Italy 2010 - Travel Journal - Part II

May 21, 2009
Actually slept pretty well, so I decided to go for a run down to Dogliani. It ended up being a pretty treacherous route with about a 400 foot decline in the first mile along a popular road to town. The return portion was certainly a challenge between the steep grade and non-existence shoulder along the road.
Breakfast was as simple yet elegant as I remember from our last visit. Fresh strawberries and pineapple, cheeses, breads, trio of cereals, fresh hard boiled eggs, homemade jams of reds fruits or plums, fresh squeezed juice, and some pretty delicious coffee.

Off to Luciano Sandrone for our 9:30 appointment, not an easy task, AGAIN. But, with highly detailed directions we were only 15 minutes late this time! Good work Chris.
We are greeted by Barbara Sandrone’s assistant, Anna Rech, but are joined shortly thereafter by Barbara herself. It is great to see her and we can easily see that the feeling is mutual. She is expectantly quite reluctant and humbled to receive the gift we have brought along, ’06 Seasmoke Botella. We talk politics, economic struggles, and our common optimism, recent weather that has resulted in the mudslides making the already confusing system of roads all the more difficult to navigate, and just general pleasantries about family. I am immediately reminded of her genuine and uncommonly sweet nature. The tour is in depth and enjoyable. During the process I learned a new factoid on the winery’s construction. It is a “box in a box” allowing separation of all foundation walls from the interior wall for insulation from the temperature and humidity.
Our tasting is a nice expression of their production: ’07 Dolcetto**, ’06 Barbara*** (especially good), ’06 Nebbiolo Valmaggiore** (in Roero with extremely steep sloped vineyard), ’05 Barolo Le Vigne***, and ’05 Barolo Cannubi Boschis***. So, 3 ½ hours later and after Barbara presented us with her grandmother’s homemade fruit preserves and a personalized bottle of the ’04 Valmaggiore, we were on our way. Oh yeah, that’s not including the invitation to return with the ladies for a next visit, tasting, lunch, and vineyard tour of the breathtaking Valmaggiore!

Onto Castiglione Falletto; as we wound our way up the streets of this medieval village we quickly found our lunch destination, Ristorante Le Torri. This place is something else, the well appointed exterior and interior architecture is a wonderful preamble for the spectacular views and equally inspiring food. Lightly breaded and ricotta stuffed zucchini flower to awaken the palate. Dad and I had Burrata with trout carpaccio (looking like a caprese salad) while Chris had a salted cod over potato and vegetable salad. Next Chris and I had Plin (small local ravioli) with classic burro and salvia while Dad had fettuccine with asparagus and cherry tomatoes. We accompanied these with a delightfully refreshing and aromatic ’08 Vietti Arneis**.
After that great lunch, we walked next door to taste and visit Vietti. We are welcomed by the Currado family and hosted by the mother of wine maker and current proprietor, Luca Currado. She is the Vietti family. Following this talkative and energetic woman in her 70s we climbed all over the hillside of the historic facility walking deep into caves that connect to original tunnels dating back to the 8th century and formally connecting all the way to Serralunga d’Alba as a means for escape from attack. So many different levels and small rooms that at one point we’re facing east and peering through small windows offering a view of Serralunga d’Alba and then in another we were told to look out and surprisingly this was west and in the distance was La Morra. Though the spaces were immensely interesting and like something conjured from time long passed, I found myself wondering how wine is even made in this maze of rustic spaces and vast caves cut so deep into the hillside. Besides the modern technology found in the tasting room and stainless steel fermenting tanks, this winery is much more reminiscent of a winery at the turn of the 20th century rather than the 21st, making it all the more impressive the high quality of vino produced here.
Fun Fact: Alfredo Currado (Luca’s father) is called the Father of Arneis. He was the first to vinifi a 100% Arneis wine from Roero in known history. They simply had random vines in the vineyards that the growers called “nebbiolo bianco” and the winemakers mixed them all together during harvest without a second thought. In 1978, Alfredo was able to get the local catholic parish priest to make an announcement at mass to ask all growers to separate the Arneis fruit out and he would buy it. 46 baskets – 1 to 2 baskets at a time and he made the first 1000 bottles of Arneis in Piedmonte. Also, he is credited with being the first to make vineyard designate (single vineyard) Barolos.

Besides the beautiful labels that decorate the Vietti bottles, what is on the inside is all the more special. Just like the lesson taught to Chris and I by Mom… They have been enlisting the services of different artists for the past 35 years to do label art at the price of 6 cases of the wine their art will adorn.
Finding ourselves now in the newly redecorated and highly modern-chic tasting room we are treated to a beautiful line-up of Vietti wines. ’08 Arneis** (same as lunch), ’06 Barbera d’Alba Scarrone**, ’06 Barbera d’Asti La Crena**, ’05 Barolo Castiglione***, and ’05 Barolo Lazzarito***. The common theme is definitely a purity of fruit and true expression of varietal and vineyard specific characteristics.

After a quick drive over to La Morra for a little purchasing research at the impressive Enoteca Gallo, we head back to Einaudi to freshen up and catch our breath before dinner.

Up in Alba, after carrying on the common theme of this area and losing our way for a bit, we were directed by a friendly local to our dinner destination, La Libera. At first glance this restaurant is modern and inventive and through the antipasti it stretched my understanding of Italian cuisine. Seafood mouse stuffed zucchini flowers with chilled gamberi for Chris and Dad during which I got something that is actually quite difficult for me to describe. It was a large poached egg with a carciofi crème on a bed of julienned sardines and some sort of root vegetable. The primi’s came back to more recognizable and traditional fare; Chris having what is becoming his norm – Tajarin with ragu, Dad – Fusili (thickest and longest I’ve ever seen) with a seppia (octopus) and carciofi sauce, and I got a Lasagnetta of asparagi (lasagna baked in a puff pastry). I rarely turn down a pasta baked al forno. We accompanied those with a ’96 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin***. After a quick decant the wine really opened up. It began with crushed raspberries and sweet violets but developed into roasted meats and saddle leather on the nose with pomegranate and tart red raspberries on the palate. Time to head back to Einaudi, Alba is a town in the same spirit of Avignon and I look forward to our next visit. Maybe tomorrow we will have the energy for a grappa in our lounge.

0 Stars - No rating
1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that is worth searching out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.