Pio Cesare Barolo Nebbiolo with Italian Pasta

Pio Cesare Barolo Nebbiolo with Italian Pasta 

Following our dinner outing at Angeli’s Italian Restaurant, we enjoyed our pasta leftovers and opened a middle aged Italian Barolo wine for an Italian varietal / cuisine pairing. 

Pio Cesare Barolo 2018

Five generations of the Pio family have followed one another in succession producing Pio Cesare’s wines for 135 years in its ancient cellars in the center of the town of Alba.

Founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio, a successful entrepreneur he was inspired to produce a small and select quantity of wines from the hills of Barolo and Barbaresco for himself, his family, friends, and customers.

In 1940, Giuseppe Pio’s only child, Rosy, married Giuseppe Boffa, a young and well-known engineer from Alba, who managed a large company in Milan at the time. When Italy began to struggle during the Second World War, Giuseppe Boffa left his job in Milan to dedicate himself to the Pio Cesare winery.

Through his efforts, the Pio Cesare brand gained fame and prominence both domestically and internationally, becoming one of the most respected names among Italian wine producers, with a special focus on its renowned Barolo.

Rosy and Giuseppe Boffa named their youngest son Pio, in honor of his great-grandfather’s surname. Pio Boffa, the fourth generation, leads and directs the company today. In the early 1990’s Pio Boffa asked his cousin Augusto to join him in the company. 

In 2000, Pio’s sister’s son, Cesare Benvenuto, became the fifth generation, joined recently by Pio Boffa’s daughter, Federica Rosy, in working at Pio Cesare, representing the future of the Family.

Today, family members travel around the world, to more than 50 countries promoting Pio Cesare wines.

Pio Cesare own 170 acres of vineyards on prime hillside exposures located in multiple different communes of the Barolo and Barbaresco appellations.

As is customary with Barolo wines, this is 100% Nebbiolo, estate grown sourced from family-owned vineyards in Serralunga d’Alba (Ornato, La Serra and Briccolina), Grinzane Cavour (Gustava and Garretti), La Morra (Roncaglie), Novello (Ravera) and, since the 2015 vintage, their recently acquired vineyard in Monforte (Mosconi). 

The new selection 'Pio' from Pio Cesare is a blend of the different MGAs of the estate. This is the classic “formula” used by the ancient Barolo Families to produce a wines that embraces and combines each of the unique characteristics of the different vineyards and terroirs of the Barolo area.

The wine is aged in large French oak “botti” for about 30 months; and a small amount in barriques as well.

Distributor notes - A classic style Barolo. Excellent structure, harmony and elegance. Soft tannins and balanced fruit. Approachable, but with a very long ageing potential. Barolo is a great wine, which should not be described as a “basic” or “regular” Barolo, simply because it does not have any additional indication on the label.

Winemaker Notes - “A classic style Barolo. Excellent structure, harmony and elegance. Soft tannins and balanced fruit. Approachable, but with a very long ageing potential. Barolo is a great wine, which should not be described as a “basic” or “regular” Barolo, simply because it does not have any additional indication on the label.”

This was rated 94 points by James Suckling, 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, and 91 points by Decanter and Wine Enthusiast. 

We found this a bit disappointing with the subdued fruit overtaken by non-fruit flavors, especially given its ultra-premium price. 

Dark garnet colored with a slight brownish/grey hue, medium bodied, spicy red cherry and plum fruits with notes of earthy tobacco and leather with hints creosote, truffle and camphor. 

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/w?4217182

https://www.piocesare.it/en/vini/barolo/

Italian wine duo for baked Lasagna dinner

Italian wine duo for baked Lasagna dinner

We were invited to neighbors Richard and Adessa’s for dinner of baked lasagna, salad and garlic bread. We took a cheese plate of artisan cheeses with fresh pear and from our cellar a duo of Italian wines, a white and a red.

I wrote recently about a red wine we acquired from the WSJ - Wall Street Journal wine club. This was the other wine included in that offer which I was eager to try. 

It’s always caveat emptor when sampling wines from one of these sources. Both of these labels exceeded our expectations offering wonderful wines at tremendous QPR - Quality Price Ratio value. 

With the cheese and fruit starter course we enjoyed a traditional Italian Piedmont Moscato - perfect for a hot summer evening. 

Albino Rocca Rosso di Rocca Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo 2021

This was a perfect pairing with the delicious baked lasagna - amplifying the enjoyment of both the food and the wine!

This is from the Albino Rocca Barbaresco vineyards and winery family owned and operated over four generations dating back to the 1940's, when Giacomo Rocca began bottling wine in demijohns. In the 1960's, his son, the proprietors’ grandfather, Albino, expanded the vineyard holdings, eventually operating by his son Angelo Rocca, father of the current generation.

The family has vines in some of the most prestigious Crus of Barbaresco: Ronchi, Ovello, Montersino and Cottà. Albino Rocco produce a dozen labels all sourced from their four estate vineyards located in the most noble areas of production of Barbaresco DOCG, which consist of Nebbiolo and also include Barbera, Dolcetto, Cortese, Chardonnay and Moscato.

They strive to produce the highest quality wines that express the characteristics, purity and elegance that are so recognizably linked with the terrior of their estate.

While their winemaking activities started in the 1940’s, they had previous experience in viticulture starting from the nineteenth century. The family’s vineyard area is almost 50 acres, located in three out of the four productive communes; Barbaresco, Neive, and San Rocco Seno d’Elvio (Alba) as well as various cultivated vines: primarily Nebbiolo, then Barbera, Dolcetto, Cortese, Moscato, and Chardonnay.

This label is sourced from a vineyard in Magliano Alfieri, a municipality on the left side of the river Tanaro, which gave birth to this new version of Nebbiolo, acquired by the family in 2016, with current production wines planted between 1967 and 2002. 

