The Auswine Forum

Dinner at Ristorante Antine
Antine is a fine dining establishment situated right in the middle of the village of Barbaresco. The chef is quite young, I believe around 25 years old, however he is producing some outstanding “fine dining” interpretations of the traditional local dishes.

As you would hope from such a restaurant, each of the courses was a feast for both the eyes as well as the taste spuds, possibly the highlight of which was the chefs welcome, which transformed the minimalist table setting into an edible modern artwork.





Each of these small bites was a fun and surprising ride, especially the black olive and mango wafer and the dark cocoa biscuit with some kind of blue cheese.

Wine wise, we ran with a glass of prosecco while we waited for the bottle of Giuseppe Cortese Barbaresco Rabaja 2005 to open up (once again, this producer appeared to be the bargain on the list at around 60 EUR). No notes taken on the wine, however it was sitting in a wonderful place showing both primary fruit as well as secondary characters, the tannins were more than approachable already, especially when paired with a meal.

For entree I ordered the plin ravioli which came served with a light broth and was one of the few dishes executed in a very traditional manner. The pasta was perfect and the flavour magnificent.



I shared my entree with Tamara, who ordered the squid with tortellini and saffron. Each of the pasta morsels would pop in your mouth and were filled with a delicious garlic aioli. The squid itself was tender, however I have seen it handled with more precision back here in Australia.



When it came to the main course, I ordered the veal braised in Barbaresco. The pairing with the Giuseppe Cortese was one of the finest food and wine pairings I have ever experienced. Mind blowingly good. The veal itself fell apart when threatened with a fork, and the jus was subtle enough that you could still taste the delicate flavours of the meat.



Tamara ordered the pigeon with foie gras, neither of which are in my list of desirable things to eat. Either way she took a taste of my veal and snatched back the plate of pigeon, so it must have been great if you are into that kind of thing.



We did order desserts, however forgot to take photos. The tiramisu was inspired and presented in almost a deconstructed style, the bunet bunet bunet (chocolate pudding 3 ways) was solid. There was also a cheese cart which stood proudly in the middle of the dining room, it in turn was plundered and the spoils enjoyed with a glass of Barbara from Bruna Rocca, which changed my opinion on how good Barbera can be.

Just when you though you could not possible eat one more bite, out comes the chefs farewell.



Overall a trip to Barbaresco would not be complete without dinner at Antine. Everything was right on point, from the service to the food and even the price of the wine list, which was reasonable considering the establishment. Price wise it is expensive, however to dine at a similar restaurant in Sydney definitely costs more, so I consider Antine to be good value as well.

After coming into this thread with the best intentions of writing everything up, my computer hard drive died taking all my processed photos and many hours of tasting notes along with it. Was very disheartening but now I have gone back to my written notes and got stuck in again.

I probably won't be as detailed and photos may be lacking from here on out, but ill give it a go

Tour and Tasting: Albino Rocca
Brand new contemporary facility, money has been flowing in. Overall impression, middle of the pack, nothing really stood out.

Chardonnay 2015
Fresh pineapple, white flowers and minerals on the nose, some yeasty character on the palate along with more pineapple goodness, fresh drink now style, nice.

Barbera “Gepin” 2013
Made from 65 year old vines, spends 1 year in oak. Restrained plummy fruit aromas with a little violet perfume, in the mouth there is good acid balance and great length, an age worthy style.

Nebbiolo d’Alba 2014
Slightly closed nose with fresh strawberry and some mushroom present, simple palate with silky tannins, finishes clean.

Barbaresco Classico 2013
Subdued red fruit, orange rind and forest floor aromas, elegant and restrained palate, however the tannin structure is slightly coarse by Nebbiolo standards.

Barbaresco “Ronchi” 2012
Lifted raspberry and cranberry aromas, juicy fruits on the palate with fantastic super fine tannin and an outstanding mouthfeel.


Tour and Tasting: Bruno Rocca
Amazing facility, great tour, Barbarescos left me a bit cold, however the cheaper wines were outstanding.

