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sinagrace · 4 years

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Iceman’s been back on my mind lately. It started with the internet rumor that Shia Labeouf was being considered to play the role of Bobby Drake in a Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the X-Men. My DMs and @Mentions on social media were a mixture of intense reaction and then asking my take on who would make a great Bobby Drake (for the record: in my head I always saw him as a younger Antoni Porowski with a theater background, ‘cuz playing the funny guy with a vulnerable streak requires serious acting shops). My mind went back to the time of BC, when I was doing a lot of touring, and answering this very question because of my work on the Iceman book at Marvel. One thing led to another, and I decided to take a trip further down memory lane to look at my favorite volume of the series: Amazing Friends. Now, I know I’ve spent equal amounts of time publicly stating what a gift working on Iceman was, while also calling out the challenges that came with the experience, but the third volume really was a pure blessing. I was able to take every valuable lesson I learned as a writer, and apply it to telling a story that would be interesting to one person: Me. I’ve been a lifelong X-Men fan, I live and breathe comics, so my own expectations for a return to the series seemed like the only ones to really worry about meeting/ surpassing. The first two volumes had been so bogged down by rotating editors, complex continuity, company-wide events, multiple artists… The third volume was my chance to focus on what an Iceman series was outside of so much context. All that mattered was challenging myself to do an X-Men story that focused on the aspects of the franchise I felt were valuable and relevant, meaning: excuses to have Emma Frost be an asshole and finding an opportunity to make fun of Kitty Pryde’s haircut. Before moving on from Marvel, Axel Alonso made time to call me for a pep talk about the series. I wanted to get the series extended, and he wanted to help me succeed with the ten issues he could commit to. First, he offered an eleventh issue to give me more time on the stands. He took a look at everything I had planned, and basically told me to restructure with an eye for ramping up the pace. My writing background comes from prose and essays/ think pieces… both of which are methodical and provide some allowance from the reader to really take your time and set up the world before diving into the meat. That’s not the case with comics. You gotta work fast. Especially in today’s market, there is less and less room for a retailer to say, “give it two volumes, because shit starts really coming together by the third trade.” That was literally my speech for hooking people on such iconic series as Invincible, Fables, and Strangers in Paradise. Nowadays, every single issue is not a brick to be laid down as foundation so much as a bullet in your gun. Conflicting imagery, but that’s the point. Axel told me to think about the Big Moments in my life and sort out how to inject the mutant metaphor into it and make the most compelling comic book story I could. This was epic advice that I took with me into the new arc, but I struggled a bit with what could be bigger than the “coming out” storyline in volume one. Love was off the table because I wanted to keep Bobby single and ready to mingle. Death was off the table too, because my editor felt like we’d done enough with Bobby’s parents in the first two volumes. Upon looking at my own life, and considering the stuff me and my friends were dealing with, I landed on something a bit more reflective than LIFE or DEATH. I wanted to focus on that moment when a gay guy looks outside of himself and realizes the folks around him may not have it so easy. After everything we’ve been dealing with this summer, Iceman’s “big issue” of the arc feels oddly prescient. Bobby Drake had to reconcile his accidental complicit role in keeping the Morlocks down, and he has to investigate new approaches to being a better ally to those who don’t want to or can’t live under the protection of the X-Men. I used the Morlocks to allegorically speak to the issues that the trans/ NB community face today. Considering that trans folks are facing higher rates of homelessness and murder than other members of the LGBTQIA+ community, all I needed to do was find a perfect villain to treat the Morlocks as “lesser-than.” Cue Mister Sinister, who I wrote as particularly Darwinist with a major flair for interactive theater. While Amazing Friends definitely is the most fun I’ve had working on the book, it was also full of the heaviest shit I’ve written about. I’m so grateful that my editor let me use Emma Frost for a story about the trauma of gay conversion therapy with her brother Christian, but I’m still annoyed he wouldn’t let me put her in a sickening Givenchy outfit for her reveal. Similarly, creating the Madin character required that I chat with several mental healthcare professionals and members of the NB community to respectfully portray them as a resilient and fleshed out hero. I included personal lessons that I learned from years of the therapy (the sandcastle / sea image, a Jay Edidin fave moment). My editor and I weren’t always aligned, but we definitely were on each other’s side. He understood what I was trying to do and asked questions when something flew over his head, and he even had the good instincts to stop me from going too heavy handed with the ending. My original idea for the arc’s finale was to have Bobby become permanently scarred in his fight with Sinister, where he’d have a cool ice gash running across his face or something, a la Squall from Final Fantasy 8. The goal was to show Iceman stripping himself of his ability to pass as non-mutant to save the Morlocks, but the Mutant Pride fight scene being a stand-in for the Stonewall Riots kind of already made enough of a statement. Plus, no one in editorial wanted to deal with remembering to track his scar in other books. At first I tried to balk at his point of view, but when I looked over my original notes for the series, the point was to focus on optimism and hope. Giving Bobby a permanent scar and emphasizing the notion of sacrifice was too bleak a message for a series wherein the hero carbo-loads hoagies while riding an ice scooter and mutant drag queens emcee local festivals. Of course, the crowning achievement of the series… my mutant drag queen :) I’ve witnessed a lot when it comes to the world of pop culture and myth-making, and I 100% believe that you can’t plan the success of something. I’ve seen bands forced into breaking up because labels spend six figures failing at making listeners connect with an album. I witnessed firsthand how The Walking Dead was built from relatively humble beginnings as a buzzy cable drama into a literal international phenomenon over the course of its first three seasons. Everyone hopes for the best, but you never know how something will land with audiences. When the Shade character took off, I was truly astounded. Things I posted on Instagram while half-asleep became official quotes on major news sites. Queens and cosplayers were interpreting her like Margot Robbie had unveiled a new Harley Quinn lewk. The impact was so legit and immediate that we had to jump in and give Shade a proper Marvel hero alias, to truly welcome her into the X-Men canon. Hence the name change to Darkveil. (Funny story: I tried to fight hard for Madame X as an alias, but CB didn’t want another Agent X / “X-Name” character. Three months later, Madonna announced the Madame X album. Phew!) There was a time where I felt uncertain that the folks in charge at Marvel would bring Darkveil into any stories outside of the ones I wrote. My understanding was that Hickman was like the Cylons and had A Plan-- one that didn’t include her character. I made peace with my contribution to the Marvel Universe being contained, but then someone on social media pointed out that Darkveil showed up in an issue of Marvel Voices. After breaking down and reading Hickman’s House of X, I saw that his Plan was one of endless possibilities, and that he was moving EVERY character into new and dynamic places. I have hope now that he sees the possibilities with Darkveil, and takes advantage of her and all of her many body pouches. Amazing Friends really is my favorite thing I’ve done for the Big Two. I made a lifelong friend out of artist Nate Stockman (DC, please hire us for a Plasticman book), and I got to run a victory lap with the most encouraging and supportive readers out there. It was worth every dreadful conversation, every shitty thing a person said to me online, and all of the fun nonsense that goes into being creative for a living. Being stuck at home in quarantine has given me a lot of time to reflect on the gift that my career to date has been, and I feel so grateful to be where I am today. Other people may groan when they have to talk about something they’ve moved on from, but not me. I made people happier, I got to work with my favorite characters at Marvel, and and I'll say it again: it’s a frickin’ gift to make people move from your work. So, I will engage every tweet or message asking me my thoughts about who should play Bobby Drake in the Marvel Cinematic Universe… I’ll just never have a good answer.

