Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera Vertical - Beppe Rinaldi

There is a sort of sibling feeling to this particular evening in the form of this - Brunate - Le Coste vertical. In reality this tasting was planned first and the other evening queue barged. We were 8 people, Eric (who had done all the hard work) myself and six wine lovers. The venue was a repeat - Medlar Restaurant. Chris Delalonde and the team doing a great job as ever. The upstaors room there is a real asset 6-12 people with lots of space.

Champagne to commence as we all assembled. Delamotte Blanc de Blancs NV En Magnum was a terrific start…this magnum having been disgorged in 2014. There is a easiness but also a freshness, good purity and just elegant drinkability about it.

The menu was a nice compact choice, as above, I went as below:

Spicy tomato nahm jim marinated stone bass with prawn tempura, avocado, coriander and cucumber

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Sautéed gnocchi with white onion purée, eryngi, wet walnuts and homemade fresh ricotta

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Roast hake with squash raviolo, violet artichokes, roast lettuce, walnut and marjoram beurre noisette and pesto

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Cheese

We actually started the dinner with a white of Eric's. I have had Miani a few times and it has to be one of the great whites of Italy.

Miani Friulano 2008 - A cracking wine. I think if I were to have had to guess blind then I may have been in serious dry white Bordeaux country. There is a lovely waxy texture and a nose of dried gym socks (one's own socks before this is seen as negative!). The fruit is more yellow than white. Mellow maturity but no lack of drive. Spot on now.

And so, it was time for the meat and drink of the evening. This wine is a blend of two vineyards - Cannubi San Lorenzo and Ravera made from 1993 to 2009. From 2010 it is essentially called Tre Tini as it now includes some Le Coste from what was the Brunate-Le Coste before there was a ban on more than one Cru name appearing on any label (see the other post for a little more info here). For better pics and some data on the wines do see Ken Vastola's site Finewinegeek - Rinaldi. All these Barolos (excepting the 1961) wines were opened around 3pm and gently double decanted at 5.30. The flights are more in vintage style that pure age range, this seems to work better - especially, in my view, for wines from Piedmont and Burgundy.

Flight 1 – Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera - The warmer vintages

2000 – This had a very heady initial richness that quite quickly degraded into a bruised nature. There was a little mushroom quality, some iodine and smelling salts. The shame was that the palate had none to the quirky (not necessarily positively so) nature of the nose. It faded quite quickly. I’d be intrigued to try again.

2003 – A good surprise here, good richly intense red cherry fruit and good energy, no sense of the heat other than in a good depth. A good, quite bold structure with good grip. There is a slight lushness but this is kept in check on the palate. A good wine that is starting to peak.

2007 – As with the 2003 this was a good surprise. The fruit character was again around the red cherry area but with more vigour and freshness. This has a good future, I don’t think it will close down, it is what it is and is all the nicer for it. A good wine with which to introduce someone to this estate. Very consistent with other bottles I have had. 

Flight 2 – Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera - Some classic vintages

2008 – I keep my love of 2008 as an underrated Barolo Vintage very badly hidden. It is a cracking year, it might not have the verve and all-rounder status of 2004 and 2010 or the uncompromising nature of the 2006s but it has typicity and charm in spades! This wine has a persistent tenderness, the fruit combines red and black with saline and earth, very Nebbiolo. It is a wine that is very balanced, very happy in it's skin. A long future and an elegant one. If you see it, buy it, but dont miss out on trying a bottle soon.

1996 – I find 1996 in Europe almost always has a strictness, an acidity and a sternness, not necessarily a mean nature but certainly a lean one. This is no different. The nose has a slight tar and toffee character and whilst the feel of the wine on the palate is true enough there is a lack of fruit. It may well makes great “old bones” as they say  but the contrast in lack of charm with the 2008 is stark. May be I am being harsh.

1999 – Was a very good example of classically proportioned Barolo, in third gear maturity-wise, some brown fruits and degradation to go with enough deep red fruit. Saline and frazzles come through. Not a waste to drink now but no rush. Good good wine.

Flight 3 – Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera - Classicism with flare?

This was going to be 2001-2004-2006 but the 2001 was not perfect so we went for 2004, 2005 and 2006 with Eric then generously adding the 2009.

2004 – This was always going to have a task on its hands to come close to the Brunate - Le Coste 2004 of the previous tasting. It was very good, nice vigour and drive – good young red fruits with some black in the background. Very well balanced, still primary, “splendid” appears a few times in my notes. I’d be sitting tight for 5 years before trying this again. Just as it should be. V.nice!

