The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

It's almost December. And the annual Enoteca 100 tasting is upon us again. Do not miss. You can get $10 off with a coupon code mentioned in the COST section below. I never used to love Italian food as much, until I started loving Italian wine. That love affair with vino drove me to explore and appreciate Italian cuisine, which in turn nudged me to explore even more of Italy's wine regions and varieties. No other place has helped open my eyes to all that more so than one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area - Donato Enoteca . Not only do they serve great food and wine all year around, they also feature some of my favorite winemaker dinners. And once a year, Donato Enoteca throw their annual Enoteca 100 Italian wine extravaganza. This year, it's on Saturday, December 7. I documented this event in the past -- highly recommended for sheer joy of living! Taste 100+ fine Italian Wines & Donato's Creations The WINE: Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, Franci...

Not easy for us to go out these days. Rona is mostly preoccupied with baby activities and plans - Evan is now 2.5 and can say "wine" in three languages! I am swamped at Tango . But even she couldn't resist the allure of a Batard-Montrachet white Burgundy. Cafe Pro Bono on California Av. in Palo Alto provided a comfortable setting for the grand cru. The 2006 from Bernard Morey showed great depth, rich beeswax color, intense flavor of ripe fruits and minerals with echos of honey, vanilla and cream, and solid (though not searing, fitting the 2006 vintage) acidity. 2006 was the last vintage under the Bernard Morey label, following which this solid domain was divided between his two sons Vincent and Thomas. No rush to drink my other bottle - it should easily last for another 5-7 years. The grilled prawns and lobster ravioli dishes paired beautifully with it. Even the two orders of beef carpaccio that she devoured by herself benefited from the company of this regal Chardon...

Great Enoteca 100  Italian wine tasting as usual at Donato Enoteca on Dec 1. Absolutely incredible value, an event that I look forward to every year, previously announced here . I paid extra attention to 2008 Barolos that have been getting a fair share of critical acclaim lately and are just becoming available in the market. I was not disappointed. Renato Ratti Barolo "Marcenasco" 2008 was the wine of the tasting for me. Vietti's entry-level Barolo Castiglione was also very good. I found both of these wines deep, full, and revealing enough (beyond tannins) to appreciate them even now. Honorable mention goes to Donato's porchetta (shown on the plate in front of the Renato Ratti above) - the crispy skin is to die for. Another notable showing was by the  1995 Fattoria di Felsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva "Rancia"  - somehow these venerable old bottles have shown up direct from the winery this year. The wine is tasting great right now, re...

The annual Enoteca 100 tasting is upon us again. Do not miss. You can get $10 off with a coupon code mentioned in the COST section below. I never used to love Italian food as much, until I started loving Italian wine. That love affair with vino drove me to explore and appreciate Italian cuisine, which in turn nudged me to explore even more of Italy's wine regions and varieties. No other place has helped open my eyes to all that more so than one of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area - Donato Enoteca . Not only do they serve great food and wine all year around, they also feature some of my favorite winemaker dinners. And once a year, Donato Enoteca throw their annual Enoteca 100 Italian wine extravaganza. This year, it's on Saturday, December 1. I documented this event in the past -- highly recommended for sheer joy of living! Taste 100+ fine Italian Wines & Donato's Creations The WINE: Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, Franciacorta, Amarone, Valle d'Ao...

To understand how perfect this pairing is, just think peanut butter and jelly, sea-salt and soft egg yolk, mustard and hot-dog, ketchup and french fries, Cabernet and steak... you get the idea?! OMG! When Dan and Ash put together a "casual" dinner just because , Ash's fresh pasta with wild mushrooms and Italian sausage, with shaved truffle cheese on top, served with the 1996 Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cannubi (thank you Sandy!) was orgasmic, except in a more romantic and indescribable way. When that truffly, mushroomy, fennelly goodness of a pasta was brought in proximity with the 1996, I could no longer separate the wine from the dish - the aromas melded, the flavors married, I was in heaven!  The charm of the perfectly aged Barolo from a classical vintage was irresistible.  Next to it, by comparison, I am sorry to say, the very impressive 2001 and 2005 Cavallotto Bricco Borschis Barolos just seemed out of place -- too young and primary (even the 2001). Cavallotto was...

