Giuseppe Quintarelli 1927 - 2012

Giuseppe Quintarelli passed away on Sunday at the age of 84, losing his long battle with Parkinson’s disease. The wine world has lost its biggest giant. There is a reason why the photo I chose for my blog is with Giuseppe Quintarelli; he was my hero. His wines are simply the best I have ever tasted. They defy description. For me they are the ultimate expression of a master wine maker taking the fruit that God has given him and giving it full expression. If I were to be exiled to a remote island and could take only one producers’ wines with me it would be Quintarelli’s.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Quintarelli estate and meeting the man himself in March of 2007 along with three wine loving friends, Gino, Tony & George. It remains one of my fondest wine memories. I was in awe of the humble and gentle nature of the man and the simplicity of his estate. He set his standards very high and rigidly adhered to them and as a result all of the wines he put his name on provide an incredible wine tasting experience. I only hope that his family continues on with his philosophy and continues to live up to the high standards he set.

At our visit in 2007 we were able to purchase 4 bottles of wine from his cellar. He sold us a bottle each of 1986 Amarone, 1990 Amarone Riserva, 1988 Amarone Riserva and a 1983 Ricioto della Valpolicella Gran Riserva. We took the wines to Ristorante Greppia in Verona, Italy where they gladly allowed us to drink them with their excellent food. Each Amarone was an amazing experience. Incredible purity, balance, complexity and a lengthy finish across the board. And as for the Ricioto, I can easily say it was the greatest bottle of dessert wine I have ever tasted and probably will ever taste. Words cannot describe it, so I will not even try.

While I am a big fan of Quintarelli, there are others who knew him well and spent time with him and are much more qualified than I to speak about him and his legacy. Here are some links to their comments and remembrances. Click on the links to read what they have to say, it is well worth the time.

Polish Wine Guide
Do Bianchi
Palate Press

If you have any of his wines in your cellar, open a bottle and toast life and his legacy. If not, please go out and buy one and discover what you have been missing.

Giuseppe you will be missed but long remembered. Rest in peace.

Mark

Great Friends and Great Old Wine

There are many things I enjoy and that I am thankful for in life. High up on that list is the opportunity to share great old wines with great friends at a great dinner. A couple of weeks ago we were fortunate to experience all three. Our very dear friends of 37 years Gene & Maureen invited Carol & I along with our girls and grandkids to dinner at their house. Gene, who is a certified master professional photographer (you really need to check out his website Impressive Impressions), is also an excellent cook with a passion for the cuisine of Spain. Gino, his eldest son and my very good friend, is in the wine business and selected the wines for the evening. I knew we were in for a big treat. The theme of the evening was “A visit to Espana”

Upon arrival we nibbled on a variety of assorted Imported cheeses, Pepperoni Bread from Buono’s Prime Meats and Deli in Little falls, Pata Negra Ham and homemade pork liver paté. Buono’s pepperoni bread must contain a pound of pepperoni and a pound of mozzarella. It is scrumptious. Pata Negra is an Iberian Ham that is very expensive and very hard to come by.

This one came from Gino’s private stash. The ham came from Joselito, who is considered the best producer of the ham in all of Spain. The ham is delicious and can make one forget about Proscuitto di Parma. My good friend & restranteur Gregorio (Rare The Steak House Il Tulipano) made the pork liver paté. Gregory farm raises a couple of pigs each year and along with his friends and restaurant staff makes a number of fresh pork items for his restaurant and friends. They are all delicious, this year the pork liver was over the top. It was creamy and full of flavor and very hard to stop eating. It can currently be enjoyed at Rare The Steak House in Little Falls.

With the appetizers Gene opened his only bottle of 1964 Gonzalez Byass Oloroso Vintage Dry Sherry. This was fantastic. Without question the finest Sherry I have ever had. It displayed a gorgeous clear amber color in the glass and possessed a bouquet that was both seductive and intoxicating.

On the palate it was refined, lush and compelling with a monster finish. It is made by the Solera method, which is a blending of multiple vintages over time. This method yields a consistent quality from year to year and allows for some amazing older wines to continue to be released in small quantities. These Sherries are typically made for the family and friends to enjoy over time and are rarely seen on the market. In 1995 Gonzalez Byass released only 2920 bottles of this single vintage 1964 Oloroso. It really doesn't get much rarer than this. Gene purchased this bottle about 15 years ago at the vineyard when he was visiting Spain. It is made from 100% Palomino grape. Extremely rare and expensive. I found one bottle at The Spanish Table in Berkley California.

Our first course (courses I should say as Gene never does things in a small way) included Andalucia Pescado Frito al Estilo, an Andalusian style fried white fish in a cornmeal crust served with Andalusian sauce (mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, garlic, Italian dried herbs and a dash of cayenne pepper) The perfectly fried fish was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. When dipped in the sauce the textures and temperatures delighted the palate. I guess you could say this is Spain’s take on England’s Fish N Chips.