2005 – Saline and dark cherry, a really odd note (not negatively so) of cool sausage meat. I have found wet raw steak a useful note at times. Good acidity and a good wine, simpler than the 2004 but almost equally enjoyable on this night. Not to be overlooked.

2006 – A deeper wine, a more savoury wine too, a line to the 1999 possibly? There is a sense of leather and tobacco and tar, not a fruit wine, there are hints to the Monfortino style. Properly uncompromising and all the better for it. Splendid.

2009 – It was good to have this here as it is almost the polar opposite of the 2006. Fruit and red fruit at that, juicy, lighter, fresher. I think this is a nicely tender and unpretentious portrayal of a tricky vintage. There is an easiness about the wine. Leafy and fresh.

Once you're in the the flow of things...

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinet 2007 – Eric had brought this along as a refresher and it worked well. I remember “demolishing” a case of Prum’s Graacher Himmelreich Kabinet 2007 some years ago – it seemed to almost drink itself! This was the same, extrovert but fresh…delicious

Barolo 1961 Rinaldi – It was very generous of Edward to have brought this along. An amazing bottle before you even get onto the contents, 720ml and hand blown, extraordinarily heavy. The wine was fully mature as you’d expect, rich but ferrous with a iron and stones feel, the texture carried the wine. There was a sense of fruit rather than fruit itself. Fascinating. A wine from another era!

And that was that...with these two tastings done I feel I know the estate and the wines better. I will continue to buy them and to drink them whenever I can. I feel the younger vintages (2007 onwards) will last and age well but ceratinly repay exploration early as the balance is superb! For instance a bottle of this wine from 2011 recently was gloriusly vigourous.

Keep up the good work Beppe and family!

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Spicy tomato nahm jim marinated stone bass with prawn tempura, avocado, coriander and cucumber

Sautéed gnocchi with white onion purée, eryngi, wet walnuts and homemade fresh ricotta

Barolo threeways in France - three producers and three vintages...

In the same vein as the last blog - Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons threeways - I took a few bottles of Barolo with me on holiday and decided that opening them all together was the way forward...

The trio di Barolo...

The three wines are ones I know well and that I buy every vintage:

Marcarini - is a slightly more commercial producer that the other two who could be classed as artisanal and cult in similar ways. All are traditional in terms of their non-use of new oak but there are differences too. Marcarini also makes a La Serra which, to me, is a little less structured but good.

Bartolo Mascarello - A producer whose wines I have loved for a while, old bottles can be variable but from 2005 I believe these are firmly at the top of the tree. The 2005 and 2008 being exceptional in vintages (especially 2005) where not everyone shone. The attitude is traditional in wood use but also the blending of vineyards (Cannubi - San Lorenzo , Rue and Rocche di La Morra - as per the label). Ken Vastola's site - www.finewinegeek.com - has a great section on Bartolo - info can be found here.

Cappellano - My experience is a little less here than the others but both the Pie Rupestris and Pie Franco are serious. Whenever I have had the wines I have found them to be powerfully poised and elegant as well as built to last. The same site as above has Cappellano info HERE. The Chinato is not to be overlooked if you can find it!

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"Protocol" - all wines were cool and just opened and tasted (PNP = popped 'n' poured). Then double decanted (DD) before the second tasting and thereafter served from bottle nice and cool.

Barolo Brunate 2004, Marcarini

PNP - Clean, heady, slightly spiced nose with red fruits and some black backbone. Full, rich and intense. The palate is more structured and drier. Quite bold structure and good grip, nice tannins that are big but not hard, good length. Good wine.

Post DD + 2 hours - Still a little heady and hi-toned, good though. This is a wine that is not either young or mature and possibly suffers as a result. The tannins are certainly the boldest of the three. This is good, very good even, but not stacking up on pure quality with the other two.

20 hours after first opening - Holding up very well and whilst still a little "hi" it has a good balance of fruit and tannin with nice acidity. I think I'll try to leave the last bottles and a magnum of this that I have for at least 5 years, as I feel it will age very well and mellowness might be a good thing. 19/25.

Barolo Pie Rupestris 2008, Cappellano

PNP - Clean, more animal than the Marcarini. Richness? Yes, but also with lovely farmyard character but then more leather aromas, tea and lots of complexity. The fruit is nicely bruised in places, the acidity is more a feature of the wine than the tannin, which is there, but not overpowering. Nice start.

