Marco De Bartoli delighted us last week over lunch with superb estate wines bottled by Firriato in Trapani, Sicily. I was particularly pleased with a captivating rosé made from Nero d’Avola and Petit Verdot from Feudi Bordonaro. The Brancciforti Rosato 2010 is fresh and fragrant with ripe strawberries and nectarine. In the mouth it exhibits energetic, tart pie fruit with underlying notes of mineral. Finishes light and refreshing. $8.79/750ml.

The appetizer of fried calamari – a la recherche du temps perdu, indeed – that we shared at lunch sent me to the floating city of Venice, where I could sit by the Canal Grande and savor plentiful platefuls of fried marine delicacies cooked to perfection while lazily watching lumbering water buses, nimble gondoliers poling their vessels, and speedboats jetting here and there. A steaming, fragrant cup of thick black coffee would then propel me into the labyrinthine calle in search of mask making shops, glass blowers, and tiny hardware shops packed with everything from trays of colorful mineral pigments waiting to be made into paint, used and new violins and guitars, lace, and other antiques, to more mundane articles of household utility.

The last two years I’ve looked forward to early summer and the release of Eric Chevalier’s Pinot Noir Rosé. The Domaine De L’Aujardière is located just southwest of Nantes. Grapes are farmed sustainably on the granite rich soils. The wines are aged underground in glass-lined cuves without being filtered before bottling. Domaine De L’Aujardière 2010 Val de Loire Pinot Noir Rosé is redolent of ripe nectarine and rose water. The initial attack is sharp with notes of nectarine and cranberry complimenting taut tannins and acidity. Finishes lightly tart with plenty of fruit. $14.99/750ml.

Christine and Daniel Chaussy, owners of Mas de Boislauzon, are esteemed primarily for their Chateauneuf du Pape. But as in almost every vintage, they bottle an outstanding vin de table called La Chaussynette. The 2010 vintage is no exception. Very dark ochre in the glass, with fragrant herbes de provence in the nostrils and a hint of truffle. Full-bodied, assertive and peppery with edgy fruit, tight mouth-coating tannins, and notes of wood smoke on the long finish. $11.99/750ml.

In stock as of this week:

Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona 2006 Brunello di Montalcino, $54.99/750ml., $30.99/375ml.
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona 2006 Pianrossa Brunello, $68.99/750ml.

“Wine, suave and sun’d as wine should be, out of wine cometh unity, bang the drum and strike the bell.” Confucian Odes (Pound).

Our upcoming tasting schedule:

Friday, June 24, 5 p.m. – La Cave “les Costiéres De Pomerols” Picpoul De Pinet 2010, La Chausynette 2010 Vin de France

Saturday, June 25, 5 p.m. – Martínsancho 2009 Rueda Verdejo and Wolfberger Cremant d’Alsace Rosé

Sunday, June 26, 4 p.m. – Pelican Brewery