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“You Deserve a Break Today!” – Piemontese-style

 

Priocca D’Alba, Piemonte

It was as close to a grande bouffe as I have had in years; a 4-hour dinner composed of a series of small plates, and then some BIG plates – 12 of them presented serially, to be exact – and many bottles of regional wine.

The setting: Ristorante il Centro in the tiny hamlet of Priocca D’Alba, run by Enrico Cordero and his family. A restaurant from yesteryear, where they replace your silverware between courses and bring different sized glasses for every wine throughout the course of the dinner.

To give you an idea of what they eat, and how they eat, in Piedmont these days, here is a brief commentary on the highlights of our meal:

It’s not much to look at, but when you pull apart this chunk of braised veal cheek, it reveals a series of brisket-like meat threads, which melt in the mouth; perfectly sweetened with seasonal fresh figs and acidified with what tastes like balsamic vinegar.

A serving of braised veal cheek, which was better than any barbecued pork, or barbecued brisket, that I have had this year; the four-hour, slow-cooked, cheek of veal, sweetened with seasonal figs, and served atop a bed of pureed white sweet potato, easily pulls apart with a fork, separating into delicious, delicate threads.

You want original, tasty, local? THIS is the dish. Owner Enrico Cordero said: “This dish is so complicated that we can only put it on the menu for a month each year – it’s too much work!”

 

Porcini soup, garnished with a tablespoon of fried chicken liver snippets; this velour-textured, slurp du jour was the color of chestnuts, and as silky and satin-y as high-gloss house paint. The soup was scented with uber-fresh porcini, which diners can smell as the dish leaves the kitchen, long before the server ever gets it to the table.

If I were as rich as this soup, I could justify eating at il Centro seven nights a week. In fact, if I were as rich as this soup, I could afford the gall bladder surgery required from eating it seven nights a week.

Il Centro owner Enrico Cordero shaves white truffles atop anything you wish to have blanketed by them – tagliatelle, fried eggs, or porcini soup.

Tajarin is the Piemontese word for thin strands of tagliatelle. A mound of these homemade noodles is served, barely buttered, and then, at tableside, covered with a cascade of freshly shaved, heavenly scented, white truffles. Oh boy.

Other highlights of the meal in pictures:

 A delicate puff pastry shell filled with a forcemeat of leeks, some more leeks and probably even some more leeks, served with a green shmear of pureed —what else? -- leeks. Major yum.

Tiny, tender, melt-in-your-mouth raviolis filled with a forcemeat of the finely chopped caps of fresh porcini, potato, and fresh burrata, crowned with a slice of crisply fried, local speck.

A simmering, saucy stew of rabbit-y parts, including delicate, delicious homemade rabbit meatballs – first time I’ve even heard of such a presentation.

A delicious grape gelato, made from one specific local grape.

A tongue-clacking combination – rich chocolate crème atop a thin, crackly giandujia (crushed hazelnut) wafer.

Napaman's recommendation:

Should you find yourself in Piemonte anytime soon, make plans to eat at Ristorante il Centro, Via Umberto I, No. 5., Prioccca D’Alba. Tel: 0173-616112.

Napaman’s Top Wines - from a Two-Week Trip through Piedmont

For winemakers, of whom I am one, and wine-lovers, finding a new wine to grace the dinner table is a never-ending treasure hunt.

My recent two-week travels through the Nebbiolo- and Barbera-producing countryside of Piemonte (Piedmont to those who don’t have Italian spell-check on their computer) produced many new discoveries, which I want to share. I will look for these wines in the US now that I am home, and I would encourage you to do so, too.

For the record, the trip also introduced me to some mighty fine winemakers, whose company I much enjoyed.

CANTINE ASCHERI GIACOMO

I stayed at a really neat, 4-star, lodging in Bra, a medium-sized town of 28,000, in Piemonte.

Albergo Cantine Ascheri is the brainchild of wine producer Matteo Ascheri, whose sense of detail is as evident in the rooms he builds as it is in the wines he crafts. There are 27 rooms in the inn, which Matteo built and opened in 2005.

Guests are accorded most of the pleasures of a four-star hotel; everything works, the bed is comfortable (I didn’t try out the other 26 beds so can’t pluralize by saying “the beds are comfortable”) and you can get smart examples of traditional, local dishes in the hotel’s courtyard Osteria Murivecchi.