Post DD + 2 hours - Very good, somewhere between the other two in terms of profile, not the fruit purity of the Bartolo, not the tannin of the Marcarini. The sweet leather and tan element are superb, the fruit has tightened up a bit, clearly young but with an old soul. I like this, for the purists for sure.

20 hours after first opening - Lovely lifted nose, still on the leather side but also cured meats and saline, a serious wine that has good degraded sweetness and a great ability to age, I foresee this being a tertiary style of wine. Despite all these "animal" descriptors there is a red berry fruit lurking as well. Really lovely. 20-21+/25

Barolo 2009, Bartolo Mascarello

PNP - Such lovely poise, this has real precision and is more on the fruit than the others, there is a little spice there, the palate is a little softer and lighter but still true, this smacks of a tender attitude to a vintage that is not a blockbuster, good start.

Post DD + 2 hours - This saw comfortably the biggest change of the wines, the elegant but slightly scrawny, almost light red fruit has gone, replaced by a darker, sweeter and fuller character. I hate lazy analogies of red Burgundy but here's one coming; it is like a lesser vintage Volnay that has turned into a young Morey-Saint-Denis from a great year. The only possible criticism I might be able to make is that it is not so obviously Barolo. The wine is just a different animal post the double-decant and time.  

20 hours after first opening - The only wine to be tighter now than after DD+2hours, the nose is classy but a touch subdued, the extravagance of the second tasting has gone on the nose but there is a lovely rich tarry-ness to the palate with a good, marked acidity too. Somehow it is less of a showstopper now but more of a Barolo. 21-22/25

Conclusion: This was a really fun way to do things and I look forward to just drinking the last third of each later without making notes. The styles are different as well as the vintages. I will certainly continue to buy all three.

Conterno...tasting and dinner

With Roberto Conterno coming to London next week and the new releases about to be offered I felt I must get this blog posted. The visit took place back in mid May.

There is no estate that I visit to taste more often than Cantina Giacomo Conterno in Monforte d'Alba. It is a place I get very excited about every single time. The wines are wonderful and I always learn a lot. I am biased of course but I think it is the same for almost anyone who visits, My trips there from the following years are documented here 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015). If you search "Conterno" on here you get rather a lot of results!

The tasting was, as is usual, of the wines about to hit the market:

Barbera Francia 2014 - Full crimson colour to the edge, deep at the core. Rich and full dark cherry nose with stones, minerality and a saline edge that is not quite as marked as usual for Francia, very good nose, all round balance. The tannins are delicious and moreish this is a brooding wine but not a heavy one, the fruit lifts on the finish to an almost cranberry freshness. I wonder how Roberto does this every year. 17.5+

Barbera Cerretta 2014 - Half a shade lighter in colour than the Francia but essentially very similar. The nose if more lifted, more obviously fruity, more opulent may be. The fruit character is redder, strawberry and raspberry but actually deeper than either of those fruits suggest. The palate has a tang to it, moreish tannins. This, as usual, has more approachability and lift than the more serious Francia. 17.5

Before moving on to the 2012 Barolos, Roberto thought it would be useful to taste the Barolo Francia 2009 as he sees similarities with the 2012's.

Barolo Francia 2009 - Colour is lightening more than evolving, a lovely hue. There is a touch of red strawberry fruit then more floral notes before a little iodine and some good, ripe grip. Drinking well but obviously no rush at all.

Barolo Francia 2012 - There will be no Monfortino from the 2012 vintage (as was the case in 2007, 2009 & 2011) so the botti that would have been Monfortino (there is a section about Monfortino at the very bottom of this post) has been blended into the Francia (this happened back in January). Lovely bright and complex colour. Ever so slightly muted just now but a lovely red fruited sweetness comes through behind, very fine. Tobacco leaf and tea then appear, a little leather also. The palate is then more fruited again but with good, proper tannins, mellow but persistent. The overriding impression is of a wine in balance with gentle fruit and a lovely complexity of silky tannins. 18-18.5+

Barolo Cerretta 2012 - Paler in colour but only just, more obviously fruited and lifted, strawberry leaf. This is a wine more easily understood by the uninitiated Neb-head (as us Nebbiolo fiends are sometimes know). The texture is deeper the fruit is more pronounced and therefore the tannins less obvious. There is a real freshness and a certain rich elegance. It's quite a wine, a perfect foil to the classicism of the Francia. 18+

We then moved on two taste two more wines.

Monfortino Barolo Riserva 2010 - this is a possibly the most eagerly awaited Italian wine release of all time. I have now tasted it three or four times with equally profound results. There is impeccable balance incredible poise and an almost effortless weight to the wine...Very exciting and now in bottle.

