Christmas Wines 2019

Gentlemen’s Holiday Luncheon (Friday December 20)

After a one-year hiatus, a group of wine loving friends gathered once again on a Friday afternoon for a holiday lunch at Il Capriccio Ristorante in Whippany, NJ.  Recently renovated, we dined and imbibed in the restaurant's Wine Cellar private Dinning Room.  This event was started by Tony Prioletti a number of years ago to the delight of all that attend.  Each attendee brings one or two bottles of wine that conform to the wine theme set by Tony.  The theme this year was French wines from the Northern Rhone, Southern Rhone and Burgundy regions of France.  All three regions boast iconic producers of great wines, a number of which we drank today.

Once again the food prepared by Tony Grande and his son Natale was topflight as was the food and wine service under the direction of Maitre'd/Wine Director Salvatore Le Rose.

2010 Vasart-Coquart & Fils Champagne (not pictured).  I arrived too late and did not taste this wine.

1989 J.L. Chave Hermitage.  I was also too late for this wine.  3 of the attendees had it as their WOTD.

2007 J.L. Chave Hermitage Blanc.  My runner up for WOTD.  The wine showed Incredible depth, balance and complexity with a lingering and delicious finish.

2001 E. Guigal Côte Rôtie La Mouline.  A terrific Syrah but still on the young side.  I think that had I opened this bottle a few hours before getting to the restaurant, the underlying pedigree of the wine would have blossomed.

2008 Ponsot Morey St.-Denis Cuvée de Alouettes.  A very good bottle of wine with great pedigree and potential with more cellar time.

1995 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes.  I found the fruit to be very much alive, but it lacked depth and finesse.  I preferred the 2008 to this bottle.

2007 Mommessin Clos de Tart.  We had two bottles of this from two different cellars.  I found no appreciable difference between the bottles.  The wine was still quite young but very enjoyable. Dark, ruby color with enticing bouquet.

2006 Chȃteau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape Réservé.  Clearly my WOTD, an opinion echoed by two others in the group.  This was simply an awesome wine that was round and delicious and evolved with each sip.  Truly a wine with soul!

2006 Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf du Pape Réservé de Celestins.  Very similar to the Rayas, but with a shorter finish.  In my opinion this will benefit from a few more years in the cellar.  My second runner up to WOTD.

2000 Vega-Sicilia Único.  I used to be a big fan of this producer when he made traditional wines. The 1970 Unico is one of the best wines I ever had.  Unfortunately, the winery changed to a much more modern style a number of years ago and I stopped buying them.  Today’s wine was exactly that, way too modern.  It was like drinking liquid wood.

2011 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes 375ml.  Not my favorite dessert wine as I find the finish to be too medicinal.  This bottle was also much too young to drink.

25-Year-Old Glen Moray Speyside Single Malt Scotch.  Terrific single malt scotch with a wonderfully smooth palate.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve began with Carol and I attending the Christmas Choir and Christmas Mass at Holy Family Church that our granddaughters, Mia and Isabella, participate in each year.  I have never been able to attend this in the past as I had to stay home and organize the food preparation and service help for the evening meal.  This year our usual hired help was unavailable, and my wife’s troublesome knee prompted us take the family out for dinner.  This enabled me to attend the Mass and I was happy I did.  The choir was magnificent and really set the mood for our Christmas celebration.

Before heading off to the restaurant we gathered after mass at our house for light pickings, Champagne and cocktails.

2007 Kripta Agustí Torelló Mata Cava Kripta Brut Nature Gran Reserva.

Brought by my good friend Gino this amazing sparkler is a blend of Macabeo,Xarello and Parellada grapes.  It is considered by many to be Spain’s greatest sparkling wine.  A little research provided the following: "1979 in the cellar of Can Rossell KIPTA is born. After 32 years of experience Agusti Torello Mata decides to realize his illusion. KRIPTA comes from the best old vineyards of Penedés, an exceptional blending of the best plots of Macabeo, Xarel·lo and Parellada.  A long aging with a cork stopper of at least 5 years, they get a unique bouquet that consolidates it as one of the great wines of the world.  The bottle, reminiscences of Roman amphora, and the label-work of the artist Rafael Bartolozzi- are the touch of final elegance of this great wine cellar".

This was a full-bodied Cava with wonderful depth and an underlying citric palate.  It finished with with terrific length.



