Where exactly are we? asks Clemens.

Despite its proximity, I had never visited a vineyard outside “the Zone” in Mango until a week or so ago when I drove 5km and a few hundred metres higher  from our house in the valley next to Neive.  La Trava is in an historic location made famous by the writings of  Beppe Fenoglio about the partisans whose neighbourhood this was in World War II. The views are sensational looking back down the valley towards Neive and perfect for those of you with camper vans; space for 5. I was to discover that those few hundred metres and different soil makes a significant difference to the wine produced there. It has only existed in its current form for less than 20 years but  it has come a long way with the evident passion  of  Maria Grazia Rivetti, her husband Giorgio Costa and daughter Manuella. (There is another daughter, Elena, who we we didn’t meet). They make 50-60k bottles a year + “sfuso”

My friend Clemens and I used the words “different” and “unusual” a number of times during the following hour or so as our preconceptions of the grape varieties were challenged. This was not at all in a bad way and I would encourage anyone used to the varietals of Barbaresco and Barolo to try some of these “high altitude” wines.

Of the whites we particularly liked the “different” Favorita that was bone dry and “vivace”. More bubbles than we had ever tasted before in a Favorita, and a great summer wine although at 13% beware. The Arneis 2011 was a bit flat but the 2012 straight from the “vasca” had an excellent floral nose and a delicate structure rather than fresh acidity.

Two Dolcettos followed and our preference was for the Navirot Dolcetto d’Alba 2011 from 40 year old vines located between Mango and Cossano. Classic Dolcetto nose and a pleasing sour cherry bitterness on the finish. The Brich din Lujis 2010 had a “green” nose and was almost elegant and nicely balanced.

Of the 2 Barberas the Barbera d’Alba Superiore was preferred but needs more time. Cherry, burnt caramel with a sweet cherry fudge finish and nice length. Aged in stainless steel from a higher location the “Achiri” 2008 was herby, particularly sage and rosemary. Different!

The Moscato d’Asti was perfect, not too dry not too sweet, not too fizzy but the Nebbiolo was missing the tannins that I love and I will stay with my closer, low-lying neighbours. Lovely people, “different wines” and great views.

Royal Palace Turin

Turin is a much underrated City full of history, museums, monuments, bars, restaurants and everything you would expect from an Italian Provincial Capital. Our friends Robert and Leslie Alexander at Travel Langhe  often take visitors there who are invariably surprised at its charm: check out their excellent app. in “Links”. We had another reason to go,  apart from a desire for an ethnic food fix, as I had an Apple Hard Disc to exchange with one of their agents. The train from Asti was a simple process and on arrival we set off on foot, without high expectations, to Shizen recommended by a local producer neighbour. Ethnic food is generally not available in this part of the world where Carne Cruda, Vitello Tonnato and Tajarin are omnipresent.

Shizen Torino

Bridge across the Po Turin

Following a beautiful walk across the Po with the snow covered Alps in the background we were ready for lunch and were not remotely disappointed by the quality of the lunchtime menu.  Manageable bite sized sushi, excellent miso soup and salad was just €15; similarly priced were chicken terriaki and butter fish.

Spicy Scallop roll

My favourite was a spiced roll of scallop tempura and asparagus added in celebration of it not being a “fast day”. A nice  bottle of Erbaluce from the surprisingly extensive wine list was also inexpensive. Apparently they run cooking classes once a month so we have an excuse to go back.

A wander back across the river to the historic centre was the perfect antidote, taking in the Castello, Royal Palace and a traditional Torinese Bicerin (espresso, drinking chocolate and whole milk served layered in a small rounded glass) in the one of the beautiful traditional cafes. It was time for a 2k detour on foot to sort out my hard disc arranged  by email a full week before. Was it ready? Of course not. Could it be ready quickly? Certainly not we were in Italy. Could it be posted? Certainly For €22 (still waiting!). The look and the dismissive shrug of the assistant coupled with my rising anger (in Italian of course) was apparently priceless according to Robert. Nothing for it but to pay up and beat a retreat to meet the girls in a bar 2k away.

Nibbles at San Quentino 6

I was ready for an aperitivo and it was waiting in the form of a bottle Donnafugata Anthìlia at Bar San Quintino 6. Memorable nibbles (stuzzichini) were way too much while we waited for our chosen dinner venue to open, although a second bottle of wine was necessary.

