In a recent post on the wines of Piemonte I wrote: you will be hard pressed to eat better in Italy - in the world maybe - than in Piedmont. The typical dishes of the local osterias like vitello tonnato and agnolotti del plin have been honed to exacting precision over the centuries. Tajarin al sugo, for example, is really not open to interpretation--the point is to do it well!

Even bagna cauda, which seems nothing more than a simple relish tray, is a thing of profound culinary pleasure. On my first night here in Alba, I walked straight to the Ceretto-owned Osteria La Piola where I had hoped to satisfy my year-long craving for carne cruda, the Piemontese specialty of chopped raw veal. On this particular night, the restaurant was paying homage to bagna cauda, a dish that is normally taken at home among friends given its communal nature of dipping vegetables in a cauldron of hot oil and anchovy. Raviolo in brodo was promised at the end so I thought I could suffer through a platter of raw vegetables. Yet when I crunched into that last cardoon and the last piece of bread sopped up the last bit of oil--I wanted more!

Sunday was a day of snow in the Langhe. At least a foot had fallen by morning and all of my winery visits were postponed. Without wi-fi or even a magazine to read I ventured out onto the streets of Alba in search of an English language newspaper. What I found instead was a translated copy of Nonna Genia, the classic work of Luciano de Giacomi and Beppe Lodi on the cooking of the Langhe region. With a bottle of Barbera and a slice of bakery pizza I read the book cover to cover that afternoon before going back in the snow to find a plate of tajarin.

From Nona Genia:
"In the culinary world tradition is not accorded the same respect it enjoys in other arts. We have great museums proudly showcasing their masterpieces from every era of human endeavour, acclaimed orchestras performing classical music throughout the world and collectors avidly competing for old masters, thereby driving up their value.

But in the culinary world, value is placed not so much on tradition as on the new. Today's culinary culture has adopted the mentality of the fashion world, where "tradition" is almost an embarrassing word."

You will be hard-pressed to eat better in Italy—in the world, maybe—than in the region of Piedmont. Piedmont, meaning “foot of the mountain,” lies in the northwestern corner of Italy, bordering France to the west and Switzerland to the north. It is enclosed on three sides by the Apennines and the Alps, and the cuisine here reflects its Alpine climate and proximity to France. Although the costal tourist destination of Cinque Terre lies just an hour from Gavi, the cuisine of Piedmont is decidedly mountainous rather than Mediterranean. In a typical Piemontese osteria, butter, eggy pastas, rice, and red meat are cooked with such honed and loving skill that you might wish you’d eaten here instead of your last Michelin-starred experience. 

Such exalted cuisine requires equally glorious wine, and Piedmont produces more DOC/DOCG classified bottles than any other region in Italy. Barolo and Barbaresco are the best-known wines of Piedmont. These highly collectible and highly sought-after long-lived reds are the product of the calcareous strewn hills of the Langhe, and the grapes seem perfectly content in the environs of northeast Italy. Nebbiolo, named for the morning fog of the region called “la nebbia,” gives such a beguiling aroma and satisfying structure that its most avid admirers are the wine world’s most passionate fanatics. 

I recently wrote a few words about Piedmont on our website. Click here and scroll down to read more about all the diversity and pleasure that Piedmont has to offer. 

 

I asked Leonardo to explain his palate and his selections, bringing up that he has both Bruno Giacosa and Voerzio in his book. Leonardo: "I am looking for quality leaders in every region" and he added that "Voerzio to me is not modern Barolo".

2004 Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli
Single Vineyard with northwest exposure at 450 meters near Valdicava. Leonardo: very good 2003 from this site. In 2004 very dense, very black color, sweet black cherry. The DOCG rules allows up to 15 percent of Brunello from a different vintage. Lots of aniseed, very supple tannins. Still very closed, tight. Some producers who held back wine in 2002 really did well with 2003. The '02 wine added freshness to the '03. '04 was mostly aged in barrique and tonneau.

2007 Tia Rita Redigaffi IGT Toscana
From the Suvereto. The soil is really red. Incredible structure and minerality in these wines. A lot of ripeness in this vineyard. Parker's first 100 point Italian wine was 2000 Redigaffi. Very, dark, sweet nose. Leonardo: "Galloni is stingy with his scores". Sweet oaky vanilla, very textural and sweet. Round. Very big. Very sweet tannins. 100% Merlot.

