<a target="_blank" href="https://www.enotecaturi.com/index.html">Miani dinner at
Enoteca Turi, London</a>87 Pimlico Rd, Belgravia

London SW1W 8PH, UK&nbsp;

Tel.&nbsp;+44 20 7730 3663

BY IAN D'AGATA | JULY 19, 2019The Food:

Goose
prosciutto, fricò potato cake,
sardines in saor, Friuli salami (Prosciutto d’oca, fricò, sardine in saor,
salame friulano)

Seared
scallops, cannellini bean purée, rosetta
di Gorizia radicchio (Cappesante alla
Triestina)

Langoustine
risotto (Risotto agli scampi)

Seared
venison filet, braised shoulder, prune gnocchi, Savoy cabbage (Cervo alla Friulana)

Cheese
selection (Selezione di formaggi)

The Wines:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>2012 Miani
 Friulano&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">93</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2017 MIani Ribolla Gialla&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2015 Miani Ribolla Gialla&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2014 Miani Ribolla Gialla&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">89</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2017 Miani Sauvignon Blanc&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">92</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2016 Miani Sauvignon Blanc
 Zitelle&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">95</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2015 Miani Sauvignon Blanc
 Saurint&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2013 Miani Merlot Filip&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">95</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2013 Miani Merlot Buri&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">95</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2004 Miani Merlot Buri&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2013 Miani Rosso&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">91</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2015 Miani Refosco Cossut&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">94</td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>2004 Miani Refosco Calvari&nbsp;</td>
 <td class="wysiwyg-text-align-right">97</td>
 </tr></tbody></table>

<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1563548871436-A+fine+evening+of+Miani+wines+in+London_copy.jpg"> A fine evening of Miani wines in London Giuseppe Turi, originally from Puglia, arrived
in London in 1982 and built a solid career in the wine and food industry. He
started off by joining the Athenaeum Hotel, where he became the sommelier, a
role in which he quickly demonstrated competence (in fact, he placed second in
the UK Sommelier of the Year Competition in 1987). After various positions and
stints in other London fine dining institutions, in 1990 he opened Enoteca Turi,
which he still runs today with his wife, Pamela. One of the few Italian
restaurants I actually eat in when abroad (I don’t mean to be a snob, but
Italian food cooked outside of Italy, as good as it might look and taste, is
rarely truly Italian, if for no other reason than that the available ingredients
just aren’t the same), the outstanding Enoteca Turi offers food very much like what
you find in Italy.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1563548890985-Goose+prosciutto_copy.jpg"> 

Goose prosciutto,&nbsp;fricò&nbsp;potato cake So when a friend called up wondering if I might
like to take part in a dinner at Enoteca Turi featuring a bevy of Miani wines,
I accepted even before he had finished asking the question. The prospect of
great food and an impressive collection of Italy’s best white wines (and some
of its best reds, too) will get a “yes” from me any time, other commitments
permitting.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1563549110294-Sardine+in+saor_copy.jpg"> Sardines in&nbsp;saor 

Readers who follow me on Vinous know how highly
I think of the wines of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s Miani estate (I am in good
company in that regard). Miani owner Enzo Pontoni is an artist and a talent, a
man who is able to make wines at a level that practically nobody else in the
country can manage. It was no different on this night, when many of the wines
(though not all) showed just how magnificent they are, comparable to those made
by the great names in world wine, be it Leflaive, DRC, Haut-Brion, Chave or others
of that ilk.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1563549118032-Friuli+salami_copy.jpg"> Friuli salami&nbsp; 

