Tasting Flight Grouping Suggestions Please - Italian Tasting

I have organized a bit of a tasting for this weekend with an Italian theme and am wondering if any of the Berserkers with better knowledge than I have any good suggestions for which of the following wines to be grouped together for compare/contrast. I think we only have enough glasses to maybe pour 3 wines at a time (which is a funny, but real, limitation). I simply broke out the list by region/type:

February 13th Italian Wine Tasting
Warm Up Whites

-2012 Antinori Tenuta Guado al Tasso Vermentino, Bolgheri
-2010 Giovanni Almando Roero Arneis Bricco delle Ciliegie

Tuscany
-Brunello

-1995 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino
-1999 Ciacci Piccolomini D’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso

-Chianti

-1997 Cellole Chianti Classico Riserva
-1997 Monsanto Chianti Classico ‘Il Poggio’

-Super Tuscan

-1997 Antinori Guado al Tasso Tenuta Belvedere, Bolgheri

-Umbria

-1997 Arnaldo-Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 Anniversario, Umbria

-Piedmonte
-Dolcetto & Barbara

-1997 Pecchenio F.lli Dolcetto di Dogliani Bricco Botti
-1998 Braida di Giacomo Bologna Barbera d’Asti Bricco dell’Ucellone

-Barolo & Barbaresco
-1963 Giacomco Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva
-1990 Marcarini Barolo Brunate
-1997 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Vigna Enrico VI
-2000 Luigi Pira Barolo Vigna Rionda
-1997 La Spinetta Barbaresco Vursu Vigneto Gallina
-1998 Rocca Albino Barbaresco Vignet Brich Ronchi
-2001 Ceretto Bricco Asili Barbaresco Bernardot

-Veneto
-Amarone

-1988 Masi Amarone
-1998 Allegrini Amarone
-1995 Dal Forno Valpolicella superiore
-2000 Dal Forno Amarone

I don’t quite understand the question. How many wines are you going to serve total? All of those, three of them, or some other number?

Oh, sorry. We are going to serve all of them. The question asked is whether or not any logical groupings of wines exist that I’m not seeing, aside from simply tasting the brunelli together, the barbareschi together, the chanti together, etc.

I would flight the '63 Borgogno with the Dolcetto and Barbera right after the whites - it’s a weak vintage, and that wine is liable to get " lost" if you drink it with younger Barolo.

I might be in inclined to order them as such. This way, you move the aromatic brunelli and Baroli (and more expensive) wines to the front of the list so that your nose/palate is at its best for those. Then follow up with the others and pray you can get to the last Amarone before falling down.

Whites

Brunello

Barolo-Barbaresco

Chianti

Dolcetto-Barbera

Umbria (?)

Super Tuscan

Amarone

I’m no expert at these things…
What about serving Chianti/Brunello/Chianti/Brunello for the Sangiovese wines and Barolo/Barbaresco/Barolo/Barbaresco for the Nebbiolo ones?

It might make the differences more pronounced.

Here’s a stab at it.

After the whites, in order and in groups:

-1963 Giacomco Borgogno & Figli Barolo Riserva

-1997 Cellole Chianti Classico Riserva
-1997 Monsanto Chianti Classico ‘Il Poggio’

-1995 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino
-1999 Ciacci Piccolomini D’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso

-1997 Pecchenio F.lli Dolcetto di Dogliani Bricco Botti
-1998 Braida di Giacomo Bologna Barbera d’Asti Bricco dell’Ucellone

-1997 Arnaldo-Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 Anniversario, Umbria
-1997 Antinori Guado al Tasso Tenuta Belvedere, Bolgheri

-1997 La Spinetta Barbaresco Vursu Vigneto Gallina
-1998 Rocca Albino Barbaresco Vignet Brich Ronchi
-2001 Ceretto Bricco Asili Barbaresco Bernardot

-1990 Marcarini Barolo Brunate
-1997 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Vigna Enrico VI
-2000 Luigi Pira Barolo Vigna Rionda

-1988 Masi Amarone
-1998 Allegrini Amarone

-1995 Dal Forno Valpolicella superiore
-2000 Dal Forno Amarone

Peter Hickner

+1 on Peter’s grouping and sequencing

Peter,

Thanks so much, we took much of your groupings, but decided to have the Dolcetto and Barbera (ended up with a 97’ Clerico as well), before the Brunelli and the Chianti. Also, the 63’ Borgogno got mis-pulled from the rack and was a 93’ instead but was delicious anyway.

To the Super Tuscan and Sagrantino flight, we added an 04’ Tig and a Tenuta Delle Terre Nere Guardiola.

The Clerico Barbera from 97’ nearly stole the show. . . I couldn’t believe how awesome an older Barbera, in the right hands, could be.

The Marcarini Brunate was corked. and the Spinetta was still hard as nails, but overall the wines were lovely and it was a fantastically successful event. The Dal Fornos were really special, even after the palate fatigue of everything before.