Showing posts with label Guado Al Tasso. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guado Al Tasso. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Team dinner at Italian Village Chicago

Team working dinner at Italian Village Chicago features Super Tuscan and Bolgheri Chianti Classico

 
Ive written regularly in earlier blogposts about our wine and dinners, about Italian Village, Chicago's oldest, longest running continuously family operated Italian restaurant in Chicago. As is our custom, IV Wine Director and buddy Jared Gelband served up a duo of Italian varietal wines from the expansive winelist to showcase our dinner selections, as we have done several times over the last couple months. 

With dinner, tonight we selected two wines from the winelist, a recent release new arrival Super Tuscan from Antinori, and a vintage release Tuscan Blend from notable Italian producer Baron Ricasoli.

Barone Ricasoli is one of Chianti’s largest estates, with nearly 650 acres of vineyards in Gaiole in Chianti, in the southern part of the Tuscany’s Chianti appellation. The estate has been in the Ricasoli family for more than 500 years dating back to 1141. Their estate and magnificent Brolio Castle are located within the town of Gaiole.

The Ricasoli family recognized the great potential of the Brolio territory and were among the first to dedicate themselves to the improvement of agriculture and vineyards in the region. Documents from the late 1600s report the first wine exports to Amsterdam and England.

In 1872, Baron Bettino Ricasoli (1809 – 1880), politician and visionary wine entrepreneur, originated the formula for Chianti wine, known today as Chianti Classico. 

Ricasoli is the most representative wine producer in the Chianti Classico area of the Italian Tuscany, or Toscana in Italian, wine region, Italy’s best-known wine region and its most diverse. The Ricasoli estate covers nearly 3000 acres of property that include almost 600 acres of vineyards and 26 of olive groves covering rolling hills and picturesque valleys with thick woodlands of oaks and chestnuts.

Historically Sangiovese was the primary grape grown in Tuscany and Chianti was considered the purest expression of Sangiovese. Sangiovese and its many clones are still important, and they are the grapes used for the Tuscan appellations of Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano, Chianti, Chianti Classico and Carmignano. 

Baron Francesco Ricasoli took the reigns in 1993 and has been guiding the central Tuscan company when this label was released and re-launched Barone Ricasoli as fine premium wine producer, representing the heritage of his renowned ancestors who have made this territory great and established the Bettino Ricasoli brand. He totally renovated and completely mapped the vineyards. His wines showcase the distinctive terroir of the soil types, the climate and clonal selections of the Brolio Sangiovese.

Today, Ricasoli produce a portfolio of a dozen labels of premium wines, some only in prime years, several labels of Grappa, and a line of Olive Oils, sourced and crafted from the the Broglio Chianti Classico estate.

Barone Ricasoli Casalferro (Sangiovese) Toscana IGT 2000

This 2000 vintage release is a blend of 75% Sangiovese and 25% Merlot. It was aged in small french oak barrels for 18 months which along with the Merlot in the blend, softens the tannins. 
 
The grapes were sourced from estate vineyards set 350 – 400 meters above sea level, mainly from the vineyard of the same name with southwest exposure, with a predominance of calcareous sandstone and Alberese stone.

Today production of this label is 135,000 bottles in a prodigious vintage year.

Wine Spectator awarded this vintage release 90 points.

At twenty-one years, this was starting to show its age and is reaching the end of its drinking window. The fill level, foil and cork (shown left) were ideal for the age. 

While past its prime, this wine was an ideal pairing with the slight gaminess of my Pheasant Agnolotinni pasta in sage butter sauce with Parmigiana-Regianno, a Italian Village Chef Jose Specialty.

This was initially a bit funky with some barnyard earthiness which burned off after decanting and aerating back and forth three times. This was dark garnet colored with a bit of browning on the rim, medium full bodied, powerful full and forward black fruits are starting to give way to notes of cedar, black tea, olive tapenade, leather and hints of creosote on the deep, full, lingering tannic finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=17527

https://www.ricasoli.com/en/product/casalferro-2000/ 

@ricasoli_1141

Antinori Tenuta Guado Al Tasso Il Bruciato 2019, Bolgheri DOC

The Guado al Tasso estate is located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC appellation on the coast of Upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest of Florence. This appellation has a relatively recent history as it was established in 1994 but has gained worldwide recognition as a new reference point in the international oenological scene. The estate covers an area of 2500 acres, of which about 790 acres are planted with vines. The remainder is richly covered with wheat fields, sunflowers and olive groves, set in a beautiful plain encircled by rolling hillsides known as the “Bolgheri amphitheater” due to its particular shape. 

