ITALIAN WINE THEMED “EUROPEAN LUNCH” - Zibbibo Restaurant, Palo Alto, California (6/5/2009)
So I finally got a chance to join Jayaram and company for one of their monthly Friday “European lunch” tastings at Zibbibo. Jayaram has organized about 12 of these in the past year, and I was either in bargaining sessions, seminars or some other work obstruction to the simple joys of whiling away a workday afternoon with good food and even better wine. Zibbibo makes it easy to hang out, eat and taste at our leisure. I was lucky enough to make it on a day when one attendee, Amnon, had offered to bring all the reds, for an Italian theme tasting, so the rest of us filled in with whites and a sweet. It turned out Amnon’s wines were all from the excellent '97 vintage, and it was a great opportunity to see how those twelve-year-old beauties are doing. The Solaia was my WOTD, followed by the '00 Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet, which just kept blossoming in the glass as it sat there for two hours. All the '97s except the Azelia were showing well though, if a little young and tight yet, as might be expected.
White Flight
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2007 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Roero DOC
Light medium canary yellow color; floral, honeysuckle, ripe melon and orange blossom nose; tasty, light oily texture, orange blossom, orange and mineral palate, with good acidity; medium finish (92 pts.) -
2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Medium golden yellow color; big, minerally, cream, oily nose; tasty, oily textured, mineral, cream and chalk palate; medium-plus finish (kept building as the 2 hour lunch wore on) (95 pts.) -
2001 Maison Leroy Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Medium golden yellow color; nice deep, mineral, fresh lime and lemon palate with a touch of oxidation; tasty, slightly oxidized, tart lemon, baked lemon and mineral palate; medium finish (92 pts.) -
2007 Peay Vineyards Roussanne/Marsanne Estate - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Light medium yellow color; fresh ripe lemon, wheat, mineral and lime nose; tasty, a little tight, light oily texture, ripe lemon, mineral and lime palate; medium finish (92 pts.)
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1974 Pio Cesare Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Muddy, very bricked, medium red orange color with medium orange meniscus; maderized, spicy tomato paste, balsamic nose; maderized, spicy tomato paste, oregano and balsamic palate; short-medium finish (79 pts.)
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1997 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Medium red color with clear meniscus; focused, dried berry and orange nose; tightest of our 3 Barolos, tart black fruit, dried berry, orange and spice palate with complexity and depth; medium-plus finish (94 pts.) -
1997 Azelia Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Slightly bricking, medium red color with clear meniscus; VA, tart dried red fruit and balsamic nose; thin, a little dried out, baked plum, dried berry palate; medium finish (declines markedly after 25 minutes in the glass) (86 pts.) -
1997 Marcarini Barolo Brunate - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Medium slightly bricking red color with clear meniscus; big, dried berry, tart plum nose, that changes to more of a raw hamburger nose after 15 minutes; tasty, starting to open, tart plum, tar, graphite, mineral plate with a touch of menthol, nervous acidity; medium-plus finish (should develop nicely) (93 pts.)
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1997 Granducato Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Dark red violet color and pale meniscus; nice tart black fruit, mushroom, tar and oregano nose; nice, plush tart black fruit, tar, charcoal and meat jus palate; medium-plus finish 93+ pts. (93 pts.) -
1997 Antinori Solaia Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Opaque, cloudy, dark red violet color with pale meniscus; tobacco, herbal, oregano nose; sexy, tobacco, herbs, marjoram, oregano palate with depth, and years to go; long finish (96 pts.) -
1997 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Slightly opaque, medium dark red violet color; intriguing, slightly smoky, ripe black fruit, herbal, oregano nose; plush, spicy, plum, black fruit, with nervosity and minerality; medium-plus finish (94 pts.)
Sweet Finish
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2005 Falesco Passirò Lazio IGT - Italy, Latium, Lazio IGT
Light medium amber gold color; apricot, golden raisin and almond nose; unctuous, honeyed, ripe apricot, dried apricot, lime cream palate; long finish 92+ pts. (92 pts.)
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