Restaurant: Ristorante Le Potazzine
Location: Montalcino, Italy
Date: June 20, 2011
Cuisine: Tuscan
Rating: Tasty traditional
We took a most excellent wine tasting tour of Montalcino (the home of the one and only Brunello). This was led by a top flight young guide named Matteo Perinti, who took us to a pair of top flight small wineries (but more on that itself later). In between we stopped at Montalcino the home base for Brunello.
Montalcino is one of Tuscany‘s long list of ugly locales — just kidding. It’s a gorgeous mediaeval village — with a LOT of wine for sale.
We went to the restaurant owned by the Le Potoazzine vineyard, which was one that we visited. Not only was their wine incredible, but they run a nice restaurant.
For lunch we actually had their IGT Tuscan, slightly down the curve than this amazing Rosso Di Montalcino, but I didn’t get a photo. If you can find the above wine in the states do — it was incredibly seductive.
Tuscan Prosciutto.
And a wider selection of local cured meats.
Panzenella, the very traditional “salad” of stale bread crumbs, onions, tomatos, and fresh olive oil.
Bruschetta with tomato, basil, and olive oil. Tuscan’s have no fear of serving bread too many ways.
Minestrone soup.
Gnocchi done the simple way, with cream, butter, and cheese.
Risotto Brunello. Very fitting, and very tasty.
Local wide pasta fresca with vegetables.
This was a nice little lunch place. Certainly nothing radical about the cooking but every dish was delicious.