2007 Philipponnat Brut Royale Reserve Non-Dosé Champagne (Disgorged September 2011).

I purchased a few bottles of this amazing Champagne from The Rare Wine Company a number of years ago.  I recored these comments, which I believe are from their web site.  "When a bottle of Champagne receives its final cork, a little sugar ("dosage") is usually added to the wine.  Brut Champagnes can legally have up to 12 grams per liter added. But that much sugar typically means lower quality, as the producer may be hiding imperfections in the wine. In contrast, the dosage of an elite, flawless Champagne typically ranges from 4 to 7 grams. But few Champagnes are released into the world with no  dosage at all; most producers like the rounding effect that sugar has on even the best Champagnes. To succeed with absolutely no dosage requires a Champagne of unusual richness and roundness on the palate.


Philipponnat's Non-Dosé is such a Champagne. It was introduced in 2009 to great critical acclaim. And of all the reviewers who've praised it, we find the comments of Peter Liem (whose Champagneguide.net we highly recommend) particularly incisive:

"In the absence of dosage, the pinot fruit is strongly emphasized ... and it's the dark, virile fruit tones of the black grapes that dominate here, whereas in (Philipponnat's flagship Brut Royale Réserve) the chardonnay somehow makes its presence more clearly felt. This is impressive, showing a harmonious balance from beginning to end ..."

It is hard to believe that this only costs around $40.  It's yeasty bouquet and palate brings a lingering smile to those that sip it.

I was able to secure the private wine cellar dining room at LuNello’s Ristorante in Cedar grove for our dinner.  Chef/owner Lou Segar and his staff did a magnificent job with the accommodations, service and food.

1996 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Riserva Monprivato Ca’ d’Morisso, Magnum.  3 hour slo-o.  Awesome wine.  Round and delicious with great balance, depth, finesse and a monster finish.

2004 Soldera Case Basse Brunello di Montalcino Riserva.  Pnp.  I first tasted this wine from barrel when I visited Soldera in 2008.  The wine blew us away then and it did again tonight.  A sensational bottle of wine that has aged to perfection.  Elegance in the glass.  The wine soared with each sip and finished with great length.  It edged out the ‘96 Ca’d’Morisso as WOTN.

2002 Domaine Castagnier Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru.  Pnp.  Excellent Burgundy from a producer I was not familier with.  Classic Burgundian nose and palate.  On another night could have been in the running for WOTN, but not tonight.

1995 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes.  3-hour slo-o.  Gorgeous amber hue.  Palate of pure nectar, if only the finish was not so medicinal.

Christmas Day

We begin Christmas day with a terrific breakfast of scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon and biscuits at our oldest daughter Gina's house, followed by opening presents with our adorable grandchildren.  We completed our Christmas celebration at our youngest daughter's house for dinner at night.  Lisa and Andy do a great job with a meal featuring steak and potatoes.

1990 Paul Jaboulet Ainé Hermitage La Chapelle.  It has been a long time since I had a bottle of this legendary wine.  The wine displayed amazing youth with beautiful balance and elegance on the palate.  The wine evolved with each sip and finished with great length.

2007 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru.  3 hour in decanter.  Classic Burgundy.  A pure and elegant wine with terrific complexity, finesse and a lengthy and elegant finish.  At the beginning of what should be a long and enjoyable drinking window.  My WOTN.

2006 Rattalino Barbaresco Quarantatre 43.  Pnp.  Fermented in stainless steel tanks, this is an under the radar producer of traditionally made Barolo and Barbaresco that is always a delight to drink.  2006 was a great vintage in Barbaresco as was clearly evident in this wine.

1991 Quinta Do Noval Vintage Port.  A good, not great bottle of port that is approaching the end of its time.

It was another fabulous Christmas.  Carol and I are truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends to celebrate the holiday with.  We wish you and your families all the best for the holidays.

Saluté

Campi di Fonterenza

On the first of April I hosted my annual Hemophilia Association of New Jersey Gourmet Wine Dinner fundraiser.  The event was once again held at Il Tulipano Ristorante, Cedar Grove, NJ. This year I featured the wines of Campi di Fonterenza from Montalcino, in the Poggio San Polo area in the southeastern part of Montalcino (Tuscany), Italy.  Twin sisters Francesca and Margherita Padovani started the vineyard in 1997 and its reputation for making traditional Brunello di Montalcino continues to grow, a fact that is not surprising as Gianfranco Soldera, considered to be the greatest winemaker of Brunello in the region, mentored the sisters.  One taste of their Brunello di Montalcino will demonstrate that they have learned very well from their mentor. I had the pleasure, along with my family and a couple of good friends to visit with the Padovani sisters last year at their estate.  My good friend Gino Urban of David Bowler Wines (importer for Fonterenza wines), provided the wines and also arranged for Margherita to be in attendance to discuss their wines.