The Guado al Tasso estate is one of nine major well known brand of the vast Antinori family wine empire. Guado al Tasso’s vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino grapes; this last cultivated with both with white and red varieties. Adjacency to the nearby sea provides a mild climate with constant breezes mitigate summer heat and alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure. 

The Il Bruciato label was created in the year 2002 as the the second wine under the flagship Guado al Tasso. It is crafted to represent the unique terroir of Bolgheri and give it a greater visibility and recognition. The first blend to be used was that of Guado al Tasso only to see, in the years which followed, a modification of the varietal composition and the identification of a series of vineyard plots intended to be used exclusively for this wine. 

Il Bruciato is now regarded as a modern interpretation of Bolgheri’s unique terroir made from carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes from all around Guado al Tasso’s vineyards. Cabernet Sauvignon was blended with Merlot, Syrah and a small percentage of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot and the final blend was reintroduced into barriques where it was left to age before bottling.

A widely popular wine known for great value with exceptional QPR - quality-price-ration, this is one of the few Italian labels I regularly keep in our cellar for dependable everyday sipping, but also respectable for a fine dinner accompaniment. 

I served the 2016 release of this label at a team dinner reecntly, the last of my holdings from that vintage. I write more about this label in that blogpost. The 2018 release sold out very quickly making this 2019 even more anticipated. While this is a wine that has increased in price significantly over the past few years it remains a great value and is a real must-buy for regular Bolgheri enthusiasts. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, bright vibrant expressive black cherry and black berry fruits with  spices, tobacco, milk chocolate, cedar and notes of graphite on the tangy acidic finish.

RM 91 points. 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes: Il Bruciato 2019 is intensely ruby red in color. Its nose expresses notes of small dark fruit, sweet spices and tobacco. Its well-structured palate is harmonious and very pleasant to drink. Fresh fruity notes dominate the finish.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2904858

https://www.antinori.it/en/vino/il-bruciato-en/ 


 

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Team dinner at Angeli's Italian

 Team dinner at Angeli's Italian 

As my leadership team continues our workshops in strategic planning, we move to the western suburbs for a day of planning which is becoming somewhat of a routine. The out of town team members move to their suburban hotel and we gather for a pre-session dinner at Angeli's Italian, our favorite neighborhood Italian trattoria. 

I took BYOB from our home cellar two wines I was eager to share and compare, that I expected to be ideal accompaniments to our Italian cuisine dinner. 

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato 2016

We discovered this wine when we dined for Saturday Brunch in NYC Chelsea Flatiron neighborhood with son Alec and Viv, we dined at La Pecora Bianca (The White Sheep) on Broadway at 26th. With my Tagliatelle with beef and pork bolognese sauce I paired my entree with this Il Bruciato Tenuta Guado al Tasso - a delicious perfect combination as each was embellished and enhanced by the other as a result. 

Upon returning home I went out and purchased more of this label release at at Malloy's, our Village wine shop. We have enjoyed it with tangy Italian pasta and meat sauce dishes. Hence, I took this tonight for our special dinner with my colleagues at our favorite neighborhood trattoria, Angeli's Italian.

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato 2016

As I wrote in my original posting of this wine, this is what is known as a Super Tuscan, made famous in the 70s when wine critics noted the quality rivaled that of high-end Bordeaux. 

The Bolgheri area was known for producing IGT and VdT wines based on the typical Bordeaux varietals. 

VdT classification is the first or lowest quality standard, stands for Vino da Tavola, or Table Wine. Wines marked with a VdT on the label tells you they’re made in Italy, and that’s about it. IGT classification, the second level, one step up from the VdT wines is the IGT classification, which stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica — IGT-classed wine is “typical” of a particular geography or local region. Most IGT wines are simple, made from grapes grown locally and intended to be drank young. Many IGT wines from Tuscany are made from Sangiovese, a grape with a long history in the region. Think of them as a table wine.

