Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 67 classic arugula bite," showed as "broader on the palate"; May found it "very creamy, with more body than you'd expect." And the Pinot Bianco defied expectations, too. "It's a lot more persistent than you'd think," noted Mary Allison Wright, co-owner of hot spot RiNo Yacht Club and boutique retailer The Proper Pour. "And that hint of green apple makes my mouth water." Wade Vizena agreed, noting that in his capacity as Wine Director of fine-dining institution Flagstaff House, "I've always been a fan of Pinot Bianco as an alternative to both Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. But this one in particular has a lot of character." It was the Müller-Thurgau, though, that emerged as the crowd favorite alongside a vibrant salad of mixed lettuces, radishes, cherries and straciatella in poppy-seed vinaigrette. "We had a scratch-and-sniff book when I was a kid that the orange- rind notes here remind me of," riffed Bar Director Jason Snopkoski of Avanti Food and Beverage, encapsulating the views of the group as a whole. Sazama explained that it's planted in porphytic soil at nearly 2,300 feet, where excellent ventilation encourages "purity of fruit without the searing acidity of Riesling, which can put off guests." In that regard, Arcana Manager Louisa Clark thought Müller-Thurgau could provide a teaching moment to diners who reflexively fret about sweet wines: "It would be a lot of fun to give them a taste of this—those fresh, bright, ripe aromatics might make them think it's sweet." Speaking of teaching moments, som - meliers might consider that the average wine drinker would likely be surprised to discover that Tuscany, romanticized as it is for gently rolling hills, contains its share of higher-altitude vineyards. Lamole di Lamole boasts some of the highest plots in Chianti Classico, steep enough for terracing and yielding fruit with elegance, Sazama asserted, enhanced by blending and deferred extrac - tion. We tried three bottlings with a dish of Colorado Wagyu ribeye atop a caponata- like ragù: a 2012 Blue Label and a 2012 Vigneto di Campolungo Gran Selezione, both containing small percentages of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as a 2013 Riserva with a bit of Canaiolo. For Jenica Flippo, Wine Director at the nationally acclaimed OAK at Fourteenth, the 2012s offered a moment of reflection about Chianti Classico as a whole: "In the somm community, everybody's all 'Make sure it's 100 percent Sangiovese,'" she mused. "But if you add Cab and Merlot with restraint, you've still got that classic, bright, red fruit as well as more integrated tannins. They're not there for body and juiciness; they're there for structure." Meanwhile, her colleague Bryan Dayton—co-owner of both OAK and its celebrated sibling Acorn—preferred the Riserva for having "a little more complexity: earthy, mushroomy, tobacco leafy. The tan - nins are silky but still structured, so it's great with the beef." No surprise there—after all, the cattle was also raised at high altitudes, making for an elevated pairing indeed. Lunch kicked off with a reception featur- ing Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Prestige and an assortment of salumi.