November 21, 2024 - The Dinner
If you haven’t listened to the introduction by our hosts, you’ve got to do that because our descriptions of the wines and courses are just small notes, not really complete descriptions. We don’t have the professional sommelier’s vocabulary after all 😉!
The Second Course
Animelle Di Vitello (Sweetbreads)
Giacomo Conterno 2012 Barolo 'Cascina Francia,' Serralunga d'Alba
Martin
A soft nose with a hint of strawberries and cinnamon, extremely complex and thus difficult to describe.
Bill
Wine pairing on the veal sweet bread course is awesome. The wine is not gigantic or overwhelming, but is very complementary to the food. The wine has among other things, a little generic spice to it.
Bill calls this the Bread Intermezzo, since its not on the menu. Two different Brioche breads, whole wheat and white with truffles throughout.
The butter comes from the Normandy region of France.
The Third Course
Gnocchi Di Castagna (Chestnut Gnocchi)
Gaja 2014 Barbaresco
Another complex wine, mixed spice and a bit of bright summer
This is a very rich course and had to be savored.
Bill says its an elevated and looser play on their traditional Frico Caldo
The Fourth Course
Lasagna Di Montagna (Mountain Lasagna)
G.D. Vajra 2015 Barolo 'Bricco delle Viole,' Barolo (en magnum)
This was quite a surprise! The name translates to “Hill of Violets”. There are violets growing throughout the vineyard, and the wine picks up a hint of them.
This “Mountain” lasagna has a white sauce that is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. The white ragu has a lot of nutmeg in it, and since the dish is hot, the truffle is really intense. Each slice is crisp around the edges. Bill says this dish ties with the lamb agnolotti we had at the 2014 Truffle dinner.
The Fifth Course
Cotechino Di Quaglia (Quail Sausage)
Roagna 2016 Barolo 'Pira,' Castiglione Falletto (https://www.roagna.com/en/vineyards/pira/)
This paired really well with the quail sausage.
The quail sausage was quite firm and was on a bed of polenta that had a bit of cheese in it.
The Sixth Course
Manzo (Beef)
Cavallotto 2017 Barolo 'Bricco Boschis (in the left glass)
Castiglione Falletto Vietti 2018 Barolo 'Ravera,' Novello (in the right)
Well, this is different, a pair of wines to compare. The Cavallotto did indeed have a bit of umami to it. The Castiglione is softer and fruitier.
The American Wagyu at the left, the squash and potato sabayon on the right. Martin says, “Sigh, its still just squash”.
The wagyu was amazing and the incredibly rich lardo jus and truffle made this a huge beef dish!
The Seventh and Eighth Courses
Profiterole (pastry roll)
Rapa Fialla (rutabaga)
Luigi Baudana 2019 Barolo 'Cerretta,' Serralunga d'Alba
A barolo that actually worked with the two dessert courses!
The Profiterole. Ok, these dessert courses were difficult to describe. That’s a cheese filling wrapped in a cake with a bit of cocoa in it, we think.
The Rutabaga. Martin, the pesky super taster, says the rutabaga was a bit muddy, but then he says cilantro tastes like soap…
The Maple and Truffle were really neat, we wouldn’t have expected this!