The on-site Ascheri Osteria Murrivechi, in Bra, Italy.

As for Ascheri’s wines, they are delicious, and expertly crafted.

I was really impressed with the modern cellar and tasting room at Ascheri; winemaker Giuliano Bedino prepares a tasting session for Carol, my imbibing companion, and me.

2006 Ascheri Barolo, Vigna dei Pola

The top-scoring wine of my entire trip to Piemonte, by quite a margin. Produced by Matteo Ascheri under the expert winemaking care of Giuliano Bedino, this wine lifted me out of my chair and took me to a place no other Barolo did in my wine tour.

Call this “Beyond Barolo” and you will understand what this wine is about; other-worldly.

This 2006 wine is not yet released (which is why a different vintage label is shown above), and probably will only make its way to the US market by this time next year; but it is something to put on your calendar and circle: “Get this wine when it is released in the fall of 2010!”

Matteo says that the 2006 vintage for Barolo (which is made from the Nebbiolo grape) is the best vintage in the region in the last 20 years. It shows in this wine, a near-perfect example of great fruit turned into great wine. This wine has fresh ripe fruit flavors, pronounced muscle, chewy meat, flowery scents, rich fat and all of this is wrapped in an elegant package, handsomely balanced. 98 points.

2006 Ascheri Barolo, Sorano

Like the two other 2006 Ascheri Barolos reviewed here, this particular wine has not yet been released. It, too, will only hit the US market in the fall of 2010, or even later. But what a wine to wait for!

Winemaker Giuliano Bedino says this is his favorite of the three Barolos he fashioned in 2006. This wine has extreme structure, more tar, and more balsamico essence than either of the other two Barolos (Vigna dei Pola, above, or Coste Bricco, below). 93 points.

2006 Ascheri Barolo, Coste Bricco

Ascheri only produced 325 cases of this stupendous wine and it won’t be released until the fall of 2010, so make a point of telling your favorite wine shop to put you down for a case upon release (which is why a different vintage label appears above).

This is a blend of Nebbiolo fruit from two blocks on a Langhe hillside – the Bricco portion, or top-most crown of the hill, and the Coste portion, or middle strata of fruit on the hillside.

Winemaker Giuliano Bedino says this wine needs 15 to 25 years to mature; today it appears to be a Barolo on steroids with lots of everything to reach its predicted old-age in tact; it has loads of fruit, loads of spice, and loads of stuffing. 92 points.

2004 Ascheri Montalupa Langhe

Italian DOC laws prohibit the winery from putting the word “Syrah” on the label of this purple potion, but that’s exactly what is in the bottle – 100 percent Syrah from the Langhe wine region. And oh, what a fabulous Syrah this is!

The aroma of pure Syrah jumps out of the glass, shouting “I AM SYRAH!” and it never lets you forget this fact. While still too young to exhibit tar, or leather, or any of the elements of a classic older Syrah, this is a tremendous effort, certainly the best Italian Syrah that I have ever tasted. 92 points.

PAOLO CONTERNO

Daniele Pallaro, responsible for commercial contacts, and his uncle, Giorgio Conterno, winemaker at Paolo Conterno, who looks a lot like songwriter Paul Simon.

There are six Conterno families making wine in Barolo country; at one time several may have been related, but this is not the case any longer today.

I enjoyed s morning with Giorgio Conterno, sixth generation winemaker, and his nephew, Daniele Pallaro, who graciously opened the best of the best of their wines for me.

1999 Paolo Conterno Barolo Ginestra

Most Barolos, made from the Nebbiolo grape, are meant to age for a long period, easily 10 years. In some exceptional vintages like 2006, wine lovers may have to wait 15 or 20 years before popping the cork to experience the full complexity and “reveal” of Piemonte’s top wine.

To show how a ten-year-old Barolo from an exceptional vintage can age, Giorgio Conterno, winery owner, and his nephew, Daniele Palaro, opened a 1999 Barolo for me.

All the classic Barolo aromas leapt from the glass – tar, mushrooms, ripe red fruit, even a hint of chestnut. Many of these same notes were found all the way through the sip and eventual swallow (this stuff was too good to spit out). The overall impression of this wine: one of silken sensuality. 94 points.

2005 Paolo Conterno Barolo Ginestra

Giorgio Conterno says that he makes Barolos to strut their stuff at age 10, but that certain vintages, like 2005, just happen to drink beautifully at a much earlier age.

