Sydney Offline - Sicily / Etna theme

[sjw_11]

white - 2015 Tenuta di Fessina Erse

red, i need some input
either a 2015 SRC Alberella
or a 2015 Passopisciaro Passorosso

If you do the 2015 Passorosso I can open one here in London in solidarity and we can compare notes ... I have one sitting on the rack ready to open

[Bobthebuilder]

im thinking it might be the go because rooman has the 2014 which might make for an interesting mini vert
decisions decisions, 1st world problems,......

[TiggerK]

im thinking it might be the go because rooman has the 2014 which might make for an interesting mini vert
decisions decisions, 1st world problems,......

Yeah do it bob, I'm bringing the 2011.

Could also bring a COS Rami 2016 if you want winetastic? (white, well orange actually)

[winetastic]

I don't think anyone would complain about a mini Passopisciaro vertical, nor an SRC horizontal, definitely first world problems.

RE: White/orange wines, ill get something today that is not 2015 Tenuta di Fessina Erse or 2016 COS Rami. We need something to open if anyone is a little early

I have only tried one white wine from Sicily at a tasting, so somewhat curious.

[via collins]

Conveniently, Boccaccio held a Passopisciaro vertical on Sunday - and what a joy that was! 9, 11, 12, 13,14 and the very enticing 15. Look forward to revisiting a few of them.

I'll be bringing a 2013 Occhipinti Il Frappato.

I'm going nuts trying to work out if I can bring wine in cabin luggage, or need to stow - anyone help a brother out here?

[Ozzie W]

I'm going nuts trying to work out if I can bring wine in cabin luggage, or need to stow - anyone help a brother out here?

My understanding is that carry-on fluid restrictions only applies to international flights. So you should be fine to carry wine in your cabin luggage.

[via collins]

Thanks Oz.

That's kinda where I was at, but just didn't want a nasty early morning surprise. If they were binning my Occhipinti, I'd most likely be prevented from videoing the crime against wine too

[winetastic]

I have added the Cos Pithos Bianco 2016 to our lineup.

[sjw_11]

Thanks Oz.

That's kinda where I was at, but just didn't want a nasty early morning surprise. If they were binning my Occhipinti, I'd most likely be prevented from videoing the crime against wine too

Can confirm this... in April I took a box of 6 wines as my carry on with Jetstar ADL - SYD

[mse]

Hi fellas,

Due to my novice palate (big/robust = better), I just picked up a bottle of:

Alice Bonaccorsi Etna Rosso 2013 (80% Nerello Mascalese, 20% Nerello Cappucio)

[winetastic]

Hi fellas,

Due to my novice palate (big/robust = better), I just picked up a bottle of:

Alice Bonaccorsi Etna Rosso 2013 (80% Nerello Mascalese, 20% Nerello Cappucio)

Cool, new producer for me, cant wait to try it.

[TiggerK]

Assume we should bring some cash to put towards food?

[winetastic]

Assume we should bring some cash to put towards food?

If everyone could chip in $25ish that would be welcome

[via collins]

abso-bloomin-lutely!

[TiggerK]

Well surprise surprise, another fabulous offline! Thanks to our fantastic hosts Murray & Tamara we ate very well and were looked after every step of the way. Thanks!!!

Oh yeah we had some wine too.

2016 COS Pithos Bianco
2016 COS Rami

2015 Tenuta di Fessina Erse

2013 Occhipinti Il Frappato

2011 Passopisciaro Passopisciaro
2015 Passopisciaro Etna Passorosso

2014 Calcagno Etna Feudo di Mezzo Nerello
2014 Passopisciaro Etna Passorosso

2013 ValCerasa Alice Bonaccorsi Etna Rosso
2016 SRC Rivaggi Nerello/Grenache

The two COS orange wines were good to see side by side, the Rami was a deeper orange hue and had more textural phenolic interest and complexity, while the Pithos was lighter and fresher. Both changed a lot with air and temperature and both went very well with the excellent Italian antipasti and Burrata.

"The Erse Etna DOC White is produced between Mount Etna's top and the sea from very old Carricante gobelet-trained vineyards in Milo and Santa Maria di Licodìa." - Lovely wine, you could see the effort and attention to detail put into this. Some tropicality to the nose and plenty of flavour descriptors bantered around the table. Hardly a bargain but I'd be very happy drinking this anytime.

Onto the reds, the Il Frappato started a bit 'big' on the nose but soon settled and showed nicely. Acid quite firm on the finish and while perhaps a touch on the riper side of the spectrum it was a great way to start the reds.

My Passopisciaro 2011 didn't show well for me sadly, I had high hopes but I concluded it was a little bit oxidised (despite buying on release and storing perfectly ever since). I still suspect 'below normal threshold TCA' muting the wine as you had to work hard to get any fruit flavours out of it. Not all bad, there was certainly some textural interest and it was shifting around a bit so hard to pick it specifically. But via collins had tried the 2011 a week earlier and agreed it wasn't as fresh as that bottle so something was amiss. Ah the joys of cork.
Luckily the 2015 was very approachable and pretty, plus with air it changed and showed more smoky notes and the tannin seemed more noticeable. A tasty wine.

We put the two 2014 wines next to each other, the Calcagno winemakers are ex Passopisciaro so it made for interesting comparison. But the Passo 2014 was head and shoulders above it's nearby competitor. The Calcagno was decent enough, but seemed a little flabby and unfocused next to the Passo. This 2014 vintage for Passopisciaro wasn't received as well as the 11 and 13 and my previous tasting of it confirmed this, yet last night it showed very well. Any sense of alcohol heat and overripeness I had previously not enjoyed seemed washed away and the structure came to the fore. Very nice indeed, my runner up WOTN, somewhat unexpectedly!

