We had an enjoyable dinner at Gio Cucina Napoletana, our favorite local Italian restaurant.
We popped a 1/2 bottle of 2004 Puligny-Montrachet, Les Folatieres, V. Girardin. Lovely floral notes. Bursting with lemon and orange - a really lovely wine. I paired this with an excellent gazpacho while Poppy went with an artichoke and arugula salad.
Next we had some bad luck with a 1971 Vosne-Romanee, R. Arnoux. Unfortunately severely oxidized and the fruit was gone so we moved on to our back up bottle. 1996 Volnay, 1er Cru Laboure-Roi. A nice wine that was a little too acidic before the next dishes came. The Volnay had a light ruby color and was feminine and soft - not really enough fruit for my taste. We followed our starters with a 4 cheese pizza and a porcini mushroom risotto. The wine opened up and paired very well with the mushroom and parmesan risotto.
Finished our meal with a warm chocolate souffle and vanilla bean gelato. Gooey, rich and yummy. As always Gio does not disappoint and I had a great birthday!