An intimate autumn evening of Barolo and the Alba white truffle, honored by the presence of winemaker Mauro Molino and his daughter Martina — the second generation of the family estate in Annunziata of La Morra.
The Knights of Alba-Chicago gathered on Thursday, October 29, 2026 at Macello Ristorante — the Pugliese kitchen on the Near West Side — for a winemaker's dinner devoted to a single estate, and a single family, from the heart of the Barolo region.
Mauro and Martina Molino
Mauro Molino, after graduating from the Alba Winemaking School, returned to the Langhe and established his cellar in Annunziata of La Morra in 1982, producing his first Barolo from the Conca vineyard. His devotion to Nebbiolo and the unique terroir of La Morra shaped a lifetime of work and the renowned crus — Conca, Gallinotto, and Bricco Luciani — that now bear his name. Martina, who leads the family's communications, traveled with him to Chicago to share the winery's story.
The evening's menu, from Macello's own kitchen, moved from fried calamari, salsiccia Barese and stuffed eggplant through small pizzas (Margherita and the house Macello sausage), insalata della casa, and the standout course of the night — a creamy risotto crowned by individual, table-shaved imported Alba white truffles. New Zealand rack of lamb in a red wine reduction sauce followed, with rosemary roasted potatoes and lightly sautéed spinach, and the evening closed with hazelnut gelato.
Through the courses the Knights tasted a progression of seven Mauro Molino estate wines, led by Mauro and Martina themselves: a 2025 Langhe Chardonnay, the 2023 Langhe Nebbiolo, and five Barolos — the 2021 estate Barolo, the single-vineyard Gallinotto 2021 and Bricco Luciani 2021, and a quiet vertical of the historic Barolo Conca cru paired across vintages, the 2022 and the 2016.
It was an evening of tradition and the quiet pursuit of excellence — the ideas on which the Mauro Molino winery is built — honored at a table set, as these tables always are, in friendship.