2005 Rosso del Conte Contea di Sclafani
In the center of Sicily. Leonardo: "this is a property I really love. I grew up in Palermo. This property is starting again with Chestnut. The wines are more aromatic in Chestnut. More sweetness". This wine is made from Nero d'Avola with a sprinkling Pecarona. Combination of large oak and barrique. Sweet, dense, black fruit. Good definition and acidity. Firm tannins. Big wine with big alcohol.

Next two wines made by Riccardo Cotarella
2007 Montevetrano Big Colli di Salerno
Mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Aglianico. Very deep, sweet black fruit. Licorice. Question asked, if Riccardo has a signature what is it? Leonardo: "Riccardo's obsession is with the vineyard and making big tannins silky. Silvia is a renaissance woman and a beautiful woman, Montevetrano is a ancestral property.

2008 Terra di Lavoro Big Roccamonfina
Leonardo: "one of the great Aglianico wines. Black color with some bright purple. Leonardo: here you really get the slate the graphite of volcanic soils. I bought the the entire production of the first three vintages". '89 was the first vintage.

2004 Roberto Voerzio Barolo La Serra
Much deeper, darker color than the Giacosa. Gorgeous, sweet perfume. Very floral and sweet. Actually very elegant on the palate. Firm tannins. Leonardo: "Roberto wants to push the yield question to the limit. 1/2 a bottle per vine. Fanatical". He has three wines that he only releases in magnums. His Torre di l'Annunziatta barbera he is aging at the winery for 10 years before release. Outstanding wine. Great, great, great!

2005 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Roche del Falletto
Wow! Blood and iron in the nose. "Most of Bruno's career he used purchased fruit. Falletto is Bruno's vineyard and Rocche is the top six or seven rows of the Falletto. Leonardo believes that the reason Bruno sold off 06 was a bad year for him (health) personally. This wine is way too young. Very pure, intense nose but closed.

Are morels on toast the best way to serve morels? Seems that we're on to something with this adapted recipe from the Chez Panisse Vegetable cookbook. Grilled panunto (the foundation of Tuscan cooking) with morels sautéed in olive oil and spring onions, topped with pea shoots and lemon juice might be my absolute favorite morel mushroom preparation. Tangy and earthy with real morel flavor set off by a near perfect wine pairing: 2008 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d'Alba.

Morels were sourced from Bi-Rite Grocery as was the enormous Becker Lane Organic Farm pork chop seared in our trusty cast iron skillet (if you have a weber and kingsford and some hickory chips go with that instead).

We consumed the 2008 Rosi Schuster Sankt Laurent with the chop along with roasted eggplant. A gorgeous pairing and a beautifully perfumed bottle of wine. St. Laurent (sometimes written Saint Laurent, or in this case in German Sankt Laurent) is from the Pinot family of grapes and indeed is very Pinot Noir-like in its flavor profile: highly aromatic, light in body, dry on the palate and very silky tannins.

There used to be much discussion of modern vs. traditional producers of Barolo and Barbaresco. Most of the hubbub was over the type of vessel used for aging: modernists used French oak barriques while traditional producers insisted on botti, large casks made of chestnut or Slavonian oak. Ripeness of grapes and methods of extraction were also hotly debated.

Most Barolo and Barbaresco today is produced somewhere in between those two stylistic camps. Even Angelo Gaja's wines seem to be made with more restraint. But a few Piemontese producers remain staunchly traditional including the wines of Bruno Giacosa.

If you read our email offer today you know that we're keen on the wines of Bruno Giacosa from Piemonte. At Bruno Giacosa you will find no new oak. Only large botti of old French oak are used for aging and the resulting wines are superbly transparent. Giacosa's Nebbiolos from Barolo and Barbaresco are among the most collectible wines of Italy.

Today we offered the 2008 Bruno Giacosa's Barbera d'Alba, a wine of awesome earthy complexity and sensational texture. Barbera is sometimes referred to as "the people's wine" because it is the wine most frequently consumed by the Piemontese and pairs with the widest range of foods.

Barbara's trademark high acidity makes it ideal for rich Piemontese cuisine such as tajarìn pasta or polenta with meat ragù. It can also work well with sharp sauces such as bagna cauda and certain bitter vegetables.

