My first winery dinner for VanWineFest 2024 was the Tuscan winery, Marchesi Frescobaldi. This winery has extensive vineyard holdings across Tuscany and into Montalcino. The Frescobaldi family has been making wine dating back 700 years and spanning over 30 generations. Today the Frescobaldi family owns 11 estates in Italy including 10 in Tuscany and distribute their wines in over 65 countries worldwide. The Brand Ambassador, Livia Le Divelec, was in attendance to guide us through library vintages from the Frescobaldi portfolio, complemented by a perfectly paired menu from The Vancouver Club’s culinary team.
I will lead you first through our dining menu, followed by a description of the wines, and finally the food and wine pairing. Enjoy.
Our Menu
Celery Root Panna Cotta (appetizer as we walked about) with smoked Syrah cured salmon roe
Alie Rosé 2021
Hokkaido Scallop Crudo with hazelnuts | sunchoke cream | green apple | truffle vinaigrette
Castellodi Pomino 2021 (Chardonnay / Pinot Blanc)
Olive Oil Poached Black Cod with green olive salmoriglio | horseradish
Ammiraglia Massovivo 2022 (Vermentino)
Wagyu Beef Tartare with salsa cruda | crispy potato | quail egg yolk | black truffle
Perano Chianti Classico Frescobaldi 2019
Roasted Elk Loin with elk “pie” | tallow polenta | fig mostarda | porcini jus
Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2014
Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2015
Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2019
Gorgonzola Piccante with chestnut honey | red wine reduction | pear condiment
Castellodi Nipozzano Montesodi 2017
The Wines
Marchesi Frescobaldi Alie Rosé 2021 – Fresh strawberries and red fruit aromas that carry to the palate. A dry wine with medium-plus acidity and some stony minerality. There is also a touch of herbaceousness on the palate. 
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Marchesi Frescobaldi Castellodi Pomino 2021 – Made from 80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Blanc grapes, with fermentation in stainless steel tanks then partially matured in oak barrels. This wine has a flinty nose. It is dry with a medium-minus body to start and then gets lighter on the mid-palate. Butterscotch and roasted apples on the palate. Medium acidity and medium-plus length. Some butterscotch and bitterness on the finish.
Marchesi Frescobaldi Ammiraglia Massovivo 2022 – Made with Vermentino grapes fermented in stainless steel tanks. It has a light citrus, lime aromas. Dry with a lighter body. Lean with light acidic prickle on the palate. Lime and mint on the palate to start then peach and minerality as the wine warmed up in the glass. Medium acidity.
Marchesi Frescobaldi Perano Chianti Classico Frescobaldi 2019 – A deeply coloured wine. Quite aromatic with plums and Old World Oak aromas. This wine is dry and smooth with a lightly round mouthfeel. Plums, cherries, and berry fruit flavours along with a touch of pepperiness. Medium-plus acidity and medium-intensity tannins. Medium length.
Marchesi Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2014 – Opaque ruby in colour. Deep juicy berries and black fruit aromas. Fuller body with medium-plus tannins. Fruit-forward flavours of juicy berries and pepperiness. Cedar flavour and some butteriness on the finish.
Marchesi Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2015 – Opaque ruby coloured. Lighter plum and oak aromas. Medium-plus body, smooth, soft and round on the palate. Tasty plums and black fruit flavours plus a touch of pepperiness. Medium acidity and firmer tannins.
Marchesi Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2019 – An opaque ruby colour. Light dusty dark fruit aromas. Medium-plus body, round and smooth with a thicker mouthfeel. Juicy dark fruit and medium oak flavours. Medium acidity and tannins. Some butteriness on the finish. A balanced wine.
Marchesi Frescobaldi Castellodi Nipozzano Montesodi 2017 – A medium-intensity clear garnet colour. Medium-intensity aromas with some funk. Medium body, smooth with a thick, lean mouthfeel. A mix of sweet and tart red fruit flavours, plus red cherries. Drying tannins on the finish.
The Wine and Food Pairings
Celery Root Panna Cotta (appetizer as we walked about) with smoked Syrah cured salmon roe
Alie Rosé 2021
I enjoyed the creaminess of the panna cotta with the saltiness and pop from the salmon roe. The acidity and strawberry flavours of the wine made this a tasty, complimentary pairing.
Hokkaido Scallop Crudo with hazelnuts | sunchoke cream | green apple | truffle vinaigrette
Castellodi Pomino 2021 (Chardonnay / Pinot Blanc)
The Scallop Crudo is a dish with many things happening. You get crunch from the hazelnuts, bright tartness from the green apple, and earthiness from the truffle, plus the smooth texture from the scallops. The wine pairing provided mainly acidity to the dish, plus you get a little of the butterscotch flavour from the wine. The fruit flavours for the wine were not as evident.
Olive Oil Poached Black Cod with green olive salmoriglio | horseradish
Ammiraglia Massovivo 2022 (Vermentino)
The Black Cod was cooked perfectly, giving a soft delicate creamy texture. Salmoriglio is a condiment of chopped green olives, citrus, garlic, and herbs. The dish had some pepperiness, which may have come from the condiment. I picked up the acidity from the condiment to support the creamy texture of the cod. There were also pea shoots that offered a strong flavour adding interest to the dish, plus radish slices providing some crunchiness. The acidity from the wine was the main contributor to the dish with some of the citrus flavour as well. The dish had many flavours, so the flavours of the wine were not as prominent in the pairing.
Wagyu Beef Tartare with salsa cruda | crispy potato | quail egg yolk | black truffle
Perano Chianti Classico Frescobaldi 2019
This was my favourite pairing. The beef tartare was soft and creamy. The quail egg yolk added to the creamy texture of the dish. I enjoyed the onion and herbs from the salsa cruda. The wine did not overpower this dish. The fruit flavours along with the tannins and acidity from the wine meshed nicely to make a harmonious dish.
Roasted Elk Loin with elk “pie” | tallow polenta | fig mostarda | porcini jus
Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2014
Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2015
Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2019
The roasted elk loin had very deep flavours. It was cooked rare, but difficult to cut and a bit chewy. Maybe it needed to be made medium-rare? A winning part of this dish was the elk “pie”, which was a rolled pastry tube filled with ground elk and spices. It was very flavourful and reminded me of a smoked Polish sausage. My favourite wine pairing with the elk was the Castelgiocondo Lamaione Toscana 2014, which although I did not rate it as high as the other two vintages, the fruitness of the 2014 really worked well with the flavours of the elk and associated spices.
Gorgonzola Piccante with chestnut honey | red wine reduction | pear condiment
Castellodi Nipozzano Montesodi 2017
The gorgonzola cheese was very creamy and the blue bitterness was quite mild. The pear condiment had a sweet spice sauce. The wine made an OK pairing. Primarily the acidity in the wine works with the creaminess of the cheese.
Thank you to the Vancouver International Wine Festival for providing me with attendance to this event, to Marchesi Frescobaldi for their wonderful wines, and The Vancouver Club for the paired dishes and venue.
