entire ass fowl!

FARAONA:  This is the item I purchased in the supermercato pim the other day in rome.  While living here in rome I always take advantage of these things. Not only is this type of guineafowl rare, but the way its packaged for sale with the only modification being its feathers plucked. It makes for a much more intimate cooking session, and maybe better appreciated. I later translated this faraona into english and discovered it is refered to as a Helmeted Guineafowl (of the family Numididae), which breeds in africa and has been introduced to southern France and Italy.  I roasted him up and served over polenta, inspired by a la cucina italiana recipe polenta e osei (february 2009), traditional of the cucina veneziana. later we made a broth out of the carcass, and had a delicious soup the next day. I felt as if I was living a century back. especially because I still handwash all of my clothes.

cruisin' at the canyons

Its awesome to see my good friend cody rosenthal on the slopes again after a serious back injury. Here is a link of him cruisin' at the canyons in Utah with some friends. They are working on a snowboarding film this year commotion movie (foto: pat fenelon)

Roccaraso, Abruzzo Italy

il poggione vertical brunello tasting in rome

Hotel Parco Dei Principi

Roma Vino Excellence / Merano Wine Festival 2010


Grandi Verticali di Ian D’Agata

Fabrizio Bindocci e il Brunello di Montalcino Il Poggione:

Una degustazione unica per un produttore storico di Montalcino: 

A bottle of the epic 1955 vintage beside the 88 and 95 riserva.

Sunday morning woke up quite late with a beautiful hangover,  and while drinking a late morning ''cappuccio'', i browsed upon this epic tasting being held in the city that day.  Somehow I got onto the list last minute. This vertical, was quite an experience, and never having  tasted wines this old, i was quite stoked. We tasted 10 Il Poggione brunello di montalcino including: 2001 riserva, 1995 riserva, 1993 riserva, 1988, 1980 riserva, 1975, 1970, 1969, 1966, 1955

The 66 and 69 vintages decanted.

Ian D'agata with Fabrizio Bindocci of Il poggione.

Here I'm tasting the 1955 vintage (a wine older than my pa duke.)

-In 1958 the winery splits and Il Poggione is born.

-(13-11-2010) I have added the official brunello vintage ratings of the consorzio del vino brunello di montalcino courtesy of Alessandro Bindocci over at montalcino report.

★= insufficient vintage
★★= fair vintage
★★★= good vintage
★★★★= excellent vintage
★★★★★= exceptional vintage

the tasting notes for il poggione brunello di montalcino. (from oldest)

1955 il poggione brunello di montalcino ★★★★★

this wine goes back to the use of chestnut barrels during the aging process.  the chestnut gives more tannins, and the barrels would be seasoned first with cheap wine, before being used with brunello.

tasted this twice, the first contained heaps of sediment. very brick in colour, and almost brownish.

very light in the mouth followed by a thick punch of concentrated fruits, fichi secchi, very interesting. 

1966 ★★★★

made with slovenian oak.  this '66 and the '69 being the only two decanted at this tasting.

beautiful wine, especially when compared to the 69.  this shows wonderful fruit still, a much more appealing swampy/cantina, terroir nose.  in the mouth, much more graceful than 55, traces of concetrated blackberry, raspberry, fichi secchi.  

1969 ★★

this wine was quite rough. nose full of basement, and swamp type of aromas.  on the verge of a corked smell.  harsh tannins. maybe a bad bottle.

1970 ★★★★★

picking up a nice taleggio cheese on the nose, less particular fruits.

e probabile, la prima annata, dove si sente l'argilla, nella terra. (''the first vintage you start to notice the use of clay in the soil.'' -ian)

1975 ★★★★★

beatiful colour. first of these wines that is becoming more ruby. a type of garnet, or rosso granato.  really balanced.  probably my favorite of these wines, classic brunello character, you can taste montalcino in this glass. long gorgeous finish, concentrated fruits, figs.

1980 riserva ★★★★★

very particular nose here. wood, coal, dirt. very different in the mouth, more appealing, nice fruit.  much less elegant than the 75.  more concentrated in the fruits.

1988 ★★★★★

cleaner nose, even some acidic notes on the nose.

1993 riserva ★★★★

bringin' the ruckus, with the camembert, taleggio on the nose. mamma mia,  one of the first wines, i have tasted with the taleggio essence in the mouth, just as on the nose. very particular.  

1995 riserva ★★★★★

begining of the use of french oak or barriques.  nothing really shocking me too much with 

this one here. 

2001 riserva ★★★★

this wine really packing a punch. and taking a stun gun to the palate.  this reminded me of opening a

new pair of sneakers, and smelling that new shoe, factory, chemical smell.

once you get past that, its quite jammy, hard long tannins in the mouth, excellent fruits though,

very ruby in colour.  

The '66 and '75 were the standouts for me here. The '75

was by far the best structured wine, beautiful hints of fichi secchi,

all around a classic brunello vintage for Il Poggione.

After all of this brunello action, in a following degustazione that day, I tasted a
1981 chateau d'yquem sauternes