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Custoza – One of the Best Italian Whites you probably don't know
Silvio Piona, Az. Agr. Albino Piona (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
So many excellent whites from Italy, so little time…
Recently, I was in the western reaches of the Veneto region near Lake Garda, tasting new releases of Bardolino. A bonus of this event was an additional tasting of a lovely white from the area known as Custoza, named for the small local town. I had tasted a handful of these wines over the years and had enjoyed them, but had never studied the wine in great detail. I'm glad I've had this experience, as Custoza is a white that offers beautiful complexity, is ageworthy and has become one of my favorite Italian whites; this is a wine that certainly deserves to better known.
Custoza is also known as Bianco di Custoza, but you don't see that designation much anymore, as the producers most certainly wished to make the name of this town and wine forefront. It's a blend of a few grapes, as few as three, as many as six or seven. The principal variety (as much as 40%) is Garganega, which is the same grape that is the backbone of Soave, another beautiful Venetian white. Other varieties include Trebbiano Toscano, Trebbianello (a local clone of Tai or Friulano), Bianca Fernanda (a new one for me, I must admit; this is a local clone of Cortese, the same grape used in the production of Gavi from Piemonte); there are also small amounts of Chardonnay, Malvasia, Pinot Bianco, Incrocio Manzoni and Riesling Italico allowed in the blend. With a makeup like that, you can imagine how varied the styles of Custoza are from the area's producers.
Most examples see only steel aging; this of course, helps preserve the engaging perfumes of Garganega as well as Malvasia and some of the other varieties. While Garganega helps give this wine its charm, it is the other varieties such as Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia that are important as far as acidity, which assures aging potential.
Custoza is rarely a "big" wine, so perhaps that's why it isn't more familiar to wine lovers; it's also a bit in the shadow of Soave, which is quite well known. Add the fact that it is a blended white, a type most consumers have not yet embraced and you see the problem with marketing this wine.
Marico Bonomo, Monte del Fra (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
One of the premier producers of Custoza is Marica Bonomo at Monte del Fra, in the town of Custoza. She sources her grapes from her own estate and makes two versions, the signature bottling called Ca' del Magro, which is one of the most famous – as well as most highly rated – examples of Custoza. I've tried both the 2011 and 2012 versions in the area and loved both wines. Offering perfumes of lemon zest, mangnolia and chamomile, this has very good acidity along with notable persistence. Again, this is not a powerful wine, but what a charming wine, one with ideal balance and a nice sense of finesse. It's especially lovely at the table and I love it with tortellini, risotto and more delicate seafood. Both wines will drink well for another 3-5 years, with the 2012 a candidate for an extra two to three years.
Another top Custoza estate is Albino Piona, where Silvio Piona performs winemaking duties. A pleasant, subdued individual, he clearly fits the bill of someone who lets his wines do the talking. His 2013 classic Custoza is excellent, offering lovely floral (peony) and fruit (melon) aromas backed by very good concentration, excellent persistence and beautiful structure. Enjoy this over the next 3-5 years.
Piona also produces a special bottling called "Campo del Selese"; a truly excellent wine. Here there are subtle differences in respect to the classic bottling, as the Selese has a bit more richness in the mid-palate as well as a longer finish. The Custoza I really enjoyed from Piona that week however, was his 2008 classic bottling. Deep yellow with aromas of lemon peel, grapefruit rind and dried apples, this was quite rich with excellent complexity. A beautiful wine, one that is quite stylish from the excellent 2008 vintage (a sorely underrated year for whites and reds in Veneto and many other Italian regions), this was drinking beautifully after five plus years and should offer pleasure for another three to five years. Tasted at lunch after my visit to the cellars, this was particularly wonderful with tortellini stuffed with pumpkin, a classic dish at Ristorante alla Borsa in the town of Valeggio. (Note – this is tortellini heaven – you must have lunch or dinner at this restaurant – I guarantee you will love it!)
Luciano Piona, Cavalchina (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
A few other examples of Custoza I thoroughly enjoyed were from Cantina di Custoza, Le Vigne di San Pietro and Enzo Faccioli; this last one, particularly well done with its attractive floral perfumes, bright fruit and excellent persistence. One final wine I wanted to single out is the marvelous 2012 Custoza Superiore "Amadeo" from Cavalchina. This is a textbook Custoza, with engaging aromas of pineapple, golden apple, spearmint and lillies. Medium-full, this has excellent persistence and complexity and is truly a lovely wine! This is just now being released and should drink well for 5-7 years, given its ideal structure and balance. I'd love this with risotto primavera, while it's rich enough to stand up to tuna.
An added bonus regarding Custoza is the price, as you can find classic bottlings from the best estates on retail shelves in America for $12 or so, with the special bottlings coming in around $16-$20, which are excellent values. So what are you waiting for?
Older Barolo – Terroir, Breeding and Class
(Photo ©Tom Hyland)
In a few short weeks, I will be in Alba for a special tasting called Nebbiolo Prima, an anteprima (preview) tasting of hundreds of new releases of wines produced exclusively from Nebbiolo. There will be releases of Roero Rosso from the 2011 vintage as well as similar wines from Barbaresco.
But the highlight of this five-day event will be sampling more than 200 examples of Barolo from the 2010 vintage. This vintage is already being spoken of as a modern-day classic, wines that have the potential to age for as much as 40 or 50 years. In case you believe this is typical wine industry hype for the latest releases, think again. When I attended this event three years ago, when the 2007 Barolos were featured (a very impressive group of wines, in its own right), several producers told me that while they thought I would like their 2007s very much, "wait until you try my 2010s in a few years." They knew they had something special right from the start and were excited about these wines even in their initial stages, years before release. (I have tasted a handful of these wines – some of them tank samples – so while it's too early to tell, yes, these wines should be something very special.)
I'll report on these wines next month, but whenever you taste a new vintage of Barolo, you find yourself comparing it with other vintages, especially ones that are similar in style. Then of course, you size up the vintage for its aging potential. Even in an ordinary year, a well-made Barolo can age for 12-15 years and in most vintages, 15-20 years is the norm. Then you have a few outstanding vintages when the finest examples of Barolo are candidates for 25-40, perhaps even 50 years of aging potential.
Last year, I wanted to try some older Barolos and see how they were tasting after a number of years in the bottle. So with fellow American journalists Tom Maresca and Kerin O'Keefe, we visited nine great Barolo producers and tasted older wines at their cellars. We requested four wines from each producer; the years would cover several decades, ranging from the 1970s and 1980s and well as the 1990s and up to the decade of the 2000s. Each producer had at least four wines for us to taste, some even graciously poured an extra one or two wines; we did not refuse!
We sought out an array of great Barolo producers, with a selection that would represent various communes in the Barolo zone. These were the nine cellars we visited: Massolino (Serralunga d'Alba); Giacomo Fenocchio (Monforte d'Alba); Elio Grasso (Monforte d'Alba); Pio Cesare (Alba); Ceretto (Alba); Marcarini (La Morra); Oddero (La Morra); Renato Ratti (La Morra) and Prunotto (Alba). Before Tom and Kerin arrived in the area, I also visited a tenth cellar – Borgogno in the town of Barolo – to taste older examples of their Barolos as well.
A few points about the Barolos we tasted and how these wines have changed over the years. We were able to taste a few examples from 1978, a great vintage that is finally starting to show its best, after more than 35 years. Certainly the winemaking was different in the 1970s, especially in terms of technical approach, but also a philosophical view, as the typical Barolo made some 40-50 years ago was a wine that was rather closed and even a bit backwards upon release. That may or may not be a good thing depending on your view; certainly with the proliferation of powerful wines from California, Australia and other corners of the globe, wines that display forward fruit are the ones that attract the attention of today's wine media, at least in terms of high scores and important ratings. So some Barolo producers, in order to garner greater attention for their wines, have followed suit to some extent, as examples of this iconic wine from the 1990s and on are more forward and not as tightly wound upon release as in the past. Is this an improvement? Again, this depends on your point of view, but it is a reality.
Pio Boffa, Pio Cesare Winery (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Another form of reality is climate change; anyone who denies this condition as part of the equation in the Barolo zone is simply overlooking the truth. Each of the producers I spoke with commented on ever warmer temperatures in the area; the only disagreement was when it first occurred. At the Giacomo Fenocchio estate, Claudio Fenocchio said that 1990 was the first vintage he noticed this condition, while for Pio Boffa at the Pio Cesare estate, 1982 was the first year of climate change.
This has resulted in earlier harvests; where Nebbiolo for Barolo had traditionally been picked in mid-late October – and sometimes even early November in some extreme years, those days are pretty much long gone. Harvest these days is often in early October and rarely later then the 2nd or 3rd week of that month. "The biggest change in the Barolos today is the climate," comments Mariacristina Oddero.
Here are notes on a few of the best wines I tried that week:
2006 – This was a classic Barolo year, one that offered powerful wines meant for the long haul. Beautifully structured wines with very good acidity; the finest should age for 25-35 years.
Oddero "Brunate" Deep garnet; meaty aromas – orange peel and Asian spice. Medium-full with very good concentration. Big mid-palate, though not as concentrated as some of the '06 Barolos. Very good acidity, subtle wood notes and excellent persistence. Best in 15-20 years – perhaps longer. ****
Elio Grasso "Gavarini Chiniera" - Deep garnet; aromas of red cherry, marmalade and caraway seed. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Lovely mid-palate, big fruit flavors, perfectly balanced. Very good acidity, subdued wood notes, outstanding persistence. Powerful wine of great breeding and ideal structure. Peak in 25-35 years. *****
2004 – A brilliant year for Barolo. Wines of amazing aromatic complexities – I recall being as impressed as I had ever been with the perfumes of these wines when I tasted them upon their release – and remarkable elegance. Ideal ripeness along with very good acidity, these are Barolos of grace and finesse. Yet these are not less accomplished than the 2006s, merely less forceful; still, the finest examples of 2004 Barolos will age for 25-40 years.
Franco Massolino (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Franco Massolino comments on the 2004 growing season. "In 2004, the weather was simply perfect. It was a wet spring followed by a summer that was not too hot. 2004 is a wine I really like, a combination of power and elegance."
Claudio Fenocchio labeled the 2004 vintage as "bellissima. It is traditional with great elegance."
Renato Ratti "Rocche" – Deep garnet; aromas of kirsch, tar and red roses – just beautiful! Excellent concentration with a rich mid-palate. Great fruit persistence with notes of orange peel in the finish. Excellent persistence. Long, long finish; the tannins are remarkably fine. 25 years plus. *****
Marcarini "Brunate" – Deep garnet; aromas of Oriental spice, dried cherry, orange peel and tar. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Excellent complexity, this has a meaty character to it. Long, finish, great structure, rich, polished tannins, very good acidity, outstanding persistence. 25 years plus. *****
Massolino "Vigna Rionda" – Lovely pale garnet color, aromas of red cherry, red roses and carnation. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Silky tannins, precise acidity and a long, long, finish. Beautiful harmony of all components and superb varietal purity. 15-20 years -perhaps longer. ****
1999 - An outstanding Barolo vintage; wines of power and elegance. The 1999s, as well as any vintage in the last twenty years, are beautiful wines that truly reflect their origins.
Aldo Conterno "Romirasco" - Deep garnet; aromas of mocha, mint, red poppies and brown herbs. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Silky tannins, beautiful acidity and fruit – perfectly ripe. Gorgeous balance and outstanding persistence. 25-35 years. *****
Ceretto "Bricco Rocche" - Deep garnet/light edge; aromas of leather, tar and strawberry jam. Medium-full with very good to excellent concentration. Long finish with supple tannins, excellent complexity and very good acidity. Best in 15-20 years – perhaps longer. *****
1996 – Another classic year, resulting in wines of great power and varietal purity. Fenocchio, comparing 1996 with 1990, which received brilliant reviews, said "1996 is difficult to describe now. When you compare 1990 and 1996, no one will remember the 1990 ten years from now, but the 1996 will be drinking beautifully."
Giacomo Fenocchio "Villero" - Deep garnet; aromas of leather, truffle, balsamic, dried cherry and myrtle. Medium-full with very good concentration. Excellent ripeness – sweet fruit – good acidity and rich tannins. Very good acidity with impressive persistence. 25 years plus. *****
Borgogno Riserva – Deep garnet; aromas of truffle, dried orange peel, dried cherry and a hint of tobacco. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Excellent persistence, still rich, firm tannins. Excellent complexity – lovely wine! Best in 15-20 years. ****
1989 - A great Barolo vintage, somewhat overshadowed for some years now by the more powerful 1990, but given some time, most of the 1989s are now showing their brilliance. Tremendous depth of fruit with superb structure.
Prunotto (classic Barolo) – Deep garnet/light brown edge; aromas of herbal tea, dried cherry, truffle and tar. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Rich tannins, big persistence, very fine acidity. Excellent balance and still very young. 12-15 years. ****
Renato Ratti "Conca" - Deep garnet/light edge; aromas of balsamic, tea leaf and licorice. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Huge mid-palate, very powerful wine. Big tannins, very good acidity; outstanding persistence and complexity. Touch of savoury quality. Notes of oregano and sage in the finish. Slightly austere finish, thanks to the amount of tannins. 20-25 years to peak – perhaps longer. Great wine! *****
Pio Cesare - Deep garnet with a light brown edge; aromas of balsamic, dried cherry and cedar. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Rich persistence, lovely balance, very good acidity. Best in 12-15 years. ****
Ratings – ***** Outstanding / **** Excellent
I've listed just a few of the wines I tasted over the course of a magnificent week in the Barolo zone. Here is the complete list of older Barolos I tasted during that time.
Borgogno – 1998 Riserva, 1996 Riserva, 1982 Riserva
Ceretto – 2004 Bricco Rocche; 1999 Bricco Rocche; 1993 Bricco Rocche; 1989 Bricco Rocche
Pio Cesare – 2000 Barolo; 1996 Barolo; 1989 Barolo, 1978 Barolo
Aldo Conterno – 2005 Gran Bussia Riserva, 2004 Romirasco, 1999 Colonello
Giacomo Fenocchio – 2004 Bussia Riserva; 1996 Villero; 1990 Bussia Riserva; 1978 Barolo Riserva
Elio Grasso - 2006 Gavarini Chiniera; 2004 Gavarini Chiniera; 2001 Ginestra Casa Maté; 1996 Runcot
Marcarini – 2004 Brunate, 1996 Brunate; 1990 Brunate; 1978 Brunate
Massolino – 2004 Vigna Rionda; 1996 Vigna Rionda Riserva "X Anni"; 1989 Vigna Rionda; 1978 Barolo Riserva
Oddero – 2006 Brunate; 2004 Vigna Mondoca Bussia Soprana; 2001 Vigna Mondoca Bussia Soprana; 1998 Vigna Rionda; 1978 Barolo (classic)
Prunotto – 2004 Bussia; 1996 Bussia; 1989 Barolo (classic); 1985 Bussia; 1982 Riserva Bussia; 1978 Riserva Bussia
Renato Ratti - 2008 Rocche; 2004 Rocche; 1999 Rocche Marcenasco; 1998 Rocche Marcenasco; 1990 Marcenasco; 1989 Conca
If you would like to read my reviews of all 41 wines as well as reviews of more than 100 Barolos from 2006, 2004 and 2001, as well as reviews of wines from other recent vintages such as the best from 2009, 2007 and 2008, please contact me, as I will be releasing a special issue of my Guide to Italian Wines. This will be published in a pdf file and will be sent to those that pay a small fee. More information can be found by emailing me (click on this link for my email).
You won't want to miss this special Guide to Italian Wines, a complete guide to Barolo in general and the best wines over the past decade.
Nussbaumer Now – Nussbaumer Forever!
In one of my recent posts about Alto Adige, I mentioned how much I loved the Cantina Tramin Gewürztraminer "Nussbaumer" 2012. For anyone that has been reading my prose on Italian wines for the past several years knows, this hardly comes as a surprise. I've admired this wine for years and believe it to be one of Italy's greatest wines – white or red.
The Nussbaumer is made from a few select vineyards above the town of Tramin; planted to both the traditional pergola system as well as the modern Guyot system, the oldest of these vineyards are more than ninety years of age. The grapes are of amazing quality, but it's quite fitting that this great wine originates from Tramin, as the grape itself is named for the town, its birthplace. The word gewürz in German means "spicy" and of course, traminer is the word used to describe something or someone from Tramin; hence Gewürztraminer is the "spicy wine (or grape) from Tramin."
As with the best examples of this wine, the aromas are memorable, with notes of lychee, grapefruit and yellow roses. But what makes the Cantina Tramin "Nussbaumer" so special is its texture – the mid-palate is rich and multi-layered. There is always excellent persistence, as the finish is quite long; acidity is lively and there is distinct spice. In other words, this is a textbook Gewürztraminer.
Ripe Gewürztraminer grapes used by Cantina Tramin (Photo© Tom Hyland)
The recently released 2012 is a terrific example of this wine, as was the 2010, 2009 and 2008. I have reviewed numerous vintages of this wine over the years and my estimate on aging potential would generally be three to five years or perhaps as long as seven years for the finest examples. That to me is typical of an excellent white from Alto Adige, as fruit concentration and structure (thanks to excellent acidity) come together to yield a wine that drinks well at five to seven years of age.
Well, you're always learning things in this game, so what a thrill it was for me when I visited Cantina Tramin last October and winemaker Willi Stürz poured several older bottlings of this famous wine. This wine can age several years beyond my best estimates, as you will read in these tasting notes from that day:
2012 – Bright/deep yellow with golden tints; heavenly aromas of lychee, grapefruit, yellow roses, honeysuckle, Anjou pear and lilacs. Medium-full with excellent concentration. Rich mid-palate, beautiful complexity. Great persistence and beautiful typicity. Classic wine! Best in 5-7 years.
2009 – Deep golden yellow; aromas of pineapple, mango and magnolia. Rich mid-palate, excellent persistence and fresness. Very good acidity and impressive balance. Best in 3-5 years.
2006 – Bright golden yellow; aromas of honey, lychee and yellow peach. Medium-full, this is quite powerful with excellent complexity and very good acidity and persistence. Best in 2-3 years.
2005 – Light golden yellow; aromas of dried pear and saffron. Medium-full, this is quite elegant with a lovely note of minerality in the finish along with a distinct note of yellow spices. Long finish, very good acidity. Best in 5-7 years. Outstanding
2000 – Light yellow; aromas of dried pear, elder flowers and a hint of banana. Medium-full with very good concentration. Very good complexity and balance. Nearing peak, but still with 2-3 years of drinking pleasure ahead.
Note that the 2000, a 14 year-old wine when tasted that day, was still in good shape, while the 2005, a nine-year-old wine at the time, should be drinking well for another 5-7 years, meaning the Nussbaumer in the best vintages can age for 12-15 years.
Few people talk about the aging potential of Gewürztraminer, but certainly this tasting was an eye-opener. Of course, it's rare to find older bottlings of Alto Adige Gewürztraminer at all, but if you do locate older examples of the Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer, give them a try! A great wine, sourced from great vineyards, made by a great winemaker. Bravo, Willi!
Winemaker Willi Stürz (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
The Latest from Alto Adige – Excellence Defined (Part Two)
Vineyards in the St. Magdalener district, Alto Adige (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
My last post dealt with the best whites wines I sampled at the recent Bozner Weinkost tasting in Bolzano in mid-March; for this post, I will write about the top reds as well as a few rosés and dessert wines.
Most people are surprised to learn that a majority of the grapes planted in Alto Adige are red, not white. This is largely because of an indigenous variety known as Schiava or Vernatsch. The total acreage for this variety was once quite large, but has decreased over the past few decades, as more white varieties are being planted. Still this variety is an important one in Alto Adige; lightly colored, is is quite light in tannins and is produced a light to medium-bodied red that can often be served chilled.
The grape is cultivated throughout Alto Adige and in many cases is labeled as Vernatsch. However there are a few zones where Schiava is the basis of a particular district wine, such as Kalterer See (Auslese); this is from the Lago di Caldaro zone. Another is the St. Magdalener (aka Santa Maddalena) district, located farther north, not far from Bolzano.
Two other red varieties that perform well in Alto Adige are Lagrein and Pinot Nero. Lagrein is grown in many sections of the regions, with the Gries sub-zone of Bolzano being quite famous. Wines made from Lagrein are deep purple in appearance with heady, fruit-dominated aromas of black plum, black raspberry and tar. Medium-full, these are wines that tend to need a few years to settle down. There are also some excellent rosés made from Lagrein.
Pinot Nero is of course, Pinot Noir and Alto Adige is clearly the finest region in Italy for this variety. The cool climate is ideal for long growing seasons in most years that yield wines with dazzling aromatics as well as beautiful acidity. and Theses are ageworthy wines and the finest examples in my mind, rank with some of the world's most renowned.
Here are notes on some of the best examples of these I tasted at the event in Bolzano:
Vernatsch – J. Hofstatter is famous for its Gewurztraminer and Pinot Nero, but the 2013 Vernatsch "Kolbenhofer" is also excellent; with its cranberry, leather and nutmeg aromas, this medium-bodied red makes for irresistible drinking over the next 2-3 years. The 2013 Cantina Tramin Schiava (Schiava is a synonym for Vernatsch) "Fresinger" is a lovely wine with cinnamon and strawberry flavors and very light tannins; enjoy over the next 2-3 years.
As for examples of Santa Maddalena I enjoyed, there were several including the Cantina Bolzano "Huck am Bach 2013, with its damson plum and thyme notes along with the Franz Gojer "Rondell" 2012, a lovely wine with impressive complexity and notable persistence.
Even better were the Tenuta Waldgries 2013 and the A. Egger-Ramer "Reisseger" 2012. The former has intriguing notes of tobacco and thyme and is quite elegant- this is a wine that displays lovely finesse! The latter has beautiful perfumes of cherry, cranberry and red poppies, offers very good acidity with bright fruit and is beautifully balanced. This has a bit more weight to it than many other examples of Santa Maddalena; this will drink well for 3-5 years.
Vineyards situated just outside the city of Bolzano (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Pinot Nero - I love this variety and there are so many wonderful examples from Alto Adige, as evidenced again at this event. The Elena Walch "Ludwig" 2011 is a delight, with notes of red cherry, cardamom and a hint of bacon in the aromas. Nicely balanced, this is a pleasure to enjoy now or over the next 3-5 years. Two examples from Girlan, the "Trattmann" and the "Sandbichler" (both 2011) are medium-full with expressive varietal fruit aromas and distinct spicy notes on the palate and in the finish.
Among the very best were the J. Hofstatter "Barthenau Vigna S. Urbano" 2011 and the Marinushof 2011. The former has been one of the finest examples of Alto Adige Pinot Nero for years now; medium-full with abundant red cherry and plum fruit, this has excellent complexity and will be at iys best in 7-10 years, perhaps longer. The Marinushof is notable for its floral aromas, very good acidity and remarkable elegance; this will drink well for 5-7 years.
Finally, the Manincor "Mason di Mason" 2011 is one of the most refined of all Alto Adige Pinot Nero. This is the top selection of Pinot Nero for this producer and is only made in the best years; very Cotes-de-Beaune like, this has a long finish, very good acidity and excellent persistence and complexity. This has at least 7-10 years of drinking pleasure ahead of it.
Lagrein – Now for my notes on Lagrein. I described the characteristics of this variety above; it's quite different from Schiava and Pinot Nero. I'd have to say it's not my favorite, as I prefer a more delicate wine, but there are a good number of examples of Lagrein that I did enjoy at this event. Among these were two releases from A. Egger-Ramer, specifically the "Weingut Kristan" 2012 and 2011. Deep purple with aromas of black plum, tar and licorice, both of these wines have very good acidity to balance the tannins; the 2012 is a bit more refined, but both are well made wines that offer mid-term pleasure (5-7 years).
I also liked two wines from Fliederhof, the 2012 and the 2011 Riserva. These are big, lush, extremely ripe styles of Lagrein; on paper, I might not think I'd care for these wines. Yet along with their abundant fruit, they are nicely balanced wines and are quite tasty. You'd need some rich meats to pair with these wines, but for this style of Lagrein, they are well made.
Lagrein Rosé – I love rosé wines and thankfully, there are a good number of Alto Adige producers who do as well. The finest rosés here are made from Lagrein; this grapes assures a deep color for the rosé as well as a lot of character. I enjoyed just about every example I tasted at this event, in particular the A. Egger 2013, a delicious, remarkanle elegant wine; the Schmid Oberrautner 2013, a rich, "serious" rosé with excellent persistence and the Larcherhof 2012 with its cherry/berry aromas and very good acidity. All of these examples are quite dry and can be paired at the dinner table with many types of food. They're also quite delicious on their own!
Finally, two examples of Moscato Rosa. You may be familiar with Moscato from other part of Italy (especially Moscato d'Asti from Piemonte), but you owe it to yourself to try Moscato Rosa. This grape yields a dessert wine that usually has only a trace of sweetness; there is almost always very good acidity for balance; add to that the heavenly aromas of plum, cherry and red flowers (poppies, carnations) and you have a very seductive wine! Two examples were offered at this event – the Abbazia di Novacella "Praepositus" 2011 and the Tenuta Waldgries 2010 - and both were wonderful wines with excellent complexity and a beautiful delicate feel on the palate.The tend to drink well at 5-7 years of age, although these may be in fine shape a decade from now.
Given the amazing array of wines at this event – white, red, sparkling, rosé and dessert, I'd rank this as just about my favorite wine tasting in Italy. I will certainly return!
Thank you to Thomas Augscholl for his assistance regarding this event as well as my entire stay in Alto Adige.
The Latest from Alto Adige – Excellence Defined (Part One)
Pfitscher Gewürztraminer "Caldiff" – an Alto Adige gem! (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
