A Dinner Party in Rome

Daniele Cernilli, aka “Doctor Wine,” and his wife,  Marina Thompson invited us to dinner at their lovely apartment in one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in Rome.

There were 3 other guests, including a professor from John Cabot University in Rome.

Daniele greeted us with glasses of Champagne Clos des Goisses Brut 2002 made from 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. The grapes are grown on a pure chalk hillside with a 45 degree slope facing due south in Mareuil- sur-Ay. Goisse, in the old Champagne dialect, means steep slope. It has a very low dosage. Vinification is mainly in wooden casks and malolactic fermentation does not take place. This is a full-bodied wine with hints of pears and apricots, floral notes, a touch of toast and an exceptional long finish. Daniele said 2002 was a great vintage in Champagne.

With the Champagne we had caviar. You can’t go wrong with Champagne and caviar, and Marina enhanced the combination by serving it with burrata, a tender, fresh cheese from Puglia. Slightly firm like mozzarella on the outside, it is sweet and creamy within. Though it might seem like a strange combination, not only did it work, it was wonderful.

Daniele also served another wine with the caviar and burrata that he believed was a better combination than with the champagne. Pinot Bianco Colli Orientali del Friuli “Zuc di Volpe 2008 Volpe Pasini made from 100% Pinot Bianco from the Togliano “Zuc” Vineyard. Fermentation is in stainless steel and the wine spends some time in bottle before release. This is a full-bodied white wine with hints of white peaches, citrus and almonds. It was showing very little sign of age.

Though I liked the Pinot Bianco, I preferred the combination of the Champagne with the caviar and burrata.

Grignolino of the Monferrato Casalese “ Bricco del Bosco “Vigne Vecchie “ 2011 Giulio Accornero & Figli made from 100% Grignolino from the Bricco del Bosco vineyard. Maceration is on the skins for 20 days. The wine is aged for 30 months in oak barrels (tonneau) and 24 months in bottle before release.

Daniele Cernilli

Every other Grignolino I have tasted was meant to be drunk young. By the time this one is released all the others would be too old to drink. Here is how Daniele describes this wine in his book The Ultimate Guide to Italian Wine 2017  Intense and lively red. One of the best versions of the last years. Complex smokey and spicy notes, raspberries, pomegranate and rhubarb. Strong, intense, warm, enveloping flavor with tannic hints and extraordinary persistence.” We discussed this wine for some time.

With this wine we had pasta prepared by Daniele. He told Michele that the recipe had been given to him by the late Paola di Mauro, a great winemaker and legendary cook. Daniele roasted sweet cherry tomatoes with olive oil, capers and breadcrumbs then tossed them mezze maniche, a short wide tubular pasta, before serving. It’s a great way to make the most of out of season fresh tomatoes.

Brunello di Montalcino 1995 100% Sangiovese Donatella Cinelli Colombini. I looked at the label and told Daniele that I have the 1995 at home but the label is different. He said this was a special bottling made in honor of a wedding that took place in 1995. I am not sure how this wine was made or aged and I know they have changed their production methods over the years. This wine is a classic Brunello.

We had the Brunello with braised veal.

Vin Santo del Chianti Classico 2005 Rocco di Montegrossi made from 95% Malvasia Bianco di Toscana and 5% Canaiolo Nero. The soil is calcareous loamy. The harvest is the first week of October. During the drying phase the bunches of grapes are hung one by one on nets in a well– ventilated area under the rafters. All of the nets are hung from rails and are affected by noble rot–botrytis. The rails allow the nets to be shifted so that deteriorated grapes can be removed. Pressing takes place in January. The must goes into small casks of 50 and 100 liters of cherry, oak and mulberry wood. The wine ferments and ages for 6 to 7 years, only indigenous yeast is used. This is a complex intense velvety dessert wine with hints of apricot, dried fig, toasted almond and caramel.The grapes are pressed between the 13 and 20^th of December. Only organic farming methods are used and there is no filtering or fining. The wine spends 6 years and 4 months in small barrels called caratelli made of cherry, mulberry and oak wood, then one year in bottle before release.

With the Vin Santo we had cheese then finished with coffee and artisan chocolates.

 

The New Chianti Classico Classification: Gran Selezione

I had been waiting for an opportunity to taste the 2010 vintage Chianti Classico Gran Selezione  DOCG to see what they were all about so I was pleased to attend a seminar and tasting of the wines.

