Mt. Etna Speaks (through Frank Cornelissen)

Welcome to a ridiculously rambling post about my day with Frank in London.

"This morning is gone, the only thing I have is the future." Thus spoke Frank C. at the wine-centric restaurant Brawn, on a pre-natal street not far from the Bethnal Green tube stop. 

 I don't know him for long, but that was vintage Frank answering a question from a local writer about whether his wines made on Mt. Etna were the tastes of history.  I had come in a day early so I could swim in his wines for the day, as our visits had that 24 hour overlap. It was also my first stop at Brawn, a restaurant which should have pig in its middle name, but nevertheless there were some delectables, like wonderful English asparagus, artichoke (not from England!) and those afore mentioned sprats in a horseradish sauce which had more than a dash of personality. 

Munjebel Blanco 2007 #4: lanolin, iodine, fresh orange blossom with a hint of orange color

Munjebel Blanco2009 #6:  tannic, waxy, orange blossom

Contadino 20006 #4:  intense red, kirsch, even redder than I thought, tanned leather and zip.

Contadino 2009: Love this, very fresh, some puppy breath-like reduction on the finish but lots of delicacy up front. It's electric and a dash of tomato.

Munjebel Rosso 2005 #3:  this was made under the unlined anfora regime. Let's just say it wasn't my favorite. 

Munjebel Rosso 2006/07 #4: love when I have a note that says, yum. This is a blend of the two vintages. It has that characteristic waxiness that I get on FC's wines. Seems very stable and there's something heavenly, other-worldly, an intoxicating perfume, elegant, gentle. 

Munjebel Rosso 08/09 #6: "One day I'll call Munjabel, classico," said Frank. This at first spoke of an over-ripe nose but then orange, mandarin. begonia and leaf. Loved the balance and it had a spot on neato finish.

That night there was more Frank, but this time I crossed the Thames to Artisan and Vine in Battersea. Talk about Bridge and Tunnel. But sweet spot! Kathryn O'Mara put together a super cute, should be pub and I guess turned into a gastropub wine spot, a blessing for the neighborhood. 

That night several wine writers were around I'd been eager to meet. Fiona Beckett was one, Simon Woods  another. The back room was filled with a number of the curious. As I was.  At one point in the night I returned from a trip to the loo and realized I had left at the wrong time. Simon had made some observation that he appreciated the idea of the wines more than the wines themselves and he wasn't sure if he wasn't tasting more of Frank in the wines than Etna. 

If I ever had any doubt it was when the olive oil and grappa came out. Something that struck me in Frank's wines, especially in the Munjebel, is the waxy, orange blossom component coupled with a grit, like charcoal. I had the feeling that this charbon-like quality might have come from the basalt soil, which I've become fascinated with of late, thinking it might be one of the unsung great elements of terroir.

I taste the rich, sharp delicious olive oil? I got the same thing. Even more shocking, because I sure wasn't looking for it, the qualities came out on his astounding unapologetic, fierce, focused grappe. Mt. Etna speaks louder than Frank. Loudly. Clear. Strong.

 

Get this: Whole Foods on Kensington High Street has the biggest selection of real wines in the city. And they had Contadino on sale! For some reason Peter Hogarth tried to talk me out of it, then I looked over my notes and saw the kirsch, tanned leather exotic scribble? Had I lived there I'd have stocked up.

Comments

[Alfonso Cevola]

Hi Alice

I think it would be interesting to taste the wines "in loci" .

I know last year I was supposed to meet Anthony there and he talked about being on the hill and how special it was to taste the wines right on the spot.

I'd love to try them that way, away from lights and concrete with the smell of the mountain burning beyond.

thanks for sharing!

[Alicefeiring]

I'd love to taste the wines there, and one day, I will. We will? I do find it interesting that Frank says his wine tastes best in Japan.

[Joseph Di Blasi]

What?!! Contadino on the shelves at Whole Foods,UK??!! And, for only £14.99??!!
'
Ok, i don't know how I feel about that... Part of me thinks WTF?! and the other part of me thinks...cooool.

how do you feel about it Alice?

[www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkfNpbJn4JQhLvu_YSvANote5RW8D6FPU4]

Alice,.

Don't quite know what to make of them. Here are my notes.

2007 - 2008 MunJebel Rosso #5: Interesting wine. A bit funky on the nose, sort of bouquet of wet grass clippings. Medium red hue, good fruit but remained closed throughout with small moments of awakening. Need to try this in a year.

009 Cornelissen Vino da Tavola Rosso del Contadino No.7Funky wine. Color that resembles a cloudy Rosé. Bouquet of wet grass clippings. The wine seemed to go back and forth from sip to sip. Some sips displaying well balanced fruit with a soft finish, while others displayed very little. Honestly do not know what to make of this wine. While Cornelissen makes his wines without the addition of sulfites, those that I purchased do contain sulfites. Is this affecting the wine? Don’t know.

Do they need more cellar time?

Mark

[Joseph Di Blasi]

hey Mark

All of Frank's wines are made without the addition of sulfite's, but the label will still state "contains sulfite's" if there are more than 10mg of (naturally occurring) sulfur at time of bottling. So, although your bottle said "contains sulfite's", there were none added.

On another note, I taste the wines of Frank Cornelissen almost on a daily basis and have written more than once about them on my blog, if you are interested in reading about them. I am quite sure that Alice also has written about his wines on more than one occasion.
The wines can be a bit strange the first few times you experience them. They weren't designed to taste a certain way, rather they are an expression of his grapes in that particular vintage, nothing added and nothing taken. Perhaps you will develop a taste for them and perhaps not. I for one love them and think that his Munjebel Bianco is one of my favorite wines of all time.

Frank's wines are drinkable when they are released, but I have on occasion tasted bottles with a few years of cellar age and in my experience become a bit more delicate and feminine.

Cheers,

[Alicefeiring]

Thanks for clarifying the sulfur issue, Joseph, I was out of touch in Vermont so couldn't. Mark is no stranger to wines that reflect vintage, so he's definitely prepared for a roller coaster ride. But Frank's wines are pretty particular. Because of the no sulfur issue, we'd have to be sure the wines were shipped and stored well before they got into Mark's hands. But the reading on the Contadino seems to resonate with my memory and I can see how he got there. I just liked them more. However, I think not knowing what to make of a wine is a pretty great note. And as far as availability in WF? Why not!
What I don't know is why the shopkeep talked me out of buying one.

[dobianchi.com]

Contadino at Whole Foods? Sounds like a dream...

[ICWinePusher]

out of this world wines.