In 1994, the Bolgheri DOC appellation designation was created to recognize more notable, higher quality wines. DOC, or Denominazione di Origine Controllata. The key word here is Controllata, meaning that a DOC wine is produced in a specific, well-defined region in Italy, according to defined wine making rules that are designed to preserve local traditions.  These wines tend to offer great QPR - Quality Price Ratio values.

This label if from the vast portfolio of the Antinori family who have been producing fine wines for over six centuries since 1385, a history that spans twenty-six generations. They produce legendary wines from nine different estates across Italy, and since 1985 from an Estate in Napa Valley, Californina.

This label is from the Guado al Tasso estate, located in the small but prestigious Bolgheri DOC, on the coast of upper Maremma, about one hundred kilometers southwest from Florence. This appellation has a relatively recent history, DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Denomination of Controlled Origin) Bolgheri was approved in 1995 and since then it has become recognized for the Italian and international winemaking. 

The estate covers an area of 320 hectares (790 acres) planted with vines, set in a beautiful plain encircled by rolling hillsides known as the "Bolgheri Amphitheatre" due to its particular shape. The vineyards are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Vermentino. The proximity to the sea provides a mild climate with constant breezes that mitigate summer heat and alleviate harsh winter weather, maintaining a clear sky and a high level of sunlight exposure.

Il Bruciato was first produced in 2002 and has become an interpretation of Bolgheri’s unique terroir made from carefully selected Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah grapes from Guado al Tasso’s vineyards. The geological composition of the soil is diversified giving the wine structure and complexity.

Winemaker notes: The 2016 Il Bruciato offers an intense ruby red color. On the nose, the aromas of ripe red berry fruit, sweet spices, and a light and fresh minty note are the most prominent sensations. The palate is well structured, persistent, and very pleasurable in its fruity finish and aftertaste.

The 2016 Il Bruciato was given four months of bottle aging before commercial release.

This 2016 Il Bruciato was delicious and provides great high QPR value. Amazingly, more than one million bottles were produced at this quality level. It is great for every day casual sipping but will also stand up to special occasions and quality drinking.

This wine, “Il Bruciato,” which means “the burned” is the second wine of Antinori’s Tenuta Guado al Tasso, second to the flagship wine, “Guado al Tasso”, named after the large vineyard in Bolgheri in which the grapes are grown.

This Il Bruciato, produced to be a more approachable and contemporary style of wine than the more traditional estate wine, is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 15% Syrah.

This was delicious again tonight in combination with our dinner entrees. 

Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, smooth, polished for casual easy drinking with vibrant red and black fruit flavors accented by spice, mocha and smoke with elegant soft tannins on a moderate lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

The Wine Advocate gave this 93 pts, Jame Suckling of Wine Spectator gave it 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2904858

https://www.antinori.it/en/vino/il-bruciato-en/ 

 
Our second bottle with dinner was a real unique wild card selection, pulled from my home cellar and brought BYOB for dinner. 

BLANKbottle Petit Verdot Pat Bird 2019

I discovered this bottle, a special selection offering from Vin Chicago. Finding it intriguing I ordered a six pack case, and now wish I had acquired more. Of course on trying to obtain more it is long gone, and not likely to be found again as it is a select bottling. I wrote about another unique BLANKbottle -  "B.I.G. SA" Swartland Cabernet Blend 2019  wine that I also purchased at the same time in a recent blogpost.  

This was another special buy from VinChicago who find and often offer such limited release labels at good value - high QPR (quality price ratio) wine finds. This seemed to be good value relative to the market price if you could find it. Being from South Africa, it had lesser brand recognition and distribution with a more limited following than more popular regional wines. Searching for this label, I found it available throughout Europe and in a few locations on the east coast, in all cases at prices ten to thirty percent to 2x higher!

During my South Africa Wine Experience in 2019, I tasted some really good wines from down there, thus was open to try some unknown labels. 

