Frank said he’d love to have dinner in New York, but asked that we not try to produce a Sicilian meal in his honor, but to instead try something different, which would be much more entertaining for him (and possibly for us too since we have yet to eat Sicilian food here that comes anywhere near the real thing). So we invite you to a splendid banquet dinner of excellent Chinese food, which will be both delicious and a very interesting match to taste with the entire new line-up of Frank’s wines (detailed below). So please join us on Thursday November 15th, at 7pm at Mandarin Court Restaurant, 61 Mott St. - $80 per person all inclusive (dinner with wines, tip, and tax). To reserve a seat, please call or email the store.
Last year Frank Cornelissen moved into a new cellar, and he’s making the best wines of his career. The cellar is hyper-clean – I thought we might be asked to remove our shoes. Cleanliness is critical in most cellars but even more so at Cornelissen, because no chemicals are used in the winery –no additives, enzymes, added yeasts, and most importantly no sulfur. Fermentations and maceration are made in high-grade, impermeable large plastic barrels, since without any sulfur on the premises it would be very hard to ensure that wood was truly clean; aging is in anfora – very large terracotta vessels. Frank finally has sufficient space to operate to his exacting standards, and it’s showing in the wines, which have a focus, energy, and expression of terroir that’s remarkable.
In the cellar, the anfora are buried in the ground, so just the tops are visible.
Did we mention that we have all of Cornelissen's new wines in stock?
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Cornelissen, Frank 2011 Vino da Tavola Munjebel Bianco 8
The grapes (Caricante, Cattarato, and Coda di Volpe) for the Bianco go through both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations on the skins, and thus the wine picks up lots of interesting tannic structure, as well as some golden color. The wine is presently somewhat cloudy, as it's not fined or filtered. Not a wine that shows much fruit, but rather a more soil-driven experience with hints of citrus and spices. A unique bottle that one won't soon forget.
Cornelissen, Frank 2011 Etna Munjebel Rosso #8
A properly earthy and mineral wine, with deep savory aromas along with nice brambly berry fruit; finishes long and a bit rustic. As with the entire line-up, the wine shows great focus and depth.
Cornelissen, Frank 2011 Etna Rosso "MC" Munjebel Rosso #8
MC stands for Monte Colla, which is a high-elevation vineyard. The wine has a distinct character, and it’s quite a powerful expression of Nerello Macalese: deep, structured, tannic, rich with kirsch-like fruit balanced with fresh acidity, long and chewy. A very young wine with lots of upward potential.
Cornelissen, Frank 2011 Etna "M" 10th Anniv. Munjebel Rosso #8
This bottling celebrates Frank’s 10th Anniversary on Etna; it’s Magma – or rather it’s from the vines that produce grapes for Magma, but ‘declassified’ to “M”. This is a wine rich with contrasts, which speaks both of Mount Etna's floral pastures and stretches of black volcanic earth. In M (or Magma), it means soaring aromatics of dark berry and plum fruit coupled with amazing density in texture. If it wasn't for the wine's vibrant mountain acidity, one could become overwhelmed by the wine’s sheer mass, but it manages to walk a line between elegant and unbridled. Magma is a selection from Frank's oldest vines, and usually isn't harvested until well into November long after the other winemakers in Etna have brought in all of their fruit. It is only after this very long ripening cycle that Nerello Mascalese shows its breed and complexity. Frank named this bottling "Magma" because he considers it liquid earth; we couldn't agree more.
