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torsdag 22 maj 2014

That OLD BASTARD! PARKER! I'm going to...

...put him to the test. 96 points? The 2001 Old Bastard Shiraz from Kaesler? Huh? Let's see about that.

The tenderloin is soon in the pan, the mushrooms are almost ready, as are the onions.

Then we're gonna see what that old chimp/gorilla/whatever from Monkton really goes for. My wife is eagerly anticipating greatness in the glass, based on his review of this particular wine. Somehow she has grown fond of him and trusts his palate. I'd hate to disappoint her...

well, I will have to admit one thing from the start. TheMissis wasn't happy. You can interpret that in many ways. She wasn't happy because the bottle is already...emptied. She wants to relax on the sofa with a red wine in the glass while just watching the TV. So I had to look around the cellar for yet another pop this evening. My choice was the 2005 Pax Obsidian Syrah from Knights Valley. bought at that, what's its name again? Acker, Merrall & Condit on 72nd street. I've heard of that place lately... ;-)

Hm, 95 points according to the gorilla from Monkton. Well, our verdict is that we have a winner among the two.
2001 Kaesler Old Bastard ShirazThe main problem with the Old Bastard was that the bottle was emptied in no time. The Missis just said "mmm..." and after that I had to fight for the bottle. Rich, succulent but very fresh and already notes of development so the pirch black fruit I'm sure this beauty displayed in its youth has now become more of a mixture of black and red fruit. The wine feels...soft. That's the best description I can offer. Absolutely no hard edges anywhere, with the fruit and tannins in perfect harmony, just aiming to please in the background and serving as support to the center core of dark cherries, blackberries and lovely spices. A vivid and fresh texture throughout the mid-palate with lovely, velvety layers of fruit and spices, only to finish with a long, succulent afterburn. Simply irresistable. 95 points. Have to agree with Bob on this one.
2001 Pax Obsidian SyrahWell, opened just minutes after my wife had conquered the last sip of the gorgeous Old Bastard, this offers a completely different canvas. While the Old Bastard is soothingly velvety with rich, "sweet" fruit, this feels much more sturdy and bone dry. Here you can't find a hint of anything red at all so think black. Really black, as in dark chocolate, blackberries, blueberries and forest floor, the kind you get in those really Nordic old growth forests where the soild is mostly black humus. Oh, and smoke! This is thick and massive, yet retains a sort of elegance on the palate. Maybe it's because of the bone-dry feeling, almost like a full-scale Hermitage, or maybe because you feel much more minerality in this one. As always, scoring a wine is also a lot about the mood of the day and the food pairing and today we both seemed to favor the rich, oozing Old Bastard compared to the pitch dark Obsidian. 93 points.

Interestingly, Pax Mahle has since stopped making this style of wine after a dispute within the company and is now producing some truly noteworthy wines with low alcohol yet with considerable ripeness. This formula only works because he's growing grapes in some very cold-climate plots close to the sea a bit north of Wine Main Street in California. To me, some of these wines are very good but feel to sleek for maximum enjoyment. But sometimes he hits a nerve in my palate when ultraripe fruit from a very cold spot into a wine that feels like a fresh, spicy, smoky Cote-Rotie - massive if you isolate the fruit and spice flavours only, yet extremely light and elegant in texture. I'm sure these wines will seldom evoke an average responses in the middle of the what-do-you-think-spectrum - either you like this style or you feel something is missing. However, if I understood Pax correctly, there might be a chance he might once again produce a wine in the style of the Obsidian. I guess it has to do if he can lay his hands on that type of vineyard again. I hope so!

In any case, I've got to give it to Bob. I've lost count of how many times I've picked up a bottle on his recommendation and then enjoyed the wine as it has delivered its goods. The very essence why I trust and follow the advice a particular wine critic.

Three beautiful German rieslings

Here are three German producers I feel don't get enough credit

It's Christmas time and the end of the year - usually also a point for rest and contemplation. One thing that strucks me in my own drinking habit is the fact that I usually go back again and again to the same producers. And often enough even the same regions and the question to ask is always why? Because they are too good to miss out or just an old habit? I guess it's often a question of money - if you have too much of it then there's never any need to choose and you can buy a case of each wine and buy from every producer you could imagine. For most people the financial situation usually requires a choice and thus limits the possibility or tendency to venture out too far away from a path already taken - which is a limitation, I confess when looking at my own drinking habits. I have my favorites in Nahe from whom I seldom deviate from (Dönnhoff, Emrich Schönleber, Diel, Schäfer-Fröhlich). In Pfalz I buy almost only Müller-Catoir. From Rheingau I seldom buy anything else than Robert Weil although there are probably many interesting producers had I only the time and opportunity to explore them further. In Rheinhessen I'm admittedly a one trick pony with almost all Keller and the occasional Wittman. In Mosel I usually come back again and again to Willi Schaefer, Fritz Haag, Schloss Lieser, JJ Prüm, Christoffel-Erben, Merkelbach, Selbach-Oster, Haart, Adam, von Schubert and Zilliken. But there are so MANY other producers out there that probably produce great wines but are seldom put on my table when it's time for dinner.

Therefore I try to do one thing every time I visit Germany, to bring back some bottle from producers that I seldom buy on a regular basis. Sometimes I grab a bottle from a producer I haven't even heard about, just out of curiosity to try something completely new and unknown. Sometimes I buy from a producer I know but from whom I have almost no wine in my cellar. The following are tasting notes from bottles like that, all very good specimens from excellent producers I wish I hade more wine from.

2007 Heymann-Löwenstein Winninger Rottgen Riesling
Can you imagine a Trier Auction without Reinhard? Impossible. It would be like a bird without feathers, a fish without water. His humor and witty remarks are a welcoming feature each year but best of all are his spontaneous poses in front of the camera - as a PR manager I would hesitate to publish some of the photos I have of him... I think that says it all. Yet he willingly continues to allow me invading with my camera each time. And not only that - he makes helluva great wines up there among the steep terraces in the norhern parts of Mosel. With a very distinct syle of his own, in my opinion. They remind me almost of the oily, tropical character found in Piesport wines, especiellay from Goldtröpfchen but still with a different personality with much more minerality of this feeling of "melted" rock. Have you tasted his wines from 2005? I could swear I didn't find one single fruit aroma in many of the dry wines - they all felt like 100% liquid mineraly as if would have take the rocks of his steep terraces and just crushed them. When I visited him and tasted the 2007s I actually commented on that and said I notice he's turned back into pressing grapes into his wines. But it's not just about stones - his wines display this wonderful mixture of spiciness and sometimes smoke, as well as tropical flavours - yet feel very cool and polished. Why the wines posses this almost "oily" character I don't know - my knowledge and experience from these vineyards far up the Mosel are way too limited so perhaps some others might chum in on what type of soils are most common here and how they affect to final outcome. The wine in question starts with an expressive nose of spices, tropical fruits, star fruit and melon. Take a sip and you get this mixture of spices (again) with some candied fruit, nutmeg and...well, I don't know what to compare to - apricot? Dried apricots? The wine is dry yet the texture is very creamy, rich and polished, which sets the tone and impression througout the palate. When I talk about an "oily" character and creamy texture you might get the impression it's a heavy wine with loads of flavour but little elegeance but here's the thing - it's light on it's feet and feels very refreshing yet very different to the even more transparent and light Mosel rieslings further down south. The stony character creates this crsipy, "salty/bitter" feeling towards the end that mixes up the fruit to create something right in the middle of everything. Not heavy, yet not ultra-light, not completely tropical, yet also nothing similar to citrus, green apples, white peach and other more familiar characters from middle or southern Mosel. All in all a lovely wine. 91 points.

2007 Heymann-Löwenstein Winninger Uhlen Riesling Blaufusser Lay
The name on the label is explained by the soil component - these wines grow on blue slate and speaking of grow...if you look how those vines actually inhabit the terraces you are perplexed as how they could even find a spot to grow in. It doesn't seem as if they actually have any "soil" to live in but rather just trying to push down their roots in crevaces found in the porous slate rock. It should be impossible but they still manage do dig down deep into the slate beneath them so kudos to all those plaants that struggle for the sake of our pleasure! Compared to the previos wine this seems even fresher and more transparent, with a lovely saline approach already from the first sip. On the nose (I sometimes forget to actually start there, instead rushing at the wine and sometimes almost finishing it before realising I should indulge in the aromas as well, not just palate) it's feels more delicate with lots of herbs and dried flowers, slightly sprinkled with some flinty smoke. Another sip reveals the typical Löwenstein characeristic - yes, it has a beautiful precision and lift, yes it's exceedingly fresh and elegant but you have to imagine this together with a pronounced creamy feeling. This was also the case with the Rottgen yet the Blaufusser Lay seems to add intense minerality, salinity and more transparency. Very light and easy on the tongue on the long and persistent finish. Almost menthol minty with a piece of melon right there in the middle. Reminds me of a Spanish/Italian tapas where you just hang at the bar and order a slice of melon together with a Parma ham. Fresh, lively, mineralic and oh so wonderfully delicious! 94 points. Maybe one to high but consider it as a bonus just for Reinhard's character.

2011 Van Volxem Wawerner Goldberg Riesling Grosses Gewächs
It seems to me when I discuss wines from Van Volxem with friends and winemakers that the style from this estate divides most consumers between believers and sceptics. I must honestly say I don't understand why. Sure, it's a very rich style that might not appeal to all but again - it's just another style and interpretation of the terroir like so many other estate that thankfully don't mimic each other but do what they believe in. My only complaint toward the estate would be directed against Roman personally. I always have this pain in my neck after talking to him. And taking photos of him reminds me that I must invest in a shift-tilt lens one of these days. Normally these are used for shooting photos of tall buildings but as anyone who have met Roman can attest, the difference is not too far off. It becomes quite obvious when discussing with Roman that he has a very clear, some would say narrow, mind on what he want's to do with his vineyards and God knows he has the financial means to achieve whatever goal he puts his aim at. I have tasted far too few of his wines to have an broad opinion about his style but the wines I have tasted so far have all been very enjoyable, The Goldert also has, speaking previously about Löwenstein's characteristics, a creamy and luscious feeling but it also posseses more of a succulent texture than the wines mentioned above. While still offering waves of minerailly you have a clear sense of succulent red/yellow peach, a pinch of spices and slightly notes of that flavour I have such difficulties describing. Is it apricot? Or some blend of dried apricot mixed with just the skin of nutmeg? Difficult to describe but adds a certain spicy aroma to both nose and palate and mixed with the yellow peach and apple fruit it combines into a most delightful drink. I have no idea of the sugar content but given it's a GG it should be below 9 grams but it feels like it contains a little more residual sugar than that. Like some version of feinherb. Lovely complexity on the finish with fine tension - makes you go back for another sip and I remember this bottle being consumed in a very short time. 92 points. Need to find more bottles from Van Volxem.

2002 St Urbans-Hof Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese
Nik Weis has opened his door many times and, like Roman and Reinhard, has been posing for many photos - I commend them all for their surprising patience with my obnoxious photo shooting. Just based on Nik's kindness and hospitality, should it be possible, I could award his wines a perfect three digit score every time. And speaking of that last word - time - it's a resource he always seem to generously share with people asking him for a visit. Very impressive. I must admit I'm a sucker for a special vineyard of his, the Ockfener Bockstein. As I said, I have seldom buy wines from this producer but whenever I happen to come across a bottle of the Bockstein I'm always in for a treat. It has the freshness of a Mosel wine, yet it's slightly different, as if mixed with some Ruwer and Saar soil while desperately trying to stay pure Mosel. However, the bottle I opened recently is not from the Saar but from Piesport in Mosel. And speaking of oily, rich and creamy, here you have all of those components, so typically highlighted in this beautiful amphitheater of a vineyard, the Goldtröpfchen. How and why, don't ask me but too me there's always a piece of extra magic when I have a wine that displays so distinct flavours and aromas that I seldom miss to identify its origin. Piesporter Goldtröpfchen is one such vineyard. Whether the characteristics come from the red slate or the perfect sun exposure others have to explain - I can only attest to my fondness of the sum of terroir from this place. I DO understand that it's a wine not for everyone because the distinct characteristics makes it a probable divider among consumers. This is like pure melted gold, like a liquid version of the sun itself, golden yellow and very creamy, rich, "oily", lots of spices and if we talk about fruit think more towards the tropical spectra, like pineapple, dried honey, succulent mango and white raisins. However...had it only been for this the wine would be overwhelmingly heavy and clogging - this one is not. The acidity and minerailty keeps the tension high-spirited and while not transparent and vividly fresh, the wine remains highly enjoyable and playful, even with this level of richness. I urge you to try one out for yourselves to allow for your own opinion. 92 points. Very happy to have a 2002 Auslese from the same vineyard waiting for me to release the genie in the the bottle... :-)

So many wines, so little time... Other bottles further down the pipeline, originating from the same promise to always buy home some bottles of producers seldom tasted, are wines from Schmittges, von Hövel and Kees Kieren.

What's your story? Do you also find yourself buying mostly from a few producers (and many bottles) or do you spread out your purchase and stick to 2-3 bottles from each one of many producers?

tisdag 13 maj 2014

Barolo, Barolo, Barolo...and some Barbaresco!

Another fun and memorable trip. :-)

The first and foremost overall impression is that 2001 seems to be a stellar vintage in Piemonte. One for the Hall of Fame. I have but a brief career in the wine loving business, soon to approach only its 10 year anniversary but I must admit that I have never tasted a Piemonte vintage in its youth that has exhibited such a delight and immediate drinking pleasure as well as future promise. Interestingly, I have yet to meet one single wine producer or in fact any individual related to the wine business in the region, that claims the 2000 vintage is better that 2001. Sure, they are both good vintages, each with its own distinction and characteristics but the general view, at least locally among the producers and wine retailers is that 2001 is the vintage with the highest "potential", followed by 1999 and then 2000. In that context it was interesting to see James Suckling yet again pounding the same drum about the 2000 vintage. I believe he's dead wrong but that's only my personal palate. Looking towards the future I can suggest that you should skip 2002 altogether, that 2003 seems to be good for Barbera but with considerable trouble for Nebbiolo while 2004 seems to be yet another "annata importante" as they say over there. It's never a "good vintage" but an "important vintage". I haven't tasted any 2004s so my comments derive only from all the happy smiles by wine producers when speaking about the vintage. No matter to whom you speak they seem to be very happy with the 2004 vintage. 2005 on the other hand, seems to be only average because of rain before harvest.
 
Giacomo Conterno

While in Piemonte I had the pleasure to dine at Osteria Veglio in Annunziata and tasted the 2003 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia. Full of blueberries, ripe fatness, and jammy fruit style as suspected from the warm 2003 vintage. A sense of asphalt (somebody constructing a road nearby?) Definetely a 90+ point wine in my book. I also had the pleasure to try the 2004 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia which Roberto Conterno generously provided from barrel. It was a completely different creature. Still a sense of jam-packed fruit but much cleaner and with greater freshness and more spices - and blueberry forest! Easily a 90+ point wine to me but at this stage I prefer the more voluptious Barbera from 2003. Which by the way is a real bargain in my book at 17 Euros at the stores of Alba and only a few Euros more when enjoyed at the restaurant.