Huevos de Huevo Duro. These delicious beauties are Spanish style hard boiled eggs served with a sour cream sauce infused with herbs of Provence. Sort of like deviled eggs only with the devil on the side. Calamares Fritos, perfectly fried Calamari that melted in your mouth. Gambas Alajillo, tender Shrimp cooked in a piquant garlic sauce. Almejes Rellenas, clams oreganato Spanish style. The clams were moist and tender and full of flavor. And to sop up the various sauces he made Brindis de Oliva Frito , which is a fried olive toast. Sort of like garlic bread.

With this course we started with a 1976 Leroy Pommard Les Vignots, Villages Red. This was my first taste of a wine from Domaine Leroy. The domaine has a reputation for making classic Burgundies and has been cultivating their vines under biodynamic conditions since 1989. Unfortunately this bottle was flawed. The wine is available at Wine Library in Springfield, NJ for about $180.

In perfect shape however was the 1976 Cune Vina Real Gran Riserva Rijoa. One of finest Spanish wines I have ever had. I first tasted this wine in 2008 and I was blown away by it. Complex, full-bodied, pure and elegant, the wine soars from the glass.

Tannins are soft and the wine has a long and velvety finish. Drinking wines like this gives one a true wine experience. I originally paid $80 a bottle in 2008, but today it will set you back about $175 a bottle. The Spanish Table, Berkley, CA.

Prior to our entrée Gene served up Ensalada Creasers (Creasers Salad) and Ensalada de la Casa Espanola, a Spanish House Salad made with Argil, Romaine, Spinach,Tomato and Onion

For our main course Gene’s signature Piela Ultima (Ultimate Paella) brought smiles to our faces. Gene makes this remarkable dish with Spanish rice, peas, chicken, shrimp, Spanish sausage, clams, mussels, & lobster claws. It is a beautiful blend of ingredients and flavors that in combination throw a party in your mouth. Just delicious.

To enjoy with the main course Gino brought along a 1986 Vega Sicilia Unico Gran Riserva. This Gran Reserva wine is the signature wine of Vega Sicilia and is usually released 10 years after the vintage, though some bottlings may not be released for up to 15 years or even longer.

Taken from some of the oldest vines in the Ribera del Duero, the wine is mostly Tempranillo (approximately 80% but depending on vintage) and Cabernet Sauvignon (approximately 20%).

Vega Sicialia used to be in my opinion one Spain’s greatest wine producers. Alas a number of years ago the winery moved to the more modern style of wine making which embraces aging in 100% new oak, which in my opinion has ruined a great wine. This bottle however was made in the old world style and it was magnificent. It was pure, round and complex. It was a joy to drink. The wine had soul. This vintage will not be easy to find and will be quite expensive if you do.

Finally dessert. Holiday cookies and Cakes & Spanish Cheese Cake along with espresso were enjoyed alongside a 2001 Chateau Climens Barsac.

From an extraordinary vintage this is simply a magnificent Sauternes. It is full of candy and pineapples with a very long non-medicinal finish that is just gorgeous. For me this outclasses d’Yquem by a lot. Not cheap. Expect to pay upwards of $250 a bottle.

A great evening. Thanks again Gene, Maureen & Gino


Saluté

A New and a Continuing Christmas Tradition

A number of years ago I began a tradition on Christmas day of inviting good friends over to my house for a lunch of Christmas Eve leftovers. Everyone would bring a great bottle of wine and we would enjoy the previous night's leftovers, sip the wine and have lively conversation. As much as I enjoyed this tradition, this year when my oldest daughter Gina informed us that she wanted to start a new tradition of having Carol and I over to her house for a Christmas breakfast and the exchange of gifts with the family we quickly accepted the start of this new tradition. My younger daughter Lisa, as has been her custom the past few years has us over to her house (they live next door to each other) for a simple Christmas dinner of macaroni with meatballs, etc. Thus it would seem that the tradition of Christmas Eve leftovers on Christmas day had come to an end. But being a somewhat resourceful guy and not one inclined to stop my “leftovers” tradition (after all what was I going to do with all that food), I moved “leftovers” lunch to December 26th. This year friends Gino, Louie, Cosmo, Emil, Tony and Jack showed up, each with a terrific bottle of wine and our tradition continued in grand style. In addition to my leftovers, Tony brought along his oven roasted wild sea bass that was moist and delicious. The wines were superb. We enjoyed:

2001 Patrick Lesec Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru. This was a stunning Montrachet, beautifully balanced and pure on the palate. The oak was well integrated into the wine and it finished with elegance and length. Patric Lesec Selections is both a wine broker and negociant and offers a full range of top quality wines from the finest wine producing regions of France: Alsace, Burgundy, the northern and southern Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon, Bordeaux and the Loire. Their wines are all estate bottled, and either produced directly by Patrick Lesec Selections or very carefully selected, after painstaking research, as excellent examples of their appellation. Jack who brought the wine has provided this information, which he in turn learned from Chris Cree at 56º Wine. “Patrick Lesec is a very successful negociant who deals mainly with wines from the Rhone. He also is a good friend of Michel Caillot of Domaine Caillot, who as it just so happens, has tremendous old vines in Les Pucelles. Patrick asked Michel to bottle some wine under his label and the rest is history. I acquired the wine as a library release directly from the cellar for $70 a bottle. This is the normally $120 per bottle Domaine Caillot Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er cru. Same exact wine. Unfortunately the wine is no longer available". What a shame.

