Piedmont tourette, 28-30 April, 2024

[Ian Hampsted]

After a pleasurable stay with Antoine and Isabelle I continued in a south easterly direction towards the Frejus tunnel for Piedmont (€54 one way, €67 return - I opted for the latter, but quel ripoff!) I stopped off for a late lunch at one of those large family restaurants in Baudana - with at least three generations of famiglia working there - on the hill heading up to Serralunga, where la madre whipped me up some risotto and a tasty pasta dish, il padre served me up some left over roasts, while la figlia plied me with two glasses of wine.





I appreciated the glass of Langhe Chardonnay after a long drive in difficult conditions - crazy roadworks, even crazier drivers, torrential rain, mist and nebbia - but it should be seen as a lesser alternative to a decent Bourgogne Blanc. No complaints though. The Barolo I had never heard of - 2017, 15%, good value - rudimentary, rustic and foursquare it hit the spot too - and it was a while since I had such a generous pour - I got a lotta Gerlotto - and if you blur your eyes you can pretend you are drinking Burlotto. And if you drank the whole bottle you will probably end up blotto.

 

[Ian Hampsted]

Garesio

I made it to the Garesio winery, which is one mile north of the hamlet of Serralunga, and stayed in one of their brand new apartments which are not yet open to the public, but kindly offered to me by Giovanna, who now runs the estate, on a friends and family concessionary rate. I did drive out of there three days later with 19 bottles of Garesio as a token of my appreciation, but I would have bought them anyway, and I would have bought more if the limit at Calais was not 24 bottles.

Chris and Younghwa’s plans, as well as Antoine’s open invitation, tipped the decision to head down to Piedmont via Chambery on the spur of the moment. We joined forces for our tour of Garesio with marketing director Alessio Canepa. Garesio is a relatively new winery which was launched in 2010 and their first vintage of Barolo was 2013. This is an estate which is still somewhat below the radar, but that probably won’t last for long because it goes from strength to strength with Piedmont’s arguably most exciting winemaker, Gian Luca Colombo, as their consultant.

https://www.garesiovini.it

Giovanna’s family hail from Monferrato to the northeast and they produce a tasty Sauvignon Blanc from there called Resilio- at €13 euros at the cellar door it is quite a bargain, and I bought a few. Probably more Loire than Kiwi, but would be interesting to see how it would perform in a Sav Blanc blind tasting. Alessio has conjured up a fun €11 euro barbq Barbara to show alongside the more serious Nizza Barbera from Monferrato…maybe I am a fashion victim but the - technically impressive - Barberas do not excite, and when Nebbiolo appears even in as rudimentary form as Langhe Nebbiolo - ok 2021 is special - your world lights up. Gianluca reckons Garesio is getting better every year with the winemaker he trained, Frederico.

Some of the Garesio wines I purchased




My favourite Garesio wine we tasted was the 2018 Gianetto which outshone the more celebrated, but more reticent Cerretta, but the 2016 Cerretta Riserva clearly has a fabulous future ahead of it. The Commune (di Serralunga) Barolos hit the spot as well, especially at the cellar door prices (€30), much less than you would pay here in Blighty. In my opinion these wines are priced ambitiously in the UK. The distributor sells the 2015 Cerretta for £86.50, which is even more than Hedonism, when you can pick one up at the winery for €60. It is not that these high prices won’t eventually be justified - because as the quality becomes recognised the demand will ramp up - but this necessarily will take time - and I am not sure this is the best way the way to market this brand right now in a weak UK market. But mark my words Garesio is a name to watch, and has a bright future ahead of it.

 

[Ian Hampsted]

That night we dined in More e Macine in La Morra, which has become a favourite, go to, haunt over the years, where we drank a 2019 Guido Rivella Barbaresco and a 2018 Cavalotto Bricco Boschis 2018. Both were highly accessible and enjoyable, but the Cavalotto (outstanding) had a bit more magic and trademark rocky terroir complexity than the Rivella (merely excellent). I was late to the Cavalotto party, and wish I owned more. Chris owns case loads. Oliver, Peter and I drank a fine bottle of the 2012 there back in the Autumn of 2022.