When people ask me which Italian regions are my favorite, Alto Adige is always in my top five; some days, it's in my top three. It's a remarkably beautiful area, especially when you view the northern sections where vineyards are tucked in among the dramatic landscapes of the Dolomites.
Then there's the food, which is totally different from the rest of Italy (schlutzkrapfen, anyone?); you expect this, given as Südtirol – as Alto Adige is also known in German – is a region defined by its bi-cultural heritage of Austrian/German and Italian. A quick look at the signs identifying towns will tell you that, as each identifies a particular town in both German and Italian. So you can visit Tramin or Termeno or perhaps you'd like to see Bozen or as most people know it, Bolzano.
As Südtirol was once part of Austria (it was ceded over to Italy after World War l), you'll find Austrian and German surnames, names such as Lageder, Zuech, Schraffl, Haas and Gojer, just to name a few. But whether the producer's ancestry is German, Austrian or Italian, the wines from Alto Adige are equally brilliant.
Vineyards near Eppan (Appiano) (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
I recently attended a special tasting of Alto Adige wines in the thriving city of Bolzano; this event known as Bozner Weinkost has been held since the late 1800s. More than 350 wines were available to taste; these included virtually every type of wine from Alto Adige, from sparkling to several different types of whites – Pinot Bianco, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, et al – to numerous red wines types such as Lagrein, Vernatsch and Pinot Nero to finally a few dessert wines such as Moscato Rosa. In between wine appointments, I only had one long session (six hours) to taste at this event and I managed to sample 100 wines. (Note to all tasters out there: as there were so many styles of wines, I decided to move back and forth between various types, starting with Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio and then going to lighter reds such as Vernatsch and Santa Maddalena and then going to rosés and then back to whites such as Gewürztraminer and Sauvignon before finishing up with Pinot Nero and then Lagrein. It's a great way to ensure your palate doesn't get tired and to me, it's just more enjoyable to taste in such a freewheeling manner.)
The tasting was held in a beautifully renovated castle just steps from the center of Bolzano; the day was lovely and the natural sunlight provided a perfect atmosphere in which to taste. When I started tasting at 3:00 in the afternoon, there were perhaps ten other people at the event; by nine in the evening when I finally finished, there were several hundred. This was certainly a great sign in how popular this event has become.
So without further ado, here are notes on some of my favorite wines taste that day:
Sparkling – Although sparkling wine is not a big industry in the area (a shame, as this cool climate is ideal for beautifully structured bubblies), there are a few notable producers. Most impressive is Arunda, which happens to have the highest elevation of any sparkling wine firm in Europe. The two best wines from this producer are the 2008 Riserva, a wine of very good complexity and excellent persistence and the Rosé, a delicious wine of finesse and notable varietal character. Both are drinking well now and should continue to do so for another two to three years.
Pinot Bianco – The most widely planted white variety in Alto Adige, Pinot Bianco is made in versions ranging from simple quaffers to ones of great intensity that will cellar for more than a decade. So many excellent wines in this category; I'll start with the 2013 Cantina Tramin "Moriz", one wine in the remarkably strong lineup of this great producer (clearly one of the four or five best in the area). This is a wine with more than simple apple and yellow flower aromas; this has subtle perfumes of green tea and chamomile and has lovely varietal purity and very good persistence; enjoy this over the next 2-3 years.
The 2013 Tenuta Kornell "Eich" and the 2011 Cantina Terlano "Vorberg" Riserva are two brilliant renditions of this variety. The former is quite rich with a multi-layered mid-palate, excellent to outstanding persistence and excellent complexity. This is a stylish wine that will drink well for 3-5 years. The latter is a classic Pinot Bianco and routinely one of Italy's finest white wines (I included a writeup in my book Beyond Barolo and Brunello: Italy's Most Distinctive Wines) and the 2011 is the latest great example. Given a bit of time to mature in wood (which adds texture), this sports aromas of dried pear and beeswax, is medium-full with a layered mid-palate and has outstanding complexity. This has the structure and stuffing to age for at least five to seven years, although I may be a bit conservative in my estimate.
Another excellent Pinot Bianco is the 2012 Manincor "Eichhorn." Count Michael Goess-Enzenberg is a stellar producer, farming biodynamically at his lovely estate in Caldaro. This single site Pinot Bianco has a brilliant appearance with aromas of golden apples, Anjou pear and a note of honey. Medium-full with a rich mid-palate, this has excellent persistence and very good acidity along with beautiful varietal focus; enjoy this over the next 5-7 years.
A few other notable examples of Pinot Bianco; the 2011 St. Pauls (San Paolo) "Passion", a Pinot Bianco with excellent balance and varietal character and distinct minerality; the 2013 Colterenzio "Weisshaus", a delicious, textbook rendering of this variety and the 2012 Meran Burggrafler Tyrol", which displays beautiful perfumes of apple, spiced pear and jasmine backed by impressive persistence. This cooperative is not as well-known as others in the area, but the locals know quite well how special this producer is across the board.
Finally, a note on two versions of Pinot Bianco from Cantina Nals Margreid. I tasted their 2012 "Sirmian" and the 2013 "Penon." The former is a beautifully made wine with excellent vareital character and focus; this has received numerous awards from some of Italy's most famous wine publications. I gave that wine high marks as well, but I actually preferred the latter, with its excellent persistence and light minerality; Enjoy both wines over the next 2-3 years.
Ripe Gewürztraminer grapes in an Alto Adige vineyard in early October (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Gewürztraminer - Now on to my favorite variety – white or red – in Alto Adige. I have a passion – no, make that an obsession with Gewürztraminer. And why not? In a country where so many distinctive wines are made, Gewürztraminer is arguably the most distinctive. Those beautiful pink/rose colored grapes in the vineyards are turned into dry, intensely favored wines with unmistakable perfumes of lychee, grapefruit, yellow roses and lanolin. This year in a few examples, I also found notes of clove, especially in wines from far northern Alto Adige (Val Venosta). Alto Adige is the home of this variety – no matter what the Alsatians say (there was a court settlement on the origin dispute) – gewürz in German means "spicy', and Traminer is the word for someone or something from Tramin, the lovely town in Alto Adige where so many great examples of this wine are produced. So Gewürztraminer is the "spicy wine from Tramin" – there you have it!
There were a number of excellent examples of Gewürztraminer at this tasting. I loved so many, but I'll only mention the absolute best. The 2012 Meran Burggrafler "Graf" offers such lovely aromatics with notes of lychee and yellow roses and that note of clove I mentioned. There is excellent persistence and very good acidity (a signature of the 2012 vintage and of course, the cool climate as well); this is a delicious and very distinctive wine; enjoy over the next 3-5 years.
The 2012 Abbazia di Novacella "Praepositus" is simply, a textbook Gewürztraminer with its beautiful varietal aromas – these include a pleasing note of ginger – as well as some distinctive spice notes in the finish. There is excellent persistence; enjoy over the next 3-5 years.
I mentioned the town of Tramin being the home of this variety; two of the best from here – and the entire region – are the "Nussbaumer" from Cantina Tramin and the "Kolbenhof" from J. Hofstatter. I tasted the 2012 version of both wines at this event; the "Nussbaumer" is a legendary wine, one of the top 50 wines in Italy in my opinion (as well as the opinion of many others); sourced from very old vines above Tramin planted in both the traditional pergola system as well as more modern systems, this is a wine of great varietal character and focus. The 2012 is another in a long string of great examples of this wine (I tasted multiple vintages with winemaker Willi Sturz at the winery during my visit last October. I will write about these wines in a future post); Medium-full with excellent concentration, the aromas of lychee, yellow roses and lanolin are so pure, but what makes this wine stand out is its sublime balance and amazing persistence. This is a wine of breeding and class and is truly a great wine! The 2012 is tantalizing now and should drink well for another 5-7 years – and perhaps even longer.
The "Kolbenhof" from J. Hofstatter is another legendary Gewürztraminer from Tramin; proprietor Martin Foradori Hofstatter always crafts a remarkably flavorful wine from these grapes. In fact, his version of Gewürztraminer is as rich as you will find in the area; while the Tramin "Nussbaumer" is amazing for its elegance and balance, the "Kolbenhof" is a different wine, one that is fat, almost oily on the palate. The 2012 version has lovely yellow rose, chamomile and grapefruit aromas, excellent persistence and vibrant acidity. I would describe this wine as a pitch-perfect Gewürztraminer. It's not necessarily a better wine than the "Nussbaumer", it's just a different style and to me it's important to note that difference (pay attention out there, all of you who look to points to determine the quality of a wine). Given the richness of this wine, this is a white that demands time; while you may be impressed with this wine upon release, it is clearly a better wine three to five years down the road, as its complexities are revealed with age (akin to a beautiful woman). This 2012 "Kolbenhof" should be drinking well in 2018-2020. Complimenti, Martin!
The biggest surprise for me was the 2012 Tenuta Pfitscher Gewürztraminer "Caldiff"; I say that, not as I was surprised to taste a beautifully made wine from this estate, but because I had not ever seen this wine on any lists as one of Alto Adige's finest Gewürztraminers. Well, based on this bottling, it is! Offering subtle aromas of lychee and clove, this is extremely elegant with vibrant acidity. Sourced from a vineyard in the southern zone of Alto Adige, this is all about purity and finesse; it's not the most powerful version of Alto Adige Gewürztraminer, but it is one of the most elegant. This 2012 is a joy to drink now and will be in fine shape for another three to five years.
Finally, the 2012 Klaus Lentsch Gewürztraminer "Fuchslan", from a vineyard in the Isarco Valley in northeast Alto Adige, is a delight. Offering expressive aromas of pink grapefruit, hyacinth and lanolin, this has light spice notes in the finish, very good acidity and balance; enjoy this over the next two to three years.
Colterenzio Vineyards (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Sauvignon - Sauvignon (known as Sauvignon Blanc elsewhere in the world) is another love of mine; especially versions from Alto Adige that are quite assertive, emphasizing the herbal edge of this variety. I mentioned above that I only had six hours to taste all the wines; sadly, I didn't try as many examples of Sauvignon that I wanted to, but I did find a few that I enjoyed.
The Colterenzio "Prail" 2013 and the Weingut Pfitscher "Saxum" 2013 were impressive wines; the former offering notes of dried pear and freshly cut hay in its aromas, while the latter featured more intriguing notes of snap pea and nettle. Both wines are medium-bodied with good structure and are meant for consumption within the next two to three years.
More full-bodied versions included the Manincor "Tannenberg" 2012 and the Malojer (Gummerhof) 2013. The former wine is a lighter version of this producer's renowned "Lieben Aich" Sauvignon, an exceptional wine and easily one of Alto Adige's most accomplished. Yet, the Tannenberg is quite special in its own right, with green tea and basil aromas backed by excellent persistence and a light minerality.
The Malojer 2013 Sauvignon is a gem, sporting aromas of freshly cut hay, spearmint and yellow flowers. Medium-full with very good acidity and a lengthy finish, this has excellent complexity; pair this with many types of seafood or veal over the next two to three years.
Other whites that impressed me in this tasting:
Pinot Grigio – Colterenzio "Puiten" 2013, Marinushof 2013
Kerner – Franz Gojer "Karneid" 2013, Cantina Valle Isarco "Sabiona" 2012, Abbazia di Novacella "Prepositus" 2012
Riesling – Cantina Valle Isarco "Aristos" 2012, Abbazia di Novacella "Praepositus" 2011, Marinushof 2013
Moscato Giallo – Manincor 2013, Meran Burggafler "Graf Von Meran" 2013
Based on what I tasted and from what a few producers told me, 2013 is an excellent vintage in Alto Adige for white wines. The acidity is there as are the perfumes; we shall see how these wines develop over the next 6-8 months.
In part two of this report, I will write about the best reds I had at this event, along with a few excellent rosés and dessert wines.
Bardolino – Variety, Value and Charm
Silvio Piona, Az. Agr. Albino Piona (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
I wonder how many Italian wine lovers pay much attention to Bardolino. I know I don't try as much of it as I'd like to. There isn't much attention paid to this wine and that's a shame, as it's quite charming as well as being very affordable, but it's also a wine that can age for 5-7 years or even longer when it comes to the best producers and the finest vintages.
I recently attended an anteprima (preview) tasting in Bardolino; the purpose here was for journalists to sample the soon-to-be-released bottlings from the 2013 vintage. I am fortunate enough to attend several of these tastings each year in Italy, but it's usually for a more powerful red wine, such as Barolo, Brunello, Taurasi or Amarone, so I looked forward to trying more of a medium-bodied red; I also wanted to discover the various styles of Bardolino available, as I was only familiar with a handful of the area's producers.
Along with Bardolino, the tasting also featured two other wines made in the zone: Bardolino Chiaretto, the famous local rosato, and Bardolino Chiaretto spumante, the sparkling version of the rosato. (This tasting also featured the 2013 versions of Custoza, a local white also made by many Bardolino producers. I will deal with this in another post quite soon).
I'll start with the Bardolino Chiaretto spumante. I had literally only tasted fewer than a half-dozen examples before this event, so as I am a sparkling wine lover, I wanted to get a grasp on this wine. Any Bardolino is primarily made from two grapes, Corvina and Rondinella, while a small percentage of Molinara is also part of the blend from some producers (these are the same grapes used in the Valpolicella district to the east). So the Chiaretto spumante is the sparkling rosato version of Bardolino; the wines vary in color from bright pink to deep copper and sweetness levels range from off-dry to medium-sweet.
Maybe it was the warm weather in the beautiful town of Lasize where this tasting was held, but I enjoyed these wines very much. Actually, I would have loved these wines even if the day was cold and rainy – the wines were quite enjoyable. I just love being able to sample such fun wines such as this! You don't think about Bardolino Chiaretto Spumante – you just drink it! How nice is that, given how serious many of us get at times when we rhapsodize about the wines we come across?
While there were a few examples that were a little too sweet for me, I was impressed by the majority of these spumanti. Most were quite good and there were a few examples that had a bit more depth of fruit and complexity and were drier than the standard version. The finest for me were the bottlings from Corte Gioliare, Monte del Fra "La Picia" and especially the Le Tende "Volutte" (pictured above). This last wine is absolutely delicious and it's also dry with excellent complexity and persistence. While most of these wines are meant for consumption within 12-15 months, the Le Tende version actually has the structure to drink well for as long as two years from now. Maybe it's the fact that proprietor Mauro Fortuna has a friend in the Valdobbiadene area in northern Veneto where the finest examples of Prosecco are from, produce this wine. Whatever the case, this is a marvelous wine to be enjoyed on its own before dinner or with an outdoors lunch or even with sushi, tuna or salumi.
Now on to the traditional Bardolino Chiaretto, the non-sparkling wine. This has long been a calling card for the area's producers, as this rosato is one of the most well-known in all of Italy. Delicate and fruit-filled, this is a delight with a wide range of foods such as risotto, tortellini and pizza.
I did like some of these Chiaretti - I'll mention those in a bit – but I was somewhat disappointed in the overall quality of the wines I tasted that day. Too many were candied in nature, while a few were a bit cloyingly sweet; I compared some of these examples to white zinfandel, a wine I largely dislike, so that's not a good thing.
The best were from top producers such as Le Fraghe, Le Tende, Albino Piona and Costadoro. Here were rosati that were medium-bodied with pleasing perfumes of strawberry, cherry, pear and red poppies. These were dry or off-dry and were nicely balanced with good acidity. These were a pleasure to taste; I just wish there were more examples like these.
Carlo Nerozzi, Le Vigne di San Pietro (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
As for Bardolino itself, I was pleased with the overall quality of the wines. While you may think most examples of Bardolino are pretty much the same, given its image as a lighter red, that's not the case. There are some meant for immediate consumption over the first 12-15 months, but there are many others that are much better with two to three – or even five – years down the road.
Matilde Poggi, Le Fraghe (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
The finest examples of 2013 Bardolino I tasted at this event were from Le Tende (this producer is certainly one of Bardolino's shining stars), Le Fraghe (proprietor Matilde Poggi never fails at crafting a lovely Bardolino of great typicity), Le Vigne di San Pietro and Albino Piona (as with the above names, the Piona estate is on the short list of the area's finest producers).
Giovanna Tantini (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
I would also like to make an important point about aging Bardolino; while you may think it's meant for lunch or dinner tonight, it does drink well after a few years. The 2009 bottling from Albino Piona is a delight at present, while the 2009 from Giovanna Tantini is also quite impressive. The Piona bottling is so delightful, with its dried cherry and rose petal notes (along with a hint of pepper); there is excellent complexity and the acidity is quite good, giving this wine a lovely balance. When I speak of Bardolino being a charming wine, here is a textbook example.
The Tantini has more tannins; her style of crafting Bardolino is to let these wines age for 3-5 years (or longer) to let the tannins subside, while the wine gains in complexity, both in the nose and on the palate. This wine at almost five years old, still displays a lovely youthful garnet color and has enticing aromas of a freshly baked cherry pie. This is a lovely wine, one with the stuffing and structure to age for another 5-7 years. That's not what you expect from Bardolino, so take note – Bardolino can age well. Brava, Giovanna!
The Best Italian Wines of 2013 – A different view
Orlando Pecchenino, Dogliani, with a bottle of his 2010 Bricco Botti, one of 2013's best Italian wines (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
January always means starting fresh as well as remembering what came before. So it's time for my annual look at the best Italian wines of 2013, but instead of offering a complete list (that will be printed in the Spring issue of my Guide to Italian Wines, available to paid subscribers), I'm going to take a different approach and focus on just a few wine zones that were home to some pretty special wines, offerings that don't get a lot of attention.
Dogliani – I adore Dolcetto and I'm on a constant crusade to tell wine lovers about this lovely wine; I know why it doesn't sell as well as it should, but it doesn't help that the major wine publications ignore this wine. In the small village of Dogliani, a bit south of the Barolo zone, a small band of dedicated producers specialize in the Dolceto grape and craft marvelous versions, wines that have more richness and age worthiness than examples of Dolcetto d'Alba or Diano d'Alba. That said, I visited several producers in Dogliani this past September and tasted four examples of Dogliani that were outstanding: the 2010 Pecchenino "Bricco Botti"a wine that has tremendous complexity and character; the 2012 Chionetti "San Luigi", a wine of great varietal purity and focus and one of the most delicious red wines I tasted in all of Italy this past year; the 2009 Anna Maria Abbona "San Bernardo" from 65-year old vines that offers abundant floral aromas backed by tremendous persistence and finally the 2004 San Fereolo Dogliani Superiore from proprietor Nicoletta Bocca. Here is a current release – yes, a nine year-old (now almost ten) Dolcetto of superb breeding that will drink well for another 5-7 years. Wines such as this one and the others I mentioned are evidence that Dolcetto can be a first-rate wine; it's a shame that more wine publications ignore this lovely grape.
Verdicchio (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi – Speaking of grapes that are largely ignored, Verdicchio is at or near the top of this list. Here is a grape grown in Marche that has uncommon complexity and can age – given the proper care at any particular cellar in the best vintages – for 7-10 years and even longer in some cases (I tried a 1991 Verdicchio from the excellent cooperative producer Colonnara a few months ago that was superb and still quite fresh). So why don't you hear about this wine more often? Simply put, the major wine publications focus on red wines, especially in Italy, so Verdicchio is priority number 35 (or is it number 36?) for their editors.
The best new releases of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi I tasted were the 2012 Umani-Ronchi "Casal di Serra", the 2010 "Vecchie Vigne" (old vines) version from this vineyard and the marvelous 2009 Umani-Ronchi "Plenio", a Verdicchio of outstanding complexity with ideal balance.
Also, the 2009 Villa Bucci "Riserva" is one of the finest versions of this wine I have ever tasted; given the fame and outstanding track record of this producer, that's saying something. With its heavenly orange blossom and hyacinth perfumes as well as pronounced minerality, this is a brilliant wine, easily one of the finest of the year. Look for this to be at its best in 5-7 years, although I may be a bit conservative in my estimate.
At Santa Barbara, the 2011 Stefano Antonucci "Riserva" is a heavyweight Verdicchio, a barrique-aged version that is lush and tasty with tremendous complexity; while I often prefer Verdicchio not aged in small barrels, here is an example that is perfectly balanced. A different approach can be found in the 2009 Stefano Antonucci "Tardivo ma non Tardivo" (loosely translated as "late but not too late" in reference to the late harvesting of the grapes); this is aged solely in steel. This is as singular a Verdicchio as I have ever tasted, given its exotic aromas of grapefruit, green tea and a note of honey, while the minerality and structure remind me of a Premier Cru or Grand Cru Chablis. Un vino bianco, ma che un vino!
Sabino Loffredo, Pietracupa (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Campania white wines - This is such a vibrant region these days for all of its wines, not just Taurasi, its most famous red, but also other distinctive wines such as Palagrello Nero and Casavecchia. Then there are the whites – wines of great varietal distinctiveness, minerality and structure. 2012 was a first-rate vintage for Campanian whites, as the wines have beautiful focus, lively acidity, excellent ripeness, lovely aromatics (thanks to a long growing season) and distinct minerality. I've loved these wines for years and it's been such a pleasure to see the results from two superb vintages, such as 2010 and 2012.
There were so many gorgeous 2012 Campanian whites; I can't list them all, so here are just a few of the best: Pietracupa Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino - from the brilliant producer Sabino Loffredo; Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo "Cutizzi"; Mastroberardino Fiano di Avellino "Radici"; Donnachiara Greco "Ostinato" and Villa Raiano Greco di Tufo "Contrada Marotta". A wonderful collection of whites, drinkable now and over the next 5-7 years.
Chianti Classico - Every year, more and more of these wines taste the same to me. There are exceptions of course, those wines from producers that still craft offerings that reflect a sense of place, rather than just producing bottles aimed at a large audience. The two best I tried in 2012 were both Riserva wines from the very underrated 2008 vintage. The first was the Felsina "Rancia", a wine of great strength with very good acidity and notable structure. The second was the Bibbiano "Vigna Capannino", also a beautifully structured wine that represented to me what a top Chianti Classico Riserva should be, a wine with richness of fruit, not just a higher percentage of oak; of course there is admirable Sangiovese character, but there is also very good acidity, meaning this is a wine that will age gracefully, with peak in 10-12 years. The Felsina is a more powerful wine, while the Bibbiano is more delicate, but both are first-rate versions of what this wine type should represent.
Looking south from Appiano at vineyards in Alto Adige (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Alto Adige whites – Alto Adige, being a cool climate region, is of course known for its white wines, but I wonder how often wine lovers think about how special these wines truly are. The regular bottlings are quite nice, with very good acidity and balance; the wines are also quite clean, beautifully made with excellent varietal character. Then there are dozens – no make that hundreds – of vibrant Alto Adige whites that have excellent depth of fruit, distinct minerality and gorgeous complexity. A few of the best from include the 2012 Cantina Tramin "Stoan", a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Bianco that is as complex and as satisfying as any Italian white (or a white from just about anywhere); the 2012 Gewurztraminer "Nussbaumer" also from Cantina Tramin (this is one of Italy's top 50 producers, in my opinion), a wine of heavenly grapefruit, lychee, yellow rose and honeysuckle aromas backed by excellent concentration and subtle spice; the 2012 St. Michael-Eppan Sauvignon "Sanct Valentin", with great varietal character – what a lovely wine for vegetable risotto or most seafood; the 2010 Cantina Terlano Pinot Bianco "Vorberg" Riserva, one of Italy's most distinctive white wines, and finally, the 2012 Girlan Gewurztraminer "Flora", a version of this wine that is not as explosive as the Tramin "Nussbaumer", but one that is just as attractive and varietally pure.
Estate vineyards of Ferrari near the town of Trento (Photo ©Tom Hyland)
Trento Metodo Classico – You could be forgiven if you weren't very familiar with classically-produced sparkling wines from Trentino. After all, Prosecco is much-more famous as an Italian bubbly and the great wines of Franciacorta in Lombardia generally receive more attention. Still, the cool area near the town of Trento is ideal for beautifully structured sparkling wines, especially when made by the firms of Ferrari and Maso Martis.
There has been so much written about Ferrari- what marvelous sparkling wines they produce! The finest I tasted this year were the 2006 Perlé Nero, a 100% Blanc de Noirs with excellent concentration and beautiful complexity and then for a rare treat, the 1994 Giulio Ferrari "Riserve del Fondatore"; this latter wine was a special, extremely limited wine that was disgorged in 2011, meaning it spent 17 years on its yeasts – an unheard of length of time for almost any sparkling wine. Words can't do this cuvée justice – this is simply an ethereal sparkling wine, one of tremendous length, with exotic flavors of orange, truffle and even a hint of cream – just amazing!
It may be difficult to compete – if that's the proper term – with Ferrari, but the husband and wife team of Roberta and Antonio Stelzer do their best. Try their wines and you'll see what I mean, as these sparklers are so beautifully balanced and such a joy to consume. Everything here is excellent, particularly the full-bodied 2007 Brut Riserva Millesimato and the stunning 2003 Madame Martis, with its appealing honey, cream and apple tart aromas and oustanding persistence.


