure Luca even considers this a glass.

As we proceed I begin to speak with Luca about the wine and I begin to see a stroke of genious through the insanity that is his external veneer. He has passion and reasoning for everything he does even if the atmosphere does not make it feel so. His answers are clear, precise and illuminating even through the gallons of wine flowing in all directions. They are interspersed with boys night metaphors about monte fico, and what he called the mountain of pussy, a sexual reference which I am still struggling to comprehend, yet all I can recall is how absolutely hilarious it was in the moment…im sure it made sense with the clarity that wine can bring.

Luca darts from the table yelling, “palate cleanser.” Luca returns with Francois Boulard Mailly Brut Nature. He pulls out a flimsy black steak knife, you know, the cheap kind you get in applebees…..pow, Luca sabers the bottle. Im thinking it could be magic, but then again the night before I saw a bottle of sparkling arneis sabred with the base of a wine glass…I decide to believe what I see. We begin to speak of his passions outside of Piedmont. Luca has a passion for natural producers, female producers and those who bring elegance to a wine. Often one can tell a lot about a winemaker by what they drink from other regions and why they drink it…I am beginning to see with more clarity the genius of Luca Roagna. The champagne, wonderful, texture, crispness, aromatics…fantastic…just a glass…

The next wine was a bit of a revelation for me 2009 La Guerrerie by Thierry puzelet. Malbec (cot) and gamay from the Touraine section of the Loire. As Luca describes Thierry he seems to have a bit of reverence for the man, he uses the word crazy and madman, but for Luca this is a compliment. I want to meet this man, I struggle to imagine someone who Luca views crazy. Perhaps Luca thinks im crazy for traveling all the way from America to drink his wine? Who knows. I want to hang out with Luca and Theirry TOGETHER. Theirry pioneers against the French authorities and uses very little sulfur in his wines…This wine is insanely good. 93pts. ( For more on Thierry Puzelet, http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/20080224_1 )

Next in line, Occhipinti il Frappato, from Sicily, a land as wild and untamed as Luca himself. Now we see Luca’s passion for the elegance a female touch can bring to a wine… this is made by a female winemaker he tells me. The grape is Frappato. which does well on the sun baked hillsides. High elevations, volcanic soils and a female touch make an undeniably sexy and elegant wine…With a translucency reminiscent of pinot noir I raise the wine to my lips, it is sweet baked red fruits, herbs, flowers, wild game, pepper, and a refreshing acidity to balance it all. This reminds me of the rhone and parts of it even remind me of musar, and I love it. For more on Occupinti, http://personalwinebuyer.com/2009/07/03/arianna-occhipinti-il-frappato-sicilia-igt-2006/

Forward we march, and by this point I am gravely concerned for our ability to survive let alone get back to Alba. Luca made a strict rule, no dumping barbaresco, barbera and dolcetto sure, but now its after the fact….. I start waiting until Luca turns away or leaves the room…I don’t dump the wine out, I simply transfer it to his glass J He doesn’t seem to notice and if he does he doesn’t seem to mind.

2001 Crichet Paje, this is a monopole vineyard for Luca, entirely owned and entirely and expression of his family. This wine spends 8 years in big barrels before it is released and it is gorgeous. This wine has gorgeous sweet tannins, loads of fruit and layers of complexity with only 1200 bottles produced. Incredible. 94pts. I drink all of the wine…I ask Luca how these wines age and before I can blink he high hurdles 6 cases of wine into a dusty corner of the cellar. He emerges with a dusty bottle and says 1988. I scream, “bastardo!” “Che cazzo fai!” In a good way of course. This wine hits the glass, it is soft gentle fruit, truffle, rose, and earth…there is only a hint of oxidation which blows off within 5 minutes. The best +20 year old nebbiolo I have had. 95pts.

Lucas eyes light up as he has an audience, I glance at Niccola scared for my life but strangely ok with the direction this mad genius is taking me…Niccola screams, “Luca, Basta” but to closed ears.

1966 de Bartoli Passito from sicily. almond, caramel, nuts, spice, meats, stink, volatility…layer after layer of neverending flavor. WOW. 96 pts.