Gaja

I'll come back to Roberto Conterno as this was the second stop during my stay in Piemonte in January this year. Together with my best friend I had an initial appointment at Gaja in the beautiful little town of Barbaresco. There was some confusion as we entered since there seemed to be a group of people visiting at the same time and when they were instructed to follow a representative of the winery we followed but were quickly motioned to stay behind and wait in a separate room looking like a cellar with a long, long table set and prepared with glasses for three persons at one end. While we were waiting I was taking some photos of the old Gaja bottles displayed on a shelf as a man entered and slightly obstructed my view. I turned back and thought I'd kindly ask him to move away as to get enough distance between the bottles and my camera but when I looked up I realised there was no time for more pictures. It was Don Angelo Gaja himself. Now, I don't know how to fully describe the forthcoming three hours but let me say that this winery visit turned out to be one of the most surprising as well as enjoyable I have had the fortune to experience. Apparently the set table was prepared for Angelo, myself and my friend so without further due we sat down to what I thought was a friendly chat with Angelo. Well... Those who have met him are probably laughing out loud now (knowing what will come) but believe me when I say that I wasn't at all prepared for what was waiting around the corner. Having only seen Gaja on photos in wine magazines I have pictured him as a modest, quiet man in posh suits. Not quite so... This brilliant wine-maker shares the same kind of burning passion for wine as all the other masters I have had the fortune to meet, with the only difference that his passion is articulated so much more vividly and loudly. The first time I nervously looked at the time was after what might been an hour and a half of intense discussion on wine, when Angelo in the middle of a sentence stopped himself and asked if we by any chance had more time to which we of course nodded YES! (while secretly worrying how to make it in time for today's second appointment, which was Giacomo Conterno). What a wonderful thing to worry about! I only wish I had more of these kind of dilemmas... It was amazing to see Angelo in action. The word passion doesn't do justice to him. He's articulate, he's intense, he literally screams out his passion. At one point he was standing up behind his chair, jumping upp and down and shouting out his opinions so passionately and loudly that the echo was bouncing back and forth in the small cellar with such intensity making you almost believe there was an earth quake around the corner. I LOVE this kind of passion! What seemed to trigger Mr Gaja the most was the notion by many wine critics that his generic Barbaresco was anything less that his vineyard designated Barbarescos. He explained that the generic Barbaresco is the backbone of Gaja with no less attention to detail than the single crus and he wanted people to understand that it is not "just" the Barbaresco but a wonderful wine on its own, sourced from the best parcels. Angelo also showed us a summary of, I believe, several different magazines and reviews of 2001 Barbarescos which all had the same result - the number 1 rated Barbaresco was Gaja. Well, what can I say? I haven't tasted all the others on those lists but Angelo opened a 2001 Barbaresco and I can only confirm that his pride of this wine is well-founded. The first thing that comes to your mind is balance. It seems to possess a complete harmony between nose, palate and structure. The nose offers wonderful aromas of spices, roses, licorice and cherries, repeated on the palate. Difficult to describe but harmony or balance with many layers of flavors is the best description I can offer. Utterly fresh and enjoyable, I rated it 94 points. Very much well-deserved. It offered such an immediate gratification already now. It's amazing in a way, because I later tasted Gaja's single vineyard crus and although I rate them higher because I felt even more concentration or structure in them (which equals higher points in my scroing) but the question is if it isn't the generic Barbaresco that gives the most drinking pleasure, the more HEDONISTIC experience. It kind of sings to you in a wonderful tone. If I had never experience hedonism before and wanted to know all about it, this particular bottle would be my choice of preference. God knows how this will evolve - my experience of Gaja is too limited. Then he opened the 2001 Barolo Sperss. Interestingly, this was much denser than the Barbaresco, with "more" to it of every flavor but not as balanced and frankly I rated it somewhat below the Barbaresco, 92-93 points. It has those wonderful flavors of the usual suspects: licorice, roses, sweet fruit, and that walking-in-the-forest-scent that later often turns into those lovely mushroom flavors in older Barolo. Angelo wasn't satisfied with only these offerings so he went searching for another bottle and opened an additional vintage of Sperss just as a comparison. The 1990 Barolo Sperss. Wow, I really like this wine. So typically Barolo with it's secondary dryer fruit and mushroom nuances. It's just a matter of taste, what you prefer at this particular moment and although I loved the 1990 I preferred the fresher 2001. Thinking about it, sooo many 2001s from a whole array of Piemonte producers have had this utter freshness while maintaining all those layers upon layers of aromas that you would suspect emerge only with more bottle age, so if you're into Piemonte, Mr Parker, I recommend you stock up with as many as your wallet can handle. Angelo was also anxious to show us his Chardonnay, so he opened the 1987 and 1997 Chardonnay Gaja & Rey. I have only tasted the 1997 once and wasn't that impressed. Sure, it was a nice Chardonnay but an expensive one for all I know and I only had a half-bottle. As Angelo poured the wines we eagerly swirled the glass and were prepared to taste but then he suddenly stopped us in our motion and said "No-no, you have to WAIT for at least half an hour!". Puzzled we asked why and were told that the wine will evolve immensely in the glass. However, indeed we tasted a sip or two after all and the impression is one of a quite fresh and minerally Chardonnay, even the 1987. Almost like a Chablis Grand Cru. Fresh, minerality, but with a subdued concentration of creamy fruit. Then came the surprise. The 1997 remained basically the same, with a little more added weight and more fruit, but the 1987 had completely changed into another creature. This one suddenly brimmed with butter scotch, with nuts, butter cream and ooozes of tropical fruit. What a wonderful wine! Hadn't it been for Angelo's recommendation, I would have taken a sip and finished the glass or bottle within the first half hour and probably never experience the transformation. Isn't it exactly THIS that makes wine so fascinating? You never know what will happen in the glass. Wine's a living thing, it breads, it evolves in the glass, it provides pleasure but not the SAME pleasure depending on time of opening, time of airing, time of storage and so on. I can't help myself from thinking of "Maya" in Sideways and her explanation on why she got into wine. Can't stop thinking of Maya (Virginia Madsen) either, when I come to think about it... But that's a whole different story. If anyone knows is she's available, please let me know. Oh, sorry, I seemed to have lost focus here, forgive me. Nevertheless, The Gaja experience was absolutely fascinating. This man is the very definition of true passion. I always admire honest passion straight from the heart and it is difficult to imagine a clearer expression of this love. After almost three hours Angelo excused himself and said that he had other things to attend to but before he insisted he we receive two copies of the book portraying the history of Barbaresco and it's wines ("The Vines of San Lorenzo - The making of a great wine in the new tradition" by Edward Steinberg). Incidentally it was the very same book my friend and I had looked at in a book store in Barbaresco just before the visit. Gosh, I wish my life had more moments like this...


Oh, by the way, I was lucky to taste through the whole 2001 Gaja range at my work just days ago. The 2001 Gaja Sperss seemed identical to when I tasted it with Angelo in January. Perhaps even a little more depth than I can remember and I would rate this 93 points if numerical values need to be used. The 2001 Gaja Conteisa was more polished, more herbs, more flowers, more feminine. Really silky and similar to the wonderful harmony of the 2001 Barbaresco. I'd give it 92-93 points. The 2001 Gaja Costa Russi is a step up the ladder in concentration. Funny, but to begin at the end of my review I come to think about my impatience with this wine as I had to wait and wait for the taste to disappear in my mouth to allow me turning to the next bottle. The "problem" was the same with the remaining bottles. Amazingly, like the generic Barbaresco, the Costa Russi feel ready for business - now. A lot of red cherries, spices, roses and that Men At Work - "careful, we're-paving-the-road-now-asphalt". A solid 94-pointer. The 2001 Gaja Sorì Tildin was similar yet different. Does that make any sense? It's seems to be more concentrated and structured than the Costa Russi, yet more velvety and balanced. Hum... A larger finish even than the previous wine and with that wonderful spiciness, I'd say this is at least a solid 95-96 point wine. Probably more with time, I guess. I have only tasted Sorì Tilden once before and it was the 1990. Seemed like a baby when I had it 3-4 years ago. This one is approachable already now but will probably evolve considerably. Lastly, the 2001 Gaja San Lorenzo, well... Wow! Again. I'm trying to remember and think of a way to describe it. Definately more massive than the Costa Russi. Layers upon layers of cherries, more dark than red fruit, spices, herbs, asphalt, licorice and a impressive structure. Not as approachable as Sorì Tildin but definitely a 95+ point wine. Unfortunately, Mr Parker, I don't know if I can recommend them as a purchase, as they will be prohibited expensive. I'd recommend you to go for the 2001 Gaja Barbaresco, offering by far the most bang for the buck and a true hedonistic experience in itself. Surely you of all people will know how to recognise true hedonism. :-)

Giacomo Conterno

Back to Piemonte! Luckily we managed to step on the brakes to skid into Giacomo Conterno's property just in time for our next appointment. I still recall the time when we were stuck in the cellar at von Schubert and couldn't call Manfred Prüm to announce that we wouldn't make it in time.


(Explanation:  I was visiting Mosel with my best friend and we had been trying to get an appointment at the ever reluctant Herr Dr Manfred Prüm. While visiting Hans-Leo at Christoffel Erben we met another fellow wine lover who had stayed in the valley for three weeks, constantly calling Manfred Prüm, begging him for an appointment, to no avail... So when we finally received a green light to visit, we were of course delighted. However, we had just one stop prior to our Prüm visit and that was von Schubert. Carl-Fernindinad himself (and his dog) met us at the beautiful estate and soon we were on our way through the underground catacombs. Not only did he give as a complete tour and generously shared with us his thoughts and ideas of wine making but above all he generously opened bottles from various Prädikats, vineyards and vintages like there was no tomorrow. You know what they say, time pass by quickly when you're having fun. We looked at our watches, then at each other, trying to discern from the other's look what to do. The answer was obvious when we heard that familiar "plopp" as von Schubert was opening yet another bottle - we just couldn't leave. We were staying! And since we were underground, we couldn't pick up the cellular phone to give Prüm an advance warning. After what seemed like hours we finally emerged above ground again, bought some bottles (I especially enjoyed the 1999 Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese and Auslese) and then called Manfred Prüm on the phone. He was basically speechless when we cheerfully announced that we just couldn't make it today (as was quite obvious to him at this point, two hours after our appointment) but said that it's okay, because we could pop in tomorrow instead. There was complete silence... And then someone grasping for air, as he stammered out - Are YOU the same people who HAD an appointment and chose not to turn up!!?? "Yes!", we happily announced. I don't know how or why, but somehow we made it to Prüm next day and were allowed to buy some bottles, to the mercy of Herr Doktor Manfred Prüm.)

I think Roberto would have been equally surprised if we had called him and just laconically said that he should forget all about it. Same passion as Angelo, but in a more calm and collected manner, Roberto Conterno took us through his impressive cellar. Wow, I just love these gigantic, humongous barrels from Slovenia (my country of birth); I believe they contain 5 hectoliters. And when you walk between these skyscrapers and read the notes written with chalk - Monfortino... Cascina Francia... Wow! Isn't it amazing, by the way, that perhaps the most traditional of all the Barolo producers, Roberto Conterno keeps the cleanest cellar I have ever seen? You could literally drink wine from its floors. It's utterly clean and tidy. Roberto asked us if we, before we proceed to the tasting room, would care to sample some Barbera d'Alba from 2004. Well, how are you supposed to reply to a question like that? I pretended to hesitate for a while, ponder for a moment, and then said, "well, maybe, if we must", which resulted in a big laugh from Roberto. Obviously he's aware that when he asks people if they would like to sample his wine from cask he makes an offer people can't refuse, to quote Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in the Godfather. Well, Mr Parker, I have already given you my review of Giacomo Conterno's Barbera elsewhere as well as purchasing recommendations so I'll jump to the two Barolos we tasted together with Roberto, the 2001 Barolo Cascina Francia and the 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino. Both were sensational. I found myself not even wanting to taste the wines as my nose was stuck to the glass trying to follow the different layers of aromas emerging from the glass. The 2001 Barolo Cascina Francia literally pumps out the flavors. How could you ever drink a wine like this when all you want is to stay there with your big nose and enjoy the scents oozing up from the glass? On the palate it reveals everything I come to expect from a good Nebbiolo. Roses and more roses. Well, throw in some additional roses to that as well. And then some spices, cherries, licorice, even that type of subtle mint-licorice. So powerful and concentrated yet so softly balanced. Everything Pinot Noir and Burgundy aspires to but fail to reach... Points? Well, could we just settle for "a very fine and good wine indeed"? If not, then a solid 95+ point wine. It makes no sense to label it as 96 or 97 points or whatever at this stage. It's a beauty, period. If you like this type of Barolo, Bob, then it's a must buy. Unfortunately, for people's wallet, the 1998 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is even darker and more powerful. Deep, dark fruit with everything that Cascina Francia offers but add some more concentration, make the fruit a little darker and add a finish that simply refuses to go away. I remember Roberto's facial expression when he saw us drinking the Monfortino - he was smiling. A satisfied smile, and a confident at that - he KNOWS he produces first class magic in a glass. Wow, must that be a great feeling or not!? That there is never a doubt, you simply KNOW that you have created a masterpiece. This is pure hedonism and much easier to rate as it clearly leaves the somewhat diffuse "95+" level and places itself in the higher territory approaching somewhere near those elusive three digits. I'd say this is a 97-98 point wine, without hesitation. Roberto, smiling, asked if we'd like to pour ourselves some more Monfortino before we go. We looked at each other and probably asked the other the same question through telepathy - Who's driving!??

Bruno Giacosa

Speaking of enjoying wine at local restaurants, we had dinner at a lovely little restaurant (a name which eludes me for the moment) in the center of Alba where we ordered a bottle of 2000 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Asili for a little over 100 Euros at the restaurant. Now, THIS is good shit! Imagine everything Burgundy aspires to but never seems to achiev (I'm in it again, all DRC admirers, roll the dices!). Balance, harmony, concentration yet utter lightness. This was an absolute delight to enjoy over dinner. I know I'm repeating myself here, but blame the Nebbiolo, not me, because it has all the usual characteristics of roses, roses and more roses, or more flowers, I should say. My friend Sverker pointed out minerals as well, and that lovely cool, light yet concentrated red fruit, with spices and forest floor scents and that wonderful grace. Remember Seinfeld? Jackie Onassis had grace. Grace is something you have, or have not. Grace cannot be acquired (directed at Elaine during the job interview). It's pumping out its flavors and as with all truly great wine you almost hesitate to drink it since you're stuck with your big, fat nose (mine is) into the glass, enjoying all the wonderful aromas. If nothing else is, THIS is pure hedonism, Bob! I recommend you scoop up as many bottles as you can find. Unfortunately I didn't find any bottles in the wine stores so this is the only bottle I will probably ever try. The numerical rating must be high for this one. Not perfect but not far from it. Let's deduct two points because the dinner company across the small table was merely my good old friend Sverker (sorry, old pal), and not Serena Williams. So make it 98 points. I wonder what a bottle of this would cost in the US?


Luigi Pira

Another mandatory stop along our Barolo route, both last summer and now during winter, was of course one of the rising superstars in the region, Luigi Pira. Gosh, I'm I happy so few people are aware of this stellar wine producer. Interestingly, he even has 1999s to sell and definitely 2001s while the less impressive 2000s are gone, all scooped up by Americans (thanks for the help, Suckling!). Well, Bob, I don't need to tell you of all people about this producer since you are the very one who pointed us to this extraordinary value. I can't help but laugh when I consider the fact that I'm drinking one of the world's greatest Barolo (or wine, for that matter), paying 30-35 Euros for it, while people are running after bottles for hundreds and hundreds of dollars because they happen to live with the misfortune of being hooked to a particular expensive brand, or even because of Label Lust. Giampaulo exhibits the usual characteristics of a Barolo winemaker, quiet, humble and with a happy grin on his face when he notices our impression of his wonderful Barolo-wines. When we sat down with Gaja, I joked with Angelo that his Barolo Sperss is quite good, yet not the best from the Marenca vineyard, since Luigi Pira crafts better wine out of that particular slope. Angelo just laughed but said with a serious face that frankly, Luigi Pira is one of the best. When I told Giampaulo about this he was very modest and didn't want to believe me, despite my friend's reassurance that it was absolutely true. Of what I can remember I really liked the 2003 Barbera d'Alba Rocche du Tarpun, with violet, licorice and that fatty, dense feeling that so many 2003 Barberas possess - which I like. We tasted through all Pira's 2001 Nebbiolo-based wines. Can't say that I remember much if the Langhe Nebbiolo but even the regular 2001 Barolo was a joy to taste. Perhaps hovering around or just below the 90 point mark. The 2001 Barolo Margheria was all spices and luscious fruit and what I remember surprised me the most was that despite its concentration it was so accessible already now. I would rate this wine around 91-92 points depending on the mood of the day. During our summer visit the 2001 Barolo Marenca (same vineyard as Gaja Barolo Sperss) outshined the others. Perfumed and more dark than red fruit comes to my mind, with (again) roses, licorice and tons of spices. Again one of those wines you hesitate to drink because it has such wonderful aromas that you'd like to stay with. It's concentrated, with a good grip and feels so fresh in your mouth - maybe it's just me but I have always felt that every new Barolo I have tasted has felt like it needed 6-7 years to come around but every 2001 seem to be ready for business now. Clearly a wine that parks itself, well-deservedly so, at the mid-90s points. To be honest, the 2001 Barolo Vigna Rionda felt even darker and more concentrated but I agree on Sverker's analysis that last summer it felt more tight than the Marenca but when retasting it a little more than a month ago I must say that it's on par with the Marenca. Feels like a V8 engine buzzing in the background. I love the long, persistent finish. It's only a matter of personal taste if you consider it being even better than the Marenca but if this will continue to add weight with more age then, well, as I said, it's a personal taste.