A speedy curry at 7 around the corner from the station would just give us time to catch the 8.30 Intercity fast train back to Asti.

Nativity Scene Turin

Christmas was everywhere and the giant cartoon Nativity scene in the nearby park was a stunning reminder. The meal at Curry Zone was just like  mama makes in Delhi or Eastbourne for that matter and I absolutely loved the Meera Indian beer that I’d never come across before. We just had time for the terrific home-made Kulfi and we were off and running for the (non-existent) 8.30 express which only manifests itself on the Trennitalia website and on our printed, reserved seat tickets bought that morning! Still there was a slow, stop at all stations train leaving 5 minutes later. A nuisance but no problem. After a couple of stations I thought I would check the maps displayed in the carriage to see how may stops there were. Great idea but the Network displayed and the detailed route map had no mention of Asti or anywhere close. Although the warning to mind the sliding doors looked fun.

All aboard the night train

Asti?

We drew comfort from the fact that Asti was definitely displayed on the platform when we boarded  so decided to cross our fingers. At least there wasn’t a sudden strike (sciopero) as happens here from time to time, and 30 minutes later than planned we crawled back into familiar territory.

Make sure to include Turin in your itinerary.

Antonio Deltetto

One of our friends with a base in Tuscany recently asked me to buy him some Favorita from Claudio Rapalino one of our neighbours. It is closely related to the Tuscan Vermentino and Claudio makes one of the best that regularly features on our shopping list. Unfortunately we are not alone and an importer had scooped up his remaining stock just a couple of days previously.

It presented an ideal opportunity to venture across the Tanaro into the Roero which in the absence of Barbaresco and Barolo to focus on produces excellent white wine, not to mention Barbera and the very occasional stunning Nebbiolo. A quick call to Antonio Deltetto and we had located a good alternative and an excuse to taste the rest of his stunning wines.

Langhe Favorita “Servaj” 2011 – terrific aperitivo, fresh, light, floral and inexpensive. The name “Servaj” means wild referring to the wild nature of the surrounding hills

Gavi di Gavi 2011 – didn’t know they made it but some left with us. Good minerality/acidity with fresh pineapple/grapefruit and good length; also well priced

Roero Arneis “Daivej” 2011. Halfway towards Riesling and will age. Very creamy and elegant. “Daivej”, “of the aged”, refers to the old farmhouse next to the vineyard

Roero Arneis S.Michele 2011. Fantastic Arneis from their oldest vines (35 years). This will definitely improve with age. I usually rush to drink Arneis within year or 2  of harvest but look forward to how these develop.

The secret to their whites is cooling the grapes overnight and only crushing them when cool. Followed by slow, low temperature fermentation to preserve their intense perfume.

All under €10 ex cantina.

I don’t buy fizz very often and when I do it’s usually champagne although that will be gradually less often. Today I received an email offer from a UK supplier offering half price champagne and was about to order some when Her Outdoors said she would rather I bought the  Deltetto at the same price (In fact ex cantina here it’s less). Antonio makes  3 “Metodo Classico” and we like them all:

Spumante Brut  is 50% Chardonnay/50% Pinot Noir and spends 3 years on the lees. Perfect match between acidity and sweetness and creamy up front and on the finish

Sumante Extra Brut Riserva ’08 is still young and will last for years. 70% Pinot Noir /30% Chardonnay fermented in used french Barriques (breathes better). Yeasty and lightly fizzy. It would certainly be a struggle to pick this out from quality vintage champagnes in a blind tasting and Antonio mentioned that it had recently been voted top  on just such an occasion.

Spumante Rosé is prettily coloured after a maceration of just 8 hours with 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Nebbiolo that makes it  so Piemontese!

With growing conditions in Champagne in 2012 being awful it’s time to check out flights to Milano, Torino and Genova and stock up here. May’s a good time with Barbaresco a Tavola most Fridays.

All the reds are good and I regularly choose his Barbera d’Alba at our local pizzeria Il Camino, when it’s not sold out! However, the stand out wine for me is the Roero Riserva “Braja” ’08 which proves there is quality Nebbiolo outside the zone. 2 years in barrique, 1 year in stainless steel and a classic. I bought the ’08 last time and now I have the 2009. Incidently both years awarded 3 bicchiere in Gambero Rosso.