Nebbiolo is the native varietal synonymous with and originated in Piedmont in Italy, where it remains the region's most important red grape. Its name comes from the Italian word nebbia, which means fog, a feature of the hills where the grape traditionally grows. Nebbiolo is thick-skinned, early-budding and late-ripening; it needs long periods of sunshine to ripen fully and is often planted on south- or southwest-facing hillsides for maximum exposure. The best examples come from calcareous marl vineyards, with some planted in sandy soils.

The result was a highly fragrant red wine, with young fruit and flower aromas, fresh flavors that are ready to enjoy.

This is a blend of  Nebbiolo (97%) augmented with a slight bit of Cabernet Franc (3%) which adds some color, structure and flavors of spice. 

Average annual production is about 9000 bottles.

Bright ruby red colored, light-medium bodied, vibrant aromas and flavors of juicy ripe red berry, cherry and pomegranate fruits with floral and subtle earth tones, balanced by vibrant acidity and ultra-fine tannins, with a refreshing lingering finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4383037

https://www.albinorocca.com/

Steak Night, Fresh Catch and Wine Specials at Wine Bar Destin

Steak Night, Fresh Catch and Wine Specials at Wine Bar Destin

The Wine Bar - Destin 

Visiting our favorite getaway, Destiny Cove vacation rental in Destin Florida, we dined at The Wine Bar restaurant in Destin. 

We first discovered the Wine Bar in the Sandestin Grand Boulevard shopping center. It's adjacent to and affiliated with the Wine World wine shop that has an amazing and impressive selection of 100 point and first growth producer wines. We then learned they have four locations including this one, the Wine Bar in Destin nearby.

The Wine Bar Destin location is located at the Shoppes of Paradise Key (on Commons Drive across from the Destin Commons Center). In addition to the restaurant, they have the adjacent wine shop that also includes a cheese shop - a trifecta, all in the one location, just up the street from our neighborhood!  

The dining room offers casual fine dining in a rustic and quaint setting, intimate and slightly dark, with an adjacent bar and a private wine room for special dinners and private groups.

The Wine Bar restaurant offers a core selection soups, salads and small plates, with chicken, steaks and fresh seafood. They tout an award winning wine list, and and extensive selection of artisan cheeses! 

The wine list offers a broad selection of WBTG - Wines By The Glass; five Sparkling Wines, three Rose's, nine "Fresh and Bright Whites", and nine "Round Rich and Ripe White Wines". For red wine selections they offer seven :Soft and Fruity Reds", twelve "Big and Bold Reds:. 

And, for 'Happy Hour', from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily, they offer a 12 oz. carafe of WBTG selections for the price of a large glass, 8 oz.  They also offer a wine flight of Luxury Whites and one of Luxury Reds.

We ordered from the wine list a carafe specials the premium Brunello Montalcino of which they were out, so, we opted for a Barolo, a Napa Valley Red Blend, and a Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay.

As starters we ordered the cesar salad and the Beet Caprese Salad - heirloom tomatoes, roasted red beets, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, balsamic glaze (shown below).

For entrees, Linda ordered the Manchego Crusted Grouper, the Daily Fresh Catch Special with carolina gold rice, field peas, wild mushrooms, lardons, jalapeno and citrus beurre blanc.

Saturday night is Steak Special night so I ordered the Saturday Night Filet of Beef special, prepared Pittsburgh style, charred on the outside, medium hot pink center on the inside.

With the steak we ordered two carafe special red wines, a Red Blend and a Barolo, our second choice since the published Brunello di Montalcino was not available.

Aril Sonoma County Kick Ranch Red Blend 2017

This is from Aril Wines, founded in 2008 by Harmon and Joanne Brown to produce a small amount of premium, hand-crafted wines based on their Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard in Napa Valley. They retained renowned winemaker and viticulturist Ehren Jordan (Failla/Turley) as winemaker and vineyard consultant in 2014. He employed a simple philosophy of procuring optimal grapes and respecting them in the winery applying a minimalist approach to showcase place, balance, and elegance.

In 2018, the Jay family purchased the brand to continue the legacy and production. 

Aril produce four labels of Bordeaux varietals including this unique blend which includes Rhone varietal Syrah, all sourced from the Kick Ranch Vineyard that sits high atop Spring Mountain which separates Napa Valley to the east and Sonoma Valley to the west. 

Sitting on the western facing slope of the mountain in what is known as the Fountaingrove District in Sonoma County, it has vistas all they way to the Petaluma Gap to the west, which provides cool nights and foggy mornings. The producer site describes the vineyard rows planted to capture maximum sun exposure.

The Fountaingrove District is a sleeper of an appellation within Sonoma County, the 17th AVA, latest and most recent to receive American Viticultural Area (AVA) status in March 2015. 

The District takes its name from an historic area of northeastern Santa Rosa, the Fountaingrove District that was inspired by the legacy of California's original "cult winery." Of the 38,000-acres in the appellation 500 acres are planted to vineyards from five wine producers.

 

The Fountaingrove District sits in the middle of the Mayacamas Mountain range that separates Napa Valley to the east from Sonoma Valley to the west. It is bounded to the north by Sonoma County's Knights Valley AVA, Sonoma Valley to the south, Chalk Hill to the northwest, and Russian River Valley to the west.

This label is a unique blend of Syrah, Cabernet and Petit Verdot. It was aged in 33% new French Oak barrels for eighteen months. This was the six vintage release of this label. Only 275 cases were produced.

