City Wine Merchants

Terredora

I received a bottle of 2008 Terredora Greco Di Tufo Loggia Della Serra recently. The producer is from Campania, one of my favorite wine regions and where the Italian side of my family originates from.

As I looked at the label I realized this was not my first encounter with Terredora. I’ve previously sampled the Terredora Aglianico Irpinia DOC Il Principio, a bottle I received from working the International Wine Challenge in London last year, and the Terredora Taurasi DOCG Fatica Contadina. The two reds are both made from 100% aglianico.

I recall enjoying both very much, due largely to their intense ruby red color with garnet and violet hues. There are notes of black cherry and blackberry and plum flavors on the nose and palate, as well as some spice. Both are well structured, and the Taurasi certainly has the ability to age for a bit.

Tonight’s Greco Di Tufo, come from the greco grapes that are harvested in the second two weeks of October. The must is settled and then fermented at cool temperatures using selected yeasts, the producer says. The wine is aged on its lees in stainless steel but sees no oak.

The color is pale-medium gold and the nose displays rich and powerfully aromatic notes including apricot, apple, peach and citrus fruits. On the palate it is full bodied, soft and well balanced with excellent acidity.

All of the Terredora wines have been delightful, and all are quite affordable. It’s a wine I’d recommend to friends, and that I’d seek out on wine lists and in liquor stores.

It’s rare to find a producer with such scope and that delivers consistently. Terredora certainly is one of those producers.

If only it were so simple to find people in our lives with such dimension, reliability and who can repeatedly deliver and please.

City Wine Merchant Selection: 2008 Terredora Greco Di Tufo Loggia Della Serra

A friend and consultant to City Wine Merchant, Krista is a financial journalist with a wine hobby. While covering the European debt markets in London, Krista received her accreditation at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Now back in New York City, Krista continues to cover the US markets while working part-time at the Italian Wine Merchants and maintaining a wine blog. Noble Rot combines Krista’s passion for writing and wine.

Jul 11, 2010 at 1:23 PM

Permalink

Be the first to comment on this post

Chenin versus Vouvray

The first time I tasted a Chenin Blanc, I was at my sister-in-law’s father’s home in San Diego, in 2006. It was a Californian wine, though I don’t recall the producer or the vintage. Still, I do remember thinking I would never again drink Chenin Blanc.

Fast forward to 2010, and on Sunday night I tasted one of the best Chenin Blancs I have ever had: the 2007 Huët Vouvray Sec Le Mont. I brought the wine to a friend’s apartment, where she was having a dinner party for a few of us who work at Italian Wine Merchants. The wine went well with both the appetizers, including cheese and prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks, as well as the main course of pesto-glazed halibut that Alex prepared.

Vouvray, which comes from the Loire Valley and is 100% Chenin Blanc, is an appellation that was created in 1936. Those that are made from clay soil are somewhat fruity in flavor, while those made on perruches (flinty clay) soil might express more hints of minerals. Vouvray is typically drunk young, within 6 months of bottling, around 3 years from when the grapes are picked, but very good vintages are known to age for years.

Vouvray shows flavors of lemon, fruit and mineral, due to where it’s grown, but some also show hints of apples and pears, and depending on the style, some can emit notes of honey, nuts and fig, as well as white flowers. The wine typically comes in sec (dry) and demi-sec (off-dry).

There are also sweet versions of the grape, called Molleux and Doux, depending on the level of residual sugar. From what I recall, the Californian Chenin Blanc that I had several years ago was a bit sweet, but was not classified as such. Perhaps that’s because the producer caters to the American palate; perhaps my recollection is bad. Yet, I am certain that the Huët we tasted on Sunday night was delicious, or “off the charts,” as Alex said.

City Wine Merchant Selection: Bourillon-Dorleans Vouvray Sec VV 'Coulee d'Argent' 2007

A friend and consultant to City Wine Merchant, Krista is a financial journalist with a wine hobby. While covering the European debt markets in London, Krista received her accreditation at the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Now back in New York City, Krista continues to cover the US markets while working part-time at the Italian Wine Merchants and maintaining a wine blog. Noble Rot combines Krista’s passion for writing and wine.

May 28, 2010 at 10:58 AM

Permalink

Be the first to comment on this post