Day 5, November 8, 2012

Domenico Clerico

Another day, another great Italian buffet breakfast at Corte Gondina.  Soon thereafter we arrived at Domenico Clerico.  His facility looks like a giant spaceship on top of a hill.  The modern architecture sticks out like a sore thumb in the area with all the old, traditional looking structures.  I have been buying and cellaring Clerico wines now for years - largely due to the high scores they receive from Antonio Galloni.  I've had a few of the older Ginestra Barolo that have been delicious at Babbo and Capriccio on Bonaire.  The facility is quite large and completely modern.  No surprise there since it was just built.  The tasting room has a beautiful view and our host was very kind and hospitable.  I found the wines less than interesting though.  Modern and lacking in soul.  This hurt a bit since I have so much of the wines in my cellar.  My favorite wine of the tasting wasn't even a Barolo.  It was the current Barbera d'Alba.  I strongly prefer the traditional wines - I'm sure that is pretty obvious.

After a good lunch at La Salita in Monforte we started our afternoon visit at G.D. Vajra.  I loved this visit.  We were hosted by the young and passionate Francesca Vajra - the daughter of the owner and founder of the winery.  Francesca was a fantastic host.  Her hospitality and passion for the wines was a stark contrast to what we experienced at Elvio Cogno just a few days early.  Francesca poured us through the entire current offering of G.D. Vajra.  The wines showed very, very well.  I have always enjoyed Vajra wines and buy them when I see them.  They can be hard to find - I usually buy them from Astor Wines in NYC.  The tour of the wine making facility was interesting as it was easily the most packed of any wine making facility that we saw.  There is literally no room to move around.  The space constraints certainly aren't hurting the quality of the juice.

Dinner was at Castello Grinzane.  This was the only restaurant of the trip that earned a Michelin star.  The setting is inside a really old castle.  The food and service was really good.  I'd recommend this place for a nice meal.

Day 3, November 6, 2012

Giuseppe Mascarello

Today was the day for the ultra traditional producers - Giuseppe Rinaldi and Giuseppe Mascarello.  We started at Rinaldi near the town of Barolo.  The location was a bit tough to find but eventually we got there.  We were warmly greeted by the young and attractive Marta Rinaldi and given a quick tour of the very old cellar.  Soon we moved on to tasting the wines which all showed very well.

Lunch was in the town of Barolo.  Barolo is a fun little town to walk around in.  It is a bit more touristy feeling than the other small towns in the Langhe.  We picked a lunch spot that was near the center of town without a recommendation or reviewing feedback from other travelers - Locanda della Posta.  This was the most uninteresting lunch of the entire trip.  The food wasn't bad, it was just uninteresting.  The wine service was bad though.  The inside of the restaurant was on the warm side and so were the wines that were left sitting out (some of them under bright lights).  I'm sure there were better choices in the town, we just picked a bad spot.

After lunch we ventured to the town of Dogliani to walk around a bit and check out the public market.  It was pretty small and most of what was on sale was clothing.  Dogliani is known for its Dolcetto - there was plenty of it for sale there as you would expect.

Our afternoon appointment with the legendary producer Giuseppe Mascarello.  I was warned that this location would be very difficult to find and indeed it was.  I asked for directions from several locals in the small town where the Cantina is located and eventually they got us on the right track.  This was a really fun visit.  In a room full of fruit flies we tasted through the complete set of current release wines.  They were all excellent including the 2008 Monprivato.  Our visit was led by Mauro Mascarello and his friendly wife.  Mauro isn't a fluent English speaker and we don't know much Italian but we managed to communicate just fine.  This visit was a definite highlight for me.

We purchased a few bottles of Freisa to bring back to the hotel to enjoy.  The 2006 Freisa was superb - funky and earthy.

Dinner was in La Morra within walking distance of our hotel at Pizzeria Per Bacco, which was excellent.