Digging for truffles

Alba White Truffle

Well not exactly gold but at €5,000 a kilo the famous Alba white truffle is worth getting your hands dirty for. It’s one of life’s luxuries and I love them but unfortunately we usually have to make do with the black variety that are a fraction of the cost. Where to find the best is, not surprisingly a closely guarded secret. But even if you did know  a special, highly trained dog is essential equipment. I often wondered how it’s done and now I know, after a splendid afternoon tagging along with one of Travel Langhe‘s tours in the woods behind La Morra.

Truffle Hunt 2012

Marco Varaldo was a delightful host and his young white dog showed all the exuberance and enthusiasm of youth. Incidentally most truffle dogs are white so they can be better spotted at night when the really serious stuff takes place. That’s not say that you can’t find truffles on the well-trodden woodland paths but they obviously get well “dug”. Nevertheless our search proved successful and it wasn’t long before a very excited dog began digging frantically and Marco was quickly on his knees, restraining the dog while gently probing the earth with his special tool. A couple of blacks only worth using as treats for the dogs were followed by the real thing. Slightly smaller than a golfball but worth more than a gross of  Titlelist ProV1′s. We got to hold, examine and sniff it but unfortunately not to taste as it was destined for a local restaurant. I am sure we must have some around our house with our old oaks and hazelnuts as there are occasional unexplained holes. We must get one of the locals to pop round with their dog during the day rather than uninvited by night. Unfortunately the only things that excite our dogs are cats, pheasants and the occasional vehicle on the drive.

Truffle dogs are literally worth their weight in gold.

Hunt over

p.s. I was horrified to see one in the recent Italy Unpacked programme on BBC wearing a muzzle as some unscrupulous hunters sometimes leave out poisoned meat to snuff out the competition.

Dog days of summer

London 2012

It was a magnificent summer here with little rain much to the annoyance of HO who resorted to using our sulphur spring when the hosepipe ban was introduced. Sound familiar? Ultimately this proved too much for late summer crops but autumn looks promising.  A steady stream of visitors, particularly family, was great fun and the pool got well used. The weather should mean that 2012 will be a magnificent year for the reds although the white wines will be average. Apart from one weekend when we were driving down to Lucca for a Kasabian concert it was unending sunshine. As we sat in a queue of traffic in mist and rain just outside Genova we were reminded of a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK.

One highlight, second  to Heather & Aaron’s announcement of a new grandchild on the way, was the London Olympics and Paralympics. I was lucky enough to get tickets for an evening of finals at the Olympics and took my grandson Milo for an experience of a lifetime. Despite not seeing a Team GB medal won, the atmosphere was uplifting and London has never been so welcoming. Smiles everywhere, masses of proud helpers eager to assist. It was unforgettable and a real downer when it finally came to an end.

New project

The big news for us came about as I was unnecessarily checking the weather forecast and pressed a link saying “looking for a house in Neive”. We had been bemoaning the performance of some of our pension investments and suddenly here was an opportunity; a cheap, attractive looking house locally that could perhaps be a holiday-let. We arranged an appointment to view.

It was in a fairly isolated but attractively tranquil position amongst vineyards and hazelnuts in a valley near Mango, 1.5k down a winding lane.  We thought it could be viable but decided that its location warranted a cheeky bid of €20k less than the asking price. 5 weeks later and it was ours. We now have a new project and one of the benefits of the continuing good weather have meant that we have painted the outside with 70 litres of good white British masonry paint brought down by Stevio on his annual wine exploration visit. He fortunately came by car as he apparently “didn’t know the way by air”. The electricians have rewired the house, a new kitchen is ordered, table and chairs bought, builders starting this week on minor bathroom alterations and now we can move inside to decorate. The previous German owner who was relocating from Munich to Berlin left loads of decent furniture and other stuff so expense is kept to a minimum. We also have enough German books to open a shop.

New project

All will be ready for Easter next year and we plan to offer it at €5-600 per week. It has 2 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, comfortable lounge and very large kitchen that opens onto a covered terrace overlooking the mature garden as do the bedrooms upstairs. Perfect for 2 couples or a family and with an additional bed settee in the lounge could sleep 6 (dogs welcome). Very exciting as wine tourists and foodies find it difficult to rent self-catering accommodation rather than the ubiquitous B&B. We are happy to take provisional bookings now for Easter 2013 onwards.

