Yes, PH-- my body and eyes are telling me that I may not have the capacity to drink and eat so much and sleep so little.
To keep this up I may have to diet and exercise

Review:
As it turns out, here is what the 5 of us drank, with the donor noted as well:


Gentleman Farmer 2003 Alto Adige Classico Terlaner Pinot Bianco; 2002 Chateau St. Michelle "Eroica"
Purple Haze (1995 Ricardo Fenocchio Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano; Prosecco to start)

Festiva (1959 Solaria Jonica Vin Santo; 1994 Flaccianello)
Comet Spider 1997 Antinori Tignanello
Irwin "mystery bottle"--- The mystery bottle was a 2005 Merlot, consisting of California grapes imported to Maryland by the guy across the street from me, Mr. Toso, who is a Primo Garagista Italiano. Interestingly, Comet Spider called the variety on the nose; Gentleman Farmer correctly felt it was under 2 years old, and Purple Haze remarkably called it an East Coast wine. Festiva thought it ranked in the low 80's, but the consensus was that Festiva was generous.

Anyway, the wine of the night: To me this was really close, between the Barolo and the Vin Santo and the Tignatello; I think you could argue persuasively for any of them, but I think the profound prune and deep, deep color and the power of the Vin Santo might just barely edge out the Barolo. Except the Barolo was wonderful and powerful and substantial and chewy and delicious with the osso bucco, so maybe it edges the Vin Santo. The Tig was just opening up and I think had I let it sit more, it might well have bested the both of the others. Actually, the Prosecco was rather pleasant and a good way to start. Neither of the whites did much for me.

As for the dinner, it was rather fun to have the two chefs stop in and sit and chat. They clearly love what they are doing and they are doing it quite well. Barbera the waitress was very knowledgeable about the wines as well.

The dish of the night was probably the osso bucco, but the ravioli was a close second. I liked the crab cake with risotto, but the tuna didn't excite me.

No fires last night.

My impressions of the wines, based on sloppy notes taken on napkins....

2004 Bisol Prosecco de Valdobbiadene Crede

Very light straw color. Creamy body. Very small bead. Tart and tangy, with malt and light citrus. Not your average prosecco.

2003 Alto Adige Classico Terlaner Pinot Bianco

Intially almost no aromas, and very neutral in the flavor department. Gained some additional complexity after some time in the glass.

1994 Flaccianello

I enjoyed this wine. Medium garnet. Definite signs of bricking. Nose of wet dirt and some barnyard with red fruits. Both cometspider and I remarked on the sour cherries in the mid palate. The barnyard blew off after time. 20 second finish. Drink up.

1997 Antinori Tignanello

I was excited to try this wine, as I'd only tasted it once before. I found it initially very reluctant on the nose and in the mouth, even after at least an hour of air time. Time in the glass opened it up some, and dark fruit and spice emerged. Very acidic, and the tannins competed with the fruit at this stage. If I owned any, I'd give it some time. Still very nice!

1995 Ricardo Fenocchio Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano

My last bottle of this. Drinking nicely, with light floral nose mixed with spices and a little tar. Very full bodied, with cherries, plums and sweet spices that married beautifully with the osso bucco and gremolata potatoes. Super long finish. Wish I had more.....

1998 La Fornace Brunello

Medium ruby. Delicious aromas of dark fruit and sweet wood. Harshly tannic initially, the tannins resolved after a half hour in the glass to reveal additional dark fruit and a noticeable element of sweet hardwood mulch. I liked this more each time I tasted it.

2002 Ch. Ste. Michelle Reisling Eroica

This was served late in the evening. This should not be served late in the evening after a ton of red wine!

1959 Solaria Jonica Vin Santo

Amazing bottle. Very dark. The darkest Vin Santo I can ever recall seeing. Portlike nose. Drank more like a young port than a old Vin Santo. I cannot imagine a wine this old acting this young. Easily could go another couple decades.

The two young chefs who put our dinner together, Tony and John, were a lot of fun to talk to. They put a lot of effort into our meal, and it showed. Again, a great time with a great group. Pics will be posted tomorrow. GF!!!! E-mail me your pics!!

PH

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PurpleHaze,

PH:
No notes on the Vin Santo?

I hit send too soon! Post has been updated.

PH

Man.........after doing a bottle count and a head count, I know why I was fuzzy on Monday.
Whew!

PH

Irwin does it again! I'm beginning to think Irwin is perhaps the most prodigious restaurant-goer in the Baltimore area. I don't think there's a fine dining establishment in which he's not a first name basis with the owners & chefs.

As has been our experience in the past, Irwin selected another great, wine-friendly restaurant in Linwoods. We had a private dining room, staffed by an extremely knowledgeable and competent waiter. She was able to remember all our names, but I can't return the favor. Either way, she made our experience a memorable one.

As for the food and the wines:

Prosecco to start. I don't recall what the wine was, but it was full-bodied, rather creamy, notes of peach, but underlying it all was a really nice, crisp, minerality. Having started our other dinners with Heidsieck NV, I'm sold on this one.

First Course:
Jumbo Lump Crab and Risotto Cake over roasted tomato and water cress, sweet balsamic drizzle. Being a native Marylander, I normally don't like nuttin' comin' between me and my crab, but I really enjoyed the risotto and crab meat combination together. It was perfectly cooked, and the crab's flavor wasn't drowned out with spices. One of my favorites of the night.

1994 Fontodi Flaccianello. Perfectly mature. The color had lost it's brightness and was now showing a little bricking around the edges. Soft tannins, good fruit. Nothing overpowering about this wine. I guess it was made in an 'old school' style.

