Rooms

[hectorm]

Addy Bassin's wine store in DC is a rather small boutique but with a great selection of the producers in vogue at a given moment. They managed to have a few bottles of Il Frappato 2010 at $34 (which might not be a good price compared to Sicily but at least you can get it) and also a few of the SP68 at $23. But surprise, the SP68 available was the red one.
This afternoon I had a nice chat with the clerk about natural wines and Arianna Occhipinti's aura (I see she's something of a cult figure) and bought two bottles of Il Frappato.
Tomorrow at lunch time I'll enjoy it, although sans the Ferra this time.
Cheers to you

[alden]

Well Ariana has a few things going for her. She is young, beautiful, has great old vines and makes delcious wine. You would pay at least 35 euros in Europe for the Frappato so $34 is a good deal. Make sure and drink the Frappato at the same temperature you would a Gamay...so between 14-16 degrees.

Cheers

[davidhuh]

Dear Michael,

now this is too funny: Occhipinti's Il Frappato is distributed in Switzerland by a friend of mine! Are we living on a planet or on a handkerchief?

Will check it out, price is very reasonable, 31 CHF for the 2010.

Cheers, David

[alden]

If you can find any of the 2009, buy it. It was so so good.

The 2011 is awful though dont buy any of it!

[hectorm]

Well Ariana has a few things going for her. She is young, beautiful, has great old vines and makes delcious wine.

Your first two remarks are plain to see.
As for the wine, I tried Il Frappato today and (don´t expect me to make my tasting notes public) I realy liked it. You were right in advising to drink it cooler than one would do with other reds.

[alden]

She is also as smart as a whip and has a great personality. Total package.

People tend to drink their red wines too warm and white wines too cold. Room temperature reds (chambres) mean taken out of a stone cellar (12 degrees) and left to come to the temp of an old stone house ie 16 degrees (not the modern saunas temperatures we live in at 22 dgrees.)

Cheers

[Slewfoot]

While I have not had the Occhipinti yet, a Frappato from Tami was excellent recently. A fun varietal.

[alden]

Slew

Tami was a great deal here for an everyday kind of red. At 5 euros a bottle it was tough to beat. I think the price has since gone up to 7 euros, still a great deal.

Yes, Frappato as a varietal is wonderful when done right. I have had some less than pleasant tastings as well however. Its not a vin de garde by any standard. Like a Gamay it is best to drink young.

The great thing about Arriana's wine is that it has the richness and density of a Cote Rotie with the alcohol content of a Gamay (12-12.5%.) and it is a natural wine, so no sulfite induced nightmares. I drank it almost all this year and never tired of it...but it is now tough to get.

Cheers

[lxlloyd]

I love cooking with mushrooms but have always been a tad on the nervous side r.e. gathering them. I enjoy them like Michael, or in a gratin or risotto.

At any rate, I've barely seen grass, let alone mushrooms (or England... Or countryside) in the past three and a half years since leaving England, save for during my lategrandmother's funeral (when mushroom gathering was not at the top of my mind) and from the sea, in which case, being on a boat, I was more inclined to fish... And I fear the air of Paris may be too toxic even for funghi.


.... So no gathering for me, in summary. But you did make me hungry.

[davidhuh]

Perhaps I should add a little tasting report

I had arranged a wine tasting with my friend who is distributing Occhipinti in Switzerland a few days before Michael dropped her name here. A couple of people joined, and I insisted having FP68 2011 and the Frappato 2010 in the selection. Both wines are truly exceptional and some is now in my cellar. Both wines are expressive and full of character, similar to LL flannels

In the selection, we had another Italian wine from a monastery in Umbria, the Trappiste's Coenobium Paolo Bea 2009. This white wine (an assemblage of Trebbiano, Grecheto, Malvasia and Verdicchio) would also be great with rooms.

Cheers, David

[hectorm]

I insisted having FP68 2011 and the Frappato 2010 in the selection. Both wines are truly exceptional and some is now in my cellar. Both wines are expressive and full of character, similar to LL flannels

Hi, David. Thank you for the follow up.
For years I had discounted Sicilian red wines (the available here at that price) as simple and uninteresting, but these Occhipinti´s wines are nothing like it. While being really pure, they are at the same time refined and full of subtle notes.
And the more you know about Ariana, the more you like them

[davidhuh]

Dear Hector,

I was told Occhipinti is a (or "the") shooting star in Italy . The main reason for her wine being different from others made in Sicily is the fact that she is not watering her vineyard. The plant is forced to dig deep for water, and the harvest is smaller.

Another difference: Occhipinti is making a pure Frappato which is rare. Frappato is commonly assembled with Nero d'Avola.

Michael mentions that it should be consumed young. My friend the wine merchant tells me this Frappato ages most gracefully. There is a moment when the wine is changing character which is less pleasant. Perhaps wait 2, 3 years and check again (this applies to many wines with ageing potential).

cheers, david

[hectorm]

Michael mentions that it should be consumed young. My friend the wine merchant tells me this Frappato ages most gracefully. There is a moment when the wine is changing character which is less pleasant. Perhaps wait 2, 3 years and check again (this applies to many wines with ageing potential).

Inspired by another current thread on the LL (byodinamic wines), this Sunday I finally opened the second bottle of Occhipinti´s Frappato I bought in 2012.
My mistake.....I should have paid attention to it earlier. The wine was flat, fruit was gone and although oxidation had not spoiled it, it was disappointing when compared to my warm recollection regarding the first bottle.
I wish you have better luck (and care) with yours.

[dfoverdx2]

Michael mentions that it should be consumed young. My friend the wine merchant tells me this Frappato ages most gracefully. There is a moment when the wine is changing character which is less pleasant. Perhaps wait 2, 3 years and check again (this applies to many wines with ageing potential).

Inspired by another current thread on the LL (byodinamic wines), this Sunday I finally opened the second bottle of Occhipinti´s Frappato I bought in 2012.
My mistake.....I should have paid attention to it earlier. The wine was flat, fruit was gone and although oxidation had not spoiled it, it was disappointing when compared to my warm recollection regarding the first bottle.
I wish you have better luck (and care) with yours.

you bought it in 2012 but from which millésime is the wine ? I also had chance to drink Occhipinti's frappato. It's true that it's a light wine with low accidity and almost no tannicity but if it's from 2012 it's strange that it faded so quickly...

[alden]

Frappato is not at all a vin de garde and while it has the flavor of luscious Pinot Noir fruit it ages more like Gamay.

My 2012s are drinking fine. But they were kept in my cellar. Don't quite understand the 2012 problems unless they were maintained in a less than optimal manner.

Cheers