A Botelli Adventure : Remembrance of Things Past

[Mark Anisman]

4 heathens walked into a trattoria. No joke.

We sing the praises on high to Belotti Ristorante! Super good food and through out our repast the server did a distinguished job of making us feel like we were in the heart of Piedmont with an excellent rendition of an Italian accent....

2022 Capichera Vermentino "Vigna 'Ngena"
excellent. Best Vermentino I have had in awhile
93 points

1985 Fratelli Barale Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà
Best Barale wine I have ever had by a long shot!
93 points

1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba
Best Giacosa wine we imbibed on 30 March 2024
93 points

All together, the best evening ever and clearly superior to drinking old Loire wines.

 

[Yule Kim]

It was lovely to finally meet Mark A. and Mark L. in person and to reconnect with Larry over agnolotti, uovo, vitello tonnato, panna cotta and other Northern Italian treats (both gastronomic and vinous).

Looking forward to next time!

‘22 Capichera, Vign'angena Vermentino di Gallura Superiore: From the wine list. Refreshing, bright, with hints of melon, mineral, and herbs on the palate. This was quite good and a great way to start our meal. I did some research afterwards and Vermentino di Gallura is apparently the only DOCG in Sardinia. The things you learn.

‘85 Barale Barbaresco Riserva Rabaja: Bricking on the edge, and a maderized nose, but luckily much better on the palate. Savory notes, with a little sweetness from the fading fruit buttressed with an edge of acidity, and fully resolved tannins on the silky finish. Still nice, but definitely on the precipice of the downslope. Drink up.

‘96 Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falleto di Serralunga d’Alba: The nose screams Nebbiolo: dark cherries, pine tar, roses, and herbs. Weightless intensity on the palate, dark red fruit, bright acidity, and just a touch of grip from the silky tannins. A textbook example of everything I look for in mature Barolo.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Mark Anisman:

1985 Fratelli Barale Barbaresco Riserva Rabajà
Best Barale wine I have ever had by a long shot!

Nice. I've enjoyed Barale, but nothing this old.

Is that just that this bottle was singing, or they need lots of time, or was winemaking better then?

 

[Mark Anisman]

Trust Yule. I had never had a Barale wine prior to last night. My abject apologies for any confusion I have wrought.

 

[Yule Kim]

originally posted by Mark Anisman:
Trust Yule. I had never had a Barale wine prior to last night. My abject apologies for any confusion I have wrought.

It was definitely the best Barale I ever imbibed on 30 March 2024!

 

[Larry Stein]

Excellent evening. Great to see Mark L and Yule again, and meet Mark A.

Yule, your notes on the wines are pretty much spot on. However, I can see another decade or more upside to the Giacosa. A real treat, thanks Mark A!

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Mark Anisman:
Trust Yule. I had never had a Barale wine prior to last night. My abject apologies for any confusion I have wrought.

Ha!

 

[Yule Kim]

originally posted by Larry Stein:
Excellent evening. Great to see Mark L and Yule again, and meet Mark A.

Yule, your notes on the wines are pretty much spot on. However, I can see another decade or more upside to the Giacosa. A real treat, thanks Mark A!

I would agree with this--there's probably still plenty of runway for the Giacosa to develop, but it's in a really good place now.

I have not had '96 Barolos recently, but I have read and heard they were still a little grumpy and shut down generally. Luckily, the Giacosa did not receive that particular memo.

 

[MLipton]

Thanks for the rapid and detailed reportage, gentlemen. It was indeed a pleasure to hang out with friends old and new, vinous and human, and to dine on truly excellent food. Herewith a few of my own thoughts:

Larry and I had agreed to get a white off the excellent wine list. After some back and forth, we settled on the Vermentino, though neither of us knew the producer. The wine proved to be excellent, with a nose of minerals, citrus and melon. It had all the crispness I could want but also lightness on the palate and a suave texture. It also was a fantastic match to the delicious uovo.

The ‘85 Barale scared me at first. It came out of the bottle distinctly brown and the nose showed clear Maderization. But, surprise! When tasted, it proved to be fresh and retained some of its fruit. Later on, Larry noted that the color had improved, being noticeably more red in the glass. Although the wine is clearly on the downslope, it still retains more than a hint of its past greatness. And Yule: always remember that there are no good wines, only good bottles. Your remaining bottles may be better or worse than this one. That’s part of the fun!