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The Houston Texans and San Diego Chargers are going in opposite directions. The Texans have finally made it over the "make the playoffs" hump and are now definitive Super Bowl contenders. Anything less would be a disappointment. The Chargers have been in the playoffs off and on for the last decade but their window seems to be closing.
The two teams will meet in San Diego for Monday Night Football on ESPN. It will be the final matchup of Week 1, and it should be a good one.
Houston is in a good place right now, coming off a 12-4 season. The team has linebacker Brian Cushing back, which is huge. He tore his ACL in Week 5 of last year and missed the rest of the season. With him back in action, the Texans promise to have one of the stronger defenses in the NFL.
That will be a problem for the Chargers, who are hurting on offense. They finished second-to-last in total offense last season, with Philip Rivers having a down year. Now the team has several injuries on the offensive side of the ball, especially to receivers. Danario Alexander is hurt, and Malcom Floyd and Eddie Royal are also banged up.
Here's how to watch the game:
Game Date/Time
Monday, Sept. 9, 10:15 p.m. ET
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif.
TV Schedule
National: ESPN
International broadcasts
All of the ESPN international channels are your best bet here. There's ESPN UK, ESPN Deportes, ESPN International and in Canada, the game will be on TSN.
Watch Online
Your only real option for watching this game online in the United States is via WatchESPN.com. If you're an international viewer, then you should check out Game Pass.
Distribution Map
Radio Schedule
Texans: WWL 820 AM / 105.3 FM
Chargers: KIOZ-FM 105.3
More from SB Nation NFL:
• Check out SB Nation's massive new NFL preview
• The easiest players to root for
• Elite, or elitist? Eli the art collector
• Uffsides: This week's 5 must-see games


