Barolo threeways in France - three producers and three vintages...

In the same vein as the last blog - Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons threeways - I took a few bottles of Barolo with me on holiday and decided that opening them all together was the way forward...

The trio di Barolo...

The three wines are ones I know well and that I buy every vintage:

Marcarini - is a slightly more commercial producer that the other two who could be classed as artisanal and cult in similar ways. All are traditional in terms of their non-use of new oak but there are differences too. Marcarini also makes a La Serra which, to me, is a little less structured but good.

Bartolo Mascarello - A producer whose wines I have loved for a while, old bottles can be variable but from 2005 I believe these are firmly at the top of the tree. The 2005 and 2008 being exceptional in vintages (especially 2005) where not everyone shone. The attitude is traditional in wood use but also the blending of vineyards (Cannubi - San Lorenzo , Rue and Rocche di La Morra - as per the label). Ken Vastola's site - www.finewinegeek.com - has a great section on Bartolo - info can be found here.

Cappellano - My experience is a little less here than the others but both the Pie Rupestris and Pie Franco are serious. Whenever I have had the wines I have found them to be powerfully poised and elegant as well as built to last. The same site as above has Cappellano info HERE. The Chinato is not to be overlooked if you can find it!

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"Protocol" - all wines were cool and just opened and tasted (PNP = popped 'n' poured). Then double decanted (DD) before the second tasting and thereafter served from bottle nice and cool.

Barolo Brunate 2004, Marcarini

PNP - Clean, heady, slightly spiced nose with red fruits and some black backbone. Full, rich and intense. The palate is more structured and drier. Quite bold structure and good grip, nice tannins that are big but not hard, good length. Good wine.

Post DD + 2 hours - Still a little heady and hi-toned, good though. This is a wine that is not either young or mature and possibly suffers as a result. The tannins are certainly the boldest of the three. This is good, very good even, but not stacking up on pure quality with the other two.

20 hours after first opening - Holding up very well and whilst still a little "hi" it has a good balance of fruit and tannin with nice acidity. I think I'll try to leave the last bottles and a magnum of this that I have for at least 5 years, as I feel it will age very well and mellowness might be a good thing. 19/25.

Barolo Pie Rupestris 2008, Cappellano

PNP - Clean, more animal than the Marcarini. Richness? Yes, but also with lovely farmyard character but then more leather aromas, tea and lots of complexity. The fruit is nicely bruised in places, the acidity is more a feature of the wine than the tannin, which is there, but not overpowering. Nice start.

Post DD + 2 hours - Very good, somewhere between the other two in terms of profile, not the fruit purity of the Bartolo, not the tannin of the Marcarini. The sweet leather and tan element are superb, the fruit has tightened up a bit, clearly young but with an old soul. I like this, for the purists for sure.

20 hours after first opening - Lovely lifted nose, still on the leather side but also cured meats and saline, a serious wine that has good degraded sweetness and a great ability to age, I foresee this being a tertiary style of wine. Despite all these "animal" descriptors there is a red berry fruit lurking as well. Really lovely. 20-21+/25

Barolo 2009, Bartolo Mascarello

PNP - Such lovely poise, this has real precision and is more on the fruit than the others, there is a little spice there, the palate is a little softer and lighter but still true, this smacks of a tender attitude to a vintage that is not a blockbuster, good start.

Post DD + 2 hours - This saw comfortably the biggest change of the wines, the elegant but slightly scrawny, almost light red fruit has gone, replaced by a darker, sweeter and fuller character. I hate lazy analogies of red Burgundy but here's one coming; it is like a lesser vintage Volnay that has turned into a young Morey-Saint-Denis from a great year. The only possible criticism I might be able to make is that it is not so obviously Barolo. The wine is just a different animal post the double-decant and time.  

20 hours after first opening - The only wine to be tighter now than after DD+2hours, the nose is classy but a touch subdued, the extravagance of the second tasting has gone on the nose but there is a lovely rich tarry-ness to the palate with a good, marked acidity too. Somehow it is less of a showstopper now but more of a Barolo. 21-22/25

Conclusion: This was a really fun way to do things and I look forward to just drinking the last third of each later without making notes. The styles are different as well as the vintages. I will certainly continue to buy all three.

