TNs: Conterno, Pira, Clerico, Dal Forno, Petrolo, Zamo and much more

Our dinner group met at the wonderful Italian restaurant, Ca Dario, to enjoy some of their flavorful food and drink some fine Italian wines.
First we started with some palate cleansers:

NV PHILLIPPE PRIE BRUT- quite refreshing with good acidity and crisp, delightful lemon-lime notes on top of a lush, creamy base; having had a lot of this in the past 6 months, I can say it is a phenomenal QPR buy and I just bought more including the rose which is equally good.

2004 DONNHOFF SCHLOSSBOCKELHEIMER FELSENBERG SPATLESE RIESLING- another just simply marvelous Donnhoff which coated the palate with a thick and oily texture carrying more lime than lemon, with a touch of apricot and peach; rich and full bodied, long and serious; outstanding.

2010 VIETTI ROERO ARNEIS- seemed herbaceous and grassy like a sauv blanc at first and then evolved with apple, peach and pear with an on the sweet side finish; fun and not real serious.

2003 PIRA BAROLO CANNUBI CHIARA BOCHIS- we had some great wines over the evening and this one shined above and beyond and by majority rules, was WOTN amongst the reds; for me, it was very tannic and showed some black currants and tart black cherry along with a hint of tobacco, leather, eucalyptus and mint; certainly good and probably got better with time which I did not give it, given all of the wines that were to follow.

2007 ALDO CONTERNO BAROLO- some oakiness= toast, vanilla and spice initially moving on into sweet mocha, cedar, coffee, plum and black fruit notes in this pup of a Nebbiolo; seemed not integrated, but worthy of cellaring and revisiting years down the road with its forward acidity, ripe fruit and tannins.

1990 CLERICO BAROLO CIABOT MENTIN GENESTRA- one of my favs of the night, this is nicely balanced and evolved showing gobs of mature black, spicy fruit with a soft texture and welcomed long finish; beautiful wine.

2001 ZAMO RONCO DEI ROSSETTI- a stellar red from Friuli made from Merlot, Cabernet, Cab Franc and I think, Pignolo, as the 00 had this blend; it was the 00 that prompted me to purchase this vintage since it was so good and the only bottle that made it back to the US from a 3 week trip to the region a couple of years ago; this is about power and finesse with much to delight in; its softness belies the intense black fruit notes and it is nicely balanced with some depth and fine structure; young now, it promises to evolve into a major star if it has not already arrived at this stage; another evening fav.

2008 TRINORO LE CUPOLE ROSSO TOSCANO- 35% Merlot, 35% Cab Franc, 25% cab, 5% Petit Verdot; medium light in color, the nose offers some toasty chocolate which carries on into the mid palate along with good and tart black fruit notes, pleasant and tasty and as I understand from the table talk, a good Tuscan QPR table wine.

2005 PETROLO GALATRONA TUSCANO- 100% Merlot; one described this as a Masseto wannabe and it almost makes it; smooth and silky, it is loaded with major black fruit and spice with a complexity and structure that suggests staying power for the long run; count me in as one who will enjoy following it.

2007 NUNGES FALERNO DEL MASSICO ROSSO CALENO RISERVA- 80% Aglianico, 20% Piedirosso; a winner out of the gate, this is young, vibrant, deep, dark and good; a mixture of black and blue fruit, it shows ripe tannins and a pleasing quality throughout and Im told its under $30; Yes!

2002 DAL FORNO ROMANO SUPERIORE VALPOLICELLA- a very good wine with a nice statement of dark fruit, chocolate and raspberry; balanced and not big and bold as the deep, dark rich color might suggest.

1997 GIUSSEPPE QUINTARELLI DELLA VALPOLICELLA AMARONE CLASSICO- a serious Amarone here, this just rocks on with mild sherry like notes of not to sweet molasses, maple syrup and raisins, mocha and black fruit; quite a statement and a wonderful Amarone.

2006 ROCCA DI MONTEGROSSI GEREMIA TOSCANO- 60% Merlot, 40% Cab; lots of ripe blue and black fruit which goes on and on with some oak notes not intrusively showing up; good drink.

1989 HUGEL TOKAY PINOT GRIS- for me, a first time exposure to this dessert in a glass; major, serious enjoyable sweetness to put a smile on my palate as if the evening had not already done so; a fitting end until the next time.

Cheers

Updated

Love the 2006 Geremia. Not cheap but insane QPR. I’m fascinated to taste what some age does for it.

Blake, cool, diverse line up. Really curious about any other thoughts you have on the 06 Geremia, a producer who’s made great strides in the last decade. Deceptive curve ball thrown with the 90 Ginestra……it’s really in a nice place right now. Re: Conterno Barolo (formerly labeled Bussia), not sure, but wondering if they may have changed some of the casks this vintage? Given its traditional upbringing it’s not a bottling I expect to get new wood on the nose with……and of course surprising to see such a showing for the 03 Chiara Cannubi. She’s a terrific winemaker, so I’m not referring to her chops, just the vintage. Nice surprise. Love Zamo!

Rico, re the 06 Geremia, I believe it will be better in a few years. No question, it shows well now, but its evolution should move it into something even more spectacular. Love it now for the softness and approachability. If I had more of the 90 Ginestra, I`d be sharing it with my best wine drinking friends at a special occasion as it warrants this status. I too was surprised to find some oaky character in the Conterno, but it was short lived and not a factor later on and its true essence shinned. Love everything Zamo as well and what a great, state of the art winery. They exude class.