Wineries and various restaurants
Tasted Thursday, November 24, 2022 - Saturday, December 3, 2022 by MC2 Wines with 620 views
Ok we’re back! It’s yet again not the best of truffle years (but thankfully better than last year) so that’s something. Still the wine is excellent and the food is very strong and it turns out some other regions can probably make an ok white truffle since that’s where a lot of the ones we’re eating are from (Piedmont having gotten almost no rain for almost six months). 2022 seems to be a very good vintage especially based on what the expectations were over the summer. The grapes survived the terrible drought. But everyone is hoping for snow this winter.
2018 (current release) drinking much more openly than some years which is appreciated. Lots of excitement on the ‘19 and esp on the ‘21 which seems to be shaping up to be a really special one. .
This was a last minute change - meant to go the day after we landed but instead there was a request to come the day we landed and while we weren’t sure we could make it work I’m so glad we did. A very different style of winery. There’s a destressization that they do with the grapes so after they harvest they leave them in a room that is temperature/humidity/insect controlled so that they can dry a bit and the stems can ripen a bit more and then everything (including whites) is generally whole cluster. A winery we came across during Festa del Barolo earlier this year and that makes some wines that are very different but are definitely compelling. So very glad we made the time for the visit.
An old favorite of ours that we haven’t been to in a few years. We have had some epic meals here. This year I would say good. One wine off list that was nice but not too crazy. Wines on list were good. The food was tasty. And the company was the best part.
I think I said last year that it was our first but not our last time and indeed that was the right call. So interesting to try such a different wine from Parusso - all de-stemmed, no new oak, very classic. The Albesani Barbaresco is really quite special and trying it the first year was amazing. The 2018 Barolo is crazy because it’s all of the cru vineyards and the ‘18 Barolo and then some of the ‘18 Langhe Nebbiolo is Barolo. So lots going on in this year looking back.
It is an institution (we are pretty sure George Clooney booked his visit while we were there). The proprietor is a character. The place is tiny. The wine list is long. It is not the place for deals, but it is a lovely afternoon.
Corte Gordina is a wonderful spot to stay and one of the best things is their outside garden which I think they expected would be unused this time of year but we are ex-NYCers who lived through COVID so hanging out outside in 50 degrees is lovely and easy. A wine I really loved from a SAC event a few weeks ago from the wine store in town (which is wonderful).
A recommendation from a Jacksonville friend who stayed at the hotel here some years ago. This was awesome. It’s a vertical restaurant built into a cellar that is modern but also old at the same time. The cellar is something to behold. The list was straight up amazing - lots of old wine - and supportive of the local producers (Barolos of the world was a category that corresponded with Barolos of Montforte de Alba). Sadly no truffle but we did finally correct the lack of Moscato d’Asti on this trip.
What is there to say about this wine? The ‘new’ barolo girl and she is clearly rocking it and taking names. Lucky to have met her early - all of the wine is just excellent.
Every so often you have one of those perfect days where the company, the wine, the food, the location, the just everything is … well… perfect. This was one such afternoon. Getting to meet some new friends with some great travel stories, overlooking the alps which are truly spectacular and drinking some wine that didn’t suck. We thought we’d be there for a few hours and found ourselves walking directly from lunch to dinner. Perfect.
Ok - so in a trip like this there are bound to be some miscommunications more mess-ups and unfortunately our evening at Ristorante Bovio was one of them. We arrived at the restaurant with some additional friends to find out that on Friday night they had held a table for 8 ppl all evening and of course being Saturday they were fully booked. Very kind about it, but alas not possible to do dinner there. So we had La Morra pizza who were able to accommodate. Pizza was very good. Wine list not quite the same so we were a bit more muted but probably ok after our afternoon extravaganza. Fun to see more of the NY Thanksgiving Piedmont crew.
No notes on wines although of course we had some. But none that stood out in any major way (my most favorite was probably the moscato) and so I think ok to skip notes.
One of my favorite restaurants in Piedmont that manages to stay under the radar somehow and yet they have both fantastic food and a fantastic wine list and everyone is super friendly. Surprised when they not only recognized us this year but realized this was our fourth visit (despite the reservation having been made as ‘Josie’ because my name is truly difficult in Italian). The truffle experience here is also something to behold. These are the people that taught me the appropriate truffle method should cover the plate so you should just sort of see the food underneath and even in a bad truffle year they shave with an abandon that I can appreciate. Delicious.
Great classic spot that it seems most everyone talks about.
Elena was very lovely when we saw her in NYC and while this was a difficult tasting (we had ppl at many different levels with different levels of experience with Vietti and different languages) I’d argue Elena who works the tasting room was a bit of a savant. I appreciated her acrobatics a lot.