Last but one Zucca…Magnum Party...

Following on from the First of last suppers post of a week ago this was the last but one meal I will have at Zucca. The last is this coming Tuesday (22nd), if you are there then pop in and say hello. I was a lovely gathering of eight pulled together by a customer and friend who goes by the moniker of "Mr Magnum", so the theme? Well "bring a magnum" of course.

We simply ordered off the menu keeping things as classically Zucca as possible - from the Zucca Friti through the Taglierini to the Veal Chop. The wines - with nothing corked, hurrah - were all rather splendid.

Krug Grand Cuvee, is there a more sensible thing a wine buyer can do than buy the Champagne/s they like and lay them down? Especially when it is magnums and it is Krug. This Grand Cuvee magnum was purchased (I know he has more!) in around 2010 and was just delicious. Moreish and a dash toasty but with the drive to be lovely on its own…with a couple of our number being late this just disappeared amongst the six of us in no time at all. A lovely start.

As we sat down we moved onto a pair of whites:

St.Joseph Blanc Les Granits 2009 from Chapoutier got a conversation going about what a good, and some times under rated, producer this is. There was real richness that came out more and more as the wine went from cold to just right. There was a ripe apricot note as well as a slightly waxy texture. A nice stage to be drinking it from my perspective. I liked this and it was nicely different from it's "partner". 

Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2007 from Domaine Leflaive showed a lovely combination of the richness and broad shoulders you want, and expect, of Batard but with the drive and focus you want in a 2007. There was a little reduction and a dash of saline too but ultimately you had a wine in lovely balance. I am sure it will age well but on this form it is cracking now.

And so to reds...

Barolo Brunate 2004 from Marcarini this was my contribution and formed the first of two barolo 2004's. I had taken it to a recent Zucca dinner where a few of us had taken a look at Barolo 2004 in general. It was youthfully nervous and precise, got giving quite as much as I remember but drinking well. Somehow, and rather stupidly, I did not pay as much attention as it was my magnum so my notes are rather hopeless.

Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 2004 from Giacosa was in all honesty a step up on mine. With cracking texture and richness combined with freshness and a lovely balance of fruit and some, just evolving, more earthy aromas. Still young of course but not indecently so. This reminded me of visiting there back in May as part of what will be right up there as the trip of the year if I get round to doing a retrospective at the year's end. Lovely balance to this wine.

From here we went to Bordeaux.

Magdelaine 2001, this was superb straight out of the magnum and took me back to a Magnum lunch this time last year where the 1985 pretty much stole the show. I understand why this estate has been "rolled into" (for want of a better phrase) Belair-Monange (which is actually about 75% Magdelaine as a wine at the moment) but a part of me is sad that the name is going as for me it encapsulates what St.Emilion, the most bi-polar of Bordeaux Communes, can be: Serious, savoury, age worthy and so tasty without being over the top. I'll be looking to scoop up bottles and mags where I can find them.

Lynch Bages 1988, was a little green initially but what I sometimes refer to as good green, it adds an edge of freshness and vibrancy. The blacker fruits and more classical tobacco and leather appeared later and made this a lovely foil for the Magdelaine.

It was time then for one last bottle and it was a bottle off the Zucca list that I had been eyeing up for as long as I can remember:

Brunello Di Montalcion 2003 from Soldera and the only non Magnum. I have been lucky enough to visit this great estate (we look after the wines in Asia) on four or five occasions now and I always find the prospect so very exciting (I have the most recent visit to write up - possibly today). The man - Gianfranco - is as wonderful as he is misunderstood. The wines are often otherworldly and I do not say that lightly. I can't think of any producer who is further ahead of the field in quality terms with the wine he produces from their specific grape - Sangiovese in his case. This was a lovely bottle that is just moving from the primary to the best stage, red fruit, iron and a fresh savoury edge.

A wonderful dinner with longstanding friends over equally good wine and food…what "it" is all about.

