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.
For a more in depth accounting of the wines, visit Eric Guido's Blog, The Cellar Table.
Wine photos courtesy of Eric Guido.
Saluté
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.
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.
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| 3 happy campers, Myself, Ken V. and Marc D. |
Wine photos courtesy of Eric Guido.
Saluté