I couldn’t agree more, especially with this wine. It already has a gorgeous aroma; you can virtually “taste the vintage,” as Giorgio puts it.

My notebook highlights this wine’s elegance, dark ripe fruit and twice I used and underlined the word “stunning” to describe the wine’s middle palate and finish. 93 points.

Enough, already with the wine labels! This was going to be a shot of the 2008 Paolo Conterno Barbera D’Alba, Ginestra but I’m already bored with the wine labels, and I figure so must you be So instead, here’s a sweet shot of Giorgio’s old dog.

 2008 Paolo Conterno Barbera D’Alba, Ginestra

Very spicy, very racy, very tasty. (Sounds like Twitter tasting notes!) Gobs of dark ripe fruit, spicy cherry and appealing length. 92 points.

ODDERO

There are no XY chromosomes at Oddero Winery. Owner/winemaker Cristina Oddero (right above) and her niece, Isabella Boffa (left above), who cares for commercial aspects of the business, are turning out spectacular wines in La Morra.

 I’d summarize their efforts by saying that they’re producing 10,000 cases of liquid poetry, based on the wines I tasted.

2001 Oddero Barolo, Mondoca Bussia Soprana

An ambrosial wine. Truffles leapt from the glass before I even had it to my nose; scents of rich white, just shaved truffles, mixed with great ripe red fruit. There is lovely extraction here and the finish is redolent of fresh porcini. 94 points.

2005 Oddero Barolo, Rocche di Castiglione

Cristina only made 200 cases of this unfined, unfiltered, thrilling Barolo, which had me note “wow!!” with two exclamation marks in the margin of my notebook.

I loved the truffle scents, and full onslaught of fresh ripe red fruit. Plenty of tobacco and geranium scents, too, and the texture was silken and elegant. 93 points.

2005 Oddero Barolo, Bussia Soprana, Vigna Mondoca

The fruit for this Barolo comes from vines in nearby Monforte D’Alba. The wine has a new-world style, yet exhibits many old-world charms, including hints of tobacco, and a mint-y, almost eucalyptus-type top note. 92 points.

  

SOBRERO FRANSESCO & FIGLI

Settimo (named because he was the 7^th child in his family) and his son, Flavio, two generations of Sobreros. They make old-style, seriously rich, gorgeously balanced, traditional Barolos.

Young 27-year-old Flavio Sobrero has taken over the reigns at this three-generation winery from his dad, Settimo, and is doing a masterful job at building on his family’s former successes.

Sobrero’s next-generation leader, Flavio Sobrero.

Some of Flavio’s winemaking processes are, to say the least, unique, but they result in wines of rich depth and alluring texture.

Sobrero is often considered one of the last hold-outs of “traditional-style” Barolo winemakers, which just may be why I love what Flavio is producing. Some things you just can’t improve on, and the way they used to make Barolo – and which Flavio continues – is one of them.

2005 Sobrero Barolo, Ciabot Tanasio

A “ciabot” is a farmer’s tool shed. Young Flavio Sobrero’s ciabot must be where he keeps his winemaking secrets, because this wine has plenty of them.

The wine is a blend of fruit from three different vineyards in Castiglione Falletto; but how does Sobrero load the blend with such complexity, such charm, such spice, and such pleasure?

There are no hints of the typical scents, or flavors, you expect in a Barolo – no mushrooms, no truffles, no tar – and yet this is not a New World Wine by any stretch of the imagination. 94 points.

2007 Sobrero Barbera D’Alba, Villero

A delicious, rich, fruity, elegant example of Barbera – and when was the last time you saw anyone describe a Barbera “elegant?”

I loved the silky texture of this wine and its delicious finish, as much as I did its flavors. 92 points.

ENOUGH WITH ALL THE NUMBERS AND SCORES!

WE INTERUPT THIS LONG POSTING TO BRING YOU A MOMENT OF VISUAL BLISS.

THIS IS WHAT THE LANGHE DISTRICT LOOKS LIKE IN A RIOT OF FALL COLORS.

PIEDMONT HAS TO BE THE MOST BEAUTIFIUL WINE REGION I HAVE EVER VISITED – AS THESE SHOTS ATTEST.

 

WE NOW RETURN TO THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF MACRO-REVIEWING THE TOP WINES OF MY TWO-WEEK TRIP THROUGH PIEMONTE.