More, More, More….. Basta, Luca, Basta! 2003 infantido vintage port, Luca pours, and I physically stop him from pouring more….he relinquishes….thank god. I sip my port that needs to sit open for another two weeks…

Francesco suggests it is time for an initiation…to what you might ask? Alcol-gym is a pretty major thing in the Alba region. Almost everyone I spoke with recognized it. Alcol-gym is exactly what it sounds like, drunk people working out. This is only a metaphor, a symbolic act that represents the fact that good life is staying in shape, playing sports and enjoying alcohol….whether you enjoy them at the same time or apart is up to you.

Buried amongst cardboard shipping containers and bottles was an old bench press bar and two flimsy racks holding it up..The alcol-gym session was beginning, rep after rep of manly benchpress was pushed out fueled by the sheer power of barbaresco. Niccola, who is also a skeleton athlete on the Italian team, set the mark at 50 kgs for 54 reps, I followed with 60 reps at 50 kgs….after all I had a reputation to keep up. After this intense and very random bench press session I was inducted into alcol-gym and the crazy but genius night had come to a close..to the shattering sounds of lucas glass against a weight plate….no one seemed to care or barely notice besides a few chuckles.

Luca invited me to stay to pop more corks, as the other two guys had to get back for work the next morning. I was tempted to stay but thought about the consequences. If this was my last night in Barbaresco, perhaps, but I had two more days. The next morning I awoke fresh as ever ready for a 900 am Barolo breakfast at Bartolo Mascarello. Im pretty sure there is the magical genius in the wines of the madman, Luca Roagna.

What is the future for the US wine market?

Wine in the USA is undergoing a fundamental change. We are in a formational time of rapid development. But what will a mature US wine market look like when wine becomes part of America’s cultural fabric? Which parts of the market will resemble Europe, Asia, or South America, and which parts will be uniquely American? In each society wine is at a different point in evolution and serves different roles.

With the excitement surrounding wine in the USA at this moment it is hard to picture what the market will look like 10 years down the road. With the explosive growth, and relative recession proof behavior of wine as an asset and a consumable over the last few years, a new wine equilibrium in America is being found. The resilience of this product to the downward market trends is a good sign that wine is here to stay in America and that there is momentum to the movement. When we add the influence that the internet is having on the wine scene, we end up with something that is evolving at the speed of light. Right now the American wine market is on the steepest part of the exponential growth curve that occurs with new developing markets and trends. At this point, every passing moment brings about huge changes. In (x) number of years, the wine market will saturate and find equilibrium. The pace of change will slow down making entry and impact on the market more difficult.

To get an idea of what a mature US wine market might look like we can look to Europe for hints. In Europe, wine is much more established as a foundational part of every day life. The question is, is this a product of the wine culture of Europeans, the time during which wine became part of society, or simply a product of the relative maturity of the markets? The answer most likely lies in all three.

The European market is naturally heavily Eurocentric due to the proximity of so many great wine regions literally hours away as well as hundreds of years of wine culture centered around the classic wine regions. Wine here has been a part of society for thousands of years and was even preferred to water for sanitary reasons! The European wine scene certainly provides options to its consumers, but with less ferocity than its new world counterparts. This is because the wine culture has matured around certain wines and regions, and for all but recent history the wines of Europe were the only real show in town.

Now lets contrast Europe’s eurocentrism with America's young and undeveloped wine scene. Brazen, adventurous, demanding of options as consumers, there are no limits to Americans "wine scope." Wine as a central part of life is just starting to become part of American cultural fabric. There is no tradition for Americans to fall back on. I argue that the American wine scene is flat as Thomas Friedman put it. New pinot from Chile for 8 bucks? Sure ill try that and if its better than that pinot made in California im drinking now, well ill take a case and tell people how X producer in Chile is making better than Y producer in California for 5 times less! I imagine in time the American wine scene will mature, but wherever it ends up it will certainly be uniquely American and vastly different from what we have seen with other countries. I see consumers that will have more of a willingness to expand into new wine regions, or to try things that are firmly outside the mainstream. Americans are known for this sense of adventure and yearning for the unknown. I see this sense of adventure as a positive for the future of wine in America. Consumers will have a broader base of knowledge and more options for being more and more satisfied with each dollar they spend on wine.

Where the USA wine scene is headed is anyone’s guess, but the best guess as to the future lies in the wine markets of other nations with a uniquely American twist.

