Jazz Uncorked
By David Ginochio

September 2001

Jazz Uncorked
Archive

Deerfield Ranch Pinot Noir Sebastopol Syrah Sunce Cabernet Simonsig Estate Wines Deerfield Ranch Wines Sobon Estate Barbera Peterson Zero Manipulation Roche Merlot & Pinot Noir Yorkville Cellars Wooden Valley Wines Milone Zinfandel Argonaut Syrah Claudia Springs Zin Pellegrini's Cab Westover Cab Storrs Grenache Tocai Friulano Lodi "Fancy Quest" 1998 Il Chiaretto Guest Columns Jacky Terrasson Prunotto R.H. Phillips' Malbec

Barbera (Fiulot) Prunotto 1999 By Fred L. Bouchard The concept: Old grape, new treatment! Barbera is one of the fresh, bright traditional red grapes of Northern Italy’s Piedmont, more famous as home of the noble Nebbiolo that makes grand, brooding Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the earthy and also long-lived Gattinara, Ghemme and Carema. Traditionally, Barbera is aged for months in oak barrels, but Prunotto has recently taken the unusual step of aging its Fiulot version in stainless steel, as if it were one of the region’s easy-going, delicate white grapes, like Gavi. The results are astonishing: the color is still bright garnet, but now it’s limpid; the nose reflects fresh black cherry and raspberry; and the taste has none of the tartness and tannin of many Barbera bottlings, but instead is juicy, approachable, and fairly bursting with plummy,naked fruit. It’s a shoo-in with combo pizzas, not-too-spicy red-sauce pastas, and backyard grills. It costs about as much as a new CD. Rating: 90 Visit the Prunotto Web Site

Another Bite Of The Apple BeatleJazz Zebra Acoustic By Fred L. Bouchard When I took a quaff of this fruity, thoroughly believable wine, I smacked my lips, took another, and immediately thought of Dave Kikoski’s Beatles Project. This bright, swinging young pianist has taken on The Beatles’ venerable -- yes, traditional-- book of classics and translated it to your swinging jazz Rhythm Section -- piano, bass, and drums. Kikoski's results are equally astonishing: he distills the essence of the Lennon/McCartney (and one Ringo Starr) melodies, stripped to the bone and reimagined as jazz, with nearly none of the venerable Beatles trademarks (the vocals, the vamps) that made them cult hits. Volume 2 (following up last year’s Volume 1) includes Rubber Soul, Magical Mystery Tour and White Album favorites, not missing a trick. Additional AAJ review of Another Bite Of The Apple. Fred Bourchard hosts Crosscurrents (WMBR-FM, MIT Radio, Cambridge, MA, 88.1mHz, 2-4 Thursdays) and AGLIO (Italian wine-dine club.) Reach him at fbouchard@juno.com or visit his web site at www.fredbouchard.com.