Despite the difficulties this year, we were able to maintain a few holiday traditions. One that we always look forward to is having Christmas dinner at the home of Tom Maresca and Diane Darrow.
We began with a toast.
Brut Methode Traditional 2018 made from 100% Gringet, an endemic grape variety of Savoie France Domaine Belluard. The vineyard is at 450 meters and the exposure is south. The soil is chalky of the Chablais Mountains with little stones. Glacier sediments: yellow marls. Hand-operated harvest. There is a very soft pressing of the grapes. Traditional vinification with alcoholic and malolactic fermentation with native bacteria and yeast takes place. 60% of the vinification is carried out in an egg-shaped concrete vat. Rough filtration on egg whites. The wine has floral notes, pleasant fruity aromas and flavors, a hint of apple, and touch of minerality. The winery is located in the heart of the valley of the Arve between Geneva and Chamonix Mont-Blanc.
With the sparkling wine there were three appetizers
Smoked salmon on rye bread.
Stuffed Mushrooms with breadcrumbs and cheese.
We also had foie gras toasts.
At the table, we had
Irpina Aglianico 2016 “Memini” Az. Ag. Guastaferro made from 100% Aglianico. The wine bursts with sweet ripe fruit of cherry, raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate. It has a wonderful fruit filled finish and a very long aftertaste. It was a very interesting Aglianico and I have never tasted one like this before. Daniele Cernelli (aka Doctor Wine) in his book The Essential Guide to Italian Wine 2020 states: … In 2002 Raffaele Guastaferro inherited 10 hectares from his grandfather with over 100 year old vines trained using the old starseto (pergola Avellinese) method…creating a very interesting style for the wines that were also based on tradition.
Our first course was Pizza Rustica, a Southern Italian savory pie filled with ricotta, prosciutto and salame.
There are many versions and every cook, has his or her own interpretation. But Diane’s was outstanding for its balance of flavors and tender, perfectly baked crust. We asked for a generous slice to take home with us for lunch the next day!
On the plate
B
Barbaresco 2001 “Roncagile” Poderi Colla made from 100% Nebbiolo. The vineyard has a south, south–west exposure and is at 240/280 meters. There are about 4,000/5,000 vines per hectare and the years of planting were 1970-1980-1995-2010. Harvest is manual and takes place the 5th to 15th of October. The grapes are destemmed and crushed and maceration with the skins takes place from 12/15 days. There is a complete malolactic fermentation before the winter. In the spring the wines goes into Slavonian oak bottles for 12/4 months. This is a complex wine with hints of blackberries, blueberries a hint of violets, rose petal and a touch of spice. I visited the winery a few years ago and liked all their wines.
To accompany the main course, we had escarole sauteed with garlic, raisins and pine nuts.
Our main course was a rolled, stuffed veal breast which made a beautiful presentation. The filling included greens and mushrooms.
The veal and escarole were served with roasted potatoes
Barbaresco 1999 Bruno Giacosa made from 100% Nebbiolo. The exposure is southwest; the soil is calcareous clay with a good percentage of sand. There are 4,000 vines per hectare. Fermentation and maceration is in stainless steel vats for 21 days. Malolactic fermentation is complete developed. The wine is aged for 18 months in 110HL botti casks of French oak and eight months in bottle before release. The wine has hints of raspberry, plum, blueberries a touch of violets and a note of tobacco
There were a few cheeses to finish the wine.
Dessert was a Tarte Tatin, made by Michele. We had creme fraiche on the side.
On the plate. I like every type of apple tart, but this has to be my favorite.
We finished this perfect meal with espresso and Marolo Barbera grappa.
We started with Champagne Alfred Gratien Brut Rosè NV made from 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier and 15%. The Pinot Noir is added as a still wine. After 6 months of cellaring in 228 liter oak casks, the must is transformed into wine. Malolactic fermentation does not take place. The cuvee is bottled with sugar and yeast to allow for a secondary fermentation in the bottle and it remains in the cellar for 36 months. Then the disgorging takes place where the lees and sediment are removed from the bottle. It is topped up with more wine and some sugar and left to rest for a few more months in the cellar. It has good red fruit with hints of raspberry and strawberries and touch of roses.
To accompany the wine, we had Octopus and Potato Salad. It’s a favorite of ours that we always enjoy in Rome.
Sourdough Bread was a good accompaniment.
For our main course, Michele roasted two large branzini with artichokes.
With the roasted fish and artichokes, we had polenta with Parmigiano Reggiano.
