The Royal Cliff’s deVine Wine Club dinner for September featured Cantine Talamonti wines and a passionate Italian (aren’t they all?) to talk about Talamonti.
This was the second time the members had the opportunity to experience wines from this little boutique winery (the first being around three years ago) and another three years of maturation just added to the overall pleasure.
Talamonti does have world-wide accreditation with Monica Larner, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate stating that Talamonti “is one of my favorite producers in Abruzzo in terms of value and price. The style of winemaking is very consistent and readily offers great bang for your buck.” (Interim September 2015)
New GM at the Royal Cliff, Prem Calais, introduced Salvatore Campione, the international sales manager for Asia Pacific & Middle East of Azienda Vinicola Talamonti and an expert wine-taster from Bangkok as the wine speaker for this evening. Salvatore was backed up by Matteo Clini, the area sales manager for IWS, the wine suppliers.
Salvatore was a true Italian who even admitted that he spoke with his hands (handcuffs and he would be rendered speechless), enlightened the club members with explanations of Italian wine-making and descriptions. He covered the difference between wines labeled Montepulciano and Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Tip: the D’Abruzzo is the way to go!
Talamonti was founded in 2001 in a magnificent, unspoiled part of the Abruzzi by the Di Tonno family. The classic Abruzzo grapes, unique terroir and select international oak barrels create the unique flavors of the fine Talamonti wines.
Another feature in the Talamonti wine making is a process known as hyper-reduction where the grapes are crushed under nitrogen to stop the oxidation that usually occurs in that step. Long gone are wine treaders with red feet.
The result was obvious from the first sip of the first dinner wine of Trebi Trebbiano D’Abruzzo DOC 2015. A very clean on the palate white which went well with the amazing Chef Walter Thenisch’s first offering of raw Yellowfin Tuna Ravioli Panzanella.
However, no matter how enjoyable the Trebbiano, the next white was simply superb, a Trabocchetto Pecorino Colline Pescaresi IGT 2014. Full bodied and delightfully aromatic, Chef Walter had paired this with a butter-poached Maine lobster tail on a crushed Sweet Pea Agnolotti Butternut Squash and Pistachio Vinaigrette.
After a break in aid of digestion, the main course was presented, being a very tender oven-roasted Galician rib eye steak on a Barolo reduction, savored with a Moda Montepulciano D’Abruzzo DOC 2014. This was the smoothest red I have had in a long time, and I was so impressed I purchased a bottle on my way home.
A cheese platter was up next with another Montepulciano, a Tre Saggi Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Quite, quite different from the wine before. This was more robust and fuller bodied, and for me not as lyrical as the Moda.
The dessert followed an amusing “Frederics Deconstructed Tiramisu” which was all the ingredients in a conventional tiramisu jumbled together. The philistine in me wondered if Frederic had dropped it! This was taken with a Castello del Poggio Moscato IGT NV. An interesting not sweet Moscato compared to most others.
Undoubtedly one of the best deVine wine dinners from the Royal Cliff with excellent wines and first class food.
If you would like to contact the wine club, you can email [email protected]