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"Grazia has gone bananas about WAH – the cult East London nail salon. And looking at the pictures here, you can see why. Not only does WAH promise to 'translate fashion trends into fingertip art', but having a WAH manicure is the most delightful experience"
"Dalston's coolest nail salon/gallery/shop"
"WAH Nails, East London's first hipster nail bar, is sure to be a fixture at London Fashion Week's off-schedule shows"
"Founder Sharmadean Reid is one of the 15 people who will define the future of arts in Britain"
WAH started life in 2005 as a little London-based fanzine about girls in hip-hop, championing those that were contributing to the music and clothing scene and providing a space for a new wave of street smart feminism. This developed into the WAHappenings blog, events such as the WAH Power Lunch, and a international community of girls who loved their Nike sneakers as much as their Prada wedges.
In 2008, founder Sharmadean Reid had an inkling that the nail art she and her friends had been sporting for years was about to hit the mainstream (and having working as a trend consultant since graduating from Central St Martins, she should know!) After another bad experience at a local nail salon (they refused to do the Dior double french) she decided she was going to open her own salon where you could have "Whatever you wanted on your fingertips" and of course, it would be called WAH Nails.
On August 1st 2009, WAH Nails opened its doors in the East End of London to a raptuous reception from the press. A trickle of nail art fans turned into a flood of customers as we became the go-to salon for fashion forward nails. But the salon wasn't just for getting your talons painted! There were jumble sales, record launch parties, art shows and film nights, retaining that community spirit that was set with the fanzine and reminding the world that Dalston was the coolest place to be.
The rest of 2009 was a whirlwind of activity, as WAH Nails did shows at London Fashion Week, parties for huge brands such as Nike, Marc Jacobs and Diesel, had a successful week-long pop up salon in Selfridges. Sharmadean was named one of the "15 people who will define the future of arts in Britain" and was featured as part of the "New Generation" in Vogue magazine. Surely it can't get better than that right? Oh but it did…
In February 2010, WAH Nails opened for business in Topshop Oxford Circus. In one of the busiest, coolest shopping meccas in the world, a tiny little salon from the grubby part of London made its mark. Even when the imitators kept trying to catch up, WAH Nails kept on innovating and the Topshop branch is now choc-a-bloc with loyal customers who know where the good stuffs at. Other stores were quick to snap them up and they opened in Harvey Nichols in Dublin later on that year as well as giving Japan a taster of handpainted nail art by doing a party at Opening Ceremony Tokyo.
WAH has painted nails in cars, bars, clubs, at the Grand Prix, in an Airstream, in Japan, at festivals, at The Brits, for celebrities, for fashion people, for kids, for music videos, at work and at home. You name it, they've done it. All in the name of happy nails. They'e grown from a staff of 2 to a team of twenty and in 2011 they look set to grow even bigger…
Image from Jaypeg, a fan and customer!


