A couple of bright stars from 1974!

9 July 2014:

We did the 1964s earlier....now it's the turn for 1974s......and thank you to the birthday boy for bringing them to dinner at Upper Modern Bistro!

1974 Louis Roederer: Amber gold colour. On the nose it was caramel and honey, toffee apple-like, with notes of roasted hazelnut. We had it served in a white wine glass. Delicate mousse, creamy texture, with a long caramelised finish. Almost like dessert...There was a good deal of complexity, coming in layers on the palate but it didn't quite have enough acidity to give it that extra dimension and lift! 16/20


2004 Chablis Les Preuses, William Fèvre: Pale gold hue. Nose of lemon peel, almond, pear, herbal, lightly spicy. Rich in texture, almost full-bodied. Crisp long complex saline finish. Great detail, precisely structured with such purity. Very classy. 18/20

1974 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Simi Winery: (I did not look at the back but I guess this would be predominant Cabernet Sauvignon, with a minor percentage of other Bordeaux blend grape varieties?) Deep garnet colour. Mineral graphite note, paired with earthy, cherry, plum, with a slight herbaceous note which surfaced with extended aeration in the glass. Medium bodied, delivered great freshness, intensity of flavours and silky tannin. An excellent effort for the vintage! 16.5/20

1974 Cabernet Sauvignon, Inglenook: (Francis Ford Coppola purchased this winery in 1975 intent on restoring the former glory under Gustave Niebaum the founder and his grandnephew John Daniel Jr - so this would have been the last vintage made by its previous owner which was Hublein Incorporated.) Started off being slightly maderised but settled down a little with some aeration. On the palate, it was rich, fleshy, layered and chewy still. The fruit, still very much present, was very ripe (probably over-ripe), dried fruit and cooked prunes, with some dusty and liquorice notes. I didn't like so much the lowish acidity....found it a little cloying and uninspiring. 14.5/20

2001 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto Riserva, Bruno Giacosa: (This bottle was opened at 3 pm, double decanted after opening, and then decanted at the restaurant from 8 pm till about 10 pm.) Deep garnet colour. Hot tar, tobacco, plum, redcurrant, earthy, liquorice spice on the nose. On the palate, it showed an opulently smooth texture, with perfectly balancing acidity. A powerful wine of immense structure, but rather elegantly presented and nicely proportioned. The finish was exceptionally long! An awesome wine (but I really think it should wait another 6 - 8 years before we enjoy it again)! 18.5+/20

1983 Hermitage La Chapelle, Jaboulet: (Decanted for an hour and a half before we tried it) This seemed rather subdued when served next to the Giacosa! A very attractive bouquet of red fruit, black pepper, herbs, leather, violet, with savoury and earthy notes. Really gorgeous, silky smooth on the palate, with wonderful acidity keeping the palate refreshed, Plenty of finesse and depth. Not a particularly long finish but I did not sense any dryness at the finish. Not a huge Hermitage, but a very elegant one it was and nowhere near its decline. Drink over next 5 - 6 years. 17.5/20

What a treat! The food was totally on form last night....I got my favourite pig's trotter dip, smoked salmon toast and artichoke macaroni. Those who went for the meaty main courses said that the chicken main course was really good! And of course, you cannot miss Jeremy's selection of cheese - I picked for us Comté 48 months, Coulommiers, Abbaye de Tamié, Fourme d'Ambert, a cheese like Saint Félicien but called Petit Mosellan and a couple others slipped in by our very friendly waiter (think one was Colombier). Absolutely delicious...and definitely worth saving room for it!

2000 La Spinetta Barolo Vigneto Campe

30 Jun 2014:  Dinner at La Locanda by Giancarlo Perbellini (Ocean Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui).  Just for this evening, we were luckily spared from the rainstorms that have become rather a permanent feature this summer.  So we were able to enjoy the view of neon-lit Central from the outdoor terrace - it was captivating and reassuring.

