<a target="_blank" href="http://www.ristorantecampiello.it/">Al Campiello</a>

Via Nazionale, 46

San Giovanni al
Natisone (Udine) 33048

tel + 39 0432 757-910

September 2007

Al Campiello is one of my favorite places to eat in Friuli.
The restaurant is located in the hotel of the same name right off the main road
that connects Gorizia and Udine. Owner Dario Macorig runs the dining room with
extraordinary passion and energy. His wine list is exceptional, especially in
its selection of Champagnes and the harder to find wines of Friuli’s top
producers. We started with a plate of assorted raw seafood which was exquisite.
The sweet scampi were especially succulent. Our spaghetti was cooked perfectly
al dente and was generously topped with shavings of bottarga, a delicacy made
from dried grey mullet roe. For our main course we enjoyed a delicious, moist
branzino (sea bass) roasted in a salt crust.

The 1996 Avize Grand
Cru Extra Brut from Jacquesson was phenomenal. Unfortunately it was opened
at least five years too soon. This tightly coiled, sinewy wine revealed superb
depth and precision in its suggestions of white peaches, flowers and roasted
nuts. It was an outstanding match for the raw fish. As the evening progressed
the wine gradually became more and more expressive in a stunning display of
elegance married to sheer power. The 2003
Sauvignon from Miani, one of my favorite producers, was incredibly intense.
The heat of the vintage was very much in evidence in the wine’s richness, yet
the aromatics and flavors were unmistakable in their varietal expression. The
wine actually paired much better with our food than I expected. Its
full-bodied, ample texture provided the perfect foil to the equally intense
spaghetti alla bottarga. Dagueneau’s
2004 Pur Sang was painfully young. In theory we probably should have had
this wine before the Miani, but the Pur Sang worked beautifully with the
roasted sea bass. It revealed a delicate core of perfumed citrus, lime,
minerals and flowers, with outstanding length and a lingering note of sweetness
that framed the finish. This was another great night of delicious food, wine
and company at Al Campiello.&nbsp;

Food:

Seafood crudo

Spaghetti alla bottarga di muggine

Salt-crusted roasted branzino

Wine:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1996
 </td>
 <td>
 Jacquesson Avize Grand Cru Extra Brut
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2003
 </td>
 <td>
 Miani Sauvignon
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004
 </td>
 <td>
 Dagueneau Pur Sang
 </td>
 <td>
 92</td></tr></tbody></table>

--Antonio Galloni

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