Dinner at a local fav Italian restaurant, Ca Dario, our dinner group shared the following wines:
1993 DEUTZ BLANC DE BLANC- a mouthful of orange marmalade; a big, rich and full bodied wine with lots of fresh baked biscuit and minerals to boot; the first of a few bottles I bought; wondering what the bottle variation will be, if any.
2004 DONNHOFF SCHLOSSBOCKHEIMER FELSENBERG RIESLING SPATLESE- thick and creamy, this has a salty minerality amongst lime and honey notes; always fun and enjoyable to drink.
2001 DAL FORNO ROMANO VALPOLICELLA SUPERIORE- I love mintiness in some wines and this one was beautifully integrated with spearmint, licorice, spices, black fruit and a splash of white pepper; a very good wine, more intense and a bigger statement than it`s 1999 counterpart which I liked better.
1999 DAL FORNO ROMANO VALPOLICELLA SUPERIORE- silky smooth, this is a wonderful wine; I picked up some more spices, more evolved wild black and sweet red cherry fruit notes with some cola blended in; more of heaven than the 2001 and my #2 WOTN; 2 great brings from this passionate group.
2006 ORENO TENUTE SETTE PONTI- undoubtedly too young at this juncture, this fine wine is a blend of 50% sangiovese, 25% of cab and merlot; with its deep purple color, it has intense, major sweet black fruit, spices, sweet oak, tar and new leather and hearty tannins to suggest longevity and pleasure many years later on; a WS 96 and their #15 in the 08 Top 100 which I mention only because some have received these notes who attended a Top 100 party here in SB hosted by a local winemaker who tasted this then; and besides that, its a fine, vibrant expression of good super Tuscan wine and merits a high score.
1988 TENUTA ORNELLAIA MASSETO- simply superb, this is a vibrant, beautiful magnificent gem; dynamite in a silky veil; a great bring by one of our members; it had cedar, chocolate, mint, spices including clove and anise with an incredible mouth feel and long finish which is good because I did not want it to end; guess what was my WOTN?
1990 CERETTO BRICCO ROCCHE BRUNATE VINEYARD BAROLO- initially dry, earthy and tannic, this moved into a nice, wild fruity treat and showed some pizzaz and long life expectations; a fine wine.
1996 E. PIRA e FIGLI BAROLO CANNUBI CHIARA BOSCHIS – showing really well, this fruit forward and friendly wine has a deep burgundy color and is loaded with red cherries amidst tar, leather, violets, white pepper and licorice and has a sturdy frame which suggests a long life for many years to come.
2006 BRANCAIA IL BLU- this super Tuscan is made of 50% sangiovese, 45% merlot and 5% cabernet and has some violets, sweet black cherry and spicy notes and is smooth and velvety; I`m new to this wine and like it a lot; it should age gracefully and evolve into a fabulous wine.
2005 SILVIA IMPARATO MONTEVETRANO- another new exposure, this merlot was delightfully soft and smooth with some spice and sweet cherry and some different notes including parsley after showing a deep, dark purple color in its youth; I liked it and just found it to be different from all else tasted this night.
2007 FATTORIA DEL CERRO CAGGUE AL VESCOVO- this Tuscan had a dark, deep purple color with some coffee, raisiny, mocha and chocolate in a medium body; nice.
2001 BUSSOLA RECIOTO VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO- lots of prunes, raisins and sweetness here to finish off the night; liquid dessert.
A fine night indeed. Ciao.