Margherita Padovani

Once again we began with a magnificent cocktail hour before sitting down to dinner.  Each of the wines we drank showed beautifully tonight.  While the italicized comments are from the Padovani sisters, Margherita’s passion for making truly great wine was evident as she spoke about each wine.  The attendees loved her and her wines.  The comment, “this was the best Hemophilia dinner of all” was heard numerous times around the room.

During the cocktail hour we drank Fonterenza 2017 Petit Rosso Vino Rosso 
“The first vintage of this wine was 2011, replacing the production of our SANGIOVESE I.G.T. TOSCANA. The bottle shape already declares our intention to make a different kind of Sangiovese than what is most commonly associated with Montalcino. Inspired by our friendship with French vignerons and their culture of thirst-quenching wines, conceived to satisfy the needs of everyday drinking and convivial sharing, our idea was to make an Italian vin de soif. It is made from a selection of grapes from our vineyards in San Polo and some Sangiovese from the old vineyards on Monte Amiata. In some vintages we also use autochthonous grapes (ciliegoiolo, canaiolo, colorino, malvasia nera). We hope to plant a mountain vineyard specifically for the production of this wine in the near future.”

This is the estate’s entry-level red wine, medium-bodied wine with a translucent red hue, fruity palate and soft, but short finish.  A terrific every day wine for under $25.00

Our first course was paired with the estate's two "Orange" wines served side by side.

Goat Cheese Medallions over baby Greens with candied fruits and dried walnuts

2016 Biancospino Vino Bianco
“This wine is inspired by our love of white wines and of Monte Amiata, a place that abounds with small old vineyards planted with unrenowned grapes. It is an old-style peasant blend of 70% Trebbiano 30% Malvasia made by macerating the varietals with their skins for one month. The wine is aged in barrel for 6 months.  The first vintage produced was 2010. We have an ongoing project to replant a new mountain vineyard next to the Vigna Matta, an old vineyard in Montegiovi dating from 1920 that we currently rent for the production of this wine.”

The wine was delicious.  A white wine, made like a red wine and drunk at red wine temperature, it has a slightly oxidized palate, with considerable depth.  $30.00

2017 La Ragazze Vino Bianco 

“Like the Biancospino it is an old-style peasant blend made by macerating indigenous varietals, in this case they are 50% Vermintino, with Trebbiano, Malvasia and Grechetto making up the rest. Skin contact is limited to one week. The wine is aged in barrel for 6 months.  The first vintage produced was 2010. We have an ongoing project to replant a new mountain vineyard next to the Vigna Matta, an old vineyard in Montegiovi dating from 1920 that we currently rent for the production of this wine.”

This was even more delicious than the Biancospino and was clearly the favorite of the crowd.  Gorgeous yellow hue, medium-bodied and a lengthy and elegant finish.  $35.00

For the pasta course featured the estate's two Rosso di Montalcino poured side by side.

Spinach Lasagna Classic Bolognese Style

2016 Rosso di Montalcino 

“We do not consider this wine as a second tier wine or a lesser Brunello di Montalcino D.O.C.G. Our vineyards are all in an area historically renowned for the production of Brunello and are ideal for the production of structured wines. Our Rosso di Montalcino is merely a different interpretation of Sangiovese, characterized by a great potential for cellar evolution but aged for a shorter period in wood (22 months in oak barrels), preserving characteristics of rustic youth, fruity exuberance and a distinctive saline and earthy profile that is typical of all our Sangiovese. It is mostly from our three plots; Bosco, Alberello and Strada, vinified separately before a final blending. The first vintage produced was 2003.”

Young and like the whites, simply delicious.  The wine showed great complexity and depth even at this early point in its life.  This will add on depth and elegance over the next 3 to 5 years.  As it sat in the glass throughout the dinner, it continued to evolve and display more fruit and elegance.  $40.00

2015 Rosso di Montalcino Alberello 

“100% Sangiovese Grosso. 2015 is the first vintage in which the Padovanis bottled this single-parcel Rosso di Montalcino. Normally, it is part of the "regular" Rosso di Montalcino bottling. But since having grafted new Sangiovese vines in this particular plot in 2005 and trained them alberello style, the Fonterenza sisters have felt that it is a unique expression of Sangiovese from the same clay-limestone galestro soils and same northern exposure. Like the other Rosso plots, it is farmed organically and worked and harvested by hand; the fruit is fermented with native yeasts in steel tank with a 15-20-day maceration. Like the Rosso, the Alberello was aged for about 20 months in steel and Slavonian oak botti but spent a longer portion of its elevage in steel. It was bottled without filtration in September 2017. Only 4000 bottles made.”  $45.00

This single vineyard Rosso showed more structure and complexity than it's counterpart.   It was also a bit tighter, but as it evolved in the glass over the next 90 minutes the pedigree began to shine through.  This, like the Rosso, will age gracefully for  decade or more.  $45.00

With our main course we enjoyed two vintages, once again side by side, of their flagship wine, Brunello di Montalcino.  To say it was the coup de grâce to a magnificent tasting would be a bit of a understatement.

