Pizza Night Chez Pelz (7/27/08)

Last night, we invited a couple over. The kids played while we enjoyed food and wine. On a lazy Sunday afternoon like yesterday, I like making Pizza, so here was the food line-up:

Appetizer: Bucheron (goat cheese), Chabichou (goat cheese), and Fleur des Alpes (Reblochon) with fresh figs drizzled with honey and garnished with home-grown Rosemary and Mint.

Pizzas: Traditional Salami Pizza / Pizza with Bresaola, Basil and Peccorino Romano shavings / Pizza with Spicy Salami, fresh cremini mushrooms, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Capers, and Romano shavings (all Pizzas were made with Neapolitano Pizza dough, home-made Pizza sauce, and real Mozzarella di Buffala.

With Appetizers

• N.V. André Clouet Champagne Brut Grande Réserve - France, Champagne, Bouzy, Champagne
  Excellent bottle of Champagne. Great freshness and lovely bead. Along with lemon, apple, and floral components, it had a little toasted nuts in there. 100% Grand Cru fruit from Bouzy. I don't know what the cepage is, but it's delicious. Great pairing with the figs and goat cheese.

With Pizza

• 2001 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  This was one of my two WineCommune bottles. Cork was soaked almost all the way to the top. When I first opened this, I could have sworn it was DOA, so I decanted it....fruit showed up gradually over the course of the next few hours, but it never fully came into its own. I would venture to guess that this bottle wsa slightly heat damaged and possibly closed on top of that...Good drink anyway, but it took some time to be that way. If you own any WC bottles, I recommend trying one.


• 1999 Fattoria La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  Popped and poured. Great wine right out of the gate. Lovely plum, black cherry, leather, earth, and a touch of gaminess. Has structure to hold for another 5-10 years, but this is so delicious right now. With home-made Pizza, this was a slam dunk.

DINNER AND WINE - Casa Pelz (8/4/2007)

In a burst of spontaneity, we decided to do a dinner and wine evening last night, and as usual, it was lots of fun. The theme of the night was Italian wines (Brunello, Barolo...), so I decided to cook some nicely, but subtly flavored food.

With Appetizers

• 1999 Launois Pere et Fils Champagne "Cuvée Reserve" Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru - France, Champagne, Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Champagne
  As usual, this is a super reliable champagne that is lovely by virtue of its freshness, apple peel notes, and yeastiness. I seem not to be able to go wrong with this producer.

With First Course

Porcini Mushroom Risotto

• 1999 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  What can I say? Bruno Giacosa is a genius. This wine was very interesting in so many ways...Opened a few hours before consumption and audouzed in the cellar. Color was looking like that of a much older wine with definite rustiness and orange bricking. The nose was phenomenal and showed some very nice red to black fruit with loads of tobacco and leather. Texture was good and silky. Surprisingly, the finish was pretty tannic, and gave the impression that the wine was much younger than it looked.


• 1997 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
  Wow. The Clerico was unbelievably backward considering it is 10 years old. Dark, dark color and soaring nose of black fruit, tar, tobacco, and a hint of wood and a floral component. Quite tannic on the palate, but very balanced. Finishes well, and for me, it edged out the Giacosa. Different style than the Giacosa though...very bold Barolo, where the Giacosa was a very finesse driven Barbaresco. I certainly think this will need many more years to show its best (unlike the Giacosa) and should be given at least 5 years. Maybe our bottle was particularly backward?

With Second Course

Roasted beef short-ribs with spinach and gratin dauphinois

• 1999 Fattoria La Gerla Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  This, too was opened a few hours in advance and audouzed. Completely ready to drink and no hard edges. Has a great nose and solid palate that screams of plum, black berries, leather, and tobacco. Very velvety texture and great juicy, sappy finish. This is drinking so well now, I am having a hard time thinking this will improve much in the next few years...I'll begin to drink down my small stash over the next 3-5 years.


• 2001 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  Popped and poured. Nose was barely perceptible and it showed similarly closed on the palate. Fruit seemed light-weight, and oak was sticking through just a bit. Very enjoyable wine, but I'm not sure if this is in an awkward phase or if it is just short of very good. To be re-tasted at some point.


• 2001 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino - Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
  Opened a few hours prior to consumption. I liked this quite a bit. Although more in the modern camp of Brunello with some pretty big tannins, black fruit, and high glycerin, this still manages to come off as Brunello and with great balance so as to drink great with food. I think this wine has the longest ageing potential of the ones we tasted. Clearly a very good wine with lots of upside. If I were to compare this with Bordeaux, I think this is not unlike Monbousquet (instead of a traditional producer like Magdelaine).

With Dessert

Roasted peaches with nuts

• 2000 Royal Tokaji Wine Co. Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos - Hungary, Hegyalja, Tokaji
  Very nice dessert wine to finish off the evening. I think this has a little more acidity and zip than I am used to from Sauternes. Very nice and I may get a few of this.

It always stuns me how well Italian wines do with food. Last night, we ate over the course of a few hours and had wine, but the alcohol in the wines is low enough to allow you to not have to spit, and enjoy the food and wine instead for the pairing that they are. Always amazes me...