The holiday season seems to increase the number of restaurants doing wine dinners. These are enjoyable ways to learn about different wines, and usually a pretty good bargain as well. Recently we attended one featuring French and Italian wines at Cedar Knoll, a conveniently local place right on the George Washington Parkway.
The first three wines were sparkling, a good start since Gabriele likes bubbles. The first was the Fattoria Conca d’Oro Prosecco di Treviso. It was crisp and clean, dry not sweet, made from the Glera grape. It went well with the arancini, fried dough balls filled with raisins.
The second was the 2019 Mosnel Franciacorta Brut Saten. Mostly Chardonnay grapes with some Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc, this wine had a slightly funky nose and aftertaste of bread, with some citrus undertones. Both it and the lobster canape with caviar were just OK.
Finishing out the sparklers was the Billecart Salmon Sous Bois. A well-known name in Champagne, I liked this wine but Gabriele felt there was too much breadiness. Sous Bois translates to under wood, the wine is fermented in oak barrels. It was nice with the mousse profiterole but not worth the high price point IMO.
A 2021 Culy-Dutheil Chinon Blanc Chanteaux brought us into the still wines. This was a slightly off dry, unctuous wine with a lot of fruit and lingered on the palate. It was 100 percent Chenin Blanc grapes and had enough acidity to keep the richness from going too far. It was a solid pairing with a mini chicken pot pie.
Next up was a Burgundy, the 2021 Bernard Rion Chorey-Les-Beaune Pinot Noir. I was looking forward to this wine because it can get expensive guessing with French Burgundy and Gabriele doesn’t typically like it. I thought this wine was enjoyable, softer and not too tart. She disagreed, had too much “dirt,” and at around $60 there are a lot of better Pinots to be had for the money. It went well with the Bourguignon food course.
We went back to Italy with the next wine, the 2020 Ca’Del Baio Barbaresco Autinbej. Made from the Nebbielo grape, this was a floral and spicy wine. We tasted pomegranate and iron in the wine, which was a bit too tannic. A year or two more in the bottle might smooth the wine out. The wild boar porchetta was tasty but the presentation was lacking – it looked like underdone bacon.
The final red was the winner in my book. It was the 2019 Umani Ronchi Cumaro Montepulciano Riserva. We like Montepulciano wines but they can be heavy and cloying if not made well. This wine was not that at all. I did not know anything about the Conero DOCG region where apparently some of the best Montepulciano wines are produced. It had a rich nose, dark cherry fruit, a bit of chocolate, and moderate tannins.
We purchased some bottles to take home. The sausage and ricotta ravioli was by far the best food course of the night. We wish Cedar Knoll would add it to their regular menu. I enjoyed Ruby Port but did not jot down any notes on the two Churchills served with dessert.
Make it a 2024 resolution to get on some restaurant email lists and hit some holiday wine dinners in 2024. Merry New Year!