Barolo 2004 dinner at Zucca

2004 Barolo Dinner – Zucca - Tuesday 7^th July 2015

This was an invite I was more than a little delighted to accept. Get to Zucca for several dishes and with them review a load of Barolo 2004's. Just my sort of thing. 2004 is a great vintage for Piedmont and most specifically for Barolo. It is the first of the run of exciting "even numbered" vintages. For me a small summary would be:

2004: Superb overall balance and grace, top wines certainly need time but the balance is such that enjoyment earlier is not hard. Long lived with a wide drinking window.

2006: Uber-classical, structured and masculine vintage that is brilliantly uncompromising at times, wines of quality here are worth waiting 15 years plus for and many wines will be 30-40 year wines.

2008: A little like the younger talented sister of 2006, a big mistake to overlook this vintage, still classical but with a wider drinking window and a lovely sweetness.

2010: Potentially a little like 2004 with 25% of 2006 added, so very exciting. It has been the most hyped of all the vintages and that can of course lead to disappointments.

I still firmly believe that in Piedmont, as in Burgundy, you find the producers you like and buy the wines every year. Anyway enough waffle...

This was dinner of wine merchants and brokers full of much loud comment and no lack of opinion, topics in and well outside of wine all got a good airing. This all cumulated in a game of "Cards against humanity" - a great laugh but possibly a game to play with those you know, or that know you rather than any strangers...

We kicked off with a rather splendid looking magnum of Soave Classico La Rocca 2011 from Pieropan that our organiser kindly brought along. I like these wines a lot, unpretentious, balanced and just so good. This was waxy, oily with some lovely lemon fruit and what feels like just a little sweetness, delicious. I never new the mags came in totally different bottles.

We were off an running on the food as well. One of the very few downsides of this dinner was that Sam (ZuccaSam) couldn't make it…his team though did us well as ever. The menu was as below, I've put a pic or two at the bottom of the blog.

Baccala, Tomato and Olive

Pork ribs with Porcini and Cauliflower

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Agnolotti in Brodo

Maltagliati, Pork and Radicchio

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Grilled Veal Chop, Summer Griolles and Spinach

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Formaggio - Toma, Gorgonzola Dolce, Hazelnuts and Honey

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Chocolate Semifredddo, Pecan ice cream and a Caramel

The format for the Barolos was to serve them in flights with the more traditional wines first (1 & 2) and the more modern to follow. Refreshingly there were no modern monsters on display, 2004 is probably in the phase when many of the more modern producers were starting to moderate the use of barriques etc…anyhow...

Flight 1

2004 Barolo Rocche, Brovia

2004 Barolo Villero, Brovia

2004 Barolo Bussia, G. Fenocchio

The Rocche was lovely - clean and bright but still with good intensity. Very much on the red fruit end of the spectrum, some saline but essentially just pure and fresh. The Villero immediately had a darker fruit type, much more salinity and was a little more masculine, my notes rather unhelpfully just say "I like this…propper!". Then the change from Brovia to Fenocchio who one hears has been on great form of late, especially in 2010 and 2011. This had a slightly odd nose of Islay whisky, peatiness, then a heady cherry fruit before lacking stuffing. The nose and initial palate I can see as just a phase but the lack of a middle is a little more of a concern, it was perfectly good but just a little incomplete.    

Flight 2
2004 Barolo Brunate (mag), Marcarini

2004 Barolo Monprivato, G. Mascarello
The Marcarini Brunate, which I always buy, showed well. Good clarity, roses, some cherry fruit and then a good saline edge, slightly drier in a nice grippy way, this is focussed rather than fleshy, should age nicely but good from now. The Monprivato was a wine I was really looking forward to trying. A couple of people had had this recently and seemed a little disappointed with this particular bottle. It has a slightly caramel-like nose which I thought was odd. The palate was strange but not unpleasant - judgement deferred.

Flight 3

2004 Barolo Bricco Fiasco, Azelia

2004 Barolo Big ’d Big (mag), Rocche dei Manzoni

Bricco Fiasco was a little glossy but good on the nose, the plate did show a little more saturated dark fruit of the modern style with an almost shortbread note as well, there was richness and overall enjoyment. The Big 'd had a full nose, quite extracted but not too much, a little iodine. The palate was impressive, succulent and sweet enough to carry off the generous texture, nice wine.

