It is always an immense joy to go to dinner at the Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence. The environment, the refinement, the class of the dining room staff, the very particular food and what can we say about the wines?
I am going to write about two particular evenings, the first with my family and the second with two friends, the latter on the evening dedicated to Burgundy and in particular to the Morey Saint Denis appellation.
The first was the family one which was also attended by my nephew Duccio, loved by my son Andrea, and the latest arrival, my niece Olivia who was just one month old. Giorgio pampered us and let us be pampered by his young and talented staff. We were in a room just for us and initially we were served extra brut Irroy Champagne which was accompanied by “knife-cut old cow meat, warm zabaglione, almond cream and white truffle”. The “almond soup, Celline olives, Jerusalem artichoke with bergamot and lobster with juniper” was paired with a wine dressed in burgundy so as not to let us see the label. Davide D’Alterio, sommelier of the Enoteca, served us this wine which went well with the dish.
I didn’t have the slightest doubt that it was a sauvignon blanc, I thought it was from the Loire but when I removed the dress it turned out to be the Sauvignon blanc from the American company Screaming Eagle, 2017 vintage. Very savory and mineral wine, very rare bottle, difficult to find and never drank by me.
This was a pleasant surprise from Giorgio Pinchiorri.
The dinner then continued with the “Girotondo of agnolotti, stuffed with stewed Muscovy duck, 40 month old Parmigiano Reggiano cream, toasted walnut oil and chicory” accompanied, very well, by a Burgundy pinot noir, exactly the Morey St. Denis Clos de la Bussiére 2019 by Domaine G. Roumier. Anyone who says that only white wine goes with fish is wrong. The following dish was: “Slice of turbot cooked in salt and herb paste, reduced sauce of roasted calamari and Treviso radicchio with sesame oil”, which was paired with a fantastic Nebbiolo, the 2018 Barolo by Bartolo Mascarello with a splendid violet on the nose, and a silky tannin on the palate. The combination with “Vanilla soufflé with Panforte ice cream” was original and pleasant, with which we were served the 2018 Moscato passito di Saracena from Cantine Viola. A complex and pleasant wine both on the nose and on the taste which combined perfectly with the dish.
It was a very pleasant evening for everything: ambience, dishes, wines and service worthy of a splendid restaurant with three Michelin stars. From personal experience I assure you that it is not obvious that a restaurant with three Michelin stars is like this.
My tasting notes of the evening’s wines follow with a premise regarding the tannins of red wine.
As regards the width of the tannin, it is important that you make the following clarifications, so that it can be understood. I feel the tannin of the wine on the upper gum. The total width of the tannin is 6/6, i.e. the entire width of the upper gum. Obviously, if the tannin is less wide, it could be for example 5/6 and so on. The width of the tannin is important when the quality of the same is of a good or high level. If the tannin is wider, the wine is more worthy of attention, but the tannin, as I specified, must in any case be of good quality.
Let’s now go on to describe the wines tasted.
MAISON TAITTINGER
IRROY Extra Brut S.A
(Grapes: 70% Pinot Noir e Pinot Meunier e 30% Chardonnay)
Shiny golden yellow with quite fine and quite numerous bubbles.
From the glass rise sweet aromas of the outside of the sugared almond, flint, bread crust, graphite, ending with memories of Coccoina glue (coconut and almond milk)
On the palate it has delicate bubbles, a medium body and is savory, mineral, with rich freshness which makes it perfectly balanced. Citrus flavors of yellow grapefruit. Its taste persistence is long. (91/100)
SCREAMING EAGLE
Sauvignon blanc, vintage 2017
Straw yellow color.
On the nose the wine presents aromas of rue leaf, tomato leaf, peach leaf and with an intense saltiness. Followed by mentholated and light woody notes (new wood) to conclude with notes of white flowers.
On the palate it has a medium body and is salty and mineral. Well balanced wine with minerality, flavor and freshness that completely dominate the alcoholic mass. Its intense aromatic persistence is long.
With an empty glass you can smell the cotton candy.
A very young wine characterized by flavor both on the nose and on the palate, and by a nose that will have to open up further. (94/100)
DOMAINE G. ROUMIER
MOREY SAINT DENIS
1° Cru Clos de la Bussiére, vintage 2019
Ruby red dress
Varied and captivating nose composed of boisé aromas that remind me of “after eight” chocolate, intense chocolate and mint, Vicks Vaporub (camphor and cedar wood), cherry, raspberry, black pepper and nutmeg.
