QPI: 6 ($100 for the 5 course dinner with wine pairings but heard that the wines were complimentary so I suspect the food alone should cost roughly around $80 thereabout)
WFI: C- ($50 corkage and okay wine list, good stemware, staff know their stuff)
iL Molino di Grace Wine Dinner organised by Top Wines
What's Good
What's Good
Slow cooked duck magrait with tobacco and vanilla reductionThe duck was the best dish for the night. Lots of interesting aromas on the nose with smokiness and clean banyard. Meat is very well cooked with the right amount of doneness and retaining much of its juiciness. Smoked tea leaves and slight bitterness nuances dominates over a myriad of many interesting flavours going on in the tender duck meat slices.
Slow braised korobuta pork cheek scented with sage and fennel seeds served with melon and pink peppercorn Carnaroli risottoThe risotto is definitely more exciting than the Pork. The melon fruit flavours are subtle but more pronounced once you bite on one of the peppercorns . A very interesting combination of spicy and sweet flavours. Not totally integrated but I thought that the undulating waves of the nose-tickling heat and the mild sweetness brings about more excitement to the dish. I suppose the best pairing would be the IGT, which tasted very much like a good shiraz with ripe sweetness and just a dash of pepper heat.
Abinao bitter chocolate and ricotta cheese tart served with almond espumaI find this such a lovely delicate dessert that proves contrary to popular belief that a good dessert is one that is snobbishly rich. It is light with a very fresh, slightly buttery biscuity crust holding the semi-sweet, semi bitter chocolate fillings. I especially enjoy the almond espuma foam that comes on the side. Its like almond paste soup emulsified. Yum.
What's Not
Pan roasted foie gras served with Chianti poached pear and licorice jusToo thick and not seared long enought to give it a crispier texture. Could use some sea salt. Very french and not at all italian. Not half as bad if french cuisine but not half as good if italian.
Other Dishes Tasted
Venison tortelli with morel mushroom sauce and summer truffle Flavourful meat fillings but a tad bit dry inside and needed some cheese to give it more twang.
Comments
Service is good, staff are friendly in spite of the full house and the dining hall has good vibes going on that enhances the dining experience. Food is supposed to be italian but the approach seemed very french to me with only the tortellini being the most authentic. Maybe it is fusion french-italian. All said, it's not bad at all and just lacks a dash of salt to taste. Wine Pairing Done
Corte Viola Dedicato Private Label Prosecco NV
WADA rated 74pts
Fresh stonefruits and some pears and white pomelo. Also has something smelly going on ...reminds me of dried sweat in a taxi. Off-sweet.
iL Molino di Grace Wine Pairing
In general, the vibe I get is traditaional wines that are trying to be modern in style …. it's like china trying to embrace capitalism. Wines were wearing varying degreees of makeup.
The chianti classico 04 was done in light makeup with some blush and lipstick like going out for a casual luncheon.
The Ii Margone 03 has slightly heavier makeup with additional eyeliner and some foundation. However, still looking very pretty.
The chianti classico reserva 04 is too heavily done with too much foundation to the extent that it is suffocating the skin beneath. It's like a fat Italian lady wanting to be Marilyn Monroe. So she slaps on a lot of makeup with too much of powder and lipstick.
The IGT is like an opera singer with really thick makeup but at least done with artistic taste. But u know its all a farce and she is putting on a show.
The IGT is like an opera singer with really thick makeup but at least done with artistic taste. But u know its all a farce and she is putting on a show.
The Margone appeals the most to me and I suspect also for a larger crowd of wine drinkers.
Chianti Classico DOCG 2004 (5 Stars by Decanter)
WADA rated 83+pts
Medium purple. Thick nose of woodshed exuding aura of semi-sweet dark fruits and brambles. Detected hints of coconout shavings and coffee oak at the end of the aroma tunnel. At first the palate tends more to the darker fruits but not long after it evolves with more cherries and plums. Hints of minerality peers out from the thick fruity makeup as the wine sits longer in the glass. Very well-balanced . Good effort although doesn’t last as long in the glass as the latter wines. In fact, tasted at intervals of the 2 hour long dinner and flavour profile didn't evolve much and was very much just tart cherry fruits at the end. Good for drinking now. Finish is short to almost medium.
Chianti Classico Riserva II Margone DOCG 2003 (5 Stars by Decanter)
WADA rated 83+pts
Medium purple. Thick nose of woodshed exuding aura of semi-sweet dark fruits and brambles. Detected hints of coconout shavings and coffee oak at the end of the aroma tunnel. At first the palate tends more to the darker fruits but not long after it evolves with more cherries and plums. Hints of minerality peers out from the thick fruity makeup as the wine sits longer in the glass. Very well-balanced . Good effort although doesn’t last as long in the glass as the latter wines. In fact, tasted at intervals of the 2 hour long dinner and flavour profile didn't evolve much and was very much just tart cherry fruits at the end. Good for drinking now. Finish is short to almost medium.