2010 Testalonga Rossese Di Dolceaqua. This wine was new to all of us and none of us initially got excited about it. About a half bottle was left, so I put back the cork and put it in the refrigerator. A week later I noticed it, took it out and let it warm up a bit and poured myself a glass. Wow! Wow! Wow! The wine was amazing. It exhibited a gorgeous peppery palate that reminded me of the Poulsard grape from the Jura. It was clean and pure with a wonderful finish.

The wine comes from the hills of Dolceacqua in the far western corner of Liguria just before one crosses over into France and is made by Antonio Perrino whose estate is one of the legendary ones in the Dolceqcqua. Yields are very low and the wine is very limited. A Louis Dressner Selection (of course). At $35 a bottle the wine is an unbelievable bargain. I just ordered some from Chambers Street Wines, NYC.

2005 Cappellano Pie Rupertis Barolo. If you are a regular reader of this blog you know my feelings about Cappellano Barolos, they are just a beautiful and honest expression of old world Barolo displaying fabulous purity and elegance. This bottle was no exception and is drinking very well right now and will continue to do so for many more years to come. $75 at New York Wine Warehouse and Chambers Street Wines.

2007 Giuseppe Mascarello Monprivato. Another beautifully made old world Barolo from one of Barolo’s top producers. The wine's earthy bouquet soars from the glass, while the wine is wonderfully pure and elegant on the palate. Alas, as the wine is still in its youth the finish is lacking. A wine of enormous potential that needs at least another 5 to 10 years of cellar time. $100 a bottle at Wine Legend, Livingston and 56º Wine, Bearnardsville.

1985 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Poured from magnum and decanted for 3 hours. This is a great vintage for Pepe, however this bottle was not up to a bottle I had a few weeks before, which is surprising since it was from magnum. Don’t get me wrong the wine was very good but this bottle seemed to finish a bit short. $135 per 750ml at Wine Legend.

2002 Giuseppe Quintarelli Rosso di Bepi. Ah the master. Rosso di Bepi is only made in vintages when Giiuseppe feels that the grapes do not meet his strict standards to be labeled Amarone. Thus he declassifies the wine and calles it Rosso di Bepi. It is in fact his Amarone at ½ the price. This bottle drank superbly. Rich, balanced and pure on the palate, the wine of the day in my opinion. About $130 a bottle. De-Vino Wine Boutique, NY Wine Warehouse, Italian Wine Merchants.

2003 Le Salette Recioto Pergole Vece. While not a recioto in the class of Quintarelli, this is a reasonably priced Recioto that is drinking very nicely at the moment. It has a nice balance between sweet and dry and finishes softly and elegantly. $55. Wine Legend.

I would be remiss if I did not report on the new tradition. First and foremost we got to watch the excited expressions of our grandchildren as they opened their presents. For Christmas breakfast at Gina’s house Mimosa’s were the perfect accompaniment to scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon and sausages that our son-in-law Nick prepared. Later at Lisa’s house we enjoyed fresh Pastosa Ravioli from Brooklyn along with Ziti with ricotta, meatballs, sausage and braciole. A bottle of 1997 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva was my choice here and it turned out to be a good one. Monfortino is Conterno’s top wine. First made in 1920, it is the epitome of old world Barolo and it is crafted to age for decades. I decanted the wine for 3 hours and it began to show its enormous potential in hour four. It exhibited a beautiful earthy bouquet and was pure and elegant on the palate. It would have benefited from a few more hours in the decanter. In my opinion this wine needs about another 5 years of cellar time.

Traditions with family, grandchildren, friends, great food and wine. What more can anyone ask for at Christmas time? We should all be thankful of friends and family.

Saluté

Christmas Eve 2011

Christmas Eve is a special day for many people, but for Italians it is THE DAY of the year. Some of my fondest memories go back to this night at Grandma DeRosa’s house on Garside St. in Newark. The entire family would gather together, eat for hours, open presents and then play Michigan Rummy. Homemade Zeppole, Spaghettini with Alio e Olio and fried flounder were my favorites when I was a kid. I stuffed myself with copious quantities of each. (It was not until years later that I would begin to enjoy Baccala, shrimp, octopus and all the other fishes). I never wanted the evening to end. It was tradition in spades. While many traditions in this modern world have seemed to fade away, I am glad that this is one tradition that passes from generation to generation and continues on as strong as ever. For the past 15 or 20 years my wife Carol and I have hosted the meal. I prepare the appetizers, fish and pasta, while Carol does all the baking. We were blessed to have both of our moms, our immediate family, 3 gorgeous grandchildren and 6 very good friends join us this year.