MALVIRA

One of the breathtaking vineyards that surrounds Malvira and its accommodation facility for guests, Villa Tiboldi.

Napa Valley has done such a great job of marketing itself and its wines that the public generally assumes that the wines of other California regions, like even next-door Sonoma, must be inferior.

This is what happens when you cross the Tanaro River in Piedmont, and head north of the fabled Langhe region; you enter the” Sonoma of Piedmont.” Wine drinkers just assume that the wines will be inferior. But they’d be wrong, certainly based on my experience.

A

 2008 Malvira Trinita Arneis

The only white wine to make my Top Wines Wine List, and what a doozy this wine is!

I enjoyed this stunning white wine at a four-hour luncheon at Villa Tiboldi, an agriturismo inn/dining room on the Roero side (left bank) of the Tanaro River.

Usually, Arneis is filled with licorice and/or fennel top notes, but this beaut is vinified to guard all the inherent tropical fruit notes. Bright lemon jumps from the rim to the nose – lemon juice, lemon peel, lemon rind, lemon everything except lemonade.

Hard to imagine that this wine has seen any oak, but it has had a judicious tweak of 10 percent new oak which helps set up the stepped profile and lengthy finish. 93 points.

2006 Malvira Langhe Nebbiolo

Aged 18 months in French oak, this very well structured wine has a stupendous bead, a honed focus; there’s a striking attack, a good middle palate of pleasure and a definite, lingering finish. I liked the whole package. 92 points. 

2005 Malvira Renesio Nebbiolo

Wow, these folks from Malvira are making some fabulous wines.

This 100 percent Nebbiolo spent two years on wood and two years in bottle before being released. My summary note says it all: “A fabulous wine!” 92 points.

GIANFRANCO ALESSANDRIA

Bruna (mom) and Vittoria (daughter) Alessandria.

I found the wines of Gianfranco Alessandria as warm and inviting as his family. Gianfranco’s wife, Bruna, and their daughter, Vittoria, graciously walked me through a tasting of their contemporary portfolio. Like the wines, the family exudes charm, finesse, and a particular joie. 

Gianfranco was in New York the day I visited the family winery in Monforte D’Alba, but Bruna and Vittoria made me feel at home, pouring generously from their selection of wines.

2006 Gianfranco Alessandria Barbera D’Alba, Vittoria

Named after the precocious 19-year-old daughter who helps her parents run the winery, this wine has the kind of deep purple color that belongs in a rich, warm, wool sweater in a Milan fashion window.

This Barolo is aged for 18 months in French oak, of which 45 percent is new. The wine is round in the mouth, supple, complex and the finish is long and filled with plum and dark cherry flavors. 93 points.

2005 Gianfranco Alessandria Barolo San Giovanni

An extremely elegant, focused Barolo, filled with dark cherries all along the swallow (hard to spit this one…), suggesting that it will age seamlessly, not to mention sensually. 92 points.

 

BARTOLO MASCARELLO

A contemporary shot of Maria Teresa Mascarello at her very traditional winery in town of Barolo.

The last time I was in this cantina, in Barolo, Piedmont, il padrone, Bartolo Mascarello, was alive and well and making guests feel right at home.

In fact, on a visit in 1982, Bartolo descended into his cellar, producing a 30-year-old, perfectly aged, 1952 Barolo, which he opened. It turned out to be one of the top five wines I have ever tasted in a 40-year career of tasting, and writing about, wines.

So it was a bit like a pilgrimage to return to the scene of that experience. Bartolo died in 2005 and his daughter, Maria Teresa, has assumed winemaking responsibilities.

2005 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo

The 2005 Mascarello Barolo has earned high praise in recently published wine journals, including the influential, L’espresso Italian wine guide.

But I thought the bottle Maria Teresa opened for me was slightly compressed and way too polished, not like the Barolos of yesteryear. The tannins were soft, and the wine very cherry. This wine appears awfully approachable, something I doubt Bartolo would have designed for his wine. 92 points.

  

That’s all folks!

 

 

The Roero – is this Piedmont’s Sonoma?

Piemonte, Italy

When you cross the Tanaro River, north of vineyards in Barolo and Alba, you leave the prized production zone known as the Langhe and enter a wine region called Roero. It’s a bit like leaving Napa Valley proper and heading to Sonoma county.

And just as Napa Valley has done such a great job at marketing its wines to the world, so locals in the Langhe want you to think of Roero wines as coming from “the other side of the tracks.”

