Hi WADEs,
it has been a dream of ours to have a regular gathering of frens and fellow enthusiasts to come together for a great meal and exquisite wines without burning too big a hole in our pockets.
Over the year, I have had the fortune to be invited to many wine lunches / dinners organised by both fellow WADEs (Not-For-Profit) and professionals (restaurant establishments and companies in the wine trade). I dare say that almost all of those organised by the former easily battered those organised by the latter in terms of both quality & range of wine & food as well as QPI (quality price index).....except for the Burgundy dinner @ Universal Duxton Hill which was exceptional in all sense of the word.
At the same time, there are supposedly NFP wine & dine societies (no names mentioned here) that organise good value dinners too ...that is if you even get invited to them and if you do...whether you can get past the one time pain of paying a hefty $$$$ entrance fee (not to mention the yearly subscription). Of course, once you have been scrutinised by the elders of the Order and allowed entry then you are told that you are now a proud part-owner of the $$$$$$ worth of wines in the Order's cellar....which leads one to wonder if you would even live long enough to taste any of the 61 Latour, 82 Lafite or 2002 DRC, which I guess has to be cellared long enough till the wines hit its maturity or similarly when enough members also hit "maturity" ....such that there are just "enough" people to have a reasonable sip of the precious bottle. To ensure that these precious vintages are not squandered away, it's the cellarmasters' duty to ration out and budget them so that future generations of members can enjoy. ...and i so envy that generation.
Divine intervention made it such that our paths crossed with that of Paul, who shares a similar passion of having good food, excellent wines and great company. The next thing we knew we had fortuitously procured an excellent half-case of vintage piedmont wines from a private collector at an extremely reasonable price. Paul threw in another 3 bots of piedmont whites and I dug out 3 bots of french dessert wines from my cellar and walaah! ...the 1st unofficial inaugural AWFS wine dinner @ Buono restaurant.
Paul and I pre-tasting before the dinner
1st Flight (Piedmont Whites)
Cor de Chasse Gavi 2006 (Cortese)
WADA rated 74pts
Not big on the aromatics dept. Simple uplifted notes of citrus (leaning towards lemon). Pleasant acidity. Not much after though. A no fuss wine.
Mauro Sebaste Roero 2004 (Arneis) WADA rated 78pts
Definitely past its prime and showing "sng"-ness(vinegarish) on the nose as well as on the deep yellowish gold colour. However, the palate was still suprisingly fresh and very complex. After leaving it in the glass for a good 5-10mins with swirling, the honey-ness surfaced. It tasted like a burg!!! with a play of creamy nutty oak as well as concentrated but balanced lemony acidity. Would really loved to taste this at its best. If not for the oxidation, this would definitely score in the 80s.
Michele Chiarlo Nivole 2006 (Moscato D'asti)
WADA rated 83pts
Apricots and cotton candy on the nose. Palate is structured with varying degress of sweetness of flower nectar , sweetened melons. Has an x-factor that makes you wonder and want more of this very quaffable moscato.
Paired with:
Frittura (Fried Squid)
Excellent soft-crunchy batter that is slightly seasoned with salt and pepper. Very nice with the v freshtomato puree that is spiced up with some chili olive oil. I find this going best with the Moscato to balance off the heat from the tomato dip. But if had without the dip, this goes well with the Gavi that provides the fresh acid balance to the fried squid.
Portobello Mushrooms with Cheese
Although grilled, the portobello retains its earthy juices that coagulate well with the cheese fillings. Yummy and even more so when paired with the Arneis, which was rich enough to handle the earthiness annd cheesy flavours.
2nd Flight (Light Piedmont Reds)
Dezzani Dolcetto D'Alba 2002 (Dolcetto)
WADA rated 83+pts
Boiled sweet winter melon boiled with red dates and slightly sweet cherries on the nose. Light and bright cherry flavours with some licourice bitterness but surprisingly fresh and not as bitter as one would expect an aged dolcetto to be.
Dezzani Barbera d'Asti Il Dragone 1990 (Barbera)
WADA rated 90pts
Almost completely secondary notes on the nose of manure! and barnyard horse. It’s just amazingly fresh given its 18 years of age. Complex with wild notes and aged fruits, in particular old plums. This might not be in its prime but it definitely is aging gracefully and still showing signs of being able to give a hard kick to your sense if it has to…like a Sean Connery.
