<a target="_blank" href="http://www.massimocamia.it/index1.php?c=index_ing&amp;a=massimocamia">Massimo
Camia</a>

Strada
Provinciale Alba - Barolo 122

12064
La Morra CN 
+39 0173 56355

Food:

Amuse-boucheFassone veal carne cruda, hand-cut

Agnolotti del Plin with Aosta fonduta, melted butter 

Veal guanciale braised in Barolo with a cream of
potato 

“Galup” (a
glass of hazelnut ice cream, egg foam, coffee mousse and a lingua di gatto
cookie)Wines: 

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=2008+Gaia+%26+Rey+Chardonnay">2008 Gaia &amp;
 Rey Chardonnay</a>
 </td>
 <td>
 91
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2008 François
 Lamarche Échézeaux- Grand Cru
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 <a target="_blank" href="http://vinousmedia.com/wines?utf8=%E2%9C%93&amp;search-filter=reviews&amp;q=1998+Cavallotto+Barolo+Bricco+Boschis+Riserva+San+Giuseppe">1998
 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis Riserva San Giuseppe</a>&nbsp; 
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

Massimo Camia
is both the chef-owner and the name of a restaurant Piedmont insiders know is
one of the top three or four places to eat in the Langhe today. No gimmicks,
fancy showpiece cellars or faddy ingredients, just precise, outstanding cooking
of traditional Piedmontese dishes revisited with intelligence and style. The
polite, unobtrusive service, the white wines served immediately at the right
temperature, and the very reasonable waiting times between one dish and the ones
that follow it (not always the case even in some famous Langhe spots) are other
very welcome pluses.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422046164629-welcome+2+cotechino.JPG"> Massimo Camia’s
Cotechino Amuse-Bouche

Camia started
out learning the trade in larger hotels, before opening his first place in
Mondovì back in 1986. However, his ascent to stardom began when he opened the
Locanda del Borgo Antico in the heart of Barolo in 1990, a marvelous place I
remember fondly and was truly sorry to see close as Camia went trying new
experiences nearby. Recently, he has launched his new, one Michelin star restaurant
located within the confines of the Damilano winery and with a beautiful view of
Barolo’s vineyards, with wife Luciana guiding the dining room with her usual
grace and charm.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422046181741-wines+2EditedCover.jpg"> 

Despite the
association with Damilano, the restaurant wine list spans almost every well-known
Barolo and Barbaresco producer known, as well as offering wines from all over
Europe and the rest of the world. I’d like a longer list of older vintages, but
for the most part there are many excellent &nbsp;fairly priced bottles to choose from.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422046195160-unnamed.jpg"> Fassone veal carne
cruda, a Piedmontese classic

After not one
but two marvelous amuse-bouches (the second was a slice of plump cotechino on&nbsp; a luxurious potato cream: seeing&nbsp; I had liked it so much, Camia himself brought
out another portion), I kicked things off in style with Gaja’s iconic 2008 Gaia &amp; Rey Chardonnay, one of
the very few Italian Chardonnays that can be considered world class. The 2008
vintage, famous for very classic Barolos, has also delivered a taut, varietally
accurate white that is more Chablis than Meursault in its definition, with a
laser beam of mineral-inflected green banana and vanilla tones. It matched
heavenly with the cotechino, by the way,
and it didn’t overpower the delicate, heavenly soft carne cruda that followed my amuse-bouches. The wines by François
Lamarche are never blockbusters, and the 2008
Échézeaux is a case in point: but it is beautifully balanced, with
archetypal Burgundian Pinot Noir grace and charm delivered in spades. The
tannins are surprisingly supple for a 2008: considering how miserable 2008
could have turned out to be (millerandage, oidium, mildew, and rain were all
part of a growing season that was essentially saved by nearly perfect late
September weather) this is a remarkably polished, successful wine that matched
well with my lusciously creamy plin.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422046269768-brasato.JPG"> Veal guanciale braised
in Barolo with a cream of potato 

Barolo lovers know
that Cavallotto is a bastion of traditionally-made wines, and their 1998 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San
Giuseppe is a case in point. Made from roughly fifty year-old vines, this
is a big strapping wine that is drinking well enough now but that would benefit
from another 7-8 years in the cellar to smoothen further. It will turn out to
be longer-lived than I had originally anticipated. Although it’s at present a
little angular and austere – like so many Barolos in this vintage of generally
flesh-challenged wines – I’m always a sucker for the intense, perfumed red rose
and sour red cherry flavors of great Nebbiolo wines. You’ll find plenty of both
here. A match made in heaven with the braised guanciale (veal cheek), in which
the high acids and strong tannins of the red to cut through the guanciale’s fatty
texture. 

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1422046307662-dessert+2.JPG"> The desserts at Massimo Camia are not to be missed

Lastly, don’t
miss out on the wonderful desserts and the petit fours made here, the perfect way
to finish a memorable meal.

-- Ian D’Agata

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