An Afternoon at the Opera by the Fireside

Once again we were invited to watch an opera and have lunch with friends. This time, another friend joined us and he brought the Burgundy. We watched Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart starring Cecilia Bartoli and Bryn Terfel

sitting by the fireplace as we enjoyed our Prosecco.

With the wine, we had a assortment of charcuterie, including duck rillettes, a pate campagne with black peppercorns, a rabbit pate, prosciutto, bresaola, fontina cheese, and rustic sourdough bread.

Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore 2018 Brut Natural Silvano Follador made mostly from Glera with a small amount of Perera, Bianchetta and Verdiso. There is a careful selection of the grapes. The grapes are fermented slowly and then aged on the lees for 6 months. In the spring the second fermentation takes place in a pressurized tank (Martinotti method) and at the end the yeasts are eliminated by slow filtration. It always ends with less than 3g/l of residual sugar so that it is a Brut Natural. The wine is aged 6 months in steel before release. It has hints of fresh fruit, green apple, a touch of citrus fruit and a floral note.

Meursault 2002 1er cru “La piece sous le bois” Robert Ampeau & Fils 100% Chardonnay. Located in the Puligny – Montrachet region of Burgundy covering 10 hectares of vineyards. The harvest is by machine and this allows 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 honey, butterscotch, pear, citrus fruit and nuts with mineral notes and good acidity.

After a couple of acts, we put the opera on pause and headed to the dining room for our main course which was a classic coq au vin served with steamed little potatoes.

Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru “Lavieres” 1999 Robert Ampeau et Fils made from 100% Pinot Noir. This premier cru is actually located in Meursault, though it is sold as Volnay.  This is a complex wine with dark ripe fruit aromas and flavors, hints of strawberries, cherries, currants, plum and a touch of spice. It is a very impressive Burgundy.

Michele provided the dessert, sliced navel and blood oranges marinated in orange syrup with the orange zest and Gran Marnier. It was light and refreshing.

Back by the fire, we finished watching the opera with glasses of Armagnac.