Friday Night Italian Wines !

Please join me for this Friday night dinner at Donna Margherita. We have been there a few times recently and have always enjoyed it. We will have 1 white and 4 red wines at this 8 person event. The wines will be a selection of different Italian wine varietals.

Donna Margherita, has great personal sized pizzas and a nice variety of Pastas. They do charge a corkage fee, which is included in the event cost. Check out their menu here:

https://www.donnamargheritany.com

Just a reminder of our usual rules:
** The cost of this event is $49 and is for the cost of the wines, plus corkage only.

NOTE: Meetup has started charging a "Partner Fee" that is above and in addition to the listed price of the event. It is annoying and confusing, but there is nothing I can do about it. It comes to approximately $3 more for each RSVP. You will see this charge when you complete your rsvp and pay for the event. Sorry!

You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 33% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner. There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine. We must be good guests to encourage the restaurant to continue to be generous to us.

Please read and understand the group's cancellation policy. If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). All cancellations are subject to a $5 service fee.

Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!

The Wines (notes will be distributed at the dinner):
2021 La Parrina Vermentino Parrina ($18) - CT 90.4 " Antonio Galloni, 92 points, “Fattoria La Parrina - The 2021 Vermentino is a wine of real distinction, and that's not something I can say often about Vermentino. Bright and sculpted, with terrific energy, the 2021 is loaded with varietal orchard fruit and floral character. There is so much to like."

2011 Fattoria Galardi Terra di Lavoro ($60) - CT 91.1, WA 92, "From a hot vintage, the 2011 Roccamonfina Terra di Lavoro is a soft, round wine with a large presence of dark cherry fruit and blackberry. This wine has broader shoulders compared to 2010 and 2012. Dark fruit, prune, plum and dried cherry lift heavily from the bouquet. Those more obvious aromas are followed by ethereal touches of ash, licorice and plenty of balsam herb. The wine's volcanic personality shines through, although with slightly less intensity. This edition of Terra di Lavoro shows soft tannins and a long finish. It's a beautiful wine that reflects the warm year."

2015 Paolo Scavino Barolo Prapò ($60) - CT 92.8, WA 95 points, "coming from less than a hectare in the Prapò vineyards, from which only five producers draw their fruit. It's a beautiful plot at about 1,000 feet in altitude and with a full southern exposure, producing some very meaty fruit with a high phenolic presence, as the color is darker and there is more perfume. The 2015 Barolo Prapò is a distinctive vintage of a wine that is one to watch, for sure. The vineyard makes the difference, with brown and orange sandy soils, along with marlstone and veins of soils more typical of the area. The Scavino family bought this plot in 2008 and let the land rest for two years before they replanted. The goal, they said, was to steer away from more productive clones in favor of those that wouldn't take away too much from the quality. They took wood from the mothership vineyards in Bricco Ambrogio for this experiment, grafting them onto the rootstocks they carefully selected. The result is a soft and delicate Barolo with a lot of personality to go along with its firmness and power. This is an easy cru to recognize. Enrico Scavino said they could have waited longer for this experimental harvest, but they felt the time was right, explaining that "this work is all about feelings and instincts." (drink 2022-2045)"

2015 Bibbiano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Capannino ($30) - CT 91.7, WS 96, WA 93 points, "This is another plump and intense expression from the folks at Bibbiano. The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Vigna del Capannino is a bold and contemporary wine with dried blackberry and ripe cherry aromas that are followed closely by spice, tar, leather and moist chewing tobacco. The wine offers sweet softness, especially when it comes to the quality of the tannins, with lasting fruit flavors. This wine should continue its evolution over the next 10 years. (drink 2018-2030)"

2020 Foradori Granato ($68) - CT 92. No WA review for the 2020, but here is their 94 point review for the 2019, "This is a beautiful organic and biodynamic wine from Trentino in the far north of Italy. A pure expression of the native Teroldego grape, the Foradori 2019 Granato opens to an inky dark appearance with little light penetration. The bouquet takes a few moments before it fully opens, but once it does, you get dark plum and blackberry followed by cola, licorice and black rose. This richly concentrated red offers great depth and momentum."