It was great to finally be back in Piemonte after a few years’ hiatus. Piemonte is probably the wine region closest to my heart, as it was here that the idea for VinConnect developed some 16 years ago and the location of the first wineries to hear about (and adopt) the idea. With a few new winery partners added since that time, I knew I needed to return to Piemonte to sit down with our recent additions and revisit old friends. Over seven very full and busy days, we were able to experience the full range of Piemonte’s various villages and terroirs in Barolo, Barbaresco, and even beyond in Alto Piemonte, and mostly taste wines from the exceptional 2021 vintage. With great hospitality, incredible wines, and delicious meals (with plenty of truffles), it was truly an experience to remember!
Friday – Getting Started
We landed this morning at Milan’s Malpensa airport in two different groups, and grabbing our respective cars, rushed southward to Alba to briefly get situated in our apartments before heading off immediately to our first two visits.
Ceretto (website) – As always, we started our trip at Ceretto. Just outside Alba, it’s an easy drive and the hospitality makes it a fantastic introduction to the wines of the region. Proprietor Federico Ceretto is an old friend of VinConnect, having been one of the early wineries to join the platform. They have since moved on through different iterations of U.S. distribution, but a visit here to reconnect and taste their outstanding wines is always a great introduction to the region and the trip.
Batasiolo (website) – A new introduction for me, this estate has a large and well-known brand, but is still developing their hospitality offerings. We enjoyed a comprehensive tour of the winery and had the pleasure of tasting the full range of their well-made wines. With the resources available here, I look forward to seeing what kind of hospitality experiences they will be able to offer in the future.
When visiting Piemonte, I prefer to stay in Alba, the town located between the Barolo and Barbaresco regions. It’s a lovely mid-sized hamlet quite similar to Beaune (for those who have been to Burgundy) – big enough to have a range of restaurants, wine bars, and retail stores, while small enough to be totally walkable. For our first dinner in Alba we dined at Osteria Sognatori, a humble, locals-only establishment that I always visit, since the owner’s brother is a famed winemaker here in Virginia. The food is authentic, delicious, and inexpensive, and it’s always fun to be the only Americans in a restaurant despite the town being overrun with tourists during the annual Truffle Festival.
Saturday – La Morra
Mauro Molino (profile) – This was my first visit to Mauro Molino, a relatively recent new partner of VinConnect. With a reputation for producing modestly-priced wines that deliver great value, I was incredibly impressed with the tour and tasting. Their wines have been getting increasing critical praise in recent vintages (including some 95+ scores for their 2021 Crus, including my favorite La Serra) and I can see why, as they are painstakingly crafted and wonderfully expressive. This is definitely a list to join and an estate to watch going forward.
For lunch we popped into La Morra village to dine at More e Machine, a perfect location to refuel with a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine for the afternoon ahead. This classic, casual osteria is a perfect stop when visiting La Morra, but just make sure to reserve ahead since it’s on every visitor’s short list and always overrun as a result.
Cordero di Montezemolo (website) – Another new introduction for me, this estate remains a bit under the radar, despite its strong reputation and nearly 400 years of family history. The estate is a rarity in Barolo, with its vineyards all surrounding its cellars in one contiguous property. The hospitality here was quite impressive, and the wines showed strongly as well. I will definitely be following this estate and its wines in the years to come.
Alberto Voerzio (website) – A special request from one of our customers, who had been impressed by a bottle he had somehow acquired from this tiny producer who is the cousin of the famed Roberto Voerzio. Alberto himself gave us a tour of his modest winery, and tasted us through the full range of his wines produced using many of the same techniques that make Roberto’s wines so delicious and collectible. Barley available in the U.S at this time, these are delicious, well-made wines worth keeping an eye out for as his brand (hopefully) gets more visibility in our market.
For dinner we decided to visit a relatively new spot Fuoco Farina, located just behind the Duomo in Alba’s main piazza. This is an all-day spot with everything from fancy coffee and pastries in the morning to a full dinner menu, and features the first decent pizza that I can ever recall in Alba. It’s bright, lively and vibrant, with an energetic young stuff providing great service to a busy crowd of locals and tourists alike.
Sunday – Serralunga
Massolino (profile) – It was great to kick off Sunday with a visit to Massolino. One of VinConnect’s original partners back in 2011, I have a strong affinity for Franco Massolino and our friendship throughout these many years. He is a true gentelman who has elevated this estate into the top echelon among those in Barolo, producing wines of incredible quality and consistency. As always we generously tasted the entire lineup of new releases, and while each of the 2021 Barolo crus performed admirably, the 2019 Barolo Vigna Rionda Riserva was best in show for me.
For lunch we walked through the walls of Serralunga village and hiked up its narrow cobblestone corridors in search of the legendary Centro Storico. A small wine bar and restaurant reachable only on foot, one might walk right past without noticing the Iberico ham legs on the counter and wine refrigerators chock full. But it houses some incredible food and an absolutely amazing wine list, with perhaps the best Champagne selection in all of Italy. This is one of my favorite places in the world, and an absolute must-visit for anyone truly passionate about wine.
