What a night...a whirlwind affair that started at the offices of Christie's fine wine department, and then culminated at La Pizza Fresca downtown. MK, RY and yours truly along with 5 bottles of wine (3 Reislings, 1 Zierfanlander and 1 Burgundy) sat at the Italian restaurant's bar and just talked wine for 3 hours non stop.
1. Goldberg Riesling, Weingut Van Volxem, 2007: Saar Riesling from the Roman Niewodniscanski’s estate is a treat. Rich melon fruit on the nose with a bit of lemon. The palate is concentrated with a silky texture and a faint hint of minerality. The delicacy and perfume of the Mosel region are the distinguishing characteristics of this polished wine. An absolute pleasure for Mosel lovers.
2. Weingut Knoll, Reid Loibenberg Riesling, Smaragd, 2002: Opened at just the right time! Muted petrol notes greet the nose, distinguishing characteristics of an aged Riesling. Notes of honey, dried apricots and the complex concentration of mature fruit are obvious from the first few minutes. The harvest usually takes place during the second week of December for this rich Smaragd. Wonderful accompaniment to our 3 Pizzas.
3. Weingut Knoll, Reid Schutt Durnsteiner Riesling, 2001: my favorite wine of the evening, with the Austrian Saint Urban the Golden (Austria's favored saint) on the wine label, it would be indeed difficult to go wrong with the wine inside the bottle! The year 2001 was blessed with a warm summer and a rainy fall in which the grapes did not get as ripe as the ones in the year 2000 but matured with their acidity levels remaining high. I find that Knoll is always a little difficult when young but when opened during it's time of maturity it is intrinsically delicious.
4. Morey Saint Denis, 'en la Rue de Vergy' Domaine Perrot Minot, 2002: Simple perfection. A classic style Burgundy, delicate, with a hint of gaminess, faint blue cheese on the nose, well balanced tannins and an incredibly long finish. The 2002 is drinking very well. Notable through it's lovely light color, I can understand how wine lovers 'start with Bordeaux and end up in Burgundy.' This wine is quite a find, a village wine but with grapes grown right next to a grand cru vineyard.
5. Stadlmann Zierfandler, Mandel-Hoh 2006: An old traditional grape varietal from Austria which grows almost exclusively in the tiny Thermenregion of the country. The Mandel-Hoh vineyard is the world's top site for this grape planted with decades to their vines. Most plantings of Zierfandler were pulled out during the 80's and 90's and planted with Riesling and Gruner Veltliner but now the varietal is showing a revival and this particular bottle is probably the best expression of the grape. Fruit forward with a refreshing acidity, some spice and mineral notes, the Mandel-Hoh vineyard Zierfandler was a very pleasant surprise.
Before I left Pizza Fresca, the owner Brad was kind enough to show me his absolutely amazing and densely packed underground cellar. Probably the most unusual wine list for an Italian restaurant notable mostly for it's delicious wood fired brick oven Neapolitan style pizza.
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