Happy Hour Wine Tasting Featuring Wines from Dark Star Imports

“wasting our time on cheap talk and wine, left us so little to give”
Best of My Love by the Eagles

After the success of the last few week’s “Happy Hour” tastings, we have decided to carry on this casual event over the fall and this tasting is a belly up to the bar, hang out with your friends.  The food is casual, this is not a sit-down dinner- a true “Happy Hour” style event mix and immingle with our “Wine Drinking People” but with GREAT wines.  Tonight, we have a great selection of Italian wines from Dark Star Imports at the wine bar tonight.

The mission of Dark Star Imports is to uncover the hidden luxuries inside of small boutique, family-owned wineries and distilleries with big and distinct personalities.  They are committed to discovering the unique and special, and introducing those who celebrate excellence and are curious, to a new way of drinking.  The DarkStar portfolio is carefully curated with producers who proudly express traditions of their respective areas and distinct terroir, bringing something special to the glass every time. It is our honor to introduce each of them to you.

Join us as we welcome our friends from Dark Star Imports to the wine bar for a special evening of Italian wines from some of the most unique producers you will find being imported to the USA today.  The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Happy Hour Wine Tasting Featuring Dark Star Imports
Thursday, September 19th
6:00pm

Monte Rossa
A long-established winery in Franciacorta where rural traditions merge harmonically with technology and where craftsmanship and a passionate search for excellence are carried out with never-daunting commitment and entrepreneurial spirit.
It was in 1972 that businessman Paolo Rabotti, with the precious support of his wife Paola, undertook the task of wine-growing. An inspired far-seeing choice continued with enthusiasm and innovative spirit by their son Emanuele.
The history of Monte Rossa is starred by strategically winning decisions such as being first to abandon still wines to search for excellence in Franciacorta, or the determination to invest in technology, or again the continuous research and experimentation distinguishing this winery.
Today the Monte Rossa Company manages 70 hectars of vineyards. The different locations of cru on plots with different exposition contribute to increase the aromatic richness of grapes in such a way to make up very rich cuvée under the frame and complexity aspect. The Company production is 500.000 bottles approx. per year.

Monte Rossa Flamingo Rose Brut Franciacorta
Price: $52.50                     Sale $46.20
Flamingo is the iconic and irresistible Rosé of the Monte Rossa family. Pink and black, pinstripes and sequins, he and she immersed in the incessant partying of the Las Vegas night, the tale of a fascinating story of fun and passion of which Flamingo is the protagonist.

Coppery pink, with a fine and persistent perlage. Flamingo by Monte Rossa is a Franciacorta resulting from the happy marriage of 40% Pinot Nero and 60% Chardonnay.

Monte Rossa PR Brut Franciacorta
Price: $45.75                     Sale $40.26
Born to celebrate Monte Rossa’s 35 years in business, with its name P.R. pays tribute to the company’s founders: Paola Rovetta, a pioneer in Franciacorta since the 1970s and her husband Paolo Rabotti, promoter and founder of the Franciacorta Consortium and its first president.
It is the result of a passionate search for harmony between the breadth, structure complexity of the reserve wine (35%) and the elegance, persuasiveness, finesse that characterise the Chardonnay (65%). It represents the typical expression of the winery’s production philosophy aimed at finding excellence not only in its vintage wines, but in its entire production.

Castello di Lamole

Lamole. A small piece of land, nestled on the slopes of Mount San Michele. For centuries, “lamulae” (flat parcels of land on a steep slope) have been admirably suited to vine growing. Lorenzo De'Medici "il Magnifico", appreciated the wine of Lamole and the Grand Duke Emanuele Repetti (1833) emphasised the fact that Lamole could only be reached on foot and that the vines planted among the stones of this hill produced the much-praised fine wine of Lamole.

2015 Castello di Lamole Chianti Classico
Price: $46.50     Sale $52.84
100% Sangiovese. Made with organically farmed grapes, this has vinous aromas of just pressed grapes, ground cloves and blue flowers. The medium to full bodied palate offers Morello cherry, star anise and mocha alongside polished tannins.