But it turned out we had saved the best till last. An intriguing duo in the Valcerasa and the SRC. The Valcerasa was a vibrant dark cherry red in the glass, plenty to offer on the nose as well, not too big or oaked. The finish was quite long and it was well balanced, good value too at under $60, a producer to try more of for me.

The SRC Rivaggi 2016 looked ominously black in the decanter but on the nose and palate it was deft, deep and delicious. Maybe if it had been the first red wine in the lineup I might have thought it a bit OTT, but it's the one I'm thinking about most today so it gets my WOTN vote. More time will definitely improve it too. I'm over points but 97 (WF) is a bit excited perhaps. Definitely good wine though, I'm on the SRC bus to Structure City.

Great to meet via collins, catch up with our hosts, bob, mse and rooman again and revisit the music thread around the table as well. And on that note, I'm off to YouTube for some black metal post rock alt country jazz.

Cheers everyone and thanks again M & T!


P.S Dave vino will be disappointed in my lack of picture taking..... sorry dave! Hopefully others can post some food or bottle shots. Here's one of their lovely apartment I took as I was leaving, with the blurry bottle lineup on the left.
[img]http://www.grapemates.org/files/TimMiscStuf ... ium%29.jpg[/img]

[Ozzie W]

Sounds like a great night guys!

[Bobthebuilder]

fantastic night, thanks so much M & T
What was really nice, wine scores aside, was the pace
the relaxed atmosphere, the dinner party vibe but hey what do you know, were all wine geeks too!
7 attendees ensured you could go back to anything any time through the night to revisit, which was what all those wines needed as most of them were evolving all night.
Agree last flight was probably the best of the night but not by a whole lot.
Had i not had kids swimming lessons less than 10hrs away I would have loved to revisit the orange wines again right at the end, with the beautiful cheese.

[rooman]

I have added the Cos Pithos Bianco 2016 to our lineup.

Murray thanks for a great evening. I agree with Tim’s write up. For me the last flight was probably the best though kept some of the Occhipinti in a third glass and by the end of the evening it was probably neck and neck for WOTN for me.

Mark

[dave vino]

Looks like a great night, shame I couldn't make it.

They sound quite 'big' would that be a fair observation of the region? or should it be read in context.

Tim: you taking photos for a wine dinner or Domain?

[via collins]

What a lovely bunch of people!

Thanks beyond the sustainable level to Murray and Tamara for the , dare I say it, Italian level of hospitality. And the walk past a spooky cemetery and a pretty joyous dog park.

Thanks to all for the top quality banter, top quality wines, and huge thanks to Mt Etna for hosting us for a pretty fascinating night out. My Sydney debut has been a bloody eternity in coming, and already looking forward to the next.

Very funny Domain gag Dave, at least the post only took a few seconds to download

"Would anyone else like their lasagna serve halved?"

[winetastic]

Thanks all for coming, a great night with a great lineup of wines.

2016 COS Pithos Bianco and 2016 COS Rami
I did not care particularly for either, was expecting a wild orange wine ride but both were fairly subtle.

2015 Tenuta di Fessina Erse
Really nice white, saline with green pineapple, good length and a nice zesty textural element. $90ish price tag raises an eyebrow.

2013 Occhipinti Il Frappato
It seems that Sicilian Frappato really fleshes out with a few years in bottle. This was a delight and a wonderful food wine. Wax seal an absolute nightmare to remove.

2011 Passopisciaro Passopisciaro and 2015 Passopisciaro Etna Passorosso
The 2011 kept getting better and better in the glass, however did not give the deliciousness that some of the younger vintages have to show. If anything this has encouraged me to check in on my 2013s.

The 2015 was quite smokey compared with the other Passopisciaro bottles but surprisingly was somewhat overshadowed by the 2014 Passorosso in the next flight.

2014 Calcagno Etna Feudo di Mezzo Nerello and 2014 Passopisciaro Etna Passorosso
The Calcagno did not stand up as well as I had hoped next to the Passorosso, it was not quite as complex or textured and the oak influence stood out next to the more judiciously handled Passopisciaro. I had tasted the 2014 Passorosso around 9 months ago and it seemed to be hot and overdone. This time around it carried the alcohol well and was a real delight to drink.

2013 Val Cerasa Alice Bonaccorsi Etna Rosso and 2016 SRC Rivaggi Nerello/Grenache
I had no idea what to expect from the Val Cerasa but I am glad that it ended up next to the SRC. Both are firmly in the natural wine side of the spectrum and all the better for it. Val Cerasa did show a little oak influence, but it was complex and interesting and priced sharply, worth seeking out.

The SRC was my wine of the night, it manages to be loaded with flavour yet still medium bodied. Constantly shifting in the glass, plenty of bitter herb, smokey goodness, rich fruits, mineral character and firm yet silky tannins. Probably needs 12 months or so before really getting stuck in.

[rooman]

"Would anyone else like their lasagna serve halved?"

[Polymer]

My Sydney debut has been a bloody eternity in coming, and already looking forward to the next.

Looking forwarding to meeting you at one of the offlines if I'm in the country at the time.

One thing everyone says is..

"Why have I waited this long to come to an offline"

Everyone is quite nice and very generous with what they want to bring....and one great thing with the Sydney (and seems like most of the Australia offlines from Auswine) is probably aren't caught up in how much something costs...I have seen a few people express concerns about setting a price range but the reality is, people aren't going to bring a junk wine to something like this as it goes against everything wine is about. I think the group would self regulate anyone who thought it they should bring Yellow Tail to offlines as their real contribution to the group (Jokes, blind for fun, etc is fine). Basically, if you bring something you think is interesting, that is the only important thing.