Ristorante al Castello

By Nicholas Crampton

I am sure the recent reduction of the DUI limit in Piedmont from 0.8% to 0.5% has done quite a bit to save the lives of those driving after dinner. But nothing was going to save those of us unlucky enough to be driving with a sober Nick Ryan to dinner, or really anywhere else in Piedmont.

Nick’s approach to driving is to treat lanes as a general suggestion. This does smooth out the curves and I have no doubt it works very well in Formula One. The wave-like motion of our trip from Paris to Beaune (occasional blast of truck horn aside) was a mere point of conversation – where it became a bit more interesting was the tight mountain roads and blind corners of Piedmont.

Grinzane Cavour in Piedmont

Our affable host Bernard, now gripping the passenger roof handle with white knuckles, adopted a tone similar to the commandant in Hogan’s Heroes “please you MUST return to our side of the road for the hairpin corners” and “NO it is not Allah’s will”.

For those of you who have not been to Piedmont, which included me until recently, the region is best imagined as a network of steep sided valleys lined almost exclusively with terraced vineyards and with each ridge topped by tall, multi story buildings. I think the Piemontese built the ski resort at Mount Hotham – the idea being to find a steep, exposed ridge and put an equally steep and exposed building right on top of it.

The good folk of Grinzane Cavour, the small town just south of Alba where we headed for dinner, took this trend to its ultimate conclusion building one of the more impressive sights of the region, the imposing Castello Grinzane.

Castello Grinzane at night

Dating back to the 12th century the square, high tower has been impeccably restored. The castle’s history is most notable for being the residence during 1832 – 1849 of Count Camillo Benso di Cavour, generally considered to be mastermind of the unification of Italy.

To my mind, the restoration goes almost too far, with none of the worn steps and ancient beams of other castles. Everything is spotless and whilst beautiful, could be a good 600 years younger. The Castello is jointly owned by the municipalities of Alba and Grinza and on its lower floors hosts the Museum of Langhe and the Cavour Piemontese Regional Enoteca. Amongst other things it is home to the “Order of the Knights of the White Truffle” – who sound like the last guys you’d want to be with in a fight but the first guys you’d invite to a dinner party.

The reason we were here was on the top floor, the “Ristorante al Castello”. Set alongside a cafe and open dining area more suitable to summer months, the restaurant boasts a beautiful dining room and numerous private spaces. Head Chef is the young Alessandro Boglione, who hails from Bra (home of the slow food movement) and has worked most notably with Ferran Adria. Regardless of his history, the cuisine of Al Castello showed little sign of molecular gastronomy, presenting a fairly pure and precise modern take on traditional classics.

Being in Piedmont in November as guests of Fontanafredda you could guess the meal was going to centre around two things – Barolo and White Truffles. There is a time and a place for a 195 Euro Truffle menu but it is probably not a table of ten new acquaintances, so we chose the “Menu Tradizione” degustation with the addition of white truffles on a few courses. A very reasonable 38 Euro plus truffles for five courses.

A brace of Fontanafredda sparkling started proceedings, an initially austere “Vigna Gatinera” Alta Langa DOC Method Champenoise was followed by the flagship 2004 Contessa Rosa. The Contessa showed a fine balance of aged complexity and freshness withgood length. Top class Italian sparkling.

A 2008 Pradalupo Roero Arneis also displayed admirable balance, demonstrating the depth, richness of flavour and viscosity this varietal is capable of whilst avoiding becoming too heavy. A beautiful wine that will be clearly better when bottled in screwcap. Funnily enough at the next table was a delegation from the local appellation authority. Great people the Italians, very proud of their culture but not quite as myopic as the French. You want screwcap you crazy Australians – sure why not? There is a bit of an issue with the law on DOCG wines (the top echelon of appellation) which was brought in quite rightly to stop plastic corks but we think we’ll have that solved by March, when we plan to bring in some of these wines under screwcap.