Land is cheaper in the Roero, and wines produced in the yellowish, sandy, limestone and marl soils here sell for less than similar wines produced in the Langhe (Alba, Asti, Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, etc.).

But on my recent visit to Piemonte, knowledgeable local winemakers told me that professional tasters and sommeliers often cannot distinguish between Roero and Langhe wines when tasted blind.

Sort of like what happens when you sit down and blind taste a group of wines from Sonoma and Napa Valley. Often you can’t tell which comes from which appellation.

As it turns out, one of my favorite wine discoveries in Piemonte was a Roero wine – and even more shocking, it was white.

The wine was the 2008 Malvira Arneis Trinita, which I scored 93 points. This lovely, lemony, fruited wine comes from Malvira, a strikingly modern winery owned by Roberto and Massimo Damonte, two brothers whose families own the vineyard where the Arneis grape was first planted in – are you ready for this? – 1478.

If you are not so hot at math, that’s 531 years ago. In wine-speak, that’s an awfully long time ago to have planted grapes.

Roberto Damonte, co-owner of Malvira, standing in the Renesio vineyard, planted with Arneis 531 years ago!

Arneis, pronounced ar-nays, usually has wonderful hints of licorice or fennel and is, like Argentina’s Torrontes, an inexpensive white wine, to which I often turn for summer drinking pleasure.

Arneis fruit, left on the vine into late, late fall, to make a late-harvest Arneis.

But the Arneis wines from Malvira are unlike anything I have ever experienced from this grape. It’s almost like Malvira should have it’s own DOCG, or Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita for the grape as it sets a different standard for how Arneis is meant to taste.

The winery makes three different Arneis wines. The 2008 Malvira Arneis Renesium has the most typical Arneis flavors, with herbal, licorice and earthy notes appearing at the finish.

Half the 2008 Malvira Arneis Saglietto is aged in large, older French foudres for 10 months, which adds finesse and complexity to this wine; I loved the apricot-y top notes and tropical finish.

The St. Trinita church is the end-point of a one-day-a-year pilgrimage by local Catholics. The church is only open that one day a year, which certainly keeps down the heating bill!

And then there is that 2008 Malvira Arneis Trinita, named for the small church on the winery estate to which pilgrims venture one day a year (the only day of the year that the church is even open).

Lemon, lemon zest and lemon juice are the first hints that this is not your daddy’s Arneis. The wine unfolds with rich, tropical notes. I rated this fabulous wine 93 points, the highest rating accorded any white wine during my trip to Italy.

I spent half a Sunday at Malvira, most of the time in the winery’s sensational dining room, called Villa Tiboldi, which mostly caters to guests in the winery’s small, adjacent agriturismo inn. Anyone visiting Piemonte wine country would be smart to make a reservation and put this dining destination on his, or her, calendar.

The setting, high in the Roero hills, is breathtaking, but no less so is the food. I was served a succession of dishes for four hours, and think I used up all the exclamations in my laptop to describe the wines and courses.

The Villa Tiboldi wine list boasts 600 wines, 98 percent of them from Piemonte, all of them reasonably priced.

Highlights of a 4-hour meal at Villa Tiboldi:

 + A soft-boiled egg with a runny, school-bus-yellow yolk, is crowned by the knowledgeable sommelier, Silvia Aiassa, with a cap of freshly shaved white truffles.

+ A very tasty leek tart, made with leeks from Cevere, in the region, set in a delicious, house-made, pastry shell.

+ 2006 Malvira Langhe Nebbiolo. Having spent 18 months in French oak, this wine sports great structure, youthful tannins and promises great complexity. Really liked the focus and bead on this beautiful wine. Dried rose and tobacco on the nose. 92 points.

I had intended to illustrate the dessert described below with a close-up shot, but we inhaled the dessert so quickly that I couldn’t get the photo; it’s easier to catch the photo-finish of a horse race than it is to capture the speed at which the dessert, billed as “Coffee Three Ways” was devoured! So you’ll just have to content yourself with this shot of a corner of the Villa Tiboldi wine cellar.

+ “Coffee Three Ways.” That’s how the dessert is billed on the menu and as original and cheeky is the description, that’s how good, original and tasty is the dessert. Here’s affogato, granite and a semifreddo, all made with a high-quality coffee. Loved this dish.

