Kelly and Kevin’s excellent adventure before WWS 2012
La Morra
Tasted Sunday, November 4, 2012 - Sunday, November 11, 2012 by dcwino with 1,310 views
Introduction
Bless my wife and I really feel bad, this is my first night in Piedmont. The trip has been uneventful thankfully. Kelly’s flight got delayed a bit and we got to La Morra around 6:30.
Flight 1 - Ristorante Bovio (2 Notes)
We just had a dinner at Bovio. Since we want to acclimate into white truffle slowly we only order one truffle dish per person but what an introduction, “egg, clime and copious amount of white truffle’. There was a center piece that was the size of a duck egg. We shared two bottles wine that complement the dinner well.
Flight 2 - Visit to Giacomo Conterno - 9:00 (5 Notes)
What a beautiful day in Barolo! Our first visit was with Roberto Conterno, really passionate yet very friendly. We toured his immaculate facility then had a nice tasting. As some of you know, the decision to make Monfortino is done at the vineyard. Robert loves burgundy and his Francia vineyard’s terroir is unique resulting in no Cascina Francia in 2002 as all Barolo was made into the 02 Monfortino and no Monfortino in 2007. I commented how great the 07 CF is and Roberto pointed out the obvious reason, ie no Monfortino. He recently acquired 3 hectares in Cerretta vineyard and is making wines since 2008 although 2010 will be the first vintage of Barolo as the 08 and 09 were declassified. It was a fun visit and I was very impressed with the subtle, detailed yet energetic and powerful nature of his wines.
Flight 3 - Visit to Elio Grasso - 10:30 (3 Notes)
Our second visit was at Elio Grasso. Gianluca kindly received us. From the terrace, he showed us all different vineards and explained that the vineyards with red leaves are dolcetto, with yellow are barbera and still green are nebbiolo which I found really interesting and education. Then he proceed to show his facility including the cave that was constructed only a few years ago. The first cave is where he keeps the French barrels and the second is where he keeps the bottles to be released, both are temperature and humidity control. He is a firm believer of organic farming.
Flight 4 - Trattoria della Posta - 12:30 (2 Notes)
Both Roberto and Gianluca recommend Trattoria della Posta so no brainer and Gianluca kindly made a reservation for us. The restaurant was beautifully situated and since the weather was so nice, we sat outside to enjoy the sun and beautiful view. I had the grilled porcini which was superb followed by confit of goose leg which was quite good.
Flight 5 - Visit to Vajra - 3:30 (6 Notes)
Francesca kindly received us. She was very charming and it was evident that she is very passionate about wine.
Flight 6 - Locanda Dell’Arco - 8:00 (2 Notes)
The dinner was at Locanda Dell’Arco which was recommended and reserved by Gianluca. A small restaurant that is remotely located in Cissone, worth the pain of getting there. A soft spoken proprietor told us the limited choices of pastas and main dishes. I had Taglierini with porcini then guineafowl in cream and hazelnut sauce and both were wonderful.
Flight 7 - Visit to Vietti - 10:30 (11/6/2012) (8 Notes)
Our first visit was at Vietti. As we drove up, I noticed a lady driving who was looking at me. I immediately recognized that she was our waitress at Trattoria della Posta, deja vu. There was a bit of confusion as Viettii seemed to be a very common sir name in castiglione falletto. We eventually arrived at five to ten and a lady came out and told us that the appointment was at ten thirty. So we walked down a few blocks to a café and what a small world, our waitress lady was there. She recognized us as greeted us.
Our visit was with Elena, the wine of Luca. As usual she was very friendly and happy to guide the tour the facility. Since the winery was in a historic district, they dug three floor down and there was a narrow tunnel to the main tower which was blocked and although I am not terribly claustrophobic I was a bit nervous walking a bit to reach a small chamber. We finally got to the tasting room where we tasted a number of wines. Although I wasn’t too familiar with the winery, I really enjoyed the style of the winery which is quite pretty. I also like the expression of the vintage 08 for Baroli which is approachable and precise.