Revello

A favorite visit is Revello, probably because of patriotic ties with one of the Revello brothers (Carlo) being married to a Swedish girl. I must admit that although I somehow feel that the Nebbiolo-based wines from Luigi Pira are "better" in a sense that I feel they have an extra gear when needed, I wonder if Revello isn't the "revelation" of the year for me and the winery I'm most impressed with if taking into account price/performance ratio. I just LOVE their whole range of Barolos! Even the basic Barolo is a beauty. Bob, I will base my opinions based on my tasting through the complete range at the winery and from the bottles opened and enjoyed here in Sweden but I can tell you that since Daniel Thomases has given up the task of working for the WA, I can tell you that I have later seen reviews on Revello from both Antonio Galloni and James Suckling. Galloni seems to hover around the 90-point mark for most of the wines while Suckling is jumping up to the 95-mark. I must confess that I'm more stuck in the middle, with occasional samples leaning more towards James than Antonio. The basic 2001 Revello Barolo is just a joy to drink now. No questions asked - just enjoy it as solid wine around the 90-point mark with a price few can beat. And by the way, that's the very MAIN impression I get from tasting every single Barolo from the 2001 - they seem to be so absolutely juicy, fruity and delicious already now, while still having a backbone that promises an exceptional future. Frankly, I believe 2001 will surpass at least all vintages 1997-2000 and possibly 1996 as well and it seems as if I'm not the only one with this prediction. What's so nice with Revello is that you can set up a wonderful tasting from just one producer since they have so many vineyards. The 2001s from Revello seems particularly fresh and balanced already now, almost like an aged Burgundy but with more power and layers of aromas. The 2001 Revello Barolo Gattera, as I remember it, was more structured and closed than the regular Barolo, with fruit more resembling red, than dark red fruit (more plum, than blackberries and black cherries). 90-91 points in my book. The 2001 Revello Barolo Giachini was an absolute delight. Very fruity and perfumed with dark licorice and chocolate. And vanilla from the oak. I would give it a solid 93 points. Had the fortune to buy both the 2001 and 1999 for future comparison - and try as well, as Enzo generously opened up every bottle we pointed at on the list. The 2001 Revello Barolo Rocche d'Annunziata is produced in very small quantities, something like a 1000 bottles only. It seems more structured, more perfumed and not as fruity as the Giachini, but with more spices, herbs and roses. More a classic than modern Barolo. I especially remember the long, succulent finish. Difficult to place a numerical value on this one but clearly at least on par with the Giachini. My favorite of the lot was the 2001 Revello Barolo Conca. Wow! Not for the traditionalists as the oak is clearly present but it's integrated so well because of dominating fruit. This is like a New World Barolo if such would ever exist. One could argue if the sheer density of this one is the same as complexity or simply a simpler but fruitier wine. I for one liked the layers of dark fruit. I would give it 94 points. Interestingly, the terroir follows the vintages as the 1999 Conca exhibits the same fruity, succulent characteristics.


Again I must say that it's such a revelation to visit wineries in Piemonte, or should I say Italy or even Europe. You knock on the door, which is also a home, not and official reception at a major winery, and not to a man or woman in a suit but a farmer. With boots and a tractor. Many times when we have arrived and just taken a chance by making a surprise visit without any prior appointment, relatives have called on the cellular to the winemaker who's been sitting on a tractor somewhere or working in the vineyard. You literally come home to a farmer, not a business man. Not like so many New World places where, unfortunately, there seems to be a trend toward an official "Cellar Door", most of the time with employees that, well, work there as any other regular desk job and not always because they have a great passion for - or knowledge - of wine. I'm not saying this is bad - rather I would say that I'm astonished that there is still this possibility to actually come home to a world famous producer, shake his hand and sit down for a sip before he gets back into the vineyard and continues his work. How do they have time? From my perspective, as a consumer and wine afficionado, I'm immensely grateful to be able to visit like this, taking up their time, drinking their wine and having the possibility to discuss the product directly with the artist. However, my most common experience is that THEY, the world famous winemakers, have been happy that YOU, the consumer, the wine lover, have taken your time and actually looked them up and made the effort to visit. I have seen this on numerous occasions, time after time again. And not from some unknown, obscure wine estates, but from persons like Helmut Dönnhoff, Wilhelm & Oliver Haag, Willi & Christoph Schaefer, Johannes Selbach, Christoph Tyrell, Nik Weis (of St Urbains-Hof), Tim Fröhlich, Werner Schönleber, Laurence Feraud (of Pegau), Troy Kalleske, Paulo di Marchi (of Isole e Olena), Massimo d'Alessandro, Maurizia di Napoli Rampolla, Enzo & Carlo Revello, Enrico & Enrica Scavino, Giampaulo Pira, Elio Altare, Mauro & Daniela Veglio, Aldo Vajra and Roberto Conterno, as well as the folks at Mocagatta, Paitin, Corino, Conterno-Fantino, Sandrone, Tua Rita and Le Pupille to name a few that I have experienced first-hand. They have all thanked US for coming, for taking our time, for taking interest in their wine and for sharing a common passion. To me it's mind-boggling that this true, honest atmosphere still exist. I mean, I would like to thank THEM for taking their time, not having to face the vice-versa situation...! I'm sure that you, Bob, are accustomed that the doors are opened widely wherever you come but what astounds me is that even regular, private wine afficionados are treated in the same generous way.

Clerico


We also tried to visit Clerico. For the 5th time, to no avail... He was off to Tuscany but we didn't have an appointment (we've had friends with an appointment, still without succeeding in meeting this elusive genius, Domenico Clerico). I've had numerous blind wine tastings of Barolo where the same damn familiar while label on the bottle has stared back at me as the WOTN when the curtain has fallen - Clercio. One day I hope to make a surprise attack and meet him when he's at home. For one of the restaurant meals we ordered a bottle of the 2000 Clerico Barolo Chiabot Mentin Ginestra. A solid wine, with pleasant perfume and red fruit, nice balance and somewhat subdued fruit. Not a blockbuster but a very pleasant 90-point wine. Later, after returning back to Stockholm, Magnus (of joint 2002 DRC fame on this board together with yours truly) generously opened a bottle of 2001 Clerico Barolo Chiabot Mentin Ginestra and this is a totally different creature. Cool, cool dark, dark fruit, perfumed and with a wonderful balance and a tremendous finish. This is all spices and minerals. So fresh, so concentrated, so balanced. This is a pure beauty. I had it blind and still remember my comment when I starred at the glass - "This is good stuff". That usually means 95+ points and so it is. To be modest. This will probably evolve beautifully but wow...what a joy to drink it already here and now! How can it be so accessible and provide such a pleasure already now? Could anyone help me with that question, please? I didn't feel the same with newly released Barolos from 2000 or 1999 or 1998.

V.D. Vajra

V.D. Vajra is always a pleasure to visit whether it's Aldo himself or his wife Milena that greets you. We stopped by there this January just to thank them for a wonderful visit previously last summer, when Milena took us through the whole range at Vajra. I must confess that I'm a sucker for their Moscato. It's so flowery and fresh and posses a creamy texture. I would say that Paulo Saracco is my first hand choice for Moscato d'Asti, followed by Spinetta and Vajra. The wine I liked the most was not surprisingly the 1999 Barolo Bricco delle Viole. A more femininte type of Barolo, with dry fruit, cherries, herbs, and an elegant structure with a long finish. I rate it 91-92 points. Less impressive was the 2000 Barolo delle Viole but I should add that I seriously overdosed on the Moscato prior to tasting it. People who like different grape varieties should check out their Freisa Langhe Kyè made by the Freisa grape. Apparently a grape that doesn't normally produce great wine, Aldo seems to not agree and makes a pleasant, fruity wine for immediate pleasure that I would rate close to the 85-point mark. I also tasted the 2003 Langhe Bianco Riesling, a dry, yet fruity Riesling with minerality similar to a Wachau Riesling. This is more to my friend's liking who enjoys dry Riesling. I liked it for what it is and would argue that it would be interesting to have this one among some dry Riesling from Germany, Austria and Alsace in a blind shoot out. I think it would stand its ground among far more famous Riesling labels.


Sandrone

Yet another wonderful visit where Luciano's daughter took us around for a complete tour. Here, I will focus on two wines only, the 2001 Barolo Cannubi Boscis and the 2001 Barolo Le Vigne. The 2001 Barolo Le Vigne, mixed from several vineyards is of the more sturdy, classic Barolo. It possesses structure, minerality and dark fruit with a persistent finish yet so utterly elegant already at this stage. 93 points. However, let me turn to the sibling wine, the 2001 Barolo Cannubi Boscis. Oh My God! THIS is great fermented grape juice! Immediately on the nose you are allerted to the fact that this is one of "those" wines. You simply KNOW you have a 95+ points wine when you can't drag your nose from the glass. Licorice! Which I happen to love, then mint, roses, spices, dark, pitch-black cherries - it'z oooooozing of fruit and has such a wonderful elegance and grace on the palate while being tyrbo-charged in its massive concentration. A long, long finish and only time will tell how much high this will fly. Currently extremely enjoyable and available, I would give it 96+ points while stressing that "+" mark behind the number. This is a true beauty. Giacosa, Gaja, Clerico and Conterno - watch out!


Scavino

A visit to Piemonte without a visit to Scavino is, as everybody in the wine world knows, impossible. Let's leave it at that without further elaboration. I have had the pleasure to visit Scavino several times, each time guided by the ever enthusiastic and shining Enrica Scavino. Ever wondered why Piemonte has so much sunshine? Well.. Oki, back to the wines. On this occasion we actually didn't have an appointment and my intention was just to knock on the door to see if Enrica was at home to hand her a CD disc with some pictures from previous visits in the region as thanks for all those generous winery visits. Yes, she was at home and had that same kind of warm, shining smile despite having recently injured her leg while skiing (so those meeting Enrica on that Wine Experience Tour arranged by the Wine Spectator in the US - please be polite and offer her a seat!). We were, of course, not allowed to just hand over the CD disc and then leave, without tasting some wine. What was so thrilling with this visit was that it was the first time I met with Enrico Scavino, depsite numerous prior visits to the estate. Again, like Angelo Gaja, like Roberto Conterno, you get to understand where the wine comes from, where the passion originates, when you meet the winemaker in question. And with Enrico you get a sense of a warm, kind and generous uncle as he stands there and opens some bottles of his own creation. Having tasted Scavino's 2001s both last summer and now on this visit and again some days ago I have quite a vivid impression about the wines. But first of all I must wave the flag for their 2001 Barbera d'Alba. Elegant but still jammy with dark fruits and spices it's a yummy drink now, today, here, open it! A pleasure to drink and a solid 90 points wine. The 2001 are all spectacular in my book. The 2001 Barolo Cannubi is all about perfume and spices, with a feminine touch of herbs, flowers cherries and an overall elegance. Always a joy to drink. 93 points. One might think that I would automatically praise the more expensive 1999 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell'Annunziata to the skies but in fact, this one is the to me the "least impressive" of the lot. It exhibits red, perfumed fruits, with cherries and raspberries but also a greater tannic structure and a fruit component that seems more subdued and poised for the long run. The concentrated, massive finish points to a bright future. 92+ points. My fellow Nebbiolo afficionado Joakim (from this board) argued, when I said I was more impressed by the 2001, that he clearly remembers how the 1990 Barolo Riserva Rocche dell'Annunziata tasted when young and that many complained it felt very structured and powerful but the he had tasted it later on several occasions saying it has turned into a balanced and wonderful expression of Barolo - making him wish he had bought more bottles when he had the chance (The 1990 was released at about 40 Euros in Sweden). I believe him! The 2001 Barolo Bricc del Fiasc is superb! I remember Joakim's comment when we had it side by side to Gaja's Barbarescos and Barolo, saying that "Hey, this is of the same quality!" and I agree with him. It's a massive Barolo, dense, concentrated, packed with layers of flavors and yet again you can't help yourself from lingering with your nose over the glass without tasting (a typical indication of a 95+ points wine). Dark fruit, ripe, minty and a sweet cherry feeling with almost blackberries on the palate, stuffed with spices, licorice and a massive finish. You can't escape the tannins. Wow! 95+ points with an upside potential. But, as with all 2001s - would you believe it? - so utterly fresh and vivid right here, right now. A hedonistic experience! Scavino at it's best. The 2001 Barolo Carobric isn't as impressive but not far behind its sibling. Still dense but maybe not as elegantly massive as the Fiasc, with softer structure and similar fruit components, maybe more red than dark fruit. And a wonderful, long finish. At this stage I hold this one as more impressive than the Cannubi and rate it 93-94 points. Basically they are on on the same quality level but it's a matter of personal taste which you like the most. Of course... we weren't allowed to leave without a gift as thanks for taking our time to visit (when I would gladly have polished their shoes out of gratefulness for visiting them!) so Enrico pulled out an unlabeled bottle of their not yet released new Barolo which is their first wine from the new vineyard at Roddi, Bricco Ambrogio.


Well, I'm approaching the end of the road here. I'd like to continue by giving you some more accounts from interesting visits to Paitin, Moccagatta and Conterno Fantino but it's getting late in the afternoon here and I must rush to work. Please look at these personal observations as a WA Issue # 163 with "Special Supplement: Miran's Personal Piemonte Report". Consider it free of charge now that Daniel Thomases has vanished from the scene.

Bob, I must confess that you have played an important role in the growth of my wine interest, not only because of your extensive knowledge about this favorite wine region of mine but also for the passionate way of writing about wines you singled out as overachievers. It was difficult not to seek out the wines in question after your eloquent reviews but above all - it sparkled interest in the region and a fueled a desire to seek out information on my own, to expand my own knowledge, to read the works of more critics and authors, and to visit Piemonte in person. You ARE missed among the Italian nebbiolinos out there, as well as the lovers of Tuscany. I know it's futile but Bob, please come back...

Here endeth my story. Thank you for reading!

lördag 10 maj 2014

A Barolo intermission

Always fun to walk down Memory Lane and bring back to life the adventures of the past. Here's a fun trip to Piemonte to remember with a smile...

Let’s first indulge in some humble impressions from the latest wine tour to Piemonte. Last time I was there together with my friend Sverker in January, was a wonderful experience (as always).

Call it a Preludium, a step on our way to the Grand Finale, but as a warm-up before the tour, another friend, Joakim, invited us to a 1971 Barolo tasting with 10 different beautifully preserved Barolo wines and later 10 specimens from the 1958 vintage. I will let Joakim take on the task to share his tasting notes whenever he frees himself from his workload but in short I can say that I found the 1971s lovely and brimming with life while the 1958s were somewhat passed its prime, by a great margin, although some of my fellow wine aficionados thought otherwise at the tasting. As an appropriate Intermezzo in anticipation of the Grand Finale (Joakim’s forthcoming Barolo Evening with 35 different Barolo wines from the 1996 vintage), we headed to Italy to indulge ourselves in some truly classic wine and food experiences from one of the world’s most beautiful wine regions: Piemonte.

