No one is going to deny these are strange times: very trying for many and certainly surreal for the rest of us. Last weekend promised a bit of gloom, and not just via the weather forecast. With these prescribed self-quarantines I wasn’t going to do much except laundry, catch up on a couple of shows … Continue reading Renato Vacca—the character and spirit of Piedmont
Tag: Cantina del Pino
What I love about Barbaresco
Here I sit in my home in California, 6,000 miles away from the source. I take one draw from the Barbaresco I just poured in my glass and ... Immediately I am taken back to that wine bar in Neive, Al Nido della Cinciallegra where I went once with those lucky Americans who now make … Continue reading What I love about Barbaresco
Old and New World Nebbioli
The Nebbiolo vine is just not that successful on international soils. It can't compete with blockbuster grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, which seem to have found a little place to hole up in all corners of the globe's wine regions. No one is writing books or planning tours around "Napa Valley" Nebbiolo or "Barossa … Continue reading Old and New World Nebbioli
California Nebbiolo
“It grows like a weed,” Randall Grahm said to me first when I asked him to describe his experience with Nebbiolo in California. This is ironic because Nebbiolo is supposed to be one of the most difficult varieties to grow in the world. The point is that the vine does grow like a weed. But … Continue reading California Nebbiolo
Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco 2001-2007, and more
On May 3 this year I was lucky to catch my good friend Renato Vacca during his short trip to California. He and the guys (Joe & Mike) at Enoteca La Storia (ELS) had arranged a vertical tasting of Cantina del Pino Ovello vineyard Barbarescos. This is the only such comprehensive vertical tasting ever done with … Continue reading Cantina del Pino Ovello Barbaresco 2001-2007, and more
Cantina del Pino
Notes from my visit on December 15, 2009. I’ve tasted through most of these wines’ vintages over the past few years and what I can say in general about all of them, without a doubt, is that these are wines of consistent expressiveness, deliberateness, and distinction. This tasting was my favorite yet. Langhe Freisa 2008. … Continue reading Cantina del Pino
enotecaMarcella 