Sliced Medallions of Filet; Mushroom Gravy; Potato Croquette

2010 & 2012 Brunello di Montalcino 
“Ten long years passed between planting our vineyard and releasing the first bottles of this wine. We think of Brunello as a paean to Montalcino, a synthesis of everything that makes this part of the world so special; its unique combination of soils, sea breezes and woodlands. These elements find their expression in our Brunello; sun-baked saline notes, meaty aromas, heady Mediterranean herbs and fresh minerality. 

It is a wine that requires time and patience. We have learned to take care of it during its aging period, coaxing youthful characteristics to full maturity and nursing the potential for complexity. In present times, where everything is based on the concept of right here, right now, this is an old-fashioned wine. It is made exclusively from the estate Cru, Vigna del Bosco.  Our first vintage of Brunello was 2004.”

Both wines were beautiful examples of how good Brunello di Montalcino can be. The 2010 ($125.00) was without question the WOTN, while the 2012 ($100.00) was on its own a stunning wine.  2010 was a magnificent year in Brunello, and as Margherita commented it was an “easy” wine to make, as Mother Nature gave them perfection in the vineyard, while the warm, dry growing season of 2012 gave winemakers more of a challenge.  A challenge, in my opinion, that Fonterenza sisters met with great success.

Desserts are always special at Il Tulipano and are left up to the creation of the chef.  They never disappoint as you can see below.

Fonterenza does not make any dessert wines, so I turned to the La Stoppa estate for their 2009 La Stoppa Vigna Della Volta Passito (Malvasia). The wine, a blend of 95% Malvasia di Candia Aromatica and 5% Moscato, is made from sun-dried grapes that are pressed in a vertical press, fermented naturally, and put into old French oak barrique for 10 months. After bottling, the wine is held for an additional two years before release.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.

La Stoppa is an historic estate in the province of Piacenza in the Emilia region of Italy. There are 32 hectares of vines, along with almost as much forest, plus the ruins of a medieval tower. The property was founded and planted first in the late 19th century by a lawyer named Giancarlo Ageno, whose main interest was Bordeaux varieties. In 1973, current owner Elena Pantaleoni's printer father, with no winegrowing experience, purchased the property; Elena joined him to work at the winery full-time in 1991. By 1996, a decision was made to let the non-native varietals like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Tokay, Pinot Gris, Grechetto and Pinot Noir go, as they were not suited for the warm climate and clay soils of the area. They were replaced with local grapes Barbera, Bonarda and Malvasia (with Bordeaux varieties remaining until 2005, when those too were replaced).

The farming has been organic since the early 1990's; certification came in 2008.  Elena Pantaleoni, a dedicated, intelligent and passionate grower, works closely with her enologist Giulio Armani to craft wines expressive of place and grape. Work in the cellar is minimal. Fermentation is entirely with native yeasts; maceration with skins is lengthy; little to no sulfur is used; wines are aged in a range of  Slavonian oak botti and used French barriques; reds are not filtered before bottling; and bottle aging is extended. Elena eschews any DOC classifications, choosing the IGT path instead; she feels that the DOC regulations are too broad in terms of permitted varieties, geographical bounds and production techniques, and not conducive to thoughtul, artisanal winegrowing and winemaking, the priority at the La Stoppa estate.

I mentioned in the second paragraph above the comment, “this was the best Hemophilia dinner of all” was heard numerous times around the room.  Having done 25 or more of these events over the years I have to concur with the comment, and that is saying a lot as many of the great wines of Italy and France have been featured at this dinner in the past.  None however had the completeness and electricity of this tasting, beginning with the presence, charisma and passion of Margherita Padovani.  A gifted and natural speaker, who simply lets her passions and wines speak for her and her sister.  She wowed the crowd as much as her wines did.  And speaking of the wines, each one showed beautifully from the first sip to the last.  In fact experiencing the evolution of each wine in the glass really made the tasting special.  