Sverker and I headed to Bergamo, rented a car and drove down to Bologna to attend the wedding of a good Italian friend. We also had time for some shopping before the wedding and rushed to our Chief Supplier running what must be the best wine store for Italian wines in the world. He seems to know every wine producer in person and has a candy store of a wine cellar that I would be most happy to be trapped in, locked on the inside, for years and years to come. Sure, I’d be sloshed but so what? I’d be a happy camper… We managed to obtain some bottles of the 2001 Salvatore Molettieri Taurasi Vigna Cinque Querce Riserva (I’d appreciate a tasting note from anyone having tasted this – supposedly this is an Aglianico that will hold for some time…) and a bottle of the 2001 L’Arco, supposedly a new Amarone from Federigo Luca (same goes for this one, any tasting notes or additional information would be appreciated).

Isn’t it amazing? What a different experience going to an Italian restaurant, having something good to eat and ordering wine, compared to the appalling practice in Sweden where wine is marked up 3-500% making it virtually impossible (or self-destructing) ordering a wine to enjoy with your meal. Appalling. And a dead-end road. Here, we felt it would be nice to have a small bite to eat in the evening and sat down at a small place close to our hotel in Bologna. A simple restaurant with 6 tables, yet with an amazing wine list. We ordered a plate of charcuteries and had a look at the extensive wine list, pondering if we should choose a 1990 Fontanafredda Barolo La Delizia at 33 euros or a 1996 Foradori Granato (a pure Teroldego) at 26 euros. Elisabetta Foradori being a favourite of ours made us decide on the Teroldego which was a perfect match to the salami, ham and lardo. Oozing with dark fruit, Asian spices, smoke and white pepper, it displayed a fresh wall of dark fruit together with a lingering acidity and some very meaty aromas. At first, I thought the acidity was a little too high for what the remaining components offered, thus creating a slight unbalance but with air in the glass the acidity calmed down and slowly integrated beautifully with the rich, meaty fruit flavours. It’s like having a juicy, spicy steak in a glass. 92 points. After finishing the meal we decided to have a glance at the wine list again. Yes, the thing is that almost everything is for sale and you get a discount if you take the bottle with you… Sverker bought a bottle of the 1997 Castellina in Chianti I Sodi di San Niccolo and I believe he paid close to 45 euros for the bottle, which was also the price when I bought it years and years ago in Tuscany soon after its release (and opened it recently in a 1997 Tuscany tasting – yummy stuff!). I settled on a bottle of 1996 Giacosa Falletto di Serralunga Red Label Riserva at 115 euros (I have decided to include the prices in this post not to boast about what has been acquired but as an interesting comparison for other fellow wine aficionados in different countries around the world. Among all, I believe that many of the prices I hear from the US seem to be quite reasonable considering the rate between the dollar and euro), just a tad higher than what I paid for a bottle in Alba soon after it was released some years ago. Maybe I shouldn’t complain - had this been the situation in Sweden I would do little else than constantly eating out and purchasing wine.

Anyway, we headed back to Bergamo to pick up Joakim who arrived a day later and had some time to have a look at the beautiful Old town hovering above the modern outlines of the city. And then it was off to Piemonte, a 2½ hour drive from Bergamo. Before arriving to our Agriturismo hotel in the middle of the vineyards, we stopped by at an enoteca that was, to our surprise, open on a Sunday. Having been at this big, modern place on previous occasions without finding anything of particular interest we were quite surprised to find out that it had by now expanded into covering much more interesting producers from both Barolo and Barbaresco. The first thing we noticed – and immediately grabbed – were two bottles of the 2001 Giacosa Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja (Red Label). With a price tag of 85 euros I consider this a tremendous deal. We asked for more bottles but the manager informed us that his annual allocation was six bottles so we were quite pleased to have found the bottles in the first place. Before heading further we also purchased some bottles for our daily Barolo evening tastings in our hotel room (tasting notes further down). Staying as always at Franco Molino with the vineyards just outside the window, with spitting distance from places like Annunziata and Cannubi, we headed to what would be our first of three dinners out before heading home to Sweden. The restaurant lies in Castiglione and is called Le Torri. What a wonderful atmosphere awaiting us when driving through the darkness and mist only to park outside the restaurant with the old, towering castle overlooking Castiglione. I can’t help but loving these old medieval towns spread out in the Piemontese landscape. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to Ristorante Le Torri (when you read it today it has new management, with Maria-Cristina moving to her own restaurant in La Morra: Mangè).

I can’t imagine a more relaxed and welcoming place to enjoy your dinner. You can sense the warm hospitality the minute you step inside and are shown to your seats by Angelo, the husband of Chef Maria Cristina. Clearly three friends and fellow wine aficionados don’t go unnoticed and soon we were asked if we would like to visit the wine cellar before ordering the food. Would we? What kind of question is that?! Of course we would! Stepping down the steep stairs we come to Nirvanaland, with bottles of the finest Barolos stacked from the floor. This overwhelming experience simply is too much for our friend Joakim who leans towards the wall expressing a fainted “This is too much. I can’t handle this!” And who are we to disagree? It’s somewhat overpowering to walk among cases of Vietti, Giacomo Conterno, Clerico, Aldo Conterno, Giacosa and the likes. One room is the private cellar and I must confess we had some difficulties leaving that room after seeing a bunch of Monfortino from various vintages. My friends reading this will have to correct me if I’m wrong but I believe it was the Monfortino from 1945, 1958, 1971, 1978, 1985, 1990, among others… Apparently these were bottles for a special dinner later in November, one at which even Roberto Conterno would participate. Later we told Roberto about what we saw in that room and he just nodded and smiled, saying that he indeed was looking forward to that dinner. Now, if one could only know the exact date and quickly make a strategic reservation at a table close to this party… Nevertheless, the service was warm-hearted and impeccable, the food was excellent, as always and so was the 2000 Guiseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato that accompanied the food. Sweet, ripe, red fruit with lots of flowers, licorice and that feeling of cherry pralines. A persistent and very classy, balanced finish made this a joy to drink with the food. 92 points. But now, ladies and gentlemen, the finale. You know, these Michelin star restaurants, where they are appointed stars and where one star means it’s worth a detour and three stars indicating it’s not just worth a detour but a complete journey by its own, only to visit the restaurant and enjoy the food, well… Consider something on the menu worthy of a special and unique journey to Italy, only to eat this marvellous piece of culinary miracle… The panacotta. Wow...!!! If you would ever extend the system of numerically scoring wine into panacotta territory, this would be a 100 point experience as clear as anything could be. I urge every citizen on this planet with a hedonistic soul to go out of your way to visit Ristorante Le Torri just for this culinary delight. There is just absolutely nothing like it on planet earth. Pure Hedonism. Parker would love it here. The texture, ever so light and fluffy, like sweet summer clouds, yet holding it all together with a laser beam of flavours. What an Absolute Delight! I just couldn’t prevent myself. After finishing this truly amazing dessert I called for the waiter and order another panacotta. Isn’t that what pure hedonism is all about?

When arriving at home sweet home we opened up a couple of Barolos in our room for a late night tasting. Here are the tasting notes.

1999 Fontanafredda Barolo La Delizia
Not just mushrooms but those d a r k mushrooms on a forest floor, underbrush, some notes of tobacco, gun powder, somewhat dry on the fruit component and not concentrated enough to merit a higher score but overall an enjoyable experience. 88 points.

1999 Oddero Barolo Vigna Rionda
A totally different creature. Luscious, with pronounced red fruit, roses, flowers and spices, this is a strange mixture of brute force together with a Burgundian style of elegance, with tannins that shake your bones and structured, densely packed and delightful finish. 90 points.

We also opened up the 2001 Lamborghini Campoleone purchased in Bologna for 25 euros. This is a Sangiovese/Merlot blend that immediately grabs your attention with it’s powerful fruit basket with plum, black currant and gobs of dark chocolate. Lots of spices here, oak, and a very meaty structure, together with a velvety texture yet somewhat tannic finish. Loads of blackberries. Who could ever turn down a powerful race car like this? Still, at this point it’s a “lot of everything” so I would wait for this baby to evolve for a few years before having another go at it. 91-92 points.

GIACOMO CONTERNO

Next morning it was rise and shine with some delicious salami, ham and cheese for breakfast before heading to our first appointment, Giacomo Conterno, straddled high on the slopes towards Monforte, overlooking the hills and valleys beneath. Waiting for Roberto Conterno to show up is always a challenge as you sit there in the room staring at bottles of Monfortino from 1926 and 1934 as well as a bottle marked “Barolo 1904”. The questions that begs to be answered is “Who brought a corkscrew, guys?!” but then Roberto entered and our plans had to be altered… As always, Roberto greeted us with his usual warm smile. Can’t help this feeling but you always feel so welcome when someone meets you with that kind of warmth. He excused himself for not having too much time on this occasion (we stayed for an hour) and for only serving us two wines, the 2004 Barbera d’Alba and the 1999 Monfortino (yeah, sure, he should apologise…). However, first he asked us this ridiculous question if we would perhaps be interested in having a look at the cellar. Now what should you answer to a question like that? No?! On the contrary, I’d be happy to be locked inside and carried out after sampling all the good stuff hidden beneath in the deep cellars of Giacomo Conterno. As before, these wonderful, beautiful, gigantic, huuumongous barrels from Slovenia and Austria is an impressive sight as they tower high above you, making you feel like a dwarf staring at the sky. Last time I estimated these barrels to contain 5000 litres but this time I asked Roberto and the correct answer is 10600 litres, big enough to decorate inside using it as your summer cottage. Another amazing observation when visiting Roberto’s cellar is the spotless cleanliness. Make a visit here and compare this to any other estate and you will understand what I mean. Utterly clean and tidy. You could literally eat your breakfast on the shining floor. After the cellar tour we went back to the tasting room, with us three still glancing eagerly towards the Monfortinos from 1926 and 1934. I offered Roberto to open them to compare them with the latest vintage but Roberto, unexpectedly, refused with a warm smile. Instead he poured the 2004 G. Conterno Barbera d’Alba. We tasted this from barrel when we visited Roberto in January and on that occasion compared it to the 2003 in bottle (tasting notes are found following the link at the top of this page) so it was fun to find out how much it had changed now that it was bottles. The answer: basically nothing. Still this wonderful, fresh blueberry forest, with nice acidity and a mixture of spices and sweet fruit. A focused effort that clearly shows the potential of Barbera. I believe the grapes for this wine are sourced from the Cascina Francia vineyard in Serralunga as are the two Barolos from Conterno. And the score, well, the same as before. 93 points. At this time we didn’t know it but in retrospective this would only be the first of several wonderful encounters with Barbera during this trip, making my Barolo addicted friend Joakim once exclaim “Damn, what’s all this about? I was planning only to buy home Barolo and now I might as well have the whole suitcase full of Barbera!”. Those of you with the stamina to read all the way to the very end of this post will find some other marvellous Barberas along the road. Then it was time for the 1999 G. Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva. Last time we had the 1998 and Roberto poured it from a bottle which had been opened for a day or two which I think benefited the experience as the wine was more opened. This time he pulled a new bottle and poured the wine into those big bowl glasses that accentuates the already concentrated flavours. Now, what could you say? What should you possibly say about a wine like this? Do you remember when you were young? Oh, come on now! We have a l l been young once even if the majority of us are using wine tasting gatherings only as an excuse to sit down among friends complaining about our much-too-soon-arrived infirmities of old age. (Admit it!) Well, nevertheless, remember those days, as a child, when you had those long walks in the forest; the sun was shining through the canopy and you were out hunting for those delicious forest mushrooms. And occasionally, our eyes still young and healthy, actually spotted some among the leaves and vegetation. Remember the smell of mushrooms? Remember the feeling if joy? Remember what youthful happiness was all about? It’s with the same feeling, through that young child’s eyes, you approach the 1999 Monfortino. With the same anticipation, the same wonder and awe for what’s surrounding you as you put your big nose above your glass. The scents explode from the glass, with ultra-fine, racy, clean cherries, with dark, jammy fruit, roses, spices and some licorice. The tannins are of course there but forget about everything you have thought about tannic Barolos – these are sweeter tannins, integrated with the fruit and only there to provide the backbone for the wine, not to overshadow it. The finish doesn’t seem to end, literally pumping out subtle fruit flavours; having a wine like this at a tasting with other wines would simply not be fair to the next wine in line. You would have to rinse your mouth with a glass of water before continuing. Looking at my notes and remembering my impression from the tasting I see I have given this basically the same score as the 1998 Monfortino, 98+ points. In time, well, it should be a perfect wine with a three digit score because I can’t imagine any improvements to this magnificent work of art. Whether this or the previous vintage is better is splitting hairs. But what a wonderful debate and good reason to open the two of them side by side for a comparative evaluation! I urge people to set up these kind of tastings and invite me promptly! This beauty is selling for around 240 euros in the Alba region. Ahh, and all the time with Roberto sitting there by our side, observing us, smiling. I wonder how it feels. To sit there and always know that you are among the world’s greatest wine producers and that you have just opened a masterpiece for others to enjoy. I guess that feeling is enough to get you trough those cold winter days when the harvest seems far away and a lot of tedious work in the vineyard or in the cellar is waiting for you that day. At least it would do it for me. And if not, I’d walk down the cellar and open a bottle on my own.

Before leaving Roberto, one cannot but comment on the different sets of personality among the various winemakers in Piemonte. Have you read my account from meeting with Angelo Gaja? I believe the echoes from his voice are still bouncing back and forth between his cellar doors, so loud and passionate was his speech about wine in general and Barbaresco in particular. It took a year to settle down in my mind. With Roberto, it’s completely different. Wrong, I should say opposite. He is very soft-spoken, calm and seems to maintain focus on his guests, listening, observing, wondering how they perceive his wines but also with a touch of interest of the subjects itself, you know, those humanoids holding their glasses with a firm hand, mumbling something unidentifiable as they go oooh and aaaah while sipping on his wonderful wines. The fun thing with this is that although Roberto seems to be as content without speaking a single word, in his eyes, and his posture, he seems to be as passionate and focused as any other winemaker, even compared to Angelo Gaja. Different approach, opposite characters, same passion.

GIANFRANCO ALESSANDRIA

With the Mofortino still lingering on the tongue we hardly needed turning on the car’s engine as we rolled downhill from Conterno to our next stop, Gianfranco Alessandria where we had a wonderful tasting conducted by Gianfranco’s wife. We were told that Gianfranco himself was studying to be a carpenter and had no intention of becoming a winemaker but his destiny was obviously something else and we’re happy he focused on wine rather than carpeting. Again, what strikes me is this incredible warm welcoming that meets you at every (well, almost every) winery. I feel pity for all those wine lovers around the world who enjoy the wines of Barolo but never get to visit this beautiful region and meeting the wonderful wine characters. We ended up tasting the complete range and here are some impressions from the wines (as they were served).

2005 Alessandria Dolcetto d’Alba
Maceration on the skins in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for approximately 4 days and then malolactic fermentation and aging in stainless steel tanks, the fruit for this wines come from the Monforte region with grape yields of 8 tons per hectare. It displays very, very dark fruit, making it hard to believe it’s a lighter grape variety, it offers fresh, youthful, perfumed aromas of dark fruit. Apparently it was a good Dolcetto year according to Gianfranco’s wife, with not so cold mornings benefiting the ripeness of the grape. 84 points.

2005 Alessandria Barbera d’Alba
Same vinification here with a day extra day of maceration but with same yields, the Barbera was more subdued and not as fruity as the Dolcetto, yet still with the same fresh acidity and with more body and structure on the finish. 84 points.

2004 Alessandria Barbera d’Alba Vittoria
Named after Gianfrancos daughter, the fruit derives from the oldest parcels of vines, some from 1945. Production is a meagre 5500 bottles and yields are held at 6.5 tons per hectare. Quite young (it was bottled in July) it displays a wonderful cornucopia of spices, vanilla from the oak and a silky, yet powerful structure. Ultra-dark fruit with an astonishing balance between fruit, acidity and tannins. Despite the concentration and the freshness of this wine it seems almost polished a somewhat oily like it would have come from the much warmer vintage of 2003, reminding me very much of the 2003 Barbera from Giacomo Conterno. Long, persistent finish makes this a most impressive effort. 92 points.

