Vintus

James Suckling of the Wine Spectator has a bottle of Schiopetto's 2005 Pinot Grigio over dinner, and then comments on his blog that there is excellent Pinot Grigio available, despite the fact "there is a lot of insipid white bottled as Pinot Grigio."  While the mass-produced Pinot Grigios on the market conspire to give the varietal a bad name, the excellent producers offer wonderful wines.  Suckling's description of the Schiopetto Pinot Grigio:

"The wine is so beautiful with melon, pie crust and citrus character on the nose and palate.  It's rich yet fresh."

Piece attached.
 

Michael Apstein describes in the San Francisco Chronicle his venture to Tuscany with a Guigal Cote Rotie, Beckmen Vineyards Santa Ynez Syrah, and ten other bottles of Rhone and California Syrah.  Apstein was examining Syrah's surge in Tuscany -- how it has replaced plantings of other varietals, made its way into more and more blends, and how some single-varietal wines stand out.   D'Alessandro is mentioned in the piece, Il Bosco 2003 is reviewed at the end, and the picture below appears.

To repeat the verdict after blind tasting the wines Apstein brought along with the Tuscan Syrahs, as it is I think accurate and insightful:

"The tasting showed Tuscany's potential for the varietal. Not as fruit-forward as California Syrah, they still had plummy flavors as expected from Syrah grown in warmer climates -- as opposed to the peppery element often found in Syrah from the cooler climes, such as the northern Rhone -- balanced by the lively acidity inherent in Italian wines. In the blends, Syrah added an alluring -- and exotic -- edge."

And some nice words about Il Bosco 2003:

"This 100 percent Syrah from Cortona exemplifies the powerfully plummy side of that grape in part because of the vintage. In every prior year of Il Bosco that I have tasted, its finesse coupled with power has stood out. The exotic leathery component supported by moderate tannins and ripe dense black fruit flavors suggests it will evolve nicely."

The article is attached, for further reading.

Some very nice words about Shaw + Smith's wines by the Wine Spectator's Harvey Steiman as he blogs about his trip to Australia.  

Steiman mentions that Shaw + Smith "makes Australia's touchstone Sauvignon Blanc," and it looks like Michael (Hill-Smith) and Martin (Shaw) were having some fun and poured their 2001 M3 Vineyard Chardonnay alongside a 2002 Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet.  Steiman's reaction: "The M3 had considerably more finesse and charm."

See the attached piece for more.

Decanter's May 2007 issue lists their 50 best wines under 10£ (these days $20).   Delta's Pinot Noir 2005 and Mitolo's Jester Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 make the list. 

Over the nearly three years since VINTUS was launched, we have been privileged to obtain the representation of a select group of Italian producers that are some of the most important names in Italian winemaking.  We think of them for this promotion as our Italian Symphony.  With the perfect “harmony” of these producers, we have organized our first national tour with Luciano and Barbara Sandrone, Carlo Schiopetto, Luca Sanjust (Petrolo), Enrico Santini, and Paola Antonaci (d’Alessandro).  They will conduct trade tastings with all their wines during April in the following cities : San Francisco (4/16), Los Angeles (4/17), Las Vegas (4/18), Chicago (4/19), Miami (4/23), Boston (4/24) and New York (4/25).  Please ask us, or your VINTUS distributor, for event details.