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The ordinance currently calls for a standard 4:12 pitch in three of the districts in which manufactured homes are allowed and a 6:12 in the fourth district.
"It doesn't change the size of the districts. It just levels the playing field," said Long-Term Recovery Manager Steve Ostaseski.
Mayor Drew Gilbert, who was not on the council when the ordinance passed in 2008, said he has learned the difference is the result of a potential development that was being discussed during that time.
"There was a planned development in that district, so they made the law to permit whatever they were trying to do there. That never happened. Now we have three districts who have the same rule and one of them doesn't. Our goal is uniformity," Gilbert said.
The change was recently approved by the Planning Commission, and a public hearing was held on the matter at Tuesday night's council meeting.
The council also voted several weeks ago to allow a resident adversely affected by the inconsistency to move in a manufactured home while the change was being considered by the Planning Commission.
A vote on the change is planned for the next council meeting on Dec. 10.
In other action, the council
•passed an ordinance establishing the fees for city services. "This would allow for a uniform schedule so that when anyone requests any of these services, we charge them all the same. We noticed there were difficult schedules in different places. This puts them all in one ordinance," Gilbert said.
•voted to allow the city's building inspector, Gerald Grace, and two other individuals to take some online training on the International Building Code.
•reappointed James Laird to the Housing Authority
•voted to cancel the regularly scheduled meeting that would fall on Dec. 24 and planned a work session for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 to discuss options for rebuilding a fire department and to review bids for the grocery store project.
Advertising for bids is now underway, and Dec. 17 is the last day that bids will be received.