2001 Alessandria Barolo San Giovanni
Malolactic fermentation and aging is done in French barrique (50% new) for 24 months. The fruit is taken from the lowest yielding, oldest wines, some 30-40 years old, with a grape yield of ca 5.5 tons per hectare. This beauty was vibrating of deep, dark fruit, displaying notes of licorice and very concentrated scents of roses as the wine opened up in the glass. Although massive in it’s structure, with tons of fruit and gripping tannins the overall impression is one of a very delineated, polished and balanced wine that will surely be wonderful to drink now and more so with some bottle age. 92+ points.

2004 Alessandria Langhe Nebbiolo
Taken from the younger vines and with yields of 7.5 ton per hectare it’s aged in French barriques (20% new) for 18 months. Immediately as you set your nose above the glass licorice pops up, with added red/dark fruit. The tannins are quite noticeable at this stage but there is a fine balance and the fruit component feels very clean and focused. 86-87 points.

2003 Alessandria Barolo
A completely different creature, this wine exhibits a mixture of spices and herbs, very Burgundian and a softer tannic structure than expected from a Monforte Nebbiolo. Obviously these very matured and harvested earlier than usual and particular attention was given to pick the most fresh and healthy fruit, which might explain the feeling of much cooler fruit than expected from such a warm vintage. On the finish the tannins exhibit slightly green notes preventing it from receiving a higher score it should ultimately receive with some age because there is a very good underlying balance between the components. 87 points.

2003 Alessandria Barolo San Giovanni
Again this feeling of rumbling massive fruit, with dusty tannins, like travelling along a dusty gravel road in Tuscany a bright summer’s day. Compared to the 2001 vintage of the San Giovanni this displays more herbs and spices (Christmas spices?), more red fruit than dark and with a more openness to it, making it feel more accessible. I still believe the 2001 is a better wine. 90 points.

2003 Alessandria L’Insieme
This charity version of a wine is a blend of 30% Barbera Vittoria, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Barolo San Giovanni and it’s aged in 100% new French barriques for 18 months. For every bottle sold, 5 euros is donated into a foundation that finances different initiatives of development. A very fruity nose straight from the glass reveals the mixture of grapes, with generous dark, sweetish fruit of cherries, black currant and some cassis with a rounding vanilla tone from the barrique. Easy to like, easy to drink. 89 points.

Finally we were treated to an interesting wine, the 1996 Alessandria Barbera d'AlbaVittoria, which was the first release of this wine. Incredibly fruity on the nose, with ripe cherries, cassis leaves, some mushroom, a drop of gooseberry and a wonderfully fresh, forward and lively structure all intermixed in a long and enjoyable finish. What a delight! 91 points.

A most interesting winery visit, especially when considering that we were not planning to visit at all. Birger from this board kindly helped us with arranging a visit at Clerico and gave us (apparently) the wrong phone number to call. My friend made the call, set up the appointment and became a little suspicious, having visited Clerico before, when they started giving him directions as how to reach the winery. Must have been a funny conversation, when they directed him to a point he knew could impossibly be Clerico. After some confusion, already after having put down the phone, we realised we just made an appointment at an unknown winery. Some investigations with the help of Gambero Rosso indicated we had a date with Alessandria and not Clerico! Nothing we were particularly sorry about after leaving this impressive estate (although it probably, in retrospective, prevented us from visiting another grate winery – Sottimano – but hey, this will not be the last time we visit Piemonte…).

DOMENICO CLERICO

A thanks goes to Birger nevertheless as he managed to arrange a visit with The Man Himself, Domenico Clerico, which again doesn’t make it necessary to start the car’s engine as you simply turn back to the road and slightly roll downhill from Monforte until you reach the sign to turn off at Clerico.

I don’t really know how to describe this man. Or his wines. There is so much to be said but I doubt even all the words in the universe are sufficient to describe – and explain – the genius and odd behaviour of this outstanding wine producer. What I DO know is that that I have participated in two outstanding wine tastings – both blind – with Barolo 1990 as the theme and both have included the greatest wine producers Barolo can muster, including the Monfortino. On the first occasion I had the 1990 Clerico Barolo Chiabot Mentin Ginestra as the winner, scoring it 97 points, just a tad before the 1990 Giacosa Barolo Falletto Riserva Red Label. On the second occasion I had both the 1990 Barolo Pajana and Chiabot Mentin Ginestra on the top of my list with the Pajana competing with the 1990 Sandrone Cannubi Boscis and the 1990 G. Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva as the winner, with scores at 97-98 points (if scores are at all necessary when it comes to these levels of sensory pleasures). Obviously Domenico makes wines that somehow hits the right notes on my palate strings. I remember when Sverker opened a 1996 Clerico Pajana soon after it was released and the brute force it displayed as we were all shaking our teeth and picked them up from the floor after tasting this young wine (94 points) or the 1996 Clerico Barolo Percristina, utterly powerful, yet sublime and majestically delicious (96 points). Not to mention the impressive 2001 Clerico Barolo Chiabot Mentin Ginestra, with it’s frightfully dark fruit, its licorice, mint, chocolate, violet and loads of yummy spices leading to such a massive and focused finish you can’t help staring at the glass in awe, wondering how he does this. Bravo! 95 points. (While the same vineyard but from the 2000 vintage was less focused and concentrated, lacking the same array of spiciness and aromas as the 2001 version, but hey, listen to Suckling, the warm 2000 is the Vintage of the Century in Piemonte… We should thank him, not critisise him, at least that’s what I do when I’m strolling the streets of Alba, still buying remaining bottles Barolo from 1999 and 2001 while the still good but less impressive 2000s are sold out, mostly exported to the US) No surprise then that we have been trying to visit this vinous genius several times, five in total to be honest. Once we caught him when we just showed unannounced but having no grasp of his somewhat odd Piemontese dialect and Domenico being busy with work; all we managed was a quick greeting. On another occasion he was off to Tuscany, a third attempt resulted in a simple NO, a fourth attempt rendered us yet another NO. A friend of ours even had an appointment, but in the end it turned out to be the secretary having to lead them through some wines instead of Don Clerico himself. Well, this time we had an appointment, thanks to Birger and thanks to Andrea Sottimano, but I’m sorry to say that it turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment. In fact, I didn’t even manage to take a photo of this elusive, yet brilliant man. As we arrived Domenico was in full working uniform, busy together with his son and workers cleaning new barrels. As we entered we were met by (I believe she is) his assistant and after some time Domenico came by for a quick handshake, obviously not in mood for some lengthy talk as he seemed to have an aching tooth to take care of. This was also the first and last time we saw any signs of him. I thought I’d save the photo opportunity for later but by the end of the tasting he was gone, probably happy to escape those wine paparazzis and having time for what I believe he loves more than anything else in this world – focusing on work, work and more work. Honestly, he seems to have a fanatical obsession with work and I can’t for a moment imagine this man actually being at a wine tasting show trying to socialise and market his wine as my suspicion is on the inside he suffers immensely when not being dressed in his blue working clothes. In a sense it fits him, being this elusive man that’s so difficult if not impossible to catch. The dilemma is that even IF you would get hold of him, without some magical translating protocole android like C3PO, it would still be difficult to discuss the virtues of wine with him.

Nevertheless, wine we got and here are some impressions from the bottles opened by his assistant.

2005 Clerico Dolcetto d’Alba
Having had the Dolcetto from Alessandria not long ago this came out as a much darker and more structured Dolcetto, quite dense actually considering the grape. It spends 5-6 months in used barrique which is felt in the somewhat spicy finish. The tannic structure is quite surprising. Maybe it felt a little “too much” at this young stage. 84 points.

2004 Clerico Barbera d’Alba
A step up in power and structure, both nose and palate express black cherries, some tar, fresh acidity and oak (aged in 50% new barrique, remaining in used barriques). The mid palate is quite structured, with noticeable tannins and a very pronounced nix of lingonberry and blueberries. 87 points.

2004 Clerico Langhe Arte
Nowadays this is a mix of 90% Nebbiolo and 10% Barbera, both from young vines less than 15 years old but once started a as a mix of 90% Nebbiolo, 5% Barbera and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Looks like it’s true that the 2004 vintage has produced some good backbone material for important wines as this Arte displays muffled, powerful dark fruit, on the palate a very fresh sensation, cool fruit, roses, some mint and a scents as if someone was tickling your nose with the leaves from cassis. It spends 18 months on 80-90% new barrique and overall it has a seductive and impressive structure all through the focused finish. 90 points.

2002 Clerico Barolo
Apparently a blend from whatever good fruit Domenico could find among his vineyards, it immediately speaks with a more sturdy voice, with some quite vegetative notes on the tannins a somewhat unclean and modest fruit. Nice overall structure and spiciness but all in all a good example that despite the most precise work, you cannot alter the raw material nature has given you. 86 points.

1999 Clerico Barolo Chiabot Mentin Ginestra
Thankfully the wine above was not the last impression before we left Domenico’s house. The 1999 Chiabot Mentin Ginestra was opened and oh-my-my, back home again, where the sun shines, the flowers grow and where happiness abound, Nirvanaland. Cherries, cherries and why not have a bunch of more cherries, slightly dip some of them into liqueur to find that wonderful massive praline texture, clean, wonderful fruit and the tannins…whoa…this is what tannins should taste like, a little sweet, polished, edible tannins, still with brute force but starting to integrate beautifully with the powerful fruit. The endless finish demands no words among the three friends sitting at Clerico’s table enjoying his wines. Silence abounds. There is joy in the air. This is what Barolo is all about. 95 points. NOW I remember why I can’t stay away from this guy. Well-well, maybe next year we will get an appointment AND have the honor of actually sitting side by side Domenico while tasting his wines. Anyone out there wishing to combine our efforts and join me next year?

GIUSEPPE MASCARELLO

Hear-hear, would you believe it or not but perfect timing left us yet again with the option of just pulling back on the road and slowly roll downhill towards our next appointment at Giuseppe Mascarello. I have some difficulties describing the strong disappointment with this visit. All I know is that Antonio Galloni won’t be as pleased (and probably surprised) given the accolades he has given this estate in his Piedmont Report. We really had a well-planned appointment, made it a week in advance, came right on time and…well, at first no one answered. We waited and waited, as did a truck delivering goods to the estate. When entering we were greeted by a woman and truth be told I haven’t the slightest idea of who she was. The wife, an assistant, the neighbour, I don’t know. We were motioned to a small tasting room where the full range of bottles were already lined up, all of them with the dates of opening and you could immediately tell that some of them had been open for quite some time. Well, nevertheless, this was a visit we had anticipated with great eager, especially after having had that wonderful 2000 Monprivato at Ristorante Le Torri and after buying the 1999 Monprivato in Alba during our previous visit. We were looking forward to have a talk to the winemaker or at least some knowledgeable representative, discuss vinification, the character of their particular style of wine, their view on different vintages, talk about the use of barrique and so on. Well, after waiting what felt like fifteen minutes in the tasting room the lady suddenly appeared, mumbled something about the first wine in all haste, poured the glasses and vanished. It was the 2004 G Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba Santo Stefano di Perno. Bushes of cassis on the nose, a little tame on the palate a somewhat dirty fruit component with a pronounced taste of beetroot. It was opened Oct 16th while the date of today’s visit was Oct 23rd. I certainly know that Nebbiolo can evolve beautifully for a week in the glass, if it’s a Monfortino, but I doubt that the Dolcetto from G Mascarello really benefited from this. If at all rated, this would merit a score in the low 70s. Additional wines opened were:

2003 G Mascarello Langhe Nebbiolo San Rocco
I’m sorry but I don’t know what this is. Like licking a wet, black rubber glove. Now, I’m not into fetish things but if I were I have a pretty good sense of what it might be like. Impossible to rate as it was absolutely appalling. NR

2003 G Mascarello Freisa Toetto
Well… straight, forward, uncomplicated, very flirty with raw, pure, light fruit. 82 points. Nice but not nearly the same class as the Freisa from G.D. Vajra.

Oh, let me introduce a pause here. Maybe you picture us three in the tasting room with this woman pouring the glasses while discussing the wines. Well, no. We waited and waited for what felt like half an hour and finally we just couldn’t wait any further and started pouring the wines ourselves. Once in a while she would rush back, say something for a few seconds and then rush out again. Apparently they were shifting some things around outside the cellar. Don’t exactly know her role in this as she wasn’t doing it herself but she felt it necessary to oversee the operation as she didn’t seem to trust the truck driver. Nonetheless, it meant we were left on our own without any explanation about the wines. Surely things like this can happen and I hope you don’t feel I have rated the wines based on our poor impression of the visit per se but what was actually found in the glass which – unfortunately – left a poor impression as well, at least for some of the samples.

With her disappearing yet again we continued pouring wines ourselves.

2004 G Mascarello Dolcetto Bricco (from Castiglione)
Hum, a green, grassy feeling on the nose with those exaggerated notes of beetroot again on the palate and violet candy. No-no. Maybe I don’t understand Dolcetto but this isn’t something for my palate. 78 points.

2004 G Mascarello Langhe Nebbiolo San Rocco
Much better than the strange 2003 version. Nice, clear, red fruit, cherries and roses. Straight-forward with no questions asked. 86-87 points.

1997 G Mascarello Status
Don’t ask… Apparently a blend of 70% Nebbiolo, 25% Barbera and 5% Freisa it displays vivid layers of raspberry jam, some heat on the nose and palate, rather simple in it’s mid-palate but still nice although a relatively short finish. 83 points.

2000 G Mascarello Barolo Villero
I’m sorry, but it would be unfair trying to analyse this bottle as it has been opened for a while and left a slightly oxidised feel to the wine. What you can discern are some red fruit, mainly wild strawberry and raspberry. Let’s not rate this one. NR

2003 G Mascarello Barbera Scudetto
Wow…black, not red, fruit, loads of spices… A promising beginning, isn’t it? Well, I’m sorry to say this but then also a scent of yeast, like the bubbles from a beer, then some root vegetable and finally, to top it off, band-aid. Lot’s of it. Must have been a major injury somewhere to account for all that band-aid. Hum…I’m struggling here…maybe 75 points?

2001 G Mascarello Barolo Villero
Yes! Finally a wine we could appreciate! Clean red fruit, more of raspberries (not just the fruit, but the candy as well) and wild strawberries, then add some spices, make the fruit rather soft and a bit sweet in it’s structure, very feminine and Burgundian, make the tannins somewhat polished and you’ve got yourself a nice expression of Barolo. 90 points. Now, with wines like this, what are they doing with the rest of their wines??

1999 G Mascarello Barolo Monprivato
Okay, apparently they do know how to make wine at this estate. Same red, sweet fruit as in the Villero but with more power and focus. Again those scents of wild strawberries, but with a more pronounced structure. Somewhat greenish on the tannins in the persistent finish, enough to make the score a tad lower than initially deserved but not enough to prevent this wine from being a real enjoyment. 91 points.

As you can understand, we were somewhat puzzled by this winery visit considering all the previous experience we have from this region (and from others around the world). Of course we understand that some days don’t keep accordingly to plan, not even for a winemaker, but in retrospective we would have preferred to rather receive a No on our inquiry about a visit or a postponing, because in this way, both lost, none won.