Flight 4
2004 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio, Scavino

2004 Barolo Rocche dell' Annunziata Riserva, Scavino
I was not familiar with the Ambrogio, it had dark, quite rich fruit with a little soy, it was quite straightforward but very enjoyable. The Annunziata was both opulent, rich and also serious, good savoury notes and a wine that will need time. 

Flight 5
2004 Barolo Lazzarito, Vietti
2004 Barolo Rocche, R. Voerzio

I had a good bottle of the Lazzarito 2007 in Piedmont recently and this was also lovely, good for just drinking now really, quite open and opulent. The Rocche from Voerzio was rich and full with a lot of texture and more dense than flamboyant at this stage.

Conclusions: I think this was a very encouraging tasting, there was a lot of good fruit and most wines were well balanced and starting to struct their stuff, there was a certain consistency of quality of not necessarily an overriding vintage character (yet). When you consider that this was mostly good to very good second tier producers (no Bartolo,  Rinaldi, Giacosa or Conterno) I think it is all the more encouraging.

A big thank you to Alastair for bring this together and to everyone for their bottles

There was one more wine - 2014 Terlaner Classico - which is a blend of 60% Pinot Blanc, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Sauvignon Blanc, it was almost spritzy and served as a good end of evening lift!

Agnolotti in Brodo

Baccala, Tomato and Olive

Grilled Veal Chop, Summer Griolles and Spinach

Piedmont evening in Wales

Each year in April or May we go as a family down to Aberaeron in West Wales and spend a lovely week, drinking, eating and seeing family. It is a lovely town and well worth a trip for a long weekend. A couple of times I have done proper write ups of all the wines during the week - Wines in Wales 2012 & Wines in Wales 2014 - but somehow this year I didn't keep full notes. I did though have my first few Porto-Tonico's, lovely drink that!!

However, Cynan Jones and I did a great evening of Piedmont drinking and tasting. All with Cynan's splendid Rabbit Cassoulet, the picture of which is awful so not put up here. The wines were a mix of things…notes below:

Langhe Bianco 2011, Podere Ruggeri Corsini - Decent, herbal, nothing particularly noteworthy and probably better 18 months ago with more freshness. Made me think this was mostly Arneis.

Barbera d'Alba 2013, Podere Ruggeri Corsini - Cool red Barbera fruit, good balance, depth lacking but this has some charm, simple fruit and a little cool minerality, a step up from the white.

Barbera Cerretta 2008, G.Conterno - A wine I know very well, spot on now. Blackish and crimson fruit but with flavour but not weight, easy but not simple, cracking, lively acidity.

Barolo San Pietro 2008, Podere Ruggeri Corsini - Quite expressive straight away, some wood shows, a little glossy and polished which shows in a slightly liquorice flavour, herbs, aniseed too. This is not bad but it is just not very exciting.

Barolo Lazzairasco 2006, G.Porro - Fine, weighty and persistent, nice savoury bite that mellows over time, this needed air which is both the Porro style and certainly the vintage as well. There is a little alcohol showing through but otherwise top notch, uncompromising is the word I think.

Barolo Brunate 2006, Marcarini - A lovely openness even for a 2006, that is the site I think, focussed yet expressive which is an odd combo. Sweet finish but from traditional winemaking not from oak. I always buy this because it is always good like this. 

A good evening all round and a few bits were kept for the following night.

You see it can be sunny inWales!

Holiday bottles in France - 2014

The family holiday this year was spent, with another family, down in the Dordogne near Beaulieu. One of the advantages to driving is that I can take a couple of cases of wine. We had a great house with a pool, very remote but most of the time was either spent cooking, talking about food and wine or drinking and eating!

I took various things and we hunted around the supermarkets, town markets and a few shops for the others. I was not making full tasting notes as this was a break but I have put a few comments below.