Villa Tiboldi’s restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesday for lunch. As there are only 12 tables, and they are meant to first serve inn guests, reservations are required. Case Sparse Canova, 144, 12043 Canale, Italy. Tel: + 39.0173.978145, or fax + 39.0173.959154, or write 
[email protected].

L. Preston Rhone Red – Favorite New Wine Discovery of the Year!

It was one of those serendipitous moments, which wine drinkers patiently wait to experience – the discovery of a wine you’ve never heard of, never seen, never tasted.

And when you do taste it, the wine blows off the doors, easily becoming your Favorite New Wine Discovery of the Year.

Such was the case with L. (shorthand for Lou) Preston Rhone Red.

Let me explain.

Napaman headed over to Sonoma County, feeling rather Napa-centric in recent story coverage.

I had in mind a visit to Lou Preston’s organic farm in Dry Creek, mostly to taste his Syrah, which a local Napa Valley winemaker had recently mentioned “is still as good as ever.”

So I headed west, up and over the Mayacamas range.

Just north and west of Healdsburg, in Dry Creek, Lou and Susan Preston operate a sweet family farm, where they grow organic produce and make wine from organic estate grapes.

I conducted a brief tasting; I liked the 2007 Preston Carignane, and really liked the 2006 Preston Syrah… and then, upon tasting the L. Preston Rhone Red, I slapped my forehead so hard that I nearly got whiplash. Now THAT’S a wine worth the hour’s drive to Dry Creek!

The 2007 L. Preston Rhone Red is a stylish combination of Rhone grapes. The blend, according to the winery team, is 60% Syrah, 21% Cinsault, 10% Carignane and 5% Mourvedre. Yes, you're correct, it doesn't add up to 100%, so you have to have faith that the remainder of the blend includes 2% each of inspiration and dedication.

I scored this gorgeous, $34, juicy red wine 93 points. It is full of deep, rich fruit flavors, is beautifully balanced, and expertly focused. It is not possible to stop at a sip; it’s one of those wines you can’t spit out. You have to swallow; it’s just too good to waste.

Susan Preston has suggested this pairing: “I have a cookbook library that goes on and on, but for the exotic taste of North Africa, or the Middle East, I choose Paula Wolfert. The whirl of flavors in L. Preston would pair nicely with the sweet/sour/herbal notes of Paula's crispy roast squab, crusted with coriander, cumin and salt and splashed with a bit of raspberry vinegar.”

Sounds good, Susan. Call when the squab is done and I'll be right over.

The 2007 L. Preston Rhone Red, $34, is available at Preston Winery, 9282 Dry Creek Rd., Healdsburg, CA 95448. Tel: 707-433-3372. 

The tasting room is open daily 11 am to 4.30 pm. And when they say “4.30 pm,” they mean it! No hanging around, no matter how much you love their wine and no matter how much of it you buy!

Robert Mondavi Winery - One of Napaman’s Top 100 Napa Valley Attractions

 

The Robert Mondavi Winery, in Oakville, is still the Go-To winery for first-time Napa Valley visitors due to its thoroughly enjoyable, totally informative, educational, primer tour.

Mondavi puts the entire wine-making experience into a context like no other winery in the valley through its Signature Tour, a 75-minute, $25/person tour, which follows the path of the grape from vineyard to bottle.

The tour, offered seven days a week, leaves hourly, from 10 am to 4 pm, from beneath the main winery archway, and ends with a sit-down tasting of three wines. Reservations are  highly recommended, especially in summer months, as tour groups are limited to 15 people.

In the 42 years since tours were first offered here by patriarch Bob Mondavi, literally millions of visitors have passed beneath the winery’s Mission-style arch, in search of knowledge – and, it goes without saying, great wine, too.

Which is why I send all first-time Napa Valley visitors – friends and family -- to Mondavi  to take the Signature Tour. And in 12 years, not one has come back disappointed.

Yes, there are wineries in Napa Valley whose settings my be more resplendent, or which hang off the edge of a cliff, or which were designed by a celebrity architect, or which have a darker, bigger, deeper cellar… but not one of them offers a better, more informative, tour.

For reservations, call 1-888-RMONDAVI, or get details at www.robertmondaviwinery.com.The winery is at 7801 St. Helena Highway, Oakville, CA 94562.

Local Color, a regular feature of napaman.com, is illustrated by Lisa Livoni, one of Napa Valley’s most talented watercolorists.

