TNs: Tuscany and Piedmont

[Ramon_NYC]

A work-week-ending Friday dinner at Maialino Trattoria in the Gramercy area with Marina, Lynda and Eric.

The restaurant, the latest venture by Danny Meyer of Eleven Madison and Shake Shack fame and which created a recent buzz with a favorable review in the NY Times, provided close-to-excellent wine service complementing the very good Roman Trattoria dishes.

2008 Bracheto d’Acqui (I failed to take note of the producer)
A request by one of the ladies to have a rose or something red but refreshing to start with, so we went with this - my first ever sparkling red from Piedmont. I expected a Lambrusco-type wine, but instead got a whiff of earthiness, and waves of sweet cherries and other candied red fruit. This wine with 5.5% abv had good tartness towards the finish, nothing overly complex and was quite decent. B

1997 Montevertine Le Pergole Torte
This is the producer’s Super Tuscan bottling, my first ever, and I am wowed. The wine started with a slightest of brett, but which blew off over time and morphed into something with wood and mushroom notes and, later on, into a bouquet of leather, floral and fruit components.
A wine with balanced structure, grace and smoothness, but with just the appropriate level of roughness to remind me of tradition and rusticity. A-

1998 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Francia
Tighter than the Tuscan, this also looked to be the lighter-colored wine. But the comparable appearance was deceiving, as this wine immediately showed to be big, chewy and chunky, enveloped by wood and earthiness. A good wine that showed power and muscle. I have high hopes for this Barolo with more time in the cellar. Started to shut down with the last pour. A-

[sdr]

Nice notes, Ramon.

I've been dabbling in Italian wines lately. (I know guys; I need to post my notes.)

Do you have a preference for sangiovese vs. nebbiolo, or is it a bottle-by-bottle question? How about Barolo vs. Barbaresco?

~stuart

[JCNorthway]

Thanks for the wine notes, Ramon. And the restaurant sounds interesting, also.

I'm guessing that the Conterno will be a really wonderful Barolo in another 10 years. I have only had a couple of 1998s; they were pretty basic bottlings and even they were still a little tight and tannic.

Stuart, to your question, my view would be that between sangio and nebbiolo, it is first a personal preference, if you happen to have one; I do not. I happen to like both, but my preferences vary by vintage and producer. As for Barbaresco vs. Barolo, I used to think that I did not care much one way or the other. But about a year ago, I had the pleasure of going to a tasting featuring recent/current releases from probably 25 different producers. And my big aha from that tasting was that I apparently clearly prefer Barolo. Of the 6-8 wines wines I enjoyed the most, only one was a Barbaresco. Tasting the Barbarescos alongside Barolos, they ended up seeming light and somewhat astringent. My hunch is that the Barbarescos would have faired better had they been tasted on their own, and not alongside Barolos.

Jon

[Ramon_NYC]

Stuart,

Thanks for the comment.

Jon provided a good explanation and I agree with what he wrote.

I also like both nebbiolo and sangiovese wines, but to be more granular, my preference rests on the type of food that I will be having.

Well, up until a year ago when there was the barrage of postings on Chiantis, I was mostly a nebbiolo-man. Both Barolo and Barbaresco appealed to me for their ability to pair well with heavy-flavored foods and meat preparations that I like. Not to underscore the fact that good Barbera and Dolcetto d’Alba, also from Piedmont, paired very well with pasta dishes. As Jon mentioned, it takes a much longer cellar time for Barolos and Barbarescos to reach their best potential. Btw, Comte is another good source here for information on good Nebbiolos.

Then, I discovered, or re-discovered, the Chianti Classicos and realized how good traditionally-made Chiantis also go well with bold foods, as well as with some light pasta dishes. You’ve probably seen posts by Blanquito, Chasse, Jim, rjsussex, myself and others on the Chianti Classicos (and Riservas) that we’ve dabbled upon lately. I think that they’re fun wines and, more important to me, relatively affordable. Most of these guys seem to like the traditional-styled ones. I also prefer traditional, but have liked a few modern-styled ones, too. BTW, I have to admit, I’m probably the worst person here to differentiate the two. Felsina, Rodano and Montevertine are some that I like and which I would categorize in the traditional camp.

By the way, other than some Sassicaias, Ornelaia and now the Montevertine La Pergole Torte, it’s rare that so-called Super Tuscans appealed to me. Probable reason is that most of the ones I’ve tasted were too modern or international to my taste. But now, I’ll be combing Wine Searcher for good deals on the Montevertine and will likely go with recent vintages if affordable.

Have fun with the region and please post about your wine finds.

Ramon

[Ramon_NYC]

Oh, and I'd also like to hear what others feel about their preferences between Tuscany and Piedmont wines.

[jal]

Jill and I have a reservation at Maialino for this coming Thursday, I made the reservation two weeks ago and since then it has been reviewed by the NY Times and tables have been impossible to secure. Maialino means little pig in Italian, the specialty is suckling pig and I don't eat pork, I'm still looking forward to the meal.

Piedmont vs Tuscany for me is similar to Burgundy vs Bordeaux. I love them both (or all four actually) but they complement different food. A much longer explanation is needed but the Jets are playing the Colts soon and I'm too excited to think about anything but football.

Go Jets!!

[Ramon_NYC]

Jacques,
They have a $13 corkage fee, fyi. Easily, the best deal in town today.
The fish and chicken dishes, be it in the pasta/primi or secondi were good. I had a delicious Roman ox-tail stew.
Enjoy.

Ramon

[jal]

Thanks Ramon, Maialino just called to confirm it's Tuesday (and not Thursday) and I asked about corkage; you're right $13, a bargain. I'll bring a 1996 or 1997 Piedmont.