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ITALY: PIEMONTE
Located in North-Western Italy, Piemonte offers a wonderful array of wines.
The primary area of Piemonte for wine (and food) is centered around the city of
Alba. The region is known as the Langhe and these hills are responsible for
the potentially noble wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as satisfying Barbera,
Dolcetto, Arneis and Moscato wines.
The landscapes are varied and the hilltops crowned with castles. Once
relatively "poor" farmers now find themselves wealthy and world-famous as a
result of increasing connoisseurship of their wines. Much as with vignerons in
Burgundy, small, family-run wineries turn out some of the very finest of the region and,
sadly, some of the poorest wines.
Major Piemontese Grapes and
Wines |
| ALTA LANGA |
This is a new designation for bottle-fermented
sparkling wines from Langhe vineyard sites of at least 250 meters in
elevation and made predominantly (90%) of Chardonnay or Pinot Nero.
Though typically a "white" wine, these can be pink or even red
sparkling wines. There are less than 10 producers of such bubblies
as of March 2009. |
| ARNEIS |
Typically a dry white wine, best when young and fresh.
Grown in the Roero region, primarily. |
| BARBERA |
Grown in many areas of Piemonte, its most famous wines are
"Barbera d'Alba," "Barbera d'Asti" and "Barbera del
Monferrato." Some are young, fresh and without wood aging, while others exhibit
a forest-full of wood. It is usually a high acid, low tannin red wine. |
| BRACHETTO |
Usually made as a fizzy and somewhat sweet red wine.
"Brachetto d'Acqui" is well known. |
| CORTESE |
A modest white variety making wine such as "Gavi." |
| DOLCETTO |
A berryish, fruity red, often likened to Beaujolais. As it's
usually a wine meant for drinking in its youth, we favor those with modest tannins...some
producers make mean and fiercely tannic wine from what should be a gentle, easy-going red.
There are various locations, such as Alba, Asti, Diano d'Alba, Dogliani and Ovada. |
| ERBALUCE |
A white wine made near Torino and Vercelli. Sometimes made
dry, sometimes bubbly and some make a sweet, Passito-styled wine. |
| FAVORITA |
Grown in Roero and the Langhe...makes a simple, light dry white
wine. |
| FREISA |
Typically made as a light and fizzy red wine. Best in its
youth. Sometimes, as the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle, the wine
can develop some "dirty" aromas. |
| GRIGNOLINO |
Rather pale and light in color, this is usually a sharp, acidic
light-colored, spicy red wine. |
| MALVASIA |
Often made as a light, fizzy red which has a bit of sweetness.
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| MOSCATO |
A flowery white wine, best in its youth. Typically low in
alcohol and bottled "fizzy." Most have the name "Moscato
d'Asti." The same grape makes the more bubbly, but less "fine"
sparkling wine known as "Asti Spumante."
Growers are working to have a special designation "Canelli"
on the labels. These will, undoubtedly, be more costly. |
| NAS-CETTA or ANASCETTA |
A white grape which used to be more
widely planted, today it's found in the Barolo-area town of
Novello. It's an appley and dry white and new plantings have
been made, so you'll start seeing a number of new producers of this
interesting dry white. |
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NEBBIOLO
The Three "Clones" of Nebbiolo
Notice the different leaf structure, as well as the difference in bunch shapes.
Friends used to make a Barolo from the Rose variety and this was always incredibly
aromatic, but light in color and body. There's not much Barolo or Barbaresco made
today which incorporates Rose. The Lampia and Michet have become the preferred
clones. |
The red grape of Piemonte, making the famous wines of
Barbaresco and Barolo. There are (at least) 3 clones, Lampia, Michet & Rose.
The grape takes its name from the fog or nebbia. Like Pinot Noir,
this grape is color-poor, yet it can be more fiercely tannic than a Cabernet.
"Nebbiolo d'Alba" wines come from vineyards in the Langhe which are not Barolo
or Barbaresco. The name for declassified Barolo and Barbaresco wines is
"Nebbiolo delle Langhe." Don't let some fool you by the
claim that Nebbiolo d'Alba is "declassified" Barolo or Barbaresco! Other names
of Nebbiolo wines in Piemonte include Carema, Gattinara (with as much as 10% of a variety
called Bonarda), Ghemme (60-85% Nebbiolo, 10-30% Vespolina and up to 15% Bonarda), Lessona
(up to 25% of other varieties), while Fara, Boca and Sizzano wines are made up in part
with Nebbiolo. The grape also is known as "Spanna" in the
Novara-Vercelli hills. |
|
PELAVERGA |
This is a curious little red grape that's
found in the Barolo-area town of Verduno. The wine is dry, light to
medium-bodied and has a distinctively spicy quality. I've tasted
some Friulian Schioppettino which have similar characteristics.