Fonternza wines are not in the well know...currently that is.  But I think serious wine drinkers will be hearing about them and drinking them in the years to come.

Thank you so much Margherita and Francesca for the passion you bring to wine and thank you Margherita for making this fund raiser such a success.  We raised $28,000+ from the event for the Hemophilia Association of NJ.

My thanks also to my dear friend Gino Urban of David Bowler wines who brought Margherita and her wines to the event.  To my dear friend Gene Urban, owner of Impressive Impressions, who took all the photos in this blog, and to Gregorio Polimeni, Jr. and the staff at Il Tulipano for another outstanding job.

Saluté

1999 Barolo Dinner

Two weeks ago our NY Vinous wine group met at DeGrazia Ristorante in NYC.  The theme of this dinner was a 20-year Barolo retrospective, thus we all brought along bottles from the 1999 vintage.  1999 was an epic vintage in Barolo, offering many amazing wines that are drinking beautifully now and will continue to do so for another couple of decades at least.  The bad news is that while many of these wines are available the price to acquire them has soared.  As is our custom Ken, the group’s most knowledgeable Nebbiolo member divided the wines into separate flights.  All the wines were double decanted around noon and were served blind.  It turned out to be another great tasting.  The wines showed well, with one exception, and as you might expect from a group like this there were some differences of opinion, but overall, when finished we all wished we had lots more of the vintage in our respective cellars.

Food

Once again DeGrazia accommodated us with a private dinning room and served excellent food.  I began with Animelle ai Funghi; Calfs Sweetbreads pan seared with wild mushroom, marsala wine, granny smith apples, and fresh Thyme.  The sweetbreads were tender and perfectly sauced.  One of the better versions of this dish that I have ever had.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara; Creamy egg yolk sauce with crispy pancetta, parmigiano cheese and black pepper.  DeGrazia makes the traditional Roman pasta dish to perfection, with perfectly cooked pasta and sauced with just the ingredients noted…no cream, which I find ruins the dish.

Polletto al Mattone; Farm raised whole baby chicken marinated in a spicy white wine mixture, flattened and charred grilled, sautéed escarole and beans, mushroom polenta, completed my meal.  The chicken was moist and delicious with enough sauce to soak up with the polenta.

Wine

Flight 1

1999 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Santo Stefano Di Perno.  Lovely bouquet of red fruit with a medium-bodied and nicely balanced palate.  Considerable length to the finish.

1999 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Villero.  The laggard of the flight in my opinion.  I felt the wine had very little focus or depth and a rather weak finish.

1999 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato.  I have stopped buying Monprivato as I find too much inconsistency from bottle to bottle and vintage to vintage.  Fortunately that was not the case with this bottle, which drank with a lot of soul tonight.  The wine evolved with each sip, danced on the palate and finished with a lovely velvet length.

1999 Vietti Barolo Rocche.  A wow wine.  Most thought it to be a Giacosa Riserva.  Since I am not a fan of blind tastings (nor am I very good at it) I refrained from guessing what it was.  In my opinion wines this good only need the simple description of "round and delicious."  Each sip was better than the one before it.  My WOTN…an opinion shared by most at the table.  I wish I some of this in my cellar.

Flight 2

1999 Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi.  I must confess that I am not a fan of the very modern styled wines from Scavino and this did nothing to change that.  When I drink them I don’t feel like I am drinking Barolo as was the case here.

1999 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc.  Decidedly better than the Cannubi.  More of a Barolo nose and palate, but also a bit oaky.

1999 Paolo Scavino Barolo Riserva Rocche dell’Annunizata. Best of the flight, but still too modern for me.

Flight 3

1999 Massoliono Barolo La Vigna Rionda.  Fantastic bottle of wine.  Great structure, purity and bouquet. Constantly evolves in the glass and then tantalizes the palate with great finesse.  Finishes soft and lush.  One of my WOTN.

1999 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Rocche.  Gorgeous and exotic bouquet with a beautifully balanced and round palate that showed considerable depth and finesse, while the finish was lengthy and elegant.  Another of my WOTN.

1999 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia. Unfortunately this bottle was flawed.

1999 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva. The wine showed extremely well.  Earthy bouquet, full-bodied, balanced and complex with impeccable purity and a very lengthy, elegant finish.  The best is yet to come for this wine and should really blossom in a few more years and continue to drink well for a couple of decades at least.

Another great evening with a great group of guys.

3 happy campers, Myself, Ken V. and Marc D.

For a more in depth accounting of the wines, visit Eric Guido's Blog, The Cellar Table.

Wine photos courtesy of Eric Guido.

Saluté