The local "drop"

Cahors is the nearest area of real production so we sampled plenty during out time. One of the favourite producers for me was Clos de Gamot which has old vines and seemed to have a nice and unobtrusive style. I think little or no new oak too which is always a good thing in my book. There did seems to be two styles from the small sample we drank. I am going to call them, "rustic tradition" and "Wannabe Argentinians". The former has no fear of funky aromas and a bit of dirty spice, medium weight, more interesting to my mind. The later is more viscous and technically more fruited and pure but seemed to lack a creation sense of place or uniqueness.

A few Bordeaux

Not being far from Bordeaux a few bottles were always going to creep into the range from that great Region. Grand Place 2009 was a little overstated as the name suggests. Baron de Lestac 2011 white was ok but overoaked which slightly spoilt what could have been a lovely good value bottle. Les Carmes Haut Brion 2004 which I bought a few of some years back has been disappointing me of late, some of the sweat charm has gone and it is a little too savoury now. A fine lesson in not ageing a wine you like as it is/was.

Some Burgs

From left to right; A very ordinary Bourgogne Blanc 2012, a delicious with food Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2007 from Vincent Dampt, an insipid and uninteresting Julienas 2013 (yes Beaujolais is not high on my list but this was just dull) and a bad bottle of Corton Charlemagne 2004 from Bonneau du Martray (see next post for a good bottle!).

Got to love the Germans

The German selection was probably the strongest in terms of the producers shown. The magnum of Prum was real highlight. I had never hidden my love of the Prum wines and this was just another great example (Wehlener Sonnenhur 2011 magnum), it'll age well but is so delicious now. The Spatlese Jubilee bottling from Schloss Schonborn is an absolute favourite of Mrs H and rightly so, very intense fruit. The two Mullers are the estate Rielsings from 2009 and 2010 and they are true to type, 2010 more linear and more focussed, 2009 easier and lovely if simpler.

As predicted!

Of course there was a showing from Italy! and I have to say they were on good form. From left to right:
Brunello di Montalcino 2006 - We had two bottles of this and my only real regret is that I did not buy more, it is youthful but stunning and just so enjoyable, I can't think if anytime when I wouldn't love to just open and enjoy this. 
Chianti Classico Reserva Le Baroncole 2010, San Giusto - I am a fan of San Giusto and think that Percarlo is great and the basic Chianti is a "no brainer" BUT this may be the weak link (well at this young age anyhow), it is just too oaked and that masks what is obviously good fruit…a good wine but not what it could be!
Avvoltore 2006 - Sturdy showing from this wine, very good with big meat dishes, the more recent vintages (2002 onwards) appear not to quite have the charm of old but this is a good wine.
Barolo Brunate 2007, Marcarini - As with most 2007 Barolos I believe in serving this cool and after a quick double decant, it is feminine for Barolo, a Volnayesque Barolo of sorts. Very good way to translate the vintage, enjoyable if not serious.
Barbera d'Alba 2012, Negri - A good richly fruited if not heavy Barbera, good all-rounder, best with another 12 months but good.

The rest!

The highlights here:
Crozes-Hermitage VV 2011, Tardieu-Laurent - This is too young by rights but is delicious in a mini-Hermitage sort of way…savoury bacon with dark fruit. 
Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc VV 2011 - I have had several bottles of this now and whilst it'll age well it is just so balanced and lovely now, not too much structure, not too much fruit just bliss.
Rebmann generally - Not a producer I know but they seem to be a big firm or a negoce who do all that alsace offers, the Pinot Gris got drunk in good quantity, nice simple and enjoyable wines.

There were a good few beers along the way but the sensible thing we did was never go to the fortifiers or spirits (well baring a bit of Pastis).

Wines in Wales

I am very late in posting this but there we go!

Our annual family trip down to Wales (back in May!) for a week is always great chance to try lots of bottles especially with my "Cousin -in-law" Cynan who loves his wine, having contributed lots of the below, and cooks amazing food!

24-5-14

CNDP VV Blanc 2011, Tardieu-laurent

Lovely, a bit of oak but "in check", richness of white fruits and a little sweet toffee, so drinkable.

Les Carmes-Haut-Brion 2004

Good nose or classical cedar, black fruit and gravel…the palate is a little dry now and a little foursquare. The sweetness does not last. having had this a few times I am ever so slightly disappointed by it's balance now.

