- But Just Occasionally, We Are Stunned By Something New And Wonderful
- An Act of Love by a Grandfather for his Grandchildren
- Rare As Any Wines We Have Sold
- These Are Absolute Gems of Artisanal Winemaking
2008 Calafe Taurasi Riserva
- 60-80 Year Old Vines
- A Titanic Wine
- The Nose Is a Maelstrom of Licorice, Blackberry and Plum
- Like a Great Cornas
- Palate Has Blackberry, Spice and The Sweetest Licorice
- This Will Be One of the Most Epic Wines in Anyone's Cellar
- "Seamless"
- Intensity of Great Cornas
- 93 Points, Eric Guido Vinous
- The Next Riserva Is 2017 and Will Be Released in 2 Years...
- ... So Stock Up
Calafe NV Kami Greco di Tufo "Brut Nature"
- One of the Most Beautiful Sparkling Wines We've Sold
- Maybe the Best $30ish Sparkler We've Offered
- Nose is Like a Field of Lemon Trees in Flower BUT After 45 Minutes It Goes Into Hyperdrive
- Lime Confectionary Craziness
- Palate - So Elegant, Mineral, So Deep BUT Only After 45 Minutes
- Champagne Method, Champagne Balance, But Very Different
- 2009 Grapes
- A Must Buy for Champagne Lovers
- Crazy Value for Under $30
- After 45 Minutes In The Glass This Goes from Very Good to Profound - It's Like Two Wines
We've been promoting our undiscovered gems in Italy for a few years now. We started late in Italy so they have remained, until recently, undiscovered.
Of course that all changed recently with La Badina's huge 95 point score for its Lessona from Antonio Galloni. And now the reviews are trickling in. And one of our favorite producers is teed up for today.
We discovered Calafe because they were on a wine list at a one star restaurant in Naples and my partner was eating dinner there. They were otherwise completely off the radar.
The Estate
The wines are ridiculous. Not just ridiculously good. But ridiculous in that so much time and effort was put into making them that it is hard to believe. Like many great things, these wines are born from love. In this case, the love of a grandfather for his 3 grandchildren Camilla, Laura and Federica (the first 2 letters of each of their names spell out Calafe). Benito Petrillo was in publishing and bought a mere 2 hectares to start this winery. The results have been miraculous. I get the sense that the owner doesn't do much marketing and would be just as happy to drink the wines and share them with friends. The prices are not at all reflective of the quality. This Taurasi is a somewhat big wine but nuanced and reminded me of a great Cornas in intensity and structure.
The Wines
The first wine, the 2008 Calafe Taurasi Riserva (for $36.99 each on a 4 pack) is one of the great red wines I sell. There is no doubt. A masterpiece of a wine made from 60-80 year old vines.
The nose is simply ridiculous. A swirling maelstrom of licorice, blackberry, plum and a hint of blood. It's one of those wines where on the first sniff, you cock back your head in sheer surprise. It's dark, dark, dark and almost brooding like a great Cornas can be in a great year but totally different.
The palate is simply awesome. Dark, dark blackberry fruits with just the sweetest licorice you can imagine. Incredible spiciness is blended in seamlessly. Incredibly juicy. The internal aromatics are
"The 2008 Taurasi Riserva is an old-school classic, as spicy blackberry and sour cherry fruits are further accentuated by aromas of rosemary, tobacco, a hint of cedar, and animal musk. On the palate, silky textures carry densely-packed wild berry fruits over a core of brisk acids and saline-minerality. It finishes long and incredibly balanced, structured, yet also quite pleasing, as a gorgeous echo of red and black fruits linger, along with a pinch of residual acids, inner earth tones, and dark florals. The 2008 Riserva already comes across as being in its early maturity, yet it has many years left for the patient collector. I believe the word I'm looking for is "seamless."" 93 Points, Eric Guido, Vinous
When I opened the next wine it was in an internal garden shared space in my building. It's quite nice out there and this was right at the peak of the NYC Covid-19 pandemic. We all wore masks and socially distanced but we (me and another couple) were so excited just to socialize with each other in real life we didn't give the wines that much attention. I had opened the Kami before a few times and I drank it so quickly I didn't get a chance to see the this reach it's qualitative height. That was a huge mistake. Because after 45 minutes, despite us talking about Covid-19 the whole time, we stopped and we were dumbfounded with how great the wine was. It had taken a lunar leap into profundity. And for a brief moment, maybe the next 30 minutes, we just talked about the wine and it was on of the most enjoyable bottles of wine I've ever had in my life. But all three of us really could not believe it.
That wine is the NV Calafe Kami Greco di Tufo "Brut Nature" for $29.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is simply put a beautiful, beautiful wine. Made using Method Champenoise, 18-24 months on the lees, this is from grapes grown in 2009. It's a wine that if you love Champagne, you have to try. It's Champagne method so it is Champagne-like, of course, but this is grown in Camapania and made from Greco di Tufo, so it's very different. Champagne of this quality is easily $50+. Of course, there is nothing quite like this in Champagne.
The nose is, and I know this is a goofy word, lovely. Such a lovely, toasty, almond-scented nose. Gorgeous. Clean, mineral, sea air. Drinking it is like being in a field of flowers on a bright spring day. Such balance. As this opens 45 minutes in, it gets crazy. Lime confectionary craziness on the nose that you cannot stop smelling. Just a whack citrus cornucopia - but elegant. No Champagne smells like this - it shouldn't, this is Greco di Tufo.
Palate is elegant, cloud like and juicy with nice citrus and lime. Wonderful mouthfeel and very refreshing and finishes limey and minerally. There is the traditional minerality but also just the most gorgeous lemon flowers. A hint of almond. The palate is stunningly elegant. So mineral with echoes of lemon peel , almond and perfect acidity. It's also salty, almost savory. After 45 minutes, so much purity. It's like almost two wines. Very good and pleasant for the first 45 minutes and then ultra profound and drinks like really good $50-$60 Champagne after that. I've never seen a Brut Nature Greco Di Tufo before.
2008 Calafe Taurasi Riserva - $38.99 ($147.96 4-pack)
NV Calafe "Kami" Greco du Tufo Brut Nature - $31.99 ($119.96 4-pack)
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