Fine and elegant tasting. The wine has a medium body and is perfectly balanced between alcohol and freshness.
The tannins are sweet, quite broad (5/6), initially silky and then burn the upper gum a little.
The wood that is perceived will disappear when the wine remains in the bottle. Its flavor persistence is long with a finish of raspberry, cherry and light boisé.
Very young! (95/100)
BAROLO D.O.C.G.
BARTOLO MASCARELLO, vintage 2018
Transparent ruby red color with very slight garnet reflections.
It offers pleasant aromas of tomato preserve, light juniper berry, violet, light boisé, sweet aromas reminiscent of episperm (it is the skin that wraps the boiled chestnut) to end with whispers of rhubarb root.
The wine has a medium body and is perfectly balanced, in fact the tannins and freshness completely envelop the alcoholic mass.
The tannins are sweet, broad (6/6), initially silky and then slightly drying the upper gum. Its intense aromatic persistence is long. (97/100)
CANTINE VIOLA
MOSCATO PASSITO DI SARACENA, vintage 2018
(Grapes: 50% Guarnaccia e 50% Malvasia)
Intense amber yellow color.
It unfolds aromas of dried dates, dried plums, raisins, candied orange, dried apricot, acacia honey, medicinal herbs, intense caramel, ripe persimmon, balsamic, finishing with pinches of black pepper.
On the palate it shows an intense body and is well balanced, in fact the alcoholic mass is silenced by the freshness.
Flavors of dried dates and dried apricots.
Its taste persistence is long with a bitter finish that reminds me of chestnut honey followed by saffron.
Pleasant wine, quite sweet, not cloying! (95/100)
Wonderful evening thanks to Giorgio Pinchiorri and all his staff.
Subsequently I returned to the Enoteca Pinchiorri with two friends, Franco Barducci and Luca Caporali, for the evening dedicated to the Morey Saint Denis appellation which is found in France, in Burgundy, in the Côte de Nuits. The vineyards extend for 150 hectares and the soil is composed of Jurassic limestone, pebbles and Ostrea Acuminata fossils. The Village wines are 64 hectares, the Premier Cru wines are 44 hectares while the Grand Cru wines are 40 hectares.
Among the Grand Crus there are four that occupy a third of the entire vineyard area. Going down from north to south on the Route des Grand Crus, the first you come across is Clos de la Roche, whose wines are richly mineral and tasty, thanks to its soils which are brown and calcareous.
The second is Clos Saint Denis whose wines are harmonious and elegant.
The third and fourth are the monopole Clos de Lambrays and the Clos de Tart which are adjacent to the Grand Cru Chambertin. The wines of Morey Saint Denis are as powerful and princely as the wines of Gevrey and the sublime delicacy of the wines of Chambolle.
This evening is one of those called “Pinchiorri Experience”. These are evenings in which a three-course menu is offered, each paired with a wine from a certain area. The price is fixed. They are beautiful experiences that enrich you in every respect.
The menu included mis en bouche paired with De Sousa champagne.
The first course was: “Zolfini beans in stockfish broth, grilled marrow cream and scampi in giardiniera” together with which we were served the Morey Saint Denis Clos Salon 2018 from Domaine Fourrier and off the menu the Chambolle Musigny, La Combe d’Orveau from Domaine Anne Gros.
I certainly preferred the first wine to the second.
Following with “The minestra between Liguria and Tuscany” we appreciated the Morey Saint Denis 2019 from Domaine G. Roumier with a very pleasant raspberry on the nose.
With the “Piccione, almost fried, with artichokes in Colonnata lard and clementines in mustard” the Morey Saint Denis Les Chaffots 2019 from Domaine Hubert Lignier was poured into our glass, with an intense violet on the nose and a pleasant raspberry on the palate .
With dessert we were surprised to be poured a 1979 Vernaccia di Oristano. Fantastic wine both on the nose and on the palate with a myriad of aromas and sensations including zabaglione.
The evening then ended with a spirit and Partagas cigar no. 4, human size.
They were two beautiful evenings full of emotions and pleasures that the Enoteca Pinchiorri with its team offered us.
My tasting notes for the evening’s wines follow.