25-5-14

La Roche Blanche 2013 Muscadet Cotes de Grandieu sur lie, Domaine Herbauges

Very taut and mineral, white fruit may be but mostly stones and acidity. The screw cap closure I think makes it even more exaggerated would be interesting if decanted. Decent though.

Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2007, Vincent Dampt

In good shape with an unctuous nutty (unsalted) texture. Needs food really as there is a slight side of oxidation without it.

CNDP VV Blanc 2011, Tardieu-laurent

Lovely again, a bit of oak but in check, richness of white fruits and a little sweet toffee, so drinkable. Very good with cheese and still balanced at a warmer temperature. Fond of this!

Chorey-Les-Beaune Piece du Chapitre 2004, Domaine Tollot-Beaut

Nice wine with elegance and not at all forced, slightly lifted green/red fruit, not amazing but a decent 2004.

Chorey-Les-Beaune Piece du Chapitre 2007, Domaine Tollot-Beaut

A more decadent fruit than the 2004, more black amongst the red, good and enjoyable, nicely balanced, I like this.

Les Carmes-Haut-Brion 2004

The end of the bottle from the day before, a little drier but still ok.

Barbaresco 2006, Produttori del Barbaresco

Lovely, gentle for 2006 with a nice fragrance, there is the grip you expect of 2006 but it is not a waste to drink now.

Barolo Brunate 2006, Marcarini

Quite a silky wine for a 2006, so more "Brunate" in style than it is 2006 in style. Good texture and not pronounced tannin. I liked this also.

26-5-14

Ardeche Chardonnay 2012, Louis Latour

Fine, a little oxidative and flabby but decent enough, unexciting.

Passopisciaro 2006 Double magnum

Crunchy red bruised fruit, a lovely nervousness and life, lifted, not light in flavour but not dense in texture. Great minerality and if anything even better on day 2. You can tell the Contrada’s (the single vineyard sites that until 2008 went into the generic wine) are in here.

27-5-14

Que Bonito Cacareaba 2004, Benjamin Romeo

Oranges and Melons with delicious unctuousness. There is some acidity but it is very soft, almost a creamy texture with some botrytis. Entering a slightly lifeless stage. my last bottle gone, always meant to leave one for decades but...

Barolo Villero 2007, Brovia

Understated lightness as though they have picked very early to avoid the heat, there is almost a spritz, it was fine to drink but I am not sure it’s quite right. Second time I have had it and I remain unconvinced.

Passopisciaro 2006 Dmag

Again and getting better if anything!

Recioto della Valpolicella 2010, Tesauro

Lots of dark cherry and a few forest fruits then intensity of viscosity and chocolate, long, intense but not without refinement and class. Good.

28-5-14

Que Bonito Cacareaba 2004, Benjamin Romeo

The last little bit - good!

Barolo Cannubbio 2007, Francesco Rinaldi

Quite dense and structured, not too warm. There is focus and I really think this estate did well in 2007.

Recioto della Valpolicella 2010, Tesauro

Good again not oxidised at all despite half open bottle from previous evening.

29-5-14

El Aprendiz "Albarinblanco" 2013, Leyenda del Paramo - Very clean and focussed, crisp and zippy, almost Gruner like! makes you hungry! 

Le Rocchette Barbera d"Asti 2010, Tenuta Olim Bauda - good wine this with that tell tale cool(er) vintage Barbera cleanness, has precision and very food friendly...

I am sure there are bottles I have missed!

Barolo night at Zucca (just for a change)

A splendid bunch of chaps from a well-known Suffolk wine merchant (that’s all I’m saying) had been threatening a trip to Zucca for a while. Their passion (to an extent new found) for Barolo meant it had to be the wine theme.

We kicked off with a really lovely bottle of Tattinger Comte de Champagne 2002. I think this was the first time I have had it. It had a lemony focus but was very easy to drink. I would imagine a mag would have gone quickly, the bottle “evaporated” at speed. The only thing that surprised me about the Comte was the relatively high level of “sweetness”, it must have a decent dosage, either that of the vintage is just so expressive. It will be fascinating, and enjoyable, to see how it evolves over the years.

