Tasted some of the gorgeous wines of Poggio di Sotto, including 2005 Brunello Riserva. Above Luca Marrone points out the southeastern sub-zone of Castelnuovo dell'abate where Poggio di Sotto is located. In 2011 Piero Palmucci sold the winery over to Carmelo Claudio Tipa of Grattamacco. We all hope these wines, now in new hands will remain true to one of the finest expressions of Brunello and the Montalcino Terroir.
Made a much anticipated stop into San Matteo Pizza and Espresso Bar on the upper east side for a famous Panuozzo. Alongside we tasted a Pizza Margheritta and to drink the ever so friendly sparkling red Gragnano. The Panuozzo sandwich was born in 1983 in the town of Gragnano, just south of Naples where they are also famous for their dried pasta. For a Panuozzo you start by cooking some pizza dough, then slice it lengthwise, and fill it with your favorite ingredients. When you go and visit the owner Ciro at this hole in the wall restaurant you really feel like your in Campania. Not much english spoken here, and the only way to pronounce this so called ''panuozzo'' is with your best Neopolitan accent. Also give their espresso a try, pulled alla napoletana with the classic hand controlled pressure.
While tasting the Bressan line up with Paolo Bernardi he directed me over to Lorenzo Alutto where he recommended tasting the fairly new to the scene but traditional Ca Du Rabaja'Barbaresco's. The first vintage was in 2005 and was the idea of Lorenzo Alutto's Father Giovanni. For decades their fruit was used in the Produttori del Barbaresco Rabaja blend but Giovanni wanted to make his own wine expressing the fine terroir. Giovanni passed away in 2004 and the winery is now in the hands of Lorenzo. The winery was named after Lorenzo's grandfather of the same name, which is very common in Piedmont. Lorenzo was energetic and very excited to talk about traditional Nebbiolo.
Renzo Alutto at Ca' du Rabajà. (Photo: Polaner Selections.)
The 2008 and 2009 Barbaresco Rabaja' we tasted were quite different. In 2008 the harvest ended on the 20th of October while the warmer 2009 harvest ended almost 3 weeks earlier at the end of September. He explained the 2008 Rabaja' as being ''pieno di liquirizia, quasi un Barolo''.
No doubt these wines will need some years to see their full potential but they are already exciting. And with Dante Scaglione (winemaker from Bruno Giacosa) as the wine consultant you cant help but to get excited yourself to see what will come of these Rabaja' wines.
Tasting some tank samples of the 2011's with Lorenzo Alutto.