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Hope Youth Jacksonville Mission Group by BrianMetz - about 5 years ago
"We did a mission project in urban Jacksonville this summer and to help us remember the mission, we had these amazing shirts made through customink.com! The shirts are great and everyone loved them. Customink.com were amazing to work with and they got us the shirts ahead of schedule. No worries! I will definitely work with them again."


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The body of a prattville man has been recovered from Lake Jordan.
Darrell Kevin Lanier Junior was found dead in Lake Jordan this morning. According to Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin, Lanier jumped off what's known as "The Rock" around 6:45 Saturday night.
Rescue teams searched Saturday until it became too dark and the serach resumed this morning. A dive team discovered the body.
Lanier was 23 years old.
Copyright 2013 WSFA 12 News. All rights reserved.
1414 North Memorial Parkway
Huntsville, AL 35801
WAFF Is a Proud Member
of the Raycom Family of Stations
FCC Public File
EEO Report
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Preceding him in death were his parents, Sydney and Lucille Rhodes Miller.
Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Shirley Griffis Miller of Jasper; daughters, Kaysie Carr, Lucy Aaron, Anita Gant (Sammy), Matilda Miller (Larry) all of Jasper, and Kay Boyd (Jeff) of Corner; grandchildren, Kayla Miller (John), Blake Watson, Joey Pearson, RaeLynn Aaron (Britney), Katie Pearson (Justin), Josh Aaron, Chrissy Sivley, Dylan Watson, Kayla Sharp (John), and Andy Chambers (Macale); great grandchildren, Caden Miller, Brailee Miller, Brooklyn Sharp, and Isiah Sharp; brother, Herbert Miller; sister, Beatrice Selman; and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.
You may sign an online register and express private condolence to the family at www.BellSumiton.com.
Bell Funeral Home, Sumiton; 205-648-6611


text:
Neurosurgeons on the medical staff at Condell Medical Center treat the most complex neurological conditions using today's most advanced technology. Surgical treatments for disorders or injuries of the brain, spine and peripheral nerves, as well as options for non-surgical pain management, give patients access to the most comprehensive care available.
The information provided here is intended to give you an understanding of neurological disorders and their various medical and surgical treatment options.
A glossary of definitions and frequently used terms is provided for your convenience.
Medical Conditions TreatedAdvanced Technology


text:
The Recycle Crunch Can by Umbra® can be reduced down to nearly nothing when not in use, and pops up to hold and sort recyclables. It's a natural choice in tight spaces, and it also doubles as a storage container. Plus, it's easy to transport. Shop all Umbra®.
We can help! Click here to chat with an expert.


text:
Will Broaddus
---- — Nancy Anthony, a senior instructor in the library media studies program at Salem State University, likes the recent autobiography by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, "Life the Book."
"The guy is very honest and straightforward; he tells it like it is," she said.
One thing she likes most about Richards, whose hard partying and bad behavior are legendary, is his love of libraries.
"When you are growing up," Richards said, "there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public library, which belongs to you. The public library is the great equalizer."
Anthony first read that quote in an online edition of the Daily Mail, an English tabloid, when it previewed Richards' book.
"Librarians have a certain image, and I thought that was a little outside of the box," she said.
She liked the statement so much that she "put it out on our library's Listserv" for others to read.
But once Anthony started to read "Life the Book," she was less surprised that Richards would make such a statement.
"You could appreciate that he was intelligent and well-read," she said.
Richards has also amassed a fortune playing rock 'n' roll, and that allowed him to furnish his estate with a library of his own, so he no longer needs to use the public library if he doesn't want to.
Anthony's students haven't been so lucky, and the positions she trains them for are being cut from budgets, which in turn threatens the program at Salem State, she said.
That's a problem because school libraries require a different credential than public libraries, and Salem State is the only program in Massachusetts that offers one.
"It's in jeopardy of being cut," she said. "The state education program is not going to support them if they want to be a school librarian."
Anthony, who worked at libraries in the Marblehead, Salem and Reading school systems for many years, can only hope that things turn out for school librarians the way they did for Keith Richards.
"Here's a guy that was pickled for a while, then he came through," she said. "I love stories of redemption."


text:
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Number of items: 1.
Goodson, K. J., 1987. Automated interpretation of digital images of hydrographic charts. PhD Thesis (PhD). Dorset Institute of Higher Education.
About the University / Courses / Academic Centres / Research / Academic Support / Facilities and Resources / Services to Business
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...just wondering? I'm on day 1 and just want it to kick in ASAP!!!!
Sent from my C6833 using MiniMins.com mobile app
...just wondering? I'm on day 1 and just want it to kick in ASAP!!!!
Sent from my C6833 using MiniMins.com mobile app
Varies from person to person. If you're lucky around day 3 if not it can take anything up to 5/6 days
End of day 3 for me.
Start Weight 110Kg
Week 1 lost 5.5kg
Week 2 lost 2.9kg total loss 8.4kg
Week 3 lost 2.0kg total loss 10.4kg
Week 4 lost 1.0kg total loss 11.4kg (re-feed week)
Week 5 lost 0.5kg total loss 11.9kg (not bad with weekend party)
Week 6 lost 0.1kg total loss 12.0kg (STS)
Week 7 lost 0.5kg total loss 12.5kg
BMI Below 30 (9-1-14)
Get Below 105 Kg (11-1-14)
Get Below 100 Kg (26-1-14)
Get Below 95 Kg
Attend and complete Basic freefall course(I need to be under 96kg to apply)
Complete a 10k run in less than 60 min (24-2-14)
Get Below 90 Kg
BMI Below 25
Compete in a 10k race in 2015 (maybe Lincoln 10k)
My 2014 Exante TS Diary
Vietnam Trek Sponsorship
I was def in by day 3 but I'm quite quick with it I think
My Minimins diary - http://www.minimins.com/slimming-wor...s-g-mrs-c.html
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off of the goal.
We would accomplish more things if we did not think of them as impossible.
15 week Slimming World countdown until the big day
Week 1: -2lb
End of day 4 now, pretty sure I'm in ketosis now. Yakky taste in my mouth, not particularly hungry and feel pretty energetic. Had a few moments where I'm missing eating but haven't really been craving food, mad when you think about how little calories we're having!!
Sent from my C6833 using MiniMins.com mobile app
Day 5... and it was a total struggle up to that point!
Start date: 26th July 2014
Start weight: 357lbs
Back to square 1 in terms of start point... but with a very different body shape.