Fun with wine ... as the header of this blog states, I write about "perspectives on wine buying, collecting, tasting, a study in wine marketing & branding; observations, experiences and ruminations of a winegeek & frequent traveler." This post is the epitome of such ruminations.  

This wine is the extreme of the broad spectrum of wines and labels, the polar opposite of the grower producer terroir driven wine labels where one collects and compares the subtleties of variations of the same label from vintage to vintage over time, the same wine sourced from the same 'estate' producer owned vineyard (s).

This is from South African winemaker producer Pieter Walser, who travels the region sourcing a vast wide variety of grapes from numerous growers to produce a broad portfolio of labels, many one-of single vintage offerings, and some that are repeated. There are several American and French producers that employ this negociant method of acquiring grapes to produce a private label or own label brand. I've written in these pages the perils of 'collecting' such wines since they may never appear again. Walser notes, "At the moment, roughly 30% of our wines are once-off wines. If they perform well, they will stay on."

To his credit, he employs expensive quality packaging of these wines with heavier bottles and wax dipped capsules, and imaginative designer labels.

Pieter is regarded as one of the more innovative producers in South Africa. Pieter Walser founded BLANKbottle in 2004 to make wine of quality, excitement and mystery – for those intrigued by what’s in the bottle, not by what’s on the label. Educated in Agriculture, Viticulture and Oenology, and a nomadic, adventurous spirit, BLANKbottle was born. Pieter sought creative flexibility, not to be unconstrained by style, region, vintage and cultivars. He has developed alliances with vineyards, winemakers and wineries throughout the country (ZA), to craft a broad portfolio of unique blends of premium character. 

Pieter’s eclectic range is from vineyards positioned across the Western Cape, representing diverse regions, micro-climates, soil types, and varietals, ultimately leading to different wine styles and the ability to also introduce once-off limited runs of compelling wines.

Seeing the producer website sole photo of the winemaker, (shown left), and the way he describes himself and talks about his business and his brand, I am drawn to think this is what it would be like if Crocodile Dundee, the Australian outback movie character, were a winemaker. 

Indeed, he plays on the movie theme metaphor: “It’s our privilege to be the costume designer and screenwriter, to present this time capsule, a catalyst that brings people together, there to de-stress, entertain, – as the star headline act, in the privacy of your home.”

As Pieter tells it himself, “When I started BLANKbottle, my goal was to create an honest wine brand that had no limitations in order to break down any preconceived expectations….I’ve come to realize that the road I’m on does not necessarily lead to the perfect winery. Rather, it’s an adventure, it gives me stories to tell, and that I count as my true riches and success.” 
 
As it turns out, the Blankbottle labels that I obtained from Vin are in fact as exceptional as the wine, having, featuring creative artwork, and having recently won multiple awards, including the Grand Prix, at the 2015 Wine Label Design Awards. The "B.I.G. SA" Swartland Cabernet Blend 2019 label is ingenious and brilliant if you get a chance to check it out.
 
BLANKbottle Petit Verdot Pat Bird 2019

In trying to gather more background on this wine, all the producer website says is, "A special production exclusively to the USA. Story to come soon. A 100% Stellenbosch Petit Verdot." This is after it loads 255 different images with the notice - 'Please be patient while we load labels of our 255 different wines'. 

This bottle exceeded my expectations. It hit the mark of capturing the essence, character and profile of single varietal Petit Verdot, a full-bodied red wine that originates in Bordeaux, typically highly desired as a blending grape in red Bordeaux blends because of its plentiful color, tannin and floral aromas of violet
 
Dark garnet colored, full bodied, muscular firm structured backbone of black berry fruits with smokey notes of tar, anise, tobacco leaf and black tea with firm but agreeable tannins on the long finish. 
 
RM 91 points. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Sunday, March 3, 2019

La Pecora Bianca Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato

La Pecora Bianca Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato

For Saturday Brunch in NYC Chelsea Flatiron neighborhood with Alec and Viv, we dined at La Pecora Bianca (The White Sheep) on Broadway at 26th. A bright vibrant lively setting that was perfect for a rainy afternoon.

I ordered the Tagliatelle with beef and pork bolognese sauce. To pair with this entree I ordered the Il Bruciato Tenuta Guado al Tasso - a delicious perfect combination as each was embellished and enhanced by the other as a result.