This was dark ruby colored, medium full bodied, concentrated full round red and black fruits with notes of dusty rose, leather and spice with hints of anise.

https://www.cellartracker.com/m/wines/4847352

https://www.arilwines.com/


Azienda Agricola Icollirossi Barolo Monforte d'Alba Nebbiolo 2018

Icollirossi Barolo is a DOCG designated wine from the Piedmont region in Northern Italy.

One of the world's great red wines, Barolo is also one of the most distinctive, primarily due to the DOCG rules regulating the grape, how it is produced and the unique terroir of the region in which it grows. Wines from the Barolo DOCG must be 100% Nebbiolo. Barolo wines are noted for their ability to age and need to be aged for at least 38 months after the harvest before release, of which at least 18 months must be in wood.

Located in North West Italy, the Piedmont Wine Region has the largest area in terms of DOC and DOCG wines. Meaning “foot of the mountain,” due to its proximity to the Alps, Piedmont wines including Barolo, Barberesco, Gattinara, Ghemme and Gavi all benefit from the slopes and terrain characteristic of the region. 

Barolo production codes stipulate that vineyards must be located on hillsides, however a recent revision of the production code released in 2010 goes further to specifically exclude valley floors, humid and flat areas, areas without sufficient sunlight, and areas with full-on northern exposures.

Nebbiolo is the dominant grape variety for reds and produces wines with tannic and acidic qualities that can also have fairly high alcohol content. This distinctive combination profile makes distinguished and cellar-worthy wines of Barolo and Barberesco some of the most sought-after. 

This Barolo is from the commune of Monforte d'Alba, one of several  DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) communes in the northern Italian region of Piedmont.

Winemaker notes - "Bold and complex, I Colli Rossi Cru Monforte Barolo 2018 delivers rich flavors of dark fruits, spices, and earthiness. Powerful tannins and a long finish. Pair with lamb, beef, and game."

Bright Ruby colored, medium full bodied, layered flavors of blackberry and cherry with notes of earth, anise, tobacco and hints of cedar and clove spice with polished tannins on an expressive lingering finish.

RM 89

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4381237

Mer Soleil Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2022

This is an entry level label from the legendary Wagner Family wine portfolio, most known for their flagship Caymus brand. Mer Soleil is led by second generation Owner and Winemaker Charlie Wagner. It is sourced from vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA near the coast in Monterey County.

This wine is named for the sea and sun in recognition of the distinctive place where it is sourced. The Santa Lucia Highlands, 40 minutes south from Monterey in North Central coastal California are known for morning fog, bright sunshine and gusting winds and an extended growing season. Grapes stay on the vine longer, leading to the development of intense aromas and flavors. 

Producer's notes - "A lively flaxen gold, this wine features a harmonious nose that previews the playful balance to come on the palate. Scents of brown spice, toasted almonds, custard and light oak mingle with Meyer lemon zest, honeysuckle and a hint of apricot. Entry is round, as this wine's fruit and natural acidity build on each other, with echoes of brown spice, citrus and apricot enveloped in a creamy texture. A vibrant finish of lemon/lime showcases the distinctly bright acidity produced from the Monterey coast, leaving an enticing freshness that prepares the palate for another sip."

Aromas of baked croissant, apricot, lemon/lime and honeysuckle. Round and creamy on the palate with notes of lemon squares and fresh natural acidity. Creamy yet fresh, the wine is balanced by lively acidity and bright citrus.

A widely distributed, moderately priced, easy drinking Chardonnay.

RM 88 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4851990

https://www.thewinebarfl.com/the-wine-bar-destin

Steak Night, Fresh Catch and Wine Specials at Wine Bar Destin

Steak Night, Fresh Catch and Wine Specials at Wine Bar Destin

Visiting our favorite Destin Florida vacation rental, The Cove, we dined at The Wine Bar restaurant in Destin. 

We first discovered the Wine Bar in the Sandestin Grand Boulevard shopping center. It's adjacent to and affiliated with the Wine World wine shop that has an amazing and impressive selection of 100 point and first growth producer wines. We then learned they have four locations including this one, the Wine Bar in Destin nearby.

The Wine Bar Destin location is located at the Shoppes of Paradise Key (on Commons Drive across from the Destin Commons Center). In addition to the fine dining restaurant, they have the Craft Bar restaurant, and the adjacent Wine World wine shop that also includes a cheese shop - a trifecta, all in the one location, just up the street in our neighborhood!  

The dining room offers casual fine dining in a rustic and quaint setting, intimate and slightly dark, with an adjacent bar and a private wine room for special dinners and private groups.

The Wine Bar restaurant offers a core selection soups, salads and small plates, with chicken, steaks and fresh seafood. They tout an award winning wine list, and and extensive selection of artisan cheeses! 

The wine list offers a broad selection of WBTG - Wines By The Glass; five Sparkling Wines, three Rose's, nine "Fresh and Bright Whites", and nine "Round Rich and Ripe White Wines". For red wine selections they offer seven :Soft and Fruity Reds", twelve "Big and Bold Reds:. 

And, for 'Happy Hour', from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily, they offer a 12 oz. carafe of WBTG selections for the price of a large glass, 8 oz.  They also offer a wine flight of Luxury Whites and one of Luxury Reds.

We ordered from the wine list a carafe specials the premium Brunello Montalcino of which they were out, so, we opted for a Barolo, a Napa Valley Red Blend, and a Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay.

As starters we ordered the cesar salad and the Beet Caprese Salad - heirloom tomatoes, roasted red beets, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, balsamic glaze (shown below).

For entrees, Linda ordered the Manchego Crusted Grouper, the Daily Fresh Catch Special with carolina gold rice, field peas, wild mushrooms, lardons, jalapeno and citrus beurre blanc.

Saturday night is Steak Special night so I ordered the Saturday Night Filet of Beef special, prepared Pittsburgh style, charred on the outside, medium hot pink center on the inside.