Symphony of Perfection

This past week, on an unassuming Wednesday, I decided to drive to Buffalo. Spurred on by a toothache (Joe is a dentist) and a need for some fine wine, I headed west. Every visit to Joe’s is spectacular. He simply will not have it any other way. The wines will show well, and if they don’t, Joe just keeps popping corks until they start to hit on all cylinders. Not only would I bask in the Vinous depths of Joe’s cellar and tasting room, but this time my Friend a fellow sommelier Scott Waller would enter in this world with me.

I arrived at the dental office for a quick check up on some tooth sensitivity. Joe quickly diagnosed small vertical cracks in my teeth that were not normal for my age. I knew the explanation before Joe could blurt it out. It is easily explained by years of prolonged 5G force applications as I rip down ice covered tracks and the intense weight training involved. “ No big deal,” replies Joe, just a quick coating of this magic liquid and a switch to sensodyne toothpaste and I would be back to normal.

As we left the office Joe turned to me and said something he only says every few visits. “Were gonna get stupid tonight.” When Joe says this I don’t know exactly what wines he has in store, Just that the mood, time and people are in perfect alignment for something BIG. As we entered premier Joe charged the reserve room with a sense of purpose. There was no wandering around the isles pointing out what’s drinking well at 20 bucks. This man was on a mission. With the store manager and mysef clinging to his heels like dogs following their master, Joe charged the back wall where 3 wines sat side by side. Joe glances at me and I at him, staring at us are the big 3. La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque, the greatest syrah based wines in the world, if not the single greatest wines in the world. Joe asks a simple question, “what would you like to drink tonight?” I reply, “that’s kind of an unfair question Joe, how do you pick between the 3?” Joe responds, “lets complete your tri-fecta.” Having had the 1998 La Landonne (Cote Brune, 100% Syrah) and scoring it 100pts and the 1999 La Mouline ( Cote Blonde 89% Syrah, 11% Viognier) and scoring it 99 points, the 2000 La Turque ( Cote Brune, Single vineyard Lieu dit) was the next wine in line.

Arriving at Joe’s house, we enter the cellar and line evenings bottles up in order of progression. The salumi, bread and cheese are passed, olive oil and balsamic poured and we are off to the races. The evening’s guests are layed out below and would each deserve discussion if not for one wine and its performance the Casanova Di Neri Brunello Di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova.

1998 Pichon Baron Pauillac (94 pts)

1999 Andersons Conn Valley Reserve (88pts)

2001 Setti Ponti Oreno (90 pts)

2001 Sierra Cantabria Rioja (93pts)

2007 Cervio Sant Antimo Cabernet (91+ pts)

2004 Veglio Barolo (90pts)

2003 Collazzi (98pts)

2001 Sandrone Le Vigne Barolo (95 pts)

2000 La Turque (96pts)

2001 Casanova Di Neri Brunello Di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova (100 pts)

2003 Rieussec Sauternes (93 pts)

As you can see there was a personal 100 point wine in the mix. These experiences do not happen often, and when they do you count yourself blessed for having one of the most rare and sought after experiences in wine. The point of this article is not to talk about the differences in Turque, Mouline and Landonne or to speak of Sandrone’s modern styled baroli. While a night of wines like these would otherwise demand thoughts regarding these topics, when perfection occurs, you bow to it. For wine that is perfect, perfect attention is demanded.

It is time. Joe has been waiting, watching this wine with anticipation, Constantly nosing the wine, as if coming into first contact with a new lover. He pushes it back in the tasting order. I know that something special is coming, I wait and ponder over the La Turque. I fully expected the Casanova Di Neri to come first, but Joe’s in a weird mood tonight. There is magic in the air, the kind of magic that I have been lucky enough to experience on countless random weekdays in Buffalo, New York. Finally the wine enters the glass and my nose quickly follows. Leather, cured meats, balsamic, ink, chocolate, umami, iron, dark black fruits sing their praises together. They are deep, they are dark and they are brooding. They are Tuscan, deeply planted in an past time and way of life. But yet this is Sangiovese Grosso in all of its modern glory, slathered in Barrique but still aromatically true to the essence of the grape and place. The wine enters my mouth, it is indescribably silky in texture, layers after layer of flavor, depth and complexity. The progression of this wine makes me think of a black river with immense depth and power. Layer after layer of flavor attacks me from different angles. I need but one sip to enjoy minutes of alternating flavors and experiences. The wine has enveloped me in its world. For the time being I am wrapped in its perfection. Perhaps not unlike the rare perfect runs in the sport of skeleton where every twist of the track is taken in absolute perfection, melding together to produce an unparalleled and indescribable experience of pure acceleration. The world and people around me cease to exist. Small conversations persist but I am unaware. It is hard to imagine fermented grape juice being able to bring this much pleasure. Perfect wine gives you no choice but to call it perfect, there is no room for fault, there are never questions about a deficiency in any part of the wine….aromatics, length, flavor, complexity, texture, development. This wine gave me no choice but to recognize it as perfect and for that no more words are necessary, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Creating an atmosphere where the wine can speak