Barbera d’Asti 2013
Complex nose which is bright, aromatic and plummy, also showing some christmas spices and strawberry. Medium bodied palate, impeccable acid balance, a modest amount of silky tannins, long and excellent, a benchmark Barbera.

Barbera d’Alba 2014
Big aromas of dark fruits and cedar. Full bodied and rich with sandy tannins and plummy fruit flavour, solid.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2013
Mascarello cherries and strawberries along with sweet spices on the nose, wonderfully fresh with silky and slightly chewy tannins, a subtle hint of cedar does not detract. Will buy if I spot any locally.

Barbaresco 2013
Rich cherry and strawberry jam aroma, the palate is full bodied, rich and a bit too ripe, shame.

Barbaresco “Coparossa” 2013
Red fruits and cedar on the nose, opening up to show a little pine as well. The palate is far better than expected showing elegance, silky tannins and good length.

Tour and Tasting: Cigliuti
Family affair run by two sisters, one looks after the marketing, the other the winemaking. Often times when visiting a winery, much of the attention of our hosts is directed my way rather than towards my better half (despite her excellent palate and wine knowledge), however on this visit the wine sisterhood was in full swing - the ladies had a great chat while I had a chance to spend a bit more time taking tasting notes, a win-win.

Barbera d'Alba Serraboella 2013
Subtle aromas of plum and woody spice and a whiff of violet perfume, well balanced, lick of fine tannin, good acid balance.

Barbera d'Alba Campass 2013
More new oak, some vanilla, intense palate and more tannin structure than the 'traditional' Serraboella. Not as well balanced, needs some time, finishes a touch bitter.

Langhe Rosso 2013
A blend of Barbera and Nebbiolo, Blackberry, forest floor and cedar aromas. Med-full body, good balance and length, fair amount of tannin, very good.

Barbaresco Vie Erte 2012
Vibrant strawberry aromas with orange blossom instead of your usual rose or violet. On the palate, wow, cerry and red berries, chalky tannins, has that wonderful juicyness you see in many 2012 Nebbiolos, length for days, outstanding.

Barbaresco Serraboella 2012
Crushed cranberries and pine along with rose petals on the nose, loads of fine chalky tannins but plenty of fruit to carry it. Rose water on the finish, needs plenty of time, excellent.

Overall the house style is relatively generous with the fruit, however no heavy oak issues to report on the Nebbiolos. I have subsequently sourced a bunch of the 2012 Vie Erte. Over the last year or so we have also drunk almost 20 bottles of their 2012 Langhe Nebbiolo, which I would take over grange any time.

Highly recommended.

Bad luck on the hard drive - which can be a remarkably annoying thing to happen.

FWIW we liked Albino Rocca, but unusually it was the whites that impressed most - a wonderful Cortese and a very appealing Moscato d'Asti (though I've yet to find a winery able to f*ck up a moscato d'Asti )

I juts have the single bottle of the 2006 Brich Ronchi Barbaresco left from that visit, though we did also buy a case of the moscato in the UK.

Tasting: Boffa
One of the few wineries you can walk into at almost any time and have a tasting without an appointment. Wines are also sold by the glass (or bottle), including back vintages by the bottle if you ask nicely. Overall the wines are solid, middle of the pack and good value.

Roero Arneis 2014
Pear and white flowers on the nose, tastes almost exactly like sucking on a peach seed, decent length, refreshing.

Barbera d'Alba 2014
Very plummy nose, simple palate, tad short.

Barbaresco 2013
Rich fruity nose, some terracotta and a hint of underbrush. Early drinking Barbaresco, juicy with good balance.

Barbaresco Paje 2013
Cranberry, raspberry, hints of herbs, tight and tart palate, juicy fruits and bright acidity, plenty of chewy tannin on the finish. Stern and good.

Barbaresco Ovello 2013
Cherry & plum aromas, quite ripe, somewhat jammy fruit, coarser tannin.