With the steak we ordered two carafe special red wines, a Red Blend and a Barolo, our second choice since the published Brunello di Montalcino was not available.

Aril Sonoma County Kick Ranch Red Blend 2017

This is from Aril Wines, founded in 2008 by Harmon and Joanne Brown to produce a small amount of premium, hand-crafted wines based on their Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard in Napa Valley. They brought on renowned winemaker and viticulturist Ehren Jordan (Failla/Turley) as winemaker and vineyard consultant in 2014. He employed a simple philosophy of procuring optimal grapes and respecting them in the winery applying a minimalist approach to showcase place, balance, and elegance.

In 2018, they sold the brand to the Jay family who continue the legacy and production. 

Aril produce four labels of Bordeaux varietals including this unique blend which includes Rhone varietal Syrah, all sourced from the Kick Ranch Vineyard that sits high atop Spring Mountain which separates Napa Valley to the east and Sonoma Valley to the west. 

Sitting on the western facing slope of the mountain in what is known as the Fountaingrove District in Sonoma County, it has vistas all they way to the Petaluma Gap to the west, which provides cool nights and foggy mornings. The producer site describes the vineyard rows planted to capture maximum sun exposure.

The Fountaingrove District is a sleeper of an appellation within Sonoma County, the 17th AVA, latest and most recent to receive American Viticultural Area (AVA) status in March 2015. 

The District takes its name from an historic area of northeastern Santa Rosa, the Fountaingrove District that was inspired by the legacy of California's original "cult winery." Of the 38,000-acres in the appellation 500 acres are planted to vineyards from five wine producers.

 

The Fountaingrove District sits in the middle of the Mayacamas Mountain range that separates Napa Valley to the east from Sonoma Valley to the west. It is bounded to the north by Sonoma County's Knights Valley AVA, Sonoma Valley to the south, Chalk Hill to the northwest, and Russian River Valley to the west.

This label is a unique blend of Syrah, Cabernet and Petit Verdot. It was aged in 33% new French Oak barrels for eighteen months. This was the six vintage release of this label. Only 275 cases were produced.

This was dark ruby colored, medium full bodied, concentrated full round red and black fruits with notes of dusty rose, leather and spice with hints of anise.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/m/wines/4847352

https://www.arilwines.com/

We also from the WBTG selections this DOCG Nebbiolo.

Azienda Agricola Icollirossi Barolo Monforte d'Alba Nebbiolo 2018

Icollirossi Barolo DOCG is a renowned Italian red wine known for its complexity, often featuring red fruit, floral, and earthy notes. Barolo, produced in Piedmont, is often referred to as the "King of Wines."

One of the world's great red wines, Barolo is also one of the most distinctive. This is due to several factors, with two being the most important, grape and the soil in which it grows. Wines from the Barolo DOCG must be 100% Nebbiolo and aged at least 38 months, 18 of those in wood barrels. 

Located in North West Italy, the Piedmont Wine Region has the largest area in terms of DOC and DOCG wines. Meaning “foot of the mountain,” due to its proximity to the Alps, Piedmont wines including Barolo, Barberesco, Gattinara, Ghemme and Gavi all benefit from the slopes and terrain characteristic of the region. Nebbiolo, the dominant grape variety for reds, produces wines with tannic and acidic qualities that can also have fairly high alcohol content. This combination makes the distinguished and cellar-worthy wines of Barolo and Barberesco some of the most sought-after, according to our Piedmont Wine Guide. In terms of value, the Langhe, Ghemme and Gattinara areas also produce wine with the Nebbiolo grape, but sell at a fraction of the price. Barbera and Dolcetto offer buoyant red wines that are best enjoyed in their youth. The crisp and fresh white wines from the Gavi DOC are made from the Cortese grape and are suitable pairings for lighter fare, such as seafood or poultry. Moscato is also grown in Piedmont and is responsible for most of the sparkling and sweet dessert-style wines produced in the region. For an extensive list of red and white wines, read our detailed Piedmont Wine Ratings. 

Winemaker notes - "Bold and complex, I Colli Rossi Cru Monforte Barolo 2018 delivers rich flavors of dark fruits, spices, and earthiness. Powerful tannins and a long finish. Pair with lamb, beef, and game."

“This wine is jam packed with character and layered flavors of blackberry and cherry with a bold finish. It needs hearty fare such as ossobuco, roasted herb lamb or pasta, and robiola and truffle.”

Dark ruby colored, medium bodied, concentrated bold complex blackberry and black cherry fruits with earthy spices, tobacco and cedar notes with firm focused tannins on the long finish. 

RM 89 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4381237

 

Mer Soleil Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay 2022

This is a product of Charlie Wagner, oldest son of the legendary ChuckWagner of Caymus fame,  one of the oldest most storied labels in Napa Valley.  Charlie leads second Caymus labels Conundrum along with this coastal Mer Soleil Chardonnay. 

Showing the distinct character that represents the dramatic growing conditions of the Santa Lucia Highlands and Monterey County. In addition to Mer Soleil, Charlie also produces Sea Sun Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The regions where Sea Sun is sourced have included Monterey, Santa Barbara and Solano Counties. Another of his creative endeavors is Red Schooner, a rich, dark Malbec made from grapes grown in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, shipped chilled to Caymus and produced in the supple Caymus style.

Mer Soleil takes its name from the sea and sun – the two forces of nature that form its exotic character, reflecting the  dramatic place where it is sourced. With morning fog, bright sunshine and gusting winds, Monterey county has an extended growing season. Grapes stay on the vine longer, leading to the development of intense aromas such as custard and toasted almonds, rich fruit flavors and enlivening lemon/lime.