It's, apparently, cultivated near Torino where it goes by the name "Cari."
Who knew? |
RUCHÉ |
The origins of this grape, typically cultivated
in the area of Castagnole Monferrato have been obscured. Some will
tell you it's indigenous to this area (near Asti), while other stories
proclaim it was brought from France and nobody knows, precisely, what it
is. The red wine made from Ruché tends to have an interesting floral
fragrance, though. |
|
TIMORASSO |
This is an unusual variety cultivated in
south-eastern Piemonte near Tortona. The grape is unusual in that as
white grapes go, this has fairly thick skins...good for warding off
rot. It's not widely-planted, though in the past few years, there's
been a slight spike in interest. |
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OTHER VARIETIES/etc. |
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| ALBAROSSA |
A vine guy named Giovanni
Dalmasso crossed Nebbiolo and Barbera back in 1938 to produce a variety
which has the dark color of Barbera and supposedly some character of
Nebbiolo. In the second decade of the 21st century, a few producers
are making interesting wines from this grape...nothing, yet, as grand as
top Barbera or killer Nebbiolo. But who knows? |
| MALVASIA di SCHIERANO |
Cultivated, for the most part,
in the Asti hills of Castelnuovo Don Bosco, this grape makes a
fantastically delicious, fizzy, low alcohol sweet wine along the lines of
Moscato d'Asti. Cascina Gilli is the reference point. |
| AVANA |
A very obscure grape grown in
the hills of the Valle di Susa, not far from Torino, as well as in the Val
Chisone. Few people as "far away" as Barolo would have
heard of this red grape. |
| DOUX D'HENRY |
Cultivated southwest of Torino
in the Pinerolese area...it's said France's King Henry rode through the
area in the 1600s and enjoyed the sweet wine made of this variety, hence
its curious name. Today there is a small production of dry red wine
from the grape known as Doux d'Henry. |
| BONARDA |
Small plantings are still
found in northern Piemonte, for the most part. There's another grape
called Croatina which sometimes goes by the name Bonarda, but it's
actually not the same variety. That's Italy for you: always
confusing. |
| CROATINA |
A variety sometimes used in
making the Nebbiolo-based wines of Gattinara and Ghemme, but in the Roero
and San Damiano d'Asti, this variety is called Bonarda.
Confused? Yes. |
VESPOLINA |
Planted in the region of
Gattinara, it is currently thought to be related to Nebbiolo. You
might find it in wines of the Fara, Boca, Bramaterra and Coste della Sesia
appellations. |
CLICK HERE FOR
A LINK TO A MAP OF BAROLO'S VARIOUS VINEYARD SITES
Some Current Offerings:
- VIETTI
 I've adopted this family as my "Piemontese famiglia" (or they've
adopted me as their California relative).
Alfredo Currado was amongst the first to
bottle wines with single vineyard designations, resuscitate the "Arneis" grape
variety (and make a good wine from it!), as well as offer wine with special artist labels.
He passed away in 2010, but his impact on the Piemontese wine scene will
live on forever.
Located in Castiglione Falletto, they now own vineyards in the Asti area as well as
in their local neighborhood.
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The late Alfredo Currado...a major pioneer in
Piemontese wine.
Alfredo liked sharing bottles of old vintages and he said I should come
visit more frequently as he still had a lot of venerable bottles and he
needed someone to drink them with.
- Alfredo Currado had married Luciana Vietti, whose father started the
winery. Alfredo's first vintage was 1961 and what a vintage it
was! We became familiar with the wines in the late 1970s and found
the wines to be brighter and more interesting than most Piemontese (or
Italian, for that matter) wines.
We finally visited the winery in 1982 and arranged an appointment through
the local consorzio office in Alba. Alfredo had immediately called back to the
office asking if we could come the following day as he didn't speak
English, but his wife did. She was away that afternoon with their
son Luca.
"Tell him while we don't speak much Italian, but we do speak
'wine.'" And the consorzio fellow did just that and so we went to
visit. The cellars were old, clean and traditional. Alfredo
graciously poured every wine he had for sale. And, having run out of
things to show us, asked if we would like to taste an older
wine. I didn't go there to say "no."
We went upstairs and he brought out a rare bottle of 1961 Vietti
Barolo. His mother-in-law, Nonna Pierina, joined us and later, so
did his daughter, Elisabetta. Nonna ended up taking some
blossoms from a tree and frying them to serve with the wine...and daughter
'Betta was 'fried," too, since 1961 was "her" vintage and
there were less than a dozen bottles remaining. You can imagine how
her blood pressure really rose when Alfredo sent us packing with another
bottle of her precious 1961!
