Lunch with Aldo and Renato

Tasted Friday, July 3, 2015 by HowardNZ with 332 views

Introduction

After a tasting at Produttori del Barbaresco, Aldo Vacca took us a few steps across to Trattoria Antica Torre, Barbaresco.

As we had asked, he phoned his cousin, Renato Vacca of Cantina del Pino, to join us for lunch. (If you have not heard it, you should listen to Levi Dalton's excellent podcast with Renato on I'll Drink to That).

Renato brought along to lunch some of his wines, which we enjoyed ...

Torre is a simple, local trattoria, serving a small number of dishes, based on local ingredients that are in season. Aldo ordered for us.

The kitchen obviously had some of the local Barbaresco rabbit in stock. We began with an undressed, handmade pasta 'plin' with spinach and rabbit and our main was the rabbit 'tajarin' pasta. The food was delicious!

The wines were:

Flight 1 (4 Notes)

  • 2013 Cantina del Pino Barbera d'Alba

    Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba

    From 70 year vines in Ovello. Deep bright red colour. A nose of sweet red and black cherry and liquorice. Fresh bright blackberries on palate. Pure and driven with strong minerality. Glossy and sleek. Plenty of ripe, dense fruit, but quite elegant. Focused, with very good acidity. I really enjoyed this Barbera! Ideally, give this wine 3+ years to settle. I'm sure it could easily cellar for 20 years.

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  • 2011 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Made from a mix of Ovello fruit (60-70 year old vines) and fruit from other, younger vines, Renato said. An attractive, expressive nose of red fruit, asphalt and dry earth. A supple and succulent wine, with ripe, juicy red cherries and other red fruit and some soil and tar. Generous and uncomplicated. Satiny mouthfeel. A good entry level Barbaresco.

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  • 2011 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Albesani

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    A step up here, even apparent on bouquet, with an expressive, more complex nose of spices, raspberries, plums, asphalt and savoury nuances. On palate, a silky texture with sweet tannins. Very fleshy, rounded and full bodied. Quite oval in the mouth. Fully ripe and rich. Very good but it lacks the complexity and detail of the Ovello. I'd give it 5+ years cellar time.

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  • 2011 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Ovello

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Better again. Also from old vines. A lovely, almost ethereal bouquet of lifted, high toned red berries and dark florals. With the richness and the fruit weight of the Albesani but with greater definition, refinement and complexity. More tension and focus and better acidity than the Albesani. You could see the similarity with the 2011 Produttori Ovello ... both very good, detailed wines that will need decent cellar time, perhaps 8+ years.

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Closing

Thanks very much to Aldo for a great lunch and to Renato for his engaging company and introducing us to his very good wines.

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