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Il Bruciato 2016

This is what is known as a Super Tuscan, made famous in the 70s when wine critics noted the quality rivaled that of high-end Bordeaux. The Bolgheri area was known for producing IGT and VdT wines based on the typical Bordeaux varietals. In 1994, the Bolgheri DOC appellation designation was created to recognize these quality wines.  These wines tend to offer great QPR - Quality Price Ratio values.

This 2016 Il Bruciato was delicious and provides great high QPR value. Amazingly, more than one million bottles were produced at this quality level. Pick up a case for great every day drinking wine that will also stand up to special occasions and quality drinking.

This wine, “Il Bruciato,” which means “the burned” is the second wine of Antinori’s Tenuta Guado al Tasso, second to the flagship wine, “Guado al Tasso”, named after the large vineyard in Bolgheri in which the grapes are grown.

This Il Bruciato, produced to be a more approachable and contemporary style of wine than the more traditional estate wine, is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 15% Syrah.

This was delicious in this food combination and was a great value. Bright ruby colored, medium bodied, smooth, polished for casual easy drinking with vibrant red and black fruit flavors accented by spice, mocha and smoke with elegant soft tannins on a moderate lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

P.S. - Upon returning home I went out and purchased a bottle at Malloy's, our Village wine shop. We tasted it with marinated beef stew and it was good, but not as harmonious as with the pasta in our earlier tasting. Perhaps bottle variation, (they produced a million bottles!), never-the-less, I reduced my rating for this bottle.

RM 90 points.

The Wine Advocate gave this 93 pts
Jame Suckling of Wine Spectator gave it 94 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2904858

https://www.antinori.it/en/vino/il-bruciato-en/ 

http://www.lapecorabianca.com/

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Italian Village Wine Dinner

Italian Village Wine Dinner Features Two Classic Aged Vintage Release Labels

For an important business dinner we dined at Italian Village in the Chicago City Centre, our go to venue for such occasions. We had a private dining alcove, ideally suited for our business dinner. Wine Director, Jared Gelband (right w/ colleague Jeff L, touring the wine cellar), served up a classic pair of aged wines that perfectly matched our dinner selections, a eighteen year old legendary Super Tuscan Guado al Tasso from a classic vintage, and a thirteen year old Sangiovese, Vigna di Pianrosso

Count on the deep deep broad wine list of over 1200 labels to offer such a selection. What a treat! Two aged bottles drinking at their apex and capable of aging for another decade, if they would last that long.

Antinori Tenuta Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Superiore 2000

This is one of my favorites, a classic premium label from a historic vintage. This was a memorable bottle ideally suited to our dinner entree selections, especially my Veal Marsala with its brown sauce and angel hair pasta.

While this is an Italian wine, its Super Tuscan blend is French Bordeaux varietals - 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the remaining 10% Syrah with a mix of lesser amounts of Cabernet Franc and other red grape varieties.



Dark blackish garnet colored, medium full bodied, firm structure but elegant and nicely balanced;  forward blackberry and black cherry fruits accented by mocha, expresso, tobacco and spicy clove with tones of mineral on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

This got 93 points from Wine Spectator,
93 points from Stephen Tanzer.

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=12750


Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona "Vigna di Pianrosso" Brunello di Montalcino 2004


We finished with Sangiovese to match our Italian entree selections. Once again, the depth of the IV cellar presented a fourteen year old vintage release.

Dark ruby colored, full bodied and structured yet approachable, intense forward black raspberry, black cherry and plum fruits, floral tones turning to earthy eather, dark spices, minerals turning to round smooth silky tannins on a long finish.


RM 92 points. 

The Pianrosso from proprietor Paolo Bianchini. Ciacci’s Pianrosso is an old-vines selection that spent 36 months in Slavonian oak.

92 points Wine Spectator
91 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
94 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=626465

https://italianvillage-chicago.com/

Monday, November 18, 2013

Taste of Italy - Gala Italian Wine Dinner

Taste of Italy - Gala Italian Wine Dinner

This draft of my wine experience review is a work in progress... check back again for updates...

