I have just returned from a couple of days in Piedmont visiting Giacosa, Gaja, G. Mascarello, Fenocchio and Chiari Boschis. A couple of very old friends, one new and extremely exciting, talented friend and two producers we would love to do more with…
Both Giacosa and Gaja gave us full grand tours of their respective estates and comprehensive tastings of the new releases. These two estates really are two of the most exciting places a wine lover could possibly find themselves. Some of the greatest wines I have ever drunk were made by Giacosa. My experience with Gaja is patchier but I am coming to appreciate the singular brilliance of these wines. The stunning 2011s and the Sperss and Conteisa 2010s could not have done any more to reinforce this. This is a very exciting year for Gaja wines.
We were treated to an extensive, under-stated and incredibly charming visit at Fenocchio, one of our new favourite Piedmontese producers. The family are so welcoming and Claudio led us through an incredibly informative and fun tasting with all four of us drifting across a range of badly spoken languages: Italian, French and occasionally even English trying to communicate our appreciation of the wines. This is an estate to watch especially as they offer crazy value at the current prices.
We hope to do more with Mascarello and Chiari 
Boschis, these are fairly new estates to us but we will definitely be visiting again.
We found a little time to have a couple of astonishing meals, the best of which was lunch with Francesco from Giacosa at La Ciau del Tornavento. Fabulously well-made traditional Piedmontese fare with a couple of modern twists and techniques. Without question the best snail I have ever eaten. Stunning and highly recommended. The Giacosa Asili Riserva 1996 wasn’t bad either!
I love Piedmont.
