At the end of January, a benefit dinner was held at the “Il Mestolo” restaurant in Siena in favor of the Nibit Onlus Foundation, chaired by Prof. Michele Maio.
Since 2012, the Nibit Foundation has been dedicated to research in the field of Oncological Immunotherapy, also celebrated by the 2018 Nobel Prize winner James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for medicine and considered the “fourth weapon” in the fight against tumors.
Prof. Maio is director of the CIO, Immunology Center at the Siena University Hospital and Full Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Siena. www.fondazionenibit.org – email: segreteria@fondazionenibit.org.
The dinner was curated by Chef Nicoletta Marighella who once again demonstrated her ability to cook an excellent meat menu with absolute skill.
The restaurant is known as a great fish restaurant but I have to say that this dinner based on meat ingredients was impeccable.
At the aperitif we were served excellent cold cuts and polenta with woodcock combined with a sparkling wine from the Case Coste Piane company which was pleasant.
The menu was as follows:
“Ravioli with braised meat and roast sauce”; “Parmesan risotto with wood pigeon ragù”, “Braised veal cheek with sautéed chard”, finishing with cream ice cream with black cherry in syrup.
Just writing down the menu made my mouth water.
The dinner was accompanied by a regal wine, Sangiovese Toscana PGI from Gianfranco Soldera’s Case Basse company, 2013 vintage.
I was at the table with Prof. Maio and the Soldera family, his wife Graziella, his daughter Monica with her husband Paolo and at our table there were Gianfranco’s glasses, strictly lead-free.
The Soldera family generously offered two 5-liter and two 3-liter bottles for dinner. What an exceptional wine! what a pleasure to drink it. Gianfranco has always done charity work, he has always been a generous man and Monica has followed in his footsteps. The wines during dinner were served by excellent sommeliers.
After this fantastic dinner there was a short charity auction of wines offered by producer and non-producer friends. The auction was won by the undersigned with the help of Gaetano.
Let’s now move on to describe the wine tasted and drunk during dinner.
Case Basse
Gianfranco Soldera Sangiovese Toscana PGI, 2013 vintage.
Transparent garnet red.
Intense and varied aromas of black pepper, nutmeg and light cloves rise from the glass. Followed by notes of cherry, mint, eucalyptus, bergamot, graphite, dog rose, lemongrass, currant, sweets from the outside of the dragee, blood orange, broken cyclamen stem, gunpowder, starch (spary starch for ironing), slight hints of leather of tannery at the end of processing, small grains of liquorice, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, thyme, green pepper, tow, wild strawberries, India ink, medicinal herbs, to finish with puffs of peeled tomatoes. On the palate the wine is perfectly balanced between alcohol and freshness. The tannins are completely broad (6/6), sweet, initially, silky and then become slightly rough in the finish. The body is medium perfect.
Its taste persistence is long with a finish of dog rose, medicinal herbs, wild strawberry and a chinotto finish. (98/100)