Giovanni Rosso (website) – Another new introduction for us, Giovanni Rosso is an interesting estate, known best for its Barolo wines. They also have operations in Sicily on the slopes of Mt. Etna, and following a tour of the Serralunga cellars we had the opportunity to taste wines from both properties. My favorites from Piemonte were a surprisingly drinkable 2023 Langhe Nebbiolo, and a super impressive and powerful 2021 Barolo Vigna Rionda.
Rivetto (profile) – Visiting the incomparable Enrico is always an adventure. His traditional family farm that integrates vineyards, crops and forest demonstrates all that is good about artisan organic cultivation. The wines here showed better than they ever have, with his native white Naschetta blowing my guests’ minds and his soulful Barolos stealing their hearts. Or perhaps it was Enrico’s young daughters, who joined us for our tour and admirably pitched in to help open and pour the bottles during our tasting. A true family endeavor!
Years ago I had a fantastic dinner at the renowned castle in the village of Grinazane Cavour, and since then I’ve always wanted to return. While the chef in residence has changed since my first visit, I was excited to dine at Alessandro Mecca at Grinzane Cavour, and full of anticipation as we drove up to the impressive castle walls and climbed the ancient stairs into the dining room. To my surprise, its strange (and vulgar) modern art decor and disappointing food made this an underwhelming experience overall, and a place I’ll avoid in the future (until there’s another new chef).
Monday – Barolo
Domenico Clerico (profile) – This was my first visit in years to this pioneering estate with its striking modern architecture. Domenico passed some years ago, but his lovely daughter Cecilia has taken on increasing responsibility for commercial activities. The winemaking here has shifted dramatically over the past decade, with barriques finally being scrapped in favor of more traditional large oak botti. The result is truly impressive — the 2021 wines we tasted showed amazing purity of fruit and transparency of terroir. The critics have noticed as well, and all signs point to this estate recapturing its reputation as a reference address for top Barolo.
Then it was off to Barolo village, where we popped into the always-solid Barolofriends for a quick lunch. Located adjacent to Barolo’s castle, you can’t beat the location and the food when visiting the village. We loved our meal, and afterward especially appreciated being able to walk to our next two appointments, also right in the village!
Chiara Boschis (profile) – There truly is no one quite like Chiara Boschis! The only woman among the “Barolo Boys” who burst on the scene in the late 1980s and whose innovative winemaking produced bottles that captured the attention of the wine world that had previously largely ignored these wines. She is still going strong and making incredible wines, but has added some young family members to the team to start training them in the business with an eye toward the future. Her 2021 Barolos were all so impressive, but my favorite for near-term consumption would be the Via Nuova.
Borgogno (profile) – Just short walk down the street, we next visited Borgogno to tour their historic cellars that have occupied this prestigious spot in the center of Barolo since 1741. In addition, we had the opportunity to taste several new releases in the attached modern tasting room — while the Barolos were solid as usual, my favorite was the 2023 Timorasso, a long-lost native white variety slowly regaining favor.
Dinner options in Italy are often limited on Monday, and Alba was no exception. While we had been considering visiting the Michelin 3-star Piazza Duomo, we all decided that something much more casual would be appealing after a few long days of eating and drinking. And so after wandering around Alba looking for someplace casual that had availability (a difficult endeavor), we ended up back at Fuoco Farina to enjoy the convivial atmosphere and solid food.
Tuesday – Monforte d’Alba
Azelia (profile) – Another great visit with one of my favorite estates. For years they have been working on expanding their cellar by building into the hillside below their vineyards, and with the project finally near completion we finally got to tour. All of the 2021 Barolos showed fabulously well (including perhaps the most impressive Barolo Classico of the trip), but the show-stopper was the Riserva Bricco Voghera 2014. From 120 year-old vines, it was so aromatic and balanced that it seemed almost weightless.
For lunch we grabbed a quick impromptu bite at one of Fontanafredda’s restaurants. Owned by the same family that brought the Eataly chain to major cities around the world, the Fontanafredda estate is home to 3 hotels, 4 restaurants, a spa, and a small Eataly-style retail shop featuring local products and wines.
Fontanafredda (profile) – Following lunch we had a fantastic tour of Fontanafredda’s historic estate property, which used to serve as the King’s hunting lodge, and a tasting of their current release wines. The hospitality here is amazing — with its multiple hotels, several restaurants, and gorgeous public grounds, this venue is a must-visit when touring Barolo as it truly has something for everyone to enjoy. Plus, the combination of classic Nebbiolo-based wines along with delicious Alta Langa sparkling wines has broad appeal as well.
Luigi Einaudi (website) – Next we headed just beyond the formal borders of Barolo into the neighboring village of Dogliani, renowned as the epicenter for the Dolcetto grape variety. Einaudi is a historic estate launched by one of the founding fathers of the Italian Republic. They produce very solid Barolo wines, and probably the best and most well-known Dolcettos, a variety gaining increasing mindshare in the U.S. given its approachability, food pairing flexibility, and reasonable prices. Their 2023 Dolcetto Superiore may be the best Dolcetto I’ve ever tasted!