We find that Barbera shows its absolute best with earthy mushroom flavors: morels over crostini; sautéed porcinis over hickory-grilled veal chops; hen-of-the-woods over risotto. Last night, we paired this wine with shaved summer truffles over polenta and Gillham eggs (quite possibly the most perfect eggs we've ever tasted). A perfect pairing of pungent truffle aromatics and earthy Barbera spiciness plus plenty of acidity to cut through the eggy richness of the dish.

PWM is a San Francisco wine merchant specializing in the wines of Burgundy, Rhône, Northern Italy, Germany and Austria. All wines are selected by Master Sommelier Jesse Becker. The best way to receive our wines is to sign up for our e-mails!

Lunch with the passionate Angelo Ferrio at San Francisco's Cotogna.

Roero lies on the Tanaro River, across from Barolo and Barbaresco in Italy’s Piedmont region. Like its noble cousins to the East, Roero is blanketed in Nebbiolo vines which make up 98% of the plantings there. Arneis makes up the remaining two percent, and produces a highly useful white wine, but it is Nebbiolo, Italy’s answer to Pinot Noir, which yields Roero’s best wines.

Click here to buy now: 2007 Cascina Ca’ Rossa Roero Mompissano Riserva ($37.99)

It wasn’t that long ago when Roero was mostly unknown in the U.S. The zone was only recently upgraded to DOCG status, and no matter how hard it tries, Roero will always play second fiddle to the ultra-famous wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. However, a few notable producers have been making headway with American consumers such as Matteo Correggia and the Cascina Ca’ Rossa estate of Angelo Ferrio.

Ferrio produces a full range of Piedmontese wines at Cascina Ca’ Rossa, including Arneis and an absolutely delicious fizzy-sweet Brachetto, but his heart and soul goes into one wine, the Mompissano Riserva. Mompissano is Roero’s most prestigious vineyard, and of its five owners, Ferrio owns the “bricco,” the most-coveted top section of the hill. Its marl and sandstone soils are more reminiscent of the great Barolo cru of Cannubi than the rest of Roero, which is mostly sand. Over a recent lunch, we asked Angelo if Mompissano could be called the Cannubi of Roero, to which he replied with a wide grin, “No . . . that would be disrespectful.”

Click here to buy now: 2007 Cascina Ca’ Rossa Roero Mompissano Riserva ($37.99)

The 100% Nebbiolo 2007 Cascina Ca’ Rossa Mompissano Riserva was lovingly aged for 30 months in 2,500 liter traditional wooden casks known as botte. It is exotically perfumed with desiccated rose petals, incense, and yellow curry. Layers of crushed fennel seed, sweet tobacco, and sandalwood rise to the top of the glass and seemingly dance above the core of sweet cherry fruit. This 2011 Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri winner is loaded with broad tannins and a firm acid core, suggesting this wine is in the early stage of its drinking window, begging you to drink it and to pair it with food.

The landlocked region of Piedmont draws its flavors from the earth, with such regional specialties as chestnuts, root vegetables, mushrooms, and tartufi bianchi. It’s also the home of Italy’s ultimate comfort food, risotto, making one think Piedmont’s red wines are more of a cold weather affair. We tend to agree, except Nebbiolo makes an ideal partner with summer grilling. Start your evening with a cool glass of Arneis and some slightly charred asparagus. Then enjoy your steak with Mompissano. Drink now or cellar for the next decade.

When I worked for restaurants and hotels as a sommelier, I coveted the big-industry tastings because I could mingle with my fellow wine buyers for a few hours instead of unpacking wine boxes or re-organizing the cellar for the umpteenth time. At some point between signing off as The Boiler Room’s wine director and starting périphérique, I lost interest in such mega-tasting events. But don’t get me wrong: they provide a great opportunity to taste many wines in a short period of time. And to be honest, I’ve made a lot of successful buying decisions based on wines I’ve tasted with the huge masses of buyers and sometimes thousands of bottles. 

When it comes to selecting, however, a big-industry tasting is not the best way to do things, at least not for me. Today, I prefer tasting wines in the cellars of the people who grew the grapes and made the wine. Only by regularly tasting at the cellar can we follow a wine’s evolution from beginning to end and get the facts of its production straight from the producer’s mouth. Of course, the requisite time and travel is expensive (and comes right out of our bottom line), but that’s how we prefer to work, and that’s how we intend to select the wines we offer when you sign up for our e-mails.