And then, the ‘96 Giacosa. Wow, just wow! So alive, so vivid. Classic aged Nebbiolo character but still decades of life ahead for this. Tar, roses, silky tannins, bags of red cherry fruit, brisk acidity. It has it all.

And with wines, I had tagliatelle al cinghiale, consisting of grappa/sangiovese-marinated wild boar sugo with pecorino and pepper, a dish that transcends my ability to describe it beyond saying that it was remarkable with the wines. Courtesy of Mark A’s generosity, I can say that the agnolotti were no less delicious and so delicate.

Thanks to Mark, Yule and Larry for a fantastic evening of food, wine and conversation.

Mark Lipton

ETA: wild boar Sufi sounds downright blasphemous

 

[Yule Kim]

originally posted by MLipton:
always remember that there are no good wines, only good bottles. Your remaining bottles may be better or worse than this one. That’s part of the fun!

Here's hoping the bottle we opened was the worse one of the lot! I got three to go.

I'm glad I was able to share with you guys!

 

[Mark Anisman]

I sent a note to Oliver McCrum's business and received a nice albeit perfunctory response.
Is anyone able to directly contact him and ask searching questions about vermentino and his advice for the like?
thank you sincerely, Mark

 

[Mark Anisman]

I sent a note to Oliver McCrum's business and received a nice albeit perfunctory response regarding a vermentino search.
Is anyone able to directly contact him and ask searching questions about vermentino and his advice for the like?
thank you sincerely, Mark

 

[Yule Kim]

Not sure how to get into contact with McCrum, but here are some Vermentinos he imports that are available locally in the Bay Area:

Piero Mancini Vermentino di Gallura
Ottaviano Lambruschi Colli di Luni Vermentino Costa Marina
Giovanna Chessa Mattariga Vermentino di Sardegna DOC

 

[Brian C]

Don’t know what the status of this board’s direct message function is but could always try that.

 

[Mark Anisman]

the rep only mentioned Mancini, without a response to a follow up question. disappointing...

 

[Larry Stein]

I was in the area yesterday so I dropped in at Eataly (don’t judge). Their salumi selection is excellent and there’s nowhere else locally that carries the variety of Parmesan. 48 month and another one went into my shopping cart.

They had the Capichera Vermentino on the shelf.

 

[Yule Kim]

originally posted by Larry Stein:
I was in the area yesterday so I dropped in at Eataly (don’t judge). Their salumi selection is excellent and there’s nowhere else locally that carries the variety of Parmesan. 48 month and another one went into my shopping cart.

They had the Capichera Vermentino on the shelf.

I also saw the Capichera Vermentino at Flatiron (only $8 less than what Belotti listed it for -- we got a great deal)

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Larry Stein:
I was in the area yesterday so I dropped in at Eataly (don’t judge).

I don't know about SF, but Eataly in Nyc has plenty of good stuff, no judgment. It's just so aggressively priced!

 

[georg lauer]

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by Larry Stein:
I was in the area yesterday so I dropped in at Eataly (don’t judge).

I don't know about SF, but Eataly in Nyc has plenty of good stuff, no judgment. It's just so aggressively priced!

At least in Boston I find Eataly rather reasonably priced considering the quality products they sell and compared to the local competition. And quality is really high across all departments, the often lackluster produce section being the lone exception.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by georg lauer:
At least in Boston I find Eataly rather reasonably priced considering the quality products they sell and compared to the local competition. And quality is really high across all departments, the often lackluster produce section being the lone exception.

Interesting. I can't speak to the meats. The olive oil/condiment/pasta sections have some good stuff, but much at insane prices. Perhaps not all that much more than other places to buy those items in the US, but I continue to balk at paying luxury prices for standard 'real' olive oil, which is not necessarily a luxury in Italy. (Although I should probably go back with a keener eye)

The dolce section is fine, with some good stuff, but also sells a lot of basic level brands at luxury prices.

The cheese and baked goods are also fine/good, but nothing special and overpriced compared to the many other Nyc options.

That said, while not everyone can afford to shop there, and clearly we need more value options for the population, I'm happy to have these stores around. And judging by the non-stop crowds at the Nyc Eatalys, they seem to do well.