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Alumnae Theatre Company Presents THE LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING, 1/24-2/8
The Alumnae Theatre Company is proud to present our second mainstage show of the 2013-2014 season: The Lady's Not For Burning, by Christopher Fry. This is particular production is part of Alumnae's Centennial retrospective leading up to our 100th Anniversary in 2018. The current production is helmed by Jane Carnwath.
Christopher Fry's poetic flight of comic fancy about a witch-hunt and a world-weary veteran was an instant hit in 1949 London, in a country still reeling from the harsh realities of war. Jennet, an eccentRic Young woman accused of witchcraft and Thomas, the soldier in search of oblivion, confront each other and a world that seeks to destroy her, and their lives.
Can a play, set in 1400 "either more or less or exactly", have anything to say to an audience in 2014? Absolutely. For all its comic quirkiness and poetic pyrotechnics, this wonderful play throws a torchlight beam into some of the dark corners that still haunt us: mob paranoia and violence, fear of "the other", religious hypocrisy, the wielding of tradition and bureaucracy as weapons of defense or aggression. They resonate sharply today.
It's been an ambition of Jane's to direct THE LADY. To bring to life a world that dances between the poetic and the everyday, a world that is dangerous, flawed like the richly contradictory folk who inhabit it, yet ultimately redeemed by its beauty and complexity.
THE LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING stars Chris Coculuzzi as Thomas; Andrea Brown* in the role of Jennet; Chris Whidden as Richard; Elsbeth McCall will be playing the part of Alizon, Ryan Armstrong in the part of Nicholas, Paul Cotton will play Humphrey, the role of Margaret will be performed by Carol McLennan, Christopher Kelk* takes on the part of Tyson, Rob Candy will be Tappercoom and Peter Higginson and Ian Orr will play the Chaplain and Skipps respectively. Director Jane Carnwath* is at the helm of this production with stage management by Margot Devlin. The set and light design is by Ed Rosing. Sound design for The Lady's Not For Burning is
by Angus Barlow. Costuming for the show is by Margaret Spence. The show is produced by Ellen Green and Barbara Larose.
Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz


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Sunrise Villas Deluxe Condo - Sunny View & Huge Greenspace in Palm Springs
- bedrooms 2
- baths 2
- sleeps 4
- pool yes
- hot tub yes
- pets allowed yes
- type Condo
- community Sunrise Villas
- rates (USD) $ 1,690 - $ 2,995 / month
vacation rental description
Condo is beautifully furnished with Southwest decor and great attention to detail. Gated and locked private courtyard entrance. Great sun with southern exposure. Patio has new furniture - umbrella + table, 6 chairs, and 2 loungers. Breathtaking view of Mount San Jacinto which overlooks condo and pool. Lush grounds and spacious greenbelts with palm trees and winding sidewalks for enjoyable walking. Pick your own lemons, oranges, tangeloes, and grapefruit for breakfast from our property trees. Walk to grocery store. Sunrise Villas Condominiums is conveniently located just five minutes from small, quiet, very "user-friendly" Palm Springs Airport. It is a very quiet community with it's own private circular road off Sunrise Avenue.
vacation rental location
property availability
- dates with deals
- unavailable dates
Last modified on 02-12-2014 at 6:34 PM.
email owner view full calendar
Sabra Fawcett, DDS 425-222-7912
condo rental amenities
2 BDR/2BATH Condo sleeps four. Bedrooms separated by baths and hall for maximum privacy. King bed with dual controlled Select Comfort mattresses and two twin beds which can be pushed together for King. Beautiful new leather sofa, loveseat, chair, and ottoman with new travertine coffee table, end tables, and sofa table. New marble travertine dining table with 6 leather chairs. Huge Master Bath with walk-in shower and very large Master Closet. Second newly remodeled bath has shower/tub. New porcelain tile floors throughout condo, except carpet in bedrooms. Wireless Internet. Cable TV with 42" TV/DVD in living area with electric fireplace entertainment console for evening ambience. TV/DVD in both bedrooms. New kitchen with granite counters and porcelain tile floors is furnished with all amenities including color-coordinated stoneware dishes, placemats, and linens. Or, dine casually with non-breakable dishes in the courtyard or on the patio. You will find crockpot, wine and bar glasses, ice bucket, quality knives, blender, complete spice console, etc. Other condo amenities include gas barbecue grill, separate laundry room off courtyard entry, pool toys, and beach towels, and iron with board. One car stall in shared garage. Housekeeper available for private hire.
activities and attractions in Palm Springs Deserts
Eight property pools with spas. Our pool is one of three that is heated year round, but it is never crowded and we are often the only ones using the pool! Locked tennis courts located near our condo. Minutes from Palm Canyon Drive shopping where you can also enjoy the colorful street fair with local artists and vendors every Thursday evening. View Picasso and other famous artwork at the Desert Museum in downtown Palm Springs. Close to golf, water park, and aerial tram. Nearby hiking at Joshua Tree Forest, mountain areas, and desert trails. 5 minutes from Smoketree Stables for horse riding up into the canyons. 90 minutes to Disneyland. One hour to Idyllwild, an artists' village in the San Jacinto Mountains. Enjoy many Palm Springs gourmet restaurants including the restaurant at the top of the tram. A favorite of ours is to sit at the open flame grill at the Matchbox Restaurant overlooking the activity on Palm Canyon Drive. Or try the famous Sherman's Deli with their fabulous deserts! Meet other "snowbirds" from places such as Indiana, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Vancouver, and England who winter regularly at Sunrise Villas.
vacation rental rates
November-May: $2,995/month.
June-October: $1,690/month
Sabra Fawcett, DDS 425-222-7912
accepted payment methods
Prior to paying a reservation deposit, always verify payment instructions by calling the phone number displayed on this listing page. By contacting the owner directly and paying by an approved method - credit card, paypal, check or bank transfer - your reservation payment will be protected up to $1,000.Learn more in our Security Center
Top things to do in Palm Springs
- Golf & More Golf!
- El Paseo / Fabulous Shopping
- Aerial Tram / Dine or Hike
- Showgirl Follies & Desert Museum
Top things to do on a budget
- Thursday Night Street Fair
- Tennis Court & 8 Property Pools!
- Hike Indian Canyons or Tahquitz Falls
Top things to do with a family
- Oasis Water Park
- Disneyland / 90 minutes
- Ride Horses / Smoketree Stables
- Dune Buggies (North of Town)
Sabra Fawcett, DDS , owner


text:
Malibu Weekend V-Neck Linen Sweater (# T46835)
- 100% linen
- Hand wash cold; lay flat to dry. Do not dry clean.
- Lightweight 9-gauge knit
- Rolled trims
- Raised seam stitch at the shoulders
- Imported
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Malibu Weekend V-Neck Linen Sweater 3 3
Nice but see-through I loved the feel of this linen sweater, however, when I put it on it ran a little small, plus I noticed it is so light weight and the linen so sheer, it is see through...definitely not a good look unless you have six packs abs of which I don't. Might look great on a 20 something extremely fit guy, not on a slightly over weight middle aged man. Sorry I dad to return. July 21, 2014
Strongly recommend! The Quality and Fit is what one expects from Tommy Bahama…strongly recommend! July 7, 2014
Very Cool Love the feel of this lightweight sweater/pull over. Relaxing during the day and nice for an evening out. May 27, 2014
1-3 of 3


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Jail for Colne knifeman (From Lancashire Telegraph)
When news happens, text LT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Jail for Colne knifeman
5:30pm Saturday 4th January 2014 in News By Wendy Barlow, Court reporter
A MIDNIGHT double knifeman who was armed with two 10 inch blades outside in Colne, has been locked up for eight weeks.
Burnley magistrates heard how Lee Morris, 31, said to have been drunk, very angry and aggressive, had left the house where he was staying in the town, with a weapon, shouting and threatening: 'I am going to knife someone.'
Morris later returned to the property without the knife, but got another large blade. He left John Blakey whose home he was staying at, scared and upset by his odd behaviour and fearing what might happen.
The defendant, who was jailed for a month last May for having a blade, admitted possessing a kitchen knife on St Stephen's Way, Colne.
Morris, of St Stephen's Way, was told by the justices he had had a dangerous weapon and had gone back and selected a second knife.
Chairman Stephen Riley said: "There is always the potential for great harm." Mr Riley added the Bench had wanted to pass a suspended jail term, but the defendant had persistently failed to comply with court orders.
Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, said Mr Blakey had known the defendant for about five years and just after midnight he knocked on his door. He appeared aggressive and was rambling and shouting. Mr Blakey said nothing and kept quiet.
Morris had a knife from Mr Blakey's kitchen in his hand, said he was going to knife someone and set off towards Oak Street. He returned several minutes later without the blade.
Miss Akhtar said the defendant had calmed down and told Mr Blakey: "I wouldn't have done anything." Morris then walked into the kitchen, appeared with another large knife and walked out of the house. Mr Blakey, on the phone to police, could see the defendant outside, still holding the knife.
The defendant then walked back in and put the blade on Mr Blakey's laptop in the kitchen.
Two police officers arrived and Morris was compliant when asked to show his hands. The first knife was not recovered. Mr Blakey was left shocked by the incident and felt the defendant needed help with his drink issues.
Glen Smith, for Morris, said he had mental health issues. He had been in a road accident and suffered injury some years ago . His grandmother, who had looked after him for a long time, but was no longer able to do so, would say he had never been the same.
The solicitor said Morris had had a drink, but didn't know why he had done it.


