Supper with the wine ark boys

first catch up since return from UK, Sweden and Switzerland is an impromptu because Frank and Dave both have the week off…Tuesday indeed.

I was early - 11 hours in the office was enough - so I headed to Wine Library to try some by the glass bits and pieces…

• 2015 Fattoria Laila Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi

  Italy, Marche, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi

  tinned apricots and bananas, slight wet stone…more of the same on the palate but it's quite tight and grippy with a slight herby note. Fruit carries long and there is a little warmth. Perhaps lacks a little acidity.

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• 2014 Torbreck Grenache Philippou

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  The red berry fruit assaults from about 18 inches, very much in the clean, whole berry space with plenty of confected notes here as well backed by cream and plentiful spice. Juicy acidity with jubey fruit backed by a lovely warm, spicy core. Really nice is what occurs to me. Everything, I suspect, that they were aiming for with the la guigasse chapelle st.theodoric 2011 I had in London but with far more success and at about 30% of the cost. I had this at Game of Rhones earlier in the year and this, and remember it being pleasant but not this pleasant. Isolation helps and, probably, being the first red of the day.

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Frank found this place and the menu looked top notch. I brought along the Vietti over a Scavino Barolo of the same vintage which I suspected would have been a bit too young…Anyway we asked them to bring us a selection of dishes which we had matched against the wine - so Pinot vs arancini, carpaccio and prosciutto then sagrantino vs duck ragu & roast game bird then the last two against roast suckling pig, lamb and Florentine steak...

• 2009 Kooyong Pinot Noir Haven

  Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

  Funky, perfumed, cream, berry and cherry, slight wild ferment and stalks and with floral top notes…tartly juicy with a more red berry fruit profile, slight tannic burr, polished but a little tart.

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• 2008 Fongoli Montefalco Sagrantino

  Italy, Umbria, Montefalco, Montefalco Sagrantino

  Cedar, leather, blackberry and bramble almost nutmeg, sweet spice and almost herbal notes. On the palate the cedar, herbal and black berry notes are evident, it's rich and fleshy, and the tannins are present and lend a savoury note but remain quite fine textured, long, warm, Nice

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• 2010 Mountadam The Red High Eden

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, High Eden

  Raisined and slightly porty, cream vanilla, coconut and spice…juicy acid initially but this is swept aside by very ripe fruit, spice and plentiful tannins. Bit rich, hot and worked. Needs time for me. Hmm

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• 2010 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  Dried flowers, plums, sweet spice, it's juicy , fleshy and has fine but more than present tannins. Simple but pleasant - not as good as I remember it and feels a little muted. Hmm.

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Strictly speaking my wine of the night should come from the supper with the boys at Cipri Italian but, tonight, I shall make an exception and name the utterly pleasant Torbreck Philipou. The supper wines were good and, of those, the Sagrantino was the best. The mountadam stuck out like a canines cahonas in this line up. I'm embarrassed to say that the very long day at the office meant that I did nod off at the table towards the end of the meal (shame on me!)