2014 Castello di Lamole Chianti Classico Riserva 
Price: $81.00     Sale $71.28
On the nose, the 2014 Riserva gradually unveils aromas of flowers, fruit, spice and gunflint in an intriguingly absorbing array of earthly wide-ranging aromatics.  Sangiovese’s austere tannins are firmly in the traditional mold, underpinning progression on the subtly nuanced but very centered palate, which combines warmth, freshness, savoriness and minerality.

2015 Castello di Lamole Antico Lamole "Le Viti Livio"  
Price: $100.50                   Sale $88.44
100% Sangioveto.  This is a wine for Sangiovese connoisseurs, super elegant and refined with fresh minerals.  Medium bodied, high fruit concentration and flavors of  ripe cherry, red currant, raspberry, and rosted oak.  Oak aged 2 years. 

Podere Le Ripi
“Podere le Ripi started as a dream, and a very old one too: a dream to create something.  This dream is also an aesthetic one: creating something extremely beautiful.  When I was 18 years old my dream was supposed to be an island, and Podere le Ripi is not an island, but it is some sort of a peninsula that dives into the noisy Orcia river.   With time, this something beautiful became also healthy and sustainable, and later we realized that it could have been applied somewhere else, therefore becoming replicable and socially positive in its approach.
This estate consists of 60 hectares of forest, vineyards, and olive trees occupied by a shepherd and his sheep until 1998.  An uncontaminated soil, invigorated by spontaneous biodiversity, surrounded by multiple native environments.  At that time, I wasn’t a winemaker, but a nature photographer, and I inevitably fell in love with this place.
I love quality, pardon, excellence*: I believe excellence gives emotions. And emotions give joy.  But emotions also help our brain to remember, and this produces culture and culture has always produced a better life.
Sometimes we forget it and we put something at risk:our future, which is based on the evolution of our culture.” – Francesco Illy

2019 Podere Le Ripi "Amore e Follia" Toscana Rosso
Price: $49.50                     Sale $43.56
A blend of 50/50 Syrah and Sangiovese.  Lots of bright, very ripe red-berry character to this medium-bodied red with a light but firm tannin framework to the palate. But the fresh fruit pushes through to the end. Great minerality, turns savory just at the end.

2019 Podere Le Ripi "Sogni e Follia" Rosso Di Montalcino
Price: $52.50                     Sale $46.20
A deep ruby red with elegant orange shadows. In the nose, it expresses itself as a symphony of aromas going from an intense smell of cherry, strawberry, and violet to a fresh wild herbs aroma. For a Rosso di Montalcino, the wine is structured and refined, with a broad and smooth mouth and a long after taste. The 2019 vintage is one of the most enjoyable years, with a nice slim taste and very present and round tannins, which we attributed to an exceptional higher yield thanks to the good summer rain.

2018 Podere Le Ripi "Cielo d'Ulisse" Brunello Di Montalcino
Price: $99.75                     Sale $87.78
Bright ruby with lighter shadows, flavors are quite complex and the progression of different fragrances is endless, beginning with smaller black and red fruits, all surrounded by a hidden scent of blackberries and brackish water. Our vineyards on the western slopes are surrounded by a fresh forest and very close to the Ombrone river. This means that they can handle well warmer seasons. This is why the wine was able to maintain a nice dynamic taste, light without it being too sweet. The structure and texture of it are making us hope for great aging potential.

2018 Podere Le Ripi "Amore e Magia" Brunello Di Montalcino
Price: $150.00                   Sale $132.00
A deep ruby red, richer when compared to wines grown from our other vineyards. In the nose, it expresses itself as a symphony of aromas ranging from the intense smell of red-orange and violets to fresh balsamic herbal notes. This vineyard is characterized by a more creamy and silky taste coupled with a fun and vibrant saltiness. Wines from 2019 are certainly rich and Mediterranean.

