DINNER AT LA ZIE WITH THE NYC CREW - New York, NY (8/9/2005)

On my second night in NYC I was lucky enough to join Wilfred van Gorp, Craig, Michel Abood, his girlfriend Catalina, Drew Skroback, his wife Gina for a nice tasting of Italian wines made of Bordeaux varietals. This is a theme that has often perplexed me. The wines are interesting and unique, not easily mistaken for California or Bordeaux, yet I'm still having a hard time pinning them down. Anyway, this was a fun lineup. Dinner was at Le Zie, and the food was very authentic and very enjoyable!!! I spent so much time chatting and eating that I finished the evening with a very terse set of notes.
We started with a motley crew of white wines, and the cork bug hit us hard with 2 of 3 wiped out!

• 1997 Francois Jobard Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  Corked!
  
• 1998 Azienda Agricola Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
  Served very cold, this was fairly mute at first showing some notes of shellac with a slightly nutty edge. The palate was peppery and spicy, not very familiar to me. I figured it was probably some sort of Italian varietal given the theme, and indeed it was. Alas, I did not notice it, but Michel found there to be a faint and growing note of cork in the mid-palate, and Drew kept the leftovers and confirmed that it became extremely corky with time. Darn!
  
• 2002 Château Pauqué Clos du Paradis - Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Vin de Table
  Wow, this was extremely ripe with notes of peach, almost rotten it is so ripe. The palate is lush and loaded with glycerin. I guessed that this was a new world Roussane/Marsanne blend, but in fact it is oak-aged Chardonnay. Go figure! This was a gift to Wilfred from GJE member Abi Duhr.
  

The food was a Cutting Board of Speck, Mortadella, Prosciutto, Coppa, Cacciatorino Salami & Lard with Grilled Polenta and parmesan wafers. Also making the rounds was Baked Goat Cheese with tomato sauce and garlic croutons. Finally, Carpaccio of Beef with Arugola and Shaved Parmesan Cheese in a Dijon Mustard Dressing.

Next we moved onto a flight where 2 of the 3 wines where technically outside the theme, as the Campaccio are Sangiovese dominated with some Merlot. Still, with the plate of dried meats this worked. Alas, the cork bug cut this pair in half which was very disappointing. The Falesco on the other hand was not very good. Gina defiantly proclaimed it as "consultant wine!" While she may be a little overexcited about her viewing of Mondovino (and certainly agrees with the premise far more than I do), she was certaintly correct on this forgettable wine!

• 1997 Terrabianca Campaccio Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
  Nice nose of dried cherry and leather, a little faint at first but filling out well with hints of cedar or sandalwood. The palate was initially a bit simple which was disappointing, but with air and food this fleshed out to show what I would expect from a Sangiovese/Merlot blend, nice Sangio character and some softness and pluminess to the mid-palate. Very drinkable wine. (88 pts.)
  
• 1997 Terrabianca Campaccio Selezione Riserva Toscana IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
  Auugh, another corky wine!
  
• 1999 Falesco Marciliano Umbria IGT - Italy, Umbria, Umbria IGT
  Rustic and chunky with a mean, green, streak, very herbal. This seems like it must have some Cab Franc. Not very nice.
  

Now we started moving into the big boys right as our entrees landed. And mmm, does it get much better than a pair of Orny's with a very nicely prepared steak atop a peppery bed of arugola that literally melted under the hot steak? Happy, happy camper here!

• 1997 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Rosso Superiore Ornellaia - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Rosso Superiore
  Some herbal notes and a hint of raisin on the nose. The palate is just so explosively ripe, wow, almost a hint of powdered sugar. With time some very distinct notes of licorice come out, and the structure becomes apparent. The palate is gorgeous and with air takes on darker and darker notes of tobacco and black fruit. This rocks! (94 pts.)
  
• 1995 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Rosso Superiore Ornellaia - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Rosso Superiore
  Earthy and tobacco on the nose, nice notes of dusty earth. Mmm, this is delicious Cabernet at a simply wonderful point of ripeness. Drink 'em if you have 'em, as this is singing right now. My wine of the night! (95 pts.)
  

We finished up with a pair of Sass's and a very herbal San Leonardo. The contrast in style between the Sassicaia (very bright with lots of acidity) and the Ornellaia (black fruit, tobacco, more earthy) was fascinating and worth the price of admission. The 1990 Sass took a while to shine (we popped and poured), but it was coming on like a freight train towards the end.

• 1995 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia Sassicaia - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia
  The nose here is bright with a barrique and red-fruit profile, cedary. The palate is a bit tough and lean at first with impressive acidity, but it does open up very nicely. Whereas the 1995 Ornellaia is nicely unwound and ready to drink, the 1995 Sassicaia seems to need a lot of time still. (92 pts.)
  
• 1994 Tenuta San Leonardo Vallagarina IGT - Italy, Trentino, Alto Adige, Vallagarina IGT
  Very austere with green tobacco, sun-dried tomato, stemmy. There is nice acidity, but this is more than a bit tart and green for my liking. (87 pts.)
  
• 1990 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Vino da Tavola - Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Vino da Tavola
  Mmm, this was nice with a tarry, meaty, medicinal nose. Others said eucalyptus and mint, but I never thought this went quite that far. The palate is initially bright with stunning acidity, but with time cassis and black fruit come into focus along with terrific minerality on the finish. OMFG, this gets a wow for a really distinctive and fairly mature example of Sassicaia. (94 pts.)
  

Thanks everyone for a very enjoyable evening. I especially enjoyed putting more faces to names and laughing with Drew about (1) his stance on the pricing of 2003 Clos des Papes and (2) Gina's 'little is good' stance that would make Nossiter proud.

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