Wines in focus (well, sort of)




Chris and Younghwa in focus

 

[Ian Hampsted]

Gianluca Colombo

The second visit the next morning, Tuesday, was to the maestro himself Gian Luca Colombo, where we were treated to a two hour masterclass. He told us they had as much rain in March as the whole of 2022 - which was a hot dry year - and that March and April’s combined rainfall is approaching the long run annual average. He and others are not too concerned yet because in recent years low - rather than high - rainfall has been the bigger problem.

We started with the 2022 vintage of Pinot Noir (not on sale here yet, but somehow I managed to have one delivered when I ordered some 2021 from Swig) and for the first time he is experimenting with whole bunch fermentation (30% in this vintage). I have tried all the vintages since 2019 and I think this is the best yet. A beautiful wine (13% abv) with a purity of pinotosy, and a wine which changed and evolved notably and wonderfully in the glass.




GLC is very chuffed with his 2022 Barbera which is also characterised by clean, pure, focused fruit and bright acidity. He noted that people don’t appreciate how well these Barberas can age, so he advised spreading the drinking of a case over a decade or more. I have a six pack of the 2021 GLC Barbera and have taken note.



Next up the 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo. As an aside 2020 was the last vintage of his Nebbiolo D’Alba. But they are basically the same thing with the grapes sourced on the other side of the hill of Monvigliero, in Verduno, but technically just outside the Barolo region. You can appreciate the resemblance to a Monvigliero Barolo. This is a limited release wine. There will be a second release of this wine which we tried from old vines, and even better than the standard LN.




The 2020 Barolo is sourced from various parts of the region, but 40% of it is from Ravera, with most of the rest from Roddi “Bricco Ambrogio” and Roere di Santa Maria. Such a classy wine, with the minimum amount of time in oak…18 months in Austrian oak and then in other containers including terracotta … yes he is not a fan of Barolo Riserva wines, and is only complying with the regulations on oak aging to the minimum extent. You can drink this nuanced Barolo now with enormous pleasure. I asked GLC if he thought it might close down and he was open minded about it. I suspect it will remain open for business.



Next up on a lighter note the 2023 Pelaverga. Now simply called Verduno. Just lovely, so translucent alive and juicy. Burlotto is his main competitor in this variety and while the Burlotto offering is characterised by white pepper, GLC’s is characterised by incense. I am supping on a 2019 Burlotto Pelaverga as I write but as GLC agreed there is no reason not to DAYAP these wines. Last up, and not least in this fabulous line up, the Elia old vine Dolcetta 2022. Just fabulous stuff, one of the best I have tried in this variety.

 

[Ian Hampsted]

On Tuesday night we met up with Jerry and his fiancé Emily from TWS North London group and we went back to More e Macine, with this line up. The Philine Isabelle Chardonnay was good but fully priced, iirc, @€40, the Dante Rivetti 2017 Barbaresco Riserva recommended the previous night by the waitress was a bit blocky and foursquare, while the Crissante Commune 16 in mag, plucked out of a cold cellar was stellar once if warned up, a wine recommended by Simon Reilly and super value for €110.

 

[Ian Hampsted]

The main reason to embark on this trip was to cycle. Chambéry is a gateway to the Alpes, where you cycle up and down mountains. In Piedmont you cycle up and down hills. The Barolo region still offers a fine cycling experience, though I was a bit surprised by how some of the roads were a bit jagged and uneven in places, unlike the French roads. On so many recent visits I have been green with envy as I have watched lycra-clad cyclists whizz past majestically on their carbon bikes when we had hired a car from Turin Airport. When you cycle around the Barolo region you realise how small it is - significantly smaller than Greater London for example - and how tame the hills are - yes though it was so fun to cycle up the hill of La Morra from several sides - but it is not exactly Mont Ventoux, even though the gradient does get up to 10%.

Tame hills, except this one, right outside the Garesio winery - which is why I requested to stay there - this is my favourite hill of all time. It is only 400m long, but over that length you climb more than 100m. The shots don’t do it justice but it’s brutal.