Jenny’s Art Group

Manera label

New visitors to the area are blown away by its natural beauty and impressive wines and  Mail Boxes Etc have been kept busy as they ship their purchases home. This included Barbaresco with personalised labels for my niece’s wedding later this month: Carlo Manera does a great job. The latest was a friend’s Art Group who stayed at Traversa for a week and despite not venturing too far afield are already planning next year’s trip.

So now as Autumn arrives we can get back to normal, in between decorating with the Alba Truffle Fair, Piacere Barbaresco and all the other tastings that we have neglected during a perfect summer. Having said that we are in the midst of a life change after the Horizon “Eat, fast and live longer” programme and we now limit ourselves to 600 calories (500 for HO) for 2 consecutive days per week which also means no wine!! The target for me is to shift 15kg and I am already half way there and the new bikes should help.

Finally, a favourite expressive John Keats poem “To Autumn”:

View of Costiglione Falleto from Guido Porro

Despite the lack of recent wine blogs, we have been doing plenty of tastings in between guests, surprise, surprise. As well as regular visits to some of  our favourite neighbours, we have also checked out some new cantinas mainly driven by general tastings both blind and open. A recent visit to the UK confirmed that the supermarkets there have almost zero examples of Piemontese wines on their shelves; not really surprising as they demand size and uniformity. Quite a few friends have been buying wine here and using the services of Mail Boxes Etc. In larger quantities e.g. 100+ bottles it’s possible to ship wine as a private individual to their home in the UK for £2-3 a bottle or less.

Here are some of the Cantinas that have attracted our attention:

Guido Porro

Guido Porro, Serraluga d’Alba

Serrunga from Guido Porro

Living in the heart of Barbaresco I am biased. I love Barolo but as a generalisation, oft repeated, the  price differential compared to my immediate neighbours often sways me against. Having said that my preference for Serralunga took me to Guido Porro this week and I was taken aback at the quality of his Barolo Vigna Lazzairasco 2008 (the 2007 won 3 bicchieri in Gambero Rosso) and especially the price, sub €20 ex cantina. It’s young but very drinkable now with a remarkable complexity, balance and length. The 10,000 bottles he makes from the ancient vineyard below the cantina would sell out in an instant if he were better known. The Vigna San Caterina 2007 is not far behind at a similar price. I am sure I will be back soon if only to taste again the Nebbiolo 2011 soon to be properly bottled. It had only spent 3 to 4 months in Botti Grandi before stainless steel but will provide hours of simple inexpensive pleasure once it has settled. The Barbera d’Alba 2011 was all sour dark cherries but perhaps a little bitter on the finish for my taste and anyway I wanted to save my money for the Barolo. There is Bed and Breakfast available which could be dangerous.

Adriano, Marco e Vittorio, San Rocco Seno d’Elvio

Adriano Cantina, Museum

Adriano Basarin

Luciana, wife of Marco Adriano

I have tasted Adrianos’ wines on several occasions and met them at various tastings but had never got round to visiting their impressive new cantina. I have now put that right  and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours there in the company of  the welcoming Luciana (Marco’s wife),with my German importer friend Clemens Caplan (Mon-Vino). There are 22 hectares of vineyards which, apart from a small piece of the famous Basarin cru in Neive , are all close to the cantina in San Rocco Seno d’Elvio and produce around 100k bottles). Although the family business has been in existence for more than 100 years they only stopped selling their grapes and making their own wine in 1994.

For me the Barbarescos are the stars of their range and fantastic value and what is particularly exciting is that there are older vintages, and larger formats available. Also some Basarin Riserva (4 years in the making with an extra year in wood) 2004, 5 & 6. All three were very good, particularly the 2004 with its smooth long finish. The 2005 and 6 need more time but importantly the fruit shines through the tannins. The 2008 Sanadaive ( a more sandy soil) has a rose/strawberry nose and a delicate, floral elegance reminiscent of violets in the mouth. The Basarin 2008 was a cut above with a spicy long finish. The tannins are very evident and will need more time to soften but will be worth the wait as the dark fruits are already in charge. Typically the 2007s are already drinking well and will keep you going while you wait for later vintages to mature. They only use Botti Grandi as they feel that the use of barriques tends to overshadow the wine and mask the individuality of the different crus. The 2010 Langhe Nebbiolo was light and fresh and only sees stainless steel.