Consumed BTG from the wine list this was straw colored, medium bodied with round tones of citrus brown spice and honeysuckle and pain grille with a crisp refreshing, clean finish.

RM 88 points.

https://www.wagnerfamilyofwine.com/

https://www.thewinebarfl.com/the-wine-bar-destin

Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato with Spaghetti

Dining in, Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato with Spaghetti

Linda prepared spaghetti with a delicious bolognese sauce with ground Waygu beef, home grown fresh tomatos, peppers and onions. I pulled from the cellar this big Italian red for an ideal accompaniment pairing. 

As I've written often in these pages, the optimal wine and food pairing will enhance the experience significantly greatly ameliorating the enjoyment of both. Tonight was such the case!

I wrote about this wine in detail in our tasting blogpost back in 2016, excerpts below:

Rivetti Pin La Spinetta Castagnole Monferrato 2005

We don't have much Italian wine in our cellar, it historically has comprised less than 1% of our collection. However, our many dining experiences at Italian Village in Chicago over the last few years has introduced me to Italian wines and I've expanded our collection. 

 

For our dinner tonight, I pulled this classic decade year old Italian red blend of which I hold a half dozen bottles. La Spinetta produce a line of premium Piedmont and Tuscan wines from traditional varietals in a new world style and flair.

This 'Pin' label is named after the nickname of Giuseppe Rivetti, the patriarch of the family and father of the current producer Giorgio, of the estate La Spinetta, which means 'top of the hill', in Castagnole Lanze in the northern Italian region of Tuscany. The family first purchased 70 hectares of Moscato and Barbera d'Asti vineyards in 1977 and have continued to expand operations through expansion and development since. 

Today, Giuseppe's children — Carlo, Bruno, Giorgio and Giovanna have since taken over the family business, with Giorgio leading, assisted by elder sister Giovanna who is in charge of vineyard production.

Rivetti produced their first red Barbera Cà di Pian in 1985. The first release of Pin occurred in 1989, a blend of 50 percent Nebbiolo, 25 percent Barbera and 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. which was revolutionary at that time.  

In 1985 they produced their first Barbaresco followed by Gallina in 1995 and their first Barolo Campè in 2000. In 2001, La Spinetta acquired 65 additional hectares of vineyards in Tuscany where today they produce three different 100% Sangiovese wines. 

The Rivetti brand has grown internationally and today is well known, identified by their distinctive labels featuring a burly rhinoceros, which the Rivetti siblings say signifies quality. 

Origins of the unique wildlife logo illustration come from an ancient woodcut by historic German artist, Albrecht Dürer, who prepared his drawings and woodcut from descriptions and sketches of a rhinoceros gifted to the king of Portugal from India. It was the first animal of its kind in Europe. The Rivettis lament that they fell in love with this ancient wood cut print and the legend behind it. Giorgio Rivetti expressed his great admiration of the celebrated drawing and woodcut. but has downplayed the connection between this animal and the brand. 

Also depicted on the bottles of La Spinetta’s first Barolo Campè vintage, is a pencil drawing of a lion by Dürer, since Barolo is commonly known as the king of Italian reds. The legend continues. 

Pin Castagnole, Neive, Barbaresco Monferrato Rosso DOC 2005

This is a blend of 65% Nebbiolo, and 35% Barbera d’Asti Superiore Bionzo. Barbera and Nebbiolo are the two marquee red wine grapes of northwest Italy. They are often blended together in Piedmont to create modern style wines for the international palate. Nebbiolo, the powerful majestic grape of Barolo and Barbaresco, is blended with Barbera to be more approachable and smoother and balanced, and drinkable at an earlier age. Barbera adds cherry flavors to Nebbiolo’s distinctive strawberry, and the high acidity of both ensure the wine is fresh and rarely flabby.

When we tasted this back in 2016, I wrote, "As good as this was with the pasta and peas with vodka cream sauce, it was even better the following evening with char-grilled Pittsburgh style strip steak, asparagus and baked potato." 

 

At eighteen years, the fill level, label, cork and foil were in ideal condition. At this age, this may be at its peak, the apex of its drinking window, but it certainly has another decade of life yet, but I can't imagine it will improve further from aging. 

Fortunately we bought a half dozen bottles when we acquired this back in 2010. That initial review, I rated it much lower and said "Dark purple color - Dense full bodied - ripe black fruits, with a slight edge and layer of cassis and subtle tar with a firm tannin finish. Might soften and settle with time." It certainly did benefit from another six years of aging in the bottle.  

 

Tonight's tasting was totally consistent with that last review in 2016. I'll look forward to trying the last bottle, perhaps five years from now, or beyond. I wish I had more!

This was dark blackish garnet colored, medium to full bodied, and was remarkably smooth, well balanced and polished. Bouquet and flavors are full forward complex black raspberry, black berry fruits punctuated by tones of oak, cedar, hints of earthy cassis and tar turning to silky smooth polished tannins with an elegant persistent finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=395355

http://www.la-spinetta.com/

@LaSpinettaItaly

From Cellartracker:

11/12/2016 - I like this wine: 92 Points

This was dark blackish garnet colored, medium to full bodied, and was remarkably smooth, well balanced and polished. Bouquet and flavors are full forward complex black raspberry, black berry fruits punctuated by tones of oak, cedar, hints of earthy cassis and tar turning to silky smooth polished tannins with an elegant persistent finish.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2016/11/rivetti-pin-la-spinetta-castagnole.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=395355

Father Son World Cup wine tasting

Father Son World Cup meet up and leftovers wine tasting 

Son Ryan came over to watch the USA-England soccer match and brought a couple wines left from their Thanksgiving holiday feast. I served up the remains of one of our's, a favorite wine left over from our dinner the other night. 

