<a target="_blank" href="http://www.delcambio.it/en/">Del Cambio</a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.delcambio.it/en/">

</a>Piazza Carignano, 2

10123 Torino

<a target="_blank">Tel:+39</a> <a target="_blank">011 546690</a>&nbsp;

The food:

Veal in light tuna sauce (Vitello Tonnato)

Cavour Rice (Riso Cavour)

Piedmontese style meat agnolotti (Agnolotti alla Piemontese)

Mixed boiled meats (Bollito Misto)

The
wines:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1995
 Raveneau Chablis Forêt – 1er Cru
 </td>
 <td>
 95
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2011
 Balbiano Freisa di Chieri Vigna Villa della Regina
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1989
 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf-du-Pape
 </td>
 <td>
 97+
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2014
 Saracco Moscato d’Asti 
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2013 Dettori Moscadeddu
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 NV Cave l’Etoile Banyuls Grand Cru Doux Paillé Hors
 d’Age
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

One of Torino’s stalwarts, Del
Cambio has been around since 1757, but the new owners kicked things up by quite
a notch when they handed over the stoves to talented Matteo Baronetto (hiring
him away from Cracco in Milan, where he was the main chef). With its subsequent
blast-off into Italy’s culinary stratosphere, dining at Del Cambio isn’t
exactly cheap nowadays, but the combination of a truly beautiful dining room,
superlatively rendered traditional Piedmontese dishes, and a fascinating wine
list makes for a memorable dining experience.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1457713813047-interni.jpg"> 

The wine list is a wonderful
sight for sore eyes: what else can you say of a tome (in Italy, no less) that
boasts eighteen different vintages of Chateau d’Yquem (plus those of eight
other great Sauternes and Barsac estates including Climens, Coutet, de Fargues,
Rieussec and Suduiraut), nine different vintages of very high quality Marsala
and Marsala-like wines, six different Madeiras and six different Tokaji Aszu
wines, amongst many other choices? And that’s just an example taken from the
dessert wine section alone. Clearly, greater depth in older vintages amongst both
the dry whites (especially) and the reds would have made for an even better dining
experience, but the lack of older vintages is a general problem in practically
all of Italy’s restaurants. At least head sommelier Diego Dequigiovanni
(previously at the Bulgari Hotel in Milan) and his staff keep themselves busy
attending wine auctions to bolster their vinous lineup.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1457713822584-vitello+tonnato.jpg"> Del Cambio’s vitello tonnato

On this day, I was fortunate
to taste some really fantastic old bottles that had been marvelously well kept.
The 1995 Raveneau Chablis Forêt, the
premier cru I have had the least experience with from Raveneau, is an unforgettable,
utterly beautiful wine that has now entered its optimal drinking window.
Extremely focused and energetic, but also deep, complex and creamy, with a long
lusciously smooth finish, it’s a mesmerizingly great wine. Premier cru Chablis just doesn’t get any better than this. The
Chablis is a powerful way to start my lunch, but it doesn’t overpower the
rather savory vitello tonnato, almost
too much of a good thing in its salty delivery of flavors. Next up is the
magnificent 2011 Balbiano Freisa di
Chieri Vigna Villa della Regina, not an easy wine to find but drinking
beautifully, really showcasing just how much Freisa and its wines can offer. The
Vigna della Regina (the “queen’s vineyard”) is not just a grand cru for the
variety, but also historically famous,
planted right in the heart of Torino, at the royal family’s estate. Much more
fruity than many Freisa wines tend to be, Balbiano’s version is redolent with
lovely red cherry and berry aromas highly reminiscent of Nebbiolo (remember
that Freisa and Nebbiolo are extremely close relatives), but finishes with
Freisa’s take-no-prisoners tannins and slightly bitter twinge. It’s always a thrill
to come across a bottle. The wines is a heavenly match with both the Riso
Cavour, which is not at all a risotto, but rather a complex aromatic
preparation of toasted rice with a poached egg and confit tomatoes, (an historic
dish that Camillo Benso Count of Cavour, Italy’s first ever Prime Minister, used
to enjoy right here at Del Cambio) and the Agnolotti alla Piemontese. These were
the best and most interesting dishes I tried at Del Cambio on this visit.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1457713831478-cantina.JPG"> 

The 1989 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf-du-Pape is one of my ten best wines of 2015, My Vinous colleague Josh Reynolds probably knows more about this
wine than I or anyone else ever will, but I’ll try to do this beauty justice
and say that it’s a Chateauneuf-du-Pape of mesmerizing purity, aromatic power
and silky tannins offering kirsch, cassis and Oriental spice aromas and flavors
that are simply drop-dead gorgeous. I have always found the 1989 to be less thick,
more refined and more ageworthy than the possibly even more famous 1990 Rayas;
but in any case, the 1989 offers wine lovers a truly memorable drinking
experience.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1457713841895-i+vini.jpg"> The 2014 Saracco Moscato d’Asti and the 2013 Dettori Moscadeddu couldn’t be any more different as far as
sweet wines go, but both are special in their own way. Saracco is in my opinion
Italy’s best Moscato d’Asti producer, though his 2014 strikes me as less
concentrated and fresh than some other recent vintages; while the Moscadeddu,
also made from the Moscato Bianco variety, showcases the richer, sweeter, late
harvest style of wine this grape delivers in Sardinia’s hotter, island
environment, and is strongly characterized by a sweet and saline personality. After
all that hard work, and before a less than comfortable flight to Bordeaux
awaiting me later that day, I decided to kick back and relax a little in the
company of the NV Cave l’Etoile Banyuls
Grand Cru Doux Paillé Hors d’Age, a 75% Grenache Noir, 15% Grenache Gris
and 10% Carignan blend from the oldest social coop of Banyuls, founded back in
1921. Its concentrated but refined candied fruit and spicy aromas are complemented
by a delicate rancio note, making it
a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. 

--Ian D'Agata

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