Looking down



Looking back up

 

[Russell Faulkner]

Tame hills? Bardet and O’Connor wouldn’t agree today.

 

[Jonathan Beagle]

Sounds like a fun trip. I do miss my annual jaunts to the hills. I should really get back on that. I haven’t had the chance to taste much Garesio or Colombo wines but it sounds like I should jump on that bandwagon.

Good to see the Crissante showed well. I’ll have to let Allesandro know. The wines used to be monstrously big (they are one of the producers that put Ruggeri on the map) and the father made the wines in an uncompromising but age worthy manner. Alessandro is making them more approachable but without (in my view) losing their ability to cellar.

 

[Thom Blach]

A very enjoyable account with a commendable lack of swearing, Ian.
Much as I like the Burlotto Pelaverga I do think the GLC in a different class.

 

[Simon Reilly]

After a pleasurable stay with Antoine and Isabelle I continued in a south easterly direction towards the Frejus tunnel for Piedmont (€54 one way, €67 return - I opted for the latter, but quel ripoff!) I stopped off for a late lunch at one of those large family restaurants in Baudana - with at least three generations of famiglia working there - on the hill heading up to Serralunga, where la madre whipped me up some risotto and a tasty pasta dish, il padre served me up some left over roasts, while la figlia plied me with two glasses of wine.


View attachment 37822
View attachment 37821

I appreciated the glass of Langhe Chardonnay after a long drive in difficult conditions - crazy roadworks, even crazier drivers, torrential rain, mist and nebbia - but it should be seen as a lesser alternative to a decent Bourgogne Blanc. No complaints though. The Barolo I had never heard of - 2017, 15%, good value - rudimentary, rustic and foursquare it hit the spot too - and it was a while since I had such a generous pour - I got a lotta Gerlotto - and if you blur your eyes you can pretend you are drinking Burlotto. And if you drank the whole bottle you will probably end up blotto.

View attachment 37823
View attachment 37824

It looks like my Dad poured that glass!

 

[Simon Reilly]

Sounds like a great trip Ian, thanks for sharing the notes.

 

[Ian Hampsted]

I thought I would share this too on all the wines I encountered on my week long trip to France and Italy, and btw Chris is likely to post his trip notes - which has been a much longer one in Piedmont than mine - on his return to Blighty

Date	wine	location/source	score	comment
24-Apr​	La Dame de Montrose 2020	Air BnB,Messon/Carrefour, Troyes	93-94	Drink/hold
25-Apr​	Chateau de Marsanny, Marsannay (blanc), 2021	Les Griottes, Gevrey Chambertin	91	Drink/hold
25-Apr​	Philippe Nadeff, Gevrey Chambertin VV, 2021	Les Griottes, Gevrey Chambertin	92	Drink/hold
25-Apr​	PYCM, Chassagne-Montrachet Champ Gains 2011	Chez Antoine	93	Drink/hold
26-Apr​	William Fevre, Chablis Les Clos 2008	Chez Antoine	95	Drink
26-Apr​	Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grand Rue 2003	Chez Antoine	96	Drink
28-Apr​	Zunino, Langhe Chardonnay 2022	Trattoria del Castello	89	Drink
28-Apr​	Gerlotto Barolo Sorano 2017	Trattoria del Castello	90	Drink/hold
28-Apr​	Garesio Nizza Gavelli (Barbera) 2019	Compliments of Garesio	91	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Monferrato Bianco Resilio 2020	Tasting at Garesio	91	Drink
29-Apr​	Garesio Barbera d'Asti 2021	Tasting at Garesio	90	Drink
29-Apr​	Garesio Langhe Nebbiolo 2021	Tasting at Garesio	91	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Commune di Serralunga 2018	Tasting at Garesio	92	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Commune di Serralunga 2017	Tasting at Garesio	92	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Gianetto 2018	Tasting at Garesio	94-95	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Cerretta 2018	Tasting at Garesio	93-94	Hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Cerretta Riserva 2016	Tasting at Garesio	94-95	Hold
29-Apr​	Guido Rivella Barbaresco 2019	More e Macine	93	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 2018	More e Macine	95	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Langhe Pinot Nero 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	93	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Barbera d'Alba 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	92	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Langhe Nebbiolo 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	93	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Langhe Nebbiolo Meretta 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	94	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Barolo 2020	Gian Luca Colombo	95-96	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Verduno (Pelaverga) 2023	Gian Luca Colombo	93	Drink!
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Dolcetto D'Alba Elia 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	93	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Franciacorta Bellavista, NV?	Tratoria della Posta	91	Drink
30-Apr​	Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 2018	Tratoria della Posta	96	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Philine Isabel Langhe Chardonnay 2021	More e Macine	91	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Dante Rivettti Barbaresco Bricco di Nieve Riserva 2017	More e Macine	89	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Crissante Barolo Commune di La Morra 2016 (magnum)	More e Macine	94	Drink/hold
01-May​	50cl carafe of St-Aubin rouge 2022	Beaune, can't recall producer or bistro	92	Drink/hold