Vietti (profile) – This was my first return to the estate since the ownership change some 9 years ago. Much concern has been expressed about potential changes in the estate’s winemaking direction since then, but other than some significant investments in impressive vineyard acquisitions, I didn’t notice any changes whatsoever. The wines are as good as they have always been, from lovely whites, to the best Barbera one can find, to a dizzying array of absolutely first-class Barolo that have all the stuffing, balance and complexity that their wines are known for. It would be difficult to choose a favorite from among the 6 different 2021 Cru Barolos we tasted (as they were all delicious), so the wine that stood out most for me was the 2022 single vineyard Timorasso — in its first-ever bottling, this was a revelation, showing great complexity and richness.
Following Vietti, we headed back to the Fontanafredda property for my first-ever dinner at their top restaurant, the Michelin 1-star Guido. The room was nice without being stuffy, and the food and service were fantastic. Of course the wine list was impressive in scope, but I was also pleased to find plenty of well-priced selections included therein. This will definitely become a staple for Piemonte dining on future trips.
Wednesday – Barbaresco
Pelissero (profile) – Pelissero has long been a VinConnect partner, as well as a reference address for some of the top wines made in Barbaresco. Over the years the winery has expanded their production and hospitality significantly, making it the best and most sophisticated tour and tasting in Barbaresco. Here again we had the pleasure of tasting the 2021 vintage of their top wines, and for me this year, the winner by a nose was the Barbaresco Tulin for its balance and complexity.
Rather than eat at the usual Barbaresco standby Antica Torre (next to the ancient tower), we decided to wander the village a bit and dine down the street at Campamac. From the same team at the nearby Michelin 1-star La Ciau del Tournavento, this is a (somewhat) more casual eatery focused on steaks. With a flashy, well-appointed interior and very professional service, this was perhaps a bit more serious “lunch” than we might have imagined, but it was delicious and well-executed nonetheless. Would definitely return!
Marchesi di Gresy (website) – Always one of my favorite stops when visiting Barbaresco, this historic family estate continues to maintain its flagship status in the appellation. Kiwi winemaker Jeffrey Chilcott is quite a character (in addition to being a vinous savant), and always hosts an entertaining and informative tasting. Among the many current and library vintages we were able to taste (including all the way back to a 2013 Camp Gros), my favorite was the 2020 Gaiun Riserva — complex, balanced, lithe, nuanced, long — it has just about everything you could want from top Barbaresco.
I was excited to return to the curiously-named ANT for this evening’s dinner. I first dined there a few years ago shortly after they opened, and it’s an interesting concept — the restaurant is housed in the intimate stone-walled cellar of an old house in the small village of Novello. It’s a prix fixe menu of 6-7 courses, and curiously, you taste them “blind” (they don’t tell you what each course is until after you have consumed it). It’s an interesting conceit — if it wasn’t so well executed it might fall flat, but the cozy, intimate setting and absolutely inspired, delicious food thrilled my guests and it was voted our group’s “favorite” dinner of the trip!
Thursday – Alto Piemonte
Le Piane (website) – While not a VinConnect partner, Le Piane is one of the most renowned estates in Alto Piemonte. Acquired in the late 1990s by Christoph Künzli, he has made huge investments to improve quality and spearhead the resurgence of the region. After a bumpy ride out to walk some of the ancient vineyards and stop by the newly-expanded cellar, we returned to their shop in the middle of Boca that acts as the winery’s headquarters, tasting room and retail store. Many of their wines blend Nebbiolo with a small percentage of the traditional Vespolina, which adds spiciness and violet aromatics to the wines’ flavor profile and making them at once traditional but also contemporary.
Following a short drive to the neighboring village of Gattinara, we stopped in at Nervi, where 7 years ago Roberto Conterno acquired the winery and has made huge investments in infrastructure. There is an entirely new winery building built to his exacting standards, and a restaurant (Cucine Nervi) has been added to one of the traditional buildings. Like all things Conterno does, this was executed beautifully, with exceptional food, first-class service, and an impressive, global wine list. This may be the best dining option in all of Alto Piemonte.
Travaglini (profile) – Our trip’s last visit was with one of the flagship estates in Alto Piemonte, Travaglini. This historic estate is known around the world for the quality of its wines and the iconic, asymmetric shape of its bottles. Family scion Cinzia Travaglini took us through the full lineup of current releases, and the standouts for me were the 2020 Gattinara Tre Vigne for its bright, pure fruit with a kiss of new oak, and the 2019 Gattinara Riserva Vigna Ronchi for its power, depth and complexity.
Having been on the wine route for seven long days full of fabulous tastings and great meals, it was finally time to head back to the airport and settle in before our early flights home the following day. While an airport hotel isn’t the most exciting way to end such a special trip, the sheer comfort and convenience was too much to pass up. The food in the hotel bar/restaurant was as unspired as you might imagine, but the refreshment of our first beer in a week and rehashing of our adventures made for an enjoyable evening nonetheless.
This trip once again reinforced my love for Piemonte — the geography, the wines, the food, and especially the people. I look forward to the chance to come back again soon, hopefully with some more passionate VinConnect customers along to enjoy the experience as well.