<a target="_blank" href="http://www.guidoristorante.it/">Guido Ristorante at Fontanafredda</a>

15 Via Alba

Serralunga d'Alba
12050

Tel. +39 0173 62 61
62

&nbsp;

BY ANTONIO GALLONI | MARCH 3, 2017&nbsp;&nbsp;

Food:

Yellow pepper stuffed with tuna

Poached egg with white truffles

Lidia’s agnolotti

Roasted veal with vegetables&nbsp;

Wine:




















<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 2008 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Riserva Selezionata Brunata
 (magnum)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 96+
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2008 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Riserva Monfortino&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 98&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1974 Ceretto – Bricco Asili Barbaresco Asili (magnum)&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1964 Giuseppe Mascarello &amp; Figlio Barolo 
 </td>
 <td>
 93
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

Over the last few years, Guido Ristorante has become one of
my favorite spots in Piedmont. Located in the stunning Villa Reale at
Fontanafredda, Guido brings together a contemporary take on Piedmontese
classics in a refined, striking setting. High ceilings and spread out tables
add to an impression of airiness to the room. Guido is a perfect spot for a
relaxed, leisurely dinner away from the hustle and bustle that is so common in
other spots during truffle season.

The Alciati family is Piedmontese royalty. Brothers Ugo and
Piero Alciati have been at Fontanafredda for a few years now. Their younger
brother, Andrea, runs Guido da Costigliole at the Relais San Maurizio. All
three brothers continue the legacy of their parents, Guido and Lidia Alciati,
who set the bar for fine Piedmontese dining well before the region was the
popular destination it is today.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1488580423441-Poached+Egg+copy.jpeg">Poached egg with white
truffles&nbsp; 

Our dinner is delicious. I never miss a chance to order the
yellow pepper stuffed with tuna, which is one of the signature dishes at Guido.
If there is a better food marriage than poached eggs and white truffles, I have
yet to find it. The warm yolk and white truffle meld together in a sublime dish
that is also the perfect foil for Nebbiolo in its many guises. The agnolotti
are first served with a light sugo
d’arrosto (braised meat sauce) that beautifully expresses the refinement of
the Piedmontese kitchen. A few minutes later, Piero Alciati appears with a
plate of unseasoned agnolotti served on a cloth napkin, in the manner the
just-cooked agnolotti were once brought to the family patriarch for approval
before they could be served to the entire family several generations ago. The
roast veal with vegetables is simply, tasty, and most importantly, a fabulous
canvas for the wines we have assembled. I skip dessert, but some of my friends
have the homemade fiordilatte ice
cream, which I heartily recommend. 

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1488580454743-Veal+copy.jpeg">Roasted veal with
vegetables

Our wines are equally terrific. The 2008 Rinaldi Barolo Riserva Selezionata Brunata is a big, powerful
wine. The Riserva is a rare bird, a 100% Brunate Barolo that is bottled in
magnum for a few select longtime customers. What can I say? It’s good to have
friends who have been buying these wines for decades. The 2008 Riserva is much
more powerful and explosive than the Brunate-Le Coste, with less perfume than
that wine often shows, and a greater amount of heft. In retrospect, I wish we had
opened the 2008 earlier (it was logistically not possible) as the wine really
opened up with aeration. The 2008
Monfortino is hauntingly beautiful and polished right out of the bottle. Of
course, the 2008 will be even better with time, but I remain quite taken aback
by how accessible it is even today. Silky, perfumed and finessed, the 2008 is
simply magnificent. And in short order, the bottle is finished.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1488580484471-WinesandCover+copy.jpeg">The 1974 Ceretto –
Bricco Asili Barbaresco Asili is another rare bird, as it is the first
vintage for this wine. I have never seen the 1974 in magnum, but here it is,
and in fine shape. Fully mature and highly expressive, the 1974 embodies all the
reasons we cellar wines. Sweet tobacco, licorice, dried herbs, cedar and dried
cherry notes are nicely delineated. Initially quite pleasing, the 1974 fades a
bit with air, but it is quite pretty for about the first hour or so. If I had
to make a list of my favorite Barolos, the pre-Monprivato Barolos of Giuseppe
Mascarello would surely be among them. The 1964
Barolo harkens back to an era when Mascarello, like most producers, blended
fruit from various sites. Now in the autumn of its life, the 1964 is fully
mature, but it is a striking, hauntingly beautiful wine that is everything
old-school Barolo is all about. What a pleasure and privilege it is to drink
this reference-point wine from one of Piedmont’s top families.

And with that, another memorable meal at Guido comes to a
close. The cool, bracing fall Piedmont air is invigorating. Come October and
November, there is simply no better place to be. 

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Guido Ristorante at Fontanafredda

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