Showing posts with label Pane E Vino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pane E Vino. Show all posts

Monday, August 9, 2010

MATANE PRIMITIVO PUGLIA 2007


Matane at Pane E Vino

A night out with a couple of friends can hardly go wrong, but the right place for the meeting can boost an already enjoyable event to a higher plane.  Jones and Maggie met Denise and me for dinner at Pane E Vino, on Beverly in Los Angeles.  We've known Jones forever, but Maggie is a recent addition to our list of friends - and a welcome one.

We recently rediscovered Pane E Vino and it has quickly become one of our "go-to" Italian eateries.  Great food and service are abetted by a wine list that has yet to let me down.
Jones is always quick to defer to my judgment on wine selection.  It's one of the reasons I like him so much.  Should I tell him that when he follows my lead, it's usually for a wine I've never tried before?  He liked this Primitivo just fine, so I think we'll wait on that revelation a while longer.  By the way, in the photo that is his fish being fileted in the background.
The MatanĂ© Primitivo is grown and produced in Puglia, the "heel of the boot" on Italy's map. It's an IGT wine, and consists of 100% Primitivo grapes.  A collaborative effort from the Empson family and winemaker Filippo Baccalaro,  this Italian red was a nice find and paired very well with a simple rigatoni and light tomato sauce dish.
The MatanĂ© shows a medium-tinted red with some purple tones in the mix.  The only disappointment is a somewhat faint nose.  What is there, is laden with cherry and smells very fresh, though.  On the palate, there are lots of spices clamoring for attention among full and fruity cherry and raspberry notes.  A good bit of earthiness is also present.  A slightly smoky finish tops off the fruit very nicely.  The wine feels about medium-full in the mouth, has very nice tannins and is quite smooth. 

Monday, July 26, 2010

MICHELE CHIARLO BARBERA D'ASTI PIEDMONTE 2007


Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti

It's birthday month for Denise.  We don't wait for the one day to celebrate, we try to stretch it out over the entire month.  We've been a little bit distracted by other events this month, so we really have let things slide a bit where celebrations are concerned.  She's been a pretty good sport about it, though.  So good a sport has she been, I wanted to have a really special dinner with her. 

It's always a little chancy, we've found, trying new dinner spots.  We've had so many rude awakenings in Los Angeles restaurants we have sworn off new places several times already.  I felt good about this one, though.  And it turned out to be just fine.

Pane E Vino on Beverly Boulevard is an Italian restaurant - a nice one - that we hadn't visited for quite some time.  Why we hadn't been there in forever was a mystery to both of us, but we are both glad we stopped staying away.

We opened with a shrimp and Feta cheese appetizer and a plate of melon and prosciutto.  Denise had the lobster tortellini while I ordered the spaghetti with calamari and leeks in a light marinara sauce.  It was delicious all the way around the table.

On the suggestion of the waiter, I ordered the 2007 Barbera d'Asti from Michele Chiarlo .  I'm glad he suggested it, because I get into a Sangiovese rut in Italian restaurants.  Not that it's a bad rut to be in, but I like to keep it varied when I can. 

This Piemonte red is medium in color with aromas of cherry cola and some soft spices.  It feels medium full in the mouth with a big, fresh taste of cherry and raspberry.  The oak shades the fruit with a very light touch of leather.  It pairs well with marinara sauce and would no doubt be a hit with pork, too.