Chianti Classico Riserva II Margone DOCG 2003 (5 Stars by Decanter)
WADA rated 85pts
Nice opaque purple. Pine wood and very stemy grapey fruit nose. Sweet plummish fruits come to the fore. Nose is focused to the point of being sharp and a tad bit hedonistic. Very full on the palate with darker cherries and berries carrying through. Evolves with more complex dark blueish flowers …some might even say sweet Indian flowers. Dry gripping tannins that is not fine but neither is it overdone. Some menthol (or could be just the alcohol) surfaces after a while. Really love thenose on this as it evolves and alternated quite a bit with some herbs showing through. Underlying chianti minerality veiled by the fruitish layer of makeup. The wine is made just on the verge of crossing the new world barrier for the most part except the finish. It feels balanced on the cliff of parkerisation. Still think many WADEs would like this.
Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2004 (WS85)
Nice opaque purple. Pine wood and very stemy grapey fruit nose. Sweet plummish fruits come to the fore. Nose is focused to the point of being sharp and a tad bit hedonistic. Very full on the palate with darker cherries and berries carrying through. Evolves with more complex dark blueish flowers …some might even say sweet Indian flowers. Dry gripping tannins that is not fine but neither is it overdone. Some menthol (or could be just the alcohol) surfaces after a while. Really love thenose on this as it evolves and alternated quite a bit with some herbs showing through. Underlying chianti minerality veiled by the fruitish layer of makeup. The wine is made just on the verge of crossing the new world barrier for the most part except the finish. It feels balanced on the cliff of parkerisation. Still think many WADEs would like this.
Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2004 (WS85)
WADA rated 79+ to 84pts
Fresh refreshing currants on the onset with blueberries dominating the palate. Some underlying mineral tones. Lifted and focused but a much rounder nose than the second. I thought it to be slightly closed though even though it had been double decanted. It is comfortable and non-intrusive and not over alcoholic or over-oaked. Taste much like a semi edged new world with sweet nose, quite sweet palate but off-dry finish. Maybe a little too much “makeup” is causing it to lose its soul and identity. Tasted this wine over an hour and it seemed closed....maybe this wine really needs a lot more time to develop to its full potential...I don't know...not too much I get out from it right now.
IGT Gratius 2003 (WS90)
Fresh refreshing currants on the onset with blueberries dominating the palate. Some underlying mineral tones. Lifted and focused but a much rounder nose than the second. I thought it to be slightly closed though even though it had been double decanted. It is comfortable and non-intrusive and not over alcoholic or over-oaked. Taste much like a semi edged new world with sweet nose, quite sweet palate but off-dry finish. Maybe a little too much “makeup” is causing it to lose its soul and identity. Tasted this wine over an hour and it seemed closed....maybe this wine really needs a lot more time to develop to its full potential...I don't know...not too much I get out from it right now.
IGT Gratius 2003 (WS90)
WADA rated 81 to 85pts
Thick blueberry nose with almost dark forest fruits. Very thick and blackberryish like a good mclarenvale shiraz. The palate is hedonistic and opulent if not but a little too brutish.Dark choc on the finish. This packs a glycerin-laced V8 punch with the alcohol and style of approach, even though it had been decanted for more than 5 hours. Another almost over the top wine that could be losing itself soon. Reminds me of the 2004 Kaesler Old Bastard I had that was decanted for a whole day…but a more diluted version. All said, this could age really well.
Thick blueberry nose with almost dark forest fruits. Very thick and blackberryish like a good mclarenvale shiraz. The palate is hedonistic and opulent if not but a little too brutish.Dark choc on the finish. This packs a glycerin-laced V8 punch with the alcohol and style of approach, even though it had been decanted for more than 5 hours. Another almost over the top wine that could be losing itself soon. Reminds me of the 2004 Kaesler Old Bastard I had that was decanted for a whole day…but a more diluted version. All said, this could age really well.
Pairing Suggestions
I actually thought the pairings done were awkward except for maybe the kurobuto pork and the IGT which share similar hot and sweet characteristics. The foie gras and chianti classico 04 didn't quite match up while the margone overpowered the tortellini. The margone seemed better suited for the duck. In all, this set of pairing is a really odd couple - a franco-italiano guy wanting to settle down with an italian gal that prefers to marry an australian.
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