Philip Bernot, wine director at Wishing Well Liquors in Easton, joins the Coastal Style team to share tasting notes about interesting wine
Photography by Jill Jasuta
Many people like to drink red wine all year ‘round, to which I say “great!” I like red wine in the summer. I like white, and rosé, too. You should always drink what makes you happy.
The summer is a good time to venture off the beaten path of what you may usually drink, but not all reds are created equal for summertime sipping. There are many more options than you might think in wine of all colors, and if exploring different types of wine from different places around the world isn’t the point of wine, I’m not sure what is.
I like lighter bodied reds that are aromatic and non-fatiguing. That steakhouse Cabernet Sauvignon definitely has its place—the steakhouse. But for lighter meals, boat rides, dock parties, and enjoying the bounty of coastal living, something fresher, brighter, and lighter makes sense. Here are three wines I love for summer style:
That steakhouse Cabernet Sauvignon definitely has its place—the steakhouse. But for lighter meals, boat rides, dock parties, and enjoying the bounty of coastal living, something fresher, brighter, and lighter makes sense.
Clos Fornelli Corse I La Robe D’Ange Rouge 2022, Corsica, France
Talk about captivating aroma! It’s almost too hard to believe that grape juice could create something so exotic and floral. Clos Fornelli is made from everyone’s favorite grape, Sciaccarellu, and please don’t rely on me for a proper pronunciation on that.
Sciaccarellu is a grape of Italian heritage, which is true of most of Corsica’s wine grapes. On the mainland of Italy Sciaccarellu is known as Mammolo. Tuscany is where mostly Mammolo is found, it is used in blending to make Chianti to accentuate aromatics. In the case of Clos Fornelli, the aromatics don’t need more accentuation.
Beyond the beyond-captivating nose, Clos Fornelli Rouge has a luscious medium body and engaging sweet/tart fruit flavors. It was very tempting to think this wine would be an ideal candidate for drinking chilled, but an alarm went off in my head that said it wasn’t going to work.
I experimented, trying the wine about five degrees cooler than room temp, and it only served to mute the floral aroma and tighten the fruit on the palate. That’s good news if you are sitting on the dock and taking in the sunset.
Beaujolais ‘Cuvée I Louis Vieilles Vignes’ 2020, Jacques Dépagneux, Burgundy, France
A proper Beaujolais is close to my perfect wine—fresh, refreshing, quaffable, affordable. Unfortunately most consumers have never had a proper Beuajolais, and that’s a pity.
At its best, Beaujolais is the best. Not the most impressive, certainly not the most expensive, but definitely the most fun. A large percentage of American wine buyers have only experienced Beaujolais wine from the Nouveau craze some decades ago. While those waiter races were fun, I guess, the typical Nouveau Beuajolais of the 1980’s has little to do with today’s Beaujolais wines.
Jacques Dépagneux Cuvée Louis Vieilles Vignes is both a classic wine and an excellent value. Chocked full of Gamay grape goodness, the bright red fruit flavors dance on the palate easily, never misstepping, to a clean and vibrant finish. It is such a welcome relief in a world of over-made wines to taste something this lively. This wine is an excellent choice for light snacks, cheese, and cured meats, and most especially conversation. If you only know Pinot Noir, think about the old vine Beaujolais instead. Most Pinot Noir at fifteen bucks isn’t even in the same league as this bottle for crisp drinkability.
Cantina del Pino I Barbaresco 2019, Piedmont, Italy
A lot people know Barolo wine from the Piedmont region of Italy, but not as many are familiar with Barbaresco—a wine made in the same general place, with exactly the same grape (Nebbiolo), but is often more enjoyable to drink young and not as dependent on cellar aging.
At its best, whether Barolo, Barbaresco or some of the very eclectic regions in northern Piedmont, Nebbiolo is definitely one of the great red wine grapes of the world. Nebbiolo is aromatic and elegant; a proper Barolo is not a blockbuster wine in the vein of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. The weathered brick color and acid/fruit tension of good Nebbiolo is closer in character to Pinot Noir than Cabernet, though definitely not the same as either.
If you do know Barbaresco, congratulations, and you may know the historic Cantina del Pino producer. The Vacca family has been working the vines at Cantina del Pino since the 1920’s, making it one of the oldest estates in Barbaresco. The family was one of the original members of the esteemed cooperative Produtorri del Barbaresco, but dropped out to focus on estate bottling their wines in 1997.
Nothing is quite like a really good Nebbiolo. The dried rose aromas, the fresh and succulent fruit that meets the astringent and palate cleansing tannins that are more from grape skins than wood barrels, and that magical brick/earthenware color that is so pretty to the eye if you prize balance and freshness over maximum extraction. Cantina del Pino always delivers an outstanding Nebbiolo experience, and this 2019 Barbaresco is one of my favorite efforts from them.