Barolo from Cascina Francia vineyard 2013 - With the final decision on this wine not yet made it was great to taste the 2013 Francia or to give it it's correct name, Nebbiolo di Barolo Francia. It was a vibrant and expansive nose, rich, opulent and bold. There is iron and a grainy saline elegance to the texture...quite something.

It is always a special cellar in which to taste...

Each year in the evening before or after tasting we have a dinner with Roberto and his assistant Stephanie. We usually go to one of the lovely local restaurants - which were the inspiration for most of the meals we had during this epic trip - "Foxes behind ears". This year though was different as we ate a wonderful meal at the Cantina with Roberto, family and friends. A real honour.

Standing in the kitchen while Meyumi prepared the dinner and gave us amazing pizza and cured meats we started with Gaston Chicquet 2007. Not a wine I know but the Italians love Champagne. This was bright, clean and nicely focused, a dash of yeastiness, worth seeking out. Then a wine I know rather well - Salon 1995 - this is really in the zone now from bottle, toasty, refined with lemon shortbread and mellow fruits, just lovely. For white we went to a bottle we had sent ahead - Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres 2009, Domaine Leflaive - a little reduction but essentially a generously fruited Puligny which is true to the vintage without being too much.

Now time for the reds, all of which Roberto decanted delicately just before serving. First up - Barbera d'Alba 2001 - I have tasted this before but never drunk it. Barbera at this age is interesting. A tiny bit of iron and iodine, stones, savoury blacker fruit and richness but not heaviness. Now a wine I have been lucky enough to have had a few times - Barolo Cascina Francia 1990 - soy, ginger, bacon fat and a little creosote, delicious. Sweet decay with some good volatile life. There is a sense of teriyaki flavours and a little Bual Madeira. Decadent and lovely. It sounds silly to say that this has a real "1990" feel but it does, so many 1990s are generous and decadent, this is just that.

Monfortino Barolo Riserva 1985 - a wine I think I have only had once and then from magnum at this tasting - Monfortino magnum Monday 1970-2006. Tiny bit of orange to the rim here, this is a mature wine but has a lovely sweet decay about it, a wine with tea character and super poise.

It had been quite a night. Having had a massive meal of wonderful dishes and so much great conversation we headed back to our lodgings, the unique Le Case della Saracca - if you find yourself in Monforte you must stop by, great rooms and a terrific bar where we had one last drink Barolo Chinato, Dr Giulio Perin (who owns the Saracca) made with Nebbiolo from Conterno Fantino. I am a big fan of Chinato!!
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At the bottom of this post I have put three exerts from a recent offer I wrote, they might be of interest.
A word on corks
Monfortino – What is it? What is next?
The previous releases - When, how and what to drink now?
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On getting back to London the following evening I then had a dinner at Kitchen W8 with a customer and friend. Kitchen W8 I think is as good a place to go as anywhere to enjoy food and wine, they have a great attitude to corkage as well as a good list. They will easily tweak things for you, we had three bottles and wanted two starters and two mains, they adjusted portions a bit (not too much thank fully) and it was a very enjoyable evening.

Salon 1983 - This is fully mature and deliciousness, a little orange rind and zestiness with a hint of mellow ginger too.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkap 2003 - I love this wine and would never have it as a 2003 served blind. There is warm vintage richness but nothing that doesn't suggest it is refined and will age very well.

Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2005, Rousseau - I am very lucky in so much as I get a fair bit of exposure to the wines of Rousseau but Clos de la Roche I know less well. This is quite brooding but not a waste to have this early, quite rich it got better and better with air. The fruit is a little darker than the CSJ would be.

A cracking evening!
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EXERTS form a , soon to be released, Conterno offer as mentioned above.

A word on corks:

The words “perfectionist“ and “fanatical” are amongst the most overused in the wine world but both apply here to an extraordinary degree. You could, literally, eat your dinner of the floor of this winery. In fact I would if only Roberto would allow it! When the topic of corks arise with Roberto there is always something new to discuss. He just does not accept that corks should be less than perfect. In fact one of his favourite phrases is “with my wines you are not opening a bottle of Barbera or Barolo or Monfortino you are opening a bottle of “CONTERNO””. It is a point made with no wink or half smile, it is heartfelt. The corks are of the same standard in all the wines.  More and more the great producers say “you don’t ever negotiate prices with cork suppliers, you get what you pay for”. All these corks are inspected by an optical sorter with the view to answering two questions; 1) is the cork good enough? If yes, then on to question 2, if not the bin. Question 2) which is the better end? The vintage is then laser etched on the “lesser” end so the perfect end faces the wine with no etching having been added. I have video evidence should you require it.