Secondo:
Spinach Raviolis, with sage, proscuitto, brown butter. This was my Dish o' the Night. WOW! This was a subtle, complex dish that really knocked my socks off. Each diner had three raviolis, but I could've eaten a hundred more. Really well prepared.

Paired with the 1998 La Fornace Brunello di Montalcino1994 Fontodi Flaccianello. Another good pairing. This brunello was not thick and heavy, but rather light and crisp. Beautiful nose of red fruits and spice. The acidity really complemented the brown butter in the ravioli.

I think the mystery bottle appeared right after this dish. Turned out to be a 2005 Castello do Toso Cuvee de Bancroft Road. For a homemade wine bottled just a couple of months ago, it was definitely a little green and stemmy. But this wine was surprisingly drinkable. I'm still standing by my score of 84! Thanks, Irwin for bringing this and getting me on the mailing list!

Terzo:
Warm Yellow Fin Tuna stuffed with orange scented caponnata, finished with roasted olives and extra virgin olive oil.

Probably my least favorite dish of the night, but only because the ravioli was a tough act to follow. The Tuna was a very fresh, superb cut of fish. The accoutrements, however, just didn't do it for me.

We opened the 2002 Chateau St. Michelle "Eroica" with this dish. Not bad, but a little too sweet and creamy for my tastes, especially after sipping some great reds.

Quarto:
Osso Bucco, gremolada mashed potatoes, natural au jus
That was a great piece of meat. Surprised as this was the first osso bucco I've had that didn't have the bone in. Really well prepared. The last minute addition of the foie gras and marrow side was delectable.

Purple Haze was truly in his element with this dish. The Barolo/Osso Bucco combination is what this guy lives for. 1995 Ricardo Fenocchio Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano was probably the most biggest and most complex wine of the night, with all sorts of flavors and smells to work through, and a finish that went on and on. A really special bottle of wine. This would have been my WOTN if not for the vin Santo.

Dolce:
Passion Fruit Panna Cotta with raspberry puree and caramelized sugar cage. Really interesting dish. I normally don't like passion fruit, but this dish was subtle. Great presentation, with the caramelized sugar 'cage'. To me, this would have gone better with the coffee than the vin santo.

The 1959 Solaria Jonica was my WOTN. Kind of a blend between port and amarone. Enormous amounts of raisins, prunes, and spice. Thick, rich, deep and complex. 60+ second finish. Tasted remarkably fresh for a 46 year old wine. I'm going to search out more of this to lay down for another 46 years.

All in all, it was a struggle getting up Monday morning. Thanks to everyone for making it out. I look forward to these get-togethers as my highlight of each month.

quote:

Originally posted by Festiva:
1995 Ricardo Fenocchio Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano was probably the most biggest and most complex wine of the night

Uh, your Vin Santo was definitely more biggerer! Thanks for bringing it, and to the rest of the gang for digging out some gems for our monthly get togethers. I'm looking forward to the 18th!

PH

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PurpleHaze,

Festiva: Thanks for the compliment. I do try to get to know the owners of the places we go, and, as you know from my waistline.....well, I didn't get this way by eating tofu and watercress.

Anyway, these restaurants have all gone out of the way to accomodate us, and I hope we all will give them repeat business.

That Vin Santo was terrific.

Irwin, I forgot to thank you for making sure there were no lit candles on the table or in the room! It definitely kept me out of trouble!

Great posts guys! You all are so eloquent I mostly stay out of your way when it comes to the evening recaps. There were no clunkers in the bunch, but the 1995 Ricardo Fenocchio Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano and the Spinach Raviolis with sage, proscuitto, brown butter were my highlights. I actually had to sit there with my water glass in hand and wait for the Barolo's finish to, uh finish, before drinking my water- jaw droppingly good! Honorable mention goes out to the Osso Bucco and the Vin Santo, which on any other night would be the focus of the next day, water cooler talk. In my humble opinion, Sunday's wines were the best grouping we've put together to date. Many thanks to Irwin for organizing another terrific evening.

I'm going to "second" cometspider's comments on eloquence in the reviews. (Besides, losing my notes somewhere between the restaurant and home doesn't help much either!)

That being said, the ravioli blew my socks off. There is something about al dente pasta and those flavour combinations that just make me want to sing - thus, my course of the night.

Our server was everything you could ask for. Her appreciation for fine wine and food was clearly evident. Even more important, she recognized our "passion" for good food and drink. Her service and anticipation of our needs reflected pride in what she does and that goes a LONG way in my book.

The young men who prepared our meal have an incredibly bright future ahead of them. When describing their methods in the kitchen, you could feel the energy just busting out. I was not surprised when they told us about giving each other "high-fives" after plating one of the courses. I wish I could remember their names because they will be worth watching and following in the years to come. Irwin, make sure to tell Linwood to hang onto those guys as long as he can. I look forward to meeting him and presonally giving him my thanks.

Let me say this about the wine...

Anyone who says wonderful wine can't be "had" in MD knows not of which they speak. My God guys, every sip was delicious, (err... amend that - MYSTERY wine NOT included).

If I had to pick a WOTN, it would be the delicious '59 Vin Santo. Those previously mentioned equaled it in their own fashion and style, but the Vin Santo was served as our last selection, indicating we are that much closer to gathering again. If for no other reason, that gives it my nod.

As for the line in GWTW, “Don’t wish away time, it is the only thing you can’t get back” - well, I’m ignoring Hollywood and watching the calendar. Come on February’s offline!

Apologies in advance for the underexposed shots. Both Gentleman farmer's and PH's cameras seemed to have a little problem with the low light in our room at Linwoods during our little offline last Sunday. Some pics can be seen here.

PH