Mesmerized and Obsessed!
June 04, 2008
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I am MESMERIZED and OBSESSED by
the
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Dear Eric,
Sorry this is so long winded, but I
am just a little obsessed when it comes
to telling you about this latest wine discovery!
Renee celebrated her birthday
two weeks ago and asked me to select a special wine to go with
her prime rib request. Now that's what I call
pressure!! But let me back track a little..... A
few days before, I had met with Misty, my account
representative from Michael Mondavi's new import
company "Folio".
Digressing more..... Folio has been a great service
to me, especially when we travelled to Priorat last summer to
visit one of its super star producers Vall Llach in
Porerra. Through Folio, arrangments were
made for us to spend the afternoon with Vall Llach's
general manager/winemaker and to have their Euro
rep Lisa Andrus (daughter of Gary Andrus.....think
Pineridge, Archery Summit, and Gypsy Dancer) serve as our
translator.
Back to recent tense - Misty
poured me just three excellent wines, but one wine in
particular set me back on my heels. I remember,
trying to keep my composure and prayed the price was not
to crazy. I did not do a very good job hiding my
excitement, and the price seemed only astronomical
because this wine was a
BARBERA!! Okay, maybe a
better rationalization is the price was a great value for a
2001 Barbera d' Asti that was drinking like a top growth
Bordeaux!! I thought to myself, what am I crazy!?!.....I
have two perfectly good Barbera d' Alba sitting in the racks
priced between $20 and $30.....what do I need with another in
the $80 range? DON'T LET ME LOSE YOU
HERE!!! Hang in there.....like me! So, I
decided to order 12 bottles, so I could to sit
down to drink a whole bottle. When the two six
packs arrived on Renee's birthday.....no pressure, I knew what
wine we would drink with the prime rib......even though
typically Barbera pairs better with a ragu tagliatelle,
or cheesy lasagna with a side of grilled
sausage.
YES! The
2001 Hastae Quorum Barbera d'
Asti was the perfect
celebratory wine for Renee's b-day. If you have
frequented the store in last few days, I talk about little
else. First, the dark almost pitch black color.
Then way the wine's aromas practically bowl you over
with a tar accented wild blackberry-cassis
fruit, and underlying spicy crimson rose petal
nuance. The aromas transcend to palate,
but this wine is so expansive in the mouth, you feel
as if you have been awashed by the gentle ebb of giant
wave. Although I don't know how this wine could be
any better, as the acidity seems soft and regal,
but the final grip of gentle tannin knows what
to do with well marbled roasted meat, and promise forgiveness
if you wish to cellar a few years longer.
Ok.....now let me tell you why this
wine is so spectacular and has flown under the radar.
Quorum was the brainchild of a group of five of Asti's
greatest Barbera producers; Braida, Chiarlo,
Coppo, Prunotto, and Vietti....the bottle is very cool and has all
of their names uplifted in the glass. That's
right! Back in the summer of 1997 this group of
friends, including leading grappa producer
Berta, sat around one night drinking some
Barbera....and I imagine a little nightcap
of grappa, to discuss how they could protect
the natural resources in Piemonte, and help preserve
the local customs, traditions and culture of Asti. So
they decided to create a consortium called HASTAE (the
name given to Asti by the Romans) to produce a truly unique
Barbera d' Asti and give 100% of the profits back to the
community. To add luster to Quorum's star
quality, it was decided the producers would each
donate one hectare (2.4 acres) of low yielding fruit
(less than 2 tons per acre) from their top producing
single vineyard estates. Then the wine would only be
produced in outstanding years when the quality level was
deemed truly exceptional. As we all know, the 2001
vintage more than qualifies for this criteria!
Furthermore, to avoid a "too many chefs" situation, the
producers agreed to designate a winemaker outside HASTAE every
four years. And as an added twist: the winemaker
must come from a region outside of Piemonte and have no
previous experience working with the Barbera grape.
Superstar Riccardo
Coterella, coincidentally Gambero Rosso's "Winemaker
of the Year" in 2001, was selected to make this Quorum.
The 2001
Quorum has truly mesmerized
me. Basically, I purchase every last remaining
bottle available in for US distribution. Last week
I sent this email out as a "heads up" to
my known Italian wine aficionado-clients, and just
within a few days they purchased about 200 more
bottles.....I have the final 120 bottles scheduled to
arrive this Friday. TRUST
ME! Once tasted, you will be on a quest for
more, but I am afraid we will never see this great vintage
again.
Interesting side notes! Robert
Parker gave the 1998 Quorum 96 points, after he tasted it
in 2000.