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wineanddinosaur · 3 years

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We Asked 10 Sommeliers: What’s the Best Old-Vine Wine You’ve Ever Tasted?

This month, VinePair is exploring how drinks pros are taking on old trends with modern innovations. In Old Skills, New Tricks, we examine contemporary approaches to classic cocktails and clever techniques behind the bar — plus convention-breaking practices in wine, beer, whiskey, and more.

Who says you can’t teach an old vine new tricks? There’s no official definition, but old vines are typically those that are older than 50 years. Some vineyards have vines that are up to or even more than 100 years old. Because older vines don’t produce as many bunches of grapes, the fruit they do produce bears a more concentrated fruit flavor and tannin, plus balanced acidity. It all adds up to unusual wines that, when produced solely or mostly with these grapes (rather than blended with mostly younger fruit) boast exceptionally nuanced flavor profiles with surprising aromas and tastes.

All wine represents where it comes from, as well as a winemaker’s touch. But many somms appreciate old-vine wines’ ability to reflect a place’s history, whether it’s an iconic winemaker who resurrected old vines in Mt. Etna or a next-generation winemaker carrying on California’s Zinfandel legacy. Old-vine wines are associated with high quality — though this doesn’t always translate to being expensive — and they are often a source of pride for winemakers. So, when somms visit wineries and get to taste these old-vine wines with the vintners themselves, it creates a next-level experience that makes a wine truly unforgettable.