As the crowd gathered we nibbled on Old Fashion Pan Pizza from Tony D’s Pizza in Caldwell. Made in a large square like a Sicilian Pizza, but thinner crusted it is made with a savory tomato sauce and grated Parmigiano cheese and then finished with fresh basil leaves. It is crispy and delicious.

Along with the pizza we sipped a few bottles of 2000 Bellavista Brut Rosé. This is a gorgeous sparkling wine from the Franciacorta section of Lombardy, Italy. Made from Pinot Nero and Chardonnay grapes it is beautifully balanced and simply delicious on the palate. About $50.

There was also 2007 Chateau Rayas Blanc Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In my opinion Rayas is the quintessential producer of both red and white CDP. While the 2007 CDP vintage is superb, this bottle lacked the balance of the 2006 vintage. I hope this is limited to just this bottle. A bit pricey at $175, but it is a special wine. For the red I popped open a 2003 Quintarelli Primofiore. While this may be the least expensive wine from Quintarelli, it is superb. The wine is made by gently pressing the remaining grape matter after the free-run juice is siphoned off for the higher end wines such as Valpolicella and Amarone. It is like drinking a baby Amarone. Great balance and purity. Pepper & spice on the palate and a lengthy finish. At $40 a bottle this is truly a bargain. Both the Rayas and Primofiore are available at De-Vino Wine Boutique in NYC.

We then moved into the dinning room where we sat down for a bevy of appetizers that included:

Fresh roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella, Caciocavallo cheese and sliced fresh tomatoes & assorted olives.

Mom’s stuffed Italian frying peppers. The stuffing is made from a mixture of wet bread, anchovies, walnuts, raisins and parsley. A peasant dish that tantalizes the palate and warms the soul.

Roasted pepper and fried eggplant salad mixed with roasted pignoli nuts, topped with crushed pistachio nuts and served on crisp endive leaves. I created this dish about 20 years ago and it has been a mainstay every Christmas Eve. It is simple to make and the melding of flavors and textures is a delight on the palate.

New to the table this year, in place of my usual seafood salad, was a salad of home cured olives, celery and scungilli. The olive salad was made by my good friend Gregorio Polomeni, the owner of Il Tulipano Ristorante and Rare, The Steak House. I simply added the scungilli.

It would not be Christmas Eve at our house if I did not make Arancini. I stuff these deep fried rice balls (made with risotto) with baby peas and fresh mozzarella and serve them with a fresh homemade tomato sauce. While these are always good, this year they were over the top and were consumed in record time.

Of course there has to be a Baccala course. For the past 3 years I have made them in codfish cake form, i.e. mixed with mashed potatoes and deep-fried and served with homemade tomato sauce. Delicious.

Polpo Luciano. Baby octopus braised in a spicy tomato sauce. I cook the octopus slowly for about 50 minutes and they come out mouth-watering tender. The secret to this dish is to put a wine cork in the pan during the cooking process. The enzymes from the cork, I am told, aid in tenderizing the octopus. The spicy fish continues with Rock Shrimp Arrabiatta. I love the crunchiness of rock shrimp and this preparation never fails to please.

One of the best shrimp dishes I have ever had is Gamberoni alla Griglia (braised shrimp) from Lidia Bastianch. This amazing dish is comprised of butterflied jumbo shrimp that are seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and then dredged in homemade breadcrumbs. The shrimp are then roasted in the oven for 5 minutes. Served with a homemade tomato-mustard sauce they are always a huge hit. The recipe can be found in her cookbook, La Cucina Di Lidia.

Clams Oreganta. I make these myself with a homemade breadcrumb recipe that I learned from David Pasternak at Esca Restaurant in NYC. They always come out moist and delicious. Unfortunately on this occasion when I bit into the first couple of clams they did not taste right, so this dish got deep-sixed.

After a 30-minute or so respite, it is time for the pasta. Our tradition ever since I can remember is Fedillini (thin pasta between Cappellini and Spaghettini) with Aglio, Olio e Accigua (oil, garlic and anchovy). For me, this is the highlight of the meal. I make this dish very wet so that the sauce can be soaked up with good Italian bread. It just does not get better than this.

For those who do not eat this dish (fools that they are) my daughter Gina made a delicious penne ala vodka.

Another brief respite and then it is time for the main course, if you have any room that is.

With the exception of the Christmas Broccoli (broccoli cooked with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and anchovy) that I make the two main courses I have made for us by two of my favorite restaurants. Osteria Giotto in Montclair & Divina Ristorante in Caldwell.

