Amarone Golf Connection

Barrel Select is a luxury wine distributor operating out of Toronto. The wines they sell (unlike other companies) are exclusively available through them and not from the LCBO. Upon our arrival, the diminutive Daun Bailey, who is the owner of Barrel Select, was there to greet us with a smile. Like most wine tasting events, each winery is set up at a table station with all of their wines on display in front of them. The representatives are poised to pour a small amount of each wine into your glass, and proudly discuss anything from its taste, to miniscule details concerning how the wines were made. Daun made the logical suggestion of tasting all of the white wines from one winery, and then moving to the next winery’s tasting station, and sampling their white wines. She suggested continuing this until we had exhausted all of the wineries. After finishing all of the white wines, she suggested that we move around from tasting station to tasting station, sampling each of the red wines (if you are still standing). Despite our best intentions, Daun’s method lasted for about one or two booths, and then we deteriorated into our standard taste, everything that a winery produces, then moving on to the next booth strategy. There were over twenty-five winery’s represented, each bringing several wines to taste.

In total, that is a lot of wines to taste! After tasting the wine, you had the choice of swallowing the wine, or you could spit the sampled wine out into a strategically placed ice bucket on the table. I have to admit, I always find it very difficult to contemplate a fine glass of wine while someone beside me is spitting that same wine out like a chewing tobacco. Some of the winery’s representatives were the owners, and some were the winemakers. Some of the representatives from the smallest wineries described how they did everything from grape picking, vintner, bottler, labeler, and distributor. All of the owners were truly interesting characters. Most of the wines we tasted were from California, with a few from France. We sampled many wines and spoke to some very passionate wine makers. The wine makers included Andrew Erikson from legendary Screaming Eagle. Andrew was there that evening, representing Arietta wines. Instead of providing a few details about all of the wines we tasted, I have decided to concentrate on one producer and his wines for this article.

Even though I enjoy exploring wines from all over the world, my passion is all about Italian Wines. Enter Steve Clifton from Palmina Wines, in Santa Barbara, California. Could Steve and his wines give me my fix of Italian wines? What do these California wines have in common with Italian wines? Are these Palmina wines just more examples of over extracted California Cabs, or overly oaked Chards? Not even close, the grapes for Palmina wines may be grapes grown in California soil, but their roots are firmly entrenched in Italy, especially Northern Italy. If this sounds at all intriguing, read on.

First of all, Steve Clifton looks Italian. He could pass for a gentleman from Fruili. He has that dark red hair with light colored eyes. Actually he looks more Friulian then I do! I think that he is trying to become Italian. He married an Italian. He got married in Friuli. His newly baptized son’s Godfather is none other than Joe Bastianich, guru of Italian wines, NYC restaurateur, and the owner of Bastianich Wines of Friuli. Most recently he made a cameo appearance in Sergio Esposito’s (proprietor of NYC’s Italian Wine Merchants) new book, "Passion on the Vine". Finally, he is growing grapes in California, indigenous to Italy, including Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Tocai Friulano, Lagrein and Malvasia Bianca!

We tasted several of Steve’s wines. The following are my wine tasting notes and pertinent information on the grapes.

2006, Santa Barbara County, Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio may sound Italian (known as Pinot Gris in France), but in reality it is now grown virtually all over the world, including California. Most Pinot Grigios unfortunately, are mediocre at best. Needless to say I am always leery when I am about to taste another Pinot Grigio. Palmina’s Pinot Grigio was a light straw color, with a surprising aroma of intense citrus. The citrus was that of lemon-lime, with hints of stoney minerals. It tasted of sweet apricots and peaches, with a good balance of bright acidity. It was certainly better then your average Pinot Grigio, which was a pleasant surprise. Price $27.83 per bottle. Dr.Ts score 88.

2007, Tocai Friulano, Honey Vineyard

Tocai is a grape that is indigenous to my ancestral homeland of Northeastern Italy, particularly Friuli. This is the last year it will be called Tocai. After many years of dispute, a binding decision was made by the European Economic Union, and from now on it will be known as Fruilano Bianco. This was to avoid the ongoing confusion with the sweet Tokaj (made from different grapes) of Hungary. I am sure that to most Northern Italians, it will always remain as Tocai. I have to admit that when I see Tocai grown anywhere else other than Italy, it makes me nervous. I sampled it with trepidation. It tasted of pears with that classic hint of almond, and finish of pleasant bitterness, that characterizes the whites of Northern Italy. Price per bottle $36.71. Dr.Ts score 88.

2004, Nebbiolo, Stolpman Vineyard

Barolo from the Piedmont region in Italy, is considered the king of wines. Nebbiolo grapes are the foundation for making these aristocratic wines. Most Barolos are not deep in color, and this wine is no exception. This wine actually looked a little thin, but it made up for that in bouquet and taste. This wine tasted of red tree fruit, in particular cherries, also of red currants and cranberries. It was medium to full bodied with young acidity. After a lot of soul searching, I thought that this wine captured the fruit of a Barolo, with a slightly fresher taste than the older traditional styles. Certainly this Nebbiolo could be consumed now, but Steve Clifton said it would be at its best by about 2010 and 2011. How do you compare a Barolo from Piedmont, and a Nebbiolo from Palmina wines in California? Many Barolos coming out of Piedmont are now being produced in a style that do not require prolonged aging, and can be enjoyed earlier. It used to be that these wines needed at least ten years of aging before you even considered drinking them. I believe comparing a Barolo from Piedmont and a newly released Nebbiolo from Palmina would not be fair. Comparing the two at this point in time would be like comparing apples and oranges. I think that this wine should be given a chance to rest and be tasted on its own merits, when it is ready. Price per bottle $51.60. Dr.T’s score 91.

2006, Barbera, Santa Barbara County

In Piedmont, the second star of red wines after nebbiolo based Barolo is Barbera. It is a light colored red wine with lots of tart red tree fruit, and a high level of acidity. This Santa Barbara transplant did not disappoint. I thought that this wine an excellent example. Price per bottle 36.71. Dr. Ts score 89.

2005, Sangiovese, Undici

“Undici” means eleven in Italian. It is made with two clones of Sangiovese. It uses about 80 percent sangiovese grosso, and about 20 percent sangiovese piccolo. Sangiovese is now grown in other regions of Italy other then its native Tuscany, as well as in other countries including USA, and especially in California.

It is difficult to categorize this wine, because, although it is made of the most important grape that is the basis for chianti, this wine is far from being a chianti. We must remember that Chiantis are not just made of sangiovese, but rather are a blend of a number of grapes, to utilize the individual potentials in making a great wine. Unfortunately this wine was the only one that I found somewhat disappointing. Price per bottle $56.80. Dr.T’s score 86.

2006, Arneis Honea Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley

Arneis is another white grape from the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. I have never tasted a great Arneis, so I passed on tasting this one because there were so many wines to taste that evening. There are many producers of Arneis, however only a few are worth drinking, including: Bruno Giacosa and Cerreto.

In Conclusion

After a long discussion with Steve Clifton and conferring with my colleagues, Jim, Russ and I concluded that the wines of Palamina are truly special. They were able to transcend the Atlantic Ocean. These wines provided that Italian fix that I needed that evening.

If you wish to obtain any of these wines or get on Barrel Select’s mailing list, I suggest you contact Daun Bailey at www.barrelselect.com.