Went to Marika Vida’s latest Somm Series wine dinner at The Hard Rock Hotel NYC which had incredible wines from Christian Moreau of Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils and Anna and Valentina Abbona of Marchesi di Barolo. What do they have in common? Excellent wines. 

Chef Oscar Gonzales created the menu specifically for each wine. The scallop with basil, lemon and cauliflower was perfection with the Chablis Vaillon 1er Cru 2022, which was like a puff of lemon with gentle acid. Then a prawn paella was paired with the Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru 2020. This was more floral and complex, with gorgeous fresh minerality. 

You can rarely go wrong with Barolo but you can also go very right, which is what both of the Marchesi Di Barolos did with the Binchotan strip steak. Barolo is lighter than a big, powerful Cab that people often pair steak with and that’s a good thing — it doesn’t overpower the meat but still has the tannins to cut through the fat.

The Coste di Rose 2016, from the center of Barolo, had delicate, floral red fruit notes while the Barolo di Barolo 2014 had more typical mushroom and powerful black fruit notes but was still so elegant and light. Someone had aptly described it as a ballerina with muscles.

So at your next steak night, get your tutu on with a Barolo!

Want to be the first to get the monthly newsletter recommendations? Woo hoo, sign up here!