Owner/chefs Roberto and Luca of Giotto both trained at one of Italy’s Michelin starred restaurants, San Domenica in Imola, Italy. The lobster oreganata from there is the best I have ever had. The accompaniment to the lobster is a sauce made with imported Italian cherry tomatoes and long hot green peppers. The lobster sits atop the sauce so that you can dredge each forkful of the incredibly tender lobster in the sauce before popping into your mouth. It is a dish that must be tasted to be appreciated. Unfortunately this is not a menu item at Giotto, but upon request and with a few days notice it can be enjoyed.

For the non-fish eaters a a tray of Divina’s incredible eggplant parmigiano fits the bill perfectly. This is Eggplant like grandma used to make.

The celebration of Christmas Eve is very special and so the wines need to be also. It is a time to break out those special bottles to share with friends and family. This year was no exception. Here is the lineup.

1964 Cappellano Barolo. What a wine. The essence of old world Barolo the wine continues to drink well although not as good as the bottle of this wine I reported on in my blog A memorable old wine & a terrific young one back in May.

1982 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo. Unfortunately this bottle was corked and oxidized. As I mentioned in my May blog, these old Barolos can be a crapshoot and I am becoming a bit leery of purchasing them. A previous bottle that I opened a year before was wonderful. When you buy these old vintages be prepared to roll the dice. I suggest you ask the store you are buying them from what the policy is if the wine is bad. Most reputable stores will provide some form of compensation.

1990 Aldo Conterno Granbussia Riserva. Spectacular Barolo. Everything is here, earthy bouquet, purity and complexity on the palate with a lengthy elegant finish. An incredible wine experience.
1994 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. This was fabulous. A wine with soul. The wine had a gorgeous earthy bouquet and was wonderfully pure and balanced on the palate with a long and sensuous finish.
1996 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste. I opened this to replace the Bartolo, so I did not have a chance to decant it for a few hours and it still drank beautifully. The wine soared from the glass. The more I drink Giuseppe Rinaldi wines, the more impressed I am. His wines are superbly crafted and just gorgeous expressions of old world wine making.

1995 Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone. Along with the Granbussia the wine of the evening for me. Quinarelli’s wines have to be tasted to appreciate. Balanced, complex, lengthy, and elegant. There are no words to describe them.






Last, but not least there was dessert. My wife Carol is a terrific baker and her Biscotti & homemade cookies are always the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

A 2001 Chateau d”Yquem capped the evening. This bottle was classic d’Yquem, with apricots, peaches and vanilla on the nose. Lovely on the palate. While I like this wine on the palate, the finish is always a bit disappointing to me as I find it to be somewhat medicinal.



Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all

Hail Ceasar!

The Ceasar of whom I speak is César Ramirez, chef/owner of the 3 star Michelin rated Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare in Brookly, NY. I recently attended a wine tasting dinner there that was hosted by Chris Cree (owner) and Joe Bembry (wine director) of 56º Wine in Bernardsvile, NJ. It was perhaps the most amazing dining experience of my life.

The Chef’s Table is a comfortable 18-seat restaurant that is attached to the gourmet grocery, Brooklyn Fare in Brooklyn, NY. The seats are around a stainless steel counter that is in the kitchen. Pristinely clean and intimate it is the setting for an amazing prix-fixed extravaganza that is compromised of approximately 25 courses (plates), the last of which is meat. Reservation information can be found on their website.

Mexican by birth, Mr. Ramirez’s family moved to the United States when he was four years old. In lieu of going to cooking schools, he learned his trade by working in some of the country’s top restaurants including David Bouley’s Danube in NYC. He learned his trade very well. He believes in using only the freshest and finest ingredients available, no matter where he must obtain them from. I would characterize his food as European influenced in which the simplicity of Japanese preparation technique plays a big role. The resulting dishes are absolutely stunning. Trying to explain them is like trying to explain to a child why the sky is blue. So I will refrain from trying and simply list what we enjoyed with minimal comments. Special thanks to Jack and Pete who’s detailed notes on each course made this post possible.

Let us begin with the meal, which was comprised of fifteen one-bite appetizers, 6 small entrées and 3 desserts, each of which was an explosion of flavors, textures and temperatures on the palate.

Butternut Squash soup flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon and topped with yogurt foam. A perfect choice to prepare the palate for what was to follow.

Fluke with pickled Daikon. Sashami grade, impeccably fresh & delicious. I could have eaten 6 of these.

Amadai (a red snapper from Japan) with scales. The scales were crunchy and created a fabulous texture contrast. Oh yea, could have eaten 6 or more of these easily.

Kumimoto Oyster w/Granny Smith Apple topped with a disc of apple gelée. This was a textural tour de force.

Tasmanian trout with Trout Roe served atop celery root and apple remoulade. According to Cesar this fish is only available for 6 weeks each year and only available from Seattle, WA. Amazing, amazing, amazing.

Hiramatsu with Golden Trout Roe. Spectacular!

Wild Japanese Sea Bass with dried domestic caviar. Spectacular again!!

