<a target="_blank" href="http://ristorantemorini.com/#top">Ristorante
Morini</a>

1167 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10028

+1 (212) 249-0444

Wines:

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 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1996+Dom+P%C3%A9rignon+Oenoth%C3%A8que">1996 Dom Pérignon Oenothèque</a> &nbsp;
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 97
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=2002+Salon">2002 Salon</a>
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 96+
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1978+Chave+Hermitage">1978</a><a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1978+Chave+Hermitage"> J.L. Chave Hermitage</a>
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 ?
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1999+Chave+Hermitage">1999</a><a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1999+Chave+Hermitage"> J.L. Chave Hermitage</a>
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 95
 </td>
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1995+Chave+Hermitage">1995</a><a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1995+Chave+Hermitage"> J.L. Chave Hermitage</a>
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 97
 </td>
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1990+Chave+Hermitage">1990</a><a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1990+Chave+Hermitage"> J.L. Chave Hermitage</a>
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 95
 </td>
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 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1991+Chave+Hermitage">1991 J.L. Chave Hermitage</a>
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 96
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1989+Chave+Hermitage">1989 J.L. Chave Hermitage</a>
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 ?
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1983+Chave+Hermitage">1983 J.L. Chave Hermitage</a>
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 91
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1988+Chave+Hermitage">1988 J.L. Chave Hermitage</a>
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 98
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1984+Penfolds+Grange">1984 Penfolds Grange</a>
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 91&nbsp;
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</tbody></table>

Food:

Crudo tasting

Grilled calamari; burrata charred lancinato kale, olivada 

Spaghetti; mussels, clams, shrimp,
calamari, sugo alla pescatore 

Grilled black sea bass, confit tomatoes, patate all’ olio,
ligurian olives, basil

A last-minute&nbsp;vertical of Chave’s iconic Hermitage was a
great and unexpected&nbsp;way to celebrate Vinous’s first birthday. If there is any region I could
spend more time on, it is the northern Rhône. Needless to say, I was thrilled
when a dear friend invited me to this fabulous dinner.

Michael White’s Ristorante Morini is a welcome addition to the
scene in New York’s Upper East Side, a neighborhood that isn’t exactly a hotbed
of culinary excitement. I wish Morini had been around during the five years I
lived right around the corner. The cuisine is classic Michael White, with heavy
focus on fish, seafood and deep, soulful pastas. Our dinner is delicious and
beautifully prepared. It’s hard to pick a highlight, as everything is
terrific.&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1401375169933-MoriniBass.jpg"> 


















Grilled black sea bass,
confit tomatoes, patate all’ olio, ligurian olives, basil 



Dinner starts with the 1996
Dom Pérignon Oenothèque, a Champagne that is beginning to drink well only
now, several years after its release. The razor sharp acidity and minerality
are fully integrated with fruit that is beginning to enter its second plateau
of development. In a perfect world, Dom Pérignon would be releasing the 1996
today, as it is only recently that the wine has begun to shine. The 2002 Salon is equally majestic, but
obviously much more of an infant. This is a vintage built on pure density
rather than the laser-like focus of other epic years, the 1996 in
particular. On this night, both Champagnes are simply stunning. <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1401375294414-MoriniDP96.jpg"> 

Dom Pérignon’s 1996
Oenothèque

Sadly, the 1978 Hermitage
is corked, something that is more obvious with the passage of time. What a
shame. The 1999 Hermitage is huge,
with a deep, enveloping core of dark red and black fruit, smoke, tobacco and
cured meats. Wild overtones run through the finish. Today the 1999 does not
appear to be an especially refined Hermitage, but at the same time, I would be
tempted to cellar bottles for a few years, as the density of the fruit is
almost overpowering, especially next to some of the more polished wines that
follow. The 1995 Hermitage, on the
other hand, is totally sublime. Rose petal, black pepper, dried flowers and
sage are some of the many Syrah-inflected aromas that blossom in the glass in a
perfumed, sensual wine that captivates all of the senses. With just six people
at the table, there is plenty of wine to go around. This is a superb showing.


Another gorgeous wine, the 1990
Hermitage is terrific. Huge and explosive on the palate, yet also translucent
and impeccably polished, the 1990 is all about balance. Hints of cedar and
tobacco develop over time, but the 1990 still needs time in bottle for its full
range of tertiary flavors to blossom. Readers who own the 1990 are in for a
real treat. The same is true of the 1991
Hermitage. A few months ago, I had a bottle of the Cuvée Cathelin, one of
my favorite wines on the planet, so I was curious to check in on the Hermitage.
Here it is the wine’s suppleness and silkiness that are utterly captivating. Expressive
floral notes linger on the open, caressing finish. What a gorgeous wine this
is. Both the 1990 and 1991 ease the pain of a corked 1989 Hermitage, the last disappointment of an otherwise magnificent
evening.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1401375336830-MoriniNoCaption.jpg"> 

In this context, the 1983
Hermitage comes across as a bit rough around the edges. Smoke, game,
tobacco, leather and a host of other varietal notes are very much alive in the glass.
The 1983 is fully mature, brawny and pungent, but also shows no signs of
fading. It is an excellent choice for drinking over the next handful of years. One
of my favorite wines of the night, the 1988
Hermitage is simply breathtaking for its beauty and profoundness. Sage,
rosemary, sweet tobacco and dried flowers are some of the many notes that lift
from the glass in a translucent, weightless, yet wonderfully deep wine. May I
have another glass, please? Wow…

The last wine is served blind. I know I am out of my depth here.
Whatever this is, I don’t have a reference point. The fruit is sweet, dense and
textured. To me, it is a thirty year-old wine aged in American oak. That’s as
close as I can get. It would have taken me quite some time to get to Australian
Shiraz, which I have very little familiarity with. Although tough to taste
after all the Chaves, the 1984 Penfolds
Grange is a very good wine that is peaking but that also shows no sign of
fading.

Manhattan’s Upper East Side has many attractions, including a
number of fabulous galleries, museums, shops, and, of course, Central Park. Now
it also has a terrific new Italian restaurant in Ristorante Morini. Compared to
White’s other flagship restaurants Marea and Ai Fiori, the ship doesn’t seem to
run quite as tight at Morini, but those are the kind of refinements that take
time.

-- Antonio Galloni

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