To start the conversation I would like you to come along with me to my great friend and wine teacher, Joe Gallo’s house. As you cross the threshold into Joe’s house you are swept away to another land. Perhaps it could be Rome, Montalcino or even Barolo. Wait a second, turn on that Josh Groban song….ok, now you can continue…. The reality is far more jarring, you are in Buffalo, NY, but you would never know it in this vinous and culinary refuge. Joe’s house is one of the FEW places in the world that can totally encompass me, sweep me off of my feet and remove thoughts of EVERYTHING else in the world.

As you walk in towards the tasting room, brick walls line a small bistro with shelves full of wine glasses sparkling like diamonds on a beautiful woman’s neck. The scent of espresso lightly fills the air, and the soft light caresses you as Joe gets one of the first bottles of the night. Joe returns with a beautiful decanter full of wine having hidden its bottle hidden in the other room. We start with blind tasting in the bistro. A neutral look at a wine that serves as a palate calibration as well as test of wine chops for those involved. As I warm up with the wine, I go through the steps of blind tasting and eventually pin down the wine. “Rioja”, I answer. ”Joe, you’re not going to trick me into thinking this is Bordeaux again, the alcohol and acid are a touch too high.” You can see a joy in Joe as his passion has not only been put into his house, but into sharing his knowledge and domain with others. The successes of his students are his successes as a teacher. As we pass through black drapes into the dark tasting room, a long table set with 6 Riedel stems awaits each position. 6 bottles of wine stand next to one another on the table behind Joe, each hoping to be the wine of the night. Soft orange salt rock candles cast dancing beams of orange light that refract off the crystal in every direction, seemingly daccing with the rich mahogany and tuscan beiges that adorn the room. Plates of cured meats, bread and hard cheese sit paired with the best olive oil and balsamics to be found. Sculptures and small fountains adorn the upper levels of the wall around the room. Every detail has been accounted for. At the far end of the room is a beautiful glowing wine cellar set behind double doors, above which glass sculptures of vines set between the panels stand as ambassadors to the treasures that lie within. The cellar, built just large enough to hold about as much wine as a man could drink in a 5-6 years at a pace of a bottle a day is not the focus. Although the cellar is stunning, the focus of the design lies on the room where the wine will be consumed.

Objectivity and Subjectivity

Now lets take a detour from our romantic walk through Joe’s cellar and talk about objectivity in regard to the enjoyment of wine. Wine is, for the most, part an objective experience. The objective parts of wine include, texture, length, aromatic intensity, aromatic complexity, flavor intensity, flavor complexity, acid, alcohol, tannin, color, concentration and balance. These are real physical attributes of a wine, which are all quantifiable. Perhaps you will find people arguing over relative differences in one of these things, but the reality is that they are drinking the same wine. There is a right and a wrong. What’s going on in situations like these is a difference in perception, and yes that means someone is wrong (oftentimes its me when tasting with Joe!). Another way to validate objectivity in wine is through the process of blind tasting, which would not be possible if there were not concrete elements of a wine that tell of their place and method of production.

I know you want to get back to Joe’s cellar but before we do we need to move on to the counter point of objectivity, subjectivity. What is subjective in wine? Certainly the way in which we describe what we smell and taste is subjective. When you inhale, the aromatic compounds travel to your brain and from here your brain plays a game of association. For example if you have never smelled a black currant, but have had a black cherry you are very likely to describe a wine that smells of black currant as black cherry. There is no wrong here. It is simply our way of relating a wine to something we associate it with. Im not done with subjectivity yet but lets get back to wine cellar.

