I went to a tasting of the wines of La Spinetta at the Tribeca Grill last night. In attendance was Giorgio Rivetti, the chief wine maker of a group of what seems to be primarily Rivettis. Steven Lewandowski was the chef for our tasting which started with passed appetizers and led into five courses, paired with various selections of Giorgio's wines.
The passed appetizers were:
Tiny steamed potatoes with crème fraiche and caviar Spinach and Gorgonzola in puff pastry
Tuna, chickpea, curry and red peppercorns served off teaspoons Tuna tartare with white and black sesame seeds
Black trumpet mushroom-crusted loin of lamb with black truffle vinaigrette Short rib-stuffed pierogi
The above were served with an '04 Roero Arneis. A light white with gardenia, lemon and beeswax on the nose, it had tight acidic structure and an almond bitterness on the palate that made it a nice warm-up.
The first course was Braised Red Mullet Truffle Scented White bean & Pancetta Ragout
Accompanying this were: Sangiovese 'Sassontion' '03
Nose: Cherry, chocolate, leather gloves, white pepper and Play-doh Palate: Red fruit, very juicy, short finish with definite young acidic structure
Sangiovese 'Sezzana' '01 Nose: Game, herbs, rosemary, and clay
Palate: Red fruit, cinnamon, leather, roundness born of good acid integration
The second course was Porcini Tagliatelle Caramelized Onions & Chicken Liver Sauce
Accompanying this were: Barbera di Gallina '03
Nose: Slate, cod-liver oil, hawthorn, stones and pâté Palate: Wood, cinnamon, crushed red fruit, linear acids
Barbera d'Asti 'Bionzo' '03
Nose: Tomato leaves, orange mint candy, and chicken liver mousse
Palate: Simple tart red fruit
The third course was Roasted Dry Aged Strip Steak Oxtail & Yukon Gold Potato Hash
Accompanying this were: Barbaresco 'Gallina' '99 Barbaresco 'Valeirano' '01
Nose: Cherry, leather, cedar, and wet wool
Palate: Tart, sea glass and black stones
Nose: Lilac, minerals, camphor, clove and mulling spice Palate: Extracted red fruit juice with green tannin and wood tannin Barolo 'Campe' '01 Nose: Herbs, licorice, Grand Marnier and curry
Palate: Soft and harmonized, very juicy
Our fourth course was Selection of Artisanal Cheeses Robiola Bosina, Langhe, Pecorino Toscano, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Gorgonzola Lombardy
Accompanying this were:
Barbaresco 'Gallina' '03
Nose: Leather, cherries, currants, and chocolate Palate: Chocolate, extracted red fruit juice Barbaresco 'Starderi' '03
Nose: Herbs, cherry, and clove Palate: Crushed red fruit, cherry liquer, and clove Barbaresco 'Valeirano' '03
Nose: Blueberry, bamboo shoots, black currant Palate: Cherry liqueur, truffle, and red fruit
Our fifth course was Macerated Strawberries Lemon Ricotta cream &8-year-old Balsamic Vinegar
Accompanying this was:
Moscato d'Asti 'Biancospino' '05
Nose: Grapefruit, pear, and white peaches Palate: Fresh, light and vibrant, refreshing with dancing acidity
These are all very modern wines. There was more extraction and notes of wood than I am used to in the Piemontese wines. This is not a bad thing -- they were all fun to drink and definitely had terroir notes driving them -- but across the board (the Tuscan wines as well) you could tell these various grape varietals had been touched by the same hands, and that they were the hands of a modern winemaker.
When Sig. Rivetti speaks of his wine philosophy, he speaks of wines of the land and of winemaking being 90% in the vineyard. These are all things I like to hear people speak about, even if they are just paying lip service. To me these wines looked too purple and tasted too fruit-forward to be true examples of Nebbiolo's awesome possibilities. La Spinetta has been making Nebbiolo in Piemonte for about 10 years at this point (the Barolo only since 2000), so it is more than possible that the genius of well-aged, classically made barbaresco and barolo will come in time, as Sig. Rivetti, his vines and his barrels age.
La Spinetta made their name making Moscato d'Asti and it was great. A light, refreshing, perfect end-of-a-meal, low alcohol, quaff, it also benefited from having the most harmonious food pairing of the evening.
This was my first wine dinner at Tribeca Grill and I think it was great. It was well organized, going as far as presenting each wine with an identifying label on the glass's base. The food was all good, the highlights being the passed appetizers during the cocktail hour. The wines were presented with plenty of time to acquaint yourself with them before the food was brought in, giving you a good chance to both assess each wine cleanly, and then try it with food. The event was well run, and well organized, without being so structured that the fun was lost. I truly enjoyed myself and will go back.
wow, this is my wine dream come true! piemonte as far as the eye can see. the jealousy overwhelms me.
Posted by: hannah | March 09, 2006 at 03:21 PM