 

[Chris Hambleton]

Ian our rental car struggled up that hill last year so serious kudos to you for tackling it on a bike!

 

[Chris Davies]

I thought I would share this too on all the wines I encountered on my week long trip to France and Italy, and btw Chris is likely to post his trip notes - which has been a much longer one in Piedmont than mine - on his return to Blighty

Date	wine	location/source	score	comment
24-Apr​	La Dame de Montrose 2020	Air BnB,Messon/Carrefour, Troyes	93-94	Drink/hold
25-Apr​	Chateau de Marsanny, Marsannay (blanc), 2021	Les Griottes, Gevrey Chambertin	91	Drink/hold
25-Apr​	Philippe Nadeff, Gevrey Chambertin VV, 2021	Les Griottes, Gevrey Chambertin	92	Drink/hold
25-Apr​	PYCM, Chassagne-Montrachet Champ Gains 2011	Chez Antoine	93	Drink/hold
26-Apr​	William Fevre, Chablis Les Clos 2008	Chez Antoine	95	Drink
26-Apr​	Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grand Rue 2003	Chez Antoine	96	Drink
28-Apr​	Zunino, Langhe Chardonnay 2022	Trattoria del Castello	89	Drink
28-Apr​	Gerlotto Barolo Sorano 2017	Trattoria del Castello	90	Drink/hold
28-Apr​	Garesio Nizza Gavelli (Barbera) 2019	Compliments of Garesio	91	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Monferrato Bianco Resilio 2020	Tasting at Garesio	91	Drink
29-Apr​	Garesio Barbera d'Asti 2021	Tasting at Garesio	90	Drink
29-Apr​	Garesio Langhe Nebbiolo 2021	Tasting at Garesio	91	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Commune di Serralunga 2018	Tasting at Garesio	92	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Commune di Serralunga 2017	Tasting at Garesio	92	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Gianetto 2018	Tasting at Garesio	94-95	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Cerretta 2018	Tasting at Garesio	93-94	Hold
29-Apr​	Garesio Barolo Cerretta Riserva 2016	Tasting at Garesio	94-95	Hold
29-Apr​	Guido Rivella Barbaresco 2019	More e Macine	93	Drink/hold
29-Apr​	Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 2018	More e Macine	95	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Langhe Pinot Nero 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	93	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Barbera d'Alba 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	92	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Langhe Nebbiolo 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	93	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Langhe Nebbiolo Meretta 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	94	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Barolo 2020	Gian Luca Colombo	95-96	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Verduno (Pelaverga) 2023	Gian Luca Colombo	93	Drink!
30-Apr​	Gian Luca Colombo Dolcetto D'Alba Elia 2022	Gian Luca Colombo	93	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Franciacorta Bellavista, NV?	Tratoria della Posta	91	Drink
30-Apr​	Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 2018	Tratoria della Posta	96	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Philine Isabel Langhe Chardonnay 2021	More e Macine	91	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Dante Rivettti Barbaresco Bricco di Nieve Riserva 2017	More e Macine	89	Drink/hold
30-Apr​	Crissante Barolo Commune di La Morra 2016 (magnum)	More e Macine	94	Drink/hold
01-May​	50cl carafe of St-Aubin rouge 2022	Beaune, can't recall producer or bistro	92	Drink/hold

We are still carrying out extensive research here in Piemonte but will report back when we return. Trying to live up to Melvin’s recent trip to France but it’s not easy!