A pinot bowl lies in front of you, filled with garnet colored 2001 Sandrone Le Vigne Barolo. You swirl the wine, aromas of tar, roses, cherry, truffle and cinnamon demand your attention. The subjective aromas and their emotional impact on you are the focus of your attention in this room. The low light brings comfort as you sit in your warm sweater in the cool cellar. The wine is speaking to you, set amidst an atmosphere where IT is the focus. Bocelli hits a note and all is right in the world. STOP!

So far we have described a wine experience as it should be, now lets take the same wine, same glass, now were in your kitchen, competing aromas of food being cooked, Bocelli took a break, and your kids are screaming. Does the wine taste the same, Does it smell the same? Maybe, but probably not, it is still the same wine though, you’re just not able to listen to it. What changed? The environment. The wine is no longer the focus.

I believe that we are prone to environmental responses when it comes to the enjoyment of wine. There is never complete objectivity or control over our perception of a wine. Perhaps you had a bad day, or have a cold you can barely notice. All of these things affect our enjoyment of a wine on an subconscious level. They are the surprises and fluctuations of life and are for the most part uncontrollable.

So what can we consistently control to maximize the enjoyment of a wine through increasing our perception of the objective and subjective elements of a wine? The answer as you have guessed is the environment in which it is drank in. People spend thousands of dollars on wine and wine cellars, and far too few spend the money creating the optimal environment to drink the wine. By creating proper environments to enjoy wine, we need to increase our ability to be receptive to the wine. After all you just spent $50,000 on wine. As Joe famously said, “listen to the wine for it is the only one who knows what it is saying.” And what better way to do that than to hand it a megaphone.

Measuring Success

Im currently sitting in Salt Lake City airport after a very long two weeks of sliding, with some very big lows and some highs to match. It has me thinking, how do you define progress in achieving goal? We toil away, hour after hour, in pursuit of a passion. In my case, I lift endless amounts of weight, run sprints, sand runners etc. all for the pursuit of excellence in the sport of skeleton ( if you are not working towards your passion I would suggest making a change in life) The work either brings us to our goal or we fall short of our expectations. But is it this simple?

Looking back on the last two weeks, the first was one of the toughest weeks of sliding I have ever gone through. I prepared all summer for the season and was physically prepared, but my problems came in the form of sled setup and sliding errors. I slid very fast in initial training, but raced very poorly. For a few days I was really down on myself. During the next week I set a plan to fix all of the issues I had in team trials. I systematically attacked each weakness that led to the poor result and by the end of the second week, had one of the most productive sliding weeks of my life. Its only when we are truly challenged at the edge of our limitations that progress is made and sometimes it takes having your face pushed in the mud to realize what needs work.

I observe many results focused individuals in the athletic world that surrounds me. There is a sense of hyper-focus on medals within this community. People attach attach their identity to their results which makes the highs higher and the lows lower. While it is tempting to forget about a poor result, there is a proper response to failure. I have always loved failure. If failure is responded to properly it is yourbest friend. It will teach you more than you would ever learn during success. While results have to be the gauge by which we measure ourselves, I believe there is more to the story. As we head down this road of self improvement, we improve ourselves in ways unseen even to ourselves, and even unrelated to the task at hand. The challenges of today are molding us for a tomorrow we may not fully understand what that picture looks like. In this way the process is more important than the result.

Ill look to continue this process based momentum next week in Lake Placid, before I leave for Intercontinental Cup tour in Europe on Novemeber 21st.

Perfection and Wine

When you think of the words perfect and wine, what do you think of? Most people identify this with 100 point wines. These are wines that stand atop the world of wine. In human terms, they are comparable to the Einstein’s and Mozart’s. They are the exception to the rule. They include the likes of La Landonne, Latour, Insignia and Romanee Conti. They share immeasurable complexity, length, texture, aroma, flavor and make it hard to believe that a mere grape could produce something so transformative. Their presence in the mouth makes it hard to believe there is anything else that exists in the world at that moment. These wines come from highly specific terroirs, where grape is matched perfectly to site, where the human hand has acted as the perfect compliment to relay the perfect essence of the wine to the consumer. The perfect wines of the world are a minority, a product of unique circumstance and abilities, just as the Einstein’s and Mozart’s of our world are. But how do the masses experience this type of perfection in wine? Unfortunately, it requires enormous financial outlay beyond the reach of most.

The question for the rest of us is, are there other ways to experience perfection in wine? Can we find a way to match the sheer power of the 100 point wine experience?

