Finally a full night’s sleep and we are ready for the day! Nice relaxing breakfast before heading to Monforte d’Alba to do a little sightseeing. Beautiful church with a wonderfully decorated interior, sculptural stations of the cross, simple yet beautiful ceiling, and great frescos. Cool little town that we wandered around some by foot and then did the major climbs in our trusty Opel. One can easily see that history has been kind to this town and there is some money that runs deep here as is evident by the villas above the town and richly decorated church in the central piazza.
Over to La Morra for lunch, a highly elevated hill town with wonderful views, unfortunately the high heat and humidity abbreviated our visit and hindered our views a bit. Drove down to Osteria Veglio for a second try and was again denied, not meant to be this time.
Drove over towards Serralunga d’Alba to visit the extremely isolated Seghesio winery. Aldo hosted us and did not speak a single word of English! I tried my best to keep things going and have some transfer of information back and forth. He and his wife were very nice but there was certainly a balance of good wine, awkward silence, and clumsy lingual exchanges. The prices were right and we picked up some Barbera and a “Super-Piedmonte” blend. Tasted ’07 Dolcetto** and ’07 Barbera d’Alba** with no oak, ’06 Barbera d’Alba** aged in barrique that was much richer and deeper, ’05 Bouquet*** (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Nebbiolo blend) that was very nice, and ’05 Barolo La villa** that was fruit forward and powerful. Overall a very cool visit (despite the high heat) that was rustic and extremely authentico.
Back to the hotel for some vino bianco, cheese and breadsticks by the pool. Great scenery, both local and some imported from Germany… Met an automobile writer from Bavaria that was more pro-American that us! Ha! Yah. Though he left us craving a nice “summer beer.”
Dinner at Antica Corona Reale da Renzo in Cervere, after an extended drive, we arrived ready to eat. Another top class ristorante. Started with a Piedmonte sparkler from a producer called Cocchi from the Langhe that was dry and yeasty and a perfect way to re-awaken our palates for the special meal about to come our way. We all started with the house specialty – fried baby frogs. The general consensus of the table was that it was best that Kelly wasn’t here for this part of evening… They were moist and delicate, somewhat like a mini chicken wing, and a very memorable antipasto. Chris and I followed with two different ravioli dishes that we both thoroughly enjoyed while Dad skipped to a secondi, agnello (about time…) – a beautiful rack of lamb. All went quite well with the ’05 Roberto Voerzio Barbera d’Alba** that was much more massive and luscious than others in this area, but quite enjoyable. Dolci misti of tasty treats before Chris had a duo of crème brulee (lavender and amaretto), Dad had profiteroles, and I had a chocolate cake with gelato. The service here was the best we have experienced in Piedmonte and maybe the best I’ve ever had in Italy.
After a grappa and good conversation back at Einaudi, it was off to bed.
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.
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