Tour and Tasting: Sottimano
Sottimano should be right at the top of your list of Barbaresco producers to visit, I scribbed "stern stuff, incredible" on top of my tasting notes as we were leaving. Have also subsequently hunted down and bought a bunch of their single vineyard Barbarescos - I think my pick of them in general would be the Pajore (2012, amazing, elegant, etherial, all that good stuff) and Cotta (2012 very good, richer, will probably live forever).

One of the great things about this estate is their approach to winemaking for the single cru wines - they are all vintified the same, so its the differences in the vineyards that you get to taste.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2014
Rich cherry nose with whiffs of raspberry jam, dusty road and pine forest. Bold tannins, tart cranberry flavours, good levels of juicyness and well balanced. A credible wine for the vintage.

Barbaresco Fausoni 2013
Modest fruit weight, berbs and hints of balsamic and terricotta on the nose. Very tannic but excellent balance, 93+.

Barbaresco Cottà 2013
Dark cherry, christmas spice, mint and cocoa on the nose. More elegant palate than the nose suggests with outstanding chalky tannins. Even as a baby it finishes clean with your palate feeling refreshed and eager for more. Length for days, this is the real deal, 95+.

Barbaresco Pajorè 2013
Somewhat muted nose with red cherry & pine, bursts of black cherry and cranberry in the mouth, coating chalky tannins which are almost cleaned away by the well balanced acidity.

Tasting: Gigi Bianco
Tucked down the back of the village of Barbaresco, we just happened to walk in and were offered the opportunity for a tasting which was held almost entirely in our extremely limited Italian and their broken English. The cool part was were were able to still communicate through the common language of wine, hunting down descriptors as we sat in the kitchen of their guest house (cantina was under renovation).

My notes are quite brief since this was more of a fun social experience than a stern tasting.

Barbera d'Alba 2012
Very fruity, blood plum, some spice, hints of tannins, good lunchtime wine.

Barbaresco Ovello 2012
Strawberry & cherry, some christmas spices, approachable soft tannins, solid.

Barbaresco Ovello 2010
Dried rose petal perfume, strawberries on the palate, med bodied, decent length.

Barbaresco Pora 2010
Very floral and aromatic, elegant, med bodied, silky tannins, ready to go.

Barbaresco Ovello 2011
Rich strawberry and roses on the nose with a hint of balsamic, light in weight, tastes somewhat like complex rose water, juicy and magnificent, so drinkable, we bought two and scarfed them watching the sun set.

Tour and Tasting: Moccagatta
To sum up this producer I would say they produce a lean modern style of Barbaresco - they have access to great fruit, take great pride in the differences between their vineyards, but then spoil it all with detectable cedar oak and a clear "hand of the winemaker" across the entire range.

Chardonnay Langhe 2015
Citrus, white flowers, green melon, no oak. Fair emough of fruit sweetness, decent balance, slight spritz, drink now style.

Chardonnay Buschet 2014
Loads of french oak on the nose, vanilla, lemon curd, fairly light-med body, oak dominant palate, ok balance.

Barbera d'Alba 2014
Rich, ripe plummy nose, some spice and crushed red berries. Palate is more restrained, quite light, perhaps a tad shut down, acid driven.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2014
She nose, hints of cherry and nutmeg, some tobacco. Plenty of up front chewy tannin, med body, ok but needs time to settle down.

Barbaresco Basarin 2013
Sandy soil.
Strong raisin and pine aromas, spreading chalky tannins, relatively approachable with ripe fruits, modern but oak is relatively integrated.

Barbaresco Bric Balin 2013
Clay soil.
Slightly muted nose of dark fruit and almond paste. Richer body than the Basarin, slightly more acid as well and lots of chewy tannins.

Barbaresco Cole 2013
Limestone soil.
Smells like a buch of plummy fruit in a pine forest, some herbs in there too. Loads of chalky tannins, blackberry and mint flavours, persistant, less obvious oak this time, mouth coating tannins.

Barbaresco Bric Balin 2006
Open nose showing some aged characters of dried fruits and christmas spices, the palate is still very tannic and young, ends quite dry.

My notes at the end: "Consistent style across all crus and even vintage, modern ripe style with oak relatively controlled".

