Italian Wine Dinner

[wondersofwine]

I attended an Italian wine dinner at Vin Restaurant in Raleigh last Thursday. A wine maker and a wine broker (?) from Italy were present to explain the wines. Unfortunately, they poured from the wrong bottle for part of our table and we got the third wine of the evening when we should have received the second. The good part--we did get to sample both wines and got the third wine again with the next course but it scrambled up my note-taking.
First course was a very good lobster risotto with English peas accompanied by 2000 La Spinona, Chardonnay Delle Lange "Vigneto Pier." The Chardonnnay grapes were grown where nebbiolo is traditional in Barbaresco area. The wine was spritzig or bubbly and minerally with a note of pear fruit. It reminded me more of champagne and chablis than traditional chardonnay.
Next coarse was poached egg with black summer truffles and white veal emulsion with 1999 Vicara, Barbera Superiore. Poached egg dish was unusual and creative but not my favorite dish. The summer truffles lack the flavor of winter truffles. I asked if they are hunted by pigs in Italy and they said pigs or dogs. The dogs are less likely to eat them upon discovery.
Third course was beef tenderloin with
organic arugula and Great Hill blue butter with 1999 Vicara, Rubello. The Rubello was decidedly more robust than the Barbera Superiore and was preferred by six out of seven at our end of the long table. It turned out to have 10% cabernet sauvignon added to Barbera Superiore. There was a similarity in bouquet and taste between the second and third wines but most of us felt that the c.s. improved the Barbera wine. It was a medium-dark red-purple color with a biq bouquet. I would say blueberry and other fruits. The wine coats the mouth and creates a fuzzy sensation on mid-palate. Slightly tannic but very enjoyable especially with the beef course it was intended to pair with. It was a bit overpowering for the egg dish.
Dessert was a bittersweet chocolate tart--very rich--with Churchill n.v. Reserve Port. The port was not particularly highly regarded at our table. It did improve a little with the bittersweet chocolate as opposed to on its own, but we all have other ports we prefer. One couple was sold on an Australian port called Whisker's Blake which is only about $16-$17 a bottle so I will have to look for that one. The female chef did a very nice job I thought.