Greco di Tufo “ Nova Serra” 2013 Mastroberadino made from 100% Greco di Tufo from the 33 acre Novaserra vineyard at 1,815 feet. The soil is clay and calcareous along the profile volcanic presence. There are 1,600 vines per hectare and the training system is guyot Espalier. The vineyard was replanted in 1999 and the exposure is southwest. The harvest is in October. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks for 15 days. The wine remains on the lees for 5 months before it is bottled and in bottle for 3 months before release. This is a wine with rich ripe fruit and hints of pear, peach, apricot and a touch of citrus and sage.
Dessert was a Chocolate Ginger Cake with Confit Citrus and whipped Creme Fraiche brought by our friends. The cake turned out kind of messy, but absolutely delicious. I could have gotten a better picture, but was in too much of a hurry to dig in. Not wanting the crumbles to go to waste, I nibbled away at more than my share with a small grappa after the meal.
Novebolle Romagna Doc Spumante NV Brut “Bolè Blue” made from 95% Trebbiano and 5% Famoso. Charmat method and the sugar is 8g/l. A slow fermentation for 90 days takes place in temperature controlled autoclaves. This is a fresh crisp fruity wine with hints of citrus fruit, white flowers and a note of yeast. It is an easy pleasant wine to drink. Daniele said it is inspired by the sparkling wines of Romagna that were in favor in the early Novecento. This is a delicate and fresh spumante with hints of citrus fruit and notes of white flowers. It is a very easy drinking wine and Italy’s newest Spumante DOC. This is the Consortium’s collective brand. There is also a Bole Rose. E 3
Dracone Riserva 2011 Palazzona di Maggio made from 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. The vineyards are located in the hills of San Pietro Di Ozzano, in the Doc zone of Colli di Imola at 80 to 170 meters. The grapes are harvested by hand and come from the best and oldest part of the tenuta from the Poggio Alto and Quercia vineyards situated at 110 and 170 meters. Maceration takes place under controlled temperature and a post fermentation with a long Maceration with frequent pumping over. The wine is aged for 24 months on 500 liter oak barrels of first and second passage. The wine is in bottle for 18 months before release. It has hints of red berries, black currants and jam with a note of tobacco and spice. Daniele said there was a long tradition of international grapes in the area. He also said it was a big wine and reminded him of a California wine. The winery was certified organic in 2019. E 16.5
Sangiovese Superiore Di Romagna DOC “Beato Enrico” 2017 Tenuta Santini made from 100% Sangiovese Superiore di Romagna. The winery is in the town of Coriano very close to the Rimini Riviera. It is between Rimini and Riccione on the border with San Marino. Daniele said this was the winery’s most representative wine. The training system is cordone speronto and there are 3,300 vines per hectare and the vines are 12/15 years old. Fermentation is in steel with a controlled temperature. The wine spends 8 months in steel and glass. The wine has hints of red fruit, white flowers and a touch of blackberries. E 7.5
Cesco 1938 Tenuta Piccolo –Brunelli 2018 made from 100% Sangiovese from the Predappio sub zone. There are 7 hectares of vines at an altitude of 350 meters. There are 5,050 vines per hectare and the training system is spurred cordon. There is spontaneous fermentation with whole grapes followed by pumping over and breaking the cap by hand. The wine is aged in large Italian barrels and vitrified concrete tanks. The wine is not filtered. They also have a number of international varieties planted. In 2019 they started the transition to certified biological production. This is a wine with hints of red berries, red currants and a touch of blueberries. E 6.9
Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore “Morale” 2019 made from 100% Sangiovese di Romagna DOC Superiore Poderi Morini. The production zone is Oriolo Faenza. The vineyard is at 170 meters, the training system is guyot and there are 5,000 plants per hectare. Harvest takes place the first week of October. Vivification is in steel and the wine remains in bottle for two months before release. This is a fresh and fruity wine with hints of violets and red berries and a touch of blackberries. E 3.5
Domaine Rolet Pere et Fils “Cremant Du Jura” NV made from 57% Chardonnay, 16% Savagnin, 16% Poulsard and 11% Pinot Noir from 20 year old vines at 280 to 380 meters. The soil is gray marl and there are two meters of topsoil before hitting mother rock. Only indigenous yeast is used. Fermentation and aging is in tanks. The wine remains on the lees for 24 months. It is medium bodied, dry with good minerality, hints of citrus fruit, yeasty notes and a touch of white flowers.
Michele had made gougeres, parmesan cheese puffs, to go with the Champagne.
