We always stay at Castelo di Sinio in Piedmont.Centrally located to all the vineyards and about 5 minutes from Alba.It is a beautiful restored Castelo owned and operated by an American,Denise,who is a great chef and extremely knowledgeable about the area.Look at her web site.
Thanks, Richard, will do!
Our trip to Italy was great! Thanks to all who contributed information. Here are a few notes from the trip.
We flew to and from Nice. We stayed in an apt right at the Old Town, on Avenue Jean Médecin, right in the middle of things. It was a great location. We picked up a rental car at the train station in Nice and drove to Italy. We then returned the car to the Nice airport the night before we flew home.
Part 1 - Nice, France (and area) – 4 days
We hung out in Nice for a couple of days, and spent time seeing the area.
Good meals at:
• La Femme du Boulanger…Traditional French bistro fare; nicely prepared…lots of fresh vegetables and home-made desserts. Wine list was pretty limited, so we drank a 2018 Château Minuty Rosé and a 2016 Chateau Malbec. Be there before opening if you want an early seating, as it’s a tiny place. Be sure to try the house specialty, a wood-fired tartine – was delicious!
• Brasserie de l’Union…Traditional Niçoise food. This was off the beaten path and there were very few other tourists in there. Good food, with good, friendly service. We drank a 2015 Chateau Sainte Roseline Lampede Meduse and (vintage unknown) Baron de Canteblois.
• Il Bolognese…Good food, good pizza, pasta, and grilled meats. Nice salads. The panna cotta was crazy delicious with a mountain of fresh berries on it. The service was great. We drank a 2013 Zanetti Paolo Barbaresco
• Great gelato at Fenocchio (multiple visits)
Since the Matisse Museum was closed, we visited the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Beautiful place, great story, amazing porcelain collection, with seven themed, beautiful gardens, sitting up high overlooking the Mediterranean. Definitely worth the visit (be sure to do the audio tour)!
From there we landed in Villefranche-Sur-Mer at a great wine bar, The Wine Pier, on the water for an aperitif. Nice wine list, great service and nibbles. We drank a 2013 Chateau Brane-Cantenac.
We also spent a day in Monaco. We watched the changing of the guard at the castle, visited the Casino, the Cathedral where Princess Grace is buried, and lots of walking around. Lots of hills! The casino charges 17 euros/person just to go into the gaming area, though one can walk into the lobby and see the gorgeous interior.
Part 2 – Nice to Tuscany– 5 days in Tuscany
I counted the tunnels we passed through: 180 on the drive from Nice to Pallagio, where we stayed (about 15 km from San Gimignano). Our AirBnB was a farmhouse that was turned into 4 units. Very nice and spacious, out in the beautiful countryside, with great views but pretty far off the beaten path. We could see multiple little towns across the landscape. It was so peaceful, and it had a private pool, but the water was way too cold for us to swim in it.
We visited San Gimignano. We were there in the evening, and the tourists had gone, so it was quite charming. I spent a long while in a delightful little artist’s shop, Studio d’Arte Sant’Agostino, talking with the owner/artist. I could have chatted with him all evening, he was so fun and interesting to talk to! I purchased several delightful watercolor paintings of the Tuscan landscapes. What a treasure that shop and his paintings are! For food, we had good pizza at Bar Boboli, which I drank with a 2016 San Giusto a Rentennano Chianti Classico Le Baroncole Riserva DOCG. Next stop was a wine and boar charcuterie tasting at Bazar Dei Sapori, which was fun and tasty. They served the following:
• 2014 Castello Vicchiomaggio Chianti Classico Agostino Petri Riserva DOCG
• 2014 Palagetto Sottobosco DOC
• 2013 Ruffino Greppone Mazzi Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
To be continued…
Great start!
Next up, a day of wine tasting in Montalcino included:
Winery visit to Canalicchio di Sopra, where I tasted:
• 2017 Rosso di Montalcino
• 2013 Brunello di Montalcino
• 2014 Brunello di Montalcino
We then had a very nice lunch at Boccon Divino (gorgeous setting!) then a visit and tasting at Le Ragnaie. I got lucky and scored the very last visit of the season! There I tasted:
• 2018 Miscelone Toscano Rosso (Rosato)
• 2016 Troncone Toscano Rosso
• 2015 Rosso di Montalcino
• 2013 Brunello di Montalcino
Then into Montalcino town…Tasted at Enotecca La Fortezza. I did a tasting up at the fort, which I found to be very touristy and rushed. There, I tasted:
• 2014 Tassi Brunello di Montalcino
• 2012 Tenimenti Angelini Val di Suga Vigna Spuntali, Brunello di Montalcino
• 2013 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino
• 2013 San Filippo Brunello di Montalcino
• 2014 La Fornace Brunello di Montalcino
We walked down the hill to a little wine bar/restaurant, Drogheria Franci, (which is part of the Enotecca) and had a great time tasting there. Much smaller, quieter, and no one else was there at that time – much better experience at that spot. Here I tasted:
• 2018 Castiglione Del Bosco Chardonnay
• 2018 Benito Ferrara Vigna Cicogna Greco di Tufo
• 2016 Argiano Solengo Toscana
We spent a day in Florence. We hired a private tour guide for the day, which was great. We got far more out of visiting the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Uffizzi than if we had done it on our own. We had a really nice lunch at Francesco Vini, which is built on the ruins of a Roman amphitheater. You can visit the wine cellar, which is down in the remains of the amphitheater, which was really cool. I failed to note the rosé I drank with lunch. We had apertivo and cocktails in the Hotel Bernini Palace lobby bar and were then too full for a proper dinner. After sunset photos overlooking the city, and wandering around, we made a quick stop at 7 Secoli Argentino for a pit stop, where I had a glass of an Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon, and then to the train station.
Another day, we visited Villa Pillo in Gambassi Terme (same owners as Williams Selyem), where I tasted approx. 6 wines, but didn’t take notes (I do remember the 2016 Borgoforte). From there, we went to Montefioralle. We walked around the village, did a short tasting at Maurizio Brogioni (no notes). We had a nice lunch at Il Guerrino, which has a beautiful location overlooking the Tuscan landscape. I had a glass of 2018 Il Pozzo Pinot Grigio. Then we were off to Antinori for a tour & tasting. There I tasted:
• 2018 Pinot Blanco
• 2015 Chianti Classico Riserva
• 2015 La Braccesca Bramasole Cortona Syrah
We went to Antinori for the architecture, which was pretty cool. We ended up in Borgo San Lorenzo that evening, where there was a local food festival that we checked out for some tasty bites. We had some good gelato at Pallino.
Early one morning, we drove over to the Mediterranean coast to Pietrabianca Beach, for a short beach visit and dip into the sea. Then back to Florence that afternoon. I sat at Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina for a long while tasting & drinking wine (while my photographer was out shooting the sunset over Florence). They don’t have any set tastings, but they do have an extensive wine list by the glass, so I just ordered several glasses and did my own tasting! I tasted:
• NV Franciacorta Extra Brut Camossi Rose’
• 2016 Terenzuola Colli di Luni Bianco Permano
• 2016 Pietrisco Nebbiolo Valtellina Superiore
• 2013 Cantina Palladino Barolo Serralunga
• 2011 Antico Podere Casanova Bucciarelli Chianti Classico Riserva
Pitti Gola is a great place and am very glad I made it there! We finished the day with good pizza and pasta at Ristorante La Galleria Il Vino dei Guelfi, and good gelato at Arte della Gelateria.
To be continued…
Looks like it was a great trip. Plenty of wine for sure. Glad you enjoyed Pitti Gola. One of the great finds from this board.