Flight 8 - Ristorante La libera - 1 pm (11/6/2012) (1 Note)
The center of Alba is old and charming. As we had such a great time at Vietti and we got lost for a few minutes, we got to the restaurant a bit late but we were warmly received. It is a small cozy modern restaurant with very serious kitchen. I had the Carne cruda battuta al coltello then the Taglierini with white truffle. The owner came and shaved a whole slightly larger than a quail egg size truffle for me. The pasta was perfectly ardente and the egg noodle with butter and a copious amount of truffle was just heavily. If you are in Alba, I highly recommend the restaurant.
Flight 9 - Visit to Rinaldi 3:00 PM (11/6/2012) (1 Note)
After a great lunch, we made up to the cantina G. Rinaldi. G. Rinaldi was not interested in visitors so he handed us to his wife. Marta whom we set up the appointment with was very busy so her mom gave us a tour. This is a small family operation and Marta was busy pumping the wines. We tasted through the 11 line up and they were very good. Then there was a double magnum of the 08 Barolo Brunate le Coste opened the day before. We also tasted the 09 Brunate which was still need time and almost undrinkable and the San Lorenzo which was ready to go. Both exceptional wines.
Flight 10 - La Ciau del Tornavento – 8 PM (11/6/2012) (2 Notes)
We drove to Treiso to dine at La Ciau del Tornavento. My last trip to Alba was a GJE tasting held at Tenuta Carretta now six years ago. I had a memorable truffle dinner with Francois back then and I mixed up the name and thought the restaurant was belvedere. Upon entering, the space looked very familiar and it immediately brought my fond “truffle” memory. A good friend and fellow GJE member Roberto S imports a lot of marquee French wines to Italy and he supplies DRCs, Rayas and Chaves to them. He told us to check out the cellar and possibly locate some mature wines. Unfortunately the wine list was priced like a star Michelin restaurant in France. However we were able to find a good deal, the 05 Rayas.
This is the only meal where the dishes has a bit more international feel, not that it shies away much from the classic Piedmont cuisine. If you are looking for a fancy and imaginative meal in Alba, this is the place to be. We were the first table to arrive and the chef, Maurilio Garola came out to greet us, btw he greeted and consulted everyone, and enquired what are we in the mood for and we enquired about the 80 euro tasting menu. He told us that it was a six courses of small plates. Kelly then responded “surprise us”. In addition, I really wanted to eat again one of the top dishes of my life, “Uovo in cocotte servito nel suo scrigno con Tartufo” truffle, egg and cream in a box so we added as an additional course. As expected the dishes were solid, one or two courses that were more modern but overall it was very classic. Contrast to what the Chef said, the dishes had pretty significant portions and after a several big meals, we felt full by the third course. Kelly especially hit the wall and reached the food coma. He had to stop at the great ravioli course and didn’t look too good. I suggested a shot of grappa and that seemed to do the trick and we got our good ole Kelly back except he still couldn’t eat a bite more. Our restaurant experiences have been extremely positive and in this case, they charged less for Kelly dinner and waived the truffle surcharge. What a surprise and a great gesture. This was an excellent meal once again. A couple points regarding the restaurant;
Uovo in cocotte servito nel suo scrigno con Tartufo
The chef will always carry around a big bag full of truffles to show to the diners.
Great cheese cart with a lot of stinky and creamy cheeses.
2012 Truffle report – As Bill Klapp kindly mentioned the 12 wasn’t a good truffle season, btw a great Porcini season due to little rain (our truffle box wasn’t as fragrant as the one that I had before). Also according to the chef, the lunar is late which means the best truffles will show a bit late as well. The chef also mentioned that he loves the quality of truffle in January these days “global warming” and the price is substantially cheaper as the demand goes down drastically.
