We enjoyed two absolutely delicious Italian reds from my cellar last night.
I took a 1998 Il Poggione Brunello Riserva and a 2000 Masi "Costasera" Amarone to dinner at Enoteca Davanti in San Diego’s Little Italy.
The Il Poggione, one of my favorite Brunellos, was spectacular from the first sip, while the Masi Amarone needed a bit of aeration to open up and show its stuff.
Both wines have been stored for years at 59F in one of my refrigerated wine cabinets. They were in pristine condition and could have gone another decade or more, at least. The longevity of Amarone is an accepted fact: These are big wines that require time in the cellar to be tamed.
Wines made from Sangiovese, such as Brunello, are not as widely recognized for their ability to age. I know better because for years it was my ritual to order a bottle of the 1957 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro, a Chianti Classico, from the amazing cellar at Bottega del Vino in Verona, during the annual VinItaly wine fair. The well-aged Chianti was always superb, even 50 years on.
Brunello di Montalcino offers serious wine collectors tremendous value in cellar-worthy red wine, as the Il Poggione Riserva from the less-than-heralded 1998 vintage demonstrates. In fact, I would submit that the ’98 vintage in the Montalcino region is vastly underrated, in some part because it followed the legendary 1997 vintage.
The key pairings for each wine were a creamy polenta topped with a savory ragu made from braised pork shoulder with the Il Poggione Brunello, and an assortment of five Italian cheeses served with the Amarone for the finale to the evening.
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