The six Barolos (I’m trying to give up on the phrase Baroli) were book-ended by Germans. The first was Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Spätlese 2001 from magnum a very low, for Spatlese, alcohol of only 7%. The wine was good, nice but not more than that, a little “spread out” and loose, lacking focus. I feel I am being overly harsh bt it was just that a little bit of the zip had gone. Others who knew the wine from other bottles certainly suggested this.

So with the food coming at a good pace we were onto the Barolos in 3 pairs. First: Barolo Brunate 2004 from Marcarini and Barolo Santo Stefano 2004 from G.Mascarello. The Brunate was a slightly odd bottle, not so much faulty as just not a great one, I liked the sour cherry fruit to start but it did seem to "split" a bit, one diner noting it just showed too much alcohol. I have had the wine from magnum twice and both times it showed better than this. Not a disaster but a little outclassed by it's partner.  The Barolo Santo Stefano 2004 is a wine I have never had before, exciting, it is a lovely dense but elegant wine, it wasn’t showing masses but what it showed had focus and class, quite floral notes, very persistent. If you own it you have done well!

The next pair was a lovely contrast Barolo Pajana 1998 from D.Clerico and Barolo 1999 from Bartolo Mascarello. The former is a high toned very oaked wine, not a bad wine but just, to my mind , not a Nebbiolo and not a Barolo. The clean dense fruit is to be admired and when judged purely as a wine it is impressive. At 16 years of age though the oak is still quite separate from the wine and will become more so with air. What would it have been like with half the oak? We’ll never know but it’d be interesting were it possible to know. The Bartolo was the opposite "old school", starting to mature with a little bacon and savoury edge joining the gentle bruised red fruit, it was quite easy and approachable for a 1999, nice wine. 

Ridiculous expression but there we go...

The final pair was quite something Barolo Monprivato 2005 from G.Mascarello and  Barolo Monfortino 2004 from G.Conterno. The Monprivato was like a cross over between Barolo and Volnay, really lovely lifted elegant red fruits, very focused and streamlined. If you have this wine it is definitely worth having a bottle soon as it is a delightful. The Monfortino was decanted from 2.30pm-5.30pm then put back in the bottle. On opening it had been hard as nails, tight. It then opened up more and more without ever revealing the full array that will come with time and was there from barrel. One of less than a handful of the only wines I have ever given 20/20. It is a great wine and that’s that. The texture being wonderful now, if I owned some (sadly I don’t) then I’d look again in 6 or 7 years. 

One wine remained and it was a little gem that just bought everything back into focus - Graacher Himmelreich Auslese 1999, W.Schafer (8.5%) – a little spritz and still primary Riesling. I am a bit of a “cheap date” on Germans generally as I love Kabinetts but this was an example of a spot on Auslese.

There was a lot of good chat and many laughs…what’s the theme next time chaps?

Truffle-tastic at Zucca...

I am delighted to say that something of a tradition appears to be emerging…a November truffle extravaganza at Zucca.
Sam (Harris) organises a great menu, Eric gets a fun crowd along and we all bring wine then eat our way through about nine courses each coated in white truffle. The 2013 Truffle crop would appear to be stunning. The best bit of it all is that people are generous and choose interesting bottles, about half way through you can't work out whether its about the wine or the food - perfect!
As always we kicked off with Perle 2006 from Ferrari, showing well at the moment with a little edge of lemon shortcake then a dry finish it sets things up well.
So, with some Sprat Fritti and Broccoli Fritti it was time of the first white, my white. Meursault Perrieres 2009, Matrot in Magnum, it's my wine so I can say what I like, I took it because I have a lot of time for Thierry Matrot and think that he makes some seriously good wines. This, however, was decent but no more than that, ready now, a little broad and loose, not worth cellaring further. The next white was very poised Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2003 from Raveneau you would not have guessed 2003 in a "million years". Chablis purity and a lovely whiff of old gym socks that you some times also get with White Bordeaux, beautiful texture and very expressive but in no way "of" a hot vintage, very moreish and a perfect combination with the delicious triple header of Pesce Crudo (see pic at bottom).
And so to the red as the Venison Carpaccio smothered in Truffle hit the table, the dishes were all good but this might have been in the top three for me. The red of choice was spot on, lots of black and a little red fruit exploded out the glass, charm with a dollop of extrovert, it was La Dame de Montrose 1990, two bottles served separately. The structure was soft and I would say this was definitely at a beautiful peak now, really great. It is so nice to be excited by a Bordeaux.

