Puglia 3: Food & Wine

In the old-town section of Bisceglie you'll be lucky if you find a phenomenal restaurant or "grigleria" named Enosteria. There is no way we ever would have found this place if it had not been highly recommended to us. The first time we walked by -during siesta- large wooden doors covered up the entrance and all signage making it nearly impossible to discern as a restaurant. But after 8 or 9 in the evening the little establishment and Giovanni, its hip, young entrepreneurial owner, came alive. With no more than eight tables, a small kitchen, and a fireplace used for grilling meats, this place redefined intimate. Amazingly enough, Giovanni was not only the owner, maitre'd, server, and sommelier, but he also grilled all of the meats over the fire in the back of the dining room. We proceeded to have one of the longest, most intricate, and most wonderful meals of our lives. Many of Puglia's regional food and wine specialties were interwoven through this 4 hour and 11 course gastronomical adventure.

1- Olives (Puglian olives are incredible!)
2- Crostini w/ ricotta crema
3- Cannellini beans w/ ripini (broccoli rabe)
4- Agrodolce (sweet & sour) peppers
5- Zucchini Ripieni(stuffed) w/ potatoe souffle & balsamico
6- Fava mash w/ chicory greens
7- Artichokes w/ oven-dried tomatoes
8- Carne Misti: Vitello (veal) Filetto, Pork Involtini (rolled w/ Prosciutto), Manza (beef) Kebabs, and Horse Sausage
9- Carroti Crudi w/ olive oil
10- Mixed Nuts
11- Dolci: Molten chocolate cake & Panna Cotta

While the wines accompanying our meal at Enosteria were phenomenal ( a Primitivo named Violante, a Nero di Troia from Rivera, a Moscato di Trani, and a mint-green Amaro), the best wine we had in Puglia was probably Santa Lucia's 1996 Riserva Le More. Worth noting, the other wines deserving the most accolade were the 2000 and 2001 vintages of the same wine. But I was ultimately most interested in the 1996 because of its character and story.

These were my notes taken at the winery on the Santa Lucia Riserva Le More 1996: 85% Uva di Troia and 15% Malbec. All Slavonian, no barrique. Well aged, feminine, and elegant. Perhaps past its prime a little. "No longer a boxer, but a gentleman" -Roberto Perone Capone (owner). Still quite beautiful and natural - just the fruit before the fancy technology and before barrique. 50 bottles remaining.

I found this wine most interesting because I had the immediate pleasure of tasting a half dozen subsequent vintages from the bottle as well as several barrel tastings. In 2000 Santa Lucia began to age their riserva wine in barrique and in 2001 the Le More became 100% Uva di Troia with a half year longer in barrique. The opportunity to compare and contrast so closely and to do so with the owner/winemaker was the highlight to my trip as well as my career. While the heralded, drink-now 2000 vintage and the well-structured, ageworthy 2001 vintage were exceptional, I found the 1996 more nuanced, feminine, well-balanced and stylistically traditional. I had never experienced Uva di Troia like this, certainly not blended with Malbec. As we were leaving Santa Lucia, eight hours after our scheduled appointment, Roberto surprised me with one of his last fifty bottles. I was blown away. And I hope to be blown away again soon - I may drink it with Christmas dinner.

Underwood 07 - Toscana

Our second evening's feast at Underwood was more traditional, certainly in terms of the Sangiovese-based wine pairings. We prepared simply seasoned but well marbled ribeye steaks, oven roasted potatoes with olive oil, sliced heirloom tomatoes and basil (both from my garden), sauteed snowpeas with heirloom garlic, and a tossed salad with garden veggies.

Our wine journey began with Marchesi Antinori's Chianti Classico Riserva 2000. While I had many of Antinori's "Super-Tuscans" as well as wines from his Puglian properties, his Chianti was new to me. And not surprisingly, it was beautiful. Ruby red with bright cherry fruit, well-balanced acidity and plenty of those leathery-tobacco notes. I did note, however, that it was fuller bodied than most Chianti, certainly from traditional producers.

While everyone was enjoying their first wine, I began the arduous process of removing the traditional wax seal closure on our next wine: a jeroboam (3L) of Poggio Amorelli Oracolo 2003. While I had removed the wax seal closure on large-format bottles previously, it is never any easier the next time. In fact, it is usually tedious and always messy. But the process is generally rewarding and it certainly was this time. While I missed the opportunity to visit this property in Castellina in Chianti, I have always loved wines from this producer which include an amazing Chianti as well. The beautifully named Oracolo from Poggio Amorelli is technically a "Super-Tuscan" despite being 100% Sangiovese and traditionally styled. The 2003 has a rich garnet color with an intense earthy, leathery nose and gobs of ripe cherry berry fruit on the palette with all components in remarkable balance (amazing considering the 2003 vintage) and a long, silky finish. The wine practically screams grilled meats! While perhaps not the best vintage ever, this wine is truly noteworthy. And that was a good thing considering we had copious amounts of the Oracolo to drink.

Underwood 07 - Piemonte

Everyone needs a friend who owns a "camp" in the Adirondacks. And everyone needs a friend who shows up with an amazing line-up of wines to accompany the meal they are preparing to honor the occasion. I was preparing a meal that could best be described as "Swiss-Germans comfort food". The menu included breaded pork shops, sweet and sour red cabbage, truffle oil and garlic mash potatoes, and fresh apple sauce. If it were to be enjoyed in Italy, this meal would probably be found in the far north: Friuli, Trentino-Alto Adige, northern Lombardy, etc. With a little stretch of an oenophile's imagination, I decided to pair the meal with a line-up of Nebbiolo based wines.

We started with Produttori del Barbaresco's Langhe Nebbiolo 2004 as we sampled cheeses and finished cooking our feast. Everything Produttori del Barbaresco makes seems to be of quality. They are the quintessential example of a sucessful modern Italian cooperative with 58 growers representing over a quarter of the Barbaresco zone's production and making wine from 9 famous Barbaresco crus. The Langhe Nebbiolo 2004 was feminine, elegant, and well-balanced with that perfect traditional aromatic profile one expects from Nebbiolo. The wine was on the lighter side but still had sufficient structure to transition nicely into our next wine and our dinner.

With our final wine decanted, I opened and poured everyone Aldo Conterno's Quartetto Langhe Rosso 2000. For anyone who has never experienced a "Super-Piemontese" wine, look no further. A blend of equal parts Nebbiolo, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot, this modern styled wine is a blockbuster. Aged in French oak barrique, the Quartetto's blend begs contemplation and constant swirling to fully admire the beautiful bouquet and its endless evolution. While certainly a traditionalist in nature, this modern gem of wine never ceases to amaze me and could convince anyone as to the sucess of blending international varietals with Piedmont's great red grapes.

With the drink-now 2000 vintage having set the stage, it was time to unleash the fruited monster inside Gianni Gagliardo's Barolo 2000. Combined with the vintage and the producers's modern style, the Tortonian soils of La Morra yield the softer, richer, and more opulent characteristics amongst Barolo wine's many faces. Not to say there wasn't ample tannicity and structure to this wine, because there certainly was. Big and chewy with wafts of dried fruit and earth, this wine probably deserved cuisine more typical of its origin, but we suffered through its magnificence nonetheless. If you ever want to try amazing Barolo, check out Gianni Gagliardo.