Gene greeted us with an array of delicious Spanish and French cheeses along with the famous Spanish Ham, Patanegra (Black Hoof) Jamon from Joselito. Aged a minimum 2-1/2 years this ham is only produced from 100% purebred Ibérico pigs that are fed a daily diet of acorns. Gino, who visits Spain annually, always manages to find a way to sneak some out of the country as it is not available in the United States.
We enjoyed an excellent bottle of 2001 Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d’Abruzzo with the appetizers. This was a beautiful white wine that is drinking at its peak. The wine begins with an enticing bouquet of fruit and flowers and exhibits a beautiful golden hue in the glass. On the palate the fruit, acidity and minerality are in perfect harmony. The finish is clean and lengthy.
Emidio Pepe is a great believer that Mother Nature is the best care-giver for the vines, thus the grapes are grown organically, hand-harvested, hand destemmed, naturally fermented and aged 18-24 months in glass-lined tanks. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered, without added SO2, and aged in their cellar, in bottle (usually for about 10 years) for continued development. Before release, the wines are decanted by hand into new bottles, and then labeled. An extensive stock of older vintages is kept at the cellar.
Dinner began with homemade cabbage soup in which in which gnocchi like potato dumplings floated. As a cabbage lover, this was fabulous and I readily devoured every delicious drop.
The soup was followed by family style servings of Pirogi, Kielbasa and Stuffed Cabbage. The Pirogi, stuffed with potato and cheese, were purchased locally and served in a sauce of butter, onions and crumbled bacon. Gene cooked them perfectly and the sauce was a beautiful complement to the delicious dumplings. I don’t eat a lot of Pirogi, but I can easily say that these were the best I have ever eaten.
Gene purchases his Kielbasa from an authentic German butcher, Schwind’s, in Rockaway. Since it is already smoked, he simply boiled it to bring it up to temperature before slicing and serving. Tender, perfectly spiced, it was simply delicious.
Maureen not only gets credit for the stuffed cabbage, but high acclaim as well. Tender cabbage with a moist meat stuffing in a savory tomato sauce. One word…outstanding!
I brought along a 1976 Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Gran Reserva, which we pared, with a 1988 Gaja Sperss Barolo from Gino’s cellar. I am not a fan of the more modern style of Gaja wines today, but his traditionally made wines of the past are superb, as was this. In 1988, Gaja acquired a vineyard in one of Serralunga’s best areas and named it “Sperss” – Piedmontese for nostalgia. This was the first year he made Sperss and the wine contained no Barbera (today’s vintages do). It was round and delicious with a silky, elegant palate and lengthy finish.
The LdH was incredible, and edged out the Gaja in my opinion. The wine exhibited a gorgeous translucent red hue (no browning at all), enticing earthy bouquet with impeccable balance and a monster finish. The wine evolved with each sip. A wine with soul.
Next Gino opened a 2000 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste. My last bottle of this amazing wine was 5+ years ago. My notes then apply today. “Extraordinary bottle of wine than drank beautifully upon opening and as you might expect after 45 minutes in a decanter the wine soared from the glass. Classic earthy bouquet of Piedmont. The wine had great depth with multiple layers of complexity as it evolved with great length. Round and delicious. A wine with soul.”
We didn’t notice it until the bottle was opened, but it had been signed by Giuseppe Rinaldi at the lower left side of the front label. While that didn’t change the wine, it most likely would have added to its value.
Since we ran out of wine, Gino went to the cellar and brought out a bottle of 2001 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne. Sandrone’s largest production Barolo, made from a blend of fruit from four vineyards, Vignane (Barolo), Merli (Novello), Conterni & Ceretta (Monforte d’Alba). This started off great, with vibrant fruit and terrific depth and that signature Sandrone elegance. After being open thirty minutes however, the wine went completely flat and never seemed to recover.
With coffee and desert, Gino opened a half bottle of 2001 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes. This was an exceptional vintage for d’Yquem and this wine is aging beautifully. Apricots, peaches and vanilla on the nose with a lovely tropical fruit palate.
We capped the evening with a snifter of Carlos 1 Spanish brandy. A perfect ending to a perfect meal.
Thanks Gene and Maureen for a great meal and Gino for some amazing wines.
Saluté
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