Dr. Dan hosted our latest wine dinner extravaganza and selected an Italian theme. Despite the fact that none of us focus on Italian wines in our collections, we were able to assemble a extensive flight including some extraordinary top rated vintage labels.


The wine collection included selections of Chianti, Barolo, Brunello de Montalcino, Amarone, Bolgheri Superiore and Super Tuscans. Top ranked and well known producers' labels included Antinori Guado Al Tasso, Ornellaia, Tignanello, Banfi, Nippozano, Villa Massetti and Poderi.

Prior to dinner Dan offered a spectacular flight of top ranked Champagnes and sparkling wine including Moet Chandon Dom Perignon, Piper Heidsieck Millésimé, Veuve Doussot and Sea Smoke Sea Spray.


To accompany the whites he served a broad array of appetizers - Shrimp Scampi. Chicken Piccata, Antipasto Platter ( Assorted salami, panchetta, meats, cheeses, artichokes, roasted peppers,  olives), tapenade, vegetable tray, Italian bread, and Capresse Salad.



Dan and Linda prepared five major courses including main course of spaghetti with 3 meat red sauce , Cioppino (fish stew) served over fettuccini, Tortellini served with a pesto sauce, green beans with slice almonds and garlic cheese bread..


After dinner there was a broad selection of deserts including Terri's mandarin orange cake, Linda's homemade chocolate almond truffles, and a broad selection of chocolates, caramels and fresh fruits.


Finally, to close the evening, Dan serve a flight of rare single malt Irish and Scotch whiskeys including:

Midleton Very Rare Irish Whiskey Blend Aged and Released in 2004 
Middleton's Legacy Barry Crocker Signature Release
Bushmill's 10 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch Whiskey


The Champagne / Sparkling Wine Flight - 

2004 Veuve Doussot Champagne Memory Cuvée Guy Joly

 https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1520741

Moët & Chandon Dom Perignon Champagne, Epernay France 2002

We visited the temple of Champagne, Moët & Chandon during our Champagne Wine Experience in 2006. It was one of our highlights of the trip.

 Even in blind tasting I would've picked this out as my favorite. It was extremely vibrant and expressive with a rich full body. Normally, I don't have a lot of discrimination from one champagne to another. But then again, rarely if ever have I tasted a flight of such exceptional Champagnes.
RM 94 points. 

The 2002 is the 2nd Highest Rated Dom Perignon ever by Wine Advocate affording it a 96 rating.


https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/wine.asp?iWine=194092

The Ladies
Piper-Heidsieck  "Millésimé" Brut Champagne France, 2002

This was another stop on our Champagne wine experience 2006.  This is a classic vintage release label from this premier producer.

Rich, complex yet delicately elegant - fresh acidity with lively fruit, pear, nut and smoke with a hint of honey on the crisp clean finish. 
RM 93 points. 
Wine Spectator rated this 95 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/wine.asp?iWine=785754


NV Veuve Doussot Champagne L by VD 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1611608

Sea Smoke "Sea Spray" Santa Rita Hills, Central Coast, California, Pinot Noir Sparkling Wine 2011 

A challenging tasting with so many great selections .... is it heresy to say this Californian may have been the consensus favorite against such top rated Champagnes?

https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/wine.asp?iWine=1572346

http://www.seasmoke.com/

 

The white flight - 

With the seafood cioppino Dan served two premium chardonnays - one a classic California Sonoma and one a Burgundian style Napa Carneros.

Ovation Joseph Phelps Freestone Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2007

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=694322

Fantesca Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay 2005

I picked this up from the winery as part of my allocation that I shared with Dan. This chardonnay was the art work of legendary Nils Venge in collaboration with son Kirk. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=281913

 

The OTBN Crew - Lyle, Dan, Bill, Ernie, Rick

The red flights - 

Flight one ... 

Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva 2007

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=593360

Castello di Monsanto Chianti Classico 2007 

From Lyle's cellar, this was rated 92 points by Wine Spectator. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=758321 










Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino, Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino 2000

From Lyle's cellar, this hearty Brunello showed very well with the red meat sauce and hearty pastas.