Impressions from my trip to Piemonte - November 2012

Sunday - November 4th

Arrived on the overnight flight from EWR.  Picked up the rental car at MXP airport and headed for La Morra.  The drive was relatively easy until we got close to Alba, then the GPS started getting confused with all the changes to the roads in the area.  Make sure you have an up to date GPS when traveling in Piemonte. We reached our hotel Corte Gondina and met Bruno.  I had to laugh when I first met him because he probably thinks I am slightly mad.  There was a lot of back and forth about appointments, dates, times, changes and questions.  Lots of questions.

Lunch was at the local Osteria More e Macine.  A very cool and boisterous place with the menu written on a chalkboard.  The wine list was deep and reasonably priced backed up by a large walk-in wine cellar.  Food was very good all around.  The white truffles here looked fantastic and the pricing was reasonable.  I wish we had come back for dinner here.  The vibe was really fun.

Our first wine visit was in Barbaresco at Produttori di Barbaresco.  The distance from La Morra to Barbaresco isn't much but with all the twisting roads it takes about 25 minutes or so.  Barbaresco is a tiny little hill town.  The main strip holds a few places to taste wine and two Michelin starred restaurants.  The tasting room at Produttori di Barbaresco is open to the public and doesn't cost anything.  We tasted through a range of wines that included a 2007 Riserva.  The most impressive wine of the tasting was the 2005 Barbaresco, it was the most expressive of that group.  The Riserva was a close second as it showed the most polish and potential of the bunch.  Pricing to buy the wines was much lower than in the US - this would be theme throughout the trip.

Dinner was at Bovio in La Morra.  This is an impressive restaurant that is not to be missed.  The service, decor and wine list were my favorites of the trip.  The food was good but short of excellent for the most part.  My brasato al Barolo was slightly disappointing.  The wine list was a thing of beauty though with excellent stemware and polished wine service.  We had our wine of the trip here 2008 Elio Grasso Barolo Vigna Chiniera.  What an extraordinary wine!  From the moment the cork was pulled this wine was explosive.  The waiter put the wine into a fancy decanter but that wasn't really necessary.  This is a wine of considerable elegance and I'm going to be buying several of these.

Barrafina - Tapas Restaurant in London

My favorite meal of the trip thus far has been at Barrafina.  This is a highly regarded Spanish tapas restaurant located in the SoHo neighborhood of London.

Seating is around an open kitchen with a few additional tables outside.  You queue up along the back wall of the restaurant while waiting your turn at the counter.  Looking at all the great dishes coming out of the kitchen was making me extra hungry and impatient.  One of the servers was taking great care of all the people in the queue - taking drink orders or food orders.  I started with a bottle of Spanish white while I waited.  The queue stretched out to the front door so I was happy that I arrived early on a spectacular Saturday night.

After about 35 minutes, my seat opened up on the corner of the bar.  Soon after sitting I put in several orders.  Everything was very good and there were even a few 'wow' dishes that stood out above the rest.  My favorite plates were the: octopus with capers, ham croquetas, fresh clams in garlic, and oil and chickpeas with spinach and bacon.

Service was attentive throughout the meal and the limitation of my stomach capacity was the only thing keeping me from ordering more.  Dining here reminded me of my fantastic trip to Spain.

Barrafina lives up to its billing as the top tapas bar in London.  It was even better than I expected.

Napa on 26, Bangkok

For Western style fine dining in Bangkok, Napa on 26 is a great choice.  I celebrated my big birthday here and was quite happy with the experience.  First, the decor of the restaurant is pure class and comfortable.  The tables are nicely spread out so you can enjoy a bit of privacy and peace during your meal.  The chairs are some of the most comfortable that I have experienced in a restaurant.  The table for two was nice and large.   Second, the service was polished and prompt - almost up to the standards of a fine restaurant in New York City.  Finally, the food was excellent for the most part - highlights were the duck confit (special of the night), braised short ribs and Caesar salad "Napa" style.  I didn't care for the carpaccio though.  Beautiful presentation and wonderful flavors.  My only compliant was that things were slow coming out of the kitchen.   In a very classy move, the chef came to our table to apologize as he was short staffed due to the recent holiday.