For reprint permission, or to obtain copies of this, or any other Local Color image, please contact [email protected].

In many respects, this series could be called Napaman’s Top 100 Napa Valley Attractions. These are the places I send family and friends, and which I personally endorse as being the Best of the Best of Napa Valley.

 

Greetings from the White Truffle Capital of the World!

Alba, Italy

Gastronomes and chefs have flocked to this remote corner of northwest Italy for 79 consecutive Octobers, in search of fall’s premiere food, the highly prized white truffle. Hallelujah and pass the truffle slicer!

Alba is the home of the world’s only International White Truffle Fair, attracting anyone who cares about the world’s most-prized fungus.

Called “the grey diamond,” because of it’s rarity, astronomical price, and difficulty to find, the tuber magnatum pico is one of ten different varieties of truffle found in Italy – but the white truffle is the one considered “king” by connoisseurs.

Truffles grow at the base of certain trees, chief among them oak, black and white poplar, willow, hop hornbeam, linden and hazelnut.

Hunters train dogs to sniff out white truffles (the dogs can be any breed – not any one has a particularly better sniffer for truffles, which grow underground on the roots of host trees at a depth of between one- and 24-inches below the top soil).

This young woman and her family actually were out in the wee hours of this very day, digging up a dozen truffles, of which this was the largest.

Trifulau, or truffle-hunters, as they are known, take their tabui, or truffle-trained dogs, and head to the forests in the early morning when the air is brisk and there are few other scents to compete for the dog’s nose.

Why anyone would pay $2,000 wholesale to a trifulau for a nodule of brownish-grey fungus that is 82 percent water and 15 percent mineral salts, is not immediately evident if you go by sight alone. These things don’t sparkle like diamonds, and you sure as hell can’t hoard them like gold. But buyers are lined two-deep at the truffle fair, engaging hunters to negotiate a good price for their gems.

What drives diners crazy about the greyish, brownish, tuberous nodule, which we inappropriately call a “white truffle,” is that it is like catnip for humans; there is something wonderful, exotic, original and peculiar about the scent that drives people – well, nuts.

I have read dozens of stories and articles, even a book, about white truffles and they all tell you where truffles grow, how they grow, how they’re dug up and how they’re to be used (raw, never cooked), but I have yet to see a full paragraph anywhere explain, in detail, what truffles smell like.

Why hasn’t a Robert Parker of white truffles come along to wow us with colorful descriptors in the fashion of how wine writers describe wines they experience? You know, they may describe a wine as having “a nose of strawberries, or blackberries,” or of finding a wine with “a forward expression of ripe red fruit,” or they may detect “notes of leather, tar, and pitch.”

With this in mind, I will make an attempt to describe the scent of a white truffle:

A fresh white truffle, not more than several days old, has an intense perfume of garlic, fresh hay, and mushroom, mixed with a delicate amount of the scent of slightly soiled undergarments. There are nuances of sweat in the middle whiff, and end scents resemble those of the underside of a man’s scrotum after a long bike ride. In a really fresh white truffle, there may even be a hint of musk, of tar or of exotic wood.

There! Now do you understand what makes a grown man weep when he comes within the proximity of a fresh white truffle?

More to the point, do you now understand why someone would happily fork over $250 an ounce (at retail, or in a restaurant) for this experience? (It’s cheaper to go to the gym, steal someone’s jockstrap after their workout and sniff it on the bus ride home... but somehow, that’s just not part of the Slow Food culture… )

The International White Truffle Fair has been held in late October every year since 1929 in the town square of Alba. What is so spectacular about the event is that, even before entering the fair’s covered tent, you can smell white truffles a block away.

Entering the structure is like swinging open the doors beside the perfume department at Neiman-Marcus – your nose is thwacked by a succession of heavy scents.

In addition to white truffles, vendors at the fair hawk fresh, canned, preserved and dried porcini, fresh hazelnuts and everything you can do with them, fresh regional cheeses and hundreds of local wines, meant to wash down aromatic white truffles.

The scent of the aromatic truffles on display (this must be the largest collection of white truffles under one roof anywhere on earth), waft through the tented hall, scenting your clothes.

In the car, on my way out of Alba, I found I had a desire to lick my hat, and tear off a piece of my puffy down vest to eat it. (If you forgot the part about “white truffles make you nuts,” go back to paragraph eight and start reading over….)