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Italians, Bordeaux and a few more with friends
An upscale Italian Restaurant in Cleveland
Tasted May 10, 2015 by Loren Sonkin with 481 views
Introduction
Last night, my wife and I were joined by two other couples for dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. It was a long dinner (about 4 hours) with way too much food. The evening was filled with stories, laughter, and plenty of great wine. It was a lot of wine, but we also share generously with the staff, leaving them a glass or two from most of the bottles. It was funny, our server, expertly poured the opening sparkler into six glasses, making them all perfectly even and draining the bottle. I called him over and told him that for the future bottles, please have smaller pours and makes sure to leave a glass or two in the bottle. Then I asked him if he often had people complaining the pours were too large and asking for smaller pours. :-)
All wines were consumed non-blind, roughly in flights as we worked our way thru course after course. They are list in the order first served although we did go back and revisit some.
Flight 1 - A sparkler to start (1 note)
White - Sparkling
N.V. Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Prestige Brut
88 points
Packaging looks like a bottle of Cristal (clear wrapped in orangeish cellophane). Light golden in color. A fair mount of medium sized bubbles. The nose is nice with minerals and a honey note. Not much fruit though. On the palate, this is solid. Tight. Again, not much fruit; more mineral driven. Slight bitter note. A fine way to start an evening.
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Flight 2 - A rose to get the meal started (1 note)
Rosé
2010 Kapcsándy Family Winery Grand Vin Rosé State Lane Vineyard
88 points
Interesting wine. For my tastes, I think I would have liked it a few years ago, but it certainly does not drink over the hill. Very pale ruby/orange in color. The nose has just a bit of strawberries, but its mostly about the minerality. Nice texture. There is a slight complexity here and a lot of depth on the palate. Again, more about minerality with just a bit of strawberry fruit. Nice balance. Worked well with food.
Flight 3 - A couple of Sauvignon Blancs (2 notes)
White
2010 Robert Mondavi Winery Fumé Blanc To-Kalon I Block
91 points
A very interesting take on Sauvignon Blanc. Light golden in color. The nose has melons, peaches, and minerals. Medium bodied. On the palate, this has a nice complexity. It also has a surprisingly round texture. I assume this sees oak, but nothing showing except this creaminess which is very nice. Good acidity that worked well with food. Also some peach and melon notes on the palate. Lovely wine that, while I am sure has lost fruit, has morphed into something different and seems to have time left.
White
2013 Domaine François Cotat Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujeu
94 points
Took a few minutes to open up in the glass and then wow. I may be biased as I love this style of Sauvignon Blanc the best. Light golden in color. A very pretty nose of peaches and cantaloupe. Also a slight herbal note (not green though). Medium bodied. Silky texture. On the palate, complex. Pin point balance. Just kept getting better and better. My wife's WOTN. Long finish. Great now, but give it an hour or two of air, but patience at least for a couple of years will be rewarded. I think this goes ten to fifteen easy.
Flight 4 - A Chardonnay to get a bit more serious (1 note)
White
2012 Aubert Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
92 points
This was very nice. It came across as an interesting "cross" between California Chard and Chablis in style. Light golden in color. The nose has vanilla, pears, and oak, but also a mineral note. Full bodied. It turns more to green apples and fresh cut oak on the palate. While it has more oak than I would prefer, it was not intolerable by any stretch. I think with time, the oak will integrate to a degree, but it is a very nice wine now. Great creamy texture. Nice balance. Some depth but that is not what this wine is about.
Flight 5 - Brunello Flight (2 notes)
Red
1997 Tenuta Carlina Brunello di Montalcino La Togata
94 points
This is the second time that Gary has brought this for us to try and it has been amazing both times. Actually I think Gary said this was a last minute replacement for a corked bottle. This bottle is at peak IMO. The nose is very dusty with cherries, dried cherries, black raspberries (?), and dried tea leaves. Maybe also some rosemary. Complex and layered. Plenty of fruit, cherries and black raspberries but layered with dried fruits and dried tea leaves. Nice acidity. Great with food. No hurry, but I doubt this gets better than this.
