Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at Acquerello, San Francisco, California

Martinenga is far from Barbaresco's most famous cru, but many insiders consider it to be Barbaresco's most perfect terroir.

Particularly revered are its two flanks—Camp Gros and Gaiun—which easily rival their immediate neighbors, Rabaja and Asili, respectively. 

The cover story in one of our previous newsletters makes the case for the greatness of Martinenga, Camp Gros, and Gaiun, as well as the vineyard's sole owner, the Marchesi di Gresy. And, to back it up, we have offered for purchase 14 great and rare di Gresy wines made between 1982 and 2005.

But due to overwhelming scarcity, some important pieces of the puzzle were missing from the offer. Several of those pieces were among the wines tasted at Acquerello on January 25, as we fully explored the vineyard's noble history.

Here was the line-up of 17 wines:

Produttori di Barbaresco Martinenga Riserva  1967

Ceretto Barbaresco Martinenga  1971

Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga  1978 & 1988

Marchesi di Gresy Barbaresco Martinenga Maggiore  1989

M. di Gresy Barbaresco Camp Gros  1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1996 & 2005

M. di Gresy Barbaresco Gaiun  1982, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1996 & 2005

We have hosted countless dinners featuring rare Barolos and Barbarescos, but this was one of the most intriguing.

The wines were accompanied by a four-course menu created for us by Acquerello's acclaimed chef,  Suzette Gresham-Tognetti.