Monfortino – What is it? What is next?

I am often asked how Roberto decides whether there will be a Monfortino in a given year and where the wine comes from. Monfortino is a selection from the Cascina Francia vineyard based on the absolute quality of the fruit. It is not a specific site though there is of course significant crossover from one Monfortino to another in terms of the area used. There is always an initial intention to make a Monfortino. The large barrels (botti as they are called) that are selected to be “Monfortino”, and it may be one (usually), two, or more that are then tasted as time passes and if they are significantly high in quality and, importantly, significantly different in character from the Barolo Francia then a Riserva Monfortino will be bottled. The ageing for Monfortino is 5-7 years, in other words 1-3 years longer than for Barolo Francia. If the Monfortino is not to be made separately then it is blended in with the Barolo 6 months to a year before that is bottled. Recent vintages where Monfortino was not made – 2012, 2011, 2009, 2007 and 2003. The only time, to date, when there has been a Monfortino and no Barolo Francia was the 2002 vintage, a very small vintage but one where, against the odds, the quality was superb. The next Monfortino to be released will be the 2010, this time next year. Arguably the most eagerly awaited release ever from the region, it is a wine I have tasted several times from botti and which lives up to all the hype that surrounds it.

The previous releases - When, how and what to drink now?

Barberas – I feel that in most vintages the Barbera wines show best in the 4-8 years window. They become more savoury over time and continue to age (a recent 2001 with Roberto was superb) but as you would expect have a less defined character. The 2009, 2010 and 2011 vintages are very good now. As these are unfiltered and Barbera is a thicker skinned grape variety I would recommend decanting 15-30 minutes before serving.

Barolos – The warmer years drink very well when younger and served a shade cooler (14-15 degrees). The vintages I would put in this bracket are 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2011. These will all improve but are ready to drink. I recommend continuing to cellar the 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 vintages. Those wines from 2001 and before are ready to drink though 2001 and 1999 are still youthful and evolving gracefully. Sediment is less of an issue than with Barbera so I would either allow the wine to breathe standing up with half a glass removed (and drunk!) or decant gently before serving. I far prefer the wine to evolve in the glass so, personally, do not advocate extended decanting though some people do.

Barolo Riserva Monfortino – Monfortino is a wine with a vast drinking window, one of the most long-lived of all wines. The youngest vintages that I feel are drinking well now are 1997 and 1998. I would never put someone off drinking a younger vintage as the enjoyment of watching a wine develop, bottle by bottle from youth to full maturity is one of the real joys of wine. Younger vintages will require more time in decanter, I recommend 1-2 hours. I would decant mature vintages but as with the Barolos above not for extended time so the wine can evolve in glass.

Piedmont - Conterno & Negri

My favourite producer trip every year will not surprise anyone at all, well anyone who knows me. It is the one where we go to see and taste with Roberto Conterno at Cantina Giacomo Conterno in Piedmont. This year I have managed to do the tasting there twice within a month (another post coming soon) which is a rare treat. Often we arrive and taste before dinner but this time we had dinner first, with Roberto and his assistant Stephanie. But before heading to the restaurant we met at Casa della Saracca in Monforte d'Alba, a spot I have got to know well now. If you are in the region and want somewhere really unique to stay or a great place for an aperitif or relaxed evening then this is a great spot. It also has something of a cult following amongst the producers of the region. 

The view south from the top of Casa della Saracca

We had a bottle of Champagne. Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition NV - I really like this and have had it since, good levels of nutty biscuity-ness but not at the expense of drive and acidity, it really is like, lazy analogy coming, "sparkling Meursault".

We then jumped in the car for a Dinner at La Ciau del Tornavento, in Treiso which I'd never been to before but have since been again - I feel it may be somewhere I return as often as possible. It is a great spot with the biggest and best wine cellar I have ever seen, tens of thousands of bottles with particular strength in Italy (of course), Champagne and Burgundy.

In the cellar it was time for apertivo number 2 - Bollinger RD 2002 - this was not showing all that well, a little flat of flavour and overly evolved, further re-enforces by personal taste for bottle aged champagnes rather than late releases.

With dinner we had two reds. Barbaresco Asili Riserva 1996, Giacosa and Barolo Bricco Boschis Riserva San Giuseppe 2004, Cavallotto. The Giacosa needed lots of time in decanter as well as glass to open out but did so in time to reveal a lovely balance. Initially it had been a little reduced and also a little "high" or farmyardy. The Cavallotto was more immediately open and ready for business but in a cool, red fruited yet mineral way a really lovely wine with a long but focussed future, impressive indeed.

