after dinner sneeze

t says:  So, as I had foreshadowed at the end of the last post about PLCB’s 2011 Broadside Cab, I went back to buy another bottle to have as a good back-up.   And while that seems easy enough, I happened to go on Valentine’s Day…

BIG.
MISTAKE.
(… HUGE!)

(g interrupts: t doesn’t understand how funny it was to reference this Pretty Woman line on Valentine’s Day … like in the movie Valentine’s Day)

The cashier line went straight across the store and curved down one of the aisles to the front windows.  As I looked out the window with my bottles in hand, I couldn’t help but curse my bad luck and what would undoubtedly be a waste of precious Valentine’s Day time (g was cooking a splendid meal at home).   An unintended effect of the line was that I was given the opportunity to essentially “tour” the store but looking up and down every aisle and reading every Chairman advertisement … smirking and muttering wise-ass remarks under my breath (I couldn’t help myself – the line put me in a foul mood) …

But then one wine caught my eye:

I’ve been really getting into some California wines that have been using Italian grapes, so this would be like Italians using … well … kinda-California grapes (not really – this region in Italy has been using sauvignon blanc, or “SB” as I’ll abbreviate it, for a while).  And it was on sale!  And those who know me know that I have really poor impulse control when it comes to sales (my entire work ensemble is composed of clothes I bought on sale – not one item was purchased not on sale, from shirt to shoes, outerwear to socks).  Upon seeing this wine, a battle ensued on my shoulders: the angel shouted loud and clear, “don’t be stupid!  don’t be stupid!  it’s a ‘Chairman’s Selection’!  you hate the Chairman!”, while the devil whispered, “but what if it’s delicious? maybe a will call it ‘impressive‘ and you’ll call it ‘interesting‘?  and it’ll be a wine you found in a state store.  and it’s inexpensive ... and then you can blog about it.  you know how much you like that …” With logic like that, how could I say no?  Sorry angel, you lose again …

A few days passed, and, because g was prepping us up some lovely lemon-accented sockeye salmon (a real treat!), I pulled out the d’Attimis SB, ripped off the peculiar pre-perforated foil, corkscrewed out the cork like it was my job, and splashed some into our glasses.  It was time to test the Chairman again.  As I swirled, a nose wafted up out of the stemware with stone fruits (peaches), citrus fruits (lemon), pineapple, and a bit of fresh-cut-grass.  It was not at all what I was expecting, as Italian whites, for me, are often a bit more floral or a bit more rustic (hay … lots of hay), not necessarily tropical fruity … but I’ll take it!  And as I swished, the same flavors came through on the palate as well, with a lovely mouthwatering effect and smooth viscosity.  I swore it was a New Zealand sauvignon blanc … a good New Zealand SB.  Maybe I opened the wrong bottle?  Maybe someone was playing a joke on me?  (I know it’d be the kind of joke I’d like to play on others … right, a?).  I said, “hmmm” so as not to let on to my enjoyment and eagerly waited for g’s reaction.  The result: “oh this is good! passionfruit! how much was it?” Game-set-match – g likee (but I’ve never had real passionfruit before, so I don’t know what exactly that tastes like, but I trust g ‘implithitly’ (that’s another movie reference/joke)).

Now, keep in mind that g and I are sauvignon blanc fanatics.  We like them juicy and very zippy.  We like them with minimal oak, and if they have a dose of petrol or linoleum, all the better!  If you want some kind of full-bodied, fleshy, vanilla-laden Chardonnay, this wine will rub you every which way but right.  But if you’re the kind that reaches for Kim Crawford as a “go to” white, then this will be right up your alley.  But be careful – there is a shocking amount of acidity that feels like lightning in your mouth on the finish.  Basically, if you ever needed an eye-opener of a wine to wake you up in the morning (not that I endorse AM drinking), this would be it.  This producer also makes a pinot grigio and cab sauvignon blend (more on that below).

Could it be?  The PLCB is now 2 for 2 in terms of wines that I’ve taken a chance on and been impressed!  And, this wine seems to be in great abundance at the 20th and Market store, as it’s on the butt-end of an aisle with a big Chairman’s note placard (i.e. not on one of the shelves along an aisle with the other wines), so I look forward easy access for some time.  So now I’m at 2 “cellar recommendations” that can be found in PLCB stores!  Yay!  (There is a third wine, a white named Silencis, but it’s a bit pricey at $18, and not as widely available).

Ah – and now time for some fast updates about other wines I’ve recently tasted between me writing the above and it going to post:

1)  The first was a follow-up to the last post on the 2011 Broadside Cab – I tasted to 2011 Broadside Printer’s Alley Red Blend and added it to the end of the original Broadside post!  Check it out.

2)  The second follow-up was the cabernet blend made by Conte d’Attimis-Maniago, the producer on this post.  There will be a special someone who will like this Italian red, but it’s not me.  While some of what I don’t like about it might be “stylistic” or “terroir” or whatever, I suspect that my biggest problem is the 50% of what the producers are calling “cabernet franc carmenere” (I thought that cabernet franc is different than carmenere?) mixed in with the 50% cabernet sauvignon.  And that’s not to say that I don’t like cab francs or carmeneres, but when they come from a relatively cool climate, they could lead to a pretty green-tasting wine … like this one!  As I sipped this surprisingly light-bodied red, it attacked me with this bitter green vegetal flavor (imagine biting into the stem of a cluster of grapes) that I didn’t find pleasant.  However, had that been removed, I really do like the nice red fruit, and light-to-medium body – it would have been a pinot-drinkers cab.  Oh well – I can’t win ’em all …