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- **********
This special bottle of 1961 was served to an appreciative audience a few
years later. Alfredo was staying with me for a few months, here in
California learning English. We hosted dinner one night, Alfredo preparing a
pasta sauce and me preparing some sort of goat stew. I knew he was
apprehensive about opening this ancient bottle, since it might not still
be alive, so I'd asked Luciana to call at the time when I thought we might
be ready to serve this (with a cheese course). She did and as
Alfredo chatted with Italy, I opened and decanted this venerable bottle
for our guests (one gentleman was a Gourmet magazine affiliate -Gerald
Asher- and our
friend Shirley Sarvis wrote for various publications, including magazines and
local newspapers). The 1961 was splendid, in fact. The empty
bottle is prominently displayed, still, in my dining room.
-
- **********
The winery produced all sorts of wines in those days, including the
light-colored, light-bodied, high acid red called Grignolino. One
vintage they vinified some Pelaverga. Alfredo didn't mind experimenting
with different local grape varieties. Over
the years, they've streamlined the roster of wines and have upgraded the
range of Barolo bottlings.
Son Luca Currado and son-in-law Mario Cordero (he's married to Alfredo
& Luciana's first born, Manuela) are the official owners of the
winery. Daughter Elisabetta Currado left the family business many
years ago to make wine for Italian movie star Ornella Muti. That
winery has since closed. Today she's living in Genoa with her
kids and commuting to Provence to consult on winemaking at a domaine in St. Remy.
Mario and Manuela's oldest kid, Francesco Cordero, is now working in the
cellar. Though he studied economics and not enology, I'm impressed
hearing his assessments of various wines we've tasted
together. And Francesco's younger brother Lorenzo is enrolled
presently at the enology school in Alba.
- *****
-
Alfredo used to describe his winemaking as "traditional" and I
recall he was allergic to having his picture taken in the company of
French oak barriques. Perhaps he did not want to be viewed as
making wines smelling and tasting of oak or he didn't want his old
winemaker friends to think he had abandoned tradition.
His son Luca came to California for an internship and he also spent time
in Bordeaux. With these experiences, surely, he's learned some of
the intricacies of using new wood, but the winery still has substantial
large, neutral cooperage for maturing its wines. Alfredo used to say
he didn't know how to properly employ small oak aging for his wines, but
that Luca, with his experiences in places where small French oak was
common, was more capable with barriques.
They used to own but a few acres of vineyards, but Alfredo and Luciana saw
the escalating prices for fruit and began investing in vineyards quite a
few years ago. Today they own about 32 hectares of vineyards and
rent another 5.
Luca, meanwhile, is working to satisfy his enological curiosity about
other grape varieties. He gives advice on winemaking to the folks at
the Tenimenti Luigi D'Alessandro in Cortona and he's been giving some tips
at Querciabella in Tuscany's Chianti region.
Alfredo Currado in 2007 is holding a bottle of an old
vintage (1973) of Arneis.
He and Luciana tell the story of
asking friends at church one Sunday in 1967 to bring Arneis grapes to the winery
if anybody still farmed this. They were surprised when numerous
neighbors showed up with boxes full of Arneis. Alfredo is credited
with resuscitating Arneis as a commercial wine, though some reports claim
Bruno Giacosa also vinified some Arneis around the same time.
Giacosa, though, admits Alfredo beat them to the punch by a nose...
-
The winery produces the major wines of the Langhe, often having top Dolcetto, Barbera,
Barolo and Barbaresco wines. Vietti is one of a modest number of
wineries able to make both Barolo and Barbaresco in the same winery (the law requires the
winery have a 'history' of making both...otherwise, you need a winery within
the confines of each area to produce the respective wines).
Barbera wines have really been great from Vietti. Winemaker Luca
Currado has a great hand with these. Their "Tre Vigne"
bottling is the 'entry level' offering and we periodically have that in the
shop. The 2010 is delicious and it's attractively-priced at $17.99...
The Scarrone vineyard is close to the winery and produces marvelous
Barbera! The 2009 is an exceptional bottle of wine, having lovely
berry fruit and a hint of sweet, cedary oak. The flavors are long and
velvety, more "noble" than the simple, fruity,
"everyday" sort of Barbera wine.
The Scarrone Vigna
Vecchia (Old Vines--about 80+ years of age) is massive and remarkable. It is quite limited as
they make but a few bottles of this wine. Sadly, the price has
escalated but the quality is remarkable.
La Crena is their
single vineyard wine from the Asti region...it's usually been very bright
in fruit and nicely oaked. You might find it a bit more polished and
supple compared to the Scarrone. We currently have some of the 2008---a
medium-full-bodied, nicely drinkable Barbera.