Paired with:
WADA rated 90pts
Almost completely secondary notes on the nose of manure! and barnyard horse. It’s just amazingly fresh given its 18 years of age. Complex with wild notes and aged fruits, in particular old plums. This might not be in its prime but it definitely is aging gracefully and still showing signs of being able to give a hard kick to your sense if it has to…like a Sean Connery.
Paired with:
Buono Pizza
Uniquely different with a light cream base, the sausages are juicy and pack a flavour punch gloved by the mild creaminess of the base sauce. Yum. Was very worried it wouldn't go with the reds but fears were unfounded as the cherryish and animalistic notes from the reds gave another dimension to the pizza...like another topping.
WADA rated 88+pts
Absolutely stunning with freshness and integrated roasted mocha beans. Darker cherry fruits lined by skins of leather. Definitely has more structure and *oomph* than the Babaresco but not in a brutish kind of way… more like a noble prince. The finish is beautiful and graceful lasting close to a minute. We decanted for about an hour but yet this wine still shows so much length and strength that I think can go on for another 5years. Blown away? No. Impressed? Definitely yes!
Perfumed nose of light red flowers, cherries and gunsmoke from an oldskool M-16. Palate is surprisingly lighter and more elegant with cherries and sour plum powder...maybe a touch of meaty notes. Finishes on a rounded sour edge. Elegant soft tannins and I would personify its approach as a minor princess or maybe a lady of noble descent that seldom stays in the sun, therefore has unblemished and fair skin tones.
Amazing density and once again the freshness of the cherryish acidity astounds me. This , in contrast to the Barolo and Babaresco, has slightly denser and darker cherryish – plummish fruit flavours. I thought I smelt a water buffalo in there too. Definitely giving more *oomph* but in a brutish sort of way. Yet, some might enjoy it.
WADA rated 80pts
A suprise wine throw in for fun. Another surprisingly fresh though aged wine and AUSSIE!! of all things.Wow! At least , it shows that aussie wines can be cellared. This has simple delicate sweet strawberry nose with a pure beam of ribena blackcurrants on the palate. Not a Wow-ser but just so suprising that its aussie and 14 years old! Good effort!
Wine Spots Cabernet 2003 (Napa)
WADA rated 83pts
WADA rated 83pts
Another suprise wine thrown in by Paul (from Thailand). Dark infused dark berries with crayola that I identify with Napa Cabs. Dense blackberry fruits with good grip on the body and just enough amount of coffee oak on the finish.
Paired with:
Mixed Skewer
Just managed to nibble a bit off DBF's plate. Quite salty smoky meats that tasted much better with some raboso to bring together the flavours.
Tornedos of Beef Fillet (Red Wine Jus)
Except for the problems with mixing up our orders for varying doneness of the beef fillet, this is pretty good hearty beef that is not overdone with an overpowering sauce. Natural flavours are accentuated by the wild animalistic notes of the Barolo and the Raboso. Also good with the napa cab, I thought it was too much for the Barbaresco though.
4th Flight (Dessert Wines)
Carmes de Rieussec 2002 (Sauternes)
WADA rated 83+pts
Caramel nose that is slightly burnt. Dried fruits and burnt honey that is carried by some citrus lemon acidity. Pleasant drinking at this stage.
Château Solon 1999 (Sauternes)WADA rated 82pts
Deep beautiful gold colour. Caramelised apricots and a myriad of other dried sweet fruits that you find during Chinese new year in those octagonal boxes. Has old person zingyness to it.
Cru Champon 2005 (Loupiac)
WADA rated 80pts
Very fresh with morning dew fresh floral notes. Reminds me of a greek sweet wine we had that is all about the white flowers and dandiness. Not big on character but ready to drink now and a no fuss dessert wine.
Very fresh with morning dew fresh floral notes. Reminds me of a greek sweet wine we had that is all about the white flowers and dandiness. Not big on character but ready to drink now and a no fuss dessert wine.
Paired with:
Molten Lava CakeYummy...it's not the best we have had but would rank among the top and as someone put it " you can't go wrong with Lava cake" which I agree too. However, would prefer my lava cake unerupted when served. Too chocolatey and sweet for the wines.
Profiterole
Preferred this over the lava cake as it has fresh cream stuck between the profiteroles that make it more fluffy and more pairable with the wines.
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