I believe the answer is yes! Some of my most poignant experiences with wine were not the La Landonne and Latour’s of the world. They were perfect “moments” with wine. They involved a 92 point barbera, Josh Groban, egg noodles, a sage and butter sauce and good friends or a perfectly seared rib eye steak enjoyed in the comfort of a beautiful woman with a 90 point Malbec. While I have been lucky enough to experience perfect 100 point wines, where the wine commands total attention, the perfect “moments” where wine serves a supporting role can be just as powerful. Whatever the moment manifests itself as, the wine flows, the food simmers and passion burns. Caring, genuine conversation flows as minds escape the everyday to loftier purposes. Here, as wine plays the supporting role it weaves in and out of the conversation of friends and lovers. It is the lubrication to the experience. It allows us to let go just enough to let the perfect imperfection of our lives to be just enough for us in that moment. We don’t have to be Mozart to be part of something that is just as powerful. Not every wine can be perfect, but every wine can serve a perfect role.

Switching Gears In Life

The question I have on my mind these days is when do you let go of a good thing to pursue something better without fully knowing what that better thing looks like? You know there is another passion within you that is tugging at your soul, but how to get to it? How do you let go of your current passion, something that defines a large part of you, something that is comfortable, something that you love? At what point do you stop growing because you arent being challenged enough in that current state? At what point do you let go? You could be missing the next phase in your life...when and how do you make the change? These are certainly not easy questions.

These are the questions I face as I look beyond my career as a skeleton athlete. I am lucky to have a passion that I love just as much as my sport and that is wine. There is a special place in the world of wine that holds my soul and it is Barolo Italy. This is a truly special place in the world of wine that combines a unique combination of people, food, wine and passion that I have never seen duplicated in all of my travels. This is a place I MUST live for a portion of my life. When I choose to let go of sliding I will be headed to Italy to start a life that I know very little about, except that I will be doing what I love in a place that I love. For now my abilities and passion lie with sliding as an athlete, but as time continues I see a part of myself growing, and it is growing quickly, that yearns for something new. A new place, new people, new stimuli, new life. Every day my spare time is filled with reading about wine and teaching myself italian. I guess thats all we can do. PREPARE. Not just for what is in front of us now but for the other directions that we feel ourselves being pulled. If we are not preparing ahead of time for the next stage we might just miss it. HONEST introspection is critical. It will take faith, risk and planning. Follow your heart. Easier said than done.

My competitive nature and love for the sport of skeleton will make my eventual departure from the sport difficult, but paying attention to my heart will tell me when the time comes to switch gears. When I make this decision there will come a time every year when the feelings and scents of the cold air that usher on the sliding season will undoubtedly stir my emotions. And as the vines sleep I will feel a nostalgia for what was the last chapter of my life....and if im lucky it will signal a time to return to that world and coach other skeleton athletes to pass on the knowledge that I gained over the years. For even if you make a drastic change in direction in life you take with you what you left, whether you remain a part of that world or not. It is a part of you and will remain so forever.

As I get ready to return home from my Olympic season, thoughts of friends, experiences, and memories overwhelm me with emotion. The smallest things bring me to tears as I think of the magnitude of the life I have lived so far. The contrast of disappointment with the beauty of the life I live. Why was I so lucky to have this experience for the last 14 years of my life? I feel truly blessed. As my mind wandered I thought about home as I read Adirondack Life on the plane. I thought about how diverse the culture of the Adirondacks is and how much it still means to me after 14 years of traveling around the world. The richness of the Adirondack experience, the layered complexity of the existence. The remarkably unique behaviors of the people who live there and the activities they pursue, the opportunities for creativity that lie before them in the vast Adirondack landscape. The stories, the adventure of past years. While the Adirondacks are becoming more trendy these days as well as being outfitted with modern luxury, they are so vast that they should never lose their character. If the uniqueness of Adirondack life has given way to such a complex and interesting brand of people, I have to believe s that the richness of life all across the world goes mostly unseen if it has taken me 26 years to only scratch the surface of the Adirondack park. The little nuances of lifestyle, the stories that sprout and the culture of these places are based on the local environment, history, tradition etc. I think about how complex America must really be, how much we miss when we zoom by the freeway, when we don’t engage people, when we stop at mcdonalds instead of the local diner. The world is a very rich tapestry with layers of color and complexity and this seems to be why I have been so drawn to exploring it, as well as blessed to have the opportunity to do so.