TNs: Weekend Italians

We’ve had a new BYOB open up in our desolate corner of far Philly suburbia - the chef is from Tuscany, and what she has been doing is a one seating per night, prix fixe menu on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays. Italian comfort food at it’s best - a couple of visits ago I had the best serving of lasagna I’ve ever eaten - and the menu suits the composition of my cellar well.

At any rate, I’ve got “day 2” looks at the two reds last night, as I begin to “mentally prepare” for today’s Giants game. First up:

2005 Paolo Bea Pipparello - Color is a dark translucent ruby at the core, lightening out to onion-skin around the rim. The nose was great last night, and it remains so today, although I find it hard to put words into what is going on here - definitely more red-fruited than black, with almost a sweet raspberry note surging to the front. Notes of underbrush complicate things, and there is a dash o’ funk in there as well - my notes don’t do this very complex nose justice.

Then bright acidity framing red fruits on the palate, light- to medium-bodied, very fresh, with some tannin on the finish that provides a promise that this will develop further with some age. This is a blend of 60% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and 15% Sagrantino, and with the caveat that I don’t have any experience with how this particular wine ages, it certainly gives the impression today of a wine that is drinkable now but will also be enjoyable for another 15+ years.

Wine #2 last night was the 2000 Cavallotto Barolo Riserva Vigna San Giuseppe Bricco Boschis.

This is a shade darker than the Pipparello in the glass, with a very primary nose (even today) that features menthol and ripe cherry fruit. We preferred the Bea last night, and I have the same reaction today. I will caveat that by noting that this is a 2000 Barolo that strikes me as still retaining a lot of “classic” appeal to it, and it is clearly too young right now to fully enjoy. Nice acidity on the palate keeps the wine fresh, but off this bottle, I wouldn’t feel tempted to pull another cork for at least five years.

But of course, man does not live on “Day 2” notes alone - while I was rooting around in the cellar earlier this week, I turned up two bottles of a wine that I thought I was already done with, the:

2008 Produttori Nebbiolo Langhe - clearly the lightest-colored of the three wines - even at it’s core, translucent. Sweet cherry fruit on the nose. As one would expect from this bottling, not a lot of complexity here, but I’ve always found this wine a nice way to get an inexpensive nebbiolo fix whilst you are awaiting your vineyard-designated gems to mature. This strikes me a somewhat dilute today - I recall liking it better on release, but it will still pair nicely with the cheeses & bruschetta I just picked up at Wegman’s [cheers.gif] .

Nice stuff Roberto. Had a '98 Silvio Grasso Bricco Luciani Barolo this weekend with grilled ribeyes. A few sips in and a familiar thought came to mind: “I need to buy more Italian wine”. Always nice to have a fine local BYO (or 2 or 3) in your “desolate” part of PA…HAH! Enjoy the game.

RT

Rich, I don’t know if you have had this before, but given what you like, I think you would definitely enjoy the Pipparello - idiosyncratic and thought-provoking.

And yes, I did enjoy the game yesterday flirtysmile .

Bob,

Please tell us the name and city of the new Italian BYOB.

thanks,

Byron

Byron, I’ve pasted the link below: