Going to the Osteria di Passignano is always a\ncertainty of feeling good. The restaurant is owned by Marchesi Antinori spa who\nbought it about ten years ago from Marcello Crini, a great lover of cooking and\ngood wines of the world who now holds the position of general manager of the\nrestaurant. The Osteria di Passignano is located in Tuscany, near Florence, in\nBadia a Passignano and has had a Michelin star for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The environment is pleasant, classy and the\nwelcome is jovial. It is a place that I love to frequent both for the quality\nof the food and the variety of the wine list. Some time ago, Dr. Renzo\nCotarella, managing director of Marchesi Antinori spa, called me to invite me\nto dinner with my friends Sergio Antonini, Marco Raveggi and Vincenzo de\nGiorgi. A round of phone calls and everyone accepted, without second thoughts,\nRenzo’s kind invitation. On the appointed day Marco picks me up at home in the\nnew Porsche Taycan that asks me to drive to the restaurant. Before the entrance\nto the Florence – Siena freeway, we take Segio Antonini on board, who knowing\nme for how I drive fast, with fast cars, is reluctant to get on board with us.\nI assure Sergio that I would have driven slowly, I would like to point out that\nthe Tycan is a fully electric car with about 600 horsepower that reaches 100km\n\/ h in 2.8 seconds. Having said that, I start and reach 100 km \/ h in 2.8\nseconds. During the short journey, the cars that I found myself in front of in\nthe fast lane literally splashed into the normal lane to let us pass. We were\nall astonished, the most satisfied of all was Marco Raveggi, who has always\nbeen the Commercial Director of Porsche Firenze, who told us that the Tycan was\nthe fastest Porsche of all those he had driven. We arrive at our destination\nand meet Renzo Cotarella and Vincenzo De Giorgi, a dermatologist, to whom I\ndescribe the emotions I felt in driving this incredible car. We enter the\nrestaurant, Marcello Crini gives us an affectionate welcome greeting and makes\nus sit at our table. Reading the menu, I couldn’t help but ask Renzo for advice\non which dishes to choose and he suggested we order: “Pecorino flan, pods\nand honey caviar” which we paired with Champagne Perrier Jouet Belle\nEpoque, Edtion Premiere , vintage 2007. Followed by “pigeon breast, legs\nstuffed with borage and new potatoes”, paired with several wines: Castello\ndella Sala, Pinot nero, vintages 2015, 2016 and 2017 and Le Mortelle, Poggio\nalle Nane, vintage 2018. Finally “chocolate pie, vin santo not only to\ndrink”, paired with red wines already open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Renzo wanted me to drink the Belle Epoque\nEdition Premiere 2007 champagne and more than anything else the Poggio alle\nNane 2018, which had not yet been released on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was I who asked to drink the Pinot Noir from\nCastello della Sala, vintage 2016, since I had drunk it some time before and I\nloved it, judging it, for what was my knowledge, the best Pinot Noir from\nCastello della Sala ever . Before drinking 2016 Renzo opened 2015 and I, cheeky\nas always, eager to know, I asked to open 2017 too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After this horizontal I confirmed the grandeur\nof 2016. However, the wine that really surprised me was the Poggio alle Nane\n2018, a wine that will be released in 2021. A fragrant, structured and\nwell-balanced wine. I congratulated Renzo noting that, if that was a second\nwine produced, I didn’t dare think about what the first wine, called\n“Ampio”, would be like. Renzo smiled at this statement, making me understand\nwhat he did not want to tell me and that is: “it will be a next\nsurprise”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is always a great pleasure to taste wines not\nyet on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After this very pleasant dinner we said goodbye\nto Marcello Crini and all his staff, including the kitchen one, with the\npromise to meet again after the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We greeted and thanked Renzo for his hospitality\nand company. Obviously, on my return to Florence I did not drive the Taycan,\nwhich was driven by my friend Marco, which took half the time compared to the\nfirst leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the width of the tannin, it is important\nthat you make the following clarifications, so that it can be understood. I\nfeel the tannin of the wine on the upper gum. The total width of the tannin is\n6\/6, the entire width of the upper gum. Obviously, if the tannin is less broad,\nit could be for example 5\/6 and so on. The width of the tannin is important\nwhen the quality of the same is of good or high level. The broader the tannin,\nthe more the wine is worthy of attention, but the tannin, as I have specified,\nmust, in any case, be of good quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are my wine tasting notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PERRIER JOUET<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n BELLE EPOQUE EDITION PREMI\u00c9RE, vintage 2007<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Grapes: 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir, the\nlatter macerated on its own skins).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Champagne, in this version, created by Herv\u00e8\nDeschamps, outgoing chef de Cave of the Maison Perrier Jouet. This champagne is\ndedicated to spring, so much so that it was released on the market in the\nspring, in very limited quantities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peach yellow color, very fine and quite numerous\nbubbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The nose reveals aromas of ripe peach,\nelderflower, Marseille soap, iodine, rust, light eggnog, ending with whispers\nof helichrysum (licorice).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quite fine bubbles and a pleasant ripe peach are\nenjoyed on the palate. The body is medium and the mouth is pervaded by a\ngenerous freshness that makes the wine well balanced, not allowing the\nalcoholic mass to be perceived in the least. Sapid and mineral. Its intense\naromatic persistence is long, with flavor even in the finish of ripe peach,\nwith a slightly bitter hint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a not easy vintage like 2007, Herv\u00e9 has managed to create this champagne in which finesse and elegance are in perfect evident union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (95\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CASTELLO\nDELLA SALA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pinot\nNoir, 2015 vintage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Garnet red with onion edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nose characterized by an intense scent of black\npepper followed by varnish enamel, talcum powder, face powder, cherry,\nchocolate and hints of amber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the palate you can feel the pungency of\nalcohol that dominates the freshness in a fluctuating way. The tannins are\nquite large (5 \/ 6-) and dry the upper gum a little. Savory wine with medium\nbody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its persistence is long with a cherry finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (87\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CASTELLO\nDELLA SALA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pinot\nNero, vintage 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruby red dress with light purple reflections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the glass rise aromas of tomato puree,\namber, intense iris, light black pepper, nutmeg, freshly ironed hot starched\ncloth, mint, eucalyptus, broken cyclamen stem and plum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The palate is initially captivated by a pleasant\nand delicate flavor reminiscent of the red rose baccara, followed by the\ngriotina cherry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Medium-bodied wine, perfectly balanced, thanks\nto the freshness and tannins that dominate, without second thoughts, the\nalcoholic mass. The tannins are silky and fairly broad (5\/6).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Long is the intense aromatic persistence with\ncherry finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the first sip I had the impression, due to\nthe structure of the wine, of drinking a Burgundy pinot noir, the Pommard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my opinion, for those many vintages of the Castello della Sala that I tasted this 2016 is the best vintage produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (93\/100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n CASTELLO\nDELLA SALA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pinot\nNero, vintage 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Quite intense ruby \u200b\u200bred with purple\nreflections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nose made of aromas of wine \u201csvinatura\u201d\n(vinous), bois\u00e9, moldy orange peel (typical of oak, quality, first pass), mint,\neucalyptus, varnish enamel and hard mint (it is the candy cane, impregnated\nwith mint).<\/p>\n\n\n\n When tasted, the body is medium and at this\nmoment the balance between alcohol and freshness is a little fluctuating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tannins are quite broad (5 \/ 6-), initially\nvelvety and then dry the upper gum a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Its persistence is long with a mint and intense\nbois\u00e9 finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It should be remembered that the 2017 vintage\nwas, in general, a difficult year in Italy, characterized by tannins that were\nquite drying the upper gum. The producers had to work well both in the vineyard\nand in the cellar, making a tough selection of wines to use. To help the\nstructure of the wine, some used more new wood, fortifying the wine but making\nthe bois\u00e9 note feel more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This 2017 has just been released on the market\nand will need to stop in the bottle to balance itself more, leaving more room\nfor freshness and integrating the wood more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My current rating is between 89 and 90. 2017 has just been released on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/strong>(89-90 \/ 100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n THE\nMORTELLE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n POGGIO\nALLE NANE, vintage 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Grapes: 80% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet\nSauvignon and 10% Carm\u00e9n\u00e8re)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wine that will be released on the market in\n2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Intense ruby-black mantle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The olfactory casket opens to bois\u00e9 scents,\nmint, eucalyptus, plum, Sole soap, cassis, sweet from the exterior of the\nsugared almond, green pepper, blueberry, hydrolithin (it is the powder that\nmakes the still water sparkling), to finish with pleasant whispers of paint\nenamel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The body is medium and the wine is well balanced\nwith the imperceptible alcoholic mass thanks to the freshness and tannins. The\nlatter are soft, wide (6 \/ 6–), initially richly silky and then in the end dry\nthe upper gum slightly. Its intense aromatic persistence is long with a\nchocolate flavor that lasts throughout the tasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nice wine that impressed me in a very positive way. Definitely the stop in the bottle will make the bois\u00e9 note less felt. My current rating is between 94 and 96.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (94-96 \/ 100)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the second red of the company, the first\nis called “Ampio”, a wine that I haven’t tasted yet, that I can’t\nimagine what it will be like.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Going to the Osteria di Passignano is always a certainty of feeling good. The restaurant is owned by Marchesi Antinori spa who bought it about ten years ago from Marcello Crini, a great lover of cooking and good wines of the world who now holds the position of general manager of the restaurant. The Osteria […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10514,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[137,432],"class_list":["post-10529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized","tag-paolo-baracchino","tag-porsche-taycan","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IMG-20201020-WA0002.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pav13q-2JP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10529"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10532,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10529\/revisions\/10532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paolobaracchino.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}