In our e-mails, for example, you might see an offer for wines from Martin Foradori, whom we regularly visit at his J. Hofstätter estate in the northern reaches of Italy’s Alto Adige. We’ve now paid three visits to his estate (2007, 2008, and 2010) and greatly admire Martin’s range of wines. We’ve walked in the Kolbenhof together (one of Europe’s greatest Gewürztraminer vineyards), drank numerous older bottles of his remarkable Pinot Noir Barthenau Vigna S.Urbano, and shared many meals.

I’m obviously a fan of Martin’s work, so I expected meeting him and tasting new wines at a big-industry tasting in San Francisco yesterday to be predictably enjoyable, but I walked away from Martin’s table being even more impressed than ever. My notes on Martin’s 2009 Pinot Grigio and Bianco read: “why bother with PG from a different producer?” And on the 2009 Gewürztraminer: “is this the best Kolbenhof ever?” Even the Lagrein’s and Pinots seemed more expressive than usual. Maybe it was the 2009 vintage which was excellent, or perhaps it was because I tasted those 2009s from bottle instead of tank for the first time. Whatever the cause, the greatness of Martin’s wines really sunk in, in a setting where wines rarely show their best.

 

Eugenio Campolmi and his wife Cinzia Merli of the 22-hectare Le Macchiole represented one of only seven producers to attend the very first meeting of the Consorzio Bolgheri resulting in the 1994 Bolgheri DOC. That’s pretty recent wine growing is this northern section of the Tuscan coast, which might help explain why wineries like Sassicaia, Tignanello, Orneillaia and Grattamacco have never been afraid of experimentation and innovation. Many of these producers of the so-called “Super Tuscans” focus mainly on red wine blends, using international varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon to bolster their Sangiovese, or they omit Sangiovese altogether in favor of Merlot, but Le Macchiole has always been focused on mono-varietal wines.

Cinzia, who took over the winery after her husband’s untimely death in 2002, explained that “if you want the expression of vineyard, mono-varietal wines express it best”. It also means that her wines must be labeled IGT rather than Bolgheri DOC, a distinction that seems to matter little to Cinzia. She and her long-time oenologist Luca d’Attoma are improving the wines of Le Macchiole each year. Yes, there is polish and new wood, but it’s not something you think about when you’re tasting the gorgeously complex 2004 Paleo Rosso (100% Cabernet Franc) or the Côte-Rôtie-like 2005 Scrio (100% Syrah). Cinzia says it best: "in our wine there is the sun”.  

2006 Le Macchiole Paleo Bianco

Salty, lemon cream, some peach and tropical notes, shows wood but integrated. Rich, soft texture. 70% sauvignon blanc, 30% Chardonnay. 5000 bottle production. Changed vinification in 2008, shorter period in wood. Cinzia says she loves the '09. Paired with crudo of Monterey spot prawn, fennel, golden nugget, tomato and lemon verbena.

 2004 Le Macchiole Paleo Rosso

100% Cabernet Franc. Great! Super pure aromatics, very balanced palate, straight, high-toned, perfumed, purple flowers but more black fruit, licorice. 50 percent new barrique. Paired with Tortolloni of porcini mushroom, zolfino bean, borage, pecorino di fossa.

 2005 Le Macchiole Paleo Rosso

Deeper, more chocolately, black olive, sweet licorice, sweet black cherry, super-sweet mid-palate. Comes accross as more international. Cinzia says more "tac" more straight but right now I find it sweeter and rounder than the ’04. Paired with Paine farm squab, lacinato kale and artichoke. Insanely good pairing thanks to sommelier David Lynch. Artichokes taste like meat!

 2005 Le Macchiole Scrio

The name means pure, usually refers to people. Closed nose at first, but opens up, reveals floral and black fruit. Very sturdy, northern Rhône-like. “There is a freshness and clarity to all of these wines” - Jeffrey Meisel (Le Macchiole’s U.S. importer). Paired with Watson lamb, Rosemary and lardo wrapped loin with green chickpea, gypsy pepper and aceto balsamico – another sensational pairing.

 2005 Le Macchiole Messorio

100 percent merlot since 1994. From Bottega del vino glass, “this was the goal form the beginning” – Cinzia Merli. “Ornaeilla discovered how well Merlot does in Bolgheri first with their Masseto”. Very balanced, one of the best expressions of this variety in the world. Very sweet, dense, black core of fruit, balanced with great complexity. Very age-worthy. Paired with Robiolla.

