Concept - a pot luck dinner in the garden with everyone bringing a wine from Tuscany.
Working title - 'Under the Tuscan Sun'.
We almost ran afoul of the weather this week, which had been threatening to turn from sun to rain on the very evening that we were scheduled to dine, but in the end the precipitation held off, and the only odd occurrence was a visit from some hungry racoons apparently prepared to eat Italian that evening.
2000 Jermann 'Vintage Tunina' - this IGT wine made from chardonnay, Picolit, sauvignon blanc and sundry other unspecified components, in Friuli (so we started a liitle out of our chosen territory). Some tropical fruit in the nose, and the chard was fairly obvious as a major player. Nice acidity. Went very well with the fresh crab lasagne (rolled version) with pine nuts - crabs caught by one participant.We next headed for Chianti. I had initially planned on a vertical of Riserva Ducale Gold from 1990, 1995 and 1997, but after a couple of hours of shifting stacks of cases, I finally gave up and substituted the next wine, which we paired with a 97 and some antipasto, including aroncini made by another attendee - balks of risotto, breaded and fried with basil leaves emulating the apples they were supposed to resemble.
1995 Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva - good colour, garnet edges, and a nose of earth, cherries and spice. Supple and smooth with good depth, this wine is now mature and at peak. Best drunk over the next few years. Excellent example of a traditional style of Chianti.1997 Panaretta Torre a Destra Chianti Classico Riserva - a very different presentation with some pine in the nose and a sweetness that had people swearing there was cabernet (there isn't, this wine is
100% Sangiovese). Slightly warm on palate and with good length.The next food match was fennel sausage and a ratatouille (OK- the latter was southern French, but there must be an Italian equivalent....)
1990 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Gold Label - this wine surprised us all. It was darker than the 1997, had excellent fruit, still has significant tannin and there is no rush to drink it - it is just now getting into good form, and will have many years ahead of it.1997 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Gold Label - there was some head scratching going on here. Lighter colour, with a sweet caramel nose, more acid than tannin, and surprisingly light weight. None of the tannins of the 1990 and 1995 here. I much prefer the earlier wine.
Next up was a vitello tonnato - veal cooked in wine and covered in a tuna sauce, served cold (it would be interesting to know the origin of this dish). Better with white wines because of the fish, but passable with reds.
1997 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone - dark wine, big nose of vanilla and sweet fruit, tannins abundant but soft - needs a few more years.1999 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone - too soon to be drinking this now, but instructive in a vertical tasting. Unfortunately slightly corked, but there was a decent nose underneath with a red fruit core. Much tighter in the mouth, with harder tannins, but should open up with a few more years of age.
With a Tuscan meatloaf (what is the Italian for meatloaf?)
1999 Alessandro Il Bosco - a Syrah grown around Cortona. Rubber and black pepper in the nose, an initial waft of fresh, sweet fruit on palate and then the tannins clamp down. I think this will be quite good when it mellows out a bit more.2002 Ferrari-Carano Sienna - what happens when an American named winery makes a Sangiovese and gives it an Italian name? Does it rival the wines made from the same grape in Italy? Uhh...no. First, they can't resist adding cabernet and a bit of Malbec (?), which would be dandy of it worked and they ended up with a Super-Tuscan quality wine. Second, they have the common failing of not knowing what kind and how much oak works and thinking more is always better. It started out rather well with a decent mineral and fruit nose, but the over-abundance of oak/vanilla ruined the effect, and the caramel sweetness carried over on palate. I like other products from this winery, but would pass on the Cali-Tuscans.
Finally with a variety of mostly Italian cheeses:
1999 Masi Grandarella - this bargain Amarone style of recioto wine was the first vintage, and so far the best in my view as the 2000 wasn't quite as good. Some very nice chocolate and rasins in the nose, the wine forward and not too heavy in the mouth, working very well against the cheese. Haven't tried the 2001 yet.We chased off the mendicant coons, gathered up all the dining paraphernalia and as we headed for the house, it still hadn't commenced to rain, and the temperature was still mild. This might be a theme we'll have to repeat next summer. Or perhaps a Piemontese focus, or just a more general Italian one.