The seminar was billed as a Master Class: “An Exploration of the Territory of Chianti Classico,” and was presented by Antonio Galloni. He selected 7 wines from the Gran Selezione category. This new classification is at the top of the Chianti Classico pyramid. In order to qualify for this classificatio, the grapes for these wines must be estate grown and come from a single vineyard, or selected from the estates best-suited vineyards. Gran Selezione wines can be released on the market after 30 months from the grape harvest, including at least 3 months of bottle aging. The alcohol must be at least 13%.

The Chianti Classico zone is between Florence and Siena and includes the communities of Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti and includes parts of Barberino Val d’Elsa, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Poggibonsi, San Casciano Val di Pesa and Tavarnella Val di Pesa.

As of 2005, all Chianti Classico has the Gallo Nero (Black Rooster) on the label. Before 2005 a Chianti Classico producer did not have to belong to the Consortium and therefore did not have to put the Black Rooster on the neck label. This was very confusing for the consumer.

Chianti produced outside this Classical zone cannot have the word Classico on the label and cannot have the Black Rooster symbol of the Chianti Classico Consortium on the neck label. For more information see my blog

https://charlesscicolone.wordpress.com/2015/05/11/chianti-the-best-known-wine-and-the-least-known-wine/

Grand Riserva Wines – Mr. Galloni used the wines of different producers of the Grand Riserva as examples of how the vineyard elevation, soil type and exposure will produce different styles of wine.

Badia a Passignano 100% Sangiovese Antinori The production zone is Tavarnella Val di Pesa. Fermentation lasts for 10 days and the must is in contact with the skins for another 10-12 days. After racking, the various lots were aged for 14 months in Hungarian oak barrels and in French oak barrels. The wine remained in the bottle for another 12 months. The wine has aromas of ripe fruit, with hints of cherries and a slight touch of vanilla. It has a nice finish and long aftertaste. $60

Isole e Olena 82% Sangiovese, 9% Syrah, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petite Verdot. The production area is 9 km north of Castellina in Chianti. Fermentation is in conical open vats for 3 weeks for the Sangiovese and Cabernet and 2 weeks for the Syrah. The wine spends 22 months in French barriques (225 liters) of which 30 are new, and 10 months in casks. The wine was bottled in July 2013. It has hints of cherries, blackberries and spice with a touch of balsamic. $ Not yet released.

Castello di Fonterutoli 92% Sangiovese, 8% Malvasia and Colorino. Marchesi Mazzei Production zone is Castellina in Chianti. The grapes are hand harvested starting on October 1. The wine is aged is barriques and 500 liter tonnneaux of which 60% are new. It has nice fruit with hints of cherries and a touch of violets. $70

Mona Lisa Vignamaggio 85% Sangiovese,15% Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Production area is Greve in Chianti. There are 16/18 days of fermentation and maceration on the skins. After malolactic fermentation there is 18/20 months of barrique aging and 12/14 months in the bottle before release. The wine has hints of cherry and plums. $40

Vigna del Sorbo Fontodi 95% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Production area is Panzano in Chianti. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast in inox tanks and maceration lasts for 25 days. The wine is aged in 225 liter French barrels for 2 years. Not all the barrels are new. It has hints of cherries, violets and a touch of spice.  $70

San Lorenzo Castello di Ama 80% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and Malvasia Nera. Area of Production Gaiole in Chianti. The wine spends 12 months in French oak and 2 years in bottle. It has red fruit aromas and flavors with a long finish and nice aftertaste. $50

San Marcellino Rocca di Montegrossi 95% Sangiovese and 5% Pugnitello. Production area Monti in Chianti and Gaiole in Chianti. The wine spends 28 months in 49% barriques and 51% in tonneaux of Allier oak, 20% new wood, 10% two years and 70% 3 years. The wine was bottled on April 19, 2013 and remained in the bottle for at least 24 months before release. $50. They are certified organic. The wine has hints of black cherry and plum with a touch of cedar and leather. $50

Colonia Felsina 100% Sangiovese Area of production Castelnouovo Berardenga. Fermentation and maceration are for 16/20 days in steel tanks with punchdowns and popovers at controlled temperatures. In March/April the wine is transferred into new and once-used oak barriques for 18/20 months maturation followed by at least 6/8 months in the bottle. It has hints of cherry and plum with a touch of cinnamon. $85

In answer to a question, Mr. Galloni pointed out that two of the wines we tasted shared the same oenologist, Franco Bernabei. But the wines do not taste the same because the vineyards are located in different zones.