The Barbera which comes from a small piece of 20 year old vines in Basarin was pretty good with the 2011 fruity, fresh and for every day drinking and the 2010 Barbera Superiore smooth with good length, if average  nose. The price represents value particularly magnums. We also tasted the 2011 Ardi dry Moscato (the 1st year) which is a work in process and had a slightly bitter finish. The Sauvignon Blanc 2011 had a typical, recognisable  nose and was fresh with good acidity but rather light. The Dolcetto 2011′s nose offered more than the taste and lacked a little fruit to counter the traditional bitter finish.

Impressive Cantina, friendly people and top value reds.

Bera, Neviglie

Bera is a familiar story for the zone. For many generations the family had been growing and selling grapes until about 40 years ago when they created their own brand and started making, bottling and selling the wine themselves. Valter and Alida and sons Umberto and Riccardo carry on the traditions today.

Her outdoors with Alida

Bera Barbaresco

Valter & Alida Bera

They are best known for their Moscato d’Asti which accounts for almost half their production of 130,000 bottles but we didn’t taste it, preferring to concentrate on the drier wines. 3 wines that stood out for us were:

• La Lena Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2008. Blackberry/currant/cherries that persist with the good length. Elegant roundness. Time in the bottle has obviously helped.
• Alladio Nebbiolo 2008. 18 months in used barrique (up to 4 passages). Classic nebbiolo. Roses/violets/ spice, length and soft tannins. Better than lots of Barbarescos but not…
• Barbaresco 2007. Well made, well priced, drinking well now

The other wines were decent:

• Bera brut – lightly sparkling 50% Chardonnay /50% Pinot Noir, biscuity aperitivo
• Arneis 2011- apple scent, soft, fruity. Straightforward.
• Chardonnay 2011 13% more body, pear. Both whites were bottled very recently and will be better once settled in the bottle.
• Barbera 2010 . Peppery spicy. Simple acidity.
• Sassisto 2008. Mainly Barbera with a little Nebbiolo and Merlot (20%). Another International attempt. Tar. Not bad but lacks balance. With 2 years in barrique and only 2 months in bottle it needs time to settle.

Pietro Rinaldi

Paolo e Monica

Having avoided dentists for as much of the past 40 years as I could, I have finally found one not to be frightened of. In fact Paolo Tenino gave up dentistry to make wine with his beautiful wife Monica Rinaldi, and washing out your mouth at their new cantina is rather pleasurable. It is still a work in progress but hopefully we will return to see the finished article. The simple reason for our visit was that at the first Barbaresco a Tavola this year  we rated his Barbaresco numero uno of those tasted that evening. I also bumped into him at Prima Nebbiolo tastings in Alba.

Tonneau, Pietro Rinaldi

We came away from the visit with not only a few bottles of their excellent Barbaresco San Cristoforo 2008 but also Barbera Superiore “La Cichetta” 2010 and Dolcetto d’Alba 2010. The Barbaresco is relatively dark in colour and quite tannic with hints of tobacco but also concentrated sweet dark ripe fruits  that make it it very accessible: “4 stars-Highly Recommended” in February Decanter Magazine. “Vini d’Italia 2012″ thinks the star wine is the Dolcetto but despite being moved to buy it, as it is one of the better ones around, Nebbiolo is my passion. The Barbera is a big wine with lots of dark fruit and excellent acidity and length and I will not be in any rush to drink it. A tad expensive but something that compares with other favourites. It will be interesting to compare them with a hearty winter meal. The whites were not particularly to my taste however

the impact of Nebbiolo

It’s hard to sit at the computer when the weather is so hot but I keep saying to myself I must write a blog. I have lots of notes, it’s 30c outside and HO is doing a rain dance for the garden. But despite the occasional darkening skies and accompanying cannons from Barbaresco: niente!

This year’s Barbaresco a Tavola was a treat and the wines we tasted from the 2009 vintage were uniformly good. It’s difficult to taste them in May as some were only bottled for the event and thus not at their best but even so showed well. The real test will be in September when we get a second chance to compare at Piacere Barbaresco. Nevertheless, tasting with friends, we usually reached a general consensus on our favourites. The food served at La Torre del Monastero was tasty and imaginative  and as it’s our closest bar we didn’t venture elsewhere. Those conclusions after the 2nd and 3rd dinners were as follows:

18th May

1. Cantina del Pino

2.Cascina Morassino

3. Chiarlo Michele

4,. Pelissero Giorgio

5. La Ganghija

25th May

1. Abrigo Orlando

2. Cascina Saria

3. Roberto Sarotto

4.Fontanbianca

5 Marchesi di Grésy

As we found last year, another 6 months in the bottle will have  a substantial impact on the wines but two things are certain: we have discovered a couple of new names to visit and check out prices and value and, out of 60 wines tasted, all of them had something to offer.

