Concept - a pot luck dinner in the garden with everyone bringing a
wine from Tuscany.

Working title - 'Under the Tuscan Sun'.

We almost ran afoul of the weather this week, which had been
threatening to turn from sun to rain on the very evening that we were
scheduled to dine, but in the end the precipitation held off, and the
only odd occurrence was a visit from some hungry racoons apparently
prepared to eat Italian that evening.

2000 Jermann 'Vintage Tunina' - this IGT wine made from
chardonnay, Picolit, sauvignon blanc and sundry other unspecified
components, in Friuli (so we started a liitle out of our chosen
territory). Some tropical fruit in the nose, and the chard was fairly
obvious as a major player. Nice acidity. Went very well with the fresh
crab lasagne (rolled version) with pine nuts - crabs caught by one
participant.

We next headed for Chianti. I had initially planned on a vertical of
Riserva Ducale Gold from 1990, 1995 and 1997, but after a couple of
hours of shifting stacks of cases, I finally gave up and substituted
the next wine, which we paired with a 97 and some antipasto, including
aroncini made by another attendee - balks of risotto, breaded and
fried with basil leaves emulating the apples they were supposed to
resemble.


1995 Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva - good colour,
garnet edges, and a nose of earth, cherries and spice. Supple and
smooth with good depth, this wine is now mature and at peak. Best drunk
over the next few years. Excellent example of a traditional style of
Chianti.

1997 Panaretta Torre a Destra Chianti Classico Riserva - a very
different presentation with some pine in the nose and a sweetness that
had people swearing there was cabernet (there isn't, this wine is
100% Sangiovese). Slightly warm on palate and with good length.

The next food match was fennel sausage and a ratatouille (OK- the
latter was southern French, but there must be an Italian
equivalent....)

1990 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Gold Label - this wine
surprised us all. It was darker than the 1997, had excellent fruit,
still has significant tannin and there is no rush to drink it - it is
just now getting into good form, and will have many years ahead of it.

1997 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Gold Label - there was
some head scratching going on here. Lighter colour, with a sweet
caramel nose, more acid than tannin, and surprisingly light weight.
None of the tannins of the 1990 and 1995 here. I much prefer the
earlier wine.

Next up was a vitello tonnato - veal cooked in wine and covered in a
tuna sauce, served cold (it would be interesting to know the origin of
this dish). Better with white wines because of the fish, but passable
with reds.

1997 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone - dark wine, big
nose of vanilla and sweet fruit, tannins abundant but soft - needs a
few more years.

1999 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone - too soon to be
drinking this now, but instructive in a vertical tasting. Unfortunately
slightly corked, but there was a decent nose underneath with a red
fruit core. Much tighter in the mouth, with harder tannins, but should
open up with a few more years of age.

With a Tuscan meatloaf (what is the Italian for meatloaf?)

1999 Alessandro Il Bosco - a Syrah grown around Cortona. Rubber and
black pepper in the nose, an initial waft of fresh, sweet fruit on
palate and then the tannins clamp down. I think this will be quite good
when it mellows out a bit more.

2002 Ferrari-Carano Sienna - what happens when an American named
winery makes a Sangiovese and gives it an Italian name? Does it rival
the wines made from the same grape in Italy? Uhh...no. First, they
can't resist adding cabernet and a bit of Malbec (?), which would be
dandy of it worked and they ended up with a Super-Tuscan quality wine.
Second, they have the common failing of not knowing what kind and how
much oak works and thinking more is always better. It started out
rather well with a decent mineral and fruit nose, but the
over-abundance of oak/vanilla ruined the effect, and the caramel
sweetness carried over on palate. I like other products from this
winery, but would pass on the Cali-Tuscans.

Finally with a variety of mostly Italian cheeses:

1999 Masi Grandarella - this bargain Amarone style of recioto wine
was the first vintage, and so far the best in my view as the 2000
wasn't quite as good. Some very nice chocolate and rasins in the
nose, the wine forward and not too heavy in the mouth, working very
well against the cheese. Haven't tried the 2001 yet.

We chased off the mendicant coons, gathered up all the dining
paraphernalia and as we headed for the house, it still hadn't
commenced to rain, and the temperature was still mild. This might be a
theme we'll have to repeat next summer. Or perhaps a Piemontese
focus, or just a more general Italian one.