The Last Supper and Saints

Welcome to our March Wine Club, focusing on Women and Wine. Our two wines for this month are made by women – one in California and one in Italy. Both are superb expressions of sainted terroir and grapes.

Where it begins…

Our first wine is a Tuscan red from the hills of Tenuta i Colli, Siena. The producer, Bindi Sergardi, places the origin of their wine-making estate at 1349 AD. At that time, Siena was the seat of the Republic of Siena, which dominated the Tuscan countryside through the 13th c. – especially in banking and commerce.  The 14th c proved a bit more difficult, and in 1348, Siena was heavily affected by the Bubonic Plague, and its rival – the Republic of Florence – gained in influence. Just before that (literally) fatal year, Catherine of Siena was born. Though a lay woman, she devoted her life to piety and politics. Catherine was a supporter of the pope in the eternal power-struggle between religious and secular rule and, though she lived in Siena, she was several times called to act as a peace liaison between the Republic of Florence and the popes. It may have been her influence that resulted in the relocation of the papal administration from Avignon to Rome in 1377. After her diplomatic mission and back in Siena, Catherine continued her life of spiritual writing and ascetic piety; ascetics generally did not consume wine (or meat) and it is unlikely that Catherine would have enjoyed those fruits of the Tuscan countryside. Rather, extreme fasting may have speeded her death. That ascetism and her “receiving the stigmata” paved the way for her sainthood. In 1461, “Saint” Catherine was canonized by Pope Pius II.

In the 2nd half of the 15th century - around the time that Catherine was canonized in Siena -  many in the Bindi Sergardi family were involved in politics and administration of the Republic of Siena. Unlike Catherine, that family favored independent institutions over papal control – putting them at odds with Rome. But, in addition to the popes, that independence was also challenged by emperor Charles V, who ultimately defeated the Republic in battle.  Achille Sergardi and his son, Niccolò, were strong supporters of the Republic until its end. The i Colli estate – from which our wine was produced - is said to have hosted the embassy of Charles V in peace negotiations.

Following four centuries of waxing and waning fortunes, the Republic was fully ceded to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany – ruled by the House of Medici in Florence. Florence already had a thriving arts scene in the 15th c., amid patronage of that same Medici family. Chief among the artists that called Florence home was Leonardo da Vinci. There he influenced numerous other artists, such as Michaelangelo and Raphael. It is also where he painted his most famous work, The Mona Lisa, a portrait of a Florentine woman.  He didn’t aways live in Florence, however, and he painted another famous piece, The Last Supper, in the final years of the 15th century while working on commission in Milan. His “supper” is not true to the Passover feast to which the painting refers, but rather consists of foods that he and his contemporaries may have feasted upon. One case in point is the eel dish that he depicted . Eels are found in lakes throughout Italy, but were certainly found in the Orbetello lagoon, which was part of the Repubic of Siena. They were also famously fished in the nearby Lake Bolsena, from which the gluttonous consumption of “eels drowned in vernaccia” landed Pope Martin V into the Purgatory of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy (Purgatorio Canto XXIV). Dante was born in Florence in the 13th c. and, like Catherine, served as an ambassador for that Republic in support of papal power. He was sent to San Gimignano, home to some of the finest vernaccia wines. The red tinge of the wine in da Vinci’s depicted feast indicates that it was not vernaccia. It looks rather like a rosé.

Plautilla Nelli’s Last Supper

Though da Vinci’s The Last Supper is one of the most recognized, it was not the only- nor the earliest- rendering of that biblical topic. Countless others exist, including one by pop artist Andy Warhol. The first-known rendition is found in an illustrated manuscript dating to the 6th century AD, the Codex Purpureus Rossanensis. The many versions share the common feature of Jesus and the Apostles gathered at a table set for a feast. From there, though, other details are often modified – in particular the meal, itself. Plautilla Nelli was a nun and self-taught artist; she was the first woman to paint the scene, in 1568. Her 7 meter long (23 foot) canvas work included foods typical to her own dining. There are no eels here, and relative to da Vinci’s, her red wine is decidedly darker and, by appearance, unfiltered. She completed the work while living in Florence at the Dominican convent of Santa Caterina di Siena (Saint Catherine of Siena), where meals would have included items she depicted, such as roast lamb, heads of lettuce, fava beans, and red wine (more here). Nelli’s other works also had biblical and religious themes, including her painting, Saint Catherine Receives the Stigmata.

