The day dawns foggy – very typical given the temperature variation that is common here in autumn. The harvest begins today in Valmaggiore for Nebbiolo. VM is in the Roero, an area north of Barolo, on the other side of the Tanaro River, past Alba. I drive out with Luciano for a few hours of picking in the afternoon – it is bright and sunny and hot up here, as opposed to the chill in the air around Barolo. Most of the rest of the winery crew has been out here since before 8am. The geology changes completely here – the soils are all sand. Luciano and I talk about the differences between the two areas on the 25-minute ride over. Driving up to the top of the vineyard on a single-lane dirt road is a challenge – the truck keeps slipping around in the sand. Kinda like driving at dunes … really.
The Valmaggiore vineyard is only one of two real “cru” in the Roero, the other being Occhetti, which is also partially owned by the Sandrones. Nebbiolo from Roero is typically more fruit driven, less tannic and structured and drinks at an earlier age than Nebbiolo from the Langhe. I’ve always been struck by the strawberry/red raspberry aspect of the Valmaggiore wine. This vineyard, by the way, is steep – up to a 50% slope in some areas. Each row of grapes is on a narrow terrace cut into the side of the hill, which allows workers easy access to the grapes – this is by far the easiest vineyard I’ve ever been in to pick, as the grapes are right at waist to shoulder level, no bending over for hours on end. However, while it is easy to pick, it is most emphatically not easy to get those crates off the hillside. Running a tractor to collect the picking baskets up and down the rows is impossible. Instead, they use a “sled” – and it’s this contraption that Luciano wants me to see. The sled is hooked to the winch on a tractor and is hauled up and down the side of the hill – it holds 12 crates of grapes while two workers climb beside it, manhandling it between the rows and loading the crates. Amazing to watch.
The nebbiolo here is gorgeous – there wasn’t any hail this year and the fruit is plump, solid, sweet and still with good acid. Luca should be really proud – the vineyards are his bailiwick – and this is amazing fruit.
Luciano and I head back to the winery around 6 to finish up some odds and ends. I leave a bit early as I have no food in my apartment and I need to get to the grocery store before it closes …
It is also Duncan’s last night in Italy, so I join him, his brother Stewart, Silvia, Tes, Elena and Alfio Cavalotto (a solid producer of traditionally styled Barolo) for dinner in Alba at La Liberia, a really nice-looking modern osteria. Everything is quite lovely, but the service is, in typical Italian fashion, slow and somewhat inept, if well-meaning, most of the time. As a former restaurateur, it drives me crazy when the service staff undermines the ambitions of the restaurant. This place is well-designed, with great lighting (a rarity in Italy) and a sleek, modern feel – the cheese cart is built into the wall, really cool, looks like an aquarium – but the service level is the same as at any other simple roadside osteria, sadly. Still, we have a great time – the food is really good here, and once things get moving, the service improves … somewhat. We try a few nice wines as a send-off for Duncan. He tucks his lower lip up and does his best Margaret Thatcher impression. Please tell me I am not nuts – this looks just like her to me.
Also pictured: Silvia and Tes. Tes is a wicked cool cat – he came here from Japan not speaking a lick of Italian and dove right in, learning the language and going to the oenological school in Alba – his Italian is now so fast I cannot understand him half the time. He works at the Altare winery when not at school, basically getting the nuts-and-bolts education from Elio and Silvia. The guy is talented and will probably go on to make the next amazing cult wine. You heard about him here first …
2006 Vietti Nebbiolo Langhe “Perbacco”
Hyper-modern, if the nose is any indication. Some black fruits, overwhelmed by a sort of gooey vanilla sauce essence. Tasty, yes, but soulless. 2.5
2003 Macarini Barolo Brunate
Very strange – lots of tobacco and violets, decent cherry, everything seems to be in place, but but but … there is something kinka out-of-whack about the whole thing, maybe due to the extremely difficult vintage – its like looking at something you thought you knew well, and all of a sudden it reveals an aspect that is totally unexpected, and not in a good way … like a third leg. 2.5
2001 E Pira di Chiara Boschis, Barolo “Via Nuova”
The solidity of the vintage really shows through – loads of big, extracted fruit framed by great tannin and acid. It is still a bit harsh in the mouth but has good potential. Vanilla and chocolate point to modern winemaking choices, but the fruit and floral aspects keep the terroir distinctly Piedmontese. 3.0+
2001 E Pira di Chiara Boschis, Barolo “Cannubi”
Again, the 2001 vintage is one for the ages and this is a baby. Tasted next to Chiara’s Via Nuova, this also shows off what an amazing piece of land the Cannubi is – all black cherries, rose petals, earthy tobacco and anise. Really lovely, great structure and acid, really ripe ripe tannins, lovely finish. The star of the evening. 4.0
Duncan doing his Maggie Thatcher impression:
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