1997 - Hermitage Rouge, Jean Louis Chave

The “Bollito not boiled” is one of Bottura’s classic dishes (seven different cuts of beef slowly cooked—for 36 hours—at a lower-than-usual temperature), while the “Beautiful, psychedelic…” veal creation is a far more modern Pollock-esque take on meat, but both match splendidly with Chave’s heavenly 1997 Hermitage Rouge. I’m not much for extremely rich, almost fat reds (and ’97 pushed the envelope) but this wine has aged magnificently and comes across as plush yet graceful, a neat trick. Stylishly supple and glyceral, it overpowers neither the veal nor the bollito.

The 1997 Hermitage rouge is unusual in its fruit-forward, user-friendly style. The color is a dense ruby/purple. The gorgeous, evolved bouquet of cassis, minerals, herbs, underbrush, and licorice is intense. Creamy-textured, full-bodied, and opulent, this low acid, gloriously ripe, layered 1997 can be drunk now, but promises to be even better with another 5-6 years of cellaring; it will last for 20-25 years. Importers: Langdon Shiverick, Cleveland OH; tel. (216) 861-6800 and Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524