If you thought Husband had abandoned us, fear not. He just has less time to sit around writing than I do. At this pace, I figure that by the time he is finished, I will just be getting into the details of my planned San Francisco trip in mid-October. A note on the following post - it begins with the wine details and then goes into the food, which is in the extended post. There is quite a bit of cork dork lingo here, and if you have any questions about any of the terms, regions, or wines discussed, post a comment and we will be happy to answer! And now, on with day two . . .
Day #2. La Morra and Its Namesake Wines.
The wines of Barolo are separated into 5 different zones, each possessing its own distinctive style and personality. Serralunga offers wines of finesse and florality with firm but fine-grained tannins; Monforte gives maximum depth and power; Castiglione-Falleto offers elegance and fragrance early but is rewarding with time in the bottle; La Morra is gentle, giving and graceful. The fifth zone, Barolo, is a synthesis of the other four zones. The Importer who I was traveling with represents estates in each of the five crus (uniquely recognized growing area), so we would have the opportunity to see the different zones and taste their wines.
I found out later that we were lucky to stay in the town of La Morra. Previous groups had stayed on the outskirts of Alba, which forced them to do much more traveling than we did. In fact, our first winery stop, Mario Marengo, was only a 5-minute walk from the hotel.
Plenty of winemakers are considered or consider themselves to be garagists. In the case of Marco Marengo the wines are literally made in his converted garage. Marco owns parts of some of the finest vineyards in all of the Piedmont, Bruante and Bricco Viole. His wine from the Brunate is the archetype of the Baroli produced in La Morra…full, rich, embracing and perfectly balanced. The Bricco Viole(the hill of Violets) lives up to its name. Deeper and darker than the Brunate, it has a very distinctive floral aspect along with a higher toned fruit and a fuller palate presence. Marco also makes a Dolcetto, Nebbiolo from the Roero and will be releasing a Vigna Vecchia version of the 2004 Brunate. Although production is microscopic (500 cases for Brunate and 200 for Bricco Viole) they are exceptional wines and well worth seeking out.
A short bus ride away was the slightly larger estate of Giovanni and Renato Corino. Due to an impending divorce, the estate will be splitting in two. Renato will be producing the exceptional Barbera D’Alba Vigna Pozzo. This Barbera, from vines planted in the early ‘60s, sees 50% new barrique (barrels) and is released later than the norm. I appreciate Barbera for its easy drinking, refreshing side, but this wine is something more. Deep, polished and suave, its oak supports a warm core of fruit and carries it on through a creamy finish. Not a quaffing wine and not a contrived confection (which we see later in the trip). It feels a little silly to be so enraptured by their Barbera when they own vineyards and make wines from such incredible Crus as Rocche, Arborino and Giachini…but sometimes it’s the small things that make a huge impact.
Our third visit of the day was with a legend, Elio Altare. This was the first estate that The Importer worked with.. Traditionally, farmers in the Piedmont grew grapes and sold them to a Co-Op. Hence, the more their vines could produce, the more money they made. When The Importer first approached Elio, he told him he had great vineyard sites and that he make great wine. But to do so, he would have to do the unthinkable…go through the vineyards and cut out the fruit that wasn’t ripening. He would get less fruit, but what he did get would be all the better. So Elio took a leap of faith - he started green-harvesting. When his father saw his son cutting money off the vine and throwing it on the ground, he disinherited him. It took Elio two decades to buy everything back from his sisters. However, the vineyard work made a difference, and his estate is now a flagship of Barolo.
After tasting through barrel and tank samples of Barbera and Barolo, we moved upstairs to their tasting room. We lunched with the Altares (his daughter Sylvia is in the process of taking over the winemaking) in a room overlooking the Arborina vineyard. Lunch was typical of the area: fresh fruit and melon, Prosciutto and Salami, Zucchini Frittata and Insalata Russo (a mayonnaise-bound salad of rice, tuna, peas, carrots and corn…how it’s related to Russia, I don’t know). With lunch we drank the ‘99 and ‘01 Vigneto Arborina. In all honesty, the wines were disappointing. Others in the group who had tasted a number of his wines said that they are atypical for the region. The wines of La Morra are generally soft and giving, but the wines of Altare demand time. In fact, the last wine of our lunch was a testament to the longevity of Altare’s wine. Barbera is not thought of for its longevity, but a bottle of his 1986 was still holding strong. We rolled ourselves out of the tasting room, thanked the Altares and hopped back on the bus.
The next stop was at the estate of Mauro Molino. These wines only became available in our market last year. They are simply gorgeous wines. Lest this piece get too long, I’ll hit the highlight and lowlight. If you can find it, their “basic” Nebbiolo is silky, warm and delicious, it also improves in the bottle for several years. Sadly and for reasons I don’t know or can’t understand, the Molinos are producing Chardonnay. Not that it wasn’t fresh and tasty, it was…I just can’t see the world’s need for another Chardonnay…from anywhere or in any style. After a rapid-fire taste through we were back on the bus for our last estate tasting and dinner.
By the time we rolled into the Fratelli Revello estate we were all beat. In fact, I started to nod off during the tasting. That’s what a fat belly and wine with lunch will do. It was a shame too, because the Revellos have some fine vineyard space and I do enjoy their wines. However, the tasting ended up a blur. We regrouped after the tasting and went back to the hotel to freshen up and allow the Revellos to set up for dinner.
Dinner was the time when we could relax and drink the wines instead of tasting them. Each night the last estate we visited would host us and the other winemakers we had visited that day, assuming there were no conflicts of interest…more on that later. Not only do the different estates bring food, they bring wine…and lots of it. On the first night we sat outside, at the top of the vineyard, and ate with both Revello brothers and their wives and kids, the Altare family, Marco Marengo, two of the Molinos and the Grasso family. These people really know how to eat. Huge plates of Carné Cruda (raw Piedmont veal loin), marinated peppers, onion frittata and zucchini frittata made their way around the table. These were washed down with copious quantities of Barolo and Barbera. What came next may be one of the most fantastic things I’ve ever had, and a culinary feat. Marco Marengo’s mother made Agnolotti for all of us. Mind you, these are hand made tiny filled pasta and she made them for 25 people. I can only imagine how long it must have taken. In honor of her hard work, I had three helpings…it was the least I could do. After the pasta came plates of fresh tomatoes, peppers and celery and an abundance of cheese. Dessert was simple, but memorable. What looked like plates of Salami were passed around and in fact it’s referred to as Salame Dolce or sweet salami. It’s a barely sweet uncooked cookie studded with hazelnuts. My loving wife tried one recipe, which was good but different. When we get the recipe down, I’m sure it will be posted here.
It was after midnight by this point and we all piled back on the bus. Shots of Fernet Branca (an Italian digestif) were passed around on the trip back (it settles the stomach and helps you sleep). We had to be up and ready to leave the hotel by 8:00am, for more Barolo and more food...
