An Italian Affair

Last Saturday (20 March 2010), after a convivial lunch at a friend's place where we were treated to some very tasty food washed down with a magnum of 2007 Pommard Les Pézerolles, Domaine de Montille, which was surprisingly ready for drinking now, we joined a friend at a fabulous evening at Grissini to celebrate his birthday. The restaurant did a superb job pairing the dishes prepared by 2-Michelin star chef Claudio Sadler from Milan, with wines from different Italian wine regions.

The 2007 21 Settembre by Luca Abrate from Piemonte was a very interesting discovery......it went extremely well with the handmade goose liver terrine with raisins and walnuts. Named after the birthday of Luca Abrate's daughter on 21 September 2006, the wine is produced in small quantities (for 2007 vintage, 7,500bottles and 1,200 magnums). Arneis grapes (which were left on vines for extra ripening and flavour concentration after being separated from the main trunk and water source) gave the wine a medium body, a viscous texture and a perfumed nose of intense aromas reflecting the ripeness of the grapes - nutty, ripe yellow peach, floral, dried apricots, sultanas and honey. Expertly crafted wine, which has maintained a good level of acidity to balance the perceived sweetness. Medium length finish, with an almost sweet and fruity aftertaste. The next wine was a 2007 Sauvignon Blanc by Schiopetto from Friuli. Light body, with the characteristic but subtle notes of Sauvignon Blanc: gooseberry, grassy, bell pepper, without overpowering the perception of the minerality of this refreshing wine, with a medium length finish. Not sure it was the perfect match for the lobster salad but the wine was a well-made example from Friuli. The third wine, 2007 Vinnae by Jermann in Friuli (90% Ribolla Gialla, 5% Riesling, 5% Tocai Friulano) was a thoughtful wine....it probably deserved more attention than I could give it, at risk of ignoring my neighbours. I could see some similarity with Viognier, smoky, mineraly, very ripe pears or even pear drops, floral (honeysuckle) and a nutty character (macadamia)....lacked length and I thought there was an aftertaste reminiscent of bitter orange or tangerine peel. Not sure it was the best match with the slighty spicy skate wing and broccoli soup, which I felt was an acquired taste....

Then came the red wines......the 2006 Chianti Classico by Castello dei Rampolla just about measured up to the sublime dish of cheese and pepper ravioli with stuffed calamari.....a classic Chianti, cheerful, went well with food but not complex. I thought the 2005 Ca' Marcanda Magari by Gaja was the real winner of the whole evening. An outstanding example of Cabernet Sauvignon from Italy.....intense and complex, with notes of cedar, blackcurrant, black cherries, violet, spicy liquorice, savoury and minerality. Well-integrated ripe tannins. Well-structured and balanced. A perfect wine to go with the succulent Tuscan Cinta Senese pork loin with an interesting liquorice sauce.

The dessert wine was Recioto di Soave Vigna Morogone by Tamellini 2004. I liked it on its own, without the distraction of the dessert platter. Honey, walnut, spicy, orange peel, kumquat notes. Full body with well-measured acidity. Nice length. Just a perfect end to the evening.....(actually it wasn't.....more champagne followed.......)