What great fun it is to share our wine interests together and experience the convergence of our respective cellar collections in producers' labels such as this one.  We've both have amassed a collection of Fantesca Napa Valley Spring Mountain District wines - Ryan most recently, collecting their ultra-premium special labels, while our collection goes back to the inaugural release and the ensuing early years. 

We first met producers Dwayne and Susan Hoff when they acquired the Spring Mountain property in St Helena in February 2004 and Fantesca was founded. Dwayne visited us in Chicago during one of his early promotion tours for the 2004 release of Fantesca Cabernet in 2006.

We tasted and acquired our early releases of this producer when we visited the Fantesca Estate and Winery on Spring Mountain in Napa Valley during our Napa Wine Experiences. We visited Fantesca during our Napa Valley Spring Mountain Experience in the autumn of 2009, and earlier during our Napa Wine Experience 2007, and again in 2011.

 We hold a vertical collection of more than a dozen vintages of Fantesca with their classy etched bottles, one of our favorites that we hold for special occasions and for special gifts.

 

In early 2008, Fantesca signed on veteran winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett, whose Napa Valley resume includes winemaking stints at Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle, and her own La Sirena.

 

Fantesca Estate and Winery Napa Valley "All Great Things - Honor" 2011 

 

This label "All Great Things" is Heidi Barret's annual Bordeaux blend produced for Fantesca - a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.  

 

This is the third release of the series, which is inspired by the words of Winston Churchill:  “All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.”  

 

Each vintage release commemorates one of those notable words from the legendary Churchill quote - freedom (2015), justice (2016), honor (2011, 2017), duty (2012, 2018), mercy (2013), and hope (2014) - this one christened the (first) "Honor" release.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, layers of firm bright black fruits with notes of dusty cedar, aged leather and spice, with notes of mocha chocolate and plum, with moderate tannins on the finish.

 

RM 92 points.  

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=2989151

 

http://www.fantesca.com

 

@FantescaWine -  https://twitter.com/FantescaWine

 

Boroli Brunella Barolo 2015 

Ryan then opened this vintage Barolo from Achille Boroli.

The Boroli family roots in Piedmont date back to as early as 1831. The family were entrepreneurs in the publishing business until Silvano and Elena Boroli set out to reconnect with venturing into winemaking business in 1997. 

The Baroli estate vineyards are located in the heart of Barolo in the towns Castiglione Falletto (Cascina La Brunella) and Barolo (Borgata Cerequio). All Barolo production and refinement takes place in the wine-making and ageing wineries at Cascina La Brunella, in the town of Castiglione Falletto. 

As an integration of the historic Cascina La Brunella, a new winery was built and opened in 2006, with all the modern building technologies.

Silvano and Elena Boroli managed the company 2012 when their son, Achille, stepped in to run the wine-growing and production business.

Achille Boroli grew up in the wine business and experienced every facet of winemaking shadowing the family's winery winemaker - tending to the grapes, blending the wines, tasting barrel samples - all aspects of  vineyard management and winemaking techniques. 

With the 2012 vintage, Achilles set upon to aim for the highest quality in Barolo achievable from their estate, applying the most meticulous methods in the vineyards and winery - cutting production levels, updating the winemaking technology, applying low intervention methods to raise the quality of the Boroli wines to the highest level, on par with the finest Barolo wines.

 

Boroli Brunella Piedmont Barolo 2015 

 

Barolo Brunella is 100% Nebbiolo, sourced from a single 7 acre estate vineyard in the territory of Castiglione Falletto, situated at the extreme western point of the ridge of Villero. It has vines with an average age of vines 40 years, was aged in large oak barrels (1000-1500L) for 18 months, and settled at least 1 year in bottle before release. It was first released in 2013.

 

Winemaker Notes for the 2015 release: "A clear ruby red color, with very light orange reflections. A net aroma in which licorice stands out at first, immediately followed by a fruity scent; the aroma makes you scent it again and again to discover different and pleasant facets. The fruity aroma magnificently prevails after a few minutes in the glass. A very enveloping, fresh and harmonious taste, with a delicate and tasty presence of wood. A long lasting taste that invites to sip it slowly again and again."

 

This release was awarded 93 points by James Suckling.

Bright ruby colour, medium bodied, elegant, smooth and polished fresh plum and cherry berry fruits with hints of licorice, mocha, fresh cloves and baking spices, with velvety mouthfeel with a persistent lingering soft sweet oak laced tannin finish. 

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3652155

  

https://www.boroli.it/en/

 

https://twitter.com/borolivini  

@borolivini

 

Piazza Del Dotto Napa Valley Sangiovese 2016 

I then opened this Sangiovese left over from our dinner earlier in the week that we opened with Linda's spaghetti and meatballs. This has become our favorite go-to wines for Italian dining. I wrote in detail about Del Dotto Napa Valley wines and their history producing Sangiovese in an earlier blogpost.

 

  We tasted and acquired this wine at the Piazza Winery Delicacies Wine and Food Tasting Experience during our Napa Valley Wine Experience 2018. We had previously tasted and acquired the 2015 release a year earlier at our Napa Valley Del Dotto Estate Cave Tour and Barrel Tasting in 2017. 

This is the last bottle of a couple of cases of this label we acquired during those visits. We've been trying to obtain more of this label and haven't seen it available on the Del Dotto shopping site or in the marketplace. We're hoping to find more. 

As we have written in recent tasting reviews of wine acquired during this Estate visit, this label is from Piazza Del Dotto, Del Dotto's newest project, a new winery south on St Helena Highway featuring an Italian-inspired “barchessa,” or barn, magnificently appointed with tasting rooms and dining areas. It is surrounded by fountain gardens with al fresco tasting cabanas, vegetable gardens, 17^th century fountains and an outdoor barn with turkeys, peacocks, pheasants and doves. There are wine caves as well, all surrounded by 8.5 acres of cabernet sauvignon vineyards.