Time for dinner again and this time I will – unfortunately – not offer you a favourable report like the one from brilliant Ristoranti Le Torri. In fact, let’s say that the next restaurant were lucky I’m not a professional wine critic who was assigned to that particular restaurant on this evening because then it would have made things quite difficult in the future. The choice for our second dinner in Piemonte fell on La Libera in the centre of Alba. This is the same place we had a wonderful dinner in January and where we washed down the tallarin and veal with the excellent 2000 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili Riserva Red Label. This time, however, it was a disaster from the very beginning to the end… I have promised my two accompanying friends Sverker and Joakim to at least mention that their meals were tasting quite good and mine was as well, except for a rather gloomy, non-tasting primi piatti. Well, that was the positive report. The rest leaves much to be desired. This restaurant suffers from several problems. One is the undermanned staff. They have too few waiters for a restaurant this size and with a full house, they just cannot keep up with the demand. We waited outrageously long for every dish to arrive, up to a point where you had nearly forgotten you had the primi piatti and was waiting for the secondi. In fact, you had even forgot you ate something at all, so long was the waiting. Next problem is the training of the staff. There were two quite lovely girls attending the room we sat in, and another girl we recognised from the last dinner, but although sweet (and young) they seemed basically be there to pick up the plates and that’s it. Being a waiter is not just putting on a white shirt and woala – you are a professional waiter. You could sit there for ages trying to get an eye contact with these poor girls who were certainly doing the best they could and are not to blame, but honestly it felt like the chef just scrambled together some friends of their children and asked if they could wait this particular night. That might be okay at a family joint in some no-name place but this is supposed to be a restaurant with high ambitions, if I’m not mistaken. Very well, at least we would enjoy a good wine while slowly aging as we had to wait for the chef to grow the grain who would utterly become the tallerin and chase the cow to produce the veal (that was unfortunately the feeling). Having a look at the wine list we ordered the 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto. The waiter opened the bottle, poured the glasses and left the bottle standing on the table. At this moment I noticed that the bottle they had opened was in fact not the Barolo Falletto but the normale which of course had “Falletto” written on it as this is the place of origin. Nevertheless it was the normale. We called the waiter and having seen the level of knowledge before we anticipated little understanding as to what these wines were in the first place. And sure enough, the poor young girl who attended us looked like a big question mark and said that it was written Falletto on the bottle. Knowing that this would be an awkward situation for her and that continued discussions would be futile (We are the Borg! Resistance is futile!) we asked her to get the head waitress. And sure enough, when she came along and locked at the bottle, she said the same thing. Being men with resources we pulled out a copy of Antonio Galloni’s Piedmont Report and showed her that there is, in fact, indeed a difference and that she better return to the kitchen and talk to the chef, the manager or whoever might be fluent in the vinous language because we would not pay the price of the single vineyard Falletto when we are drinking the normale. While waiting for yet another approach from the restaurant staff (as you notice, there were quite a lot of periods of waiting – I wish I had brought a book, like War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy) we asked ourselves what to do with the wine they had actually opened. We tried it and it was…beautiful. Here comes the fun stuff – the waiter returned, apologised and said that the bottle she had opened was indeed the normale. They had simply ran out of the Falletto so they replaced it with a normale instead, was the explanation… Hum, what would you say to a thing like that? First of all, had it not been a trio of complete wine nerds like us, no one would have noticed and they would in fact have ripped off their customers. Secondly, we decided not to make it worse and accepted the wine but asked for the wine list again to accompany the first wine with an additional wine. The choice fell on the 2001 Grimaldi Barolo Le Coste. This time, the waitress came out to show us the bottle before opening it, which was good considering their track record. Then she disappeared with the bottle. More waiting. After some time another waiter came in with the same bottle, to show us and we all nodded yes-yes, that’s the bottle, , silently shouting in our minds “Now please OPEN it before we dry up here!!”. Waiter No 2 disappeared with our bottle and after yet another waiting session a third person came out and showed us the bottle – again. At this time I would have felt ready to just overpower the waiter, wrestle her down on the floor, relieve her of the poor bottle which by now must have become totally confused being driven around the restaurant like that, and then quickly pop the cork and drink as much as possible before they would re-conquer the bottle and run away with it a fourth time. This time, however, the wine was poured and at last we can continue with something more pleasant – tasting notes!

2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo
Even a Barolo at this level shows why Bruno Giacosa seems to play in a league on his own. A wonderful, silky, perfectly balanced wine, with smooth, pure, focused, feminine fruit of red cherries, roses, a tad of licorice, minerals, light touch of spices and a elegant, complex finish. Impossible not to like, already at this stage. 92-93 points. As always, I’m amazed how open and approachable almost every Barolo from the 2001 vintage has been compared to previous vintages. I can remember that any vintage between 1996 and 2000 has produced Barolos with such delicacy yet with so much power and complexity. Frankly, based upon all the wines I have been fortunate to taste during these years, what I’m trying to say here is that I believe, that for Barolo the 2001 is the greatest vintage from the legendary 1996-2001 period in Piemonte. Period.

2001 Grimaldi Barolo Le Coste
Ha! This was fun to taste! I can very well understand why James Suckling likes this wine so much. Have you ever tasted the candy called Skipper’s Licorice Pipe? Well, here it is, but in liquid form. Outrageously luxuriant, fruity, open for business, succulent, possibly somewhat alcoholic and the very antithesis of the sensual Giacosa, this is more of a blunt, drunk sailor after celebrating a night onshore. It’s like a modern New World Barolo. To me, it’s simply matter of style. Either you like this particular style or you prefer the more classic approach. Luckily for me, I like both. 92 points. This is a massive wine and I liked it more than my to friends. Couldn’t keep away from a magnum in Alba, purchased at 65 euros.

Unfortunately the narrative tale from La Libera is not yet finished. To top off the meal we decided to order their panacotta, still fresh with memories from last night’s experience when we were in panacotta heaven at Ristorante Le Torri. I’d really like to give the restaurant a better verdict as I feel these poor guys had a rough evening but with three rather positive chaps around the table agreeing that this was panacotta at its worst, I can’t deliver anything but yet another negative observation. One comment was that this is like buying a frozen, premanifactured panacotta in the supermarket and quickly warm it up to at least melt the surrounding ice. Another comment was that “what makes me go to a very fine restaurant is that they are capable of doing something better than I can in my own kitchen”. Well, not this time. This was a pitiful sight and the taste was flabby, uninspiring and simply no good. I’m amazed a reputable restaurant with high ambitions would even consider having a thing like this put on customers’ plates and let them leave the restaurant with this as their last impression. It felt like the final nail in the coffin but it wasn’t. Since the restaurant offers you to buy wines from the wine list to take it with you, we decided to buy two bottles of a Giacosa we hadn’t had for dinner. Sure enough, we got the bottles, after what must have been half an hour with us already debating if we should just pay the bill, get up, and leave. To conclude the experience from La Libera – lucky them I don’t have to provide a rating and that I don’t work for a national food magazine…

Upon returning to our hotel room (which doesn’t make the Franco Molino Agriturismo full justice, as it’s like staying on a farm with the vineyards right outside the window; if you look straight up you see La Morra) we opened a few bottles we had purchased earlier. One was a bottle we bought in Bologna.

2000 Fattoria Zerbina Pietramora Sangiovese Superiora Riserva
This is a super-charged Sangiovese from Romagna apparently celebrating great success in Gambero Rosso. Wow... At least it wasn’t just a matter of personal style preference because all three of us agreed on basically the same tasting notes. Extremely unpleasant. And I’m not really talking about any cork or any other identifiable defects. This is like raw, crushed green stems, horrendously over-extracted and, honestly, basically undrinkable. Like being flogged by someone’s old, smelly socks while biting into a rubber sole to stand the pain. No rating could possibly do justice to this liquid. Please stay away from it or you will have the negative surprise of a lifetime.

2001 Franco Rinaldi Barolo Cannubio
Oooh, the Old Style Barolo, with muted scents on the nose, dry tannins, a somewhat dirty metallic note within the fruit, quite harsh, unyielding, angular, very traditional, old style this begs for aging to open up and softening its tannins. However, I’m not a believer in a wine not showing great complexity as young will suddenly display an explosion of positive characters when old, so I have limited hope for this creature. 84 points.

2001 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Enrico VI
This is the estate lying beneath the beautiful, ancient Lebanese Cedar tree overlooking Monfalletto vineyard. Clearly modern style winemaking here as a light scent of vanilla is quite obvious in the beginning, continuing with rich, dark fruity notes of ripe cherries, some chocolate and roses. Refined tannins although somewhat dry at this stage and overall not the same impressive balance between the components as, say, the Giacosa. Nevertheless a most agreeable Nebbiolo. 89 points.

New day! Rise and shine to…not the rain and more rain we hade been seeing yesterday but instead sun, sun and more sun! It’s amazing how the feeling of a landscape changes with different weather. Before everything looked grey and gloomy and you would have a hard time trying to convince people that this is one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. Now, in the rays of a warming sun from a blue sky…magnificent!

VIETTI

Our first stop took us back to the place of the perfectly scored panacotta, the best in the world, at Ristorante Le Torri in Castiglione. The neighbour house happens to be the home of Vietti. What an absolutely delightful view they have from their veranda! Undulating hills of vineyards as far as you can see. We were met by Luciana Vietti who graciously took her time with us while showing us around the estate, explaining the history, having us look at the cellar and even the old medieval cellar where old bottles from God knows when were still laying around. I can’t think of a better guide for Vietti than Luciana herself!

Strangely enough Vietti has always been the bottle of Barolo I have always wanted to buy, told myself to buy bet never managed to buy for whatever reason. Until earlier this year when I bought the 2001 Vietti Barolo Rocche and popped the cork together with some Barolo aficionados of mine (among them my two travel companions Sverker and Joakim). In contrast to the modern Lazzarito, Rocche is their traditional Barolo where old casks rather than new barriques are used. It displayed wonderful aromas of dark cherries, sweet fruit and a mix of tobacco and spices. The palate seemed to literally vibrate of subdued fruit. Powerful, concentrated, with noticeable chewy tannins and that wonderfully balanced mixture of licorice, roses, some mushrooms and loads of various spices, so typical for a first class Barolo. I gave it 94 points on that occasion and I must admit that if felt a little frustrating having tried such a wonderful example of what magic a truly first-class Barolo can achieve, with the added comment that this will evolve beautifully in the future, yet having no other bottle to spare for that promising future. The 2001s are sooo seductive already in their youth and I must once again stress that I have never experienced this from previous vintages of Barolo, not even from the warmer and thus arguably more accessible 1997s and 2000s. The 2001 vintage really IS something very special indeed. Well, apart from being sad that I had no other bottle of Vietti I was still happy about the occasion because that’s what drinking wine should be all about – enjoying it in the company of good friends who equally enjoy a glass of a very special wine; in this case the 2001 Vietti Barolo Rocche.

Time for some tasting in the cosy tasting room. I must admit one thing. I haven’t done any reading or research on the Vietti family and their wines, other than having seen their bottles every time I have passed Piemonte. When we were about to commence the tasting an older man entered and observed us with that special, eager look of interest. I have seen it before. Not the man but that special twinkle in the eyes always revealing the same thing – a man of passion and of the same kind, a fellow wine aficionado. Apparently he suffered from a stroke a few years ago and hade great difficulties moving and he didn’t say a word. I assumed it would not be possible to communicate with him but as Luciana was running around looking for some extra glasses the old man nevertheless managed to move over to the set of bottles, picked up one of them with his healthy hand, turned to us and start pouring while slowly commenting the wine. Although being physically limited the passion and love for wine is obviously still burning in his heart. After a while we understood that we were in the presence of greatness, as this was Alfredo Currado himself, Luciana’s husband and one of the stars of Barolo. Alfredo was one of the pioneers who first started to select and vinify grapes from single vineyards in the 1950s such as Brunate Rocche and Villero. As Luciana said: “To make a great wine you need a great heart”. Bah!! I just cannot help to express – loudly and enthusiastically – the sheer joy of actually sitting down with a great winemaker in his own home, drinking and discussing his wines. It adds to your knowledge, it adds to the magical experience and it simply a pilgrimage experience that should be a part of every wine aficionado in the world. At least once.

Today, the winery is run by Alfredo’s son Luca Currado (who stopped by briefly) and his brother in law Mario Cordero, who manages the marketing and business relations. With Alfredo as our guide, with added help from Luciana, we sampled through the impressive array of Vietti wines.

2005 Vietti Dolcetto d’Alba Tre Vigne
Very dark, surprisingly compact for a Dolcetto, sweet fruit but also high acidity makes this wine exactly into what it is supposed to be, a straight-forward and easily drinkable wine for any occasion. 83 points.

2004 Vietti Barbera d’Alba Tre Vigne
A step up in quality, the Barbera from this important year displays almost a bloody steak, with powerful fruit, a mix of blackberries and blueberries and high acidity. Freshness from the very first sip. Nice. 87 points.

2004 Vietti Barbera Scarrone
I still remember Joakim’s comment… “Damn! What IS this?! I was going to buy Barolo only from this trip and then they have Barberas like this!” This might be one of the best Barberas I have ever tasted, competing with those wonderful Braida Ai Suma from 1997 and 1998. This one offers dark chocolate both on nose and palate, with black, ripe cherries, a much broader, expansive, rounder acidity perfectly accompanying the massive fruit, a very silky texture yet being dense and powerful. It wraps it all up with flavourful finish with great persistence. Powerful yet fresh in the mouth making you come back for more. Impossible not to love. Bravo! 94 points.

2003 Vietti Barbera d’Asti La Crema
I promise you – salami on the nose. Not just one sausage but a whole plate of charkuteries, rubber, but don’t get me wrong here – good-tasting rubber compared to G Mascarello, even more expansive, sweet and ripe fruit here and perhaps a little more approachable than the Scarrone. Again very impressing with an enjoyable complexity and a very structured and focused finish. 93 points.

2004 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco
Generous, fruity with very clean fruit flavours, not overly complex but still very easy to enjoy. Nice finish with rounded tannins. 88 points.

2003 Vietti Barbaresco Masseria
Compared to the Perbacco this is a larger wine, with sweeter fruit, lots of perfumed notes of ripe fruit, more towards the red than dark fruit spectrum. Strange, how do you describe that it’s very expansive on the palate, powerful, yet, a very feminine wine? It has those ticklish, polished “micro-tannins” (like small champagne bubbles of tannins) when combined offers raw power that holds a steady grip in your mouth. Begs for more. Again, very impressing and a joy to drink. 93 points.

2003 Vietti Barolo Brunate
Generous, voluptuous, sweet fruit, with licorice and a little more finely tuned in its structure than the Masseria. I really like the polished, sweet fruit and the spicy, complex finish. 90-91 points.

2003 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito
Round. And soft. My first two words scribbled down in my tasting note book. Soft fruit, rounded tannins from noticeable barrique aging, violet, and perfumed like a Fonseca Vintage Port (Roy Hersh would love this Barolo – by the way, when will meet and share a good glass of Port??). Softness yet powerful concentration – that’s when you know you have a great wine in your glass. Balancing the components in such a delicate matter is no easy task. Love the broadening finish with it’s succulent tannins. 92-93 points.

2003 Vietti Barolo Rocche
Concentrated, red fruit, dark berries with ripe cherries. All in all much darker fruit than the Lazzarito. And a much more brute force in the tannins. Luciana told us it was Alfredo’s first single vineyard Barolo, first time in 1961. This one is muscular, somewhat different from the more sensual Lazzarito yet equally compelling. 92-93 points.

With the superb 2001s and the surprisingly good 2003 I can only imagine how beautiful the Barolos and Barbarescos from Vietti will be in such an Annata Importante as 2004 (in Piemonte it’s always an “important” vintage, never “good” vintage). Already the stunning Barbera indicates it will be a vintage to follow from this remarkable estate.

Many thanks to the Vietti family for such a wonderful visit. We left their home with a smile on our faces. From now on we will always feel a special connection whenever we hold a bottle of Vietti and share it among our friends while remembering the wonderful visit Anno 2006 at Vietty family in Castiglione. And, as it turned out, we had a chance to drink and make a toast in tribute to Alfredo Currado already that same night. Cheers!