Following up on the previous post , I am happy to report that Donato Enoteca remains not only one of my favorite places to eat, but amongst the top two best Italian wine tasting venues of the year (along with the venerable  Tre Bicchieri ). And when you factor in the laughable admission price for this caliber of food and wine, and the convenience of being able to order anything you taste at or under retail (rather than restaurant) prices, this is by far the best quality and the funnest Italian wine tasting event of the year in the Bay Area that I know of. Here are the highlights and faves: Note #1: For the first time, I tried La Fiorita Brunello 2006 - never heard of it before - delicious, with hints of strawberries, and relatively approachable at this young age, very pretty wine, although I didn't dig the label (but who cares!). Note #2: Produttori del Barbaresco, though missing a photo above, was excellent and IMHO is probably the best value (under $30) from ...

Leflaive's Macon-Verze - entry-level white Burgundy from 2007 is drinking amazingly right now. I've had 2008 and 2009, and neither IMO can touch the 2007, which always reminds me of Champagne (without bubbles). Testament to the excellent 2007 vintage for white Burgundy and to its master Domaine Leflaive! That's porchetta bruschetta at Donato Enoteca - delicious by itself and even better with Macon-Verze! And Donato's ox-tail (atop of risotto) - stop-in-your-tracks fall-off-the-bone deliciousness!

At 2 months old, it was time to take Evan to a first-ever restaurant for my first Father's Day. Where else but Donato Enoteca . I grabbed a bottle of chilled, Garagiste-supplied excellent 2008 Domaine Vrignaud Chablis that paired perfectly with all kinds of salads, seafood, and porchetta pizza on a hot summer day. More and more I am gravitating toward leaner style of white Burgundy, i.e. Chablis and Macon. Both 2007 and 2008 are excellent vintages for that. My taste buds and my wallet thank me. After getting a cheap feel, he happily fell asleep while we polished off the bottle.

It was the 1996 Barolo riserva from Giacomo Borgogno - one of the oldest and most-respected traditional Barolo producers. Their wines from top vintages can be enjoyed even at 50 years of age. Now a relatively lean wine but with hints of pretty, dried flowers and herbs, this 1996 still needs a few years to develop its full potential. But when paired with rare steak and freshly home-made pesto on top - it turns into a foodie comfort delight! 1996 is considered a good or "classic" vintage for Barolo, and especially in the hands of a traditional producer like Borgogno it means austere, structured, fairly unapproachable, but having all elements that make it elegant and complex with time, without overly lush fruit. 2006 comes to mind. Older vintages aren't easy to find, but WineChateau.com still has some aged Borgogno. And of course, no other wine transitions from meat to cheese as smoothly as Barolo! Kudos to chefs Ash and Dan for awesome cookery! Mangiare bene!

Last year, I was an honored guest at a heart-warming wedding. The two souls had been match-made six months earlier by my dear wife at a wine dinner at Donato Enoteca , and they decided to seal the deal at the same place. That turned out to be a magnificent event, documented here . Now two of my other friends are getting married. An exclusive dinner planned with just the close family, not an extravagant affair for the hundreds. Where? Rona and I took them to Donato Enoteca to check it out. They had never been - what outrage! Of course, they loved it - gourmet yet relaxed, five different spaces available for parties, plus an outdoor veranda which looks gorgeous during Spring cherry blossom season. We asked Donato to cook an "omakase" menu (whatever he likes), and Kate & Scott (who is a gourmet chef himself ) were dazzled. I stuck to a modest order of mushroom/sausage Pizza - Donato makes one of my faves in the Bay Area - and then I focused on the two wines in front ...

San Fran is so big and happening, yet finding a place that hits the spot is not necessarily a slam dunk. As I examine my inner self, I tend to gravitate toward Italian food. It's funny because French and Chinese are my favorites. Yet, for comfort, I want gourmet yet relaxed sort of a place. Italian and Spanish are just right. Plus, any excuse to drink vino Italiano is worth consideration. The other night, Rona and I found ourselves spending four hours at Beretta - in the Mission district. Just long enough to consume respectable amount of vino and still be good to drive! Terrific food, perhaps just a notch below Restaurant Delfina , but then the parking is a hell of a lot easier at Beretta. Get there early (5pm) and call in 45 min beforehand to get on the waiting list. Since our friends were interested in learning about wine, I brought a couple of special selections: a 2008 Roero Arneis from Bruno Giacosa (top Arneis in the world, from Roero area in Piedmonte) and a 2001 Bertan...

