Oleksandr had one last bottle from his trip to Italy, where he'd visited Nadia Verrua at Cascina Tavijn - she'd given him something you can't buy. We randomly decided to gather, and then suddenly it's a proper wine tasting event - six wines, five people, no plan.

While so random, this was a truly emotional evening. Nadia's TOC #5 - an experimental skin-contact Vermentino, 700 bottles in the world, grapes from a friend's vineyard that no longer exists - blew my mind. Benda's Rosso di Montalcino was finally rehabilitated after a 2022 that disappointed so thoroughly we still joke about it. The 60th-anniversary Carema Selezione from Cantina Produttori turned out to be a quiet beast. And Burlotto's half-bottle Barolo was, as always, a beautiful surprise. We opened with a fresh-release Jacquesson 748 that needs years, and somewhere in the middle a Franciacorta that tasted like ayran. Not every bottle was a revelation, but the evening was.

Jacquesson Cuvée 748 (2020) NV

Jacquesson, founded 1798, transformed under the Chiquet brothers into one of Champagne's most singular houses. Their numbered cuvée series (starting with 728) replaced the traditional non-vintage blend with a single-vintage approach, each year a fresh blending decision. Large old oak barrels, extended lees ageing, minimal dosage, no filtration. Since 2022 under Artémis Domaines (François Pinault). The 748 is based on the 2020 vintage, disgorged August 2024 after 36 months on lees. Extra Brut.

Cascina Tavijn TOC #5 2023

Cascina Tavijn is Nadia Verrua's project in Asti, Piemonte - seven hectares of indigenous varieties farmed organically with limited sulfites. TOC #5 is from her experimental "TOC Collection" - a one-off edition. 100% Vermentino from a friend's organically farmed vineyard nearby - the vines were pulled up last year, making this wine unrepeatable. Destemmed, fermented on skins for one week, aged in fibreglass. 700 bottles produced.

Mirabella Franciacorta Demetra (d2023) NV

Franciacorta producer. Demetra is their Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs - 100% Chardonnay, base vintage 2020, 24 months on lees, disgorged 2023. Zero dosage.

J.G. Benda Rosso di Montalcino 2023

The redemption bottle. Benda's 2022 Rosso disappointed twice in a row - cherry, spices, harsh tannin, lots of oak, two bottles, same story. We'd turned it into a running joke. The 2023 is a different wine entirely - performing, blind, at Brunello level.

Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema Carema Selezione 2015

Alpine Nebbiolo from heroic terraced vineyards at the Valle d'Aosta border - Carema at its coldest and most elegant. Cantina Produttori is the local cooperative, and the Selezione is their top cuvée, released for the producer's 60th anniversary. The 2015 has had over a decade to develop.

Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo Half 2021

Historic Verduno producer, bottling since the mid-1800s when most sold in bulk. Under Fabio Alessandria, the style is unmistakable: foot-trodden whole clusters, extended maceration, large botti ageing. The result is Barolo with Burgundian finesse - aromatic, elegant, tense. The half-bottle format concentrates the evolution.

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