The wine list is very good for Thailand although the pricing is absolutely astronomical compared to the US or Europe.    I attribute this to the massive tax levied against wine imports into Thailand.  I was stunned to see how expensive wine was on the shelf at Foodland market.  However, if you are a baller you can choose such trophies as Mouton, Lafite, DRC and Screaming Eagle off the list at Napa on 26.  Corkage is a very reasonable 500 THB so you are much better off bringing your own bottle than buying off the list.    Wine service was excellent with beautiful stems and prompt service.  Highly recommended. 

Wine visits in Montalcino and Chianti Classico

The two best visits in Montalcino and Chianti Classico were head and shoulders above the rest: Uccelliera and Sestadisopra.  Other excellent visits were Valdicava, Siro Pacenti, Felsina and Fontodi.  My least favorite visit was Ciacci Piccolomini.  It wasn't terrible, it just had a commercial feel compared to the others, which were small and intimate visits.  Ciacci even has a US style wine and gift shop.

First day in Rome

Had a good first day in Rome that consisted of two naps and lots of walking.  Once Dave got in we had a killer lunch near the Piazza Novona.  A little pizza place that was in the Rick Steves guide - pizza was OTC and spaghetti carbonara also very good.  Had a glass of wine afterwards at Cul de Sac - kick ass wine bar also near the Piazza Novona.  Walked around after lunch and passed by most of the big Rome sights.  Tons of and tons of tourists in Rome.  It seems that there always is but I thought this was the 'shoulder season'.  Dinner last night at Da Felice.  Totally different vibe the second time around.  Very friendly and English was widely spoken.  Food was very good.

Up rather early today.  Planning on visiting the catacombs and then Vatican in the afternoon.

Next trip...Toscana, Italia

stay tuned for the details...departing on 13-October

I have the following wine visits already set up:

Ciacci
Sesta di Sopra
Uccelliera
Valdicava

Felsina
Fontodi
Quercibella

Lotus of Siam, Las Vegas

I enjoyed a very nice meal here on a recent trip to Las Vegas.  The menu is enormous!  With so many tasty choices it is wise to engage your server for advice.  The prices are completely reasonable.  A stark contrast to what is being charged on the strip at the big hotels.  Standouts on our visit were the crispy pork with Chinese broccoli and the northern ginger curry.  The flavors are entirely authentic.  Without hesitation the kitchen will bring the heat, if you give them the green light of course. 

The wine list is voluminous and surprisingly affordable.  There are plenty of good German Rieslings that match perfectly with the Thai cuisine.  Take your pick of new releases or bottles with age.  We enjoyed at beautiful bottle of 2009 St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Kabinett.  If you are a fan of minerality in your Riesling, look no further than St. Urbans-Hof.  One of my favorite German producers.  

The best buys on the wine list are actually the big reds; Chateauneuf du Papes in particular.  2006 Clos des Papes for $125?  YES! 

Lotus of Siam is justifiably famous.  On my next trip to Vegas, I will definitely be back.   

Best Bar Thus Far

Tempranillo on Calle Cava Baja.  Awesome wine selection by the glass and very cheap.  I will be back tonight.  I had a lovely plate of chorizo on top of bread with olive oil last night.  I might have it again tonight.  The menu is entirely in Spanish so it is hard for me to understand what the items are.  I am surprised at how little English is spoken in this city.

Garnet Wines, Upper East Side, NYC

Since my favorite wine store in Manhattan was in the last day of its red sale I had to stop by to pick up a few value bottles - Vietti Barbera, 07 Cotes du Rhone and Scavino Langhe Rosso.  I chatted with JR for awhile about the 08 Rhones.  He thinks they will be a very tough sale given the high prices and less than stellar growing conditions.  I can't disagree.

http://www.garnetwine.com/