Cantoro Market & Trattoria
We don’t come here to shop or eat very often but it is always a treat to indulge ourselves a few times per year to get our “Italian Fix”. Instead of adding this to an already too long post on “Ann Arbor: A few Reasons….” (August 16,2023) I decided to review the wines we purchased and critique our lunch.
Today we were celebrating Alice’s birthday. It should not have surprised me that she wanted to go to Cantoro for lunch and shopping. We got there early to shop the store before lunch. As a specialty Italian grocery store, the prices are not bad at all. Yes, higher than a typical grocery store but not as bad as most specialty stores. The quality of just about everything is top notch and authentically Italian. The small produce department is a feast for the eyes with top grade good sized flavorful offerings. The produce department is surrounded by an extensive prepared food, deli and bakery/pastry counter. The meat cutter knows how to cut meat. The shape, size and grade is exactly what I seek. For example, we’d just about given up on short ribs but the ones on display in Cantoro’s case were just too perfect to pass up. I’ll critique them here after we cook them up. We’ve purchased lamb and veal from Cantoro too. Always delicious. The pasta department might be the largest I’ve ever seen; three aisles both sides in the grocery section plus a fresh pasta case over near the deli counter! The wine and liquor department is extensive with several interesting digestifs too. So, once our shopping was finished, I packed our cooler into the car and we headed for the Trattoria.
The Trattoria is a very nicely appointed casual dining spot; certainly more of what you’d expect in the way of a white tablecloth fine dining setting than a grocery store eating place. We were brought a basket of bread, butter and olive oil/balsamic dipping sauce. We ordered the Penne alla Vodka to share. Portions are huge, so sharing is not a bad idea. Our waitress, Lynn, was very helpful insuring that our pasta was properly cooked (we do not enjoy tough chewy dry pasta, mistakenly called “al dente” in many restaurants) and commended Alice’s selection of 2021 Museo Albea Susumaniello Puglia IGT ITALY $32 at the table which accompanied our meal perfectly. Though I’ve probably had Susumaniello blended into any number of wines from Puglia, I am certain that I’ve never seen it as a varietal until now. The wine is dark purplish red with a rich bouquet of black fruit and wood (forest?) though I’m pretty sure it is not oak aged. I’m guessing that nuance is part of Susumaniello’s varietal character. What we really liked about the wine was the depth of flavor and persistent texture in a wine that was in no way heavy or over-ripe. In that sense, it was so typically Italian in it’s perfect balance to enjoy with food. It disappeared effortlessly. It is rare for us to finish a whole bottle of wine with lunch. By the way, our penne alla vodka was the best version I’ve had in many years. We finished off the meal with gelato from their extensive selection on display as you enter the restaurant.
We purchased several bottles of wine and will review these below as we taste them. Their prices aren’t bargains but not too high either; probably not my go to shop but not bad.
2021 Lapis Luna Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi CA (14.2% abv) $14.99 at Cantoro starts with a fine complex air of elegant maturing fruit. The second it hits your lips, it shows quite fat and ripe which is more what I expect from Lodi than elegance. It is a very nicely balanced wine and with a meal such as the meatloaf we had tonight, it disappears quickly. It is a very pleasant easy drinker with very cool artwork on the label from the 1600’s. In a competition, this wine would get overlooked and would be lucky to get a bronze medal but I do enjoy it and would score it higher as a meal time companion.
2022 The Fableist (Fable: 373) Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles CA (13% abv) $21.99 at Cantoro depicts a cicada on the label. It is certainly a step up in richness, warmth and depth of its bouquet than the Lapis Luna. On the palate, however, it is likewise soft, pleasant yet with a ripe core. It is a pleasant enough wine that accompanied the wonderful short ribs mentioned above, but again, it’s understated demeanor is neither flashy nor profound. For this kind of money, I would expect more complexity and certainly more palate memory. I’d be hard pressed to go over BRONZE.
2021 Bodegas Manzanos 111 Cabernet Sauvignon Navarra SPAIN (14% abv) $13.99 at Cantoro is the best of the bunch so far. There is just enough seasoned wood smell to sweeten and tame the fruit giving it the impression of a slightly more mature wine. Though Cabernet is probably not a grape native to the region, it would appear to be at home here. This wine has depth and richness with more emphasis on texture than what many call “fruit forward”. On the back label there is something about the historic bottling line #111 from the old and much revered Bodegas Las Campanas that doesn’t make any sense. I’m guessing it is some sort of private label. But, what is in the bottle is charming, balanced and satisfying. I’m in for SILVER.
Ginevan Wine Factory LLC Michael Franzese “an offer you can’t refuse” Areni Red Wine, Vayots Dzor ARMENIA (12% abv) $19.99 at Cantoro to a modern wine drinker seems very oxidized. However, this is probably on purpose. In many parts of the world AGE = KNOWLEDGE = REVERENCE and frail old wines are appreciated like frail old philosophers. Many of the Lebanese wines I’ve enjoyed at various restaurants by themselves also seem frail and old but come to life with the complex flavors of Lebanese food. Here we have a wine from Ararat Armenia, the oldest wine region in the world. The nose is very mature but not unlike, for example, a 20 year old Napa Cabernet. Color is good, deep red with no browning. The palate has a real burst of unexpected vividly edgy fresh fruit. On the first taste, it seemed very oxidized but after being open a day and sipping it while enjoying a big fat rib-eye I started to really enjoy its complexity and persistent fruit emerging from a very old earthy background. In a wine judging, a wine like this gets one short chance to impress the judges and it would get a “no medal” classification. But, when you can open it up, let it breath and enjoy it with a satiating meal, I think it ranks some sort of medal for just being what it is.
2019 Tenuta di Capezanna Barco Real de Carmignano DOC (Sangiovese / Cabernet / Canaiolo) Tuscany ITALY (13.5% abv) $18.99 at Cantoro hails from a small wine region contiguous to the north end of Chianti. Cabernet has been used here as a blending grape for over a century and is part of the DOC and DOCG standards. I’ve never had one I didn’t like so I grabbed this estate wine from the vineyards of the ancient Medici property of Barco Reale meaning “Royal Property” in English. The color is Chianti-like; deep red with a hint of burnt Siena. The nose is rich, open with an olive-like perfume with a strawberry liqueur nuance. The palate is strong and rustic with rich tannin and hints of cedar and earth. It is truly a noble wine and I would guess probably quite age-worthy. It was great with barbeque ribs, corn bread and mac salad. It is a solid SILVER now and with age might aspire to gold.
2013 Anciano Tempranillo Años 5 Years Reserva Valdepeñas DOP SPAIN (13% abv) $11.99 at Cantoro is the last of the wines I’ll review now. I’ve had wines from this producer previously and this one seems the least “reserva-like” that I’ve experienced. Though it is eleven years old and apparently has spent at least a year in oak nothing resembles noble age. The wine is mature and balanced and very drinkable. The color is starting to show some transparency from age and the nose offers nice mildly complex nuance. The palate is silky smooth too. But, there really isn’t much here. I’ll give it a BRONZE and move on.
We did pick up two more wines at Cantoro that I’ll report on later when the right dish inspires me to open them. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted a 2015 Studert Prüm Whelener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese for $15! I also grabbed a bottle of 2021 Chateau de Manissy Tavel for $13. When the right dish is on the table, I’ll open these potentially great wines. I promise it won’t be a case of the wine is so special that I never open it. Stay tuned.
Enjoy in Good Health,
A Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner
