Ceretto Zonchera is the wine that originally got me hooked on red wine and
particularly Barolo. Although I have found that the Zonchera isn't very
representative of Barolos in general, I'm fond of it mostly because it gives
a finished and well rounded impression.

NH State liquor stores put their supply of '96s on clearance for $28. I
drove around NH one day and collected a case and a half of them. I never
feel guilty about opening a bottle because I don't believe they could
benefit much from aging.


"Dale Williams" wrote in message
...
Wednesday was the 43rd anniversary of the first big event in my life,
Betsy had
asked whether I would rather go out or have friends in. I opted for dinner
at
home with friends, and she invited 9 (luckily one couple only stayed for
appetizers and meeting our new pup, because we could have never gotten 12
people in our tiny dining room).

We started with:
Proscuitto wrapped around figs and gorgonzola, drizzled with a balsamic
reduction
Smoked duck wrapped in lettuce
Eggplant terrine (this was bought at store)
Potatoes topped with sour cream and fish eggs (some with salmon roe,
others
"wasabi caviar")

The appetizer wine was the NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne. Definitely on the
light end of the Champagne spectrum. Fine bead, nose has floral notes with
a
kind of biscuit edge. Crisp, dry, very nice. B+/A-

At one point ran out and opened the only other sparkler I had cold, the NV
Zardetto Prosecco. Nowhere near the complexity and charm of the Champagne,
but
hey, it's a 1/3 the price. Nice fruity bubbly. B

After the one couple headed to back to school night, we crowded around the
dinner table to see what Betsy had wrought. A fine dinner -beef in Barolo,
garlic mashed potatoes, green beans with pancetta, and two separate
sautées of
mushrooms- one with lobster, oyster & shimeji 'shrooms, the other with
Chanterelles and white trumpets (I think there was some hen of the woods,
but
don't remember in which).

Betsy made a double recipe of the beef in Barolo, and used the only
Barolo I
had that was cheap enough to sacrifice most of 2 bottles. But there was
about a
cup leftover, and I tried the 1997 Villadoria Barolo. Maybe closer in
style to
a Nebbiolo d'Alba than a Barolo, but a pleasant wine. Medium-body, earthy
nose
with a touch of flowers. Dark cherry fruit, good acidity for a '97, a
lingering
note of Piemonte tar. Not bad at all. B+

As we actually started eating we passed a quartet of Italians:

2000 Seghesio Barbera d'Alba
Ripe raspberry fruit with some balancing acidity (though not very acidic
by
Barbera standards), little apparent oak, pleasant wine but without any
real
stamp of individuality. B

1997 Ceretto Barolo Zonchera
Seemingly close to maturity, good body and a fair dose of toasty oak. Nose
of
roses and tar, good red fruit. A little short on the finish. B/B+

1995 Icardi Parej Barolo
A producer I only really know from their Moscato d'Asti, I'm not sure
where I
got this bottle. Initially a little disappointed - somewhat closed and
angular.
But some additional airtime (at first pour it had been opened 3 hours, but
not
decanted) let some real Barolo character shine through. There's a little
hint
of new oak, but there's lots of truffle, tar, and violet aromas. Medium
tannins, dark red fruit (raspberry and black cherry), a little spice note.
Doesn't seem to me to be clearly New Wave or Traditional, but somewhere in
the
middle. Tasty. A-

1996 Banfi Brunello
Nobody talks much about the '96 Brunellos, but to me they offer some nice
wines
for drinking early. This one is made in a modern style, rich red fruit
framed
by some chocolaty oak flavors. It does have balancing acidity, and a good
long
finish. B+

We passed a cheese plate including Vermont Shepherds' Shepherd Wheel,
Fourme
d'Ambert, Morbier, 4 yr old Gouda, plus two Italian sheepsmilk cheeses
that Joe
Bongiorno brought. With those we had:

1990 Pierre Ponnelle "Les Mazoyeres" Charmes-Chambertin
First pour seemed a little hot, with damp earth and candied red fruit. A
minor
disappointment. But as we talked into the night some animal and meat notes
emerged. The last glass had a silky texture, with a nice overlay of spice
and
woodfloor on the red fruit. Not a profound GC, but pretty good. B+

1999 Pierre-Bise "L'Anclaie" Coteaux du Layon
Sweet honeyed chenin fruit, layers of mineral over a peach and apricot
base.
Very very good for the vintage. Not as acidic as some CdL (though there's
plenty there to balance the sugar), I wouldn't try to age this one for
that
long. A-

My friend Joe entertained us with stories of his visits this summer to
Piemonte
(Bartolo Mascarello being the highlight). None of my Italians this night
were
solidly traditional, but that's because the traditional ones all needed
more
time. But mostly pleasant wines, great friends, fantastic food, and
nothing
corked- not a bad birthday.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B
a good wine, C mediocre at best. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink
at a
party where it was only choice.
Dale

Dale Williams
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