Red
2005 La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino
92 points
This is still very young and primary. I would have thought that given the vintage, this would have been further along in development. Its hard to say where its going, but I think there is still further upside and development. A modern take on Brunello, the nose has dark cherries, spice and anise. Juicy, lush texture. On the palate, this is a big wine with dark lush cherries. Lots of depth. Still more primary. It could use a bit more acidity but there is some. Nice wine.
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Flight 6 - And another Sangiovese (1 note)
Red
2004 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Fontalloro
95 points
Loved this wine. In a really great place right now. Just a bit on the younger side of peak. The nose has cherries, tart cherries, slight orange zest, spice and dust. On the palate, layers of jammy tart cherries, spice and even a slight salinity. Complex and layered while still being youthful. Got better all night. IIRC, this is 100% Sangiovese. Great with food. No hurry, but worth checking into now. I love Brunello, but the Sangiovese's from Felsina just as often outperform them for me.
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Flight 7 - 1995 Bordeaux flight (3 notes)
Red
1995 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou
96 points
Stunning wine. Could the 95's finally be reaching a maturity at 20 years? This bottle did. Awesome nose. Cassis, black raspberries, leather, tobacco and dust on the complex nose. Showing more youthful on the palate. Layers of cassis and earth and dried leaves. Great balance. Wonderful texture. Having just recently had all the 95 First growths but Lafite, this was in that company, perhaps just a bit lagging. This was opened and allowed to breath for an hour or two. A bit more air wouldn't hurt, but it was easily my WOTN.
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Comments (1)
Red
1995 Château La Gomerie
90 points
We looked this up and saw a Leve note that said this was the first vintage of this wine. It seemed like it is at the tail end of prime, so I would drink up. It is still very good, but I doubt it gets better from here. The nose has nice cherry fruit, some dried cherries and a bit of soy sauce. On the palate, this has nice cherries mixed with layers of damp leaves. Still some firm tannins which seem to be outlasting the fruit. It drinks well but is outshone by the other wines in the flight.
Red
1995 Château Lynch-Bages
92 points
The nose has cassis, tobacco and spice. A bit of dust. On the palate, there are still firm tannins here but plenty of fruit too. Not sure where it goes, but I think there is enough fruit to outlast the tannins. Layers of cassis and earth mixed with dust. Not a lot of acidity but enough to work with the food. An outstanding wine, if I had one, drink or hold, but if I had a few, I would be checking in on it.
Flight 8 - Amarone Flight (2 notes)
Red
2008 Tommaso Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
92 points
This is the regular bottling. Pop and pour, it took some time to open in the glass. It did eventually but its best days are ahead. The nose has dried cherries, dark chocolate shavings, plums, balsamic vinegar and a slight floral note. Not quite as complex on the palate. The texture is great though. Smooth, full bodied, lush yet slippery. More primary plums and dark cherries on the palate. Nice backbone of acidity. Worked with some heavier pasta dishes. Still, I would hold these for a while longer.
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Red
2007 Giuseppe Campagnola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
87 points
Perhaps I was a bit harsh on this after an evening of nice wines. It is a very solid effort. Nice upfront fruit. Plums and raisins. Not much complexity. Quite easy to drink but a bit tart on the finish. I don't know where it goes from here, but I would drink these sooner than later.
Flight 9 - Gilding the Lily (1 note)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1999 Isole e Olena Vin Santo del Chianti Classico
92 points
I think this was hurt a bit as it just did not match the desserts we were having which included chocolate and coffee flavors. This is brown in color. The nose is nutty with some burnt caramel (in a good way). Viscous. Slightly sweet at this point in its life. My wife said, we should have eaten dessert and sipped this to finish. She was correct. Still, a nice fun way to finish an evening.
Closing
A great evening. This is the best part of being a wine lover. Spending time with friends!