Our dinner group dined at the tasty Italian restaurant, Ca Dario, and not only did we eat well, we drank extremely well. In fact, this was one stellar night where every wine showed up to please and many were excellent to uber excellent. The 11 of us thoroughly enjoyed:
2002 AR LENOBLE BLANC de BLANC- I`ve had a few of this bubbly and none were better; this was delightfully crisp with fine acidity and beautifully graced with nice citrus notes with an emphasis on lemon-lime; on a rather warm Santa Barbara evening, it was a treat to sip this and at the same time, prepare our palates for the plethora of wines to follow; served righteously as our foreplay for the complete satisfaction that followed.
2002 HENRI BOILLOT CORON CHARLEMAGNE- another star amongst stars from this producer from this vintage and fortunately, not premoxed as the apprehension sat in for some in advance of tasting it, especially the one who brought it; the most distinguishing characteristic for me was the incredible mouthfeel; it was creamy and lush and carried nice apple, pear and citrus across the mid palate all the way to the back end.
2001 GAJA BARBARESCO- another wine I`ve enjoyed a few bottles of and this is approaching the zenith of its wow factor potential; it started out in a mild place and moved into full on and intense statement with lots of serious fruit with depth and complexity and then reverted back into a more mild expression; one commented the oak element was dominate; I searched again and did not get it; I loved the dark chocolate, black cherry notes that prevailed.
2004 PAITIN di PASQUERO- ELIA SORI PAITIN VECCHIE VIGNE BARBARESCO- power and excellence exude from the aromatics on through; this is marvelous Nebbiolo and so approachable now; each taste served to invite more exploration and I obliged and found a welcomed richness and complexity all being delivered in a smooth, silky texture; a complete treat.
2007 PRODUTTORI del BARBARESCO PAJE RISERVA BARBARESCO- the one who brought it stated it came from a co-op in Barbaresco named above; decent, nice fruit notes with a hit of spice at the end, some earthiness throughout; it worked well with the duck lasagna served as an appetizer.
2007 PUNSET BARBARESCO- a total package; rich with lots of depth, very soft and smooth, offering the epitome of tactile gratification, wonderful fruit profile including black berry/ currant and blueberry notes; nicely balanced and a structure to support longevity for years and years to come; one of my favs among so many on the night.
2004 PODERI LUIGI EINAUDI BAROLO- very good wine, big and bold with finesse, heavily extracted black cherry especially stands out with a touch of chocolate and vanilla; it hit my palate in such a pleasant manner and I kept going back to it looking to see if it could sustain the pleasure and it just got better; orgasmic stuff.
1999 ROBERTO VOERZIO LA SERRA BAROLO- a Leonardo Lacascio selection; the first thing that is apparent, it is very dry from the outset to the finish; there`s some black currant, tobacco and a little smoke comes in at the end; other than its astringency, the wine is quite quaffable.
1999 DOMENICO CLERICO PERCRISTINA BAROLO- serious wild intense cherry on top of serious wild intense cherry almost mindful of Smith Brothers cough drops of old; this is eventually enhanced with some black cherry and currant notes that help significantly; it has a strong backbone of tannins and promises to evolve for years to come; this is a good and different profile for Nebbiolo and when all is said and done, it is a very good experience. I had remnants of this bottle 2 days later and the wild cherry was displaced by more of the cherry/ currant flavors and the amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle was ¼ inch thick; definitely decant this with a filter.
2006 ETTORE GERMANO LAZZARITO RISERVA BAROLO- now back to Nebbiolo in its more predictable state; tar and roses join in with an abundance of fresh red and black fruit; it`s silky, velvety texture offers a sensory tactile treat and the wine just shines with class and elegance.
1990 BRUNO GIACOSA le ROCCHE del FALLETTO di SERRALANGA BAROLO- elegant; its not big, but it sure does shine; beautiful balance, harmony and class all in one; its so smooth and easy on the palate, it just glides on and through; the tactile pleasure is enough to satisfy, but the complete magnificence of this wine is one to treasure as ones top wines of the year.
1999 BRUNO GIACOSA le ROCCHE del FALLETTO di SERRALANGA BAROLO- this is nice and balanced and very tasty; unfortunately, it followed a fabulous 1990 version that for me was the WOTN among many WOTN candidates.
2003 SUDUIRAUT SAUTERNES- 375 ml.; the WOW factor goes up a notch with this beauty; great acidity, thick and creamy, redolent with honeyed floral and stone fruit, it glides over the palate and hits all of the senses full on.
1998 KRACHER WELSHRIESLING TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE NO.11- 375 ml.; dark maple color, super thick, rich and sticky; perfumed, intense and concentrated honeyed cinnamon peach and apricot; I think you get the picture; this is serious liquid dessert in a glass.
The buzz after this was all over was palpable. Smiles and gratification were evident and the frequently voiced “I could do this every night” phrase echoed from one end of the table to the other.
Cheers,
Blake
