Brent's Hidden Gems

     Thursday June 20, 2019

Reservations Closed
Course Pairing / Description Wine
Hors D’oeuvres Salmon Mousse Endive with Fresh Dill Dates Wrapped in Smoked Bacon
The brothers Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella founded the winery Falesco in Montefiascone, Lazio, in 1989, with the aim of recovering the ancient vineyards of the area. After many trials and studies on a variety called Roscetto, was born Poggio dei Gelsithat restored honor to a territory unjustly forgotten. In 1990, their interest turned to a particular clone of Merlot, which gave life to Montiano: the most famous wine of Falesco that, for its elegance, precious aromatic and great concentration and structure, is acclaimed as one of the largest and most innovative Italian reds. Falesco enriched their assets with the acquisition of the Marciliano farm of 642 acres, located on the hill south of Orvieto, in the municipalities of Montecchio and Baschi. In these vineyards grow the grapes used to produce the Vitiano, Merlot Umbria and Marciliano and this is the territory of Umbria where their new winery is located. With this vintage was born RC²: a Sagrantino di Montefalco expressing the strong bond of Falesco to the Umbria region. It also welcomed the third generation of the Family Cotarella. In 2011, in connection with the 150th year of Italian unification, Falesco created Anita sparkling wine, made from grapes Aleatico. In the same year a new white, born from the mix of Viognier vines and experimental ones, becoming part of The New Classics: Soente. Dominga, Marta and Enrica, daughters of Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella, officially took over at the helm of the company in 2015. In order to communicate the generational changeover, the Falesco logo was redesigned adding the name of the family. The legend goes that in the 12th century, a wine-loving bishop was traveling through the Italian countryside on his way to see the coronation of the Pope. As he traveled, he would send a scout ahead of the convoy to let him know the wine of the area was good by marking “Est” (“It is”) above an inn's door. As the scout traveled ahead to Montefiascone, the wine was apparently so good, that the scout marked that location with “Est! Est!! Est!!!” Montefiascone remains an excellent wine today, particularly so when crafted by Riccardo Cotarella, who blends 50% Trebbiano, 30% Malvasia, and 20% Roscetto together for legendary results. “Le Poggere” is the name of the area where the vineyards are located. Delicate straw-yellow in color, the nose offers playful aromas of citrus, apple, and white flowers. On the palate, its crisp acidity is balanced with soft flavors of pear and melon which make for an easy-to-drink, refreshing wine. 		Est! Falesco Di Montefiascone Le Poggere 2017
Pasta Course Seafood Pasta with Heirloom Tomato Basil Sauce
To write a good story, you need a worthy setting and interesting characters. The Suavia story (the story of a family that has dedicated themselves wholly to the vine and wine) is set in a tiny village, mounted like a precious stone in the high green Soave Classico hills, covered with vines and olives. Fittà, the village with its old basaltic houses, fountains, little church and sunsets, is the best possible setting imaginable. The Tessari family has lived and worked on this land since the nineteenth century. The history of Suavia however began later, in 1982, when Giovanni and Rosetta (the father and mother), aware of the great potential of their area, decided to set up on their own and make their mark, crushing their grapes and making their own wine. The history of Suavia consists of a castle, no frog, few princes and lots of princesses. The castle is the one in Soave: a heritage from the Middle Ages, when the town was still called by the old name of Suavia; Giovanni and Rosetta’s four daughters, however, have been the main female characters in this story since the start of the twenty-first century. Today, Meri, Valentina and Alessandra run the winery in Fittà, where it all started. “To write a good story you need a worthy setting and interesting characters.” They have all these elements in their story; every day they work as best they can, with sensitivity and honesty to make sure that this story is a really good one to tell and to emulate. Massifitti is their latest arrival, their little prince and the worthy heir of the illustrious Trebbiano di Soave, an ancient grape variety that has almost been forgotten and is often misunderstood and confused. Massifitti is the result of a long and adventurous journey that Suavia embarked on at the origins of Trebbiano di Soave in order to rediscover its character and authentic nature. This wine is pure and authentic, 100% Trebbiano di Soave, born and bred on Fittà basalt. It is a tribute their land and its history, of which they are the guardians. On the nose, the Massifitti has intense aromas of flowers, pear, green apple and peach and something mineral. On the palate, it is creamy but juicy with medium acidity showing apricot, apple juice and white pear and a spicy mineral aftertaste. 		Suavia Massifitti Trebbiano di Soave 2015
Chicken Course Chicken Coq Au Vin with Pearl onions and Ciabatta Banquette