Barbaresco from the Masseria cru has been exceptional, the wine showing a
touch of wood underneath the intense Nebbiolo 'fruit' (a bit of earth and
truffle-like notes on our last taste of this). This wine has
substantial tannins, so holding it for 5-10 more years is not out of the
question. It is fantastically complex and will continue to develop in
bottle for another decade, easily. The 2005 might be criticized for
being a bit "internationally-styled," but there is no denying this
is a grand bottle of wine. It shows some wood today, but this will
become less prominent as the wine ages.
The 2001 was a fantastic bottle...if you have that, please treasure it
and enjoy it with a grand meal...anytime between tonight and 2020, or so.
Barolo wines come from a variety of 'crus'. These have been quite good
for many years, though only recently getting the attention from The Critics that some
of their neighbors receive. I wish they weren't so costly,
but the wines are good and Luca works diligently to improve
these. In discussing these with him, one can easily see Luca is
as passionate about the wines as his father Alfredo had been. I
suspect that Luca's studies in school give him the edge on his dad in terms
of being able to "tweak" the wines each vintage. He seems
very sensitive to the quality and character of the vintage as the grapes are
harvested and he does what's necessary to coax the maximum character out of
each wine.
We have several Barolo wines in the shop.
"Castiglione" is the entry level bottling. It's
been a reasonably good bottle of wine, though we've not carried it in
recent vintages, finding other more interesting wines at a similar
price. I know Mario and Luca were quite insistent I taste the 2003
version of this wine as they'd really worked to upgrade the wine. I
was pleasantly surprised, having tasted more than a hundred 2003s and have
to applaud their diligence in making a more interesting wine than they've
had in previous years. The 2006 is remarkably good, as was the 2007. There's
2008 currently in the shop, a marvelous introduction to Vietti wines.
Winemaker Luca
Currado says it's because the fruit comes from good vineyard sites and
it's a blend of really good wines. They're conscious of offering at
least one Barolo with a reasonable price tag and the Castiglione bottling
should be on your list of "under $50 Barolo worth buying," and we
sale tag it at $39.99, well under its normal price in hopes of enticing
customers to discover Barolo.
The Lazzarito vineyard is across the valley and east and south of the winery
in the Serralunga. Alfredo first made wine from this cru in
1989. Luca's version is a shade more modern, let's say, seeing time in
small French oak and then finishing its maturation in Slavonian oak.
The fragrances show some of the dried rose character and a nice woodsy
component. The tannins are reasonably well-balanced, so drinking it
over the next 5-15 years would be about right.
Ravera is a rather new addition to the Vietti line-up. This
comes from a vineyard south and west of the winery in the area of
Novello. This is a lovely outpost, rather due west of Monforte
d'Alba. I've mentioned several clones of Nebbiolo and this
vineyard has three of them, including the aromatic and very light-in-color
"rosé" variety. (Alfredo used to make a wonderful Barolo
from a vineyard planted predominantly with rosé...I always found the
fragrance to be especially deep and wonderful, but most people "taste
with their eyes" and the pale color caused many to be
prejudiced!) The 2000 Ravera shows lovely fruit, a hint of a
floral tone and a touch of anise or licorice. The wine is elegant and
deeply flavored. I suspect this can be cellared for 5-15 more years.
Rocche is, for me, the "classic" Barolo of the house. It's
perhaps the most "traditionally-made" Barolo, as the wine is
matured exclusively in Slavonian casks, not seeing time in small French
oak. The vineyard is actually pretty close to the winery in
Castiglione. It often has some of the high-toned, almost ethereal
fragrances of earth and truffles. The 2004 should be cellared for a
decade or more, though if you choose to open one in the
not-too-distant-future, do decant it a few hours before service. It's
a wonderful bottle of wine. The 2003 is more developed and is
showing well presently and will continue to be a showy wine for 5-10 more
years.
 Villero
is a special vineyard site not far from the Vietti cellar.
Alfredo always spoke highly of this vineyard and I think he was often torn
between it and the Rocche cru in picking his favorite Barolo each
vintage.
Over the years, though, Vietti has offered the Villero Barolo with a
special designation, Riserva, and with a specially commission artist
label. The 1982 was the first vintage and since then, Villero
Riserva has been made just 8 times. In years when they don't keep it
aside, this is blended into their entry-level, Barolo
"Castiglione" bottling.
The 2004 is the most recent release. It is a fantastic bottle of
Barolo and is just starting to blossom a bit. There are notes of red
fruits and a whiff of a leathery, woodsy tone. The wine cascades
across the palate and offers layers of flavors...it's going to be a great
bottle if you can wait until, say, 2015 to 2020 (and beyond).
-
Some special bottles of Barolo from Vietti and the 2006
"Villero" Riserva with a mock-up of
an artist label which will never see the light of day, thankfully.
