Ok, I'm a slow typist
hopefully not too out of date for interest
Piemonte Wines Autumn 2007
Ca’Nova di Giada Codecasa (Ghemme - Bogogno)
Tasted in the shop of the Torino distributor
Ca’ Vano 2001
A Darkish colour with hints of purple emerging. Fresh nose with orange and some florals. Soft but persistent tannins and supporting olive accented fruit. Supporting acidity and overall slightly austere.
Aldo Bianco 2004
Lighter colour than the Ca’ Vano, with the nose giving strong hints of wisteria and ripe oranges with a touch of spice. This is repeated on the palate and it’s a little weird for a red wine. Softer and more open than the Vano, but tannins lend it structure.
Colline Novaresi “Melchior” 2003
All the wines were competitively priced, but this stood out at €18. An odd blend including Nebbiolo and Merlot, with the latter perhaps lending some youthful drinkability and a certain earthiness. Some structure and should improve to perhaps 2010, but ready to go now. Noticeably not showing any 2003 “baked” character.
Produttori del Barbaresco (Barbaresco)
A drop in tasting and clearly not the ideal way to experience this quality co-operative
Langhe Nebbiolo 2005
Balanced, good perfume and clear Nebbiolo character. Baby Barbaresco with style.
Barbaresco 2004
Much better than the 2003 tasted at the same time the previous year. Bright, but not overbearing fruit with clear structure. Genuine cellaring prospect, but more drinkable at a younger age than some other vintages. Impressive value.
Plus this one in Osteria Chiocciola (Cuneo)
Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo 2001
Although tightly structured, the elements are in place with hints emerging of tertiary development to come. Classically styled, this could improve for a decade and last much longer.
Various – at the Enoteca regionale in Barbaresco
Giuseppe Cortese Rabaja 2003
Claret coloured with medium depth. A somewhat raisiny burnt nose, which comes through again on the palate, alongside quite chunky tannins. A drying and slightly bitter finish, though there is some length. Still a good wine, but not something I’d seek out or have high hopes for in cellaring.
Castello di Verduno Rabaja 1999
A nose suggestive of black olives. This wine is slightly darker than the Cortese, albeit showing a little age at the rim. The fruit is noticeably brighter. There’s good tight structure still and is finely balanced with the fruit. This seems in very good shape and I’d expect improvement for at least 5-10 years.
Mauro Molino (La Morra)
Tasted at the winery, very professional and courteous.
Dolcetto 2006
Strong fruit and some tobacco. Good length and a good finish. Acidity nicely balanced.
Barbera (normale) 2006
Very bright fruit with a slight touch of bitterness. Good length
Barbera vigna Gattera 2006 (12m in barrique)
Very bright, showing vanillan barrique influence. Good body & structure, but perhaps slightly international.
Langhe Nebbiolo 2006
Strikingly fruity with some mintiness and structure. Not recognisably Nebbiolo.
Galinotto Barolo 2003 (22m in barrique)
Good depth, sound nose and quite rich fruit but not excessive. Good structure and balance.
Gancia Barolo 2003
Slightly softer and less assertive fruit than the Galinotto. I prefer this wine as it seems more in balance with the structural elements.
Conca Barolo 2003
Good balance and similar in style to the Gancia, with good length to the finish
Lorenzo Accomasso (La Morra)
This wine tasted somewhere in Torino or Cuneo (?!)
Vigna Rocchette Barolo 2001
Wonderful (traditional) nose, very forthcoming for such a young wine. There’s great balance though and this shows signs it could be a lovely wine in old age as well.
Tasted at the delightfully rustic winery and ‘Renzo is a truly engaging gentleman. 1½ hours talking and listening (mostly listening with my weak Italian), gave the impression there was nothing glossy here, just a grower / winemaker with respect for tradition and the land, together with 50+ years experience in making them work.
Vigna Rocche Barolo 2001
Clearly less overt fruit than the Barolos tasted at other wineries on this trip, but the complexity was already emerging, including the first signs of that ethereal character that Nebbiolo can produce so enticingly.
Barbera 2004
Lean, but I sense likely to age well, with striking acidity and good purity of fruit.