Claudio & Mariagrazia Icardi

Bob Hamblyn (Bobsbuzz.com) had never visited Piemonte and seen the producers and their vineyards or even tasted their wines, that is until last month. His sons Gary and Ian are great fans and brought him over so that he could add something from the experience to his new winemaking venture in Eastbourne. 4 of our friends here made it a special occasion and deserve a special thank you for taking time to show Bob around. Fortunately he walked around with his mouth open in disbelief which made it easier to taste the wines! It has already had an immediate impact as he signed up for an bio-dynamics course immediately on his return to the UK. An afternoon with Claudio and Mariagrazia Icardi provided that impetus 

The passion that Claudio exudes in the vineyard when he explains his knowledge of, and belief in biodynamics is contagious and the wine we tasted subsequently confirmed its worth. 10 hectares (sic) of their 75 is devoted to this philosophy and as you look over some of the surrounding vineyards it’s obvious which is theirs with herbs and even vegetables between the rows compared to barren chemically induced cleanliness. The Rudolph Steiner based philosophy is  holistic  and aims at combining the forces of nature to provide the  perfect growing environment rather than simply remedying problems organically as they occur.

The biodynamic Cascina San Lazzaro, Dadelio Bianco 2010 simply explodes with exotic fruits both in the nose and in the mouth. We were all taken aback.

The “Pafoj”, Monferrato Bianco 2010, an assemblagio of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, is so called (“not mad” in Piemontese) because its 50% SB is unusually oaked while the Chardonnay only sees stainless steel. A similar smack in the mouth of pineapple. Bob was buzzing and suddenly he was mentally expanding his modest Eastbourne project.

For me the “Nej” Langhe Rosso 2008, 100% Pinot Nero, is a more than a reasonable alternative to live-changing Nebbiolo and reasonably priced compared to expensive Borgogne. Another reason not to venture further north.

Mariagrazia is the perfect hostess who not surprisingly is responsible for their international sales success. Shame she couldn’t join us for dinner.

While I’m talking about international relationships, Evan Byrne at Giovanni Rosso, is also the perfect practitioner, (lock up your daughters!), and no need to translate as he has lost any hereditary  welsh accent.

Evan Byrne & Bob Hamblyn

Serralunga d'Alba

The wines of Giovanni Rosso win many awards but we went there primarily to get out in the vineyards, appreciate the terroir and then we spent a little time tasting the latest vintages from the Botte. It was a chance to view how the area is split up into small parcels with some crus having many owners. On a beautifully clear day with the Alps in full view we visited Vigna Rionda, Cerretta and La Serra in Serrunga d’Alba all best described on the winery’s excellent website. In the cantina Bob spotted the perfect 300l stainless steel fermentation tanks for his production but the car wasn’t big enough to sneak away with them but now I know what he’s looking for: any ideas welcome as he needs 6. It was soon evident as we tasted the Cerretta and La Serra 2008, 9 & 10 vintages from the botte that we are still in an unbroken run of excellent vintages. Like Evan I could quite happily drink the 2008 now. What they all had in common was a structure and length that left loads of fruit in the mouth after the tannins subsided. In search of lunch afterwards in Castiglione Falletto we found that La Terrazza was closed despite il Padrone telling me a couple of days before that he would be open if the sun shined (it was beautiful). Le Torri was also closed so we reluctantly tried Locanda del Centro, between the two. I’m glad we did as the food was perfect along with a Cavallotto Langhe Nebbiolo.Apparently the chef used to cook at  the top Villa Tiboldi in Canale.

No less welcoming were Luca Cravanzola at Produttori del Barbaresco and Beppe &  Mauro Goazalino at Sciorio.

