3 buddies, 7 wines, great Italian food= grand evening

Three buddies went out for dinner to celebrate our friendship and enjoy some fine Italian food and wine. We drank a little of a lot:

NV VILLA SANDI VIGNA LA RIVETTA PROSECCO di VALDOBBIADEN di CARTIZZE BRUT- this Italian sparkler was crisp and refreshing and a good place to start the evening; on the nose came aromas of grass, dried sweet pear and apple notes; the palate had much of the same with a touch of a fennel accent; it was lean and pleasant.

2008 FALLET-DART EXTRA BRUT- this was really good with a lot going on from the nose through the tail; following the bright yellow color, came generous amounts of nice spicy lemon zest which stayed the course throughout; it had marvellous feel and enough weight to glide and slide into a grand finish; the bright acidity ensured some ageing potential and I made note to buy some and let it mature, at least for a month or so.

2014 MARIE-COURTIN CONCORDANCE BLANC de NOIR EXTRA BRUT- 100% Pinot Noir; zero dosage; from 50 year old vines; I was expecting great things from this wine having read many flattering reviews, but it just did not have anything going for it; the nose was laden with unexpected and atypical white pepper and the taste profile was a very disjointed pepper and herbal mess that didn’t resemble anything I`d ever had before and do not want again; one of the guys stated it was undrinkable and since I brought it, I sacrificed and dove in only to come up really quick and get out and move on.

So, I capped it off and put it away to take home and try on another occasion and 2 nights later, its now a different animal and so much more approachable and quite drinkable; its 180º different with a bit of peppered and spicy strawberry/ cherry with red cherry capping off the taste profile; it was medium + in weight, had a creamy texture and an extended length; I’m now liking it although there still was a faint reminder of the first time through and that was ugly; forget and forgive.

2017 BRUNO GIACOSA PIEDMONT ALBA ROERO ARNEIS- after the horrible experience with the Concordance, this was so refreshing; the nose suggested something serious forthcoming and it responded with nice concentrated honeysuckle spiced stone fruit with apricot and peach most prevalent; past mid palate, fresh lemon, pear and apple joined in along with a streak of minerality; it had an oily texture with some weight that carried all of the goodies to the back end for a complete experience.

2017 DOMAINE LOUIS MICHEL CHABLIS MONTEE de TONNERRI 1er Cru- this showed particularly well with inviting aromas of minerals, flint and citrus notes in the nose backed up with delicious lemon, lime, apple and pear fruit on the palate; it had a great texture and length and improved over time with more of everything; superb Chablis.

2011 TENUTA SETTE PONTI CROGNOLO TOSCANA- mostly Sangiovese with some Merlot and Cabernet SauvignonI; I`ve had many a Crog thanks to the brings from some of my dinner group members and purchased some for occasions such as this one; this wine is a fabulous QPR and always seems to shine in any company it is served with and to; following its earthy black fruity aromas came the highlights in the taste profile which included blueberry, blackberry and black cherry; it had depth and complexity and length, all I could ever want and all this at ~$25.

1998 BRAIDA di GIACOMO BOLOGNA BARBERA dASTI BRICCO dellUCCELLONE- in word, this was lovely; it had youthful coloring and inviting aromatics that enticed further exploration to discover many treasures including ripe and mature earthy, leather and spice accented red and black cherry/ berry; a touch of cranberry also came in and all was delivered in a soft and velvety medium to the back end; it was harmonious, seamless and in ideal balance; everything was so good from the outset on, I didn’t want it to end and the lengthy finish complied to make it a completely wondrous experience.

A great night with the buds with promises for many more, more frequently set up. Looking forward to it.

Cheers,
Blake

Good write up, BB. I’m familiar with the M-C Concordance, as I have had about 1/2 dozen of them. I’ve struggled with the Concordance a few times, although the most recent bottle of it was much better than a few that preceded it. The Resonance and for sure, the Eloquence bottlings, are far better. Here are my 2 most recent TNs.

• 2014 Marie Courtin Champagne Concordance Extra Brut - France, Champagne (5/29/2019)
  Served blind. Disgorged 12/17, same as the bottle we had a week ago. 100% PN, zero dosage, sans soufre. Light bread dough aroma, yellow apple, lime, saline and chalk on the first few tastes. Eventually, the red berry comes through, a black cherry and raspberry, along with a leaner tone and better focus.
• 2014 Marie Courtin Champagne Concordance Extra Brut - France, Champagne (5/21/2019)
  Disgorged 12/17, 100% PN, sans soufre, zero dosage. We opened this yesterday for our anniversary and I saved a glass using a stopper cork to keep the bubbles intact. For context, the last bottle I drank of this was December 2018 and it left me a little puzzled, showing an oxidized quality. So, I was not sure what this bottle would reveal. Last night, we drank most of it with Mexican food, but tonight I am doing this note with the wine on its own. The aromatic shows a leesy/fresh dough note, along with some of that same bruised apple from last year’s bottle. The palate has bright acidity, some toast (which I presume is from the wood it sees) and some more of that apple note. The wine finishes with some tangy raspberry, lime, orange peel and some mineral. While I like this bottle better than the one last year, the Resonance and Eloquence bottlings are far more compelling for me, especially the latter which is stellar.

Posted from CellarTracker

I thought of you Frank when I first pulled the bottle to take it on this night, remembering how much you have appreciated some of the counterparts, Resonbance/ Eloquence. In fact, the 14` Eloquence was one of the stars of the Small Growers Tete du Cuvee rooftop event I did in August and it was competing against some really top champagnes.
From your notes on the Conccordance, it would seem this bottle was anything but in concordance with any you’ve had. There was certainly no dough/ toast or mineral components nor much in the way of citrus notes and the red fruit profile was specifically strawberry and red cherry, but not until 3 days after the initial opening. I guess its safe to say, we had a distinct bottle variation.

Nice Blake. The Braida sounds fabulous!

I really enjoy the Bruno Giacosa Arneis.

What’s your opinion on Carizze? Worth the tariff? I had a long discussion with a tasting group recently about this classification of Prosecco. Some really like the style and think its lightness / freshness goes unmatched while others prefer other sparkling wines especially traditional method for the price.

Re the Carrizze, its priced locally at $42. For me, Id rather spend that amount on a NV Champagne or for that matter, the 08 Fallet-Dart which comes in at $40. NO COMPARISON!

Good friends, good wine and good food. You have the trifecta there, Blake. Enjoyed reading your notes - some really nicely phrased, evocative descriptors.

Olio e Limone, YUM!
Must have been a blast

And just today, I get the invite for our next wine dinner group`s outing next Tuesday at… drum roll…
Olio e Limone.

Haha, what a blessed life and a great time of the year to enjoy it. Cheers!

Blake -

thanks for sharing notes. Just purchased some MONTEE de TONNERRI based on your note, sounds right up my alley and a very attractive price. Heres hoping i wish i purchased more!

Jeff,I trust your bottles will be as good as the one we had. Please post notes.