We have the great pleasure of representing The Cavallotto Families wines in the state of Washington, we had put together a consumer lunch today but we hung out and had a small dinner last night, just the three of us.
We chose a small restaurant on Capital Hill, a neighborhood of Seattle, located downtown. I’ve always had good meals I’ve never had a truly great meal, until last night…
I’ll preface with saying that I won’t post tasting notes on Alfio’s wines since I represent them, I will say that if you haven’t looked at the families wines before or if it’s been a while, run, don’t walk and check them out. As a side not Alfio has to be one of the most humble, down to earth people I have ever met, gracious and a very thoughtful winemaker.
Dinner consisted of Rabbit Agnolotti, Tajarin al Ragu, Capunet, Sformatino di Porri, Porchetta tonato and one of the best pieces of steak I’ve had in a long time. For me it was hard to have a favorite for the food as it was all impeccable and absolutely delicious, the Capunet might have been the best thing though, braised meats wrapped in swiss chard and covered with a ridiculously rich balsamic/demi sauce that wasn’t sweet, just rich and intense.
Now the wines…
We brought a bottle of NV Savart Accomplice and '97 Conterno Cascina Francia
NV Savart- Savart is quickly becoming my favorite grower and this bottle shows why, elegance, creamy mousse with crisp acid and a complex lingering finish, the Pinot really shines adding a depth of red fruit that really lifts the wine.
'97 Conterno Cascina Francia- On the drive to the restaurant Scott hit the breaks leading to my bag falling over and this wine landing on its capsule, needless to say, shaken. Cork came out clean and the wine was only a touch hazy, hardly any sediment…Thank God. The nose was sweet balsamic and fruit, still fairly primary with a little nuttiness. Dense but light on its feet, good balance with nice acid. Not the greatest Conterno but a pretty great wine none the less.
Deciding that we needed to buy a bottle off the list we turned to Alfio to make the choice. Asking what he thought he immediately pointed out the '99 Bruno Giacosa Falletto, only one problem… It was a magnum, oh well, its gotta go down…
'99 Bruno Giacosa Falletto Barolo (magnum)- Cork came out easily, perfect. The wine poured a gorgeous ruby, clear, bright no signs of age. THe nose was brilliant, sweet balsamic, not overly so, not confected and not a cheap aging balsamic but a really high quality waft, wild strawberries, cherry, just a hint of tar with a little slate. The palate was pure fruit, amazingly deep but really light on its feet, the wine just stayed, I could taste it minutes later. The finish was amazing with nothing out of place. This wine to me was perfect, I couldn’t imagine it getting any better but I could also see it lasting 30 more years easily but why wait. So far my wine of the year and probably the best Barolo I’ve drank this decade.
Last stop at Deep Dive and an Uber home
