Easter Lunch: Gnocchi, Lamb, Pastiera and Old Wines

A friend of ours asked Michele if she could teach her how to make potato gnocchi. Michele was happy to and since the friend and her husband were joining us for Easter dinner,

Michele told them to come early so they could make the gnocchi together.

Her husband suggested that since it was 2019 we should have wines from vintages ending in 9 and this sounded like a good idea.

As always, we started with Champagne:

Champagne “Brut Signature” 1989 Jaquesson & Fils While the source of their grapes remains the same, they have changed the names of their Champagnes and production methods to some extent. However I do not know have they could improve over this very impressive 30 year old Champagne. It was fantastic.

Puligny-Montrachet “Les Referts” 1989 100% Chardonnay. Domaine Etienne Sauzet The wine is aged on the lees for 10/12 months, indigenous yeast is used. Fining and filtration take place. They use 20 to 25% new oak. This is a full bodied wine, elegant and well balanced and one of the best examples of white Burgundy I have had the pleasure to drink.

The potato gnocchi turned out light and flavorful bathed as they were in a cream sauce with prosciutto, peas, roasted peppers and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Chambolle-Musigny “Fermieres” 1989 Domaine Philippe Remy. 100% Pinot Noir. The year this wine was produced Lalou Bize-Leroy purchased the estate and incorporated its important vineyard holdings into her newly formed Domaine Leroy.

Pommard “Grand Epenots” 1979 Hubert de Monille.100% Pinot Noir. The soil is clay and limestone rich and heavy.

Both of the above wines are classic expressions of Burgundy.

Our next course was roast leg of lamb with garlic, anchovy and rosemary, served with flageolet beans and roasted asparagus.

Chateau Lynch Bages 1989 the current vintage 2017 is made from 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdon. Aging is for 18 months in oak 75% new. The 1989 is a well balanced structured wine with aromas of black and red fruit and hints of blackberry, cedar, leather and a touch of coffee. This is a very impressive wine that will age for many years. Two days later there was still some wine left in the bottle and I drank it with lunch!

Montepuliciano d’ Abruzzo 1979 Emidio Pepe made from 100% Montepulicano d’ Abruzzo. They have Organic and Bio-Dynamic production and as little interference as possible by the winemaker in the winemaking process. The grapes are pressed by hand. This is the only wine I know of that is made the same way today as it was in 1979. It was at its peak and a pleasure to drink.

There were 8 wines in all but two bottles were not good. One 1979 Champagne was much too old and tasted like sherry and another red wine was corked.

We finished the wines with an assortment of cheeses.

For dessert, a guest brought a Pastiera, a classic dessert from Naples.