…Where it ends

Our second wine comes from the Land of Saints, from California’s Central Coast. That wine region runs from Santa Barbara, past Santa Cruz, and on to San Francisco. Starting in the 18th c., the Spanish established 15 missions between Santa Barbara and San Francisco, as they colonized the coast and forcibly converted its people to Catholicism. Junipero Serra, a Franciscan from Spain, was heavily involved in the missions, establishing several of them and serving as president of the group of missions. He forcibly carried out his duties of conversion and economic growth of the mission lands at the expense of the rights and properties of the land’s native occupants. Among the agricultural products introduced to the mission’s gardens were “mission” grapes – descendants of Spain’s Listan Prieto grapes), as wine was necessary to perform Catholic religious rites.

At the time of the Spanish missionizing, there was no wine industry and there were no saints from the California region. The namesake for the mission of Santa Barbara was a 3rd c girl born in either Greece or Lebanon. There is still no saint from California, though Junipero Serra – born in Spain – was controversially beatified in 1988. There may yet be a Saint from California, however. Cora Evans converted to Catholicism from the Mormon faith in 1935, and later moved to the Santa Cruz mountains. She was said to be a mystic and to have had visions of Jesus and the virgin Mary. Evans is also said to have “received the stigmata”, further paving the way for her potential beatification. Her sainthood case received approval from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which allows the effort to continue. Unlike Catherine of Siena, Evans was not an ascete.

Cora Evans moved from southern California to the Santa Cruz area in 1956, just a year before she died. A few year prior to that, Santa Cruz got a few new residents – made of wax. Katherine Stubergh was a famous wax artist from a family of wax artists. She and her daughter, also named Katherine, were commissioned to create a life-sized replica of The Last Supper. The 7.7 meter (25 foot) long work took 8 months to complete. It was purchased for $20,000 from Harry Liston, who commissioned the work. There seems to be some confusion in the records about the piece(es?) as a second one may exist in Texas. The Santa Cruz model now is on permanent display in the cemetery of the Santa Cruz Memorial, a family-owned and operated funeral home. The table is set with glasses and carafes, but seemingly no real wine.

Stubergh wax Last Supper - https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2299363318621537148

Back to the Wine

Bindi Sergardi Achille IGT Toscana Rosso

Photo credit: https://www.lastbottlewines.com/product/detail/LB7358.html

The wine is an homage to Achille Sergardi, noted member of the Bindi Sergardi family of the 16th century, Republic of Siena. The wine comes from the i Colli estate that hosted the embassy from Charles V, as noted above. Now, some 500 years later, we can enjoy wines from this estate, produced by the 24th generation of that same family.  Alessandra Casini Bindi Sergardi manages the property. She is also winemaker, along with Federico Cerelli & Stefano Di Blasi.

The Achille is composed of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot grapes; they are young (10-15 year vines) and grown in limestone soils.  The grapes were co-fermented in stainless steel with wild yeast. The wine stays on the skins for 15-days, then spends 3 months in barrique. It is filtered and fined for that beautiful, ruby color.

The result is an intense, bright, and beautiful Toscana Rosso. The palate has ample cherry from the Sangiovese, some blackberry and currant, and a pleasant roundness from the merlot.

This wine screams for porchetta (preferably stuffed with offal), or an herbed-cheese ravioli.

Land of Saints Rosé, Santa Barbara County

Photo Credit: https://vinovoresilverlake.com/products/land-of-saints-rose

Where is the land of saints? The name is a deliberate play on the mission-derived city names of the Central Coast, but it is also Cornwall, England – known as the Land of Saints and the birthplace of one of the producer’s triumvirate of owners. Angela and Jason (of Cornwall) Osborne, and Manuel Cuevas, are collaborative winemakers and owners.

This rosé contains 50% Grenache and 50% Mourvedre grown in soils formed of decomposed granite, gneiss, and clay. The grapes are fermented separately before blending. The blended wine spends11 weeks on the lees, and are then bottled on a new moon.

This is one for the acid lovers! Great acid, fruit and savory notes. Rhubarb in the mouth makes this one sing, and also makes me think of my mother. I’m pretty sure I would drink this with her chicken ala king on homemade biscuits…

That’s it for this month — don’t forget to listen to the playlist (you can find the link in the next blog post) while you drink your wines, and stay tuned for more spring and garden updates!