The next five reds were all from magnum and were all decanted as the "Dame" had been. We ventured into Burgundy next with Romanee-Saint-Vivant 2000 from R.Arnoux. Open, mellow and fruited without a bite of structure. The 2000's are looking lovely now and certainly it represents one of the vintages to be drinking. A totally new dish to me was served with the RSV -Potato & Mushroom cake, fonduta, Saturday breakfast was being cancelled as I started it and that was only the last of the Antipasti!
The structure of the wines took a bit of a step up from here with Ornellaia 2000 showing next. It showed superbly, ripe and a touch sweet with a dash of tobacco. It was expressive and stopped short of being too much, may be a little tarty but in a good way, just lovely from now onwards. The dish with it was what Sam described as an "old school" pasta dish - Ox cheek Cannelloni, Cauliflower Cheese - slow cooked comfort food with Truffle everywhere? Yes please!
The next wine was the only glass I didn't finish - Voerzio Barbera d’alba Riserva Pozzo dell ‘ Annuziata 2007 - it had been decanted at 4pm and was still almost impenetrably rich and port like. I have not had it before and it'll probably out live me. It would also stand up to chocolate very well. If you own it then forget about it for a decade I'd say, incredible stuff that was just hard to gauge in amongst wines with a different texture and weight.
Risotto Bianco came next and once the "truffle squad" had been you actually couldn't see the Risotto, apparently Adam who did the food with Megan helping as well, doesn't like doing Risotto, well all I can say it that it's pretty awesome. It worked really well with the next magnum, Barolo Brunate 1997 from Marcarini, this is a wine and vineyard I know well but I hadn't had the 1997 before. It can be a tricky vintage as it is often a little open, lush and lacking focus but this wasn't. As "Henry the 8th" my fellow diner said "the cool serving temperature was crucial" to how well this wine showed. Warmer vintages need cooler temperatures. The wine showed tarry red fruit and a little tartness (in a good way). Really very enjoyable.
Pigeon, Hare & Lentils was the next course served and may be it's the fact that I live in North London but I love lentils especially in this sort of dish. It was a prefect foil for one of, if not the, wine of the night - Barolo Brunate Riserva 1988 from Giuseppe Rinaldi. Rinaldi is a wizard of a producer and one whose wines I do anything to buy. My notes are hard to read by this stage but I can tell from their erratic nature that the wine was exciting and exacting. Lots of fruit but a lovely degraded complexity, dense and rich but also elegant and with a cracking saline quality that I love in the best Barolo. Simply put, a brilliant wine.
The main course (yes that's right the rest was just a warm up) of Grouse, Roast Carrot & Wild Mushrooms was now served and along side it the oldest wine of the night. Another legend of Barolo - Cappelano. The wine was Barolo 1964 from 2 different bottles. The wine had a nutty, hazelnuts and walnuts, finish as well as some sweet but degraded red fruit, lovely but I would suggest it has little more to offer from here on in, the savoury bacon and tar edge was delicious, the odd "frazzle" too but not too many.
A fascinating blind white was served with the selection of Italian cheeses, it was a couple of bottles of Clos Joliette 1970, Jurancon Sec. It was like dry toffee apple and one of those wines that was fascinating on the nose but slightly harder work on the palate, really intriguing. And so to a lovely Pistaccio Cake with a cracking couple of halves of Avignonesi Vin Santo 1986. The Vin Santo was brilliant and even at the end of this feast of wines and food it caught the attention for having a beautiful rancio edge to a lovely nutty but fruity nose…as good a Vin Santo as I have ever had.

Staggeringly good evening as it goes - thanks to all for their generous bottles.

Beautiful Pesce Crudo

Potato & Mushroom Cake, fonduta