Zyme
The name Zýmē, from Greek, means “yeast.” Yeast is, of course, an indispensible element in the world of oenology, but it also bears a symbolic meaning, since it conjures up the concept of naturalness, a fundamental value in Celestino Gaspari’s professional and existential journey, as well as the process of fermenting, understood as a continuous striving towards transformation.In harmony with that philosophy, the winery logo represents a grapevine leaf in which is centred a pentagon, symbol of the five basic elements that combine to yield wine: man-vine-earth-sun-water.
Re-establishing an ideal habitat where man and nature are in perfect symbiosis is, in fact, the point of both departure and arrival of a new humanism of the earth, of which Celestino Gaspari and Zýmē are promoters.
This new worldview has as its objective the establishing of a new relationship with the environment, with man as the natural guardian of his local corner of earth, the one who protects it, but also the one who can renew it, reinterpret it.
Ecosustainability with respect to vineyard management practices, transparency of the final product through understanding of its production processes, and respect for the rhythms of nature: these are the cardinal principles of Zýmē’s approach to winemaking.
The approach is an element and symbol of a simple style of living in syntony with the earth, in a historical moment in which man, bewildered by the opulence of a false well-being, has put at risk his own survival.
Tradition and innovation are the two complementary tracks on which Zýmē’s wine production moves forward: respect for, and attention to the historic wines of the Valpolicella area go hand in hand with innovation and experimentation with new wines that will enhance and renew the local terroir. Culture, history, tradition, innovation – a glass of wine is so many things, but in Celestino Gaspari’s heart, wine is above all yeast for the mind, and a yeast that grows a project, Zýmē.

2020 Zyme From Black To White Il Bianco Veneto IGT, Italy
Price: $35.00                     Sale $30.80
"While inspecting some vineyards in 1999, Gaspari found an old Rondinella vine with a cane bearing some strange whitish clusters of grapes. He began experimenting to see if he could obtain Rondinella grapes that were completely white. After a few years, he was successful, and he now has a vineyard block with sound genetic material. It differs from the “black” Rondinella in that the leaves are a lighter color; it grows with medium vigor but it bears grapes that resemble the coppery tone typical of the Pinot Grigio grape. A yellow-flecked pale green; expansive bouquet, with hints of citrus and herbs such as mint; on the palate, complex and full-bodied with notable viscosity and an almost endless finish."

2018 Zyme Valpolicella Classico Superiore
Price: $ 48.00                     Sale $42.24
Grapes: 40% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 25% Rondinella, 5% Oseleta  At least 3 years’ maturation in large Slavonian oak ovals,  followed by 6 months in the bottle.  *Sustainable farmed*  Ruby red color of medium intensity with notes of ripe cherries, and plums slightly wilted nose. Soft on the palate, with a pleasant flavor of matured fruit and spices on the finish.

2017 Zyme Amarone Della Valpolicella
Price: $162.00                   Sale $142.56
The Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC is a red wine of the Venetian well-known Zymé cellar. The grapes used for the production of this wine are: 30% Corvina, 30% Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 5% Oseleta e 5% Croatina. These vines belong to the Zymé cellar and this wine is produced only when the grapes are very high quality. The grapes are picked, selected and laid on bamboo trellis where takes placethe traditional withering of the grapes that lasts 4 months. The maceration lasts about 15-18 days and it follows the fermentation for 35 days. The refinement takes place in wood barrels for 3 years. Once bottled, the wine made its last refinement period of 12 months.
It has a bright red color. It has an intense scent with cinnamon, whisky, tobacco, grass and moss aromas. It has intense tannins, it is elegant and balanced.

2019 Zyme Kairos
Price: $115.00                   Sale $101.20
Grapes: Minimum 15 grape varieties, 4 whites and 11 reds: Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syraz, Teroldego, Croatina, Oseleta, Sangiovese, and Marzemino.  French oak barrels, where it passes at least 36 months without any racking. It receives a further minimum of 1 year in bottle.  *Sustainable farmed*  Full bodied with notes of Chocolate, vanilla, black fruit, plum and a long finish.  Well integrated tannins.

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Blue Cheese, Balsamic, Fig, Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Pizza
Grilled Octopus with Kalamata Olives, Bermuda Onion and Fresh Basil
Meatballs with Sunday Sauce
Arancini Stuffed with Mozzarella with Red Pepper Puree

The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.