First up was the universal amuse, a shot of a powerfully flavoured soup. It was beautiful but I have forgotten what it was. I am guessing it would have been truffle flavoured, thick and intense…

Battuata al coltello

The first course was “Battuta al coltello” – hand-minced raw veal. I had been trying to find tartare since arriving in in France a week before so I was glad to get the hit. More subtle than the French version with no added spice, the texture and quality of the veal was showcased nicely.

A traditional dish of Bra Sausage was tempting but you couldn’t go past the “Vitello tonnato tradizione” – veal with a tuna sauce. A modern and clean version, about as far as you could get from a rustic trattoria’s version but again an excellent showcase of the quality of the produce. This was almost the kind of dish you would expect to see in a top class Australian restaurant. I tend to find that European restaurants focus more on “secondary” flavours – sauces etc rather than the key ingredient. Both approaches have their benefits and are equally great when done well.

Next up was “Plin di Fonduta” – hand-pinched pasta filled with fondue – and in this case covered in shavings of a very big, very fresh white truffle. Now this you won’t find easily in Australia – the quality of truffle maybe, the largesse in which it was waved around unlikely. The pasta was rich, creamy and a perfect backdrop for the beautifully textured and aromatic truffles to do their stuff.

By this time we had embarked on a trio of Fontanafredda “La Rosa” single vineyard Barolos from the highly regarded 2004, 2001 and 1999 vintages. La Rosa is the vineyard directly above the winery and is quality wise in the middle of the trio. The Fontanafredda style is ‘moderate modernistic’ – approachable with rich fruit and ripe, still pronounced tannins.

The 2004 was the richest and most powerful of the three, a result not just of its youth but a stylistic evolution. It is a very good wine withvery ripe fruit and fine powdery tannins, years away from maturity. The 2001 was the star of the show. Over the two days the 2001 vintage wines continued to shine, displaying fruit richness equal to the more storied 2000 vintage but retaining a degree of elegance and showing excellent balance, complexity and class. Starting to drink nicely now, they have many years ahead of them. The 1999 vintage is a more “traditionally” styled wine, which doesn’t mean bretty but a touch less ripe and a touch more savoury. This is certainly a very good wine, not to the standard of the 2001, but perhaps not showing its best at this age.

Leg of guinea fowl with black truffle and chicory

The main course was “Leg of guinea fowl with black truffle and chicory”. This was a more traditionally styled dish with beautifully slow cooked meat and a very strong but welcome sauce. The truffle was much more in the background in the dish, demonstrating that truffle can sometimes be a component not the star. This was a very successful dish and great with the 2001 Barolo.

By this stage a recurring issue I and many others have with Italian restaurants had really started to nag. This is the complete absence of any side dishes – vegetables, salads or otherwise. They have got the produce and it would really benefit these rich dishes to offer a bit of diversity and give the palate some respite.

Dessert was, as it is in many top class restaurants, a highlight with a dedicated professional who was on top of his game. From staples such as Panna Cotta to “Converso – Gianduja chocolate cream mousse with dried orange”, each dish was excellent.

I would like to dine again at Al Castello to experience the restaurant in a more intimate setting – as opposed to a ten seat round. I would like to do this because despite being an extremely professional restaurant with excellent food and quality, experienced staff in every position and despite the truly beautiful castle and dining room, I would not call it a memorable experience.

Perhaps the ‘globalisation’ of the experience – pristine food you might find in best Italian restaurants of New York, Singapore or Melbourne was to blame. Or perhaps it was the overly restored castle and general ‘corporate’ feel. Maybe it was that I was just jealous I didn’t get the 195 Euro truffle menu. Somewhere in the mix of pure flavours and produce I would have liked a bit more character, complexity and bravery – plus of course those vegetables. I would have been happy with a few mistakes to get a few gems, something I couldn’t have found at home. On the experience of one visit Ristorante al Castello is a great place to take clients but not such a great place to discover Italy.

Rating: