o wine Monday (tacos and musubi on way to concert at Alice Tully), but Tuesday I met a nice group at Marta in NoMad. We shared pancetti with borlotti beans, 5 pizzas (margherita, stracciatella, mushroom, “butcher”, and Brussels sprouts- last was my fave, but admit there was a lot of ham on it), plus a pork chop and 2 steaks Florentine.

As we were settling in, a critic at another table who knew some of our crew came over and gave us all a pour of a Vie de Romans Sauvignon Blanc, but I missed vintage.and specific bottling. Grapefruit and a hint of grass, quite tasty, though I generally find more value in Loire. B/B+

NV Le Brun Servenay Melodie en C Extra Brut Champagne
Bright, racy, with white fruits, chalk, and biscuit notes. Beautiful wine. A-

NV Les Closerie (Prevost) Les Beguines Extra Brut Champagne (DG Aug 2020, L 2018. 90% Pinot Meunier, 10% Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris & Chardonnay)
Also delicious, in a totally different style. Pear, some nice nutty oxidative notes, quite yeasty, long. A-/B+

OK, on to the Tuscan reds.

1988 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve
Fully mature, but quite tasty, black cherries overlaid with leather and tobacco. Still some good acids, some tannin, I quite enjoy (maybe more than others), though cracking up a bit on retaste later. Drink up. Still, when tasted B+

2001 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Really in a good place, red plum and cherry fruit, integrated oak showing as coffee notes, good balance, good length. B+/A-

1968 Castello di Monsanto “Il Poggio” Chianti Classico Riserva
Corked!

1985 Castello di Monsanto “Il Poggio” Chianti Classico Riserva
Opened as a replacement, thanks Josh, my WOTN..Black cherry and dried cherries, cigarbox, a touch of smoked meat. Beautifully balanced, a pointe. A-

2006 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino
Ripe and plush, but with good acidic spine. B+

2012 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino
Quite tannin, quite ripe. Others like more than me. This might find it’s way with time, but for me now B-

2010 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve
Young, big(huge), but I really like. POwerful but with great sense of balance. I enjoyed now despite knowing its all about potential. B+/B for now, I think this will be in a A range in a decade (or 2).

2016 Val Delle Rose “ Poggio al leone” Morellino di Scansano Riserva
Firm, solid black cherry fruit, a hint of saddle leather. Young. B/B+

2016 Volta di Bertinga
100% Merlot. Ripe. plush, warm, large. Tuscan? Really? I think others liked more than I did. B-

2016 Bertinga
I think Merlot/Sangiovese blend. Also a heavier styled wine, but with a bit more acid to counter than the Volta. B

Fun night with old friends and a new one.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.