The 6th Quinquennial Wine and Food Extravaganza
New Jersey, USA
Tasted Saturday, September 29, 2018 by oldwines with 259 views
Introduction
The sixth event of its kind over the last 25 years. We had 5 flights each with at least 2 wines and 3 paired foods. There were about 70 people in attendance. The evening was perfect for the mostly outdoor affair which was itself quite remarkable given the torrents of rain we have been deluged upon for the last 2 months. We started at 6pm and finished around 10pm with a few hangers-on until about midnight. All the wines were double decanted from Noon through about 5pm except the 5L and 3L Chards.
Flight 1 - Two Less Common Italian Whites (2 Notes)
I chose to serve my favorite Greco di Tuffo from Villa Raiano along with a Pinot Grigio "Orange Wine" from Venica & Venica. The Greco was served first while we "vamped" and waited a few minutes for the full complement of guests to arrive. We had 11 bottles of the Greco and 8 bottles of the Venica. There was some bottle variation in the Greco but none were "bad" and the differences made it go better with alternate dishes I think.
The trio of food included Deviled Eggs with Caviar (or Chives for those who were not "into caviar"), Smoked Salmon Blini with Crème Fraiche and Dill and a Shrimp Salad Spoon with Golden Beets, Tangerine Avocado Puree, Celery and Cilantro Vinaigrette.
Both wines worked well all around but I thought the Venica & Venica Jessera was smashing with the shrimp which I also thought was the best single item we served and the Greco notable with the deviled egg and caviar.
Flight 2 - The Tradition... Chardonnay from 5-Liter Bottles (2 Notes)
Our chardonnay flight has always involved 5-Liter bottles and in previous years was always Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard. Tonight we switched to Sonoma-Cutrer Founders Reserve which in this year (and most years) was from the Les Pierres Vineyard. This large and intensely rocky vineyard was once a quarry and the 5 barrels produced were made from the best blocks from the vineyard.
The food served included Pan-seared Scallop with Citrus Micro Greens and Lemon Leaf, Crab Risotto with Pumpkin and Pate de Foie Gras with Crispy Suckling Pig and Maple bacon. This last dish was amazing with the Chards and the Crispy Pig Skin added both flavor and CRUNCH.
Flight 3 - Two Italian Reds From Barbaresco and Brunello di Montalcino (2 Notes)
In this round we had two fairly modern interpretations of Barbaresco and Brunello. The Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova was definitely the better all around of the two. It had been decanted quite early, between 1-2pm, but was still opening up in the glass as the last of the 9 bottles of this were served (one bottle was badly corked when we opened it).
The Moccagatta was perhaps past its prime or it needed much more time in a large decanter (an experiment I will try with a remaining bottle). Our double decanting process involved only giving each bottle about 20-30 minutes in a decanter before pouring it back into the cleaned bottles. We finished 10 bottles of this one.
The foods in this flight were a Duo of Beef and Venison Tartar with Duck Yolk Aioli, a Japanese Robata Pork Belly Skewer with Sweet Soy and Sauteed Cavatelli with Short Rib Ragout and Shaved Brussels Sprouts. All Paired well but I thought the Brunello went better with the tartar and the pork belly and the Barbaresco was better with the cavatelli.
Flight 4 - Cabernet Sauvignon Blends from Bordeaux and Napa (2 Notes)
Here we Had the 2005 Chateau Montelena Estate Cab and 1988 Chateau Lynch-Bages. The Montelena which I am convinced needs a huge amount of aeration to be at its best was the first wine we decanted starting around noon and it showed off marvelously. There was no noticeable bottle variation among the 8 bottles consumed over the evening. This is a slightly lighter weight vintage that showed great elegance and charm rather than power. The Lynch-Bages was the last of the reds we decanted just after 3pm. It was very "Bretty" when first opened, pretty much across all 8 bottles we served. It lacked some fruit with only some cassis notable but the secondary flavors were enticing and quite good with the duck dish.
The Pairings in this flight were Sous Vide Lamb Chops with Arugula Pesto, Spicy Smoke Wild Boar Ribs with bacon Jam and Seared Duck Breast on Lemon farro and Carrot Puree with Micro Herbs. The Montelena was a nice contrast to the spicy boar ribs and a classic partner to the lamb chop.
Flight 5 - A Potpourri of Eclectic Dessert Wines (7 Notes)
The 2 principal dessert wines were the Donnhoff Riesling Spatlese served from magnum and the Quinta do Vesuvio Vintage Port served from 3 750ML bottles. The others were some odds and ends from the cellar. Some worked some didn't. The 2 "principals" here were delicious and paired very well with their respective desserts.
Desserts included Individual Pear Upside-Down Cakes, Almond Semifreddo Cookie Sandwiches, Strawberries with Champagne Sabayon and Chocolate Ganache Twirl with Bruleed Marshmallow Fluff, Sunflower seeds and Graham Cracker Granola (or more simply a fancy deconstructed S'more)
Closing
5 years goes by surprisingly quickly, so imagine how quickly the party itself flies by. All the pairings seemed to work and some were really thrilling. Among all the bottles which have been in my cellar for years, there was only one bad bottle that could not be served, the "corked" Tenuta Nuova. This time we limited ourselves to only 5 flights, down from 7, and I think it was more manageable all around. There was literally none of the wine left at the end of the night.
Thanks to all who helped make the logistics work on the day of the event and also to all the friends and family for making it all so much fun to share!
2013 Villa Raiano Greco di Tufo Contrada Marotta 92 Points
Italy, Campania, Greco di Tufo DOCG
Opened 11 bottles for the evening with a quick double decant about 2 hours before serving as it does benefit from the aeration. The nose had a lovely orange blossom scent backed by minerals and a touch of stone fruit. The palate was broad and flavorful with chalky limestone minerality and honeysuckle, Meyer lemon, apricot as well as a long finish that showed a little butterscotch. We did note some significant bottle variation...no oxidized bottles but there were definitely some bottles which were notably better/different than others. Some had more citrus that bordered on tangerine while others seemed a bit more complex in the direction of the stone fruit and florals. I thought this went well with all three dishes served but particularly good with the deviled egg and caviar and was quite a contrast when the smoked salmon was eaten with it.
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2016 Venica & Venica Collio Pinot Grigio Jesera 92 Points
Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Collio
This was made with 6-8 hours of skin maceration and fermented 90% in steel and the rest in previously used large oak casks then aged "on the lees" for 5 months thereafter. We opened my last 8 bottles for the evening's festivities about 2 1/2 hours before serving with a quick double decant. The color was a light copper pink. The nose was floral, grassy, with tropical fruit and mineral scents. It had huge acidity on the attack that sparked a sense of effervescence. The flavor profile showed great depth with pear, banana, almond, cream and was medium long on the finish. This was particularly good with the shrimp salad spoon.
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