La Spinetta and the yummy frolla

2000 La Spinetta Barolo Vigneto Campè. Deep ruby. Blackberry jam, tar, liquorice, rose petal essence. Firm ripe tannin, chewy texture, could do with more acidity , a bit cloying towards the end. Seems a bit heavy-handed and lacks the elegance one would expect of a top Barolo.... This served its purpose to go with rich food such as the suckling pig on the menu but as soon as dinner was finished, it became less inviting! This wine still has a long life ahead and it will be interesting to see if the passage of time will bring about some interesting transformation and evolution. 15.5/20 (2000 was the first vintage of this wine by the Rivetti family....I suspect the more recent vintages would be much more refined.)

Risi e Bisi

We tried the risi e bisi....which was really the star dish of the evening.....perfectly cooked al dente risotto rice, topped with creamy pea foam......with the savoury parmesan further embellishing the flavours of this dish. Very smooth and nourishing! 

The second star dish was the frolla.....a stack of really tasty cooked ham shrouding a huge dollop of creamy stracchino cheese,on top of a crispy tart...laced with balsamic vinegar......this was really yummy! The ham tasted very fresh.


We had expected more of the suckling pig dish but it had too much fat in it and the skin was not crispy enough. The brussel sprouts and onions were rather yummy though! And the sauce perfectly seasoned. 

The suckling pig dish

The crispy chicken leg

I had the crispy chicken leg dish, with creamy potato. The potato cream was really delicious - and the texture and flavours enhanced with the diced root vegetable, and the chicken jus. The chicken though tasted as though it had been pre-cooked before the final touch of crisping up in the grill......??

Would we go back? Definitely! I want to try the Mozarella and Carrozza (pan-fried sandwich with mozarella cheese, potato and anchovy cream). Plus there is an extensive pizza menu! And though we did not choose from the wine list (except for the white wines by the glass), the selection seems well thought-out and not outrageously priced!

   

2003 Quintarelli Valpolicella Superiore

7 Apr 2014:

Deep ruby colour. Cherry liqueur, liquorice, dried bing cherry and coffee notes. Lush and velvety. Medium level of balancing acidity. Finishes long, a bit alcoholic and yummy. Drinking so perfectly now and there's no need to drink up stock in a hurry! Would need a more robust dish than the (adapted version of) spag bol we had to accompany this better. 16.5/20

1995 Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone Riserva

16 Oct 2011:  Earlier this month, we were treated to a very special dinner, where a double-magnum (3-litre) of 1995 Giuseppe Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva was served - such a treat!  (I think the wine was decanted a couple of hours before it was served.) This was a wine of heroic proportions in every aspect: concentration and quality of fruit, intensity and complexity of aromas and flavours, density and weight on the palate, the lingering finish that would last as long as the time it took for the next sip.  Aromatically, the complex bouquet showed dark chocolate, blackberry compote, dried fruit and raisins, leather, liquorice, toffee, pungent tobacco and slightly medicinal. The finish went on and on, with a lingering sweet-bitter taste.  A sensational wine, that although drinking now, I suspect would be even more impressive in 8 - 10 years' time.

We also had on the same evening a 2001 Gaia & Rey Chardonnay, which impressed by its freshness balancing a very rich, rounded character.  White peach, herbal, slightly spicy, with minerality.  Quite rich and viscous, rather high in alcohol.....I personally found the alcohol level a little disturbing.  Drink now and for next 3 - 4 year (?). 

The 2001 Barolo Riserva Gran Bussia, Poderi Aldo Conterno delighted us with its bright red cherry fruit, earthy/minerally and rose petal pot pourri notes.  Not a blockbuster wine, but entirely refreshing and focused, very approachable and drinking beautifully now. Drink now and for next 4 - 5 years.

