With Rudy Basile of Vias Imports
Thursday, November 4, 2021 • 6:30 pm
We have invited Rudy Basile of Vias Imports to begin our annual Truffle season!
We have selected Thursday, November 4, 2021, as the date to feature all things truffle. The dinner will feature a seven-course Truffle menu matched with ten regional wines of Italy.
Vias Imports Ltd. is an importer, distributor, and above all, a company dedicated to expressing the history, sense of place, and devotion to craft of all our producers through the art of wine. Vias strives to provide our clients with access to the most comprehensive wine portfolio possible, by offering fine wines that embody the distinctive terroir and character of each wine region we represent. What sets us apart from others is our commitment to providing a vast array of indigenous varietals found in their respective growing regions.
As the backbone of the company, the Vias sales force is a nationwide team of passionate vinophiles. Through a variety of resources, they seek to share detailed information about the wines they represent through a deep understanding of the places and people behind these exceptional producers. From the beginning, Vias has fostered a culture of education in order to ensure that every employee has a thorough understanding of the estates and regions they represent. This commitment to wine education has become a pillar of Vias’ company philosophy and a thread that runs through every element of our work. Our portfolio is a labor of love. It contains a careful selection of Italian producers that reflects the vast diversity of Italy’s regions and the native varietals that call them home. With over 200 wines featuring indigenous Italian varietals in our portfolio, we explore the diversity this peninsula has to offer at the highest quality level by going beyond the standard Italian offerings of an American importer; and crafting relationships with producers of different sizes who actively preserve their local winemaking traditions.
Scrambled Eggs & Truffles
Scrambled Hillendale Farms brown eggs, seasoned with truffle butter, garnished with black “Burgundy” truffles
Prosecco Rosè “Millesimato”, Acinum, Treviso/Veneto, Italy, NV
Soufflè au Fromage, Black Truffle and Quail Egg
Ubriaco and Parmesan Reggiano cheese, oven-baked in a ramekin and topped with a poached quail egg and freshly shaved black truffles.
Sauvignon Blanc “Vette”, San Leonardo, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Italy, 2019
Sea Scallop En Croûte, Black Truffle Butter
A Maine diver sea scallop baked in its natural shell, filled with sliced black ”Burgundy” truffles and truffle butter, wrapped in puff pastry.
Ribollo Gialla, Luisa, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, 2018
Seasonal Wild Mushroom, Truffles & Foie Gras, en Croûte
Wild mushroom and truffle consommé, with Foie Gras, duck confit and Black “Burgundy” Truffles, topped with puff pastry.
Langhe “Nebiolo”, Produttori del Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy, 20??
Char-Grilled Farmed Raised Coturnix Quail, Black “Burgundy” Truffle Butter Sauce
Char-grilled quail with a chestnut mousseline, with Black “Burgundy” truffle butter sauce.
Barolo “Comune di Serralunga d’Alba”, Giovanni Rosso, Piedmont, Italy, 2016
Barbaresco “Pora”, Produttori del Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy, 2016
Roast Tenderloin of Veal, Sauce Périgueux
Tenderloin of Wisconsin Veal, served over a Delicata squash filled with white and black truffle risotto and finished with chanterelle mushrooms and a truffle reduction sauce.
Brunello di Montalcino “Reserva”, Gualto, Tuscany, Italy, 2015
Tenuta San Leonardo, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Italy, 2015
Toscana “Sammarco”, Castello dei Rampolla, Tuscany, Italy, 2017
Truffle Charm, Robiola Cheese Espuma, Chocolate Truffles & Seasonal Berries
Whiskey crème brûlé with Robiola cheese foam, hazelnut & almond tuile basket filled with chocolate truffles, seasonal berries.
Passito, Cantina Colosi, Sicily, Italy, 2015
$200 per person Tax & Gratuity not included
The Wines
Prosecco Rosè “Millesimato”, Acinum, Treviso/Veneto, Italy, NV
Sparkling wine with pink “powder” color. It displays soft notes of red fruit to the nose, good acidity and freshness in the mouth. Very balanced fine wine. The sugar content is compensated by the acidity that makes the wine very fresh and enjoyable on the palate
Sauvignon Blanc “Vette”, San Leonardo, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Italy, 2019
This creamy, light-bodied white shows classic Sauvignon aromas and flavors of chive blossom, white peach and grapefruit peel, backed by racy acidity and a streak of salty mineral.
