We had an incredible Friday evening and high time on 4/20 at Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles with Giovanni Manetti of Fontodi. There appeared to be about 16 people in attendance. We were also treated in that Giovanni brought along with him the charismatic Dario Cecchini (his butcher shop is in Panzano, Tuscany), who Anthony Bourdain and others have declared the greatest butcher in the world. We were both lucky and unlucky in that we were seated next to Giovanni; the unlucky portion involves Giovanni being extremely charming and our wives forgetting our names and hogging him to themselves. That being said, upon arrival we were presented with a very nice Prosecco (didn’t catch the name) and wonderful prosciutto wrapped around bread sticks, with some truffle component.
The younger reds were double decanted at 6:00 (we were seated after 8:00), however, the older reds were not decanted. It is my understanding that all Fontodi wines are organic and bio-dynamically farmed. With dinner, the reds were served in flights of three, as follows:
First Flight served with Soffiata di Parmigiano with wild boar ragu:
2006 Chianti Classico: this was the most Old World of the bunch; very Italian; saddle leather and tart dried cherries come to the forefront; plenty of acid and beautifully structured.
2007 Chianti Classico: my WOTF and seemed to be the consensus WOTF, based upon others’ comments, as well as observation as to how much was left in each glass; feminine; elegant; a pretty wine with beautiful floral notes wafting from the glass, and on the palate, violets; very well balanced with a long delicious finish
2008 Chianti Classico: young and concentrated lush dark red fruit, cherry syrup, a nice mineral streak; complex with leather and tobacco; again, a long finish; this is going to be outstanding with some time to calm down
Second Flight served with Pici with Duck Ragu:
It is my understanding from Giovanni that the VdS is a blend of 10-20% Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese
2004 Vigna del Sorbo: extraordinary wine; well balanced; this is an elegant wine with bright red fruits and notes of eucalyptus and menthol; this screams more of the Sangio, with the CS in the background adding wonderful complexity and dimension
2007 Vigna del Sorbo: also magnificent, however, this is a completely different wine; very expressive nose of blackberries; on the palate dark fruit, blackberries, and minerals; this is the most New World of the flight, with the CS being more prominent; my WOTF; a true ‘WOW’ wine
2008 Vigna del Sorbo: a beautiful hybrid of Old and New World, of Sangio and CS, of black and red fruit; puckering tannins; a coffee/espresso component added to the complexity; again a long finish; this is another blockbuster full of concentrated dark and red fruit
Third Flight served with Salsiccia di Coniglio, fagioli alla Castellucciana
1987 Vigna del Sorbo: lots of leather; not a lot of flashy fruit left; this would appeal to an Old World palate, not my cuppa
1999 Vigna del Sorbo: OTOH, this was simply stunning; my WOTF, and possibly my WOTN; impeccable balance; beautiful soft fruit, velvety texture, incredible mouth feel; floral aromatics
2001 Vigna del Sorbo: an extremely effusive nose; deep dark cherries; violets; minerals; velvety texture and mouth feel; another amazing effort
Fourth Flight served with Rosemary Charred Lamb Chops Scottadita, Fontodi extra virgin olive oil
1994 Flaccianello: I felt so fortunate to be able to finally taste a Flaccianello with some age on it; I have only experienced young ones; this was soft and delicate; complex and elegant; great structure; plenty of acid and fruit; delicate red fruit and cherries
1999 Flaccianello: it seemed like I was the only person in the entire room who did not get this wine; everyone was singing its praises, however, it did not work for my palate; it seemed a bit sherried and/or oxidized
2007 Flaccianello: I had just had this on Easter, and again this wine showed magnificently; a blockbuster ‘WOW’ wine; a young powerhouse full of concentrated dark fruits, black licorice, dark chocolate, and even some eucalyptus; this needs some time to refine but is still plenty of fun to enjoy now
Extra Flight
1996 Flaccianello: dark tart cherries and red fruit in addition to notes of leather and spices; a bit musky; not my cuppa . . . .
1999 Chianti Classico: OTOH, an incredible wine of extraordinary complexity, balance and finesse; I could drink this all night; beautiful bouquet and soft beautiful fruit; wonderful mouth feel; a real treat; all I can say is, ‘wow’
Final Flight served with Torta della Nonna
2001 Vin Santo: quite frankly I did not even try this as I was so engaged speaking with Giovanni about the extraordinary 99 CC and asking for more
My overall impression is that I liked the 2007 vintage the best for my palate; all of the 2007’s were outstanding; however, the 1999 VdS and CC were also incredible. Similarly, all of the courses of both food and wine were also outstanding, as was the service and setting; I can’t think of a better night in many years. We were very lucky to be a part of such a special evening. Thank you to the entire staff at Osteria Mozza, and of course to Giovanni for entertaining us and treating us to such great insight, as well as incredible wines.