A group of sommeliers met and tasted with Giampiero Bea at A-16 restaurant in San Francisco. Giampiero lives in the village of Montefalco in Umbria where his family specializes in the Sagrantino grape variety. Sagrantino di Montefalco used to be better known as a passito (sweet) wine but Giampiero's father Paolo, along with Arnaldo Caprai and a handful of others, popularized secco (dry) wines from this dense and tannic red grape variety. The Bea winery works in a natural way and Giampiero was one of the founders of the Viniveri Consorzio, a group of producers that believes in producing wines using natural methods. A question about Giampiero's minimal use of sulfur and volatile acidity (VA) came up with one of the wines. Giampiero responded that "it was a character of the vintage" and added "if every vintage is the same then there is too much manipulation". I'm generally a fan of the movement and I happen to like the wines of many producers who work in this way. I sometimes wish sulfur could be left out of the discussion because it's natural and necessary in my opinion. Giampiero put it candidly "I don't say you have to drink my wine; I like to produce the wine that is good for my health".

Santa Chiara Umbria Bianco 2008 - 20% Garganega, 20% Grechetto, 20% Malvasia, 20% Sauvignon, 20% Chardonnay. Bright orange color. The Santa Chiara was a clear white wine until a few years ago. Giampiero explained that skin-contact white wine was actually the old tradition. The family started making clear wines when Giampiero was 6, because that is what the market demanded. Giampiero has increased the skin contact to its current levels beginning in 2003. Very orangey and blossomy with bitter citrus skin on the palate. Very clean and fresh.

Coenobium 2008 - Giampiero assists nuns from a nearby Cistercian monastery in producing this wine and is mainly produced from Verdicchio. The wine is organically grown and produced without chemicals or sulfites. Some skin contact here but less color than Santa Chiara. Giampiero stressed the importance of mature grapes, no green tannins. Good acidity and freshness here with rich texture.

Arboureous 2008 - This is 100% Trebbiano Spoletino. I didn't catch what was unique about this particular clone of Trebbiano. An orange wine. Giampiero notes that the concept began to change [to skin-contact] in 2003. Vineyard peaches, melon and. tangerine, very floral, orange blossoms, bone marrow, very round on the palate, bitter citrus skin, much more tight, leaner. A little bit of S02 (2 grams) at bottling.

2006 San Valentino Umbria Rosso - 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino, 15% Montepulciano. Very deep black sweet fruit. The wine shows some alcohol on the nose. Big wine. Giampiero says that 2006 has good balance. Purple flowers, tobacco. Question is asked about VA and a long discussion ensues. "When wine is made in made in my way then there will sometimes be VA".

2005 San Valentino Umbria Rosso - A warmer vintage than 2006. Darker, sweet tobacco, roast coffee aromas. Great sweet black fruit flavors, tobacco and earth.

2005 Rosso de Veo Umbria Rosso - 100% Sagrantino. Wine from the young vineyard. Doesn't like to use vines for DOCG until 15 years old. 1 year stainless, 2 year in barrel. 3 different vineyards. Owner of Terroir Wine Bar says he was "scared of the 2002 at first but loved it later" says the VA was absorbed in the last year or two. Really dense sweetness, juicy and black. Gripy, dense, very long on the palate. Great complexity for its age.

2005 Pipparello Montefalco Rosso Riserva - Very dense nose, vey sweet and black. Great balance on the palate. Very young. Tannins are drying, chalky, chewy. Awesome length. Anise seed, black licorice. Different vineyard than San Valantino. Really wonderful now.

2005 Pagliaro Montefalco Sagrantino Secco - Super focused, sweet black fruit, roast coffee, dark chocolate, more meat and iron on the nose than the '04. Stainless steel one year, tannins have greater grip than '04.      

2004 Pagliaro Montefalco Sagrantino Secco - Very open and expressive, great perfume, impesssive power density and concentration but tannins seem very resolved. Actually, Noticing more tannin and structure now. Slow to finish malolactic so stayed in tank 2 years before going to wood. Really outstanding.

2003 Sagrantino di Montefalco Passito - Very rasiny, sweet; intense prune, vey juicy, licorice. leather. Dried on matts from October to December. Sugar, acidity, and tannin must balance. We must have this with cheese. Giampiero says to "try Sagrantino Secco with the chocolate (!) and that I make the secco tasting in the cellar with my mom's plum tart". Passito is best with chestnuts and cheese. Great with savory food.

jessebeckerMS

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