Dinner at the Otis House

Otis' house
Tasted Tuesday, April 19, 2011 by Vino Me with 691 views

Introduction

Otis and his wife invited us over last weekend for dinner. The wine theme was tuscan reds. Before dinner we started with a couple white wines with proscuito and melon. As a starter course he made angel hair pasta with truffle oil and fresh morels. For the main course, Otis made grilled veal chops, pureed white beans infused with tomato paste and garlic and pan fried romaine. Everything was delicious. Especially the veal chops which were cooked to a medium rare perfection and the white bean puree which had several layers of flavor. Here are my notes on the wines:

Flight 1 - Whites (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - Tuscan Reds (4 Notes)

  • 1998 Le Macchiole Macchiole 88 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Otis opened this supertuscan. 95% sangiovese and 5% cabernet sauvignon. 13% alcohol. This was a dry earthy wine with notes of tart cherry, mushroom and crushed grapeskin. I thought the acidity was a bit high in this wine. 88 points.

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  • 1997 Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de' Frescobaldi) Brunello di Montalcino 93 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    3rd time I have had this wine. It was showing very well. Not decanted. The tannins have integrated in this wine and it is much less of a brut than when young. Smooth texture with an elegant profile. Beefy notes with red berries. Round finish. 93 points.

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  • 1999 Fontodi Syrah Case Via Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    I last had this wine 8 years ago. Still a dark purple color without and bricking. Not decanted. This took a short time to open up. However, the tannins have smoothed out. It had a solid core of fruit centered around cherries and plums. Not as vibrant as it once was but still an enjoyable wine. 89-90 points.

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  • 1997 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli 94 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    Opened by Otis. Don't think this was decanted. My red wine of the night. This 14 year old BdM was holding up great and not showing any signs of fading soon. Solid tannins with plenty of dark fruit and black cherry notes. Round texture with a long finish. 94 points.

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Flight 3 - Dessert (1 Note)

  • 2002 Uri Borok Pinceszete Tokaji Szent Tamas Cuvée 94 Points

    Hungary, Tokaji

    The first of 2 bottles which I purchased at the winery in Hungary. This dessert wine is not sold in the US. We paired this wine with assorted pastries after dinner. Tokaji Cuvee's are a recent style of sweet wine which is being made in the Tokaji region. It is made from Aszu berries just like a Put wine; but, winemakers have shortened the aging so the wine cannot be labelled Aszu. Depending on the winemaker, the Cuvee's are usually the equivalent of a 5 or 6 Put wine. This wine was a blend of 60% Furmint, 30% Harslevelu, and 10% Muscat. It is a single vineyard wine with all grapes coming from the Szt. Tamas vineyard. The grapes for this wine are pressed in whole bunches (instead of just selected berries like the Put wines). This is a fresher and fruitier version of a 6 Put wine. Notes of peaches and tea. Not as overtly sweet as a 6 put wine. Holding up very well. Excellent match for the dessert. 94 points.

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Closing

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