This is Estate grown fruit, I believe from the Rutherford vineyards that surround the Venetian Estate Winery & Caves, the site for the Del Dotto cave tours and barrel tastings.

This was ruby colored medium full bodied, delicious sweet ripe raspberry fruits accented by notes of sweet vanilla, cedar, tobacco and almond with supple smooth silky tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3038663

http://www.deldottovineyards.com/ 

 

https://twitter.com/DelDottoWine

 

@DelDottoWine

Paitin Serraboella Barbaresco

Paitin Serraboella Barbaresco Nebbiolo 2017 BYOB at Angeli's Italian

Midweek dinner, we dined at Angelis Italian, our favorite neighborhood trattoria. I took from our cellar this Italian Barbaresco Nebiollo for the occasion, to pair with our Italian cuisine. I ordered the basic classic Spaghetti pasta with Bolognese meat sauce with Italian meatball and sausage.

The Paitin Pasquero-Elia estate in the Barbaresco appellation is in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy between Turin and Genoa. It has been in the family for 8 generations, since 1893, and the Grand Cru vineyard (MGA) of Serraboella is one of the traditional expressions of Neive’s Barbaresco.

Bricco di Neive is located 2 miles South-east of the Commune of Neive, nestled in the picturesque hillside area some 1.000 feet above sea level. The winery started in 1796, when Benedetto Elia purchased 5 acres of vineyard in Bricco di Neive, planted in Nebbiolo and Barbera. Thirty years later he purchased the house, the cellar and 5 more acres of Nebbiolo.

For years, the wines were sold in barrels. In 1890, his nephew, Giuseppe, built the “new” section of the winery, started in the 15th century, and bottled the first Barbaresco, Nebbiolo and Barbera wines.

In 1948, Secondo Pasquero Elia, took over the winery, and started to replant the vineyards. The vineyard planted in 1953 produces the flag ship Barbaresco label, Vecchie Vigne Riserva. 

In the 1980’s, Secondo’s sons, Giovanni and Silvano, joined the winery. In 1994, they bought a small estate in Alba where the Nebbiolo d’Alba Ca Veja is produced. At this location, they also run a Bed & Breakfast with 6 apartments in a 16th century farmhouse.

Today, they produce a dozen vineyard specific designated labels, all estate grown representing, the terroir of the region and the specific vineyard.

The Serraboella vineyards and label is the most famous cru in the Southern Neive. They were planted in 1980-1995. Up to 1999, these fruits were integrated into the Barbaresco Sorì Paitin, but since then they are harvested and vinified as this Serraboella vineyard designated label. 

Two Barbaresco vineyards contribute to this wine. The Serreboalla vineyards sit on a long hill exposed to West, and gently bends towards the South where it gets steeper. The steepest and the warmest side Barbaresco has a unique expression of powerful but elegant texture. The ‘d Tourun vineyard shares a border with the Bricco and exhibits mineral and rough character. The Schiena d’Ernestin vineyard is more sheltered position and shows more fine and elegant character. 

Paitin di Pasquero-Elia Barbaresco Serraboella Nebbiolo 2017

This is 100% Nebbiolo grape varietal all vinified, subject to pressing and destemming then fermented and macerated from 3 to 6 weeks in stainless steel. At the end of the winter it is moved into wood barrels where it rests for around 1 year and a half to 2 years  in barrels between 25 to 50 hectoliters, made of Slavonian and Austrian oak with an age of 15 years.

Winemaker Notes for this 2017 release: "Soft, open-knit and gracious. Succulent red cherry, mint, white pepper and chalk make a positive first impression. Hints of rose petal, mint and cinnamon blend into the creamy finish."

It was awarded 95 points by James Suckling and 93 points by Wine Spectator.

James Suckling calls it a vivid, solid Barbaresco,  extremely flavorful and powerful with intense density of fruit and ripe tannins. It’s full-bodied with lots of plums and chocolate with some walnuts and bark.

Wine Spectator said it will be best from 2023 through 2040.

 

Perhaps we drank this too young but I don't believe so. I suspect it is at the apex of its drinking profile even though it may be at this level for another decade or more. We have at least one more bottle so we'll take that advise and set it aside for some period before we're tempted to consume it. 

 

We're accustomed to bold, large, forward concentrated  wines with more body, structure and density. This was a much more subdued, moderate, lighter and more delicate, more akin to the style and character of a Pinot Noir than a Bordeaux or Rhone varietal. 

 

This was a nice accompaniment to our pasta and red sauces, nicely balanced and complementary, but much more subdued and modest than our typical wine selections.

 

Ruby colored, light medium bodied, balanced and polished, black berry and cherry fruits are accented by notes of tar and black tea with hints of white pepper, smoke and menthol, with soft but gripping tannins on the finish. 

 

RM 91 points.

 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3603308

 

https://www.paitin.it/en/

 

http://www.angeliscatering.com/

 

Italian Village Chicago Team Dinner

Italian Village Chicago Team Dinner features Super Tuscan and Barolo Nebbiolo wines

For a team dinner we dined at our regular go-to venue in the Chicago city centre, a few blocks walking distance from our office and our hotels, Italian Village Chicago, in one of their select private tables. 

We chose two wines from the extensive Italian Village winelist from their extraordinary cellar which serves all three restaurants under normal times, two Italian labels to accompany our dinner.

Normally we'd be served by Wine Director and dear friend Jared Gelband but he is touring Italy visiting several producer estates. We were served by Gerardo who in normal times would manage the upscale Vivere restaurant but is helping manage the Italian Village floor during these crazy Covid times.