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Each AutoTrader Classics vehicle listing is assigned a Classic Car ID to let you quickly return to cars you like.
You can compare up to 3 cars
Redlands, CA
Burgundy; V-8; 255 miles
Custom Full Steel Body!!! 1949 Ford Woody Wagon - LS-1 crate engine V8, 4L60E automatic transmission with...More Info
Play Toys
Orange, CA
Burgundy; Flat 8; 100 miles
1947 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible...$135,000 Classic Car Marketing, Inc. is privileged to have just acq...More Info
Classic Car Marketing
Orange, CA
Burgundy; V-8
Classic Car Marketing, Inc. Southern California's premier marketing company is pleased to introduce this ...More Info
Classic Car Marketing
Newark, OH
Body-Steel 41 Ford Convertible deluxe, chopped 41/2 inches, window post laid back, Front fenders lengthen...More Info
J.J. Rods LLC.
Syosset, NY
Burgundy; 53 miles
1969 BUICK GRAN SPORT GS400 CONVERTIBLE for saleExotic Classics is proud to present this impeccable 1969 ...More Info
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Syosset, NY
Burgundy; 94587 miles
1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS SS for sale Exotic Classics is proud to present this stunning and correct 1969 C...More Info
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Fredericksburg, TX
Burgundy; 57910 miles
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Street Dreams Texas
Fort Worth, TX
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For some guys, only the old school ways are the right ways. This 1932 Ford was built with that in mind, s...More Info
Streetside Classics - Dallas-Ft Worth
Dana Point, CA
Burgundy; 8 Cylinder; 1 miles
Always garaged, Looks & runs great, Must see, No accidents, One owner, Upgraded sound system, Very clean ...More Info
Private Seller
Houston, TX
Burgundy; 8 Cylinder; 87000 miles
Matching numbers 426-Hemi, torque flight auto. Original sheet metal. 1-original color repaint with origin...More Info
Private Seller
Atlanta, GA
Burgundy; V-8
1956 Chevrolet 210 "BEAUTY & THE BEAST"- *Total frame off rotisserie Restoration on low mileage car. *Cla...More Info
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Burgundy; 2400 miles
1936 Ford Convertible Street Rod. Fantastic Cranberry red paint job, with plush hand sewn Palamino leathe...More Info
Alexander Automotive of Downtown Franklin
San Luis Obisbo, CA
Burgundy; V-8; 1000 miles
New built. Slick on the bottom as it is on the top. 1941 Willys with less then 1000 miles put on it. All ...More Info
Classic Car Guy
Volo, IL
Burgundy; V-8
ONLY 3,375 MILES SINCE BODY OFF FRAME RESTORATION., ONLY 3,375 MILES SINCE BODY OFF FRAME RESTORATION. OV...More Info
Volo Auto Museum
Volo, IL
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Volo Auto Museum
Atlanta, GA
Burgundy; 8 Cylinder
SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS VETTE AND 100+ OTHERS FOR SALE AT WWW.BUYAVETTE.NET! Code correct Milano Maroon e...More Info
Buyavette Inc.
Lithia Springs, GA
Burgundy; V-8; 1661 miles
When we get cars like this spectacular 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle convertible, it's hard to know where to be...More Info
Streetside Classics - Atlanta
Lithia Springs, GA
Burgundy; Other; 1 miles
Is there a cooler car "origin story" than the COPO Camaro? A couple of dealers learned to game the system...More Info
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Fairfield, CA
Burgundy; V-8; 3760 miles
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This is truly a beautiful Buick, Buicks master of the road was a large luxurious car that remained unchan...More Info
Volo Auto Museum
San Luis Obisbo, CA
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Please visit ClassicCarGuy.com for all the details on this great car or call us at 888-762-5570
Classic Car Guy
Lithia Springs, GA
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This 1968 Camaro convertible is summer fun done right. A very impressive build in every possible way, it'...More Info
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Sarasota, FL
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1966 Corvette 427-425hp 4 speed M22 all original drivetrain. Coupe frame off 2009 and looks excellent all...More Info
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Fort Worth, TX
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text:
Mary E. HallFebruary 09,2013
Mary E. HallMary E. Hall
Mary Elizabeth Hall, age 83, died Thursday, February 7, 2013, at Rutland Regional Medical Center.
Mrs. Hall was born in Manhattan, Borough of NYC, on May 14, 1929. She was the daughter of Charles and Anne (McCaffrey) Duffy. She grew up in the Bronx where she received her early education and had attended Cathedral High School.
In her earlier years, she had worked for Ma Bell in the Bronx.
On January 6, 1951, she married George W. Junior Hall in the Bronx. She and her husband made their home in Rutland until moving to Lake Wales, FL, in 1976. They returned to Rutland in 1984. Mr. Hall predeceased her on May 31, 1988.
She was a member of the Rutland American Legion Unit #31 Ladies Auxiliary, and past member of The Neshobe Sportsman Club in Brandon.
She enjoyed bingo, going shopping, and loved spending time with her family.
She had attended Christ the King Catholic Church.
Surviving are four daughters: Susan M. Parker and husband Rod of Lake Wales, FL, Sheila A. Garrapy and husband Rodney of West Rutland, Barbara J. Metzler and husband Stewart, and Donna M. Chipman and husband Jimmy, all of Bradenton, FL; two sisters: Anne Ramppen of Newburgh, N.Y., and Barbara Lewandowsky of Pine Bush, N.Y.; and a brother, Patrick Duffy of Estero, FL; seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandson, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Her very special niece, Sandy Brutkoski of Brandon, and best friend, Mary Loomis of Rutland, also survive her.
She was predeceased by two brothers, Charles Duffy and Eugene Duffy.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, February 12, 2013, at 11 a.m., at St. Marys Catholic Church in Brandon. Following the Mass, the family will receive friends in the church parish hall, for a time of fellowship and remembrance.
A private graveside committal service and burial will take place at a later date in Forestdale Cemetery.
Friends may call at the Miller & Ketcham Funeral Home in Brandon on Monday, February 11, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Memorial gifts, in lieu of flowers, may be made in her memory to: St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.MORE IN Obituaries0823 RH Obits McFadden brief no photo no flag Full Story0823 RH Obits Thomson brief no photo no flag Full Story0823 RH Obits Singleton edited photo flag Full Story
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text:
SoHo Satin Sheet Set
Item # WX2-225641
- Google+
This item is shipped directly from the factory. To see the expected shipping date, please add to your Shopping Cart. Sorry, no express shipping available. We are unable to ship factory direct items to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or APO or FPO addresses.
- Details & Specs
SoHo Satin Sheet Set. Sweet dreams, nice price!
Shopping for new bedding can be a budget nightmare. But here's a Sheet Set made with soft, smooth polyester satin for a price that won't keep you up at night!
- 100% woven polyester satin
- Flat sheet
- Fitted sheet
- 2 pillow cases
- Fitted sheet and pillowcases with 2" self hem
- Fitted sheet has elastic all around with 14" deep pockets, fitting mattresses up to 17" deep
- Black. Machine wash / dry. Imported.
State Size, as available in Shopping Cart.
- Reviews
Customer ReviewsNo reviews exist for this item....
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Lesson: You can't trust public wireless access points. Always protect confidential information sent over a wireless network. Consider using a VPN connection, which protects all your communications, and don't recycle passwords between public and private sites.
Stealth attack No. 2: Cookie theft
Browser cookies are a wonderful invention that preserves "state" when a user navigates a website. These little text files, sent to our machines by a website, help the website or service track us across our visit, or over multiple visits, enabling us to more easily purchase jeans, for example. What's not to like?
Answer: When a hacker steals our cookies, and by virtue of doing so, becomes us -- an increasingly frequent occurrence these days. Rather, they become authenticated to our websites as if they were us and had supplied a valid log-on name and password.
Sure, cookie theft has been around since the invention of the Web, but these days tools make the process as easy as click, click, click. Firesheep, for example, is a Firefox browser add-on that allows people to steal unprotected cookies from others. When used with a fake WAP or on a shared public network, cookie hijacking can be quite successful. Firesheep will show all the names and locations of the cookies it is finding, and with a simple click of the mouse, the hacker can take over the session (see the Codebutler blog for an example of how easy it is to use Firesheep).
Worse, hackers can now steal even SSL/TLS-protected cookies and sniff them out of thin air. In September 2011, an attack labeled "BEAST" by its creators proved that even SSL/TLS-protected cookies can be obtained. Further improvements and refinements this year, including the well-named CRIME, have made stealing and reusing encrypted cookies even easier.
With each released cookie attack, websites and application developers are told how to protect their users. Sometimes the answer is to use the latest crypto cipher; other times it is to disable some obscure feature that most people don't use. The key is that all Web developers must use secure development techniques to reduce cookie theft. If your website hasn't updated its encryption protection in a few years, you're probably at risk.
Lessons: Even encrypted cookies can be stolen. Connect to websites that utilize secure development techniques and the latest crypto. Your HTTPS websites should be using the latest crypto, including TLS Version 1.2.
Stealth attack No. 3: File name tricks
Hackers have been using file name tricks to get us to execute malicious code since the beginning of malware. Early examples included naming the file something that would encourage unsuspecting victims to click on it (like AnnaKournikovaNudePics) and using multiple file extensions (such as AnnaKournikovaNudePics.Zip.exe). Until this day, Microsoft Windows and other operating systems readily hide "well known" file extensions, which will make AnnaKournikovaNudePics.Gif.Exe look like AnnaKournikovaNudePics.Gif.


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Granted, I live in Metro Atlanta, but the new Maps--as compared to the old Maps app--works identically for me. I hardly used street view before. Turn by turn directions with Siri integration has replaced Waze for GPS features.
@mstone: I said "give me directions to 123 main street, atlanta georgia." Siri understood and transferred me to Maps for navigation. No fuss, no muss.
So you want a Spanglish Siri… mas o menos?
BTW, Siri understood the word "Spanglish" but the phrase "Mosselle Menos"... not so much…
Dictated on my iPad... With help and hindrance from Siri!
Edit: Siri needs another command that lets her rethink her answer something like "hay dudas" Siri!


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Yelp is a website that connects people with great local businesses. Yelp was founded in San Francisco in July 2004. Since then, Yelp communities have taken root in major metros across the US, Canada, UK, Ireland and France; Yelp drew an audience of more than 66 million unique visitors in Q4 of 2011. Yelpers have written more than 25 million local reviews, making Yelp the leading US local guide for real word of mouth on everything from boutiques and mechanics to restaurants and dentists.
Account Executive- Inside Sales @ Yelp, Inc
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