MAISON DE SOUSA
BLANC DE BLANCS G.C. Rèserve SA
Shiny golden yellow color with quite numerous bubbles.
A range of sensations made of aromas of flint, light of beer, cotton candy and intense of graphite.
Upon entry into the mouth you perceive a medium body and the wine is savory, mineral and the bubbles are fine. Barley candy flavor. Balanced wine between alcohol and freshness even if the latter is a little measured. Its flavor persistence is long but not very long with a marked finish of chestnut honey. (92/100)
DOMAINE FOURRIER
MOREY ST. DENIS CLOS SOLON
Vieille Vigne, vintage 2018
This Clos extends for 5.58 hectares. The soils are clayey and spongy, exposed to the south and therefore with sun and heat which prevent problems of attack by mold and fungi. All this ensures that the wines are as balanced as possible.
Ruby red.
The olfactory casket opens to aromas of tannery leather at the end of the process, starch spray for ironing (starch), licorice, raspberry, cherry, mint, raspberry hard candy, fir, ice cream cone wafers, blond leather, caper notes and anchovies.
When tasted, the body is medium sufficient.
The wine is well balanced with freshness dominating the alcoholic mass.
The tannins are sweet, quite broad (5/6), initially velvety and then dry the upper gum a little. Its taste persistence is long with a slightly bitter finish. (93/100)
DOMAINE ANNE GROS
Chambolle Musigny
La Combe D’Orveau, vintage 2020
Ruby red dress with purple border.
Olfactory mix made of scents of fir, light trichlorethylene, raspberry, blond leather, intense cherry, tomato preserves to finish with light hints of eggnog.
The body is medium sufficient plus. Initially it has a pleasant freshness which is subsequently attacked by the alcoholic mass which calls into question its gustatory balance. The tannins are sweet, quite broad (5/6–), initially velvety and then slightly burn the upper gum. Its taste persistence is long. (89/100)
DOMAINE G. Roumier
MOREY ST. DENIS
1° Clos de la Bussiéré, vintage 2019
(Seul proprietaire since 2019)
Since 1950 the Clos de la Bussiére has been owned by the usual Domaine and therefore is a Monopole.
The vineyard is surrounded by a wall and that is why it is called Clos. Inside the Clos there is the home of the Roumier family.
Ruby red dress.
The nose highlights aromas of toffee, raspberry, mint, eucalyptus, tomato preserves and the unmistakable licorice.
Wine with a delicate but present medium body.
The freshness ensures that the alcoholic mass does not disturb the gustatory balance.
The tannins are sweet, quite broad (5/6–) and silky. Its intense aromatic persistence is long with a slightly bitter finish. (93/100)
DOMAINE HUBERT LIGNIER
MOREY ST. DENIS Les Chaffats, vintage 2019
The vineyards are at an altitude ranging from 300 to 330 meters and the wine comes from the upper part of the vineyard which was planted in 1968. The lower part of the vineyard was included in the Grand Cru “Clos Saint Denis”.
From the glass rise aromas of popcorn (mineral note for me), smoked (firewood ember), Marseille soap, intense violet, raspberry, cherry, worked leather ending with herbaceous whispers.
Pleasant sip, the body is medium and the wine is well balanced with freshness and tannins which completely silence the alcoholic mass. The tannins are sweet, broad (6/6–) and silky. Flavor of smoke, raspberry and cherry.
Its flavor persistence is long with a rhubarb candy finish. (94/100)
AZIENDA CONTINI
Vernaccia Oristano Antico Gregori, vintage 1979
Amber yellow robe.
The olfactory encounter reveals aromas of chamomile, medicinal herbs, almond shell, dried apricot, savory flavors and zabaglione (also reminiscent of Marsala wine).
Upon tasting, one is pleasantly struck by the flavors of hairy peach, salt, zabaglione and dried lime.
The wine has a medium body and a strong acidity that turns savory and zabaglione.
The wine, despite its strong acidity and good taste balance, leaves a caloric sensation on the tongue, even if to a moderate extent. Its taste persistence is long with a zabaglione finish. (95/100)
These “Pinchiorri Experience” evenings were a great success because they brought together many people who had never been to the Enoteca Pinchiorri and in these themed evenings customers were able to appreciate, excellent cuisine and wines not easy to find in common restaurants.
