I had a busy day yesterday at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel: 202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ) where I manage the wine department with the help of Mike Martin. We are remodling the store and it's been quite hectic / frenetic even at times.
Our local. Empso Imports rep Gary Diamond came by around 3 PM and had with him Francesco Russ the general manager of TERRABIANCA ( San Fedele a Paterno / 1-53017 Radda in Chianti ( Siena ) Tel: +39 0577 540 29 Fax : +39 0577 540 214 info@terrabianca.com / www.terrabianca.com ) a very fine winery in Tuscany, Italy. We have been selling the TERRABIANCA wines now for six or more years and have done very well with them. Franceen Khang brought me one of the owner's daughters ( Maja Guldener )to meet on at least two occasions. They would both come - two beautiful ladies armed with a bag filled with excellent bottles of each of these TERRABIANCA wines and Mike and I would inevitably buy at least two or three of the different wines as they have a nice range. Back then ( maybe four-five-six years ago ) the dollar was much stronger and thus the prices were so much more affordable to us.
As a matter of fact we are out of them entirely and so this visit prompted me to order the wines ( the 2005 " Campaccio " Toscana in particular ) because the price has gone down on it considerably and we will be able to now sell if for $32.99 instead of $50. I like that kind of reduction in price, really I do very much! WHAT A DEAL!!
The Campaccio 2005 is showing really well now. I had just had it a couple of weeks ago with Gary Diamond ( check my earlier blog at Nam Viet restaurant with Gary ) and so this was my second taste. It was smoother and more forward than when I tasted it with my food at Nam Viet. I took some pictures of Francesco when I tried it and will include those here with the blog.
Gary invited me to dinner later this evening with Francesco and Naomi Barber. Gary said that Naomi had asked me if I would join them. After checking with my wife I accepted this kind, generous invitation to dine at Potenza, a new Italian restaurant that I had never heard of. It's at 1430 H. Street, NW, Washington D.C. 2005 Tel : 202-638-4444 www.potenzadc.com ). I like discovering new restaurants and especially when it is the company of such great people as Naomi and Francesco ( as I was going to discover I have a lot in common with ).
We drank a half bottle of JERMANN white ( I never even saw what it was - it tasted rich, textured and flavorful and balanced - was it a Tocai or a Pinot Blanc or a Pinot Grigio? I was enjoying the conversation and the setting/mood so much I never asked. It was excellent, that's really what mattered the most ) to begin with and then passed to the Campaccio. Naomi and Francesco were already seated when I arrived. After a nice welcome from both I sat down and the conversation, animation and sense of a good time awaiting us all we were off in a flash like the start of an exciting horse race. This was going to be fun and it sure was. It was Naomi and my first time at Potenza. It sure was packed and sure did seem to be the " hot spot " to be when I got there. There was just a whole lot of people there and a certain air/buzz about it speaking to it's popularity and success. I had to wait to see the hostess and then for someone to escort me to my table.
A few minutes after I sat down our waiter came by and I recognized him and said " hello ". He used to shop at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits when he used to live in our neighborhood. He's now living around MacArthur Boulevard. It was great to see Carlo ( Rossell ) again and he took really good care of us. I asked his suggestions of what was popular and selling well off the menu. He asked if I liked pork to which I immediately responded that I did. He made that recommendation and then the one of the octopus salad to start with. He continued with two others and was about to go on to another one when I stopped him saying I already had enough to consider. Both Naomi and I had the Cotoletto di Maiale Alla Milanese- Milanese-style pork ( with arugula, charred lemon, parmesan and arugula pesto ). and we varied on our appetizers. I tried the antipasti: Polipetti Carbonizzatti ( charred octupus, croutons, tomato, cucumber and red nions ). I don't remember what Naomi ordered. We both loved the pork!
And the 2005 Campaccio showed fabulously with the Milanese-style pork : it was even better at dinner than it was earlier in the store. Imagine that? Both Francesco and I agreed that the bottle at dinner was even more forward, even more elegant, polished, and not quite as heavy as the bottle that he and Gary sampled from this day earlier.
Elli, the sommelier came by and Naomi introduced us. Naomi knew her well and they spoke several times. The experience was marvelous : things just kept getting more fun and relaxed and we just kept telling story after story. We spoke of so many things like the movie " Babette's Feast " and children and James Suckling that wrote about Maja's husband and his cooking and restaurant in California where they both now live. We spoke of other wineries, too and of our histories. It was a great meeting/relaxing together of our three minds.
Thanks Naomi and Francesco for a lovely dinner and evening. Francesco, your 2005 TERRABIANCA " Campaccio " 2005 red Toscano is now back in the store at 5 PM on this Friday afternoon, May 1st, 2009. Love the red of the label : love the red hues of the wine. Look at the picture here in the store and also refer to the earlier pictures with Gary Diamond in the blog where we both had lunch at Nam Viet here in Cleveland Park, Washington D.C. I love the color and the way the light makes it sparkle and shimmer and almost glow with a life of it's own from within that explodes outwards!
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