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2004 Produttori del Barbaresco Wine Dinner
Serratto Restaurant
2112 NW Kearney Street
Portland, Oregon
January 15, 2011
WFSO member, Greg Bunnell, hosted the group's first event of the year this past weekend. The Barbaresco district is located in Northern Italy in Southern Piedmont. The district is home to three villages - Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso. The vineyards of the district are planted with Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera. The wines from Barbaresco are made from only the Nebbiolo grape. The Produttori del Barbaresco was formed in 1958 and is comprised of only 250 acres of Nebbiolo plantings. The winery, in exceptional vintages, produces nine single vineyard bottlings from the Asili, Rabaja, Pora, Montestefano, Ovello, Paje, Montefico, Moccagatta and Rio Sordo sites. The sites range in size from about six acres to just under twenty. The first bottlings began in 1967 with the latest addition coming in 1982. The Nebbiolo grape, much like our local Pinot Noir, is a late maturing grape, and sensitive to different soil compositions and climate. The Nebbiolo of Barbaresco is grown in clay soil on very steep hills rich in limestone.
The wine was purchased on release and stored in perfect provenance. Greg met with one of the General Manager's of Serratto, Tyler Burby, late last year to see if there was an interest in showcasing the talents of Chef Tony Meyers with a horizontal tasting of the 2004 single vineyard offerings from Produttori. Without taking a breath, the answer was never in doubt. After getting some recommendations from Brian Budke at Vinopolis for a sparkler and white wine, Chef Meyers went to work to create a special menu for the event.
Those attending included WFSO members Nora Berwick (President), Richard Stinson (Immediate Past President), Karl Mantei, Mara Kershaw (Former President) and Jim Galbraith (President Elect), Eric Sporre, Aaron and Amy Hillman, Howard and Kathleen Johnson, Bob Switzer and host Greg Bunnell. The wine was delivered in the afternoon and the Barbaresco Riserva's were opened about three hours before the dinner. The dinner was held in one of the private rooms in a perfect setting.
We started the dinner with a couple bottles of 2008 Dama del Rovere Brenton Durello Brut while mingling and catching up after the holidays. The sparkler was crisp and dry and was the perfect wine to get our palates ready for the Barbaresco's. We then sat down to enjoy a 2009 Vietti Arneis with Chef Meyers first course, a seared sea scallop frisee with citrus supremes and shallot vinaigrette. It's hard to imagine a pairing of food and wine that could have been better to start the dinner. The flavors from the sea scallop with the nice acidity of the frisee went exceptionally well with the Arneis, an Italian white grape from Piedmont. The Arneis was the perfect compliment with its floral and crisp bouquet and nice acidity.
We then moved to the Produttori after a slight change in the tasting rotation. Richard Stinson, a lifetime lover of Produttori, had an opportunity to meet with the wine maker, Aldo Vacca, years ago while he was visiting one of Portland's local wine merchants. He later sent Richard a "suggested order" in which to taste the wine. Greg had little options but to defer to the wine maker and the order was quickly reset along with a bottle brought by Richard from his cellar. To go along with a Forest Mushroom Bisque with a truffled crouton, we poured the 2004 Rio Sordo, Pora and Asili along with Richard's 1996 Pora. This was, I think, Chef Meyers first attempt at the bisque - well done for sure. The flavors and textures of the bisque were, quite honestly, another home run to compliment the layers of red fruit and spicy coming from the wine. The 1996 did not show any signs of its age in the glass or on the palate. The Asili seemed to stand out more than the others in terms of its complexity and depth.
After wishing there was more mushroom bisque on the way, we poured the next flight of three, the 2004 Paje, Ovello and Maccagatta. The idea from the wine maker for the progression was to move from less tannic wine to more open and firmer wine. The second flight could have been tasted blind and it would not have been surprising to have those tasting the wine to say they were all from the same vineyard. All were very similar on the nose and palate. Sadly, they didn't seem to have great complexity. The course was "saved" when Chef Meyers brought out a Confit of Muscovy Duck with fennel risotto and port-soaked cherries and Grana Paddano. The cherries were soaked for over nine hours and then reconstituted. Again, the flavor from the risotto and duck married so well with plum and prune flavors of the wine.
Besides Chef Meyers, we were blessed to have Erin and Sam as our waitstaff for the evening. There were others that found their way in and out of the room, but Erin and Sam made the progression from one course to the next flawless. For the second entree, Chef Meyers prepared a Grilled New York Strip with potato galette and seasoned vegetables to go with the 2004 Rabaja, Montestefano and Montefico. This flight of wine, and in particular the Rabaja, was the way to end our journey tasting the nine Produttori Barbaresco Riserva's. Many thanks to the wine maker for his recommendations in this regard.
We ended the tasting with a beautiful 1993 Vin Santo Del Chianti Classico Berardenga and a Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Creme with candied almond. In a word - amazing. Most, but not all, went back to taste what was left in the bottle as well as some "blends" that were created over the course of the evening. A special thanks to Tyler Burby, Chef Meyers and the entire staff at Serratto for making this a night we'll remember for years to come.
Salud!
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