Our dinner group enjoyed another fine outing when we returned to one of our favs, Ca Dario Cucina in Goleta. The wine theme was champagne, white and red Italian wines not from Tuscany or Piedmont. We complied with the theme pretty much extensively.
Champagnes and white wines:
2014 JOSE DHONDT BLANC de BLANC BRUT mes VILLES VIGNES GRAND CRU OGER in magnum- I had taken this bottle to a Spanish wine dinner 2 nights prior and had about half of it left over, so this was the perfect time to explore the bottom half of the bottle; it was very similar in that it had lots of sweet citrus notes delivered in a creamy lush texture; there was bright acidity and an emphasis on the sweetness tho I could not find any dosage info, my guess is it was at least at 10 gpl.
2011 ROEDERER BLANC de BLANC BRUT- recently, I attended a champagne event in Santa Monica put on by Wallys Wine & Spirits; Roederer was represented at one of the tables by a rep I’ve known for a few years and after he poured 08 Cristal repeatedly for me every time I passed by the table, he suggested I try the 11 BdB citing that it was 100% Grand Cru fruit from Avize that usually goes into Cristal, but none was made in 11, so its all in here; I loved it and bought a few bottles soon after; this was the first bottle to be opened; its really good as I remembered with lots of richness and fresh citrus notes that are delightfully carried in a creamy mousse to the back end; it was like lemon meringue pie with a spicy, mild white pepper accent. Pretty tasty for an “off” vintage bubbly.
NV CHAMPAGNE LANSON IVORY LABEL DEMI SEC- there was an immediate TCA hit on the nose and I almost tossed it, but took a sip and discovered a very full bodied, rich and viscous mouthful of honeyed citrus; it was almost good enough to get past the corkiness, but not quite; I tossed it after 2 sips.
2006 ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT- Ive been fortunate to have quite a few Cristals in the last few weeks from different vintages but not 06 so it was another treat to explore and compare to past 06s and other vintages; the highlight of this bottle was elegance from the nose though the tail; nice and mild spicy citrus aromas move into lemon and lime with a touch of saline on the palate; its got lots of body and weight with amazing richness; I went back later on and retested and everything had moved up a notch to give this regal quality. The 06 to me is the epitome of grace and charm.
2010 HUBERT LAMY EN REMILLY SAINT-AUBIN 1er Cru- yellow gold in color, this very nice white Burg impressed first with some minerality and then with slightly sweetened citrus fruit and green apple following up; the hallmark was the mouthfeel as this had an oily, viscous soothing texture which allowed for a long, satisfying finish.
2010 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY EN REMILLY SAINT-AUBIN 1er Cru- this is such a gem and thankfully makes repeated appearances at our dinners; it has all of the attributes of a fine wine with inviting aromatics, lots of savoury flavors, great mouthfeel and a long, satisfying finish; it`s hallmark is its impeccable balance.
2014 PIERRE-YVES COLIN-MOREY MORGEOT les FAIRENDES CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1er Cru- this mineral laced beauty gave lots of pleasure with fresh and ripe citrus notes with a hit of flint past mid palate and in the finish; it had bright acidity and was round and seamless.
2016 TENUTA dell ORNELLAIA POGGIO ALLE GAZZETOSCANA- 13.5% abv; 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Viognier, 10% Vermentino; pale yellow color; SB is especially noticeable in the nose with grassy, herbaceous notes; overall, it was a very nice, elegant wine with bright acidity, a bit of sweetness and a late arrival of minerals and mint enhanced the mild flavors of grapefruit and passion fruit.
2012 EMIDIO PEPE TREBBIANO d`ABRUZZO- 100% Trebbiano d’Abruzzo; the color was a deep yellow; the nose suggested a red wine as red cherry notes were most prevalent, but on the palate as it definitely had lots of white fruit character with mineral infused lemon grass and lemon zest blending in; it was very mild in its expression.
Red wines:
2004 LAMBORGHINI CAMPOLEONE UMBRIA- 50% Sangiovese, 50% Merlot; the color and nose suggested this had some age on it with earthy, dried black currant notes; the taste was mindful of an Amarone with raisiny dried black fruit with some dark chocolate blended in; this grew on me and evolved into a splendid wine with lots of depth and complexity, good feel and length and an overall satisfying experience.
2001 FEUDI di SAN GREGORIO SERPICO- 100% Aglianico; Ive long been a fan of this wine and almost pulled an 03 for this dinner; this bottle was very youthful with a dark pure purple color, vibrant close to primary fruit throughout and an abundance of energy; the nose had some talc and sandalwood accented black raspberry and cherry along with milk chocolate; it was full bodied and full throttle; clearly, it needs a lot more time and would best be decanted well in advance of serving.
2012 PAOLO BEA SAN VALENTINO UMBRIA- 13.5% abv; 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagratino and Montepulciano; for a 2012, this seemed really much older with earthy and dried tertiary black current fruit; it was very tannic and finished quite dry.
2010 DAL FORNO ROMANO SUPERIORE VALPOLICELLA- 70% Corvina and Corvina Grosso, 20% Rondinella and the rest Croatina and Oseleta; another great bring of one of my favs anytime, anywhere, this wondrous wine showcased some of its treasures although in very youthful form; it gave generous amounts of spicy, smoky dark fruit with black cherry most prominent; the only downside was it finished quite dry.
2010 DAL FORNO ROMANO AMARONE della VALPOLICELLA- made from Corvina, Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina in the appassimento method; the dark almost inky color denoted a youngster here and that was confirmed once tasted with its very intense format of dried, sweet and extracted dark fruit; it will take a few decades for this to mature to the point of obtaining some semblance of balance, but will rock on once it`s arrived at its sure to be obtained “sweet” spot.
1999 DAL FORNO ROMANO AMARONE della VALPOLICELLA- this wine has arrived and it impressed early on, frequent and almost forever for the rest of the evening at least as it was voted WOTN; my choice was the Cristal with this 2nd; regardless, it`s a winner; it was the quintessential Amarone with all of the full and rich flavors, body, structure, feel and length; the color was so dark, it was opaque; obscurity ends there; intense blackberry and black currant with some licorice, tar and smoke jumps out of the glass, but possessing quick reflexes, I caught it mid stream; chocolate covered plums comes in at mid palate and holds on to the end; what’s so amazing is the texture is smooth, soft and silky; this is power and finesse at its best. Yes, and still, the Cristal was better IMHO and a different animal.
2007 GIUSEPPE QUINTARELLI AMARONE della VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO- this was a sweet wondrous wine with all of the trimmings which explains what happens when the grapes undergo a 4 month appassimento for extra concentration and intensity; almost a paradox, it has a silky smooth texture which carries all of the treasures to the back end and then some; there’s serious spiciness, licorice and talc infused blackberry and black currant with a touch of what reminds me of Welch`s grape juice, in a good way.
Dessert time:
2016 JJ PRUM GRAACHER HIMMELREICH AUSLESE- honeyed citrus, peach and pear highlight this thick and almost chewy sweetie.
2004 KRACHER NUMBER 9 CHARDONNAY TROCKENBEEREN AUSLESE- 375 ml; thick syrupy juice here with almond flavored apricot nectar.
2016 RIEUSSEC SAUTERNNES- 83% Sémillon, 12% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle; honeyed quince, kiwi cum kwat and guava are most evident is this delicious dessert in a glass.
Ho Hum! Another typical night for our group. About twice as many wines as people. Sometimes, it`s almost too much, but it never seems to be too much. Sipping is the key and fewer sips is prudent.
Cheers,
Blake