We had the great fortune to be able to attend a wine tasting with Mr. Luca Martini, who in 2013 was voted to be the World’s Best Sommelier and who is also the Wine Ambassador for Il Borro Wines. The event was held at Amici Miei, our favorite, go-to Italian restaurant. Accompanying Luca was our favorite wine distributor, Nick Materese, who often conducts wine tastings at Amici Miei. And, of course, Chef Davide prepared excellent bites to accompany each wine, and co-owner Roberto ensured that everything ran smoothly for the evening.

Luca Martini describing one of the wines.

Before talking about the wines, let me talk about a fantastic man and his very enjoyable presentation. Luca was extremely engaging, talking about wines in terms of their personalities, how he thought about them. He described these personalities in terms of color, music, and shapes, which is quite different from anything we have heard before. Throughout the evening, he interspersed the descriptions of the wines with information about himself, how he ended up being voted the World's Best at age 33. An interesting journey through his apprenticeships and his current role. He really got across his passion for wine and food, his excitement to share his knowledge with us.

This was a special event, as the Il Borro Wines presented were from vineyards owned by Salvatore Ferragamo (yes, known for fine Italian shoes). In 1989, Mr. Ferragamo bought 46 hectares of land in Tuscany, with the desire to create small amounts of truly excellent wine. To determine which grapes would best match the soil (or terroir, actually), five experts from Bordeaux were brought in to study the Tuscan soil. Each grape was matched to the particular soil, to include Sangiovese, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Chardonnay. The consensus from the people attending the tasting was that Mr. Ferragamo succeeded in producing excellent wine!

A really interesting feature that Luca used to describe the wine was in terms of color, since color helps to describe a personality. The first wine, the 2012 Lamelle Chardonnay, was associated with the color green, as the wine has a very crisp acidity and is very fresh. There are lovely tastes of pineapple and grapefruit, and also a minerality on the back of the palate. The minerality comes from the fact that the vineyard was created by blasting out rock. When the soil was examined, they found remnants of a lake, complete with scallop shells. Chef Davide paired this wine with a very nice crab meat and avocado roll. The crisp freshness of the wine went perfectly with the smooth crab and avocado mixture. Once again, a great start to the wine tasting.

A beautiful start - the Lamelle chardonnay.

Next up with a 2011 Pian di Nova made from a Syrah-Sangiovese blend. Luca’s description of this wine was wonderful - the wine was very sexy when it is dancing on the palate, soft and sexy like a tango. The color associated with the wine was red, due to the very mature grapes and the very red color of the wine - and because red is the color of sexy. The Sangiovese in the wine adds freshness and spice, and the wine overall is very round on the palate, with soft tannins. Chef Davide’s pairing was a porcini mushroom and ham roll. The earthy taste of the mushrooms and the soft spiciness of the wine were a perfect match.

The third wine was the 2010 Polissena, which was made of 100% Sangiovese grapes. Luca’s description of this wine: “It’s a horse race.” The wine is not charming, it is nervous. Sangiovese is very difficult to grow, and it is also difficult to make a great wine. When one finds a great variety, one makes a great wine, much like a great horse running a wonderful horse race. The color that Luca associates with this wine is yellow, as it is the color of the Tuscan sun (which is so necessary for grapes) and also of gold. The grapes are grown in blue slate rock, which is a very difficult environment. This is a lovely, precious wine, great tannins, plus that characteristic sour cherry flavor. It makes a triangle on the palate - rough on the sides, and soft on the top. If one were to compare the wine to music, it would be more grating, jumping around. The perfect pairing for the wine was the slow-roasted pork shoulder that Chef Davide presented. A very characteristic Tuscan dish to go along with the signature Tuscan grape.

And then the 2010 Il Borro Super Tuscan. This particular wine was 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 50% Merlot and Petit Verdot. The color that Luca associated with the Super Tuscan was blue, as this is a very classic color, and brings to mind the blue Tuscan sky, and deep blue ocean. The aroma of the wine was gorgeous violets, and taste made a square on the palate, which is the perfect figure. The wine was fruity and soft, with great acidity and tannins. It has a beautifully long finish that is very deep. Luca’s other comparison was that this wine brought to mind a classical music symphony, all the instruments working together to make a perfect score. The match for this wine was a grilled hanger steak with a bell pepper sauce. The characteristic taste of the bell pepper along with the beef worked very well with the deep fullness of the wine.

Finally, the signature wine of the evening, the 2011 Alessandro dal Borro, which is one of Il Borro’s higher-end wines. Luca asked us not to try this wine until he gave his description - and this one was in terms of how he had won his World's Best Sommelier. If you have seen the movie "Somm", this was how Luca described the wine, but it went so much further than what was shown in the movie. The age, the characteristic, the spices, the nose, and so on. Fascinating to hear, particularly when he allowed us to taste. But definitely less in terms of the personality, and more in terms of the technical characteristics!

This is an excellent full-bodied wine, quite dry, tastes of blackberry with pepper and also cardamum. The wine had great acidity and wonderful tannins to make a really long finish. The wine was still a bit early (this was one of the few presentations in the United States!), as it should stay in the bottle for a few more months. The wine had great balance and color, fruitiness matching with the acidity and tannins. And a wonderful way to contemplate the great evening as we nibbled on aged pecorino toscano cheese.

The Alessandro dal Borro - the highlight of the evening!

All in all, another great evening that we will remember. A hearty “Cin Cin!” to Luca and to Nick, and also to Roberto and Chef Davide. We look forward to drinking more Il Borro wines!

Host Roberto and Ernie enjoying the evening.