One for the young and one for the more mature

Truffle mania is back…. the little gems from Piedmont’s Alba have hit restaurants around town and are coming in at $7000 a kilo. Yes please!  A dish not for the faint hearted is Ben Turner’s (Head Chef at ARIA) Potato Gnocchi with chestnut and oyster mushrooms, parmesan, spinach, and of course… shaved white Alba truffles.

Parmesan gnocchi with Alba truffle by Ben Turner at ARIA

This dish screams richness and in essence, a wine of equal intensity is required – but the wine needs to be on a different level.  A wine that is more delicate, fragrant, high acid, lighter yet still tannic can be as intense as a fuller-bodied, riper style of red with less acid. 

Barolo is much the lighter style in theory, yet in its youth it can be so tannic and bitter, sometimes almost undrinkable. The Barolo’s of Fontanafredda from the commune of Serralunga d’Alba are some of the most historic in Italy and in the 1800s the estate belonged to the King’s mistress, Bela Rosin.  ‘La Rosa’ from Fontanafredda is one of three single vineyard wines of great structure which I have had the opportunity to taste. For those trying Barolo for the first time the 1996 ‘La Rosa’ is very approachable and drinking beautifully now.  There are tart cherry flavours and leathery spices with cinnamon and clove.  The palate is soft and subtle giving a nice contrast to the plump, round texture of the potato gnocchi (Ben uses Royal Blue Potatoes) and the intensity of the ingredients combined. 

On the flipside, veteran Barolo drinkers may prefer the 2004 ‘Vigna la Rosa’ which displays darker brooding fruits (black cherry and plum).  It is more closed and herbal, the tannins grip intensely on your teeth.  The 2004 has a wealth of austere aromas with dried flowers, tomato leaf and bark, whilst the finish is big and grippy.  Although it still works with the gnocchi I say have it with some ‘Testun Occelili al Barolo’ cheese instead. An exclusive to Simon Johnson, this cheese is a very smart interpretation of an ancient Italian mountain gourmet cheese. It has a really solid structure – the name Testun Occelli al Barolo translates to ‘headstrong’. The milk, a combination of both ewe’s and cow’s milk, comes from animals that roam the summer pastures.  It works with Barolo because it’s got great underlining minerality and yes… it is covered in Nebbiolo grapes and matured for half a year in cellars!

Barolo supplier: Fourth Wave Wine Partners

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