Wines of the World & Ribs by Vintry @ Medan Damansara KL

It was one helluva evening. As when I was making my way to the restaurant, I got myself into an accident, not really minor and not really that major. Partly it was my fault so I paid for the lesson learnt - Kaching kaching RM1200 gone! It could have bought me a bottle of the wines that I'm drinking that night.

Anyways, I was at Ribs by Vintry which is a few doors away from Vintry (the wine outlet) on Jalan Kasah at Medan Damansara. This outlet serves wines as well as ribs! Lol... The convivial and casual dining outlet here serves a repertoire of pork ribs, beef and also lamb. It's the place you want to have a hearty meal and drink good wines.

Solaia, Opus One and Almaviva

The highlights of the dinner wasn't too much about the food but more on the wines. Since it was just a few of us, we had 3 bottles of wines from 3 different regions of the world and these wines are iconic to each wine producing regions of its own. The line up are - Antinori Solaia 2007 from Tuscany in Italy, Opus One 2007 from Napa Valley in California and Almaviva from Chile in South America.







We started off the dinner with a bowl of thick cream based Wild Mushroom soup (RM14) that is garnished with fried Basil leaves. There's a also a platter of Honey Fried Cheese (RM16) and also Sauteed Button Mushrooms (RM16) with garlic and basil for starters.

Antinori Solaia 2007

The first bottle that we were drinking that night was the Antinori Solaia 2007 . Antinori makes some of the world famous Italian wines such as the Super Tuscan - Tignanello and then adjacent to Tignanello in the Mercatale Val di Pesa zone of Chianti Classico, lies a 10 hectare vineyard for Solaia (also called as "the sunny one"). Solaia 2007 emerged today with a current blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged in 100% new oak.



Piero Antinori didn't want to recreate a Bordeaux-style claret, but rather to convey the versatility and the finesse of the Sangiovese grapes. Thus, the Solaia 2007 has an intense ruby red colour, displays an array of super-ripe black cherries and plums, cassis and sweet oak. This is one of those smooth and supple wines that is not heavy on the palate and it's considerably opulent and balanced!This is truly a wine with finesse and character. Rated 97 points by RP, there are 6500 cases made for this wine and it's best drank during 2017-2017 according to him.



This is one of those wines that you should try alongside some of the most expensive Super Tuscans such as Tignanello, Sassicaia and Ornellaia. I think I prefer the Solaia 2007 to an Ornellaia 2007 anytime!

Opus One 2007

This is probably my third bottle of Opus One, the first being an Opus One 1999. One of the factors that bring fame to this wine is that it's a collaboration between Baron Phillipe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Robert Mondavi to create a single Bordeaux style blend based upon the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.



The 2007 Opus One is composed of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec. During fermentation and maceration, component lots received an average of 20 days of skin contact prior to 19 months of barrel aging in new French oak. It's two of the strongest wines ever made at the Opus One winery. On the palate, you can taste a tight & firm notes of blackcurrant, licorice and minerals. It's full-bodied and instense, well-structured like a bordeaux style wine and end with a good, persistent and lingering finish. One of the more voluptuous wines I've tasted that leaves a very good impression. RP gave it a 95 points and states that it can be drunk now or cellared for 25+ years.

Almaviva 2003

The last wine of the night is the Almaviva 2003 from Chile. This is another winery and wine born of the joint venture between Baron Philippe de Rothschild and Viña Concha y Toro. Almaviva is the only non-Bordeaux produce to be handled by the famed French negociants and marketed by them. Production of Almaviva is limited ensuring its exceptional quality. Thus, on its own merits, Almaviva has joined the elite in the world of wine that represents a massive qualitative step forward for domestic production.



Rated with 95 points from Wine Spectator, this is a wine in the Top 100 in 2006. It's "very dense, with loads of raspberry ganache, black currant and fig fruit layered with loam, tobacco, mineral and cedar notes. Lots of grip on the finish, with impressive balance between the tannins, acidity and oak. Built like a Pauillac. Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2007 through 2015."



For me, among the 3 bottles of wines that I tried that night, I really liked the Almaviva 2003. There's something about it that makes it irresistible like the dense and complex notes coupled with its balanced tannins and long finish. I loved the cigar notes with a slight orange zest. It's indeed and exceptional wine.

Of course we did have other food besides the starters. There's a Vintry House Salad (RM28) consisting of romaine lettuce and rocket, sliced white button mushrooms, jamon, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives. Then, we had a Braised Beef Ribs (RM69), BBQ Pork Ribs (RM42 for a medium portion) and some other dishes.





Even after so many dishes, we still managed to find some stomach space for some desserts. We ordered a few recommended desserts such as the Chocolate Brownie (RM14) served with Vanilla ice-cream, Warm Apple Crumble (RM15) served with Vanilla ice-cream as well and a Tiramisu (RM15) to end the night on a sweet note.



Overall, the food here is satisfying and it's a great place for wine drinking as well as it's unpretentious and laidback. I was very glad that I had a chance to try the wines that I've wanted to and now I can move on to other regions! Cheers...

Ribs by Vintry

120-122, Jalan Kasah,

Medan Damansara,

50490 Kuala Lumpur



Tel: +(603) 2096 1645

email : sales@vintry.com.my

Opening Hours

Mon - Sun : 12.00pm till 11.00pm.

Kitchen closes from 3.00pm till 6.00pm.