Change In The Weather
Back to feed- Posted: 10/28/2017
- Categories: Wine
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Sometimes there is a powerfully resonating element of déjà-vu to my day and it’s a bit hard to explain. Like take this post. I could swear I wrote something about these wines, but I don’t know where it went. So I am writing what feels like my second Damilano post in a week. This is just weird…
Halloween. As a kid I loved this day. Though I did scare pretty easy, it was great to go out trick-or-treating with all my friends on the block, and growing up in Beavercreek, OH, it was a relatively safe time to be a kid (or at least that was how it seemed to me). The policemen in our little village would see us walking down the street and call us over, and they’d open the back of their squad car – we all thought we were in trouble – but in the back seat, a huge box of candy. They’d just smile as we stared at them in disbelief and say, “Dig in, kids.” We had a guy on our block that handed out nickels instead of candy. I can’t fathom how many nickels he’d hand out that night – they would be on a piece of cardboard, taped down neatly. As a kid, I actually thought this was cool. Nowadays, probably not so much.
I lost interest in Halloween for a long time. Not sure why. Life sort of gets in the way, you grow up, working too much, I don’t know. But this year something is different. It is like the spectre of time and chances passed by loom in the near-distance, and I can hear the whisper of inevitability in my ear, with the quiet and simple question: “what have you got to lose?”
So this year, the weights of the past have been unburdened, and the pleasure of enjoying the moment is what I embrace right now because, why not?
In wine, these precious moments streak by with incredible speed, blinding speed at times, and sometimes, within the confines of this humble blog, it is my job to round up those crackles of lightning in a bottle, drawing your attention toward something really spectacular. Recently, one of my longtime friends in this business, Laura from Grand Cru, dropped in to taste us on some amazing wines from Piedmont’s Damilano:
Damilano Barbera d’Asti 2014. A remarkable, medium-bodied red, this splashy, fruit-driven wine gives you zesty red fruits, baking spices and floral components that are lively and almost dancing on the palate.
Damilano Barolo Brunate 2012. Flowers, toasted nuts, red berries and licorice emerge in this stunning single vineyard Barolo. Brunate was my first exposure to Barolo and it always holds a special place in my besotted heart.
Damilano Barolo Cerequio 2012. Red and black cherry aromas and flavors join forces with tobacco and leather, giving you a fresh-baked cherry pie, cooling on the front porch of a tobacco farm on a warm August evening. Dense, layered and structured red that is rather magnificent.
Damilano Liste 2010. Really impressive with an exceptional display of red and blue fruits, bold spices, leather, cured tobacco, anise, rosemary and black truffle. Well-structured with bold tannins and a finish that lasts all day.
Damilano Barolo Chinato NV. Oh hello! What’s this? An aromatized Nebbiolo, with extra age in Oak barrels, infused with quinine bark and hints of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, orange peels and more… it’s like coming in from the cold to a warm hug, a roaring fire, and a comfortable evening with friends, family or the one you love. This is delicious!
Halloween. As a kid I loved this day. Though I did scare pretty easy, it was great to go out trick-or-treating with all my friends on the block, and growing up in Beavercreek, OH, it was a relatively safe time to be a kid (or at least that was how it seemed to me). The policemen in our little village would see us walking down the street and call us over, and they’d open the back of their squad car – we all thought we were in trouble – but in the back seat, a huge box of candy. They’d just smile as we stared at them in disbelief and say, “Dig in, kids.” We had a guy on our block that handed out nickels instead of candy. I can’t fathom how many nickels he’d hand out that night – they would be on a piece of cardboard, taped down neatly. As a kid, I actually thought this was cool. Nowadays, probably not so much.
I lost interest in Halloween for a long time. Not sure why. Life sort of gets in the way, you grow up, working too much, I don’t know. But this year something is different. It is like the spectre of time and chances passed by loom in the near-distance, and I can hear the whisper of inevitability in my ear, with the quiet and simple question: “what have you got to lose?”
So this year, the weights of the past have been unburdened, and the pleasure of enjoying the moment is what I embrace right now because, why not?
In wine, these precious moments streak by with incredible speed, blinding speed at times, and sometimes, within the confines of this humble blog, it is my job to round up those crackles of lightning in a bottle, drawing your attention toward something really spectacular. Recently, one of my longtime friends in this business, Laura from Grand Cru, dropped in to taste us on some amazing wines from Piedmont’s Damilano:
Damilano Barbera d’Asti 2014. A remarkable, medium-bodied red, this splashy, fruit-driven wine gives you zesty red fruits, baking spices and floral components that are lively and almost dancing on the palate.
Damilano Barolo Brunate 2012. Flowers, toasted nuts, red berries and licorice emerge in this stunning single vineyard Barolo. Brunate was my first exposure to Barolo and it always holds a special place in my besotted heart.
Damilano Barolo Cerequio 2012. Red and black cherry aromas and flavors join forces with tobacco and leather, giving you a fresh-baked cherry pie, cooling on the front porch of a tobacco farm on a warm August evening. Dense, layered and structured red that is rather magnificent.
Damilano Liste 2010. Really impressive with an exceptional display of red and blue fruits, bold spices, leather, cured tobacco, anise, rosemary and black truffle. Well-structured with bold tannins and a finish that lasts all day.
Damilano Barolo Chinato NV. Oh hello! What’s this? An aromatized Nebbiolo, with extra age in Oak barrels, infused with quinine bark and hints of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, orange peels and more… it’s like coming in from the cold to a warm hug, a roaring fire, and a comfortable evening with friends, family or the one you love. This is delicious!