Luca Cravanzolla & Bob Hamblyn

Luca is justifiably proud  of  the origins of this world class cooperative in which his grandfather was a leading light. Its origins and that of Barbaresco, as distinct from Barolo, go back to the end of the 19th century when Domizio Cavazza, headmaster of the Oenological School in Alba founded it along with 9 local vineyard owners. Fascism closed it in the 20′s until 1958 when the local priest revived the idea in the face of economic difficulties faced by local small growers. It has grown in the intervening 50 odd years from 19 to 56 members with more than 100 hectares under cultivation and production approaching 500,000 bottles. It only produces wine from the nebbiolo grape. Every member only sells his production to the cooperative and is paid according to the quality of his grapes that are instantly analysed on delivery. Payment is made in instalments and always complete by the start of the following harvest thus assuring the growers cash flow.

The wines, Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbaresco DOCG and in good years individual cru Barbarescos from one of 9 designated vineyards, can be tasted in the simple shop opposite the Antica Torre in the centre of the village. The shop sits above the impressive vinification cantina that is State of the Art which fortunately Luca showed us around. The ageing cantina just a km or so away is equally impressive with huge oak botti some of which hold up to 10,000 litres! The wine is pure, straightforward nebbiolo and excellent value with the Barbaresco at less than €20 and the Langhe Nebbiolo sub €10. Impossible to resist.

Produttori del Barbaresco, ageing

Produttori del Barbaresco

Produttori del Barbaresco, ageing

Last but not least yet another mention for Sciorio, for me the best quality value  wines outside the zone. Their  Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay at under €5 ex cantina is a steal and their range of  reds that include Barbera d’Asti, Barbera d’Asti Superiore (Beneficio), Monferrato Rosso-Syrah (Furmjia), Monferrato-Cabernet Sauvignon (Antico Vitigno) and assemblagio (Reginal) sell at the cantina for around €10. These are serious, fruity, complex, structured wines, and needless to say more than a few found new homes.

Hamblyns meet Gozzelinos

Bob with Beppe & Mauro Gozzelino

We are now having to think about building a Hamblyn guest wing onto the house.

Torres Neive

Barbaresco a Tavola got off to a cracking start last Friday with 20 Barbareschi 2009. We had also chosen well in La Torre del Monastero as the meal was excellent, particularly the tagliatelle with a sauce featuring our local butchers’ sausage (Cordero Figli, Neive) and  a main course of braised duck breast with pears. I am glad we are already booked in there again this Friday as I suspect they will be booked out.

We got off to a cautious start with our marking as the first couple of wines impressed but we wanted to make sure we weren’t overdoing it. As it happened The overall standard was terrific and we found it hard to differentiate with few rejects. Nevertheless, in stalwart fashion, we ploughed on and in the final analysis chose our 5 favourites which we continued comparing (and swallowing) frequently:

1. Pietro Rinaldi, Neive

2.Cascina Luisin, Barbaresco

3. Eredi Lodali Lorens, Treiso

4. Ceretto, Treiso

5. Albino Rocca, Barbaresco

It’s always difficult to taste these wines so young and I am sure some of the wines that didn’t make it into our top 5 may have been very recently bottled and hadn’t had time to settle but it’s a good reference point for Piacere Barbaresco later in the year.

Castello di Barolo

Barolo is a minefield with so many producers that I take every opportunity to taste whenever I can. For  the past 3 weeks, every Friday, there have been tasting dinners held at various Barolo restaurants with the wines of 10 different producers each evening. Sounds fantastic, and the restaurants were, but among 30 wines I struggled  to find more than a handful that I truly enjoyed. Vintages included 2004, 6, 7 and 8, some were obviously young and needed time but even a couple of  2004s really weren’t worth making. 3 wines were served that had faults and had to be replaced. Thank goodness that the 2 restaurants we chose served really tasty menus: Rossobarolo and La Cantinetta opposite each other in Via Roma are both worth a visit.

Here are my top (sic) 3 from each of the 3 evenings in no particular order:

G.D.Vajra, Bricco delle Viole 2007

Cagliero, Ravera 2006,

Bergadano Cav. Enrico, Sarmassa 2007

E.Pira/ Chiara Boschis, via Nuova 2007

Giuseppe Rinaldi, Brunate Le Coste 2008

Damilano, Cannubi 2008

La Querciola Donna Bianca 2005

Lucione Sandrone, Cannubi Boschis 2007

Museo dei Cacatappi, Sarmassa 2007

Looking forward to the Castagnole Barbera Festival this week and Barbaresco a Tavola