"There is a red wine of Nebiule (Nebbiolo) made in this neighborhood which is very singular. It is about as sweet as the silky Madeira, as astringent on the palate as Bordeaux, and as brisk as Champagne. It is a pleasing wine." - Thomas Jefferson ~ 1787  

Nothing new under the sun?  Try this one!  Is it red?  Is it Rose?  Does it sparkle?  (Yes, No, Maybe….just a bit)  Some years ago, Darrell Corti, the venerable repository of Italian wine knowledge on the West Coast and owner of the Corti Brothers market in Sacramento read his longtime friend Aldo Vaira of G.D.Vajra in Barolo the above quote by Thomas Jefferson.  Aldo, intrigued at this arcane piece of vinous history in Barolo, subsequently showed it to his son Giuseppe and, together, they had the inspiration to create a wine modeled on the ‘Nebiule’ Jefferson so enjoyed two and a half centuries ago.  It took a few years of trial and error but, finally, the Vajras successfully created something not only savory and super delicious, but also a very close facsimile of just the kind of Nebbiolo enjoyed long ago in the Langhe.  They called the wine Claré J.C., Claré being an Italian approximation of Claret, the traditional English descriptor for all good dry reds, but particularly for Bordeaux, and ‘J’ for Jefferson and ‘C’ for Corti.  The wine is 100% Nebbiolo, made in what the Vajras call the Metodo Ancestrale, the carefully researched ‘Ancestral Method’ they adopted and modernized.  Some 20% of the whole Nebbiolo grape clusters are placed at the bottom of a vat which is then filled with the rest of the crushed fruit.  The fermentation starts spontaneously and, after eight days or so, the must is decanted into an autoclave tank where it undergoes a natural malo-lactic fermentation as well.  Because of the trapped CO2 in the solution, the wine finishes just barely frizzante, or a very lightly sparkling, the way all wines were back in the days before stabilization.  Just slightly (barely perceivably) off-dry, high in acid, luminously red and with the tannins of the Nebbiolo grape gently present, it’s super fresh and lively in the mouth, but finishes with finesse and length. Meant to take a slight chill, the Vajra JC Claret is best paired with a nice platter of smoked meats or any dish that needs a good zingy wine with grip to clear the palate. Unsurpassed with a hunk of really good Parm too!  And with more hot weather on the way, a cold bottle of this in the backyard alongside burgers or steaks off the grill might be just the ticket.  And, check this out, while you wouldn’t normally think so, and we personally have not been able to keep our hands off our own bottles long enough to prove it, we hear anecdotally this wine can cellar very well too!  The debut vintage is apparently still drinking very well.  Uniquely Nebbiolo and very, very delicious, we think Tommy Jeff would have definitely approved.