THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE CHANNELS.
W.R. Tish: "Given America’s eco-consciousness, surprisingly few wines directly invoke the concept of “green”-ness... Most organic and Biodynamic producers already have established brands, and are tweaking their product lines. Interestingly, “natural wines”—which have stirred much controversy in the blogosphere—are quite unaggressive in terms of promoting their “nothing added, nothing taken away”
concept."
make no doubt: what's in the bottle counts.
100% genuine, top-quality, vintage dated, terroir driven, lot-selected, estate-bottled, hand-crafted, non-manipulated (NO importer's cuvees, marketing blends or bulk wines masquerading as 'fine wine') wines and spirits from small family producers.
concept wine rule #1: pronounceable names. as in "cefalicchio": che (guevara) - fa (-bulous) - lick (-ing) - kyo (-to protocol) - rosso. :)
— i wine. (@conceptwine) December 11, 2012
(biodynamic) nero di troia.
puglia. i was an a quest to find a great primitivo. not the type of primitivo one can find at rock bottom prices in every supermarket around the globe.
the very modern trattoria i stopped at for a short lunch break had a small shelf stocked with pulian wines that i had never read about with price tags you'd expect to see in barolo and montalcino.
euro 55? euro 65? per bottle? in puglia? it was wine in fancy bottles with non traditional labels. i bought three differnet bottles - even though i knew i was being ripped off. one of the bottles was from the cefalicchio estate and the wine was called 'romanico'. we tasted it back in the states at osteria mozza (los angeles, ca) with david (gm) and taylor (sommelier).
the wine was not only good, it was really great stuff! but $80? a few emails later and another trip back to puglia we knew we had a winner. i had stumbled upon an up-and-coming estate and the only puglian estate that was certified biodynamic with quality wines to match.
though 'cefalicchio rosso' is no 'cefalicchio romanico', the rosso is a wine that allows you to get a taste of the great wines produced at this estates. it invites you sit down for dinner with friends to talk about discovering puglia, visiting the winery and staying for a night or a week at their hotel and have either lunch or dinner at their restaurant on their property.
'cefalicchio rosso' has become not only one of our daily drinking wines but also one of our best selling reds in our portfolio. the story of the story: being taken advantage of may take you to some great new places. the rest is wine history.
the very modern trattoria i stopped at for a short lunch break had a small shelf stocked with pulian wines that i had never read about with price tags you'd expect to see in barolo and montalcino.
euro 55? euro 65? per bottle? in puglia? it was wine in fancy bottles with non traditional labels. i bought three differnet bottles - even though i knew i was being ripped off. one of the bottles was from the cefalicchio estate and the wine was called 'romanico'. we tasted it back in the states at osteria mozza (los angeles, ca) with david (gm) and taylor (sommelier).
the wine was not only good, it was really great stuff! but $80? a few emails later and another trip back to puglia we knew we had a winner. i had stumbled upon an up-and-coming estate and the only puglian estate that was certified biodynamic with quality wines to match.
though 'cefalicchio rosso' is no 'cefalicchio romanico', the rosso is a wine that allows you to get a taste of the great wines produced at this estates. it invites you sit down for dinner with friends to talk about discovering puglia, visiting the winery and staying for a night or a week at their hotel and have either lunch or dinner at their restaurant on their property.
'cefalicchio rosso' has become not only one of our daily drinking wines but also one of our best selling reds in our portfolio. the story of the story: being taken advantage of may take you to some great new places. the rest is wine history.
"What's over: Natural wines that aren't very good wines, and restaurants that serve them because they are natural wines, and because other restaurants serve them." - eater.com
cefalicchio rosso | $18.75 | cefalicchio | twitter
KYLE PHILLIPS: "Cefalicchio is an estate just outside the town of Canosa di Puglia, which consists of a frankly beautiful Masseria, or fortified farm complex surrounded by 76 hectares of land, including 23 hectares of vineyards and 25 of olive groves.
In addition to being a working farm, it is a beautiful agriturismo with fine rooms that offer fantastic views of the surrounding countryside (as does the walkway on the roof), and boasts a very good restaurant as well. In other words, if you want to explore northern Puglia, which boasts many interesting towns and landmarks, including Castel Del Monte, Federico II's famed octagonal fortress, Cefalicchio would be an excellent base.
The estate has belonged to the Rossi family for more than a century, and is now managed by Nicola Rossi, while his brother Fabrizio Rossi, a quiet man who prefers to let the wines talk, is the Agronomist. The estate is biodynamic (they even have a hollow filled with solar panels to reduce the consumption of non-renewable fuels)."
In addition to being a working farm, it is a beautiful agriturismo with fine rooms that offer fantastic views of the surrounding countryside (as does the walkway on the roof), and boasts a very good restaurant as well. In other words, if you want to explore northern Puglia, which boasts many interesting towns and landmarks, including Castel Del Monte, Federico II's famed octagonal fortress, Cefalicchio would be an excellent base.
The estate has belonged to the Rossi family for more than a century, and is now managed by Nicola Rossi, while his brother Fabrizio Rossi, a quiet man who prefers to let the wines talk, is the Agronomist. The estate is biodynamic (they even have a hollow filled with solar panels to reduce the consumption of non-renewable fuels)."
KYLE PHILLIPS: "Deep pigeon blood ruby with black reflections and violet rim. Tremendous color. The bouquet is powerful, with musty underbrush and savory spice mingled with wet leaves, minerality, and some gunflint. Considerable depth, and has a lot to say; as it opens it reveals all sorts of facets, in particular intriguing hints of crushed almonds. On the palate it's ample and rich, with savory cherry plum fruit supported by smooth cedar-laced tannins that flow into a clean rather bitter finish. Quick to write but pleasant, and will drink very well with red meats, especially more succulent meats as the tannins do a fine job of clearing the palate. It's fruit rich but not a fruit bomb, and is a fine food wine that will also age nicely for at least 5 years."
now listed in the most important italian wine guides.
2013
cefalicchio rosso. vine and wine impressions.
cru. estate. hospitality. argiturismo. cefalicchio rosso. nero di troia. harvest. restaurant. hotel. biodynamic. organic. solar. sun. nicola. fabrizio.