Striped Horse Mackerel with Ginger dressing. Whatever the superlative above spectacular is, it fits this dish.

San Diego Sea Urchin and black truffle on brioche. According to Jack, the best course so far. I offer no opposition to his testimony as it was fabulous.

Whipped Tofu with soy and wasabi. Interesting, tasty, but not what you will come back for.

Porifera Sardine with sage and potato. Don’t know where this comes from, but if I find out I may go there. Delicious!

Octopus with hearts of palm served with a chipotle Japanese Mayo (Kewpie Mayo). It is simply not fair how food can taste this good. I love octopus, but this was ridiculous. The texture and flavor combination of this dish were symphonic. Best octopus dish I have ever had, bar none.

Tempura Langostine with Saffron infused Kewpie mayo. Crunchy, briny and decadent. I want to sit down to a meal of just this.

Caviar (American sturgeon) with cod and potato gently smoked at tableside. I am not a caviar fan, but more plates like this one and I will be.

Fois gras & Sea Urchin Custard with egg crab and Abalone, finished with a truffle Dashi. Jack’s comment on this dish was that it is his last meal request. Need I say more?

These were only the appetizers, for entrées we enjoyed:

Pan seared scallop with pork belly, foam and micro greens and served with a celery root purée. Incredible combination.

Black Bass with Blue Foot Mushrooms in a smoked chanterelle sauce with snow pea leaves. Wow!

Chestnut filled Angnoletti in a buerre monte sauce with shaved white truffles. I wish there had been a dozen of these spectacular pasta pillows.

Red Mullet with saffron sauce and served with a Japanese rice that was treated like a risotto. Magnificent.

Dover Sole and Foie Gras wrapped in cabbage & served with a parley purée. Two of my favorite foods performing together to thunderous applause.

Duck served with baby turnip, and crosnes with a caramelized sunchoke puree. I am not a duck fan, so I gave mine away to the joy of one of my duck loving friends.

On to the desserts.

Reblochon Cheese with honeycomb

Greek Yogurt Sorbet with huckleberry sauce & elderflower fluid gel

Calvados & Caramel ice cream with apple granola cake.

All of these were very good. My favorite was the Calvados ice cream.

With this amazing meal we enjoyed seven amazing white wines from Domain Leflaive and one exceptional red from Domaine Pascal Maillard. All the Leflaive wines were from the 2007 vintage, a fantastic year for white Burgundy.

Domaine Leflaive is considered one of Burgundy’s greatest white wine (Chardonnay) domaines. The wines see very little new oak (12%) and are consistently elegant of the palate. There is great harmony between acid, minerality and fruit in all their wines. The wines on this night were no exception. The Domaine owns parcels in three of the four Montrachet grand crus and four of the best premier crus, for a total of 23 hectares in all.

While we waited for dinner to begin we sipped a 2007 Domaine Leflaive Macon Verze. Mâcon is a small commune in central France, in the region of Bourgogne, and the capital of the Mâconnais district. This is a stunning Villages white that has good balance and vibrancy and is drinking very well now and should continue to do for the next 3-5 years. I always keep a case or two in my cellar as it never disappoints and at $30 a bottle is a remarkable value.

Next in our glasses was a 2007 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc. The straw hue sparkled in the glass and was subtlety elegant on the palate. A declassified Villages that is drinking very well and will continue for the next 5+ years. Another great value at $45.

Next we enjoyed a 2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montracet Villages. Wonderfully fresh and vibrant with a nice finish. For a Villages level white this is very good, although the $78 price tag is, in my opinion, a bit high. For the price I would stick with the Verze and Bourgogne at this level.

The first Premier Cru to make an appearance was the 2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montracet Clavoillons 1er Cru. Pure, fresh and expressive on the palate with a lengthy finish. This will set you back about $115, but is reasonable for a premier cru of this quality. Drinking well now, but will benefit from additional cellar time.

The next Premier Cru was a 2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montracet Les Folatieres 1er Cru. An absolutely lovely wine. Rich and complex on the palate with a monster finish. $169

The final Premier Cru was a 2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru. Terrific minerality and complexity in this wine. This should drink well for a long time. $184

The final white was a 2007 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montracet Grand Cru. The elegant bouquet of this wine soared from the glass. A rich, complex wine that tantalized the palate and finished with great length. While it was a delight to drink this needs five or more years of cellar time before it reaches its potential. Not cheap at $325. The wine of the evening in my humble opinion.

With the duck course we had the only red wine of the evening a 1993 Domaine Pascal Maillard Aloxe Corton Les Grandes Lollieres 1er Cru. A spectacular example of a great Burgundy. Fabulous purity of fruit on the palate with a lengthy and elegant finish. A great wine at a reasonable price. $125

These wines were a fantastic compliment to the meal and are available from 56º Wine in Bearnardsville, NJ.

