Gala Dinner at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vdews.com/fr/">World Wine Symposium</a>

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.villadeste.com/">Villa d’Este</a>

Via Regina 40 

22012 Cernobbio, Italy

Tel. +39 031.3481 

Wines:


<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=2007+Trimbach+Riesling">2007
 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=1992+Ramonet+Montrachet">1992
 Ramonet Montrachet</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=2004+Roberto+Voerzio+Barolo+Riserva+10+Anni">2004
 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Riserva 10 Anni Fossati Case Nere</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=2008+Giuseppe+Rinaldi+Barolo+Brunate+coste">2008
 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate/Le Coste</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=2008+Vega+Sicilia+Tinto+Valbuena+5">2008
 Vega Sicilia Tinto Valbuena 5 Años</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=2001+Jadot+Corton+Pougets">2001
 Jadot Corton Pougets</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=2007+Leroy+Nuits+Saint+Georges+Lavi%C3%A8res">2007
 Leroy Nuits Saint Georges Aux Lavières</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=2007+Claude+Dugat+Griotte+Chambertin">2007
 Claude Dugat Griotte Chambertin</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;q=1985+Tenuta+San+Guido+Sassicaia">1985
 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 98
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank">1983
 Henri Jayer Nuits-Meurgers</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1389907840863-VillaCover+-+article.jpg"> Food:

Lobster with codfish fondue,
chickpeas and rosemary olive oil

Risotto with saffron and porcini
mushrooms

Pigeon breast and leg with foie
gras, vegetables and dates

Gorgonzola with red onion
marmalade

Chocolate soufflé, orange sauce

I have enjoyed a number of spectacular meals at the Villa d’Este over
the last few years, but this was arguably the finest. The Gala Dinner that
concluded the 2013 edition of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vdews.com/fr/">World Wine Symposium</a> was a culinary
tour-de-force from Executive Chef Michele Zambanini and his team. Look at the
menu. Preparing risotto and chocolate soufflé for more than 200 people is
either an act of suicide or supreme confidence. In this case, Zambanini and his
team came through with flying colors. Everything was utterly delicious. The
food and service could not have possibly been better. It’s as simple as that. The
wines were pretty amazing, too.

Trimbach’s 2007 Riesling Clos Sainte Hune, one of
my personal favorites, is a great wine to kick off the night. Endowed with
total symmetry and a seamless personality, the 2007 is fat, rich and explosive
from the very first taste. Bright citrus, white flowers and mint notes emerge
from the glass, but the 2007 needs to lose some of its baby fat before it
starts to shine. Today it is very pretty, but also quite young. Ramonet’s 1992 Montrachet is one of the greatest
wines I have ever tasted. Layers of flavor build to an exciting crescendo that
takes over all of the senses. Rich, resonant and viscous on the palate, the
1992 Montrachet represents the truest essence of what makes Montrachet so
compelling. The explosive finish keeps me coming back for another taste. This
is a great, great showing.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1389907631473-Villa2+-+vinous.jpg"> 

Lobster
with codfish fondue, chick peas and rosemary olive oil

The 2004 Barolo Riserva 10 Anni Fossati Case Nere from Roberto Voerzio
shows all of the qualities that have always made this vintage so appealing;
expressive aromatics, nuanced fruit and silky, totally finessed tannins. A wine
of texture, the 2004 is at least a few years from showing all of its cards, but
it is strikingly beautiful all the same. Giuseppe Rinaldi’s 2008 Barolo Brunate/Le Coste is surprisingly open and expressive
for such a young Barolo. The intensely perfumed bouquet is a total turn on,
especially for the Burgundy lovers at our table. Hard candy, plums, rose petals
and violets all grace the palate in an exquisite Barolo loaded with class and
finesse. What a gorgeous wine this is.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1389907673772-Villa3+-+vinous.jpg"> Risotto
with saffron and porcini mushrooms

Vega Sicilia’s 2008 Tinto Valbuena 5 Anos is
compelling. A young, intense wine, the 2008 is going to need significant time
to fully come together, but it boasts superb depth, persistence and a total
sense of harmony. Hints of cedar, tobacco and sweet spices wrap around an
intense core of dark fruit. Jadot’s 2001
Corton Pougets is beginning to show the early signs of tertiary complexity
and nuance. Today, the 2001 is beautifully perfumed, lifted and gracious.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1389907753724-Villa4+-+vinous.jpg"> Pigeon
breast and leg with foie gras, vegetables and dates

Both 2007 red Burgundies are
exceptional. The 2007 Nuits Saint
Georges Aux Lavières from Leroy is a wine of pure texture. Deep, rich and
beautifully layered, the 2007 impresses for its depth and pure silkiness. Spice
and tobacco nuances add complexity on the sensual, inviting finish. Claude
Dugat’s 2007 Griotte Chambertin is
impossibly beautiful. Sweet roses, the sweetest red cherries, plums and mint
are all woven together in a fabric of nearly indescribable elegance and
finesse. Still fresh and vibrant, the 2007 will drink beautifully for many
years. Today, it is simply stunning. What a privilege it is to drink this
extraordinary Burgundy.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1389907777893-Villa6+-+vinous.jpg"> Chocolate soufflé, orange sauce

The 1985 Sassicaia is obviously an iconic wine. Still deeply colored,
the 1985 is endowed with serious depth, gorgeous inner perfume and tons of pure
textural richness. This&nbsp;isn't&nbsp;the greatest bottle of&nbsp;the 1985 I have had, but
it is pretty close. The 1983
Nuits-Meurgers from Henri Jayer is now fully mature. Autumn leaves, sweet
tobacco, crushed flowers and dried cherries are laced together in a soft, fully
mature Burgundy that is perhaps a bit past its peak, but still quite pretty. 

I was thrilled with the wines
on this night, most importantly because they did what great wines do – create
memories that last a lifetime.

-- Antonio Galloni

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