One of my most favorite restaurants with a list that I just adore and yet we were a bit late from previous tasting and had another tasting that wanted us to be a bit earlier and so I convinced everyone that we can recork but still it was a touch rushed. This whole trip we have had let’s call them ‘self-statements’ and the gist of mine was when you want to order more but that doesn’t work with the ____, that’s a me. I ordered more anyway.
We had a lovely tasting with Barb around Festa earlier this year at Ci Siamo and really because of that event we added Sandrone to our list although I wasn’t sure it was totally our style and certainly it wasn’t something we felt like we were missing. Lovely visit and well done but we rushed from a lunch spot I love to make this one and I’d say the wine is ok but more new style. I will always appreciate he didn’t chase the money and he is his own character, but it wasn’t a crazy moment for me.
New restaurant for us in Alba but of course there had to be some because we are post COVID and some things closed. A bit off the beaten path. Some interesting food selections. Harder wine choices but the Bartolo was spot on.
Wow (but with the Piemonte access that is like a W…o….www…’. Round and complete set of syllables. This is a two person operation and seeing the whole thing made me understand why it is not so easy to buy the wine and also why one should be buying this wine. It’s a beautiful estate with amazing history and two truly passionate people making it happen. This is not the easiest place to visit. They speak only Italian. We have someone who speaks some Italian. But we made it work and I’m so glad we did.
The flat we rent every year in Alba is owned by a chef at Ciau which is always a wonderful visit. Great location on the hill and while it was a cloudy day so not quite the views we had last year it was still lovely. Cellar wine tour is a must here - lots of amazing wines.
Many different types of experiences in wine but this was an Experience with the capital E. One of the things I like about visiting this area is there is some experimentation in the wine making or at least slightly different approaches than you see in other regions and so the differences are maybe mostly the terroir or the use of new vs old wood. In Piemonte more broadly there is treatment of clusters and other such things. At Fabio Gea there is fermentation in water baths and many different forms of ceramics and lots of different studies. He has clearly lived an interesting life with a lots of different experiences and you can almost feel that all of those (from being involved in the oil industry in Africa to running art installations for Turing government) have influenced the work now. Quite the character. We didn’t try the barbaresco which is a favorite, but good to see some of the other wine too.
It is fun to meet an American making some excellent wines in Piedmont. Allen was funny and charming and clearly a student of the area. Had a great grasp of what he was trying to do and I think succeeding quite well. The wines were all excellent.
Always a favorite of ours and this time was no different. Food is excellent and the wines were quite tasty as well.
This year we visited the Bricco Rocche vineyard and did a bit of barrel tasting before we went over to the main Alba facility. I didn’t take notes from the barrels but they were very interesting. Two different parts of the Brunate vineyard so could see the difference of grapes from the top of the hill versus lower down. It was a bit surprising. Beautiful facility and a treat to get to try. The 2015 Bricco Rocche was my favorite I think.
Love this space that feels like you are downstairs in someone’s cellar. We had a nice table in a corner and some great company and it was a lovely dinner if lots of wine.
Fabio’s wines are always enchanting and the 2019 line-up is no different. All are great but I was especially impressed with how expressive the 2019 Barolo Classico is already.
Fabio suggested a lovely trattoria where we were able to bring a few wines and order some good food. The antipasti especially was very nice and went really well with the champagnes.
Nic and team are continuing to do some really good things. Fun to get to see how the winery is evolving especially with the Berri Barolo coming.
This is probably my favorite restaurant in Alba and I never quite understand where you don’t hear more about it. I think perhaps there’s some politics to all of it. For us though it’s always a must visit. Great wine list and the food is excellent.
We’ve been hearing about this place but hadn’t made the trip up until this year. It’s a beautiful and very serious facility. Nebbiolo mostly from the lava rock so better drainage although also a region that typically gets more water than Barolo. Interesting to learn about the history. Once upon a time it was more of the focus for the wine in Northern Italy but as more factory jobs came in more folks left and the focus on wine and food and agritourism was not as strong here. Lots of thoughts that if there is a ‘Burgundy of Nebbiolo’ this is where it comes from.
Not sure the next time we will be back here so we opted for the 7 course chef’s menu and it was great. Excellent food and a fun wine list especially with some older Nervi wines.
I think probably our best trip yet which is saying something since they have all been really amazing. Hard to pick a wine of the trip but I will say that some of our newer ones (Serafino Rivella and Margherita Otto) will definitely be in my rotation of wines to buy going forward. The experiences with Giulia and Fabio were hard to beat. Always fun to see Nic and Stephania - I learn a ton every time. Favorite restaurants were Dulcis Vitis, Le Torri, Trattoria del Poste and La Ciau but really the food is always excellent.