 

[Chris Davies]

Phew! Made it home after lots of driving, ferrying, charging, eating, drinking and wine shopping!

We took the overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam (felt much easier than driving to Dover) and then drove to Piemonte via Reims, Beaune, Aosta and Priocca. The Tesla still drives me nuts but the charging network is brilliant and we had no issues with charging. Drive 2 to 3 hours, stop to charge and for lunch and then we could make it to wherever we were heading. I booked acommodation with EV charging which also helped.

Reims was a good choice for an overnight stop. A good market (loads of white and green asparagus) and plenty of nice dinner options. We went to Le Bocal which is a simple fish restaurant attached to a fishmongers. Overall it was good but a bit inconsistent (They need to improve their tuna belly aging technique). A de Sousa 3A (grapes from Avize, Ay and Ambonnay) was a very good match for the food (took away the taste of the tuna!) and well priced (similar to UK retail, this is a it of theme for the trip, most of the restaurants we went to had wine priced at UK retail price or lower).

Pick of the wine shops for us was Cave du Forum, like a French Byrne’s! Very good on Champagne, Burgundy and Jura but also decent options from South Africa and elsewhere. Prices are good if you remember to use the ZappTax app. Club de Tresors is smart and has many Special Club options and Plus de Bulles is also worth checking for grower champagne.

Was dismayed to see that Larmandier Bernier is now selling for what is worth (even cellar door). We picked up bottles from Pierre Paillard, Marc Hebrart, Emilien Feneuil, Vouette et Sorbet, Gaston Chiquet, Nicolas Maillard and a few others. We called in for a brief visit to Pierre Moncuit who make very good and well priced BdB in Le Mesnil sur Oger.

More to follow.

 

[Neil Holland]

Love Boulingrins market, Chris. Heading there a week on Friday during a Reims pitstop. Saturday a better day but will be waking up in Condrieu on Saturday week!

 

[Mark Carrington]

"Cave du Forum, like a French Byrne’s! ". Not quite, it has on-line list.

 

[Si David]

Love Boulingrins market, Chris. Heading there a week on Friday during a Reims pitstop. Saturday a better day but will be waking up in Condrieu on Saturday week!

It is indeed a lovely market. Even better was the food shop Aux Gourmets Des Halles (Bruno Herbin) almost directly opposite, now very sadly closed. Thinking about that is enough to make a grown man weep.

 

[Colin Bradley]

Also good is Brasserie de Boulingrin directly opposite the market. Brilliant old-skool French brasserie-style cooking - veal kidneys and stuff like that.

 

[Chris Davies]

Beaune was the next stop.

As Chris Piper mentioned in a different thread, arranging visits to wine makers seems to be more difficult. Especially for the smaller producers and if the timing isn’t right. All the producers we asked very politely declined saying it was a very busy time in the vineyards.

We called in to Amelie Berthaut’s shop in Fixin (Caveau Napoleon) on the way to Beaune and I was so taken by the prices I completely forgot to taste anything! I have tried and enjoyed their wines before so was happy to pick up a mixed case of mainly 2021s. I tried the 2021 Fixin earlier this year and think it was about £45 from Hedonism so was pleased to pick up some more for 23 euros!

Dinner at Le Maufoux was very enjoyable (So good we went back for brunch the next day for delicious brioche pain perdu). No tablecloths, tiny, friendly service and simple home cooked food made with very good ingredients. The rareties section of the wine list (limited to 1 bottle per table) had a tempting 18 Roulot Meursault but we went for a 14 Raveneau Les Butteaux that was a treat. A bit closed at first, then amazing then a bit of a fade.

Had time for a walk around Beaune and to visit the market before heading off to Aosta.

 

[Jack Chaddock]

The Maufoux Terrine is a thing of beauty.

 

[Chris Davies]

The Maufoux Terrine is a thing of beauty.

