Winery Wednesday

IMG_9783If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Giuseppe, you should book a tasting here right away. Cavallotto is located in the outskirts of Castiglione Falletto in Barolo, and here you can find the 3 winemaker siblings: Laura, Alfio and Giuseppe. Together they make all the decisions about the winemaking, but their responsibilities around the winery varies. Giuseppe stays more in the cellar while Alfio travels more.

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Apart from the fact that they make amazing wine, it’s always fascinating meeting with Giuseppe. He is very interested in the weather, and has 3 weather stations of his own. He can tell you the weather in any month in any year, going back many years. Giuseppe is very modest, and will protest if you tell him that his wines are incredible. He is also quick to give credit to other wineries which is a quality I really appreciate. IMG_9821

Cavallotto would be called a “traditional” winery in the sense that they use big botti (as opposed to barrique) and they produce around 100,000 bottles a year. You can find 2 white wines here, Pinner and Langhe Chardonnay. Pinner (a fantasy name) is made with 100% pinot noir. I personally really like their whites. If you want to read more about their winery, take a look at their website.

Wine of the Week

Cavallotto Langhe Chardonnay 2013

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Wine: Langhe Chardonnay

Producer: Cavallotto

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: Chardonnay

Vintage: 2013

 

Eye: pale yellow

Nose:  citrus, green apple, white pepper, no oak

Mouth: medium acidity, fresh, minerals

 

Price Point: $19

Available at Vinmonopolet: maybe

Wine of the Week

Cavallotto Bricco Boschis Riserva San Guiseppe 2006

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Producer: Cavallotto

Region/Appellation: Piemonte, Italy

Grape varieties: Nebbiolo

Vintage: 2006

 

Eye: dark ruby

Nose: rose, tar, cherry, earth, licorice

Mouth: balanced fruit, good acidity, round tannins

 

 

Price Point: $80

Available at Vinmonopolet: Yes

 

A Year in Review

january-hedonism

January: Hedonism Wines London

february

February: Oddero Winemaker’s Dinner in Oslo

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March: Celebrating my Birthday with Guiseppe Cavallotto

Femmes Fatales

April: Chiara Boschis and Claudia Cigliuti at Terrioriet

may

May: Crashing a wine tasting in NYC with Mauro Veglio and his wife Daniela

june

June: Drinking from a really large glass at Le Benjamin

july

July: Hanging out at Romanee Conti

august

August: Working at Mangialonga

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September: Fine dining at BA53 with a friend

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October: My first harvest

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November: I’m back in Piemonte, again…

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December: Back with the family for Christmas

 

Barbera at Vinmonopolet

Here are a few Barbera’s that you can find at Vinmonopolet

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Elio Altare Barbera d’Alba 2013, 275,-

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Cavallotto Barbera d’Alba Vigna Cuculo 2011, 275,-

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Mauro Veglio Barbera d’Alba 2013, 198,60,-

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Vietti la Crena 2010, 390,-

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Paolo Scavino Barbera d’Alba 2014, 217,90,-

 

Monforte Pizzeria

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Piemonte is easily associated with good food. Good pizza, however, is hard to come by. If you are looking for Pizza, Monforte is the place to go. Right in the Piazza is an excellent pizza place. The have other dishes of course but it is a common place to get pizza. They also have a very good wine list and because it’s located in the piazza, it is usually quite lively. One Friday during our vacation, we had Friday Pizza here. I got my usual Margherita with prosciutto! It was belissimo!monforte pizza

Favorite Italian Whites Part 1

Pinner, Cavallotto: Cavallotto is obe of my favorite producers, their reds are fantastic. But I also love their whites. They make two, a Langhe Chardonnay and their Pinner. Although they are both good, I prefer the Pinner. It’s a 100% Pinot Noir

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Herzu, Ettore Germano: Mr. Sergio Germano makes many good wines, but the Herzu is by far my favorite! It’s a Riesling, but tastes nothing like it. It’s fresh and earthy, and not that sweet. I definitely recommend it.

Cinqueterre, Elio Altare: Elio has a big heart, an ambitious mind and kind soul. His project in Cinqueterre is helping save the land and prevent more mudslides. He makes wine on the steep hills near the ocean. It’s hard work, all done by hand and that’s why the wines are a little expensive. His Cinqueterre white wine is one of my favorites. You can read about the project on his website: http://www.elioaltare.com/en/cinqueterre-cantina-campogrande/13 There is also another post on my previous blog, you can read it here: http://piemontegirl92.blogspot.com/search/label/cinqueterreIMG_4975