A dear wine friend of ours from London flew in this week and drove out east to see us for an incredible night of food and wine. We hadn't seen him in over three years so we knew that it was going to be a special evening. The restaurant we chose was Della Femina in East Hampton whose chef is the outstanding Michael Rozzi. Della Femina has always been one of the top restaurants in East Hampton and is embarking on its 20th year in business. Chef Rozzi has been in charge of the kitchen for at least the last 10 years and is hands down, one of the top chefs on Long Island. If you haven't had the chance to eat at Della Femina I highly suggest that you book your table before the summer crowds roll in and it's next to impossible to get a table.

We kicked off the evening with a delicious bottle of non-vintage Egly-Ouriet Champagne, Brut Tradition Grand Cru. It showed great complexity, with nice dried apricot and peach notes and a soft creamy style with terrific structure that paired perfectly with our first course.

HOGS NECK BAY OYSTERS (RAW) ON THE HALF SHELL
LOCAL LITTLENECK CLAMS (RAW) ON THE HALF SHELL
LOCAL BAY SCALLOP CEVICHE

After the first course it was time to try the first red wine of the night, a 1978 Brovia Barolo Rocche. Unfortunately this wine was corked! As we all know this sometimes happens and is always a huge disappointment. We were all really looking forward to it and it would have paired perfectly with the next course of

HANDMADE RICOTTA CHEESE RAVIOLI
FRESH FAVA BEAN PESTO, BLACK TRUMPET MUSHROOMS

We moved on to a near-perfect bottle of 1988 Solaia. The nose on this wine was out of this world and before we even took the first sip we could sense the pedigree oozing from the glass. Lovely finesse and harmony, fine tannins and remarkably vibrant at 23 years old. A sensational glass of wine with an outstanding pasta course!

The next course was:

GRILLED HUDSON VALLEY DUCK BREAST
FOIE GRAS, SOBA NOODLES & EDAMAME

With this we moved on to the 1990 Saffredi, which was simply a marvelous super Tuscan from this outstanding vintage. Still youthful right out of the bottle at 21 years.  After a quick decant it began to take on all of the great secondary nuances that come with a wine of this age and superb history. A nose of crushed flowers and bit of Eucalyptus - almost Californian in style. Superb richness with layers and layers of fruit and a finish that lasted well over two minutes. I would love to find more of this wine and drink it over the next 10 years as it's in its prime now but may even improve more. The duck breast and foie were cooked to perfection and were an incredible match for this wine.

FREE RANGE COLORADO LAMB CHOPS
SPRING PEA & TRUFFLE RISOTTO

It was then time to move on to our final wine of the evening, 1982 Gruaud Larose. I was excited to visit this wine again as it's always been one of my personal favorites and this bottle was from a collection we just purchased of seven original wood cases from a client who actually bought this wine from us back in 1983. The wines were stored in his temperature and humidity controlled cellar so the bottle was in immaculate condition with a perfect fill. I'd had this same wine a few months ago tasted blind with a few first growths and I actually scored it higher than the 1982 Mouton Rothschild! It was an amazing pairing with the lamb chops and truffle risotto. On the nose we picked up some Asian spices, truffles and melted licorice. A silky smooth mouthfeel with glycerin that glided across the palate. Still remarkably concentrated for being 29 years old and I would guess this wine will age for another 20-25 years easily if not more! This wine consistently scores 98 points by Robert Parker but I would have to say on this night it exceeded even that and I would give it 99+ points. With a price tag of $515 per bottle it's actually reasonable when you consider the 1982 Mouton sells for $1700+ per bottle and this is every bit as good if not better than that legendary wine. After the lamb chops we savored the last bit of this wine with a terrific cheese plate.


TASTING OF THREE ARTISANAL DOMESTIC CHEESES

After the cheese plate and the Gruaud it was time to cleanse the palate with

KEY LIME SORBET

With the desserts our friend wanted to share a half bottle of Manzanilla La Gitana, a dry sherry and a personal favorite of his. This had a very delicate nose with nuances of fresh bread and almonds. Rich and intense with pungent freshness and great subtlety. The long aftertaste had hints of almond skin and almost a brininess of the sea. This is more aperitif style rather than dessert wine style.


CHOCOLATE CENTERED CARAMELIZED BANANA TART
WARM CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING
PISTACHIO CRÈME BRULEE

All in all it was one of the more memorable food and wine experiences that we have had in quite some time and having our friend from London here to enjoy it with us made it a night we will not soon forget! If there is one thing to take away from this evening it's to make sure you get your hands on some 1982 Gruaud. This is one of the superstars of the classic 1982 vintage and for the time being is flying under the radar at 98 points. Reserve a case now before it's gone!