ROBERTO VOERZIO

Downhill again and then up, up, up, passing La Morra and down on the other side to arrive at our next appointment, Roberto Voerzio. Oh boy, does he have a breathtaking view towards the valleys beneath and the snow-capped mountain range in the horizon! No wonder Roberto turns out wines like he does with a view like this greeting him every morning when he wakes up…

So how does one describe this visit? How does one describe a sensational eye-opener of a discovery? How does one indeed describe a s e n s a t i o n a l winery visit? Ladies and gentlemen, fellow wine aficionados, members of this bulletin board, let me announce that I have seen the light. You know, one of those rare moments when you discover something new, perhaps a complete new wine region that has been a white spot on your vinous map before, or the first time you taste a new grape and realise that “Yeeeha, this is good stuff!” (like when I first discovered Teroldego by the virtues of Foradori’s Granato), or… when you in a wine region you already love, from a grape you already know and cherish, discover a new winemaker that has been beneath your radar for several years, or when you steal that first kiss from a beautiful girl… Okay, I sense I’m getting a little carried away here, so lets stick to wine.

Meeting with Roberto Voerzio was a revelation. I have met many passionate winemakers in my life but I wonder if not Roberto is at the very top of the line when it comes to passion, together with some other extremely passionate aficionados I consider the best winemakers in the entire world. This is winemaking to the very extreme. Roberto showed us pictures from various vineyards, from the harvest, the grapes and oh boy is he pushing the limits in several aspects. I would like to have a meeting between Helmut Dönnhoff and Roberto to discuss terroir. They would nod in agreement on every issue as they are firm believers in terroir and the sense of place. Since Roberto explained that the wines are made the exactly the same way in the cellar and since he uses the same practices while applying his extreme philosophy in the vineyards, the variation is…terroir. In fact, he even invited us to a grape tasting next time around, where he would take us from vineyard to vineyard, allowing us to taste how different the very grapes taste like from the various vineyards. I’m on! Can’t wait until the next harvesting season…

And the extremes of vineyard work… I believe he once started with a kilo of grapes per plant, divided among four bunches of grapes. After 2003 he decreased it to 700 grams and is now experimenting with 500 grams of grapes per plant. Imagine the concentration in those grapes when the sun’s energy is to be allocated among the few remaining grapes. No wonder his wines taste like they do. However, one would think that they would simply be over-extracted but that’s the beauty of Voerzio’s wines – they have enormous power and concentration yet they are balanced and taste like, well, they need to be tasted for you to believe me. Utter perfection, profound deep flavours of fruit, silky tannins, a prolonged succulent finish. He seems to be flirting with perfection for every wine he makes. I know, I know, the prices are high and that’s what has kept me away but now I really do understand when Roberto’s says he’s fully aware of the prices at restaurants and retail but that he aspires to make wines that will give you such an experience you feel the money invested have been worth it. I can’t put words to explain the utter feeling of joy when discussing wine with this perfectionist of a winemaker. Not just because of his extreme practice in the vineyard but for his sheer passion and that wonderful twinkle in his eyes. Roberto reminds me of Hans-Leo Christoffel from Mosel. Gray hair for sure, but in reality it’s just a young, witty, disobedient boy inside looking out through those passionate eyes.

After a long discussion about winemaking in his office we followed Roberto into his cellar and I had honestly no particular expectations of what we could be offered to taste and how much time he might give to our disposal. Hopefully he would have the time to at least let us taste one or two of his wines, I thought.

“Would you like to taste the 2004 Barolo Cerequio from cask?”, he said with an eagerness, making me for a moment forget that HE was the winemaker who was standing there with three young, eager, wine lovers full of expecations and not the opposite. Yes we would! Eagerly putting our glasses forward as Roberto sampled the precious wine for the cask and poured. Oh, I felt like a little boy again. What joy!

2004 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Cerequio
Wonderful notes of deeply red roses, a basket of spices and cherries dipped in liqueur, even with a hint of ripe plum and chocolate. Astonishing, seductive balance, with ultra-velvety tannins, everything in its right place. Impressive, subtle yet powerful finish. 96+ points.

With the glasses in our hands and us still smacking our lips with delight of tasting such a beautiful wine he continued talking about his philosophy as a winemaker, in his belief about as little intervention as possible in the vineyard and the cellar, and after a while you could again see that boyish passion in his eyes when he eagerly wondered: “Would you by any chance like to taste also the Capalot from cask?” Now what kind of question is that!? I bluntly said “No, because we don’t have time and would rather go back to the hotel watching television instead of trying your wines”, an answer he didn’t quite believe in as he walked to another cask with a big smile on his face and poured the precious red liquid into our eagerly awaiting glasses.

2004 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Vecchie Vite dei Capalot e delle Brunate Riserva
Mother of God! Even darker, more powerful than the Cerequio. Absolutely full-bodied it offers tremendous layers of black, sweet fruit, with tons of succulent spices. Licorice and minerals and such ripeness yet utterly pure and powerful fruit you shake your head in disbelief. Again those silky tannins and a powerful finish making you lick out every drop of wine from your glass. 97 points.

Again what a joy it was to stand there together with Roberto discussing the wine, the particular site, his philosophy and also his history, how he came to begin making wine, his thoughts on winemaking, how he chose the sites and how he struggled to obtain the vineyards he now owns. All while tasting the very result of all his labour and extreme vineyard practices. I wonder how much time he has, I thought, being prepared to wrap it all up and leave. “Wait a minute! Would you like to taste the Barolo from Annunziata?” I stopped in the middle of my step, turned around and the eagerness in the eyes of all of us couldn’t be mistaken.

2004 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata/Torriglione
A pure delight. Powerful yet more feminine and seductive than the Capalot, still with a massive dark, sweet fruit component, mixed with some tobacco, mushrooms, licorice and flowers. Outstanding richness with layers upon layers of flavours yet so utterly balanced you cannot grasp how Roberto does a wine like this. A joy to drink. Bravo! 96+ points.

Okay, this is just too much, too good to be true, shouldn’t we leave now, guys? Nope, not if Roberto would have his way. “Hey guys, would you be interested in trying a sample from the new vineyard?” he asked, while already on his way to that barrel. Who were we to decline such an offer??

2004 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Case Neri/Fossati
Oh dear… Dark as the night, pitch black fruit, then an explosion of tar, spices, chocolate, roses licorice, mushrooms and the purest, sweetest most balanced fruit of ripe cherries you could possibly imagine. Wonderful harmony, utter perfection of balance between silky yet powerful tannins and fruit. Complete harmony on the finish. Apparently this is Roberto’s new Barolo which will be bottled as a riserva but not released before 10 years of age. "This is a perfect wine, a 100 points", my friend Joakim exclaimed. I believe he was a little too overenthusiastic. 99 points.

Looking over at Joakim I didn’t need any comments from him any more. His glowing eyes said it all; this was pure perfection in his eyes, and this fellow wine friend of mine has been tasting a lot of Barolos in his life… What a grand finale to this amazing visit, I though. “Hey, gentlemen you seem to appreciate good wine, would you like to taste the Brunate as well?” By now it made no sense even trying to answer his questions as he was already on his way to the next barrel. Oh boy, do I have great photos from this visit! As a photographer I will however ask Roberto for permission to show them before I make them available publicly.

2004 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Brunate
Again that sweet luscious ultra-pure, ripe fruit, this one even with broader and somewhat richer than the Annunziata. Not better, just different and equally compelling. Very much mint and licorice in this one, mixed with that wonderful dark chocolate-infused fruit and loads of spices and those velvety, elegant tannins. Yummy! 96 points.

Can you see the picture in front of you? Each time us eagerly gathering around Roberto, stretching out our glasses to receive the magic liquid and then standing there talking, laughing and discussion with Roberto about the wine in particular and winemaking in general. “Oh Dear God, please don’t wake me up from this dream! I know there is a grey reality out there somewhere waiting for me but at least for now, let me stay inside of this magic dream.” (A silent prayer while standing there enjoying life to the fullest extreme in Roberto’s cellar)

“Hey guys, what about La Serra, would you like to taste it as well??” He’s obviously a comedian. Bring forth the Barolo!

2004 Roberto Voerzio Barolo La Serra
Again different but necessarily much better or less compelling as his other offerings. More backward than the others, with a dark wall oozing with fruit. It seems to have layers upon layers of spices with a clear mineral component, as well as a hint of tobacco and smoke, tar and more pronounced tannins. Powerful finish; this baby obviously needs time. 95+ points.

Yes, you’ve guessed it by now. Robertos voice again: “Hey guys, are you tired or would you like to taste another wine?” Bringeth to me!!

2004 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Sarmassa di Barolo
Silence... Complete silence. Then a glance at Joakim. Yes, I notice that his eyes betray him. He has that look again. A perfect wine. Totally seamless with everything you could possibly strive for in a wine; the harmony, the balance, the noble tannins in perfect dialogue with the fruit components. A tremendous depth of dark cherries and red raspberries, with layers upon layers with new sensations of various fruit, loads of spices, add some licorice, put some of those mushrooms, wait, I need more fruit – here it is – then polish everything into velvet, add some minerals, some more sweet, ripe, fresh fruit, than push everything into a never-ending laser beam. This is a profound wine, a monster in velvet paper, a massively powerful yet fragile ballerina that leaves you shaking your head in disbelief. Outrageously good. This is perfection. I agree with Joakim.100 points. Bravo! But this is dangerous activities by Roberto. Should the Pleasure Police get their way, Roberto would be the first on their arrest list. Beware…

Okay, that it. Time for our next appointment. Let’s go, guys…we have to leave for the next appointment. “Hey, my friends, wait a minute, would you like to taste another wine?”

*deep sigh*

2005 Roberto Voerzio Barbera d’Alba Riserva Pozzo dell’Annunziata
Not black but inky black, like someone would be asking for a ink pencil. Massive layers of pitch-black jammy fruit, dark cherries in melted chocolate, two buckets of spices, some pepper, minerals and note of vanilla from the oak. I know it all sounds like a thick, massive, sweet Aussie Shiraz but believe me, this is utter balance between all components and the finish is cool, fresh and utterly powerful. 95 points.

Finally, after several hours, we made to above ground again, concluding this utterly amazing and wonderful visit with some photo sessions and with Roberto giving us a signed bottle of the 2001 Barolo Cerequio as a farewell gift.

Roberto Voerzio. My man. Amen.

BARTOLO MASCARELLO

Claiming that the visit at the estate of Bartolo Mascarello was a little different from that of Roberto Verzio is somewhat of an understatement, to say the least. This is legendary soil, where the old Master Bartolo “No Barrique! No Berlosconi” Mascarello lived his life and made such profound, traditional styled Barolos. We turned up at the time of our scheduled appointment and were met with a quite surprised look from Maria Theresa Mascarello who didn’t seem to have the day rigidly planned, as it were. There were already a group of people there and although we managed to get a tour of the cellar and take some quick photos the visit was entirely chaotic with Maria Theresa trying to explain about her wines while the door bell kept ringing and her assistant letting more and more people in, scheduled appointment or not. After a while we were looking at each other and at our watches, searching for a way to escape the utter circus as politely as we could and the perfect moment arrived when even more visitors arrived so that there were not even enough space around the big table. That was our escape pod. It would have been most interesting to sit down with Maria Theresa to discuss both her fathers legacy and her thoughts on current and future operations, about winemaking, about her plans and thoughts, her worries and joys, and her passion, because if there was one thing that characterised her, it was her obvious passion as well as her inner energy. I’m confident that she will continue to run the estate considering her passionate character, however, she will need to stay focused as it can’t be an easy challenge to continue the legacy from her legendary father.

Before we managed to “escape” we also tried some wines. Here are the results from the Swedish Jury:

2005 B Mascarello Dolcetto d’Alba
Feels very, very young, like it was bottled the same day. Violet colour and, in fact, violets on the palate, not too complex, and with fresh acidity. The finish is a little shorter than I would have liked. 80 points.

2004 B Mascarello Barbera d’Alba
Again the feeling of an extremely young or should I say unevolved wine. Feels like being bottled if not today then yesterday. Dark, succulent fruit but with a peculiar citric component in the fresh acidity. Nice length but not overly impressive. 85 points.

2001 B Mascarello Barolo
This is something completely different. A blend from Mascarello’s holdings in Cannubi, San Lorenzo, Torriglione and Rue, the grapes are vinified together. The quality shines through from the get go. This is red, not dark fruit, sweetish fruit, yes, Burgundian red fruit would be the best description. A wonderfully styled and balanced fruit component with wild strawberries both on nose and palate, some mint and a jammy in character with a persistent and a complex spicy finish. Very tasty and polished into a style that is very accessible already now and keeps you going back for more. 91+ points.

Not viewing this as the most perfect of winery visits I consoled myself the next day in Alba by purchasing a magnum of the 1998 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo. I have been looking at this bottle for a year now and finally I grabbed it. By the way, I have entered a phase in my wine life where I seem to be stuck on magnums. Me needs them, me wants them, they are precious and they are miiiine! Tell me, is this just a temporary affliction or should I consider it permanent? Is there any known cure?

By the way, before I leave Maria Theresa with the ever increasing group of people around the table listening to her passionate voice I can’t help mentioning a beautiful display of the hand-painted labels Bartolo used on some of his Barolo bottles and most emotional of all, a series of pictures portraying Bartolo at ever increasing age towards the very end where you see a very old man but with the same passion and laughter in his eyes as from the pictures taken at a young age. He will be missed. But forever remembered through his wines. I will always think about the 1990 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo, tasted at one of Joakim’s famous Barolo evenings, and smile. A monumental wine.

E PIRA (CHIARA BOSCHIS)

Going from Bartolo Mascarello to the house of Chiara Boscis and the E. Pira winery takes not such a great effort as you might imagine. Basically you have to pull your body the 40 steps from door to door so not being too slow you might well do it within the margin of a full minute… Having been the one who called all wineries and being a “Man of Ordnung!” and a subscriber to perfect planning, I guess Joakim, with the rather chaotic experiences from both G and B Mascarello in mind, was kind of hardened by the fact that when we rang the door bell of Chiara’s home, no one answered at first, only to have a Chiara with her hair wildly pointing in all directions looking down at us from her balcony, very surprised. "An appointment? Now??" I couldn’t help laughing because somehow it reminds me about that Seinfeld episode when Jerry has made a reservation for a rent-a-car and it turns out they don’t have it and Jerry starts to question the point in making a reservation in the first place. “The crucial part about a reservation is holding it. That’s what a reservation is all about. Taking a reservation is simple enough, that everyone can do, but holding it is the essence.” Not to worry, although not fully prepared for our invasion, Chiara excused herself coming right out of the shower and asked if she could just have a minute to dry her hair and then she would be down to greet us.

Beginning a post in such a tabloid fashion of course demands a satisfactory explanation and I really owe it to you. You see, we had a certain anticipation for this winery visit in particular. It turned out that then when Joakim called Chiara she asked something about us not minding to share the appointment with two Americans – or would we rather prefer another time so that the two appointments didn’t collide? By the way, the two Americans were Mr and Mrs Parker from Maryland. At the time of calling we didn’t know that, only that there would be two persons from “Parker” so we figured that maybe she meant two persons from the Wine Advocate. Hum, maybe Antonio Galloni with an assistant was out running between the estates gathering tasting notes for a forthcoming issue of the WA…? That could be fun! We had the same thing before visiting Roberto Conterno and discussing the time for our appointment and Roberto hesitated a little when we asked about a specific time because he had these two Americans coming at that time. Hm… What are the odds? Add the circumstances together and you conclude that there must be some WA-folks roaming the scenery. And sure enough, after being let inside by Chiara and waiting for some minutes while she was drying her hair, the bell door rang again and there they were, Mr and Mrs Parker from Maryland. Quite a surprise I must add, because I surely didn’t expect them to show up like that. We sat down at the table, poured some wine and discussed wine in general. It turns out Parker doesn’t favour Californian wine that much. Too expensive and rather too alcoholic and expansive o the palate compared to the wonderful, classic wines of Europe. This might come as a big surprise to many but I assure you, I’m not making this up. These were the words directly from Mr Parker.