Fratelli Ferrero
Nebbiose (?) NV (Nebbiolo/Barbera/Pinot Nero)
Chocolately nose with some cherry and other assorted red fruits. Straightforward, no tannins to speak of but good acidity and a pleasant drying finish
Barbera Goretta 2005
Quite grapey along with some bitter cherry. Acidity is quite tart. Good length.
Barolo Gattera 2004
Subtle with good clear fruit and a nose that opens out with air. Good structure.
Grappa (Nebbiolo)
Showing some fruit which I find rare in the few grappas I’ve tasted.
Marcarini
Tasted in a cracking trattoria (Trattoria Zuavo) in Cuneo.
Barolo La Morra 2003
Surprisingly light in colour (for the vintage) and seems to be on an early maturation curve. Good balance for a 2003 Barolo.
Rocche Castamagna
Tasted in the fine old Ristorante Belvedere
Barolo Rocche dell’ Annunziata 2001
More classically styled than expected. It’s got obvious staying power, but was drinking very well from a half bottle.
Renato Ratti
A fantastic modern winery and the phones were literally buzzing in reception. A very courteous, interesting and professional tour around the winery. The wines were a slight disappointment, but I would still recommend a visit.
Dolcetto d’Alba 2006 Colombé
Striking fruit – the brightest fruit of the dolcettos we tasted on this trip (on a local guided walk earlier in the holiday we tasted dolcetto grapes off the vine and they really are as juicy as you’d think). No great structure to the wine though so drink up.
Barbera d’Alba Torriglione 2006
I liked the balance to this one (i.e. not too fruit-forward) and should be worth laying down for 5+ years
Nebbiolo d’Alba Ochetti 2006
Fairly straightforward and not really showing enough Nebbiolo character. Comes across as a simple well-made red wine.
Barolo Marcanesco 2003 (or was it the 2004?)
I understand this is their entry level Barolo.
Surprisingly strong fruit – for a nebbiolo based wine, but with some unusual fruit (Peach/Melon/Peach) flavours in amongst more usual red fruits. There is some tannic grip, but that flavour profile would give me concern for development.
Cascina Ballarin
Tested at their winery, next door to where we stayed (at Ca’ Armando), so although they had to cancel the 1st appointment, it was easy to line up a replacement. Some of the lower level wines are now imported into UK, but weren’t at the time of tasting.
Langhe Bianco 2006 80% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir, 5% Favorita
Bright and clear pale straw colour. The initially striking acidity drops off towards the pleasant buttery finish.
Dolcetto d’Alba “Pilade” 2005
Bright pink-purple
(Not overfruited) nose of violets and red fruits
Straightforward and balanced with lingering acidity – appropriate for it’s type. Drink this young and fresh.
Barbera “Pilade” 2005 (6m in Slavonian oak botti) Bright and simple compared to the Giuli. A straightforward wine for drinking young.
Barbera “Giuli” 2004 (18m in barrique and from older vines than the Pilade)
Hint of truffles, good fruit to this and very good length. A step up in class.
Langhe Rosso “Ballarin” 2003 (contains 20% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Quite structured for a Langhe Rosso – maybe the youthful dominance of Cab Sav?
Langhe Nebbiolo 2004
Again a hint of truffle, with cherry being the dominant aroma
It’s balanced and straightforward, but enough structure to warrant keeping for maybe a couple of years.
Barolo “Tre Ciabot” 2003 (14.5%alc, 2yrs in 50:50 mix of Slavonian botti and French barrique)
Again that hint of truffle. The acidity is firm and drying and there’s good body to the wine. Despite the elevated alcohol, not (at this stage) showing adverse effect of the hot vintage.
Barolo “Bussia” 2003 (2yrs in Barrique)
Showing some oak influence. Strong and concentrated, but at this stage not a lot of complexity. Not sure this is my style of Barolo, but what will ageing bring…?
Barolo “Bricco Rocche” 2003 (2 years in Botti)
More truffle on the nose, supporting the bright fruit. Piercing acidity and strong tannin. This one has the biggest structure of their Barolos.
regards
Ian