Already looking forward to and starting to plan next year!
2019 Parusso Langhe Sauvignon Blanc Bricco Rovella Bianco
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
(11/24/2022)
I think this might be one of the first Sauvignon Blancs that we’ve had in Piedmont although it sounds like there are some other producers in this area who do it as well. Our hostess mentioned that they thought of it as a ‘local grape’ - perhaps born from the Marchesi di Barolo who brought more from Bordeaux over. This was a nice version. Rounder in style. Touch of the green apple with a long finish that shifts into jolly rancher by the end. Very soft and a touch creamy though. Made to age. All whole cluster (also not the most common with a white wine) but it worked.
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2021 Parusso Barbera d'Alba Ornati
Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba
(11/24/2022)
Barbera is not the easiest grape for me from this area. It always comes across as a bit too much. In the past I’d thought that I mostly preferred without any oak but this was 4 months in 2nd use oak and that does seem to tone down some of the fruit without creating an overly oaky version. Very floral on first impression. Some darker red fruits. Almost a liquor flavor. Cherry juice isn’t the worst descriptor for it but there is a hint of tannin at the end that kindof holds it all together. Not as compelling to me as the Nebbiolo but interesting to get to try. Comes from a sandy soil.
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2021 Parusso Langhe Nebbiolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
(11/24/2022)
Noted as El Sartu because the vineyards this wine comes from have a house with a dressmaker inside. 1 year in the barrique - all second use. Can get a hint of the stems in this wine in a good way. More tannin. Some almost greenness at the end. Background of red fruits but not nearly as pronounced as the Barbera. Can tell the oak, but it’s not overpowering. It seems though to be muting the fruit at the moment which I miss a bit.
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2019 Parusso Vegliamonte Alba
Italy, Piedmont, Alba
(11/24/2022)
First time I think that I have tried a Barbera (15%) + Nebbiolo (85%) and yet of course it makes sense that in a region that blended wines to create the best expression they would have tried to blend different grapes. Co-fermented. 1.5 years in barriqu, 2nd use. All red currant and dusty tannins. Very young. Feels like it might age. There’s some stemmy-spicy notes to it. Interesting to try.
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2018 Parusso Barolo Bussia
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(11/24/2022)
2 years in new oak like all of the Barolo. Very pretty in style, almost reminds me of an apricot jam (perhaps because there is a picture in the tasting room of the first family after they won a peach growing contest). Drying tannin. More time needed but a nice start to it. Comes from a vineyard towards the top of Bussia (perhaps the ‘real’ Bussia) with clay soils.
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2018 Parusso Barolo Mosconi
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(11/24/2022)
2 years in new oak. From a vineyard that is all limestone and rock which creates a bit more structure. Again I get a lot of that stone fruit jam, a bit of a liquor style. Very different style of barolo in some ways with the stems and the barrique but I am charmed by it. Would love to see this with some more time.
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2013 Parusso Barolo Bussia Vigna Rocche
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(11/24/2022)
From the 40 year old vines. It spends two years in barriques and then rest in barrel. This is the most recent release. Very fruity, seems a touch higher alcohol in the very beginning but then it softens quite a bit. So nice and has this almost ‘yummy’ sense to it.
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2000 Parusso Barolo Riserva Bussia
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(11/24/2022)
Ok - this is just wonderful and lovely. A blend of the Rochelle and Muni vineyards in Bussia. Again peach jam with herbs (maybe some eucalyptus?). Super fresh in style. Very nice. 120 bottled made total so not something that I guess we’d see very often. I was really taken with it.
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NV Parusso Metodo Classico Brut
Italy, Piedmont, Piemonte DOC
(11/24/2022)
A first also to try sparkling Nebbiolo although it surprises me that this isn’t more popular. 6 months in new barrique and then 36 months in bottle. Very good. Fruity and bright and kindof a slightly orange color and not quite the standard bubbles but in a good way. These are quite fine though and better I think that any Prosecco I’ve tried. Similar to the black label style but a lighter version
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2010 Parusso Metodo Classico Extra Brut
Italy, Piedmont, Piemonte DOC
(11/24/2022)
The black label which means it is closed with an oak cork and spends 9 years in bottle. Current release is the 2012. Dark almost cherry fruit in style. It’s very enjoyable. Different flavors than I’d expect with a sparkling but of course this is the Nebbiolo grape and they fit with that. But in sparkling form so of course a winner for me. Recommendation to also try Franco Conterno who is making sparkling wines in Piedmont as well.
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