TN: An afternoon of Pasta and Italians

WINE TALK
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AN AFTERNOON OF PASTA AND ITALIANS - Vince & Lisa’s (12/10/2013)

My wife and I take Italian on Saturday mornings at a local high school (for fun). The teacher suggested we make pasta. Actually it was her chef husband who gave a cooking lesson and we all mostly watched and helped a little. As we finished we were left with the two of them, our hosts (friends of ours who don’t take the class but my wife convinced to host as they have a large kitchen) and our hosts mother. My wife and I were the only ones not of Italian ancestry. As it got close to noon, I slipped out and ran home to quickly bring back some wine to eat with our meal. What was supposed to have been a one hour class ended up being a 6.5 hour day of slow food and wine.

Riccardo led us in making spaghetti, fettuccini, and ravioli with various filings, and other shaped pasta along with various sauces.

The wines were pop and poured and enjoyed over 3.5 hours. The conversation (about 2/3 English) flowed as did the wine. Lots of fun.

  • 2010 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Roero
    Last bottle of a bunch of these I picked up for $15. This was the best bottle. Guess I should have gotten more. Golden in color. Very round nose with minerals and lemons. On the palate, crisp fruit but layered. This was served around 60F which seemed ideal. Complex and interesting. Smooth. (90 pts.)
  • 1999 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello di Montalcino Vigna di Pianrosso - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
    Really in a nice place mature, but with lots of life left. A nose of tea leaves, dried cherries, some fresh cherries and loam. Medium to full bodied. On the palate, complex and layered. Cherries, dried cherries, forest floor. Nice balance. Good acidity. Works well with food. Got better with air and even a bit younger. (93 pts.)
  • 2005 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco Pagliaro - Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Sagrantino di Montefalco
    Our instructor was from Umbria so, I threw this in although knowing more time was needed. While it did improve with air, this was quite accessible even now. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is plums, black raspberries, iodine and scorched earth. On the palate, this is tightly layered but delicious. A strong streak of acidity. Lots of purple and red fruits. velvety texture. Long finish. Wonderful wine. (94 pts.)
  • 2004 Tommaso Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico - Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
    Love this producer even as his prices rise out of my range. A bit young but with air it opens nicely. A nose of cocoa, cassis, cherries and a bit of raisins. On the palate, this is smooth with just a hint of alcohol if not really heat. Port like in that there are chocolate covered raisins. With air it smoothes out nicely. Worked better after the meal, but well enough with the food. (93 pts.)
  • 1999 Domenico Clerico Barolo Pajana - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
    Really in a pretty place right now. No hurry, but has shed its teen age years and is mature. A nose of cherries, dried cherries, roses and some tar. Layered and complex on the palate. Modern but feminine for sure. A very sexy wine. Nice acidity. Food friendly. Great fruit and balance. The WOTD. (95 pts.)

Thanks to Lisa and Vincenzo for hosting, Elena and Riccardo for teaching, and my wife Jane for organizing.
Posted from CellarTracker

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That was a beautiful tasting note!

Mmmmmmm.

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Pretty cool “blend” of wines for an afternoon repast, Loren! If you haven’t tried it, Paolo Bea’s Pipparello bottling (which is a blend with Sagrantino, Sangiovese and I think Montepulciano) is also a interesting wine.

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What’s with the #hashtags?

That’s a really nice lineup of wines for a little pasta lunch.

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Not sure why but CT to WB converted the ( into #.

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Fixed.

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Great notes Loren and glad to see the Vigna del pianrosso doing great also with age - I am searching for older bottles to try but still haven’t seen one yet [scratch.gif]