P.S. I recalled getting introduced to Giorgio Rivetti last time and our first visit is at La Spinetta.
Flight 11 - Visit to La Spinetta - 10 AM (11/7/2012) (13 Notes)
We checked out from the hotel and headed to our first visit at La Spinetta. The young lady who was schedule to host us want there and luckily we were greeted by Mr. Stephano Mazzzetta who is in charge of the facility that we were visiting. Although he spoke little English, I was able to get most of what he was explaining and he understood a lot of what I was asking. Kelly is an expert of Spinetta and recognizing that Stephano opened almost entire line-up with the portfolio, the table wine that he makes which is none commercial as only a few hundred bottles were made and offer a blind tasting of the 00 Barolo Campe which was apparently returned from the Japanese importer due to a minor damage in the capsule. I was surprised to know that the perfect appearance is a must for the Japanese market, I thought may be China but Japan! Based on Stephano’s explanation and the wines, La Spinetta’s style has changed where significantly less new oak is used and less concentrated. The 09 barbarescos showed mouth puckering tannins and I was expecting 15 years to shed the tannins. However Kelly explained that the tannins are often coming from the wood and barbarescos in general tend to get soften relatively quick and these will be drinkable in five years and Stephano agreed.
I wasn’t too familiar with La Spinetta other than a few big Barberas and Barbarescos that I had awhile back, I was impressed with the whole line up and with extremely friendly and informative Stephano, this was another great visit.
Apparently La Spinetta was a major Muscato d’Asti producer. Since it was a very successful operation, they were able to acquire a number of top red vineyards.
P.S. Stephano showed the wine that he made that is not commercially available called “Desmentia” that was quite impressive. 70% nebbiolo and 30% barbera. Subtle and very mineral driven nose, red fruits, sap, pinot like purity and brightness and lead pencil. Delicate palate not unlike a softer Barolo and also noticeable but not obtrusive tannins. Very good wine. 92 pts.
Flight 12 - Bill K's house visit (1 Note)
I emailed Bill K. as I wanted a chance to finally meet him. Bill was unfortunately under the weather so he invited us to meet him at his house, more like a small piece of heaven on earth. His house is situated at one of the top plateaus in Neive, breathtaking/spectacular 270 degree view of Alps as well as the top barbaresco vineyards. I was speechless for awhile. We toward his lovely house then he kindly offered the 96 Falletto red label that he decanted a couple hours back. While having the wine, he told us how he was able to purchase the house reminding us being lucky if often better than being good.
Flight 13 - Visit to Bruno Giacosa - 3:30 PM (11/7/2012) (4 Notes)
It appears as most Restaurants close on Tuesday and Wednesday so our lunch option was very limited. Bill kindly recommended a couple options but both were closed for lunch. So we walked into La Contea in Neive thinking it is a casual place but we were surprised to get white glove service. We sat outside and I ordered a stewed veal tail in Barolo sauce which was exceptional.
We proceed to Bruno Giacosa where we were warmly received by a young oenologist Francesco Versio. He is a passionate wine maker also a very good taster. We tasted the current release of the Barbera and Nebiollo which were good. We also toured the facility and the cellar. It was interesting to note that both G. Conterno and B. Giacosa have immaculate cellar.
Closing
Although our schedule was short and tight, we were fortunate to visit seven wineries and ate like kings. I must express my since gratitude to Kelly and Moritz as they arranged the visits. It was an wonderful and memorable trip thus far. Now time to head down to Milan for a GJE dinner.
1990 Domenico Clerico Barolo Pajana 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(11/4/2012)
Expressive nose of black fruits, ash, tar, licorice, perfume and earth. This is a masculine and rustic wine with still significant tannins. Although very enjoyable, very angular.
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2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Moccagatta 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
(11/4/2012)
As Kelly commented, bright red fruits, cherry liquor, asphalt, scorched earth and plum. Bright acidity, tar, earth and noticeable tannins. Good but not great.
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