I attended a recent dinner with 4 friends, one of whom was making his first outing since shoulder surgery which was the main purpose for the gathering.
Wine assignments were made in advance and in addition to bubbly and white Burgundy, the red wine theme was for Sangiovese dominant wines since 2 of the group ITB were gifted 2 bottles from their distributor from a favored producer.
Our venue was Ca Dario Montecito and we feasted throughout the evening with numerous delectables familiar to all of us from this treasured local restaurant.
I took bubbly and chose to pour it blind for the others as it is one we’ve all had many times and it has been compared to some of the more elite champagnes in past blind formats. Although every good, I thought this bottle showed a little less than I expected.
2008 LAURENT-PERRIER MILLESIME BRUT- poured blind for the others; made of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir aged 8-9 years on the lees and dosed at 8 gpl, following its lemon yellow color came aromas of lemon meringue pie, but on the palate, the meringue gave way to a heavier statement of ripe lemon and lime delivered with some body and depth that would have flattened out the pie; additional notes of pear and green apple joined in with a coat of honey; it had some richness, elegance and sophistication and was quite refreshing; obviously, these notes imply this was really good and it was, but it lacked some of the intensity, energy and magnificence of other bottles of which I’ve had a few cases.
2021 ETIENNE CALSAC CLOS des MALADRIES GRAND CRU BLANC de BLANC EXTRA BRUT AVISE- from a producer new to me, this fine bubbly featured mellow and yet quite pleasing notes from the nose through the tail; even the color was mellow being a light yellow; the nose included mild peppermint and citrus fruit with lime most prominent; later on, some chalk and saline accents came in; this was a subtly significant champagne that I enjoyed for that trait and its flavors and gentleness; disgorged 2/25 and dosed at 2 gpl.
About the producer: “Etienne Calsac is part of the new Champagne generation, and his aim is to make producer champagne that expresses its terroir all while respecting the soil and the vines. Setting up in 2010 after spending time in the US, New Zealand, and Canada, he now cultivates 2.8 hectares of vines between Avize and the Marne valley. In Avize, the famous Côte des Blancs grand cru where Etienne inherited his family’s winery, the Chardonnay grapes grow in the Clos du Maladrie. Moving towards organic methods – unusual in the region- he uses neither pesticides nor herbicides in the vineyard. For a few years now, the domain’s mission has been to bring forgotten grape varieties back to Champagne, leading to the planting of Pinot Blanc, Arbane, and Petit Meslier vines. These frank champagnes have already found their way onto menus at some of France’s top hotels” and its way to Santa Barbara.
2020 HUBERT LAMY EN REMILLY SAINT-AUBIN 1er Cru- light yellow color; the nose suggested ideal balance while giving aromas of mineral, flint and citrus fruit with a key lime pie resemblance; the taste profile had much more mineralality with some honeyed lemon and yellow apple peeking through; it was smooth, lush and wonderful and another example of how good this commune is across the board after Pierre-Yves Colin- Morey turned us on.
We tasted 4 Sangiovese next, the first 2 came from a producer who is familiar to the folks in our best local wine shop as known by the distributor who gifted them these bottles prior to being released.
2022 ISTINE VIGNA MEZZAPIANZA GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO- it had a youthful dark red purple color and aromas of ripe red and dark fruit with cranberry, black raspberry and blood orange most dominant; the taste profile had more of the same plus some chalk, anise and saline accents to the plum and red currant that joined in; it was easily approachable out of the gate and held a steady course over the next hour.
This is one of the 3 gran seleziones. Here’s another:
2022 ISTINE ELLE GRAN SELEZIONE CHIANTI CLASSICO- the color was a youthful medium red purple and the nose offered an abundance of fresh and ripe fruit with cranberry, red and black cherry and blood orange; the tannins were pretty stiff and not yet integrated and it finished dry with all of the fruit in the dried form; after at least 30 minutes, it softened and became much less astringent and much more pleasing, in fact, I ended up liking it just a bit more than the Vigna Mezzapianza.
This comes from a sandy small plot in Lamole at around 800 feet above sea level; fermentation takes place in cement tanks at controlled temperatures, with an extended skin maceration of about 45 days; ML also occurs in cement; the wine then matures for 15 months in large Austrian oak casks (30 hl), followed by an additional 18 months of bottle aging before release.
2015 MONTEVERTINE TOSCANA- 90% Sangiovese with ~10% Canaiolo Nero and a trace of Colorino; this was fermented in cement and then aged 2 years in oak; the fruit is sourced from the same vineyard that makes Pian del Ciampolo, but the fruit here represents a first selection; the dark inky red purple color gets your attention at the outset and it fools you as this is a really big and bold, intense wine; it has lots of finesse snd charm with good structure and a so pleasing profile of lightly sweetened blueberry and blackberry with milk chocolate, lavender and violets embellishing; it was soft and easy on the palate and a lovely wine.
2016 ISOLE e OLENA CEPERELLO TOSCANA- this wine was fermented in conical oak casks and later aged 20 months in 95% French and 5% American oak, of which only 1/3 is new wood; it had a dark, youthful, vibrant red purple color and aromas and flavors of ripe blackberry and black cherry with some underlying tannins just noticeable; it had a smooth mouthfeel, near ideal balance and finished impressively with everything coming together.
This was a wonderful night that in particular served to celebrate the post surgery return to action by one of our esteemed dinner group members and continue the fellowship connection among the 5 of us.
Cheers,
Blake
