Italian Piedmont

     Thursday January 15, 2009

Reservations Closed
Course Pairing / Description Wine
Reception Smoked Chicken Mousse
Shrimp and Black Bean Canape
Michelle Chiarlo Gavi
Michele Chiarlo Gavi is an extremely elegant wine, pale gold with hints of green, and delicately scented in bouquet. Dry but not astringent, lean yet with a slightly flinty complexity and subtle body, it is a wine to be consumed while fresh and youthful. Tasting notes This classic expression of the Cortese grape is delicate and refined, with lean, subtle pear and white fruit flavors and a fragrance of acacia blossoms offset by notes of almonds. Wine maker notes Because the Cortese grape is so extremely fragile, Michele Chiarlo is particularly watchful to acquire fruit of the most perfect soundness possible, and of optimum maturity, from the most exceptional vineyard areas of Gavi. The grapes are pressed without crushing within ten minutes of their arrival at the winery, and the must is immediately refrigerated to 40 F to 45 F and allowed to settle for 12 to 15 hours. It is then racked into stainless steel tanks in which a low-temperature fermentation, at 60 F to 65 F, lasts from twenty to twenty-five days. The wine is left on its lees until ready to be bottled. The alcoholic fermentation is initiated only with natural yeasts, and no malolactic is carried out. 		Michele Chiarlo Gavi 2007
1st Course Wild Mushroom and Brie Soup with Smoked Chili Oil


Geographical location of the vineyard: Bussia in Monforte d`Alba Grape from which it is produced: Dolcetto. Aging: six months in stainless steel tanks, several months in botle before shipment. Organoleptic characteristics: Bouquet: delicate but well defined, vinous, berries. Taste: dry, velvety, slightly almond, full, well balanced. Gastronomy: poultry, white meat roasts, soups and main dishes 		Vietti Dolcetto Tre Vigne 2006
2nd Course Duck Sausage and Roasted Fennel with Port Wine, Marscapone Cheese and Chive Oil
Very dark reddish-purple, with a clear garnet edge. Red-berry fruit, something like cranberries (only half-joking, perhaps a candidate for the Thanksgiving table), backed by subtle earthy, woody notes that stay well beneath the fruit. Tart cranberry flavors well shaped by zippy acidity, a good food wine with a variety of meat and poultry courses. US Importer: Kobrand Corp., NYC. (Nov 24, 2008) FOOD MATCH: It would be a fine, affordable companion to the holiday feast. We enjoyed it on a non-holiday work night with leftover chuck roast and garlicky mashed potatoes from a local restaurant. 		Michele Chiarlo Barber D Asti 2006
3rd Course Grilled Loin of Lamb with Mashed Blue Potatoes and Sweet Corn Puree


While perhaps most famous for their elegant baroli, Vietti also makes phenomenal, fresh barbera like this 2006 Barbera d'Asti "Tre Vigne." From young vineyards in Agliano d'Asti, averaging about 10 years old, comes this mineral-kissed wine bursting with ripe red cherry notes on the nose and palate. The quintessential Piemontese food wine, the Barbera "Tre Vigne" shows refreshing acidity and well-integrated tannins that will make it an excellent accompaniment to antipasti, grilled vegetables, hearty soups and lighter meat dishes. 		Vietti Barbera D Asti Tevigne 2006
Dessert Tiramisu with Hazelnut Whipped Cream and Macerated Cherries


The 2005 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco reveals expressive aromatics and a lovely core of perfumed ripe fruit on a medium-bodied frame. The 2005 is made in the accessible style that is typical of the vintage, and I would choose to drink this wine before the 2004. It is an exceptional wine at this level. In recent years Currado has stepped up his commitment to the entry-level Barolo Castiglione by using a more stringent selection for that wine, which he views as a “multi grand-cru.” Currado doesn’t like the idea of a Barolo normale because he thinks it debases the wine, so he came up with Perbacco, which is made from the estate’s second selection of fruit from its multiple holdings across the region. It is given 23 months of oak aging prior to being bottled and released with just a few months of bottle age. It has all the hallmarks of a Barolo, but in miniature. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2012. Score: 90. —Antonio Galloni, December 2007. 		Vietti Nebbiolo Perbacco 2005