Moscato is made by a colleague of the Currado's. Mario's family owns
some vineyards near Asti and the wine is made especially for the Vietti
"Cascinetta" label. It is always good, bright and
fruity. We even had an elderly bottle at a friend's house and the
wine, at 5 years of age was still alive and kicking! 2012 is the
current vintage. Delicious.
 Though not too
many wine "geeks" pay attention to Dolcetto, Vietti has
long been a good source. While many producers seem to have a very high
threshold for tannin, the Vietti "Dolcetto d'Alba" from the 2011
vintage is delicious! It's balanced and intended for immediate
consumption. Best at cool cellar temp.
MORE VIETTI PHOTOS
- Currently available:
2011 Arneis (Roero) $23.99
2009 Barbera d'Alba "Scarrone Old Vines" SALE $79.99
2009 Barbera d'Alba "Scarrone" SALE $37.99
2008 Barbera d'Asti La Crena $39.99
2010 Barbera d'Asti "Tre Vigne" $17.99
- 2012 Cascinetta Moscato d'Asti $15.99
- 2003 Barolo Lazzarito Sale $99.99
2006 Barolo Lazzarito SALE $129.99
2007 Barolo Lazzarito $134.99
2008 Barolo Lazzarito SALE $119.99
2005 Barbaresco Sale $99.99
2007 Barolo "Rocche" Sale $134.99
2008 Barolo "Rocche" Sale $119.99
2006 Barolo Brunate $129.99
2007 Barolo Brunate $134.99
2008 Barolo Brunate Sale $119.99
2008 Barolo "Castiglione" (List $50-$55) SALE $39.99
2004 Barolo "Villero Riserva" Sale $299.99
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We opened a 1962 "Mario Vietti" Barolo in 2005...still in
decent condition and though it's not a hall-of-fame-vintage, this was quite
a good bottle.
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-
As the current Vietti importer has the idea that the wines such as
this high-priced Barolo Riserva should be tasted using stemless "wine
glasses" made out of plastic, we edited the artist label to be more
appropriate for this company.
LUCA'S
DINNER IN MAY of 2012 FEATURING OLD BAROLO
- GAJA
 Angelo Gaja is a dynamo, a mover & shaker who has brought great fame,
attention and more than a little good fortune to the world of Italian wines in general and
Piemonte in particular.
The family winery, founded in the 1850s, made the usual
assortment of wines. Gaja sold their holdings in Barolo in order to concentrate on
the Barbaresco wines in his "backyard." He studied the top wines of
France, importing and distributing top French wines into Italy. He's done the same
with California, bringing back not only wine, but new winemaking ideas.
To capture
attention for Barbaresco, he planted Cabernet and Chardonnay in Barbaresco. His
father thought this was a shame and the Cabernet vineyard takes the name
"Darmagi" from the Piemontese dialect word for "pity." Angelo,
nonetheless, made very good Cabernet and continues to make that, Chardonnay and Sauvignon
Blanc of world-class quality.
He brought  French oak
to Barbaresco and has learned how to use it to season, rather than overwhelm his
wines. Gaja wines cost a fortune, but are frequently amongst the best of the region
and take their place as show-pieces. In addition to their marvelous Barbaresco,
single vineyard bottlings include "Costa Russi," "Sori San Lorenzo,"
"Sori Tildin," "Costa Troppo" and "So
Sori".
Gaja has since purchased vineyards in the Barolo zone, along
with vineyards in Tuscany. He's got a new property in Montalcino and bought a
vineyard in Bolgheri where he's, I suppose, making what I call "Sassi-Gaja."
The photo shown
above is quite rare...you never see a photo of Angelo Gaja smiling, much less laughing.
(Not because he's not a happy fellow, but for some reason his photographic persona always
seems ultra-serious.) I had just suggested the "Sassi-Gaja name to him
when I shot this picture. With winemaker Guido Rivella in the cellar,
the winery also turned out top Barbera, though Angelo admits he's not especially enamored
with this grape.
The cellar in Barbaresco
Old Botti in Barbaresco
Gaja's purchase of a vineyard in the Cerequio "cru" was
distressing to many in Barolo. As if it isn't bad enough (in their minds) to have so
many people extolling the virtues of a "mere" Barbaresco by Gaja, now they'll
have this "outsider" kicking them in the tail with his Barolo.
I like the 2003...it's a warm vintage, of course, but the wine is nicely
balanced and smells and tastes like Barolo.
Old bottles.
As if their wines weren't expensive enough, their American importer tacks on a substantial
percentage, meaning you can have a chat with our mortgage broker if you'd like to acquire
a bottle of Gaja's wine.
Look on a vintage chart and you'll see the 1994 vintage is not particularly stellar.
Taste Gaja's 1994 Barbaresco and you'll have trouble believing this is a
"minor" vintage. In 1997 I paid Angelo a visit and we tasted a bunch of
wines. He said nothing about the 1994...the longer it sat in the glass, the more
spectacular it became. He said, "Well, you know this is a difficult
vintage," downplaying the wine.