With the main course we had Gigondas 2005 Domaine Raspail AY (Magnum) made from 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 6% Mourvedre. The wine is aged in old fundres and then in barrels for 18 to 24 months. This is a complex wine that has hints of black fruit, cherry, raspberry, leather and a touch of violets and spice. It has a very pleasing aftertaste and a long finish and it was a pleasure to drink as well as a perfect match with the cassoulet.
Our friends also brought us a loaf of artisan sourdough bread from Breads Bakery, a beautiful rustic loaf to eat with the cassoulet.
Cassoulet on the plate
After the cassoulet, we had a simple salad of arugula, radicchio, fennel and orange wedges with sherry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil dressing.
There were two cheeses to finish the wine, one was a bloomy rind Pave from France and the other was a semifirm Alta Badia from Italy
For dessert, Michele made individual apple tarts served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream.
Veuve Clicquot Brut NV made from 56% Pinot Noir, 16% Pinot Meunier and 28% Chardonnay. This is easy drinking Champagne, toasty with black fruit aromas and flavors.
Gosset Champagne Brut Excellence made from 24% Pinot Noir, 36% Chardonnay and 19% Pinot Meunier from Ay-Chapmpagne, Chigny-les-Roses, Courmas, Cumieres, Avize, Cuis and Trepail. There is 100% malolactic fermentation. The wine spends 30 months in the cellar before it is disgorged. Dosage for the Brut is11g/L. It has hints of apricots, peaches, dried fruit and a touch of brioche.
Champagne Boizel 2007 made from 40% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier. 3% of the wines were aged in oak casks. The wines were aged for 7 years on the lees. This is elegant Champagne with hints of apricot, biscuits, flowers, almonds and a touch of licorice. 
Champagne Dom Pérignon 2008 made from equal amounts of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The grapes come from five Grand Cru villages and one Premier Cru village. This is a very impressive champagne with great balance, elegance and complex aromas and flavors.
Champagne Marguet “Shaman 14” Grand Cru NV made from 69% Pinot Noir and 31% Chardonnay. The wine was bottled July 2016, and the disgorgement date was March 2018. There are no added sulfites and the dosage is 0. It has flavors of honeysuckle, lemon, apple and a touch of stone fruit.
Selosse Substance Avize is the essence in a single vintage from two parcels without regard to vintage variation. Always made from the same Chardonnay vineyards in Avize. A south facing slope and an east hill base. Made from a solera started in 1987. Each year 22% is taken from the solera. Dosage 0-4g/l. It has hints of apricots, pears, loads of wet stone minerality, white flowers, pumpkin pie spice, mulled cider and the signature oxidation. It may be the most unusual champagne I have ever tasted.
Alfred Gratien Brut Rosè NV made from 45% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Meunier and 15% . The Pinot Noir is added as a still wine. After 6 months of cellaring in 228 liter oak casks, the must is transformed into wine. Malolactic fermentation does not take place. The cuvee is bottled with sugar and yeast to allow for a secondary fermentation in the bottle and it remains in the cellar for 36 months. Then the disgorging takes place where the lees and sediment are removed from the bottle which is topped up with more wine and some sugar and left to rest for a few more months in the cellar. It has good red fruit with hints of raspberry and strawberries and touch of roses.
Suenen Champagne Oiry Blancs De Blancs Grand Cru Extra Brut made from 100% Chardonnay from the Grand Cru village of Cramant. The soil is chalk. The vins clairs (clear wines) are fermented partially in barrel and spend 9 months on the lees. The dosage is 2g/L. This is a delicate dry wine with floral aromatics, hints of green apple, a note of yellow plums and a touch of lemon with high acidity.
Larmandier-Bernier “Latitude” Extra Brut Blanc De Blancs NV. Made from 100% Chardonnay grapes which come from the same Latitude in the southern part of Vertus. There is 40% reserve wine in the blend and the dosage is 4g/l. The wine has hints of peach, white flowers, toast and a touch of almonds.
Champagne Krug Grande Cuvèe 167EME EDITION This is a blend of 191 wines from 13 different years, the youngest is from 2011 and the oldest goes back to 1995. The final blend is 47% Pinot Noir 36% Chardonnay and17% Meunier. It is aged for about 7 years before it is released. The Champagne has hints of dried and citrus fruit, a touch of gingerbread, hints of hazelnuts, and brioche. It is Michele’s favorite Champagne.
We started with Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve made from 40% Pinot Noir, 20% and Pinot Meunier and 40% Chardonnay. 40% is reserve wine. This is a rich complex Champagne with hints of brioche, toasted almonds, apricot, plum and a touch of dried fruit.