It was a lovely dinner in a lovely spot, brilliant to hear from Roberto about the recent purchase of the Arione vineyard and also the almost completed developments at the winery.

9.30 next morning and there we were at the winery ready to taste. Before going onto the wines I must just say that the attention to detail in every facet of the winemaking and bottling process here is incredible from the in-house treatment of the corks and printing to the new just about to arrive bottling line. And so to the wines:

Barbera Francia 2013 - 40yr old vines now and there is always more minerality and salinity here. The 2013 vintage is a cooler one more like 2010 or 2008. This was delicious if still serious, dark fruit but grit as well.

Barbera Cerretta 2013 - 20yr old vines. Juicier and more open fruit, red as well as crimson, almost damson-like. The expression is superb and the amount of fruit just joyous.

Barolo Francia 2011 - The barrell that would have been Monfortino* was added about a month ago.The wine has lovely red fruit precision but again as with the Barbera there is a saline and stones backbone, this is soft now but will grow and tighten, amazing juice. As with Burgundy just forget about whether vintage are stellar or not, find producers you like and buy the wines!

* I asked Roberto which of the of the recent "Non-Monfortino" years - 2011, 2009 and 2007 - was the closest to being a Monfortino and he said 2011 then 2007 and lastly 2009.

Barolo Cerretta 2011 - The differences between this and the Barolo Francia are like those between the Barberas, and possibly explains "terroir" better than any tasting I know.  This Cerretta has more obvious and slightly darker fruit but a little less tannin as well, this is just such a flattering wine right now. Exciting.

Monfortino from barrel is one of the most exciting tastings anyone can experience in my view. The fact that I get to taste the same wine on 2 or 3 occassions from barrel is just brilliant. The 2008 is quite something. The extraordinary dimension to this wine is quite possibly due to the fact that in 2008 there was a phase in September when the temperatures drpped to almost zero and this Roberto feels has added a cerrtain something by tightening and sweetening things.

Monfortino 2008 - A wine with quite incredible complexity of aroma, at the same time fresh and red fruited but also degraded and sweet in a leathery fashion, very precise and linear, this is bottled now. Exciting and so different from 2006 or 2010. May be more like 2004 in fact.

Monfortino 2010 - A wine that is a legend before bottling, the archetypal Barolo both fine and massive, both feminine in purity and masculine in bredth and power. Sublime. Extreme patience will be required once bottled but from the barrell just fabulous. A simply brilliant end to an always superb tasting.

Having done this brillaint tasting and said our good buys at Giacomo Conterno we drove off to La Morra to see a smaller and stylistically different producer - Giulia Negri - who we have just started working with. There is Barolo here as well as Barbera, Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. Giulia is ambitious, young and a lover of Burgundy as well as Piedmont.

The estate is amongst the Serradenari Cru which is the highest in the whole region. Giulia also has some rented holdings in Brunate. The top Barolo is called Tartufaia (the truffle-hunter, named after the estates enthusiastic dog) and is a blend of both Serradinari and Brunate. This works well together as the 2009 shows. I will do a fuller write up of notes in an upcoming blog but Giulia is one to watch with a real drive and desire to succeed, you'd be brave to bet against serious things happening here.

The steepest part of Serradinari 

Tartufo the dog gets himself on the label and the capsule!

Our inflated wagon! (watch the advert for this - Fiat 500L)

Some recommended reading...

A colleague at work the other day said…

"One of the problems with working in wine is that nobody gives you wine books"

This struck me as very true. Over the last few months I have been buying/seeking out quite a few publications as there has been some exciting stuff going on. The fact that so much wine commentary has moved on-line seems to have meant that anyone publishing anything in "hardcopy" has really needed to hit the spot. For me the Pomerol book from Neal Martin was the first of these "new approach" books where personality and opinion rather than scores and facts seem to be the key. Neal's book has been out a while so I've not included it in the below but thoroughly recommend it. One of the reasons that I know the three things below fit the bill as well are that I spend time dragging them around with me or at least having to give serious thought to whether they should be on my desk or at home...