Ever since Tre Bicchieri 2011 , when Eleonora Guerini, senior editor of Gambero Rosso raved about an Italian region on a roll - Campania, I've been paying more attention to Greco di Tufo, one of Campania's top two white grape varieties, the other being Fiano. So recently when I found myself lunching at Bottega restaurant in Yountville - currently Napa Valley's best foodie restaurant (IMO, along with Ad Hoc), that I've written about in the past , and I saw Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo 2009, it was an easy choice. Feudi San Gregorio is one of Campania's top producers. Excellent, balanced, seafoody, fruit, acidity, a hint of smoke, minerals are all there. Character and depth, without heaviness or oakiness. As good a $17 bottle (at retail) of Italian white as you'll find to go with food. And the food was spectacular at Bottega yet again. Polenta under glass. Super creamy polenta, caramelized mushrooms & balsamic game sauce. Green-Egg and Ham. Olive oil-p...

Anyone in the mood for a magical pairing with Barolo? I always am! Donato Enoteca continues to shine, almost two years after opening. I just come in and ask the chef (Donato or sous-chef Pedro, whoever happens to be at the helm that day) "What do you have today?" Last Friday night, Pedro said "I got pork shank on a bone, off the menu". "Osso-buco?", I asked. "No, it's pork shank. Osso-buco is veal." Oh, porko-buco it is then! I didn't need any urging. Melting pork, falling off the bone, with a bottle of Barolo that I'd been curious to try for a while - Fontanafredda 2000 Barolo "La Villa" from a sub-plot of Paiagallo vineyard in Barolo. Absolutely awesome pairing - the pork was smoky charred on the outside and moist and gelatinous on the inside. The Barolo - pure milk-chocolate meets truffles and tarry berries, luscious texture, reflecting the warmth and seduction of the 2000 vintage. Delicious wine, although probably a to...

Tripe alla Fiorentina at Restaurant Delfina, San Francisco. Delicious, perfectly textured between chewiness and melt-in-your-mouth'ness. Last time after I raved about Pizzeria Delfina , located next door to the San Francisco jewel of an Italian restaurant that I'd never been to - Restaurant Delfina , the chef owner Craig Stoll was nice enough to invite me over. With menus updated daily and swanky atmosphere in the midst of a bustling Mission neighborhood, I'd been itching to go for a while, as the place has foodies abuzz. Having a bottle of the Vietti Barolo Lazzarito 2004 in hand that I had just gotten from WineChateau.com , Rona and I headed to Delfina to meet our dear friends whom we hadn't seen for ages. Vietti sits somewhere in between the traditionalists and the modernists of the Barolo producers spectrum. The influence of oak is there, especially compared to the recent bottles of a staunch traditionalist Bartolo Mascarello (I just had 2003 and 2006 at Donato Eno...

Watching a little TV on a weekday night, trying to forget the pressures of corporate deadlines, meetings, objectives, metrics, how to keep 15 million users happy and one million competitors dead... What else does one need but a bottle of 2006 Ca'Rossa Roero Audinaggio and a plate of spinach ravioli with tomato basil garlic sauce with a few chunks of truffle cheese like Boschetto al Tartufo melted in. Killer Nebbiolo for $32-35. As good as most Barbarescos out there from a solid vintage. Truffles, faded roses, and a little meat. Don't bother me - I am eating! ...and drinking Roero! See more of my Roero raves here .

Bottega opened in 2008 in the back of the big parking lot in Yountville across from Bouchon. That's not its only fame. In fact, in my opinion, Bottega easily outshines the famous Bouchon. Bottega is a brainchild of a top chef master and Food Network personality Michael Chiarello , who just, btw, released an obligatory Bottega cookbook. Put it on the shelf next to the Ad Hoc book and the Mustards Grill book - all instant classics from favorite Napa Valley foodie havens! The cuisine feels decidedly California-Italian. Prior to Bottega and his Food Network gigs, Michael was the founding executive chef of Tra Vigne - another "Italian-influenced" Napa Valley top draw. Bottega has become my gastronomic destination. Perhaps the only other place I've been where Italian food rises to a higher level is Bobby Stuckey's (ex French Laundry sommelier) Friuli-influenced Frasca in Boulder, Colorado. I'd be remiss not to give an honorable mention to Delfina in the city (SF...