A Magical Evening of Great Barolos at Cru
An evening at Cru is always a memorable experience, and this night was no exception as we were treated to an amazing dinner featuring great food, wine, and most important of all, the company of close friends. Readers who love older wines owe it to themselves to pay a visit to Cru and to explore its breathtaking wine list, which offers a rich treasure trove of selections. I think it is fair to say that every major producer of note is well represented in an astonishing range of vintages. On this occasion the focus was on Bruno Giacosa’s Red Label Riservas from the mid-1980s although we did have a chance to taste some other great wines as well. The four of us had no problem polishing off these fine bottles…quite an achievement especially given that my wife does not drink much.
Service at Cru was impeccable. Wine Director Robert Bohr and his staff did a great job serving the wines throughout the course of the dinner. The almost-fanatical attention to the details of wine service, including the temperature of the wines, decanting, stemware and the labeling of multiple glasses on the table showed the highest level of professionalism and made for a very enjoyable evening. Between the four of us I think we tried most, if not all of the dishes on Chef Shea Gallante’s tasting menu. Highlights included the Toro tuna, white polenta soup, confit rabbit, Maine lobster and a lovely perfectly cooked sliced squab breast. We started with the outrageous 1996 Dom Pérignon and then moved into the following wines.
2001 Di Poli Sauvignon Voglar – Peter Di Poli is the outspoken vigneron behind one of Italy’s most intriguing Sauvignons. Di Poli’s Voglar is a wine that screams Trentino terroir and varietal, with plenty of ripe fruit, wet stone, smoke, mint and tomato leaf notes. This wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation and is aged in cask, giving it a somewhat lean, crisp personality that was perfect with our raw seafood starters. A few years of bottle age have also added more body, richness, and complexity than when last tasted two years ago. A great effort. 90/drink now-2009, 10/05
An evening at Cru is always a memorable experience, and this night was no exception as we were treated to an amazing dinner featuring great food, wine, and most important of all, the company of close friends. Readers who love older wines owe it to themselves to pay a visit to Cru and to explore its breathtaking wine list, which offers a rich treasure trove of selections. I think it is fair to say that every major producer of note is well represented in an astonishing range of vintages. On this occasion the focus was on Bruno Giacosa’s Red Label Riservas from the mid-1980s although we did have a chance to taste some other great wines as well. The four of us had no problem polishing off these fine bottles…quite an achievement especially given that my wife does not drink much.
