L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURS DAY,   JULY  11,   2013 PAGE  33 Rock Star Makes Wine in Italy FRANK MANGIO In 1999, after a decade long frustrating search, Gordon Sumner and his wife found a 650 acre estate on a hill in Tuscany, Il Palagio. Now this has little interest to you until I tell you that this man's show business name is known world-wide as STING! Gordon Sumner's first years in the world of rock music were in Newcastle England with his first gigs paid in dinner and beer. He didn't know a thing about wine. But as his fame grew as band leader of the Police, the money poured in, along with gifts of worldclass French and Italian wines like Chateau Petrus and Biondi Santi Brunello. Over time, STING got the wine bug that affects most of us that are caught up in the need to know and consume the best there is. So with a definite yearning for Italian style wines and a sympathetic film producer wife, Trudie, they set out in 1992 to find the ideal Tuscan villa and winery, with a cash hoard that could buy them the best. A decade later they came up empty and STING walked away frustrated. But his wife persisted and found a cypress-lined, yellow villa that was in disrepair. They its former grandeur. Il Palagio is now so prolific in output that STING and Trudie have opened a farm shop selling everything transforming our vineyards and olive groves," he observed. "We hope all this effort has paid off and the tastes will delight you as The rock star STING relaxes at his winery in Tuscany Italy, Il Palagio, a leading maker of "Super Tuscan" wines. closed on the property the next day and subsequently invested millions in the buildings and the vineyards, restoring Il Palagio to made or grown on the estate, including fresh vegetables and fruits, olive oil and salami. "We have spent many years much as it does our family and friends." After 10 years of hard work, the first vintage of an Italian blended wine has been released, the 2008 Il Palagio "Sister Moon" Toscana was made, named after one his great hit songs.( $44.99 on the internet.) A blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet, the palate is enriched with powerful black fruit, laced with crème-de-cassis. The rustic, tannic finish is pure Tuscan, aged in French barriques for 24 months. 1000 cases were made. Another wine is ready for release, the 2010 "When We Dance." This charming everyday Chianti is 95% Sangiovese, with small amounts of Canaiolo and Colorino grapes. The fragrances are cherry and iris. The winery, near Panzano in Tuscany, is open to the public Monday through Friday. See more at www.palagiowineandoil.com. Frank Mangio is a renowned San Diego wine connoisseur certified by Wine Spectator. He is one of the leading wine commentators on the web. View and link up with his columns at www.tasteofwinetv.com. Reach him at mangiompc@aol.com. Touring in Sonoma Wine Country FRANK MANGIO Big, stately and beautiful are the first descriptors that come to mind when recalling my trip to Sonoma Wine Country recently. So big, it cannot be limited to one column. It demands a two part recollection. After all, Sonoma is the birthplace of California wine, with the first winegrapes planted in Fort Ross about 1812. The oldest premium winery, Buena Vista, was founded in 1857. Founding families still dominate the landscape, as Sonoma County boasts 370 wineries with some 1,800 winegrape growers settled in 13 diverse AVA's, or appellations. It feels like a country disguised as a county…a little bit of Italy, a little bit of France, but clearly California coastal in quality. It was a quick direct air trip from San Diego to Santa Rosa, a bustling town of 167,000. A few minutes north of Healdsburg, the prettiest town in Sonoma, and just east of Highway 101, is the Jordan Wine Estate, in the Alexander Valley making only high quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Founded in 1972 by Tom and Sally Jordan, well-traveled lovers of fine French wine and cuisine, whose dream was to make Jordan a titan of world- class Cabernet, one that was elegant and could be enjoyed immediately. The wines would be fruit--forward with balanced, silky tannins. The inaugural 1976 vintage was nurtured by winemaker Rob Davis, who makes Jordan wines to this day. The latest Cab vintage is the 2009 ($53.), a Top Ten Taste pick of mine in last week's column, was described by Davis as "a great symphony, hitting all the right notes. We had dreamed about making a wine like the 2009 for so long; we are ecstatic." The Alexander Valley was a prescient selection for Jordan. Located at the Northern end of The grand French chateau of Jordan Wine Estate in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma includes two lakes on 1,200 acres Sonoma County, with The Russian River winding up its west side and Mayacamas Mountains on the eastern borders. While the warm locations are best for Bordeaux grapes like Cabernet and Chardonnay, its gentle inland slopes, or "cotes" as they're called in France, are reminiscent of Burgundy. Although Jordan has 1,200 acres on the property, from valley to lakes, to peaks, there are vast areas of trees, rocks and vistas; lots of room to stretch out and enjoy the over 1,000 acres of land, navigable by vehicle and explorable. There are 110 acres of grapevines and 18 acres of olive trees, gardens and pasture land. Since 2005, Tom and Sally Jordan's son, John Jordan, left the world of law and became the present owner of Jordan. He has taken Jordan to more enhanced fruit sourcing, searching the Sonoma district for the best grapes possible. "Jordan wines have always remained true to what the Bordeaux style is meant to be… balanced, food-friendly, happy to be a part of the pleasures of the table, and not to dominate," Jordan explained. Going forward, he is continuing to constantly improve all facets of wine and food quality. "We have a resident culinary staff for hospitality programs and believe that food and wine go together. Wine is not a stand-alone beverage, so we work on Jordan as a sense of place with our freshingredient garden," Jordan pointed out. Jordan makes 100,000 cases, including 1/3 Chardonnay and 2/3 Cabernet. Most are consumed in restaurants, resorts, cruise lines and direct sales. Jordan's new Estate Tour, with panoramic views of Napa Valley and Sonoma is offered by appointment Thursdays through Mondays beginning September 5th and priced at $120. per person. Reservations are now being taken. For questions call 800654-1213. For more, visit www.jordanwinery.com.

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