My regular local mostly-Bordeaux wine-dinner group end of year dinner-celebration with the perennial all-fresh-truffled food and awesome hosting, since the last 3 years for me, of Ben and Wendy at their wonderful West Village home. Great dishes, terrific truffles, a lot of fun wines and a most-enjoyable bunch.
Whites:
2009 Larmandier-Bernier Les Chemins d’Avize, Champagne
High intensity with elegance. Bread, with good lemon and apple notes. B+
2011 Pierre Peters Les Chetillions, Champagne
Stern-mannered, but that’s what I like in this wine. Fine mousse, good acidity. B+
1993 Trimbach Riesling Clos St. Hune, Alsace
Gold tint. Gasoline on the bouquet. Citrus acidity, hard candy, cool white fruit and refreshing flavors. B+/A-
Reds and Sweet wine:
1947 Borgogno Barolo Riserva
Finesse, fruit cake, some mint, some salinity. Medium-body. Layers for tertiary flavors. Very long finish. A-
1964 Borgogno Barolo Riserva
Very appealing bouquet of confection spices and ripe fruit. Plenty of ripe red fruit. Happily went on forever in the mouth. A-/A
1962 Capellano Barbaresco
A finely-balanced taste sensation of good hard candy, brown suar, blue and red berries, leather. Finesse. A-
1962 Sobrero Barolo
Perfumed expressive nose. Very light, veering into light rose color category. Cool mint. B+
1998 Pertinace Barbaresco Castellizano
Earth, ripe blue fruit. Dialed down intensity. As good as it’ll get. B
1996 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco
Elegant, red-fruit, and hint of mint. Acidity still overwhelming fruit and rest of structure. B
1998 Bruno Giacosa Santo Stefano Barbaresco Riserva
This is silky smooth. In spite of being young, relative to the other Giacosa flight-mates, completeness is more obvious. B+/A-
1999 Bruno Giacosa Falleto Barolo
Tight. High acidity with plenty of ripeness. B
1996 Aldo Conterno Granbussia Barolo Riserva
A big wine that still very young. Very intense. Glimpses of layers of flavors and good structure. B+
2001 Massolino Vigna Rionda Barolo
Quite light mouth feel. Still very young and tannic. Good acidic backbone. Has components for improving with age. B
2001 Scavino Bric Fiasc Barolo
Another tight and tannic wine. Oak prominent. Some mocha notes. B-
1993 Monsanto La Chimera Vin Santo, Tuscany
Dark gold in color. Big sweet wine, with noticeable alcohol darting in. B