Tenuta di Arceno Valadorna di Arcanum Toscana IGT 2013

This is a 'Super Tuscan' Blend meaning it is from French Bordeaux varietals grown in the Italian Tuscany region. The producer, Tenuta di Arceno is an old historic Tuscan estate with a diverse portfolio of the highest quality wines across two classification levels – three wines centered on the native Sangiovese grape in the Chianti Classico DOCG collection; and three wines from the estate’s international (French Bordeaux) varieties under the Toscana IGT designation. 

The estate is situated at the southernmost-edge of the Chianti Classico region in the butterfly-shaped commune of Castelnuovo Berardenga, near the village of Siena, often referred to as ‘the most Senese Chianti Classico,’adjacent the scenic ancient walled town of San Gusmè.

The sub-region is home to several world-renowned producers who produce stylistically distinct wines. 

The Tenuta di Arceno estate is 1,000 total hectares (2,500 acres) of which 92 hectares (220 acres) are planted to vineyards – the remaining land preserved for native vegetation including 50 hectares (125 acres) of olive orchards. The vineyards are separated into 63 blocks, the vineyards planted to 50% the region's native Sangiovese, and the remaining 50% with international varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

This is a Merlot-based blend sourced primarily from the Valadorna and Capraia vineyards' blocks, known to produce the estate’s most complex and mineral-based expressions of this variety. The Merlot blocks, located in the cooler part of the estate, naturally irrigated by a nearby stream, with sandy brown soils and lower yields than typical, are often the last Merlot blocks to ripen on the estate.

The recent 2019 vintage release of this label received the coveted Tre Bicchieri (“Three Glasses”) award. Each yeara a panel of prominent wine experts review wines from each of Italy’s 20 regions evaluating over 23,000 wines from 2500 producers and awarding scores ranging from 0 to 3 Glasses (“Bicchieri”) according to the quality of the wine. Tre Bicchieri wines are generally recognized in Italy and by the international wine community as Italy’s best. A Tre Bicchieri award is a really big deal for a winery. The tastings are done blind so there is no favoritism or influence on the outcomes.

Winemaker's tasting notes: "The 2013 was a classic vintage, yet on the cool side, which favors the perfect ripening of Merlot. The Valadorna Merlot was picked on October 1st, allowing ample time on the vine for perfect maturation and tannin development. The nose jumps from the glass with exotic spices of jasmine, cumin and vanilla bean. The fruit expression is of raspberry and black cherry. The mouthfeel is dominated by long flexible tannins framed by slight tingling acids. The immediate sensation of blueberry pie gives way to an uplifting bright sour cherry finish. As the fruit subsides, what remains on the palate are hints of sweet cedar and cigar box notes. The 2013 is an elegant vintage and will age gracefully."

This is a Bordeaux varietal blend of 74% Merlot, 13 % Cabernet Franc, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, and
1% Petit Verdot. 

This was an ideal compliment to my pasta with a tangy meat sauce. 

Dark purple-garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex and intense but well integrated and nicely balanced vibrant blackberry with notes of black cherries and currants, highlights of dark chocolate, espresso, and Tuscan terroir cedar, dried spice, smoke and tobacco with hints of vanilla, and leather, with firm but approaching tannins on the lingering finish. 

RM 91 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3296253

https://www.tenutadiarceno.com/en

For a second wine, I selected from the IV winelist this Italian Barolo, a native Nebbiolo varietal to accompany our Italian cuisine. Ideally, we would've tasted this stylistic varietal first ahead of the more complex, more concentrated Tuscan blend however it was an appropriate pairing with several of the folk's Italian entree dishes.

Bruna Grimaldi Bricco Ambroglio Barolo 2014

This is from the Bruna Grimaldi family estate in the hills that between Grinzane Cavour to Serralunga d’Alba, in the heart of Langhe, part of the Unesco Heritage. The Grimaldi family have been in the wine business since the 1960's when Giacomo Grimaldi started selling grapes, then his son, Giovanni Grimaldi began produce wine and selling it in bulk. 

Giovanni bottles estate wines in the best vintages with a long library of releases over the following decades. 

Since the 1990's the property and brand have been managed by the next generation, Bruna Grimaldi and her husband Franco Fiorino. They built a new upgraded winery and produce wines only from their own vineyards. Franco tends to the vineyard management and winemaking, and is the driving force in the company focusing on Langhe sourced Nebbiolo and Barbera.  Bruna manages the family business, an oenologist, she is a member of “Donne del Vino” Association. 

Since 2013, the next generation, Simone and Martina, son and daughter of Bruna and Franco, have joined their parents’ learning from their experience and their studies to promote and continue on with the Bruna Grimaldi brand. 

The best Langhe plots are selected for the production of Barolo, the Bricco Ambrogio Barolo known for great elegance. The vineyard terroir have a perfect exposure to the sun with a hot microclimate ideal for Nebbiolo which tend to picked earlier and differentiate themselves in the rainier and cooler vintages.  Their estate Barolo is known to show warm, open perfumes, tending to ripe fruits and spice notes with structure that lean on silky and enjoyable tannins.

 
This is 100% Nebbiolo from the MGA Bricco Ambrogio vineyard in the municipality of Roddi. The terroir boasts southern exposure with very steep slopes, with grey-blue layers of clay in limestone and sand. 

 

This was awarded 92 points by Wine Spectator and 90 points by Wine Enthusiast. 

 

Ruby colored, medium bodied, bright red cherry fruits with spicy notes of clove and accents of earth, leather, oak, hints of smoke with a tangy acid on a moderate tannin finish. 

 

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3073416

https://www.grimaldibruna.it/en/wines/barolo-bricco-ambrogio-docg/