Of course, Mr and Mrs Parker from Maryland turned out not to be the Mr Parker that I admire, Uncle Bob, our host, and the person who is mostly to blame for my growing interest in wine, but rather…well, Mr and Mr Parker from Maryland. Oh sure, they had met Robert Parker occasionally and knew who he was, but as I said, they were not that impressed by Californian wines. Tell me, what are the odds?? I couldn’t help laughing when thinking about this absurd situation. We politely asked the couple if they by any chance sensed they received somewhat strange reactions from wineries in Piemonte when they called and wanted to make an appointment for “Mr and Mrs Parker from Maryland” and they admitted that on some occasions they were met by quite surprised winemakers… I bet! I’d love to have that name and being a resident of Maryland… With that as a weapon I’d call every famous winemaker on this planet to make personal appointments. And I would start with Clerico (not sure that he would respond anyway), then continue with Bruno Giacosa only to quickly lift the phone and call Henri Bonneau.

Anyway, once we had established that the Parkers were not the Parkers we had hoped for, Chiara greeted us again and took us for a quick cellar tour which was kind of an odd experience at first because as we entered into what looked like a living room with furniture, we had to pass several barrique stack after each other on the floor ("Oh yes, I’m doing the malolactic here”). That was a first for me! Usually people have cellars for these kind of things… And so does Chiara, but not as big as I have seen at other places. An amazing thing with her is that she basically does everything in the cellar herself. No staff of assistants and workers. She’s the one operating all the machines and for some of the winemaking decisions she also has the help from her brother who works at Borgogno. If this sounds a little too good to be true I promise you that you would understand if you met with Chiara. I believe that the greatest torture for her would be if she would have to sit or stand still for a full minute. I can’t even imagine such a picture – she needs to be on the move constantly. It was a joy to see the passion, the energy, the eagerness and the wonderful warmth in her eyes. Hm, I can’t help thinking how a meeting between Laurence Feraud of Pegau in Chateauneuf du Pape and Chiara Boscis would look like. Two passionate women with that burning energy…wow. I will propose them to make a wine together one day. The resulting wine can’t be anything other than beautiful.

I sense there is too much thoughts about women here…! What about the wines?

2005 E Pira Dolcetto d’Alba
Primary fruit of lingonberry, with piercing acidity, way too much for my taste and here endeth my analysis since I cannot rate a wine with such a dominating component. NR

2004 E Pira Barbera d’Alba
A youngster this is, with purple colour, high acidity in this one as well but backed up by dark and very clean and fresh fruit of blackberries and blueberries. Nice mix of spices but somehow not the balance between the structure, acidity and fruit to merit a higher score. 86 points.

2002 Cuvee Chiara Boscis
This year, given the troubled vintage, Chiara produced a single Barolo blend she calls “Cuvee Chiara”. She was quite pleased to see it favourably rated in one of the Italian wine guides that had just arrived. Very rich and coarse feeling on the palate, with mushroom and fruit that doesn’t seem as pure and focused as her single Barolos but nevertheless with some good structure and a nice finish. 86 points.

2001 E Pira Via Nuovo
A completely different creature. Focused, pure fruit, like a laser beam, then the forest floor and the mushrooms with a good grip from the tannins holding the package together. Everything I love in a good Barolo. The finish has that nice balance between being powerful and fresh at the same time. Me like. 91 points.

2003 E Pira Barolo Cannubi
Slightly different from the Cannubi, with a more perfumed nose of flowers and spices. Love the feel of licorice intermixed with ripe fruit. The oak is much more noticeable here and the finish is one of both minerals, spices and gripping tannins. 91+ points.

While sitting down with Chiara, Mr and Mrs Parker were constantly talking about how much has changed since their last visit to the region nine years ago, especially that little cosy restaurant the liked so much, where they had to walk through the kitchen to have a seat in the dining room. Well, some things have changed because that restaurant is the current Trattoria La Posta which happened to the place for our third and last dinner in Piemonte. Having seen this impressive establishment I can understand why the Parkers were in such an awe about how a small restaurant can change into such a first class operation.

I have several observations about this wonderful dining experience. First of all that the food is very good. I ordered the classic Piemonte menu and was treated to one delicious dish after the other. Second, I really DO approve of the staff. Enough said. Third, when we visited Piemonte, the third week in October, white truffles aren’t really at their best. What you should do is to wait for the truffles much later in the season. I remember Sverker so vividly describing how the scents of truffles spread through the whole dining room when he dined here a year ago but when thinking of it we saw people eating truffles both at Le Torri and La Libera without really feeling any scents of truffles despite sitting at a nearby table. We had originally decided to conclude our dinner experience with a truffle menu but when again seeing the waiter at the nearest table slicing and slicing big chunks of truffles on the guests’ plates without us really feeling all that much, we decided not to splurge but rather wait for another occasion when they are at their best. Fourth, they have a very impressive wine list and the staff looked very trained and professional when they were presenting and pouring the wine. At other tables, that is. We had a waitress who couldn’t really grasp the complex problem of us ordering not one bottle of wine, but two bottles of wines… Quite amusing, I must say. But before dwelling into my observation that “food people” never seem to get wine, let’s concentrate on the liquid part of our dinner. We had a look at the most impressive wine list and decided for a perfect combination of a traditionalist and modernist, the 2001 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia and the 2001 Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis. Having rated the latter wine a perfect 100 points on a previous occasion, Joakim was quite eager and asked if this will be the third perfect wine he will taste during the same day, something for the book of records. Unfortunately, it turned out that they were out of the Sandrone and offered us the 2001 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne instead. We declined and after a look at the wine list again decided to make a tribute to one of the impressive personalities we had met during our visit, Alfredo Currado, so we ordered a 2001 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito. Both wines were truly impressive and accompanied the Piemontese food wonderfully.

2001 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito
I’m afraid Galloni has underrated this wine. Either that or the ambience and the sheer joy over our trip added a few points to the rating. This is a full-bodied, massive wine that makes no excuses before exploding in the mouth with minerals, ripe, dark-dark fruit of mixed berries, ripe cherries (like pralines) and loads of spices. Big, luscious, succulent with tannins that displays power yet with a velvety elegance. The finish is…insert-a-smile-here…absolutely delicious, persistent, focused, lingering on the plate. Impressive stuff. 95 points.

2001 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia
Wow! What an immense drinking pleasure. More red than dark fruit from this stunning example of a first-class wine. Imagine all those wonderful components you are always looking for in that perfect Barolo: roses, licorice, violet, Asian spices, mushroom, forest floor and that ripe, sweet red fruit of wild strawberries and raspberries all mixed into a perfect, balanced liquid that oozes of sensuality. More medium-bodied than full bodied but oh so utterly powerful and focused, The elegance and harmony in the long, long finish is nothing less than astonishing. Bravo! 97 points.

Back to the issue of food people not understanding wine. One thing that eludes me is this very observation, that most people I have met who are absolute brilliant with food, rarely know much about wine. It seems like a curse, as if you would be punished having an talent for one of the components by not having the other. I have seen numerous restaurants with great reputations but with wine list that make you shake your head in wonder, asking yourself if they had a monkey throwing darts on a wine list when they chose their wines. In this case, Trattoria La Posta didn’t fail with the wine list, but the waiter was obviously totally unfamiliar to the notion that you could actually divide two bottles of wine between three fellow wine aficionados. They presented and opened the Cascina Francia and then nothing happened. After some time we kindly asked if they had forgot the other bottle (Lazzarito).

- “Oh, you want the other bottle too?”

- “Well, yes please, if you don’t mind as we would like to enjoy it together with our meal”, was our response.

Away she went only to produce the bottle of Vietti and putting it on a table some ten meters away from us. Big question marks of course among me and my friends. So after some additional time we kindly asked if we by any chance could have the bottle at our table instead of having it stand over there. “Oh, you won’t it now?” she said with an honest surprise in her face. So she walked away, grabbed the bottle and put in our table. Not pouring the wine, and then she disappeared. We would of course not wait but proceeded pouring the wine ourselves and when she came back ten minutes later with us enjoying the comparative notes of the two different yet equally delicious wines, she again gave us a surprised “Oh!?” looking down at the bottle and noticing we had already started pouring it. This question never seems to stop amazing me. What is it with people working with food that makes them into such novices when it comes to wine??

Another peculiar observation from this fine establishment was that it was…warm. And I’m not talking about a little cosy warmth in the midst of a cold autumn. I talking warm here, as in hot. I certainly know that it’s a great tradition of sweating it out in a sauna in Finland, but this is Piemonte... I stripped myself of clothes the best I could without being naked, to prevent myself sitting there sweating while eating and we also asked the waiter to open one of the windows at least to allow a minuscule flow of fresh air into the dining room, although it didn’t help much. In fact, to save the wines from being impossible to enjoy, we asked for an ice bucket, not for any champagne but to save our red wines. Is it just me or shouldn’t a well-reputed restaurant with high ambitions have a minimum of planning when it comes to wine and heat in their locale? Anyway, these were more like things of amusement that made us laugh and smile while trying to save the wines the best we could. All in all it was a wonderful dinner and a ditto evening.

CAPPELLANO

Next morning we started with a winery visit I had very much been looking forward to. I give the visit "98 points". I also give the house in which Cappellano lives in "95 points" and above all, I give Teobaldo Cappellano’s arrival a perfect "100 points"! That’s for arriving in his big jeep (while we were waiting outside his house), climbing outside, stretching out his towering body with a big cigar in his mouth and then squeezing the still burning cigar between the windshield wiper and window of the car – “in order not to forget it when I leave”, he explained, before motioning us toward the entrance. I hope it didn’t look to funny as I picked up my jaw and put it back in place and stopped staring with amazement. What a FUN way to start a winery visit!

Teobaldo’s family have been producing wine in the Barolo zone since 1870. His holding lie in the Gabutti vineyard, located in Serralunga d’Alba and farmed biodynamically (probably without official certification, considering Tebaldo’s views on authorities trying to dictate the rules and regulations of a winery). Gabutti has long been considered one of the greatest crus of the entire Barolo DOCG, known for Barolos of great power and longevity. As the Wine Atlas of Langhe points out: “Gabutti is the starting point of a long ribbon of vineyards along the side of the most prestigious hill of Serralunga, and one of the most outstanding in the entire Barolo DOCG zone”. Though the name Gabutti doesn’t appear on any of the wines’ labels (in protest to the appellation’s expansion to inferior sites), the named Otin Fiorin does appear in honour of a farmer who tended the vineyard for much of his life. Teobaldo Cappellano makes two different Barolos: Pie Rupestris Barolo from vines grafted on American rootstocks in 1946, and Pie Franco Barolo from ungrafted younger vines planted in the 1980s with the Michet clone of Nebbiolo, a practice unheard of in the zone.

Do you get the sense that this is a somewhat different wine producer. Ahhh, yes he is and I salute this difference to the mainstream. What a wonderful character! It’s a pure joy sitting down discussing with Teobaldo. Not just about wine. I believe we handled more about politics, taxes, governments, women, traditions, food and the joy of life before we even mentioned a word about his wines. Oh, and about the winemaking, this is an artist, a man of tradition and firm believer that the soil is something more than just a place to grow grapes on. Cappellano expresses a firm belief that preserving the surrounding ecosystem is essential for producing balanced wine in harmony with its environment. Fermentation is done in cement vats and stainless steel containers and only natural yeasts are use. Subsequent aging is done in large botti. It was such fun to discuss with Teobaldo the practice in the vineyard. It’s about doing nothing. Nothing. “While the other winemakers talk about doing nothing” (meaning as little intervention as possible, both in the vineyard and the cellar, allowing the vineyard terroir speak for itself – my interpretation), he said, “they really do something whereas when I say I’m doing noting I MEAN nothing!” He does some minimal work in the vineyard, but overall it’s about doing nothing and let the vineyards speak for itself.

Cant help to think about that outrageously funny episode when Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza are about to pitch their idea for a new show to the NBC executives and they come up with a show about nothing.

RUSSELL: So, what have you two come up with?
JERRY: Well, we've thought about this in a variety of ways. But the basic idea is I will play myself-
GEORGE: (Interrupting) May I?
JERRY: Go ahead.
GEORGE: I think I can sum up the show for you with one word: NOTHING.
RUSSELL: Nothing?
GEORGE: (Smiling) Nothing.
RUSSELL: (Unimpressed) What does that mean?
GEORGE: The show is about nothing.
JERRY: (To George) Well, it's not about nothing.
GEORGE: (To Jerry) No, it's about nothing.
JERRY: Well, maybe in philosophy. But, even nothing is something.

About the reference to ratings above, as has been mentioned by Antonio Galloni, Teobaldo Cappellano asks everyone to refrain from numerically rate his wines and since I have the uttermost respect for this intelligent and most sincere man, more of a philosopher and poet than a winemaker according to himself, I will oblige yet describe my impression of the wines tasted. By the way, we were happy that he had any bottles to taste at all. With only 3 ha and a production of 17000 bottles, including the famous Barolo Chinato, which is a Barolo spiced with tree bark, herbs and Good knows what more to create something that could best be described as cough medicine (I didn’t try Cappellano’s Chinato, only that of G.D. Vajra), Teobaldo’s wines are difficult to find. The Pie Franco has a production of only 1500 bottles. The 2001 vintage of the Pie Franco was not available for tasting because of the scarcity (so I’m happy I bought a magnum) but we did have the pleasure to taste the 2003 vintage of Pie Franco from cask. Here are my impressions:

2001 Cappellano Barbera d’Alba
Utterly clean, balanced, pure fruit with a soft acidity (compared to the very high-pitched acidity found in so many other Barberas) with red, mild, currant. Delicious.

2003 Cappellano Barbera Vecche Vigne
What a strange little creature. On the nose and also on the palate you notice a slight feeling of blackcurrant leaves and a hint of gooseberries, then an immediate attack of succulent, meaty fruit with loads of spices and a persistent, focused finish. Ahhh…

2001 Cappellano Barolo Otin Fiorin Rupestris-Per Nebioli
Yummy… Everything a Burgundy Pinot Noir ever wanted to be but failed. What a lovely fruit mix of redcurrants, light, fruit of wild strawberries, you know, those smaller versions tasting more towards raspberries and than strawberries. The fruit flavours are utterly pure and polished, intermixed with spices and flowers (roses) and backed up by polished tannins. Much rounder and softer than the Pie Franco Barolo. A joy to drink.

2003 Cappellano Barolo Otin Fiorin Rupestris-Per Nebioli
From cask. Everything found in the 2001 vintage but with much darker fruit, in fact, with lots of blueberries and a much more pronounced peppery note among the cornucopia of spices.

2003 Cappellano Barolo Otin Fiorin Pie Franco-Michet
What a wonderful wine! Blueberries, lingonberries, dark cherries, all perfectly balanced. Nothing stands as everything seems perfectly integrated with the mid-palate – the fruit, the structure, the tannins, the sweetness. Wonderful structure, with tar and minerals components interplaying with all those fresh fruit components. A long, long, lingering finish makes you feel it’s am pity you can’t rate this wine publicly… This is outstanding stuff!

A big hug ended this marvellous visit and again we were leaving a winery visit with a big smile. Teobaldo, I hope to come back on the next visit!

There was time left and we had planned also to visit Sottimano and quickly stop by to say hello to the brothers at Luigi Pira but we were delayed in alba and finally decided not to take any chances with the traffic, which in retrospective was a lucky strike as we got completely stuck when passing Milano on our way to the airport at Bergamo, making it in the last minute. One more winery visit and we would have missed our flight to Stockholm. Yes, home sweet home, but damn, it’s getting increasingly cold here in this country. Roy Hersh, where is a good, old-fashioned warming Port when you need one?

Well folks, here endeth my account of our little excursion to Nebbiololand. All in all a magical tour with the only setback that we weren’t able to visit the estate of Bruno Giacosa, who kindly declined a visit in the month of October, we were told. Nevertheless, we had a great time enjoying ourselves like only true wine aficionados can.

Comments are of course appreciated. Especially if you have similar or opposite impressions of the wines I have been tasting – and care to discuss them. Thanks for reading and hope to see you soon again when I post my impressions from the profound 2005 vintage in Germany. That report, however, is a much more extensive post than this little narrative tale from Piemonte so it will take some time compiling all the tasting notes and personal accounts from yet another wonderful wine tour.