Well there you have it. This was truly a dinning experience and one that I plan on repeating many times next year. I believe the prix-fixe meal on most nights is $185 per person, which is an absolute bargain when you consider other highly rated NYC restaurants are about three times the price. At the moment Chef’s Table does not have a liquor license so it is BYOB. However a liquor license is pending. I do not know if, when procured, this will eliminate the BYOB part.

Hail Ceasar, Chris and Joe for staging an incredible evening of food and wine.

Until next time,

Saluté

Bivio e Bovio

Is there anything better than wine and food crafted simply & deliciously from the purest ingredients available? I think not, especially when we are talking about pizza and Barolo. I don’t know about you, but for me, pizza is first and foremost about the dough. It is the foundation of the pizza and when it comes together in harmony with the other main ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes, homemade mozzarella, fresh basil leaves and a fine extra virgin olive oil, it transports you to culinary heaven.

For the second time in a week we went to Bivio Pizzeria Napoletana in Little Falls, NJ. And for the second time in a week we savored the wonderful pizzas crafted by Tomasso Colao, who is the owner along with his wife Jackie.

Before opening Bivio, Mr. Colao befriended Anthony Mangieri, proprieter of Una Pizza Napoletana, formerly of NYC and now San Francisco and learned all he could about making pizza dough. Mr. Mangieri makes his dough with the aid (I hope this is the right word) of a starter dough. I am a bit fuzzy here, but as I understand it, in lieu of adding yeast to the day’s dough production a piece of “mother dough” is added allowing the dough to “rise naturally”. Whatever the case is, the resulting dough is amazing and produces an incredible pizza. For a video of Mr. Mangieri making his dough and pizza click here.

Mr. Calao has been feeding his pizza dough his “mother culture” (the foundation of his pizzas) daily for 6 years. The pies are baked in a custom-built brick oven made in Naples, Italy.

The pizza that emerges from the oven is a thing of beauty. It is comprised of a puffy, sporadically charred blistery crust that is neither crisp nor soggy but has the tenderness reminiscent of a great loaf of Italian bread and is the perfect setting for the limited number of toppings available to compliment it.

The menu lists 5 pizzas plus two daily special pizzas, and 3 salads along with one salad special. My favorites are the Marghrita made with San Marzano tomatoes, bufala mozzarella, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and the same pizza with the addition of Italian sausage.

While I love an ice cold beer with my pizza, pizza this good deserves a great wine and a 1996 Bovio Barolo Vigna Gattera was a perfect match on this evening. A traditionally made, great old world wine that is singing at the moment. An earthy bouquet greets the nose in an almost intoxicating fashion. On the palate there is an explosion of pure fruit with a finish that is pure elegance. A wine full of soul as was the pizza. $75 at De-Vino Wine Boutique in NYC.

Ah, but let us not forget dessert. We enjoyed homemade cannelloni and Italian Orange Cheesecake that were the ideal compliments to our espresso.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the staff is courteous, friendly and very professional. Only open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations for 5 or more accepted. BYOB.

Until next time,

Saluté

Great Wines Under $40

Someone once said that anyone can buy a good wine at $300 - $500 a bottle, but to find a good wine for less than $40, now there’s a challenge. Fortunately there are many great wines out there that are in this price range. These wines are made by artisan wine makers who have crafted some of the most delicious wines I have ever tasted. Each of these wines boasts a very reasonable price tag, especially in relation to the quality of wine in the bottle. They all occupy space in my cellar.

As you know I am a traditionalist when it comes to wine, and so it should come as no surprise that the ensuing wines fall into that category. They tantalize the palate with their purity and balance and finish with elegance. Simply put they are delicious, inexpensive and possess soul. The only down side is they may not be that easy to find as most wine shops probably do not carry them. If you subscribe to Wine-Searcher.com, I suggest you avail yourself of this resource if you are interested in purchasing them. You will be glad you did.

Touraine is a Loire Valley appellation around the city of Tours, France. Pineau d'Aunis, also known as Chenin Noir is the red grape variety around Touraine and Anjou. The vineyards of Clos Roche Blanche were planted on the Touraine hills bordering the Cher River by the Roussel family at the end of the 19th century and have remained in the family since. Organically farmed, the grapes are hand-harvested. The must is handled by gravity at all stages. The wine then ages on its lees, is bottled by gravity by hand without filtration to avoid mechanical manipulation that would unsettle it. Instead of using sulfur at bottling, the bottles are blanketed with CO2. The resulting wines are a terrific expression of the grape, the land and the climate, i.e. terroir. I have recently tried two of the wines from this amazing producer and they are destined to occupy space in my cellar for years to come.

