POGGIO AL TESORO | “Solosole” 2014
(Bolgheri, Italy) $19
Bolgheri is on the Tuscan coast and there’s an aroma in the air there—a salty tang, wild Mediterranean herbs, the smell of warm sun on the parched earth (a version of garrigue). Solosole is 100 percent vermentino, and it will transport you to the Tuscan coast. I’ve written about this wine before, but now, on the cusp of spring, I find its intensely fresh, citrusy, bone-dry flavors irresistible. (And at $19, a real steal). Poggio Al Tesoro is owned by Marilisa Allegrini and her daughters. (The Allegrini family has long been famous for their Amarones). (13.5% abv)
90 points KM
Available at Wine.com
Which Saturday Night Live alumnus will take their turn in the director’s seat with a new Netflix film Wine Country set in California’s Napa Valley?
A. Dan Aykroyd
B. Tina Fey
C. Adam Sandler
D. Amy Poehler
Scroll down for the answer!
Cross Over
We have nothing against milk chocolate bun(nies), but in terms of Easter treats that actually go with wine, hot cross buns are infinitely better. The buns—doughy, raisin-studded, and crossed with icing (or a zing of lemon curd)—are a tradition during the week leading up to Easter. In fact, Napa Valley’s own Model Bakery has some of the best. Hot cross buns are thought to have been created on the Friday before Easter (Good Friday) by a monk, Brother Thomas Rocliffe, in St. Albans, England in the 14th century. There are also several fables concerning the buns. Allegedly, for example, hanging a few buns in the kitchen expelled evil spirits. Among bunophiles, Queen Elizabeth I clearly understood bun power. She decreed they could only be sold on Good Friday, Christmas and burials. As for the best wine with hot cross buns, I vote for Tokaji Aszú from Hungary, a wine that’s not syrupy sweet, just mesmerizingly complex.
But Did JFK Know?
So, last week we asked what well-known woman was named an honorary Artichoke Queen? (I know, it’s a little left field…). Anyway, our favorite answer was Monica Lewinsky. But the right answer was Marilyn Monroe. In 1947 (some sources say 1948) Monroe was given the honorary title by the California town of Castroville, even though as a younger woman she never scored the artichoke crown (apparently, she wasn’t considered beautiful enough).
“In north Africa, Spain and Portugal, [cork] forests are the last firewall to complete decertification.”
—Patrick Spencer, founder, Cork Forest Conservation Alliance
Garrigue
When a wine pro describes a wine as “earthy,” the characterization can mean several different but related ideas. One of the permutations of earthiness is what the French call garrigue (gare-REEG).
Garrigue is the aroma (and by suggestion, the flavor) of the dry, sun-baked earth, combined with the scent of wild resinous plants such as thyme, rosemary and lavender. In Provence and the Languedoc-Roussillon along the sunny French Mediterranean, the smell of garrigueoften permeates the air, the wine and even the foods.
D. American actress, writer, and producer, Amy Poehler, will direct, produce, and star in the Netflix comedy film Wine Country. The film tells the story of a group of old friends who go to Napa Valley for a weekend getaway to celebrate a 50th birthday. Look out wine country. Amy and crew are currently in Napa. No word yet on which wineries will make it to the small screen.