Château de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the benchmark wines of the appellation. The property has been in the hands of the Barruol family since 1570. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992, making a dramatic shift to quality and converting to biodynamics in 2010. The estate lies in the heart of Gigondas where 15 hectares of vineyard grow in the shade of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountain. In addition to the estate-grown wines labeled “Château de Saint Cosme,” Louis Barruol buys grapes from contracted growers, labeling these “négociant” wines simply as “Saint Cosme.” Saint Cosme Côtes-du-Rhône is produced from 100% Syrah and is from the rocky and cool vineyards of Vinsobres and the stony Villafranchian terraces of the Gard. Vinsobres brings freshness and complexity while the terraced vineyards of the Gard contribute color and power. The grapes are partially destemmed, fermented with natural yeasts and vinified in concrete vats. Syrah requires a warm climate to fully ripen, but enough moderating effect to produce intense, aromatic wines that are not overwhelmed by sweetness and alcohol. This Syrah grows in ideal terroirs of the southern Rhône and shows the varietal’s typical spicy notes of sandalwood, violets and black pepper. 		Château de St. Cosme Côtes-du-Rhône 2017
Beef Course Roasted Beef Sirloin with Chimichurri, Scallion Potato Pancake and Summer Vegetables
The AALTO project was founded in February 1999, in the prestigious winemaking region of Ribera del Duero in Spain. The foundational aim of Mariano Garcia and Javier Zaccagnini in AALTO was to make a wine that shows a different personality, of high quality and being a faithful reflection of distinct locations, blending them at the end of the aging process to obtain balance and complexity. A few years later, in 2006, Masaveu and Nozaleda families both owners of wineries in other wine regions of Spain, joined AALTO, providing experience and stability to the project. The 2016 harvest started with a warm and dry autumn, followed by a rainy winter with mild temperatures and rare extreme frosts, which is quite uncommon for a continental climate. In Spring there was very little rainfall and no late frosts. The bud-break was irregular in Ribera del Duero, followed by very dry and warm summer. In late August and early September, a heat wave came and caused some water stress to the vine, influencing the ripening. Grapes arrived at the winery perfectly healthy and with a great quality. This 100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) is primarily from very old vines - 40 to 80 years old - from seven different villages in the province of Burgos, plus younger grapes from their own vineyards in two villages in the province of Valladolid. The harvest was done by hand, in small boxes of 15 kilos and thoroughly inspected, bunch by bunch, on the selection table. The wine was aged for 17 months in 50% new barrels of French and American oak. The wine is deep purple red color, as normally corresponds to old Tempranillo grapes. On the nose, there is good fruit intensity, a great deal of freshness and hints of well- integrated wood. On the palate it is complex, structured and elegant, with typical hints of licorice, coffee, tobacco, black fruits and spices, always within the personality of the AALTO style. This wine has a sweet character and could be drunk from the first moment, because it is very rounded, with enveloping and balanced tannins, and showing a good acidity. 		AALTO 2016
Dessert Course Chocolate-Raspberry Pate with Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze and Fresh Berries
The brothers Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella founded the winery Falesco in Montefiascone, Lazio, in 1989, with the aim of recovering the ancient vineyards of the area. In 1990, their interest focused to a particular clone of Merlot, which gave life to Montiano: the most famous wine of Falesco that, for its elegance, precious aromatic and great concentration and structure, is acclaimed as one of the largest and innovative Italian reds. Falesco enriched their assets with the acquisition of the Marciliano farm of 642 acres, located on the hill south of Orvieto, in the municipalities of Montecchio and Baschi. In these vineyards grow the grapes used to produce the Vitiano, Merlot Umbria and Marciliano and this is the territory of Umbria where their new winery is located. In 2011, in connection with the 150th year of Italian unification, Falesco created Anita sparkling wine, made from grapes Aleatico. In the same year a new white, born from the mix of Viognier vines and experimental ones, becoming part of The New Classics: Soente. Dominga, Marta and Enrica, daughters of Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella, officially took over at the helm of the company in 2015. In order to communicate the generational changeover, the Falesco logo was redesigned adding the name of the family. Merlot is a variety with a long-standing tradition on these hills where it has proved a great adaptability to their peculiar pedoclimatic characteristics. The grapes reach an outstanding level of ripeness, giving very elegant and perfectly balanced wines which are extremely agreeable. This 100% Merlot is achieved from an old low-yielding vineyard where the selection of grapes was extremely rigorous. Grapes with intense color and rich concentration were fermented in stainless steel vats at controlled temperature, with a long maceration on the skin. The wine achieved is aged in French oak barrels for a long time where the malolactic fermentation is carried out. The Famiglia Cotarella Montiano has a wonderful, deep, ruby red color, a wide aromatic range of scents in which delicious vanilla notes, small red fruit, layers of jam and sweet spices combine. The taste appears to have a full aristocratic roundness and softness, with quite elegant, agreeable and lingering flavors. 		Famiglia Cotarella Montiano Lazio 2015