With all that potential for excellence in flavor, we polled sommeliers on the best old-vine wines they’ve ever tasted. Above all, the most memorable are those that surprised and delighted sommeliers with the kind of haunting palate and lingering finish that permanently sears a taste memory in their minds. From a fall-out-of-your-chair-good Sicilian wine to a Georgian wine that sent one somm’s taste buds into a frenzy, here are the expert picks.

The Best Old-Vine Vines Recommended by Sommeliers:

The Steeple Shiraz 2016

Bernard-Bonin Meursault ‘Les Genevrières’

Giodo Nerello Mascalese 2016

Ravenswood ‘Old Hill Ranch’ 1993

Orgo Rkatsiteli 2014

Martha Stoumen Wines Venturi Vineyard Carignan 2018

Domaine Rougeot Bourgogne Rouge ‘Les Vaux’ 2018

Samuel Tinon, Dry Szamorodni, Tokaj, Hungary 2009

I Vigneri ‘Aurora’ Etna Bianco

Jean-Michel Stéphan Côteaux de Tupin Côte-Rôtie 2009

Keep reading for details about all of the recommended bottles!

“Recently I tasted The Steeple Shiraz 2016 made from a 100-plus-year old-vine Shiraz from the Barossa Valley. I’m not the biggest Shiraz fan but the old vines tasted significantly different. You can really tell the difference between a quality wine made from more concentrated, complex grapes. It’s medium purple with notes of blueberries, plums, cranberries, and spice. It has a full body with velvety tannins and texture, and a lingering finish.” —Carolyn Pifer, Wine Educator and Lead Sommelier, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, Charlottesville, Va.

“Bernard-Bonin Meursault ‘Les Genevrières.’ As soon as you put your nose to the glass it is bursting with personality. It was reminiscent of Roulot or Coche-Dury — I fell in love immediately. The purity and honesty of this wine is astounding and haunting in the way that great Burgundy can be. It is bright gold in color with an intense flintiness on the nose along with toasted hazelnut and lemon zest. On the palate the layers of earth, fresh mushroom, and honeyed stone fruit [are] laced with a salty, stony minerality. This wine is medium-plus in body with a long finish driven by the energetic acidity.” —Megan Mina, Sommelier, Zero Restaurant + Bar, Charleston, S.C.

“Giodo Nerello Mascalese 2016. We were at their quaint facility outside of Montalcino, walking the vineyards and tasting the wines. I didn’t realize they made a Sicilian wine, and it was so good, I almost fell out of [my] chair. Tasting a wine I’ve never had, while bringing dear friends to the facility itself and tasting wines created by the maestro winemaker, Carlo Ferrini, was unforgettable. This wine has a light red color. On the nose, I remember it having strawberry, floral, and herbaceous notes. What stands out most is the fine line it walks between being both linear and powerful at the same time. It has a distinct minerality and a strong structure that helps achieve this. It’s a vibrant wine with wild berry, mountain herbs, and volcanic minerality. It’s also a great food wine.” —Jeremy Walker, Sommelier, General Manager and Wine Buyer, Bin 22, Jackson Hole, Wyo.

“I love old-vine wines because they represent the history of a place so well. The heritage vineyards of Sonoma County, Calif., offer some of the best examples. The 1993 Ravenswood ‘Old Hill Ranch’ is like nothing I’ve tasted before or since, with velvety structure and vibrant acidity, leather, and tobacco, but also with Zinfandel’s trademark peachy aromas. There is a reason it holds up as a standard-bearer in California’s old-vine repertoire. I got the chance to open this at Lazy Bear in San Francisco and tasted that and more California history with their sommelier team. The thing that made that experience unforgettable was seeing the future of this vineyard in such capable hands. Ravenswood is no longer under Joel Peterson’s watchful eye, but his son Morgan Twain Peterson just released a bottling of Old Hill Ranch under his label Bedrock Wine Co. We were so fortunate to taste the new release at Bedrock earlier the same day.” —Austin Farina, Sommelier/Captain, March, Houston

“Orgo Rkatsiteli ’14 from Kakheti, Georgia. Having learned about the rich history of Georgian winemaking and use of qvevris [large earthenware vessels used for fermentation], I was excited to try my first Georgian wine. Branched out from the prominent Georgian producer Dakishvili, Orgo produces wines made from old vines of at least 70 to 80 years of age. Not only was this wine well balanced, fresh, complex, and easy to drink, but it also sent my taste buds into a frenzy. Although this was not my first skin-contact white, this wine exceeded my expectations and set a high benchmark for other orange/amber wines out there. This wine had great acidity, complexity, and tannin. Aromas of pineapple, fresh and dried apricot, bruised apple, preserved lemon, dried shiitake mushroom, underbrush, honeysuckle, and chamomile tea jump from the glass.” —Tiffany Bulow, Sommelier, Oste, Los Angeles