The 2001 Tua Rita Syrah in magnum reminded me of a Barossa Shiraz.  Blackberry jam, chocolate, spicy and quite a bit of sweet coconut and vanilla.  Big fruit, velvety texture, spicy finish.  Drink now and for next 4 -5 years.

It was a very special evening and a big thank you to our generous hosts for sharing with us the 1995 Quintarelli which was definitely a highlight and an eye-opener for me!

Dinner at Murano, London

3 Sep 2011: Dinner at Murano, an Angela Hartnett restaurant on Queen Street, London.  Decor is meant to be chic contemporary Venetian....I think.  They brought us some parmesan crisps and warm truffle-flavoured risotto balls as amuse bouche.  Then we were given some charcuterie and bread, as part of the amuse bouche.  Frankly, you probably wouldn’t need a starter after all this!  Menu is based on 3 or 4 courses, to be chosen from a selection of starters, main courses, vegetarian dishes, desserts and cheese.  So good to see a healthy selection of vegetarian dishes.  The chef had kindly prepared an off-the-menu langoustine starter for Richard and I took the warm caramelised tomato, lightly flavoured with balsamic vinegar, basil and smoked ricotta.  Then I had the linguine, with prawns, chilli and parsley.  Richard had the Iberico pork shoulder with pearl barley and salsify, which was tangy orangey.  The portions were perfect, and there was plenty of room for the cheese trolley, which is highly recommended.  We had a lovely Italian cheese with a name that would sound like ‘Medieval Castle’!  To add to this, we had Lincolnshire Poacher, Stinking Bishop and a Calvados-soaked Camembert.  We decided not to take dessert, but to our pleasant surprise, our waiter produced two ‘generous’ slivers of smoked lemon tart, a chef’s signature dish, apparently, together with a bowl of cherries and some hazelnut truffles.  Service was slick and impeccable and the restaurant felt spacious.  The food was perfectly executed and presented – attentive and imaginative cooking from the heart, a subtle display of talent.

For the wine, we took the sommelier’s recommendation.  2006 Lessona DOC, Proprietà Sperino: Traditionally a covinification of 95% Nebbiolo and 5% Vespolina (red grape variety related to Nebbiolo), grown on marine sandy, acidic but mineral-rich soil, at 295 – 350 metres above sea level. (Lessona DOC is north of Barolo, and next door to Gattinara DOCG). Use of natural yeasts.  28 days of maceration, followed by 13 months sur lie.  Maturation in barrels and 15 hl casks for 30 months, with further time in bottle, prior to release.  The 2006 vintage was aromatic, elegant, charming and very approachable, with a well-defined purity.  Lovely red fruit of red cherries, with slight herbal, earthy and floral character, with a hint of spice.  Medium in body, with smooth fine tannin and good level of acidity.  Went equally well with my linguine with prawns, chilli and parsley, as with Richard’s pork shoulder in a tangy orangey sauce. 16/20

A bit of background on this estate.  The estate was originally owned by the Sperino family, a renowned family of doctors, whose most notable members who contributed much to vinegrowing were Casimiro Sprino and particularly his son Felice Sperino, who was a close friend to Italy’s first ampelographer, and took active interest in indigenous grape varieties of northern Piemonte that were fast disappearing.  In the early 19th Century, as a result of no direct heirs, the estate passed to the De Marchi family, their close relatives.  Vinegrowing was abandoned for reasons of difficult economic climate and lack of economic scale to make the property work, without compromising on quality.  Paolo De Marchi (Isole e Olena, Tuscany) had dreamt of returning to his roots in Piemonte one day to revive the winemaking on their estate, and in 1999, he returned to the castle with his son Luca.  They have taken painstaking efforts to revive the tradition of vinegrowing and winemaking in Lessona and the results have been very encouraging.  Their first vintage was 2004, released in 2006.   Proprietà Sperino lies in the Castello quarter of the village of Lessona (Biella), among the foothills of the North Piedmont Alps.  The Nebbiolo grape is locally known as ‘Spanna’.