Our dinner group returned to one of our favorite local restaurants, Olio e Limone for another fabulous evening of fine wine, superb cuisine and revered fellowship. Olio is as good as any Italian restaurants in the world IMHO and I’ve dined at many top notch ones across the globe. And, they keep getting better.
Our wine theme included the usual request for champagne and white Burgundy and for this night, it was supposed to be Super Tuscans, but some deviated and brought some stellar bottles outside that theme.
We started with 3 very distinctly different champagnes:
NV LAUNOIS CUVEE RESERVE BRUT GRAND CRU- this is a Blanc de Blancs sourced from Grand Cru vineyards from the villages of Mesnil, Oger, Cramant and Avize; it was very rich and full bodied with a taste profile that included saline and mineral accented citrus and stone fruit notes with lemon zest most evident; it had wonderful texture and maintained a steady high level of energy throughout.
2006 MOET & CHANDON GRAND VINTAGE BRUT- this was quite a contrast to the more masculine persona of the Launois; it had elegance, was in perfect balance and provided a very pleasant spicy citrus profile all the way to the back end; I actually thought of its parent, monsieur Dom Perignon, as I sensed similar notes and character, albeit a notch below.
NV LANSON IVORY LABEL DEMI SEC- the sweetness in this was on the edge of being too much, but not quite; lemon/ orange flavors dominated the taste profile with a touch of peach and pear in the background; it had decent mouthfeel and a refreshing finish.
And then our lone white Burg and it was a dandy:
2009 HUBERT LAMY EN REMILLY SAINT-AUBIN 1er Cru- this was outstanding from the nose through the tail; it had youthful coloring and perfectly balanced aromas of flint, minerals and fresh citrus notes which continued on maintaining that marvelous balance, its hallmark; the mouthfeel complemented everything and added to an overall splendid experience.
And now for the stars of the show. The big reds, but all had some finesse:
2003 TENUTA SETTE PONTI ORENO TOSCANA- I’ve loved this release every time I’ve had it and the 03` gets added to the list with so lovable notes of chocolate and coffee laden wild dark fruit; it had serious complexity and accompanying depth and yet was graceful in texture, an iron fist and a velvet glove kind of thing.
2007 TENUTA SAN GUIDO SASSICAIA BOLGHERI TOSCANA- 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc; robbing the cradle, I pulled this and decanted it 6 hours prior to dinner; it either already was or evolved to a great place as it gave generous amounts of earthy, leather and tobacco accented black currant notes; like the Oreno, it had as much elegance as there was power and the silky, smooth texture just nailed it for having the optimal sensory experience.
2013 GAJA SPERSS LANGHE BAROLO- serious stuff here and certainly easily excusable for deviating from the Super Tuscan theme; it shined in every aspect, first with the vibrant youthful dark purple color and the onto the so inviting aromatics of fresh, rich and ripe dark fruit; on the palate, that translated into black raspberry, blackberry and black cherry with accents of licorice, spice and wet earth; this was another example of power and finesse even at this early stage; its structured for the long run and although really good now, this is a keeper for a few decades.
1994 PENFOLDS BIN 707 CABERNET SAUVIGNON COONAWARRA BAROSSA VALLEY- another excused exception from the Super Tuscan theme comes from this producer`s Cab version of Grange; it’s a big boy masquerading as a young adult with a concentrated and youthful dark color, enticing aromas, a huge taste profile and elongated finish; it fit perfectly into this flight with lots of power and yet charming finesse; oregano, sage, mint and spice complimented the blackberry/ cherry flavors to make for a wondrous savory experience.
2005 CHATEAU de RAYNE VIGNEAU SAUTERNES- 375 ml; its rare I see anything from this chateau, but, I’m told, 200 years ago, it was said to be the 2nd best producer of Sauternes to Chateau d’Yquem; this bottle had the requisite honeyed texture and accented fruit which in this case was made up of orange peel and pineapple; additionally, there was a hint of fennel, spearmint and licorice; the fruit seemed to be more on the green side and I’m thinking it needs more time to develop.
RE the last comment, the time was right for us to enjoy the fine fellowship, exquisite food, superb attentive service and fabulous wines. A grand evening for sure.
Cheers,
Blake