Inky purple colored, medium-full bodied, black cherry fruit flavors gave way to earthy leather with hint of cassis and violets on a moderate finish.
RM 90 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/wine.asp?iWine=69368


I brought these two classics from my cellar, a '97 and a '99 vintage wine that both received huge ratings and rankings upon release. I found the Tignanello to be my second favorite of the evening following the Ornellaia's.

The Guado Al Tasso was much lighter than I remember from earlier tastings, but then such comparison tastings such as tonight help calibrate wines and put them into perspective relative to their peers - hence the fun of a comparison tasting.




Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT, Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT 1999

Sangiovese based blend with Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Franc.

Deep Ruby colored, huge floral bouquet, medium-full bodied, forward bright vibrant mouthful of black cherry predominates with notes of currant, spice, and hints of tobacco and leather on a lingering silky tannin finish.

RM 92 points.
 
https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/wine.asp?iWine=96168

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Superiore, Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Belvedere 1997

One of the 'Super Tuscans' that are largely Bordeaux varietals. We acquired this wine upon release back in '99 when it received huge ratings from all the reviews including a 96 points from WS who chose it #12 out of the WINE SPECTATOR TOP 100 for 2000. This was the top label of the Guado Al Tasso line-up.


Guado al Tasso, means literally "Badger's Ford", named for a common sight at the estate of Tenuta Guado al Tasso, Bolgheri, where it is produced.

Tenuta Guado al Tasso is located 60 miles southwest of Florence, near the medieval village of Bolgheri, in an area known as the Maremma. The 2,200 acre estate stretches up from the shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea to the hills. In addition to extensive vineyards, the estate also grows wheat, corn, sunflowers, tomatoes and olive trees. The Guado al Tasso label was first produced in 1990 with  successive vintages in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 and this 1997. All the vintages were produced in limited quantities.

Winemaker's notes - "Intensely fruity, more of cherry than cassis, with hints of toast, coffee and dark chocolate. Finely structured and complex; balanced, with soft tannins and a lingering finish. Displays unmistakable varietal flavor while retaining strong regional character."
Alcohol : 13,5% Vol. 

Deep Ruby colored, medium bodied, This wine was much lighter and more subdued than I expected, was soft, smooth and polished with subdued berry fruits, hints of cassis, tea and toast on a moderate soft tannin finish. 
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Syrah
 
RM 90 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1563852

Arcanum Il Fauno Toscana IGT 2007

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1493547


My two favorite wines of the evening were these two big powerful classics, Ornellaia - the 02 from Bill's cellar and the '09 brought by Ernie.

The 2009 may have been the biggest and most complex wine of the evening but it was too young to reveal its full majesty. The 2002 was more approachable and showed more elegance and polish having had an extra five years to settle itself. No doubt the '09 will present itself thusly in the years to come. Tonight, the '02 was my favorite of the flight.

These wines stood up well along with the hearty cheesy pasta and the beef cubes in the sausage, meatball and meat stew with red meat sauce. They begged for a big juicy beef-steak and were over-powering to much of the cuisine but wonderful none-the-less.

Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia, Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore 2009 

https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/wine.asp?iWine=1331932

Dark inky colored, full bodied, tightly wound, full firm, concentrated black fruits, black currant, blackberry, and plum with hints of  tea and dark chocolate with a long lingering structured tannin finish.
RM 92 points. 

Tenuta dell' Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia, Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore 2002 

https://www.cellartracker.com/classic/wine.asp?iWine=93719

Between the 2002 and the 2009 wines tasted, although the lesser rated and cited to have the lesser aging potential, this 2002 was the wine most ready to drink now and was far more expressive and expansive of the two. Garnet colored, full bodied, complex, smooth and elegant with black berry fruits, tone of mocha and cola with layer of leather, coffee and olive tapenade turning to smooth soft tannins on the finish. Tasted almost like a mature Bordeaux.
RM 93 points. 

http://www.ornellaia.com/

Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Costa Grimaldi 2000

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=33780


Villa Mattielli Amarone della Valpolicella 2009

Lacking the big body and complexity of many Amarone, ruby colored, medium bodied, still has that signature raisin and fig tones with hints of anise, cola, vanilla and nut on a modest tannin finish. 

RM 87

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1573099







Serafini & Vidotto Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2008

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1705385