"Angelo, give me a break!!" I said, "This is an excellent wine and you know
it!" He smiled saying the wine had been given the highest accolades in a major
Italian wine guide and that he'd soon be raising the price! It seems they blended in
their single vineyard wines, adding considerable complexity to this wine. This is
what separates the men from the boys.
Recently, by the way, the members of the Barolo and Barbaresco consortium voted to not
allow the addition of a small percentage of "other" varieties (Cabernet
Sauvignon is an "other variety") in wines of DOCG-status. Some viewed this
vote as an "anti-Gaja" referendum. So, Angelo will not be labeling the
vaunted, much sought-after single-vineyard wines as Barbaresco. They will be
"merely" Gaja! So you now have simple, declassified wines sold as
"Langhe Rosso" as well as the top wine of the region being sold under this
"small" denominazione.
One other bit of insider info, as long as we're dishing up some dirt: some years ago
the growers voted to not allow (can you guess who?) a producer without a
"history" of making Barolo or Barbaresco outside of the zone of cultivation to
call his or her wine by those famed designations. A number of producers in Barolo,
for example, buy grapes in Barbaresco and produce that famous wine. Since Gaja sold
his family's holdings in Barolo back in the 1960s, he could not produce Barolo by
purchasing fruit. He's one-upped them by buying vineyards and wineries in Barolo, so
the little game of cat and mouse (or, in Gaja's instance, lion and mouse) continues.
 The 1997 Barbaresco is an
amazing wine. In a blind-tasting of 1997s we found this to be
extraordinary (like a Gaja wine wouldn't be!). The wine has the
intensity of a really concentrated Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The
fruit character is incredibly intense, the wine having a fair bit of wood to
go with all that "black fruit". The tannin level is also
much in the same neighborhood as Cabernet, so if you want to drink one of
these in the near future, plan on having something such as a Prime Rib Roast
or Rack of Lamb. The cellaring time on this wine might be as long as
10-25 more years!
The 2004 vintage is lovely. It's impressive in its youth and destined to
blossom further with cellaring. The wine has good structure and you can
get a nice whiff of the oak presently. This will recede as the wine ages
and develops. Patience will be rewarded, though Gaja manages to achieve a
measure of balance in the wine, so you can certainly drink it now. But
allowing it a few years to develop would be ideal.
- Currently available:
1997 Barbaresco SALE $249.99
1996 Costa Russi Sold Out
1996 Sori San Lorenzo $339.99
1996 Sori Tildin Sale $339.99
1996 Costa Troppo $339.99
2004 Barbaresco (list $235) SALE $199.99
1999 Sori Tildin SALE $339.99
We can special order their stupidly-priced Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnays and
Cabernet for you...
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CLERICO
 We've known this
colorful and charismatic, yet shy, character for many years. He's a tremendous winemaker,
carefully cultivating fruit for his estate-bottled wines. Located in Monforte, his wines
are limited in availability and sought-after by European wine drinkers. Clerico is
passionate about quality.
We visited one time, years ago, and he asked us to taste and evaluate
the wines. Speaking in Piemontese dialect he said something akin to our "Don't
bull-shit me...tell me how you find the wines." I recall, too, that we were
tasting a so-called 'small' vintage and the wines were magnificent. I might point
out that it is in lesser vintages that the men are separated from the boys. Clerico
stands tall.
He's made a proprietary red called "Arte," allowing him to legally make a
"Barolo" fortified with Barbera and French oak. He makes a couple of
traditional, nicely balanced Barolo wines, as well as Barbera and Dolcetto. We are
fortunate to see a few bottles annually. Domenico Clerico wears his fame modestly. He is
"Mister Arte" to us.
Clerico's 1995 Barolo was
a terrific performer in our September 1999 Barolo tasting, showing grace, elegance and
unusual balance. The 2001 is equally graceful, if not more
so. It has tremendous structure and will make for a grand
"old" wine if you can save it for several more years. A decade, or
so, actually.
Though his wines are regarded by many as "collectibles," Clerico
still
views them as a beverage.
He explained in his own inimitable way that the best wines are those which have been
consumed. "That means they've been bought and paid for and enjoyed with a good
meal," he told us. "Il migliore vino e un vino pisciatta."
he said.
Currently available:
2001 Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra $85.99
1997 "ARTE" $55.99
2004 Barolo "Pajana" SALE $99.99
To work here it's not necessary to be crazy...but it helps a lot.
ALDO CONTERNO
The Italian roads wind around the Langhe hills in a pattern as
orderly as strands of spaghetti on a plate and Aldo Conterno's winery sits on a
particularly curvy spot north of the village of Monforte d'Alba.