2010 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Pineau D'Aunis Rosé. This is quite simply one of the most delicious Rosé wines I have ever tasted. It possesses a cloudy pink hue and is dry & peppery on the palate, similar to Grenache. The wine is completely round and must be tasted to appreciate, and at $20 a bottle is a fantastic value. Equally impressive is the 2010 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine L'Arpent Rouge. This is a wine filled with terroir. Upon opening you are met with a bouquet that is pure barnyard. After about 20 minutes in the glass the barnyard is replaced by a peppery & earthy bouquet, also reminiscent of Grenache. Delicious, and also only $20 a bottle. Both of these wines are full of soul.

The Jura is a small and relatively obscure wine region in eastern France, between Burgundy and the Swiss border. Its geographical isolation has helped it to remain a rare bastion of traditional winemaking techniques, and today it produces some of the most distinctive wines in the world. Reds from the Jura are often light-bodied, earthy, berried, and reminiscent of the village wines of Burgundy (though here they are made of local grapes like Poulsard and Trousseau) and are best appreciated if served with a slight chill on them. Arbois is a small commune in the Jura and produces some of the best wines of the Jura. Jacques Puffeney is one of the superstars of the Jura (among his colleagues he is known as the “the Pope of Arbois.” His wines are fantastic. The 2006 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Poulsard M, a blend of Pinot Noir, Trousseau & Poulsard, is an elegant, light red wine that is delicious. A perfect accompaniment to pizza, eggplant ptarmigan or spaghetti and meatballs. $24.

Philippe Bornard is another superstar of the Arbois. His 2006 Arbois Pupillin Melon le Rouge Queue is a spectacular white from the area. A blend of Melon and Malbec grapes the wine is stunning. The wine has wonderful complexity and balance and is fresh and pristinely pure on the palate with a hint of viscosity. The wine keeps evolving in the glass during the course of sipping it. Whenever I drink this wine I am reminded of the difference between enjoying and experiencing a wine.

My favorite white wine grape is Chenin Blanc. A grape of high acidity it is used to make spectacular still wines, sparkling wines and well-balanced dessert wines. In the hands of master traditional producers such as Gaston Huet and Francois Pinon these wines will rock your world. The wines hail from the Vouvray district of the Loire Valley in France. They are made to contain a percentage of residual sugar, which means fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is converted to alcohol. The resulting wines rather than being "sweet" have a beautifully integrated sweetness that seduces the palate. One of the beauties of these wines is that they can be enjoyed young (when they are inexpensive) or kept for 50+ years (when their value has increased by 10 to 30 fold) in the cellar. Here are some of my favorites that are drinking well now and will for decades to come.

2009 Francois Pinon Vouvray Silex Noir $22
2009 Francois Pinon Vouvray Cuvée Tradition $22
Francois Pinon NV Touraine Brut Rose $19
2009 Huet Lieu Demi Sec $36

The red wines of Burgundy (Pinot Noir) continue to occupy more and more space in my cellar. They are for me they a wonderful expression of feminine elegance in a glass. Grand & Premier Cru Burgundies command a big price tag. Fortunately there are the Bourgogne and Villages levels of these wines, which are meant to be drunk earlier and are very affordable. They are usually made of the grapes that do not make it into the Grand & Premier Cru bottlings, but are crafted as the higher priced wines are. Here are a few from top producers that are worth trying. One note, do not worry about the year so much in as much if these producers make a wine in any given vintage it will be very good.

2007 Joseph Drouhin Chorey-les Beaune Villages Red $15
2004 Denis Bachelet Bourgogne Rouge $21
2009 Faiveley Ladoix $25
2006 Camille Giroud Marsannay Les Longeroles $30

Occupying even more space in my cellar are the red wines of Piedmonte, Italy. While Barbaresco and Barolo are the superstars of the region, do not over look the Barberas, Dolcettos and Arneis (white) made from top producers. Give these a try.

2007 Flavio Roddolo Dolcetto d’Alba at $17 is one of the best Dolcetto’s I have ever tasted. Pure & earthy with a long silky finish.

2007 Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba. From the master Barolo producer, this is a beautiful wine for under $25.

2004 Ada Nada Barbaresco Elisa, $36, along with Produttori Barbaresco, $35, these wines represent some of the greatest values for Nebiolo you will ever find.

The white wine grape of Piedmont is Arneis. It is most commonly found in the hills of Roero, northwest of Alba. Arneis wines are dry, full bodied, crisp and delightful to drink. Two of the best producers of Arneis are Bruno Giacosa and Ceretto. Ceretto’s Arneis Blange has a slight bit of spritz upon opening, and is very clean and soft on the palate. It is my wife’s favorite wine and has been for many years. $20.

Giacosa’s Rorero Arneis is also very clean and crisp on the palate. The wine has more complexity than the Ceretto and is my favorite Arneis. A bit more expensive at about $30 a bottle.

The following shops carry some, if not all of these wines.
Chambers Street Wines, NYC
New York Wine Warehouse, NYC
Wine Legend, Livingston, NJ
De-Vino Wine Boutique, NYC
ShopRite Liquors, West Caldwell, NJ

Until next time,

Saluté

"Life’s too short to drink bad wine"!