Some friends were kind enough to make the 2 hour drive into Philly for a much anticipated lunch on a beautiful sunny Halloween afternoon.
Jonathan outdid himself in the kitchen with a menu featuring Spinach Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Ricotta Salata, Minced Goat Kidney sauteed with shallot, lamb stock, touch of cream then flamed in armagnac and served over polenta with a farm fresh egg yolk; and finally a Whole Roast Baby Goat with fennel and onions and a rich, thick reduction of all the cooking juices. The menu and the wines went beautifully together, though we did find the need for a Riesling Reset out on the deck to catch the last of the sun before moving on to cheese and charcuterie.
I’m too lazy to arrange the notes in the right order: champagne, San Lorenzo, flight of '67 and '64, flight of '03 and '09, Riesling Rest, Madeira.
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2003 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (11/2/2020)
There’s always some trepidation when opening a 2003 Barolo, but I had a very open mind considering the wine in question. I believe this was double decanted in order to make a 2 hour drive to our place without undue damage, then served around 2 hours after that in Riedel Vinum burgundy stems. Brick red in color, nice and clear and with visible weight. I did get a slight roasted character on the nose, but no raisiny notes, which are what I hate in the most in hot vintage nebbiolo. In the mouth this was remarkably restrained, while still demonstrating warmth and some dried aspects. I got the feeling it was being held in a bit, the vinous equivalent of a corset, maybe, and that the warm vintage aspects may come out more as it ages. Right now, though, it is quite accessible, if still primary, and was more than up to the roast goat with fennel and onion that we threw at it, with its herbaceous notes playing very nicely on the slightly gamey meat, and the acid balancing the crispy skin handily. -
1912 D’Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho Reserva - Portugal, Madeira (10/31/2020)
This bottle was decanted two days before serving and kept at cellar temp until an couple of hours before pouring. Our rule of thumb is a day for every decade in bottle. This was bottled in 2002, so close enough. Deep dark chocolate color, and a captivating nose of toffee and coffee and subtle meaty savoriness in the background. The mouthfeel was slippery and weighty, but not heavy, if that makes sense. A wine to be held in the mouth for a few moments before swallowing. Beautiful balancing acid kept it dancing and singing, while the savory notes became more pronounced. I can’t sit in the sun very long, being a redhead, but I imagine those who worship the sun on their skin feel then as I did drinking the incredible wine. Went very nicely with our cheese selection - an added bonus. The four of us downed much more of the bottle than I would have expected, especially after a long boozy lunch. It was that good. Just marvelous. -
1964 Antonio Vallana e Figlio Spanna Traversagna - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Colline Novaresi (10/31/2020)
Excellent fill and color on this bottle, poured dark and almost dried blood red/black. I’m not used to these having much sediment, and this was no exception, but it was a little fuzzier in color than other bottles. Very expressive nose of mushrooms, leather, black currant and that signature crushed Flinstones chewable vitamin thing that both Jonathan and I recognize right away. This showed medium body, with good length, nice and lively on the tongue. A little one dimensional, perhaps, but that dimension was thoroughly enjoyable. This was a stark contrast to the delicate old Fontanafredda in the same flight, and a great match with sauteed goat kidney over polenta. -
1967 Fontanafredda Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (10/31/2020)
I was fairly certain this bottle would be DOA and had backups ready to go. It had been standing up in the cellar for a couple of months, and through the glass looked totally clear, but nearly, well, clear. Very little pigment could be seen. Planning for service at around 2PM, I opened the bottle but did not decant around 9AM. I have trouble smelling the tops of bottles, they always smell musty to me, but I detected only slight notes of madeirization at that point. Brought the wine up from the cellar about 30 minutes before serving. Carefully decanted off moderate sediment. Pale pink with coral notes, darker than I anticipated and smelling quite pleasantly of an old cedar chest with slightly dusty clothes and sprigs of lavender. Once poured, the flowery notes grew stronger, learning more towards rose and hovering atop more earthy tones of leather and pipe smoke. Strong barolo magic made itself knows as this wine took on more and more weight with air and left all its shakiness behind after an hour in the glass. I held onto some for the rest of the meal, and tasted occasionally, noting a decline starting at about the 2 hour mark and proceeding rapidly from that point on. What a nice surprise! Opposite end of the spectrum from the '64 Spanna in the same flight, and also a lovely match with the minced goat kidney sauteed with shallot, lamb stock (didn’t have any goat stock), touch of cream and a quick flambe of armagnac. I love when wines surpass all expectations this way! -
2001 Fattoria San Lorenzo Il San Lorenzo Bianco Marche IGT - Italy, Marche, Marche IGT (10/31/2020)
I keep posting notes on this wine even though I think I’m the only one who owns any! Who drinks 20 year old verdicchio? Well, if it’s San Lorenzo, then you should. Popped and poured this bottle into Zalto Universal stems. A few years ago I would have decanted this for 2 hours, but it’s turned a corner more recently and the air is not good for it any more. Right from the bottle, though, this was lively and fresh, with plenty of that gorgeous honey and lavender and dried apricot that seems to go hand in hand with some herbaceousness. The creamy mouthfeel brings it all together into a handy food wine that did the trick with spinach gnocchi in brown butter with ricotta salata. It’s about time to be drinking the remainder of these, though they are still showing nicely. The 2004s should be coming online any minute now. -
2004 Weingut Keller Hubacker Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Rheinhessen (10/31/2020)
'04 Hubacher rocks! Wow. I usually start my notes with some basic info about temp and glassware, but couldn’t stop myself in this case. Stunning, thrilling, and totally delicious. Jonathan and our guest went to the cellar for a reset bottle after some hefty Italian reds and came back with this. We decamped to the deck, where it was chilly but still sunny, and basked in the glow of this incredible bottle. Every evening should have such a Riesling Reset. I won’t even try to throw out descriptors or comparison, as I didn’t stop to think as I drank this - I was too busy feeling it, as goofy as that sounds. If angels drank wine, it might be something like this. Cliches spring to mind, like “poetry in a glass.” Forgive me. The nose, the mouthfeel and the long, deep palate were enthralling. I think the wine wove a spell around us all, it was bewitching and enchanting, totally appropriate to Halloween, and so vibrant and warm, like a tiny fire. Normally I find I can’t appreciate wine as much when I’m outside, but the notion that this might have been even better if we’d been indoors is a little tough to imagine. -
2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne (10/31/2020)
Served on the cold side in Lehman mouth blown champagne stems. This is such a lovely wine, I always enjoy it, even when it’s not at its very best, as this bottle was. Showed a bit less lively than usual, and actually seemed better colder, whereas I usually like it at a more moderate temp. Of course, I did the wine a disservice by giving the house tour as we drank it (and to give chef some space), so it might have been my fault it was less than perfect. -
2009 Azienda Agricola Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT (10/31/2020)
Double decanted before travel, so open around 4 hours just in bottle before serving on a flight next to the 2003 Bartolo Mascarello. Quite a different beast! Ripe but elegant sweet fruit on the nose with a good background of creaminess, like the combination of warm fruit compote and custard. I was expecting a larger scaled wine based on the nose, and this was definitely brawnier than the barolo, but it had a silkiness that made it quite drinkable. I don’t know Pergole Torte very well, so didn’t have any expectations, and I have to say I was very pleased. A very friendly wine to be sure. Like a big orange tom cat that you think might bite you, then decides to settle in on your lap instead.
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