Dinner with the Vajras
@ Locanda dell’Arco, Cissone, Piedmont, Italy (7/3/2016)
After
my visit to the
G.D. Vajra Winery,
Giuseppe, Francesca, and Isi Vaira, children of the owners, Aldo and Milena Vaira,
took me to dinner at
Locanda dell’Arco
in the lovely mountaintop town of Cissone.
The restaurant Locanda dell’Arco is justifiably famous.
Owner Giuseppe Giordano is the perfect host.
And the setting is exquisite.
Cissone is about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the town of Barolo.
You have to drive up a winding mountain road (SP187) to get there.
Cissone has a population of fewer than 100 people.
© Google Maps.
For each image, I have posted a compressed (and possibly cropped) version.
Click on it to see the original, much larger image.
Arriving at the restaurant:
Giuseppe & Isi Vaira chat with owner Giuseppe Giordano:
Up the hill to the left of the restaurant is the yellow
Parish Church of Santa Lucia
[S. Lucia was a virgin martyr and patron of the blind, the oculists, and the electricians],
and the old stone post office:
Our table is set:
Amuse-Bouche
Fagottino di Bresaola con Formaggio Caprino, legato con Erba Cipollina
(bundle of bresaola filled with goat cheese, tied with chives).
Photo on the left by Francesca Vaira.
-
2011 G.D. Vajra Langhe Riesling Petracine - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
[Ordered from the restaurant list. Served chilled. Pop & pour. Giuseppe said they make 12,000 bottles of this.
First made in 1989, but had to be labeled "Langhe Bianco" (no "Riesling" on the label) until this vintage.
I think this is the first Riesling from Piedmont that I've tasted.]
Muted nose of slate and lemon custard. Soft, rich, clean, and crisp in the mouth. Dry.
Impressively complex and expansive. On the lush side compared to a typical German Grosses Gewächs.
I could drink this all night. Goes beautifully with the classic Piemontese appetizers below.
(93 points)
Antipasti Misti
Clockwise from top left:
Vitello Tonnato (finely sliced veal with tuna sauce),
Vitella Carne Cruda (local raw veal with anchovy sauce & shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano),
Insalata di Coniglio Grigio di Carmagnola con Tuma di Murazzano
(gray rabbit salad with Murazzano cheese):
-
2012 G.D. Vajra Barolo Albe - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
[No label on the bottle. Just bottled this Friday (2 days ago). This is the second bottling
of this wine. The first bottling was in the summer 2015, at the same time as the bottling of
the 2012 Bricco delle Viole.] Really ripe young fruit.
Delicious to drink but so clearly in need of time to come together after bottling.
Should be an excellent value.
(92 points)
Photo on the left by Eric Guido who had the same wine with a label a week later.
Photo on the right of the just bottled 2012 Albe stored in the cellar of the winery.
Another Appetizer
Funghi Porcini sott’olio con Bresaola e scaglie di Parmigiano
(Porcini mushrooms in olive oil with Bresaola and Parmigiano-Reggiano).
-
2012 G.D. Vajra Barolo Bricco delle Viole - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Ripe black fruit nose is surprisingly complex for such a young wine.
In the mouth there is ripe black fruit and soft tannin, as well as that ethereal quality that is
so characteristic of Bricco delle Viole. Good length. (94 points)
Primi
Gnocchi di patate con toma frabosina di pura capra
stagionata nel carbone vegetale
(Potato gnocchi in a sauce made with ash-covered goat cheese).
-
2012 Luigi Baudana Barolo Baudana - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Dark black fruit nose. Incredibly intense in the mouth. Lacks the elegance of the Bricco delle Viole,
but has that classic Serralunga intensity. A very different wine from the Bricco delle Viole,
but also quite good.
I would be really impressed if anyone tasting these 2 wines blind could guess that the winemaker
is the same person. In a certain sense they are at opposite ends of the Barolo spectrum.
The Viole is delicate, nuanced, and ethereal, while the Baudana is classic Serralunga with loads of power.
So Baudana is say more similar in style to Roberto Conterno's wines, while Viole is more similar to
Bartolo Mascarello or even a really good Barbaresco, e.g. Montefico or Martinenga at its best.
(93 points)
Secondi
Coniglio ai Lamponi (rabbit with raspberries).
-
1990 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Bought off the list. Pop & pour. Tight at first with a muted nose of spice and black fruit with
a hint of bark mulch. Opening slowly over time. After an hour, it is really starting to sing.
Still young with plenty of upside. Becoming more expressive as it opens.
(95–? points)
Dessert
Fresh fruit and gelato and maybe a peach sauce?
A dog wanders through. Not uncommon while dining al fresco:
Francesca & Isi. The love in this family is pretty obvious:
What a spot for dinner, eh?
FWG chats with Giuseppe Giordano & Giuseppe Vaira:
Photo by Isi Vaira.
The FWG with Giuseppe Giordano & the Vairas:
Summary
The food and the setting were wonderful, only to be matched by the wines and the hospitality
of the Vajra family. A magical evening.
Time to go nighty night:
Tasting notes posted from CellarTracker.
Next
The next morning, I started with a visit to
Cantina Bartolo Mascarello.
All original content © Ken Vastola