1998 Hastae Barbera d'Asti
Quorum
A Barbera Dry Red Table wine from
Barbera
d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy
Source Reviewer Rating
Maturity Current (Release) Cost
Wine Advocate #
130
Aug 2000 Robert Parker 96 points - Drink 2000 -
2007 $96-$110 (75)
This joint effort includes fruit provided by
such wineries as Giacomo Bologna, Coppo, Michel Chiarlo,
Prunotto, Vietti, and the distillery Berta. The wine is made
under the supervision of Riccardo Cotarella. Yields were 35
hectoliters per hectare, and the wine was aged ten months in
new French oak casks, bottled without filtration, and aged an
additional twelve months in bottle prior to release.
The 1998 has a whopping 13.7% alcohol as well as a
reasonably high (for Barbera) PH of 3.6. In short ... it's a
dazzling Barbera. An intense, deep opaque plum/purple color is
followed by super-concentrated, blackberry, strawberry, and
cherry aromas, an opulent, fat, luscious texture, and
explosive fruit, purity, and richness. The wine's heady,
luxuriously rich finish lasts 30+ seconds. It would be hard to
make better Barbera than this! Drink it over the next 5-7
years.
And his former Italian editor, Daniel
Thomases (replaced by Antonio Galloni) gave the 2001
Quorum 93 points in
2003.
2001 Hastae Barbera d'Asti
Quorum
A Barbera Dry Red Table wine from
Barbera
d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy
Source Reviewer Rating Maturity Current
(Release) Cost
Wine Advocate # 149
Oct 2003 Daniel Thomases
93 points - Drink 2004 - 2010 $75-$80
(75)
The
2001 Barbera d'Asti Quorum is second to
none. A saturated, blackish purple, its
perfectly ripe plum and berry fruit and spicy, elegant oak are
matched by flavors of impeccable richness and sweetness,
superior texture and density, the signature low acidity of
Cotarella wines, and a lush, succulent, mouthfilling volume
and length. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2010.
I
think Thomases missed by a few points in his review. I
can only imagine what kind of high ratings this wine would
receive now, since it has evolved and matured!! I would
venture a guess between 96-97 points.... maybe more!
NEEDLESS TO
SAY, even if Renee was
startled by my selection for her B-day dinner, she was
thrilled with the results!
2001 HASTAE Quorum Barbera d'
Asti
Price is $85.95 a bottle, but if you purchase a
six pack I will discount 12%
to $75.64.
ORDER NOW TO
RESERVE!
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2001 HASTAE QUORUM BARBERA D' ASTI - PIEMONTE,
ITALY |
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"SECOND TO NONE"
DRINKING LIKE A
TOP
GROWTH BORDEAUX!
$85.95 a bottle
PURCHASE SIX or more for 12%
discount: $75.64
Should be rated 96 to
97 points.....
even higher!
ONE LAST
OPPORTUNITY!
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A collaboration of the best Barbera
producers in Asti -
Braida, Chiarlo, Coppo, Prunotto,
and
Vietti!
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CONGRATULATIONS TO TRICIA
SAEGER!
Lucky
Tricia's raffle ticket was selected last Saturday, so she
is the winner of a $300 mixed case of wonderful wine
selections by The Wine Consultant. Thank you to all who
took the time to mail or drop by with
your entries. Your participation was
impressive!! Stay tune as we will do it again
soon!!
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FOOD & WINE EVENTS WARRANTING YOUR
ATTENTION!
Golden Glass Tasting
- Sunday, June 8th,
3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at The Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason,
San Francisco, CA
94123 
This is a Slow Food fundraiser - Tickets are $50 and
should be purchased in advance. 100 international
wineries pouring, and cuisine prepared by top artisan
purveyors and some of the best Bay Area
restaurants. Go to > www.thegoldenglass.com |
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Representing the Sacramento
area in the SushiMaster FINALS show down will be none other
than Billy Ngo of Kru restaurant. Sponsored by the
California Rice Commission.
Sacramento Convention
Center
Tuesday, June 10th
from
5:30 to 8:30 pm - $65 per person
Go to > www.sushimasters.com
Open to the public, this event will
also feature sushi and sake tasting!
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Your response to the 2007 LIOCO
CHARDONNAY was overwhelming! I predict this new
style in Chardonnay will be a growing trend.
If you missed last week's newsletter, I will continue the
pricing that brings this "creme brulee-like" wine down to
only $16.96 a bottle on case purchase. For all the
details go to > www.thewineconsultant.com/newsletter/363/
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REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT THE NEW ARRIVALS!
N EVER KNOW
WHAT GEMS MIGHT BE LURKING AT THIS LINK!!
Thanks for sharing in our passion!
Eric Stumpf and Renee Kroeger
The Wine Consultant
8039 Greenback
Lane
Citrus Heights, CA
95610
(916) 721-WINE
(9463)
Hours:
Tuesday thru Friday - 11am to 6pm
Saturday -
10am to 6pm
Saturday Tasting Bar OPEN
from Noon to 4pm
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Greenback Lane | Citrus Heights | CA |
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