The evening started off with a typical FVG
appetizer of goose
prosciutto, fricò potato cake,
sardines in saor and Friuli salami
that I doubt I could have had any better in Friuli itself. The seared scallops,
cannellini bean purée and rosetta di
Gorizia radicchio and the langoustine risotto were also highly enjoyable,
though the latter dish is more typical of Italy than the former (scallops
aren’t really a big part of Italian cuisine). The seared venison filet, braised
shoulder, prune gnocchi and Savoy cabbage was precise, flavorful and thoroughly
excellent, and the cheese selection provided a very good way to finish off the
red wines of this night out, especially the older vintages.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1563549125895-Scallops+Miani+1_copy.jpg"> Seared scallops, cannellini bean purée,&nbsp;rosetta di Gorizia&nbsp;radicchio The
succession of wines was fantastic. Things couldn’t have started off any better
than with the 2012 Friulano, perhaps the surprise wine of the night. Drinking
beautifully, with a hint of noble rot, this, still very young Friulano, is just
as good as many of the much more expensive and sought-after Friulano selections
(the Filip and the Buri) that Miani is famous for. I was really impressed by
the concentration and balance of this wine, as was almost everyone at our
dinner table. Simply put, this wine’s lesser pedigree didn’t prepare me for
such a knockout showing. The Ribolla Gialla wines were paired with the scallop
dish, and they handled this match brilliantly. Best on the night was the 2015 Ribolla Gialla,
which proves luscious, rich and concentrated, a hint of noble rot and of
air-dried grapes giving extra lift and complexity to the tangerine, chamomile
and stone fruit flavors. The wine possessed an added dimension that the other
white wines of the evening, as good as they are, all lacked. The 2017 Ribolla Gialla,
still painfully young but potentially very great, is slightly more mineral and
less opulent than the 2015 (without quite the hints of air-dried and noble-rot-affected
grapes), while the 2014 Ribolla Gialla&nbsp;is disappointing in its linear delivery of dried
pear and peach fruit and a trace of dilution on the midpalate. This wine
confirmed the difficulties posed by the 2014 vintage’s copious rain and cold
weather.&nbsp; <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1563549135976-Risotto+Langoustine+Miani_copy.jpg"> Langoustine risottoCuriously, while all drinking beautifully, Miani’s Sauvignon wines showed
less brilliantly than I expected on this night. Certainly, they paired very
well with the risotto, neatly adding their delicate aromatic touch to the
strong aromas and sweet flavors of the scampi. The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc&nbsp;is clean and fresh, with
sneaky concentration and clear-cut Sauvignon aromas and flavors, offering very
good depth and richness of fresh citrus and herbal aromas and flavors. The 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Zitelle is characterized by pretty mineral nuances complicating tropical
and orchard fruit notes, which were neatly extended on the long, vibrant finish
by lively, harmonious acidity. However, this specific bottle of 2016 Le Zitelle
Sauvignon strikes me as less powerful and rich than some others I have had. The
2015 Sauvignon Blanc Saurint
is rich and dense, offering a heady nose of gooseberry, sage, passion fruit and
white flowers. Not solely because of the year, it offers a richer and creamier
but less mineral mouthfeel than the Le Zitelle. Nicely balanced, its rich,
viscous mouthfeel lingers and lingers. It is virtually impossible to pick a
favorite between Miani’s 2013 Merlot Filip and the 2013
Merlot Buri; the former is flintier and fresher, the
latter more voluptuous and unctuous, but both are absolutely world-class Merlot
wines with years of positive development ahead of them. The delicate coffee,
cocoa and violet nuances of the Filip and the smoky, cocoa and creamy coffee
reduction notes of the Buri only added levels of complexity to the exuberantly
fresh black and blue fruit aromas and flavors of both. These two refined wines
are very different from the 2004 Merlot Buri, which is so concentrated and rich that it
comes across as positively jammy, though with enough acidity to keep it
relatively light on the palate. Very complex, with notes of tar, licorice, ripe
plum and blackberry nectar, this wine is extremely impressive for its sheer size
and dimension of ripe fruit, and will especially appeal to those who love big,
round, sweet Napa and Australian reds.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1563549161605-Venison_copy.jpg"> Seared venison filet, braised shoulder, prune gnocchi, Savoy cabbage This evening of fine wine and food could
not have ended any better than it did, with Miani’s 2013 Rosso, a Merlot-Refosco blend that is
drinking beautifully, showing a suave, seamless quality to lavender, mint and
blueberry aromas and flavors that are hard to forget. Likewise, the 2015 Refosco Cossut
also stands out for its balance and remarkably polished tannins; given that
Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso is not exactly known for these characteristics, it’s
clear just how talented Pontoni is and how unique his wines are. But the real
star of the night is the unbelievable 2004
Refosco Calvari, a true vinous work of art. I have
never tasted a better Refosco wine in my life, and this specific bottle lacks
some of the rustic notes I have found in some other 2004 Calvari wines; it
magically combines power and grace, suave tannins and depth of red, blue and
black fruit flavors complicated by notes of tobacco, mineral and flowers, and nearly
endless length to create a seamless, multilayered drinking experience unlike any
I have yet encountered in this year’s collection of red wines. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1563549173164-Miani+Bottles+1_copy.jpg"> 

After
all that, I can only thank everyone involved in making this night possible. It
was a wonderful occasion to spend time in the company of great food, wine and
friends.

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