May 14, 2018
We woke to some overcast skies mixed with an occasional glimpse of the sun and all met in the dining room to refuel with a hearty breakfast. Being at La Bollina again was like visiting family, well for Darrell is certainly was!
After breakfast, I loaded my gear and we hopped in the car to make our way to the day's first stop. It was an hour and 10 minute drive. The easiest drive in Italy is usually not the straightest! We headed north to Allessandria, then west to Asti, then finally southwest a little past Alba to reach the Monsordo Bernardina estate of Ceretto Aziende Vitivinicole S.r.l. which is nestled in the Langhe hills. www.ceretto.com
The countryside here is full of lush rolling hills, beautiful vineyards and hazelnut orchards which are famous in Piemonte.
We made it to Ceretto about 10am and were met by Alessandro Ceretto who led us into the winery for a tour and tasting.
We tasted three of Ceretto's Barbaresco wines and two Barolo wines in a tasting room overlooking vineyard rows and Hazelnut trees. The wines were all magnificent. We couldn't resist looking through some of the products Ceretto offered for sale especially the hazelnuts and the Relanghe torrone. We may have even left with a few treats.
Since it was just past noon, thoughts of lunch entered Darrell's mind. He decided that we would make the short 3 km drive to the piazza in Alba so we could eat at Ristorante La Piola, a restaurant that the Ceretto family opened in 2005. The wanted to create a place that would offer the typical cuisine of the Langhe. The restaurant sits below the renown Three MICHELIN Starred restaurant Piazza Duomo, which was begun by chef Enrico Crippa in partnership with the Ceretto family. Enrico has a big influence on La Piola as both restaurants source from the same suppliers. The restaurant sits directly on the piazza. www.lapiola-alba.it
Darrell ordered us Vitello Tonatto (slices of roasted veal with tuna mayonnaise), Tajarin al Ragu di Salsicca (hand made high egg yolk Piemontese pasta with pork sausage and tomato sauce), Agnolotti del Plin al Sugo D'Arrosto (regional style ravioli with roasted veal sauce, and gelato for dessert. We shared a bottle of Ceretto's 2016 Monsordo Bianco made from 100% riesling. One word "Wow!" It was quite a delicious lunch.
Appetites more than completely satisfied, we hit the road heading north for near an hour until we reached the Bava winery about 15 km east of Torino and just outside of the Bava Family's beloved town of Cocconato. www.bava.com
We were greeted by the eldest brother of the family, Roberto Bava. Darrell and I visited the Bava's last back in 2014. The family has been busy since then. They added a new wing to their winery dedicated to sales and promotion. Roberto took us straight to the new addition, which also serves as their local retail shop, where we spent time learning of Bava winery and Giulio Cocchi's newest developments and did a little tasting bot in nibbles and sips.
I went outside to fly the drone and got some pretty stunning shots of the area surrounding the winery. Video below... The afternoon was passing and Roberto wanted to take us to a nearby Agriturismo Country Inn for dinner. Cascina Rosengana is very close to the Bava winery. The second starter was a fantastically simple dish which stunned us all. Cured Lardo with cracked Piemonte IGP Hazelnuts drizzled with local Linden honey. The meal was as well enjoyed as the company and conversation.
Just down the street from Cascina Rosengana sits one of the Bava vineyards, so took a look as I fly the drone over to get an aerial group photo. We bid our dear Bava family friends goodbye and headed back to La Bollina for a good night's sleep.