The winery
used to be a rather small cellar and as the years have gone by, Conterno and family have
added to the winery, piece by piece. This branch of the Conterno
family has relatives in San Mateo and Aldo, in fact, had come to the U.S. in
the 1950s and found himself in the American military, having been
drafted! This explains his rather good command of American English.
Three sons are now involved in the operation
and they've convinced Mom and Dad to make Chardonnay (which they've done amazingly well in
some vintages!), along with French oak-matured Barbera and Nebbiolo wines.
Aldo and
his late brother Giovanni split their father's winery, the brand name of Giacomo Conterno being
in Giovanni's son's (Roberto) possession.
Aldo Conterno's wines are uniformly good, always being
amongst the best of Piemonte.
The photo was taken of Conterno's 1997 vintage "Nebbiolo" (they cannot call it
"Barolo" until the wine is a certain age) being "pumped-over" during
its fermentation.
 Conterno
makes several Barolo wines. The "basic" wine is Bussia
Soprana. The winery, by the way, is in the small area called
"Bussia."
Cicala is a single vineyard amounting
to just less than three acres. The name cicala means
"cricket." It's in Bussia Soprana and the vines are
approximately 50 years old.
Romirasco is another name
to be found on Conterno's labels. This is also in Bussia Soprana and
the vineyards are about 50 years old.
Colonello is a 35 to 40 year old Nebbiolo
vineyard.
In the very top vintages they'll bottle a few
cases of "Gran Bussia" Barolo, a wine scarcer than a ten mile stretch of straight
roadway in Italy. When you have a bottle of wine such as this,
you can better appreciate why some people rave about Barolo.
Though they have a cellar full of French oak barriques, they still have
traditional tanks for maturing Barolo.
Here's a photo from "the old days":
1958 and 1955 Barolo was still available in the 1960s.
- Currently available: 1995 Barbera d'Alba "Conca
Tre Pile"
Sold Out
1986 Barolo "Bussia Soprana" $179.99
1995 Barolo "Gran Bussia" $199.99
2001 Barolo "Bussia" Sold Out
-
GIACOMO CONTERNO
 Giovanni
Conterno and his brother Aldo parted company a number of years ago, a dispute occurring
as to the best methods of making their wines. Aldo moved a kilometer or
so north and Giovanni remained just off the central part of Monforte d'Alba
(near the splendid restaurant "da Felicin"). A modern building
was constructed for his wines, an unusually spacious cellar.
We'd known Giovanni and his son Roberto for many years. On our first visit in
either 1982 or 1984 (the memory isn't quite as precise as it used to be!) we
were privileged to taste out of "barrel" (a large wooden vat,
actually) Conterno's 1970 vintage Barolo called "Monfortino."
We laughed about being "old enough" to taste some 1970 wine prior to
bottling!
-
The late Giovanni Conterno.
-
Conterno is much like Bartolo Mascarello in preserving the
"traditional" style of Barolo. However, his winery is more
modern and he's had a telephone for years! (Mascarello resisted getting
a phone installed in the house...his daughter Terri insisted!)
Conterno, though, is not totally stuck in the past. His son Roberto was
interested in Chardonnay. They made a vintage or two. "Most
expensive wine we've ever made." Giovanni explained. "You see,
we have only made red wines and we'd never owned a filter. We had to buy
an expensive filter to clarify and stabilize the Chardonnay. So, it's
the most costly wine we've put in bottle!"
I think this little experiment ran its course and Roberto is over the
Chardonnay "bug."
-
Grapes for Conterno's wines come from the nearby Serralunga Valley. They
used to buy fruit from growers. In 1974 they purchased the "Cascina
Francia" property, a 37 acre parcel planted with Nebbiolo, Dolcetto,
Barbera and Freisa. The "normal" bottling of Barolo is
"Cascina Francia." In some vintages Conterno will designate a
portion of the Barolo as "Monfortino" and it receives additional
wood aging. He doesn't leave the wines in wood quite as long as that
1970 vintage, though. The current vintage of Monfortino is 2004.
It costs a ridiculous sum and we periodically have a bottle or two available.
There's a 2002 vintage, too, despite the year being dismissed by just
about every wine writer on the planet.
Roberto waited until 2012 to release this, hoping by then, they'll
have forgotten the vintage was so difficult.
Yet, as they picked the fruit and were making the wine, Roberto saw they
had good quality and his father said it reminded him of previous grand
years...and so a 2002 Monfortino will be bottled and offered to the
market. I tasted it in tank several times and felt it was a
"good" wine, but not as grand a vintage as they've made in other
recently declared years.
Roberto recently purchased another vineyard site in Serralunga, this
parcel being in the cru called Cerretta. The first harvest will not
be sold as Barolo and Conterno has changed the viticultural practices at
this site to make wine he considers worthy of the family name.