Agreed! Everything was good but the terrine was the highlight. I like that they bring the whole thing to the table and ask how much you want. It took all of my will power to not ask for all of it. I felt like the 1 inch slice I had was an example of incredible restraint.

 

[Chris Davies]

I need to get a move on as this report is taking longer than the holiday itself.

Brief overnight stop in Aosta to return the wonderful Ristorante Vecchio. It wasn’t quite as wonderful as on previous visits (I wasn’t convinced by some of the combinations, strawberries and asparagus was one and white chocolate, blue cheese and caviar another! Suspect this is a Blumenthal originally?). The langoustine and foie gras dish was so good I can forgive the less winning combos. As mentioned in another thread Sylvain Pataille”s rosé was delicious and went well with the food.






Onwards to Alto Piemonte and Roberto Conterno’s spaceship Nervi winery in Gattinara. It was a Sunday and they don’t do full tours and tastings at the weekend but we did get an abbreviated tour by one of the restaurant staff. There is a lot of investment here and money spent on stylish architecture. Probably explains the prices, I wasnt expecting bargains but thought at least the cellar door prices for the wines and Sensory glasses would be cheaper than in the UK (they weren’t). Still, very much enjoyed the visit and restaurant is very good and worthy of lunch, the wine list is as good as you’d expect but fully priced. They have few interesting options by the glass and the pre-Conterno 2009 Molsino Gattinara was drinking well, very soft, mellow and tertiary but still balanced.




Another quick overnight stop to allow for a visit to a favourite restaurant. Priocca for Restaurant Il Centro. I think this was dinner of the trip. Traditional food done very well with good ingredients with a few well judged modern touches. The wine list is a whopper and well priced. We pushed the boat out and went for what used to be one my favourite Barolos, a Romirasco from Aldo Conterno. It was the 14 vintage and very well made and not lacking in depth, complexity or interest and confirmed to me that there some very good wines from 2014 (Brovio’s Unio is brilliant) and it is a bit of an under rated vintage. However, I found that I have gone off the plush, glossy Conterno style so this is no longer a favourite.




After 5 fun days travelling we are finally in La Morra!

 

[Chris Davies]

A couple more from il centro, their hotel is very nice too.

 

[Chris Davies]

A week in La Morra, heaven! The highlight was seeing Ian again!



We did better with winery visits in Italy than in France and were able to visit Garesio, Marcarini, Gianluca Colombo, Fratelli Alessandria, Marchesi Di Gresy and Trediberri. All of the winemakers were very welcoming and charming and so generous with their time it was a real privilege to be able to spend time with them. I think Younghwa was starting to get “looking at barrels fatigue“ by the end of the week!

Some notes from the winery visits.

Garesio was brilliant and Alessio a great host. There is plenty of investment made in the modern winery and it seems to be paying off. The 18 Gianetto and 16 Cerretta Riserva were 2 of the best wines of the trip. There is a sad cork story though. We liked the 18 Gianetto so much we gave a bottle to a friend (ITB) who said it was faulty! We tried one and it was nothing like the one we tasted in the winery (flat, no fruit, a bit musty, no TCA though). We got in contact with Giovanna and she said it is was a single bottling run and from a single barrel but they used 3 types of cork (all very high quality). We returned to winery and tried our poor bottle against a bottle from their stocks which had a different brand of cork to. Their bottle was like the wonderful bottle we tried at the winery. It’s too small a sample size to be definitive but i think it shows how frustrating corks are. It must be so disappointing for the producers to have their efforts ruined by a 1.5 euro cork. We talked about diam but they and their their consultant have concerns about how the wines age under them so they are currently sticking with natural cork. Garesio handled the whole thing very well and thanked us for letting them know and replaced all the bottles with ones with different corks.

This was my first encounter with the 3D maps of Barolo. Fascinating to see how the different vineyards are angled and orientated and the different altitudes. I’m a bit obsessed and trying to get one for home but they’re out of stock everywhere.







Will be looking out for this, it was lovely from the barrel.



The culprit:



3d map and Gianluca Colombo