Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Had a few friends over for dinner last night. One is an Italian art critic and musicologist (but not a wine geek), so I deployed a didactic phalanx spanning the Prussia of Italy. Marcia devised and spent all day preparing a meticulous five course dinner to go with it.
2008 Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi 13.0%
Cortese. Attractive mineral, peach and wet stone aromas. Buttery, almost oily, a bit lacking in acidity, but somewhat redeemed by a pleasantly bitter finish. Gained in aromatic complexity as the evening grew. Served with a new Marcia concoction, a baked Brie pastry topped with Kumquat jelly and a side of green salad.
2007 Cappellano Dolcetto dAlba Gabutti 13.0%
Lush cherry and leather aromas with a hint of brett. Vibrant acidity (as much as the subsequent Barbera), with grippy tannins that pleasantly coat the mouth. Satisfying weight, excellent balance. Peppery zing. Drinking beautifully and one of the finer dolcettos Ive had. Combined very well with a roasted pyramidal stack consisting of eggplant, tomato, mozzarella di bfala, fresh goat cheese, olive oil and basil.
2004 Cappellano Barbera dAlba Gabutti 14.0%
Bottleneck showed brett that dissipated a few hours after opening but the glass was all poop and volatile acidity and merchant marine captains. The mouth made up for it, with deliciously piquant acidity, in perfect balance with the sweetness. As the olfactory haze dissipated, violets and thyme made delicate appearances. This was probably compromised, but still delivered a fair modicum of pleasure. Served with a tortellini filled with ground pork loin, mortadella, and prosciutto covered with a sauce made from panna, prosciutto, onions and beef broth. The Italian critic made Marcia proud by raving that she cut the pasta just like his granny used to do.
2005 Cappellano Nebiolo dAlba 14.0%
The label spells Nebiolo with one b, so dont shoot the transcriber. Deep, dark, serious nose of blackberry, pepper, cloves and sundried tomatoes. Excellent structure and depth, acids and tannins in perfect balance with the fruit. Superb, the only thing lacking is age. A bargain from the boot. Went very well with a filet mignon pastry with a Shiitake and Paris mushroom, cream and mustard seed sauce.
2004 Luigi Ferrando Solativo Late Harvest Erbaluce 15.0%
The star of the lineup, the ultra super duper extremely rare late harvest erbaluce from Luigi Ferrando, a man of whom it could be said that there is no greater gentleman. The nose is met by no ordinary almonds. These are the Rolls-Royce of almonds. Ethereal filigrees of lacquer, coffee, nougat and pineapple compote. Lovely texture, with an odd but pleasing hint of lard, and razor sharp acidity that matches the regal fruit every drop of the way. Ravishing. Served with an I-kid-you-not delicious ne-plus-ultra torte made from Brazil nut flour, filled with stewed apricots and overlaid with a paste made from Brazil nut flour, eggs and butter, topped with whipped cream. Climax. Fade out. Memories.
2008 Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi 13.0%
Cortese. Attractive mineral, peach and wet stone aromas. Buttery, almost oily, a bit lacking in acidity, but somewhat redeemed by a pleasantly bitter finish. Gained in aromatic complexity as the evening grew. Served with a new Marcia concoction, a baked Brie pastry topped with Kumquat jelly and a side of green salad.
2007 Cappellano Dolcetto dAlba Gabutti 13.0%
Lush cherry and leather aromas with a hint of brett. Vibrant acidity (as much as the subsequent Barbera), with grippy tannins that pleasantly coat the mouth. Satisfying weight, excellent balance. Peppery zing. Drinking beautifully and one of the finer dolcettos Ive had. Combined very well with a roasted pyramidal stack consisting of eggplant, tomato, mozzarella di bfala, fresh goat cheese, olive oil and basil.
2004 Cappellano Barbera dAlba Gabutti 14.0%
Bottleneck showed brett that dissipated a few hours after opening but the glass was all poop and volatile acidity and merchant marine captains. The mouth made up for it, with deliciously piquant acidity, in perfect balance with the sweetness. As the olfactory haze dissipated, violets and thyme made delicate appearances. This was probably compromised, but still delivered a fair modicum of pleasure. Served with a tortellini filled with ground pork loin, mortadella, and prosciutto covered with a sauce made from panna, prosciutto, onions and beef broth. The Italian critic made Marcia proud by raving that she cut the pasta just like his granny used to do.
2005 Cappellano Nebiolo dAlba 14.0%
The label spells Nebiolo with one b, so dont shoot the transcriber. Deep, dark, serious nose of blackberry, pepper, cloves and sundried tomatoes. Excellent structure and depth, acids and tannins in perfect balance with the fruit. Superb, the only thing lacking is age. A bargain from the boot. Went very well with a filet mignon pastry with a Shiitake and Paris mushroom, cream and mustard seed sauce.
2004 Luigi Ferrando Solativo Late Harvest Erbaluce 15.0%
The star of the lineup, the ultra super duper extremely rare late harvest erbaluce from Luigi Ferrando, a man of whom it could be said that there is no greater gentleman. The nose is met by no ordinary almonds. These are the Rolls-Royce of almonds. Ethereal filigrees of lacquer, coffee, nougat and pineapple compote. Lovely texture, with an odd but pleasing hint of lard, and razor sharp acidity that matches the regal fruit every drop of the way. Ravishing. Served with an I-kid-you-not delicious ne-plus-ultra torte made from Brazil nut flour, filled with stewed apricots and overlaid with a paste made from Brazil nut flour, eggs and butter, topped with whipped cream. Climax. Fade out. Memories.