Noble Rot (Website)
The picture is of edition 7 but essentially everything they have produced has been great. There are several reasons:
Tone: It is not afraid to talk about the very best estates in the world but does so without big star-struck or patronising to the reader, both of which are traps that others fall into. It is concise but not flippant. Wine is talked about as a part of life rather than an academic study.
Writters: Some of the best there are at not getting dragged down with (unnecessary) detail. Having many of theme keeps it fresh.
Format: I love the size, big enough for good illustrations but small enough to carry around, another bonus is that it is available on iPad etc.
Subjects: There is a main theme to each edition to give it focus which is good. The topics have not all been obvious either. Yes they have done "Burgundy" but they also did "Jura".
Issues: My only issue it that they have not done Piedmont yet but it is on the cards
Keep up the good work!

Barolo and Barbaresco - Kerin O'Keefe
Ok so very few people will be surprised that the next two books are Piedmont related. 
This book is superb whether your level of knowledge is small, large or growing. The first section gives a great overview of the region then the next few chapters go through sub-region by sub-region picking out particular producers. The big names are all there but plenty of small ones two. The real attraction though is the easy to read style of writing that is engaging and amusing. 
There is plenty of opinion and you can detect whether the author loves or merely likes the specific producers. I like the sense that the book has not been edited to death or that the author has worried about what they write. I keep going back over sections as and when I have certain producers wines and I find it both accurate, engaging and useful. I also have the Brunello book by the same author and that seems similarly good though I have not read it as widely yet. Recommended!

Barolo MGA - ENOGEA - Allesandro Masnaghetti  www.enogea.it
So this is "quite" a specific and geeky book but it is such an important one also. I only  received it the other day and have been using the Enogea apps and maps for quite some time. Ok so I find the subject mater fascinating but regardless of that the maps and images alone make this book almost impossible not to browse through, there is such depth of information but at the same time you can just dip in and out. The only problem is that the second you press print on this something changes and I feel awful for the author that this happens. Anyway I am going to go and look through it again now!

Gaja at Zucca

I was delighted to get an invite from the UK agents for Gaja to a lunch at my Favourite Zucca. The format was a good one given that Gaia Gaja, Angelo's daughter, was in town sadly with very limited time. She came for a session pre-lunch and talked through the 2011's before also talking through the wines we were to have with lunch.

She is a very good and engaging host who does a very good job saying what must be similar things almost day in day out, you don't get that feeling and that is quite a skill. She had a few good sound bites, all delivered in a cheeky fashion, my favourite of which was "Nebbiolo - the variety the french don't have".

On a more serious note I have had a fair few Gaja's down the years and always found them to deliver, possibly more in a solid way than a charming one but that is down probably more to my bias towards traditional Barolo and Barbaresco than anything. The wines that the family make are good to very good and certainly you can't claim to have explored Piedmont and it's brilliance (bias again) without spending considerable time on these wines.

Before the tasting Gaia spoke a little about 2014. A vintage with a cool June, warm July and then very cool August (average 17 degrees) before a better September/October. Severe green harvesting was needed if what was to be picked would be ripe. It was a year where Gaja saw production in Barolo down by 40% and Barbaresco down by 20%.

When talking of 2011 Gaia mentioned that if was a decent year, better in Barbaresco than Barolo (which is still in concrete). Simpler to 2010 in having an elegant/lighter body...

Barbaresco 2011
Bold tannins but not too much so. Lovely nose, clean, saline with cherry fruit then other red fruits, roots and rhubarb, some lovely sweetness. A blend of 14 different vineyards sites. Impressive.

Costa Russi 2011
The last site to flower and the last to be picked. It is a site that has less humidity and is cooler with a more compact soil. I found this denser, darker and creamier with more texture, a little more wood does show but there is again a little saline, bold and lovely if obviously youthful.

Sori Tildin 2011
Gaia suggested that the addition of a little Barbera is a little like a little Merlot with the Cabernet in Bordeaux. This site is a little sandier and nearer the top of the hill. I found more spice, a deeper wine but not darker than the Costa Russi, more tannin, it took a little while to open in the glass. There was a bell-pepper lift to the wine that I liked. Very good.  

We then re-visited the white that we were served on arrival:


Rossj Bass 2013
A blend of 95% Chardonnay and 5% Sauvignon Blanc this wine is named after Angelo Gaja's youngest daughter Rossana. The grapes come from three sites planted in 1986: The Rossj and Bass vineyards in Barbaresco and a small vineyard in Serralunga. It is a wine I have enjoyed before. Ripe lemon and lime fruit combine with a small dash of toastiness. The fruit character is a little like a generous Chablis as there is real minerality. I like this! They so also make another serious white Gaia and Rey which is 100% Chardonnay and requires more time.

