a good suit is in the details.

Napoli to me is a difficult city. A visit to the Campania region most likely would send one to a day trip to Pompeii, for a limoncello on Capri, to the Aragonese Castle on Ischia, but Napoli is no Paris, or Rome, Milan or even New York. It is loud, constantly moving, noble, faded, proud, sly, and does it all in the highest of style, pridefully custom-made just South of Lazio. The wines here tell a similar story. I had the pleasure of meeting the export manager for the Mastroberardino winery, Stephan Moccia, first over a formal presentation of his portfolio, and then for dinner once he found that I still had the 2000 vintage of Naturalis Historia, a benchmark vintage for a wine created as a tribute to Pliny the Elder. Young, handsome and impeccably dressed, Stephan spoke with an infectious passion for both his home and the historic winery he represents. Naturalis Historia, at least in this vintage, is 85% Aglianico and 15% Piedirosso. Characteristically intense, with a trademark Aglianico nose of cigar, leather, violets and berries, and a bit of plum, this red is smooth, refined and elegant. Not the brooding powerful Aglianico of Taurasi, but a well spoken gentleman. As if I wasn't convinced of the fact that Antonio Mastroberardino was responsible for essentially rescuing Campania wine making by safeguarding the region's native grapes during the darkest years, Stephan reminded me that Mastroberadino was awarded the privilege of reintroducing viticulture to the ruins of Pompeii. I got it.

what we are drinking today...

While it is not everyday that one gets to taste the idiosyncratic wines of Josko Gravner, and if you have an aversion to aged white wine then these would probably be no more than a novelty. I will have to say that a 2000 Ribolla Gialla proved to be more than satisfying the other night. Intense nose of something like butterscotch and salted nuts, if that makes sense, concentrated although on the ripe side, mild acidity and long persistent finish. Not an everyday experience, and maybe it is best that way, but definitely a treat.

Some other wines enjoyed this week...



Elvio Cogno ~ 'Anas Cetta', Piemonte '06
Seemingly native to the Novello region, the aromatic white Nascetta grape has a somewhat 'shy' nose, but is expressive and expansive on the palate. Flavors of citrus mingle with wild flowers, herbs and white pepper.


Les Cretes ~ 'Torrette' Petite Rouge, Val D'Aosta '05
From the far Northwest corner of Italy, Torrette is a bright, fruit-filled, medium-bodied, Beaujolais-like red with a bit of earth, game, herb spice and flowers. Wonderful.



De Cinciliis ~ 'Naima' Aglianico '03
As a powerful, racy Southern Italian red should be! This Aglianico is intense, structured and clean with black cherry, plum, balsamic and a hint of licorice held together with firm tannins and oak.

the ciao tote

We just finished the 'ciao' tote bag and we love it... It is hand screen printed on a 100% recycled cotton scrap bag made by ECOBAGS ( a great company by the way), and has an added red, Italian-made button for closure. It is a bargain at $35.00 given
that they are numbered in an edition of only 100.

morgan riccilli slade - refine:refract 1 - trailer

and pe se and

It is stated that the 'ampersand' came about as a slurring at the end of the recited alphabet... x, y, z and per se and. The symbol itself, the shape and its variations, some of which date back to the first century, has led to some new works on paper. This one was printed on 06.16.08. My prints are distinguished by their printing date because they are only made one time so no two are alike, even though the subject may be the same. The sign itself begs the question, "what is next?". Possibly there is no question only a connector . By itself it is strong, yet incomplete, & if nothing else, graphically interesting.


and
41.5" x 41.5"
dry pigment on paper
2008
printed 06.16.08

Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)

I was in the studio yesterday and Billy Holiday's version of Lover Man came on in all its haunting blues and raw sentiment. Now, I enjoyed Amy Winehouse and her stumbling, mushed-mouthed self pity, and Duffy's sentimental pop woes-me ballads, but only two recordings in the last decade remind me of a song like this. Two shamefully overlooked recordings. His Name Is Alive's 2001 Someday My Blues Will Cover The Earth (the title alone says it all). Lovetta Pippen can sing fiery rings around Winehouse. The other is Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man's 2002 recording Out of Season. If you even mildly enjoy Portishead's Third, then you can not miss this one.

www.hisnameisalive.com






www.outofseason.virtek.com

now for something completely different...

While it has been documented that Italy has upwards of 800 distinct grape varietals, only about 360 have been catalogued and ‘authorized’ for planting and wine production. Regardless of the 500 or so that have been left out, this amounts to quite a bit of variety. While the daunting task of memorization and flavor profiling could ultimately prove intoxicating, it should be noted that the best of Italy’s wines are produced from around 60 varietals. I have selected a few of the more underrepresented, or maybe just unknown varietals to highlight...

Primosic ~ Vitovska, Friuli ‘06 Heralding from the area around the Provence of Trieste, Vitovska (a name of Slovenian origin) yields a fine, delicate, fresh white wine with a nose of pears and sage. It is lighter bodied with good acidity and mild alcohol.

Favaro ~ Erbaluce, Piemonte ’06 One of the oldest grapes in Italy, Erbaluce in lesser hands can produce acidic fairly uninteresting white wine, but this one was a welcome change from the first taste. Fairly plush, with floral notes accented with grapefruit and citrus. Good minerality and balanced acidity.

Falesco ~ ‘Ferentano’ Roscetto, Lazio ‘05 I fell for this white immediately. Roscetto is a ’rescued from extinction’ grape that in the hands of the Cotarella brothers produces a wine with a rich array of tropical fruit aromas ranging from banana to pineapple, with hints of fresh herbs and vanilla. This wine is lush and full-bodied, with an intriguing and lingering finish.