Ribollo Gialla, Luisa, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, 2018
Straw yellow color with greenish nuances. The nose is typical of this variety, dry with delicate citrus and floral notes that recall acacia. On the palate it is fresh and fruity with flavours of pear, peach and citrus and a touch of minerality on the finish.
Langhe “Nebiolo”, Produttori del Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy, 2018
As a palate teaser before this lovely flight of Riservas from Produttori del Barbaresco, I am delighted to start off with the delicate and fine 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo. Showing a light ruby color, this wine takes baby steps with hints of wild rose, dried blueberry, crushed limestone and powdered licorice. It sports a fragile, fine texture. If you crave for a basic and absolutely satisfying taste of pure Nebbiolo, look no further.
Barolo “Comune di Serralunga d’Alba”, Giovanni Rosso, Piedmont, Italy, 2016
Davide Rosso selects fruit from five different crus (Cerretta, Sorrano, Damiano, Broglio and Costabella) to give a wine that beautifully captures Serralunga’s power and minerality, yet with finesse imparted by gentle extraction and aging in large (50-hectoliter) oak casks. Its mouthwatering red-cherry flavors are laced with notes of licorice and mint, the flavors encased in taut, ferrous tannins. The finish is long and fresh, indicating plenty of cellaring potentials.
93 Points Robert Parker
Barbaresco “Pora”, Produttori del Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy, 2016
Starting off this tasting of new Riservas from Produttori del Barbaresco is the 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Pora. This is a beautifully elegant and silky wine with a soft entry of wild berry fruit, lilac and wild rose. The bouquet opens gracefully with a fluid, slow-building intensity that feels silky and delicate to all the senses. It holds back from showing any overt or determined level of power, remaining instead silky and smooth throughout. It treads quietly and softly. Production is 13,403 bottles, and fruit is sourced from the Dellaferrera and Manzone family vineyards. I came back to this wine 24 hours after the bottle was open and added one more point to my score.
95 Points Robert Parker
Brunello di Montalcino “Reserva”, Gualto, Tuscany, Italy, 2015
Offering ripeness and texture, the Camigliano 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Gualto is a fun and accessible wine. The bouquet is very expressive, even at this young stage. I got a charge out of those shifting aromas of dark fruit, ripe cherry, rosemary essence and a touch of eucalyptus oil that lift from the bouquet. Those balsam herb aromas are well defined, and they always appear with the prettiest intensity in the warmer vintages like 2015. Riserva Gualto shows good structure and enough acidity to keep those fruit flavors fresh and bright. Only 4,000 bottles were made.”
93 Points Robert Parker
Tenuta San Leonardo, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, Italy, 2015
One of the most famous and award-winning Italian red wines, San Leonardo represents the magical result of a tradition that is defined all over the world as the “Bordeaux blend”. Symbiosis of dream and tradition, it is a wine capable of transmitting in a unique way the character and charm of the identity of the territory in which it is born.
Toscana “Sammarco”, Castello dei Rampolla, Tuscany, Italy, 2017
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a tiny part Sangiovese, the 2017 Sammarco is lush, generous and soft. This wine captures the spirit of generosity and richness that characterizes this sunny vintage. It reveals softer lines and more pliant contours compared to some of the cooler vintages of the past, and you get a generous down pouring of dark fruit, dried blackberry, cinnamon spice and cured leather or tobacco. The tannins are quite robust, but the wine also shows an immediate and accessible approach that distinguishes this growing season.
95 Points Robert Parker
Passito, Cantina Colosi, Sicily, Italy, 2015
The Passito Sicilia has a golden yellow color with amber golden highlights, the nose offers a fruity bouquet with notes of apricot, dry figs, citrus, dates and honey. The taste is harmonious, sweet and delicate, fresh and gently alcoholic.