With the champagne, we enjoyed a smoked trout pate on toasts.
Chateauneuf du Pape Chateau De Vaudieu Blanc 2012 made from 75% Grenache and 25% Roussanne. The winery is located in the heart of the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation. The name comes from Val de Dieu (Valley of God). The vineyard is 10 hectares in the southern part of the estate and the soil is red clay, gray silex limestone and pebbles. Manual harvest in boxes of 15 kg with double sorting of the grapes in the vineyard takes place. Grapes are vinified and aged separately until blending. There is soft pressing with whole bunches. Static cold settling and alcohol fermentation is between 18 and 22 degrees. The wine is aged for 6 months. Most of the wine is aged in stainless steel and a small portion in barriques. The wine has hints of white fruit, grapefruit, refreshing citrus notes with nice minerality and good acidity.
Warm Bean Salad with Grilled Shrimp, a recipe from Michele’s book, 
Cöte de Nuits-Villages 2010 Domaine Bachrelet made from 100% Pinot Noir from vines planted in 1952 in Queue de Hareng in Brochon-3 plots, Vignois-3 plots, and Creèole-1 plot. The soil is limestone and clay, the exposure is east and the vineyard is at 300 meters. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and fermented with indigenous yeast. The wine is aged for 16 to 18 months is barrel, 25% new oak. This is a wine with hints of dark fruit, black cherry, blueberries and blackberries with a note of violets, a very pleasant finish and long aftertaste.
Dessert was an apple tart in a tender, buttery crust. We ate the tart with dollops of creme fraiche.
Barbaresco 1979 Giovannini Moresco made from 100% Nebbiolo. Sheldon Wasserman in his book “Italy’s Noble Red Wines” calls this the wine of the vintage. The grapes are harvested late when they are totally ripe and the yields are low because of severe pruning. The Podere del Pajore vineyard is planted in the rose sub-variety of Nebbiolo. After the 1979 vintage, the wines were made by Angelo Gaja according to Moresco’s instructions. A few years later the vineyard was sold to Gaja. Wasserman tasted this wine 14 times in March 1985 — that is how much he liked it. Now 41 years later it is still a great wine, rich, and complex with hints of tobacco, black cherry, truffles, faded roses and so much more. It has a most pleasing aftertaste and a very long finish.
By Sunday morning, the truffles had arrived. It was like Christmas morning but for grownups.
We set the table
For our first course, Michele made Eggs in Coccotte. Eggs baked in a puddle of cream and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Then we shaved the truffles on top. The heat of the eggs released the truffle fragrance. With it, we had two white wines.
Meursault “Les Chevalieres” 2008 Jean-Philippe Fichet made from 100% Chardonnay from a hillside vineyard with east/northeast exposure. The soil is limestone clay with a lot of limestone pebbles. The farming is organic. The grapes are hand harvested. Fermentation with malolactic is in barrel. Batonnage is limited depending on the health of the lees and the nature of the vintage. The wine is aged in barrel (1/6 new for 12 months and 3 to 6 months is tank. This is a fresh refined wine with hints of pear, apple and citrus notes with good minerality and a long finish.
Meursault-Perrieres 1995 Robert Ampeau & Fils made from 100% Chardonnay. Located in the Puligny – Montrachet region of Burgundy covering 10 hectares of vineyards. They harvest by machine and allow other plants to grow between the rows of vines. The wines are not released by the winery until they feel they are ready to drink. The wines are fermented without stalks in cement cuvees and aged in barriques, mostly used, for 10 months. The wine has hints of ripe citrus fruit honey and nuts with mineral notes and good acidity. It went especially well with the eggs and truffles.
For our main course there was fresh fettuccine, tossed with butter and cream and topped with more truffles.
In the dish with the truffles. Simple is best with white truffles and the fettuccine, purchased at Eataly, were the right complement.
Barolo “Brunate” 1974 Marcarini made from 100% Nebbiolo. For many years Elvio Cogno was the winemaker for the Poderi Marcarini in La Morra. His Barolo from the La Serra and Brunate Vineyards were exceptional. In Italy’s Noble Red Wines, Wasserman gives 2- stars to the 1974 vintage and wrote, “… the vintage has not lived up to its expectations, though without question a few splendid wines were made.” When he tasted the Cogno – Marcarini 1974 in 1984, he wrote, “Floral bouquet recalls tobacco and cherry, soft with a tannic vein, a shade astringent but still in all very good.” This was one of the few splendid wines
After the pasta, there was Insalata Tricolore with arugula, endive and radicchio.
The dessert was from a local bakery.