Tour and Tasting: Olek Bondonio
I stuffed up by forgetting my note book for one of the best tastings of the entire trip, so sadly no tasting notes.

Well ahead of time I had arranged an appointment to visit Olek, however I should have definitely checked back in a bit closer to the date since my phone call at 9:00 in the morning to his mobile ended up dragging the poor guy out of bed. Finding his house / winery (garage?) is no mean feat for the first timer, basically keep driving to the end of the road, then when it turns to gravel, keep on going. Despite the rude awakening Olek was extremely hospitable and took us for a stroll to his prize Roncagliette vineyard (immediate neighbor being one of Gaja's prime sites). Over the next hour or so I think I learned more about the history of Barbaresco than the rest of the trip combined. Despite the fact that Olek is organic and very traditional, he has an open mind toward producers such as Gaja and you can get the feeling that rather than the jealousy projected in that direction by others, he feels there is room for many styles and wineries both large and small.

The day after our visit, a bunch of workmen were (hopefully, it is Italy afterall...) going to turn up to start renovations on Olek's new winery, since the current operation is literally happening in his converted garage.

Tasting note from last month:
Langhe Nebbiolo 2015
Just finished my first glass, lovely minerality, fresh juicy reds fruits, alpine air, new leather, no shortage of tannin. Thinking you were very stingy on the points. There was initially some youthful yeasty character that blew off, saw the same thing with the 2015 Benevelli, 92+, check back in 3 years.

You can find some more great tasting notes on The Winefront (subscription required, you would be mad not to):
http://www.winefront.com.au/olek-bondonio-barbaresco-roncagliette-2013/
http://www.winefront.com.au/olek-bondonio-langhe-nebbiolo-2015/
http://www.winefront.com.au/olek-bondonio-langhe-rosso-giulietta-2015/

You can also meet Olek at the upcoming Rootstock tasting event in Sydney.

Tour and Tasting: Giuseppe Cortese
One of the finest producers in the region, I really like the fact they just make one single vineyard Barbaresco (and in the best years, a riserva from said vineyard). On local winelists, this producer often offers up the best value for money, surprisingly cheaper for back vintages than Produttori. Suffice to say we plundered 2004s and 2005s whenever we saw them, always outstanding.

On this particular day we chose to walk from our accommodation in Barbaresco village to the tasting, it took around 30min but was lovely.

Chardonnay 2015
Smells like underripe kiwi fruit and sea shells with some floral elements. Quite viscous in the mouth, flavours of green pineapple, good balance, good length.

Dolcetto d'Alba 2015
Vibrant crushed berries on the nose, some minerals and mixed spices. Clean, juicy & refreshing, it has a leaner fruit profile than the nose suggests, decent length.

Barbera d'Alba 2015
Bottled 2 weeks prior, muted nose with just a little plum and spice. Fresh and clean fruit, a few licks of silky tannin, very good, no obvious oak.

Barbera Morassina 2013
Strong vanilla aromas, crushed berries, lots of cedar, oaky but well made.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2014
Once again bottled only 2 weeks prior, bright fresh red berries, hints of pine and white flowers. Almost ethereally light on the palate with great length, licks of silky tannin, superb.

Barbaresco Rabajà 2013
Rich strawberry and raspberry aromas with some licorice. Juicy up front, firm grasp of chalky tannins that finish clean thanks to the wonderful acid balance. Walks the line between power and finesse, outstanding, benchmark traditional Barbaresco, 96+.

Sadly so ends our Barbaresco experience, next up, a few nights in Alba, then onward to Barolo.

Cortese must have upped their game somewhat? I haven't seen their recent stuff but they always had a lot of potential from the position of a hard and often austere style.

Hard is the last word I'd use to describe Cortese, well at least over the last decade anyway. Lovely wines.

My reference the reservas from 96 onwards. 2004 I felt a big change in quality and I haven't revisited since. Liked the producer but a decade ago though lauded locally , felt there better Barbaresco about- certainly Rabaja.

Notes above are salvitating and will revisit . 2013 seems a great Barbaresco vintage on early call.