“Martha Stoumen’s 2018 Venturi Vineyard Carignan from Mendocino County, Calif. My wife and I visited Pax Wines in Sebastopol, Calif., and were introduced to one of Pax’s winemakers, Rosalind Reynolds. Rosalind proceeded to pour a spread of Pax, Martha Stoumen, and Emma Wines for us while going into the history of Carignan as a once-dominant grape in California, and its triumphant return to the spotlight. Like many memorable bottles of wine, this one had a lot to do with the people I drank it with, and the evening’s conversation. This light-bodied red remains synonymous with dusk in my mind — a deep lingonberry on the palate, floral notes, and medium tannins.” —Clara Kann, Partner and Sommelier, Rooftop Reds, Brooklyn

“2018 Domaine Rougeot Bourgogne Rouge ‘Les Vaux.‘ I poured this wine at my wedding! We got married during Covid, so we had a small get-together at my mom’s house in Laguna Beach. We had steak frites and shared several bottles with family. It’s such a beautiful bottle of wine, in part due to the age of these vines. The vines are up to 70 years old! It’s an approachable wine now but can continue to age. Classic structure, with bright fruit from the whole-cluster fermentation. Hints of plum skins, red cherry, sweet violet, and limestone minerality. This wine is aged in oak barrels for eight to 10 months on the fine lees. The tannins are smooth and approachable in their youth.”—Arden Montgomery, Co-founder, Argaux, Costa Mesa, Calif.

“Samuel Tinon Dry Szamorodni, Tokaj, Hungary 2009. The winemaking technique here is super cool. And Samuel Tinon is iconic. The Szamorodni comes from the Határi vineyard, which has 90-plus-year-old bush-trained vines. The volcanic soils here in Hungary have a 15-million-year-old base and the wines produced are aged under floor in a similar style to sherry. This is a grand cru and is exquisite. It’s not as nutty or oxidized as sherry, but it has a super-unctuous texture full of dried apricot, dried orange peel, honey, and almond. With all that going on, it’s still, like sherry, very versatile. I’d sip on this with pork with sage or fennel, or a platter of ALL the cheeses.” —Zwann Grays, Sommelier and Wine Director, Olmsted and Maison Yaki, Brooklyn

“One that stands out as a favorite is the I Vigneri ‘Aurora’ Etna Bianco from the volcano Mt. Etna, Sicily. It’s a blend of about 90 percent Carricante and 10 percent Minella and comes from very old vines, some over 100 years old, that had been abandoned and were revived by winemaker and key proponent in the wine appellation’s renaissance, Salvo Foti. The vineyard is at over 1,200 meters above sea level, in the village of Milo, the one demarcated grand cru for the white wines of the region. What made it so memorable was just how hauntingly delicious it was. I can still taste it when I think of it. It had a vibrant light-golden hue, aromas of lemon, quince, flinty stone, and honeycomb. The palate was textured, creamy but incredibly lifted, with a striking purity and freshness of fruit, a mineral backbone, and a long, elegant finish.” —Iris Rowlee, Wine Director, Octavia, San Francisco

“Tasting across 17-plus years professionally, the old-vine wines always stand out. The best are light on their feet and powerful. I find the very best old vine wines are left on their own with very little cosmetic winemaking. I love the whole-cluster old vine Gamay, Syrah, and Mencia. I seek out Jean-Michel Stéphan Côteaux de Tupin Côte-Rôtie 2009. I’ve had this amazing wine many times over the years, most recently during my stint as sommelier at Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn in May. The wine is elegant and deep. The attack is spicy, slightly sour, full of sweet herbs, meat, and ripe plums. Mid- palate deepens these flavors, and the finish is lightning — everything brightens, and black pepper and crushed stone cleans the palate. The finish here is technically short, but you’ll think about this damn wine forever.” —Ted Glennon, Advanced Sommelier, Asilomar Fine Wine, Salinas, Calif.

The article We Asked 10 Sommeliers: What’s the Best Old-Vine Wine You’ve Ever Tasted? appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/wa-10-best-old-vine-wine/

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johnboothus · 3 years