We then moved on to the, as ever, immaculate food:

Antipasti Misti

Taglerini, Pheasant Ragu and hazelnuts

Slow cooked pork shoulder, porcini and yellow polenta

Chocolate semifreddo, pecan ice cream and caramel

Barbaresco 1998

Thus had a slightly rancio nose, iron and resin this was a good drink but not up to Sori San Lorenzo 1998 served even more recently. There is a very true ferrous and iron-like character and with food this is good. Fully mature I would argue best drunk now.

Conteisa 2005 Magnum
Conteisa is a Barolo (with Barbera) in the same way that CR or SSL are Barbaresco. From a site in the Cerequio vineyard in the La Morra sub-district. Very good, nicely done in a sometimes tricky vintage, quite bold and dark but not without freshness, impressed.

Costa Russi 2008
I really like the 2008 vintage in Piedmont and I think it'll prove a savvy buy for many in years to come. The 2004/2006/2010 vintages are spectacular but the 2008 is a little more feminine and I expect the drinking windows to be massively wide. This wine was true to my words, not overly big of rich but in a lovely balance that I think will stand it in good stead.

A cracking lunch - Will and Adam - thank you...and Gaia of course!

Three amigos do Zucca...

Alessandro and Megan - thank you!

This was a lunch that popped into the diary at a weeks notice. Irish Pete and Nobby (aka Halifax) happened to be in town, so the instruction was "Lunch and bring a red"…So within seconds Zucca was booked and off we went. Nobby was late as usual but…

The menu was:

Zucca friti

Carpaccio of Seabass

Antipasti Misti

Vitello Tonnato

Rare Onglet, almonds

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Casarecce, Hazelnut Pesto

Chitarra, Cuttle fish & Datterini tomatoes

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Veal chop and/or Slow cooked Rabbit

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Custard tart, Raspberries & yoghurt

We kicked off on the wines with a delicious bottle of Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Millenaires 1995. This is not a Cuvee I have had before but certainly one I would like to try again. A really creamy richness, quite "aged-DP" like. Little dash of iodine. All in balance and perfect now, some saline but mostly sweet fruit.

The next wine was served “Blind” by Nobby. It had Pete and I in trouble from the off, we darted around Rhone, Rioja and Loire before having I revealed as Meursault 1er Cru Sous Les Bois 1995 by Robert Ampeau which was a surprise. There was a honeyed richness to the wine but with a herbal edge and an almost tea like quality. The "apples" in the wine became more toffeed with time. It was good and very interesting but I don't think I'd rush out and buy more. Very old school and good for it. Better when cool where interestingly the Heidsieck was exception when still and warmer (always a good sign). The actual vineyard is interesting as I know it but only for red. Thierry Matrot makes a great 1er Cru Blagny Rouge from the site.

So now it was time for some red as the pastas arrived. We decided on serving Bordeaux and Burgundy alongside each other so they could spend time in glass (especially the latter):

Mouton-Rothschild 1996 - This is probably the most exciting bottle of left bank Bordeaux I have drunk in the last 6 months. Really great, classical cabernet, low alcohol, great moreish texture. Lovely balance of sweetness with a cedar note and a dash of ripe leather (if you know what I mean). My note has 'more bordeaux should taste like this' written across it. Best served in magnum I'd say a bottle not enough between three.

Richebourg 1999, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti - Brooding and serious was the first thought. Just as it should be. Dense with rich black/red fruit. Incense, spice and a little tea. Over the 2 hours or so it was in glass the wine did relax and the fruit shifted from black/red to red/black. There was always a weight and texture to this. Very very fine and the wine of the day from an exciting future perspective. Does well to combine the freshness and focus of 1999 with the Masculinity of Richebourg, best re-checked in 3-5 years I'd say. Very fine and very generous.

Still time before pudding for one more red - Barolo 1967, Giacomo Conterno - This was a decent but not exceptional bottle of this wine. It had real depth good acidic lift and a lovely grainy, bricky texture (an acquired taste for some). The fruit was on the redder/orangey side with a little ferrous element, some resin and sandalwood. Nice. 

The best custard tart there is...

Nobby had pre-ordered a tart (Custard) for pudding and very sensible it was too as it is as good an example as it's possible to get - Custard tart meets Creme Brûlée. The wine to accompany was Yquem 1995 in half bottle. This was deliciously opulent and a little like the Mouton just required no headspace, it is just a great drink. My note says "why keep?" not that you shouldn't or couldn't but I am not sure what would make this better. It isn't profound but then most wine isn't, it is "smiley juice" and that's what matters.

It was a great lunch with great wine, great food and cracking conversation…until next time!