I asked him about this and got him to discuss the use of
"fertilizer" in the vineyard. He became quite serious and
concerned, wanting us to understand he did not cultivate using
chemicals.
So I asked if they'd buy manure for the vineyard.
"Yes."
And then I wanted to know if they'd buy local manure or, perhaps, from a
company in Tuscany.
Roberto and his administrative assistant Erica were perplexed, not seeing
the fastball I was about to toss in their direction.
"Well, I understand there's a lot of good bullshit in Tuscany,"
I said, "so I was curious if you'd buy local shit or import some from
somewhere else."
Everyone cracked up and finally Conterno realized he'd been set up in the
interest of a comedic prank.
-
We do have some 2004 "Cascina Francia," a decidedly "old
school" Barolo. No compromises towards French oak aging. No
"fortifying" the Barolo with a dose of Barbera. It's certainly
not a wine for the average consumer. The 2004 vintage is highly regarded
in the Langhe region as the wine has good structure and will live for
decades! If you choose a bottle
of this, please open it a few hours before service and allow it to aerate in a
wide-mouthed decanter. Serving it with some substantial food isn't a bad
idea, either.
-
-
The Monfortino is much like a very rare postage stamp, a collectible of
sorts. Whether or not it's worth its lofty price is subject for
debate. In any case, we have a bottle of the 1999, a very fine
vintage. The 2001 needs a decade to start to blossom.
-
The next winemaker at Conterno...
- Currently in stock: 2004 Cascina Francia Barolo SALE $164.99
1996 Cascina Francia Barolo Sale $219.99
1999 Barolo "Monfortino" Sale $399.99
2006 Barbera d'Alba $49.99
2007 Barbera d'Alba $52.99
2001 Barolo "Monfortino" Sale $449.99
In late 2008 we opened a bottle of 1971 Barolo given to us by Giovanni in the
late 1990s, I think.
What a spectacular Barolo!
This wine was in perfect condition and was the wine of the night in a line-up of
wonderful bottles.
The fragrance was remarkable...truly haunting and the balance on the palate was
sensational.
-
If your wines tasted as good as Roberto Conterno's,
you'd be smiling, too.
Erica, Roberto's administrative assistant, is a bit shy about being
photographed.
-
GIMME
SOME GHEMME!
ANTICHI VIGNETI di CANTALUPO
The
Arlunno family has been cultivating vineyards in the Ghemme area for many
generations, though this "antichi" winery is not terribly
old. It was built in 1977s, designed by the Arlunno brother who's an architect.
 
Alberto Arlunno is the main man, assisted by famous consulting winemaker
Donato Lanati.
They have about 33 hectares of vineyards and are a major name for the
somewhat famous wine called Ghemme. The town of Ghemme is known as a
city of wine, but also a city of honey.
It's rather in the northern part of Piemonte, quite a ways from the famous
Barolo and Barbaresco wines of the Langhe region.
Ghemme must be at least 75% Nebbiolo, which is known in the region as
"Spanna." One can blend Vespolina and/or Uva Rara into the
Ghemme wines, but the Arlunno family prefers to have a 100% Nebbiolo
wine.
The 1999 vintage, currently in stock, is an excellent example of this rather
traditionally-styled Nebbiolo. We find some of the floral notes of
Nebbiolo in this wine, with a hint of a resiny tone. It was matured
for about 20 months in large wood casks. You'll find a modest tannic
"bite" to the wine on the palate. However, serving it with some
savory stewed or braised meat really softens the wine and gives it a
wonderful appeal. Big wine glasses really allow the wine to blossom in
the glass.
-
Currently in stock: 1999 Ghemme Sold Out (hoping
they'll find a new importer)
-
- IOPPA
 - Here we have
been, several years without Ghemme wines in the shop and suddenly we have
two different producers available.
This is because I'd just as soon not have wine of a particular appellation
if the wines are not of interesting quality or interesting quality and fair
price.
Ioppa is a new producer for us. And Giampiero & Giorgio Ioppa's
wine is quite different from the Ghemme listed above.
-
The Ioppa brothers.
-
-
They have about 12 hectares, but not all is planted with Nebbiolo. Some
30% is Vespolina and 10% Uva Rara.
Their Ghemme is blended with 20% Vespolina and it's matured for 8 months in
French oak after spending a year in more traditional cooperage. The
wine shows a more cedary, woodsy character than the Cantalupo Ghemme, for
example. We have the excellent 2001 vintage in the shop
presently. It's a lovely red for grilled or roasted red
meats. Drinkable now, we expect this to continue to grow and soften in
bottle for another 5-10+ years.
Currently in stock: 2001 Ioppa Ghemme $34.99
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