Bolognese with mushrooms, burrata capesee, Swiss chard
2017 Querciabella Chianti Classico
Classic, fresh and dried cherries, light leather, well balanced. B+/B
I hosted local non-serious group on patio Friday (tested heater but didn’t need), theme was Piedmont. As folks arrived I veered east to serve the 2021 Pieropan Soave Classico. Bright, citrusy, floral. B/B+
I had out a spread of charcuterie and cheese (prosciutto, genoa salami, wild boar sausage, Tallegio, Gorgonzola, sottocenere tartuffo). Followed with beef in Barolo (well Barbaresco), served with polenta.
2013 Massimo Rivetti Barbaresco
Cooking wine. Clean, a bit tannic, not a lot of cut. Good cooking wine! B-
The older Barolos (decanted before all arrived) were mine, so I wasn’t guessing.
1967 Fontanafredda Vigna La Rosa Barolo
Some dried cherry and tar, but there’s also a caramelly note, and it’s got some volatility. More advanced than I had hoped. Improved with air though.B-/C+
2005 Castello dii Montegrosso 'Ndre Monferrato Rosso
This fooled me, I thought Barbera with a few years age. High acids, cherry and cranberry, light tannin. Quite good. B+
1964 Mirafiore Barolo
An elegant wine, maybe a tad past top days, but really still quite fun. Candied cherries, Earl Grey, tar. Finish is a tad short. B
2017 Monte Degli Angeli Barolo
I immediately guessed Dolcetto, some ripe tannin, low acidity (someone else thought high acid), juicy berries. I was wrong, but probably would have given it a B as a Dolcetto, but B-/C+ as a Barolo.
Others liked more.2017 Vallana Spanna (Colline Novaresi)
I was thinking Langhe rosso, but Fred said it was high up and I knew producer, so I got Vallana pretty fast. Nice acids, fine tannins, lots of violets on top of bright red fruit. Good value., B+
1974 Beni di Batasiolo Kiola Barolo Riserva
Surprisingly deep, with red fruits, tar, and truffles. I think of Beni di Batasiolo as very low end of Piedmont, so a good showing that beat my expectations. B+
Fun night.
Home alone on Saturday, my birthday but we are celebrating next week (Betsy was in Maine for concert), I made myself bluefin, spinach/ricotta ravioli, and Swiss chard. I had leftover white and red, but opened the 1995 Lassalle Cuvee Angeline Brut Champagne (unsure when last time I opened a Champagne by myself).Soft, high dosage, sweet apple and not a lot of depth. B-
Sunday Betsy got home and we went to friends for dinner. I carried scallop crudo (apple, mint, peppers, with shoyu/orange dressing), they had crudites and smoked salmon.
2020 Vattan OP Sancerre
Soft, lightly grassy, some honeydew and apple. B_
1986 Sociando-Mallet
Cassis, cigarbox, mushrooms. Sturdy but approachable. B+
2004 Aldo Conterno Barolo
Much better showing than a few years ago, opening up with rich red fruit, rose petals, road tar. Still good tannic structure to age gracefully, but no crime to drink now. B+/A-
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.