1995 Quintarelli Ca' del Merlo and 1997 Dal Forno Romano Monte Lodoletta

I was pretty much unaware of these two Producers several years ago. Mark Scudiery prompted my interest in Quintarelli, and it has become a favorite.  
Paired the Quintarelli and Dal Forno with main course of fresh pasta with truffles. It was educational to taste these wines side by side, however I think they are best enjoyed on their own largely due to the difference in styles.

Both were served from bottle, opened about 90 mins prior to dinner.  The '97 Dal Forno was luscious from the start while the '95 Quintarelli took a while to open up. 

Somewhat unexpectedly, the Quintarelli was the clear favorite. It is a thrilling, multidimensional wine with beautiful fruit coupled with mouth-watering acidity. The nose is absolutely gorgeous.  I was a bit surprised at how well the Quintarelli showed for a relatively older vintage. It is beautiful and still in its prime. 

While the Dal Forno is a highly alluring and enjoyable wine, it seemed more one-dimensional next to the Quintarelli.   The Dal Forno fruit is really lovely, though. It just doesn't have the underpinnings of the Quintarelli.  On day 2, we finished off the rest of the Dal Forno and enjoyed it immensely.  We filtered the last of it thru a coffee filter (there was quite a bit of sediment ) and wow, what a delight the last pour was. (No Quintarelli was left over for day 2.)

Later in the evening on day 1, we popped the '02 Domaine de la Vougeraie Pommard Les Charmots  (because the Quintarelli was running low).  The Les Charmots is lovely wine which underscored some of the similarities between good Burgundy and Valpolicella.  Beautiful tart cherry palate with supple aromatics.  Minerality that blows away most west coast pinot noir. 

Have to mention the '12 Forman Chardonnay. .. an always enjoyable Burgundian rendition (no malo). Ric Forman makes two wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chardonnay - and they are both reference point wines in my book. 

In summary, for the '95 Quintarelli Ca' del Merlo. .. holy smokes what a wine!  If you find some, grab it.  This experience makes me want to go after some of the renowned Alzero  :)