Produttori Langhe Barbaresco DOC 2009, Piedmont Italy

When it's cold you should drink wine that warms you up; gives you a hug is something I have been known to say in this case at Albert Street Food & Wine. Well this wine does that without giving you a nose bleed due to excessive alcohol. The Produttori del Barbaresco Langhe DOC 2009 from Piedmont is a wine that is oozing in all things sexy that is Barbaresco, which for those not aware surrounds Barolo in Piedmont. Dusty dark red in the glass as on the nose, the palate is all racy tannins and acid up front with a generous lick of tar and juicy black licorice at the back. But it doesn't end there. After about an hour or so in the decanter the wine opens with effortless floral notes of violet and garden herb aroma's. What is even better is the palate shakes off some of those dusty old tannins and effortlessly delivers sumptuous black and blue fruit with an almost earthy feel as well. And like the first sip, gives you gorgeous tar and black licorice at the end. Sexy as!!

Drink with 2 day old cassoulet
Drink till 2029
96
Quality cork 13.5%v/v (unfortunately not available at Albert Street, but in due time, it will make a return to the shelves)

Cascina Morassino Barbaresco 2006 DOCG

Spotted on the 'end of bin' table at Blackhearts a month or so ago, the Cascina Morassino Barbaresco 2006 DOCG was in my mind a no-brainer at $65; as it turned out my brain was right again! A purple ink colour in the glass, this wine after about 30 minutes in the decanter was positively singing with floral and savoury notes as well as bright tart fruit - cranberry my notes say. The palate was definitely showing its age with tort chewy tannins and piercing acidity. When you get passed that, lovely violet, dark cherry and chocolate notes take over but not all the way with the tannins still primary. In hindsight the wine would have been much better in about 4-6 years, but being a lush good things don't always happen to those who wait; they happen when you are impatient too!

Drink with cumin crusted slow roasted shoulder of lamb
Drink 2015-2025+
96
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $65 Blackhearts, Fitzroy North

Terradavino Piedmont La Casa In Collina Barbaresco DOCG 2005

If you are living in Melbourne right now and not in a coma, you will have noticed how bloody cold it has been this month. Before I rant anymore I must add that I am a winter person with no real affection for anything north of about 28°C, but this current cold spell has me longing for Calypso cricket and my boardshorts. But this cold spell has had me in the kitchen cooking my world famous ‘Old Lady Stew’s’ (Thanks Pam). And when you have an ‘OLS’, you need a hearty wine; by gollies’ you do! The Terradavino Piedmont La Casa In Collina Barbaresco DOCG 2005 is just that wine.

First the stew. Now stew’s can pretty much take any veg and meat that you have hiding in the fridge and pantry. What makes the stew though, for me anyway, are the stock and the one or two additions that are not so garden variety. for this stew I used mushroom stock and some saffron.
Recipe:
1 tsp saffron threads
2 cloves
10 black peppercorns
5 cloves garlic
½ cup of chopped parsley
Sea salt
Olive oil
1 cinnamon stick
1½ kgs chuck steak
2 red capsicums, deseeded
2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
5 potatoes, cut into chunks
440gms of tinned tomatoes
½ bottle of red cooking wine

In a pestle, pound saffron, peppercorns, cloves, garlic, cinnamon stick and sea salt into a paste and transfer to a bowl with warm water. Heat oil in a large oven proof pot and fry off meat until browned then set aside. In same pot fry off cap, onions and carrots until soft. Return the meat to pot and add spice mix, wine and tomatoes and bring to boil them simmer for two and half hours. Sweet as a nut!


Now the wine. The Terradavino Piedmont La Casa In Collina Barbaresco DOCG 2005 is a 100% Nebbiolo from Piedmont and is quite often confused as a hoity-toity Barbera; not so. The Barbaresco area is strikingly similar to that of Barolo with soil, altitude, weather and grape all pretty much the same. It is in fact a very small zone, the production of which is about one third of its more famous neighbour on the other side of Alba.

In the glass this wine has a very deep garnet colour with an aroma packed with spice, red cherries and bacon. It is balanced beautifully in the mouth with elegant firm tannins, lively acidity and bright fruits ranging from currants to tart cranberry the longer in the glass. An absolute cracking wine and a fair dinkum Susan for this stew.

Drink with my saffron stew
Drink till 2017
93
Quality cork 13.5%v/v $28 from Mediterranean Wholesalers in Brunswick