WTN: Italian Varietals...(long/boring)

We tried the other night (1/14/09) Some Italian Wines:
1. Blaso franconia blaufrankisch IGT Venezia Guilia (13%) 2006: Med.dark color; pleasant
earthy/dusty some blueberry/black cherry/kirsch nose; tart some earthy/dusty light blueberry/
licorice bit hard/tannic/astringent flavor; med.long tart/astringent rather earthy/dusty
light blueberry/licorice/cranberry bit tobaccoy finish; much like Austrian Blaufrankish
but more earthy & dust; bit on rough/hard side. $12.00
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2. LaSibilla DOC: CampiFlegrei Piedirosso (12.5%) 2005: Med.color; rather earthy/pungent bit hot
climate/goat pen smokey/oak/toasty interesting nose; soft rather earthy/dusty/funky somewhat
smokey/pungent/oak bit metallic slight goat pen flavor; med.short metallic/hot climate/goat
pen rather toasty/oak/smokey finish w/ light tannins; slammed w/ a lot of new oak that
manages to cover up the slight hot-climate/goat pen character. $15.00
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3. Cantina Sant'Agata 'Na Vota DOC: Ruche di Castignola Monferrato (13.5%)
Scurzolengo d'Asti 2005: Very dark color; rather fragrant/perfumed/strawberry rather spicy/
spicy sausage/dried rose petal slightly floral almost Pinotish interesting nose; fairly
tart/lean bit astringent lovely strawberry/floral/Ruchet bit hard/tannic flavor; long
bit hard/tannic/acid/astringent very attractive strawberry/Ruche/spicy sausage bit earthy
finish; more Ruche in character and lovely aromatics but a bit rough/rustic on the palate.
$18.00
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4. Sant'Agata Genesi (60% Barbera, 40% Ruche; Clusters semi-dried for 2 mo; 3 yrs in small
oak barrels; 15%) Claudio Covallero 2003: Dark color; lovely/complex light toasty/pencilly/
oak very spicy/spicy sausage light chocolaty slight floral lovely nose; tart fairly smooth/
polished pencilly/oak quite spicy/spicy sausage light chocolaty rather tannic/hard very
interesting/complex flavor; very long somewhat toasty/pencilly/oak fairly soft/lush very
spicy/spicy sausage somewhat toasty/pencilly/oak finish; speaks more of Barbera and the
Ruchet aromatics are only whispering; rather modern style Italian red; quite a good/
interesting wine but rather overpriced. $50.00 (CR/KC)
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5. Proprieta Sperino Uvaggio DOC: Coste della Sesia Rosso (Nebbiolo/Vespolina/Croatina;
13%) Vigneti de Marchi/Lessona 2004: Med.color; slight tarry/violets/floral/lilacs/Nebb
slight earthy/dusty rather perfumed/fragrant nose; slight tannic/lean some lush licorice/
floral/violets bit grapey/fruity rather elegant flavor; med.long slight tannic light floral/
violets/tarry some fruity/grapey finish; nees a few yrs; some of that Nebb fragrance but
the grapiness fleshes it out on the palate; very nice rendition of Nebb. $28.00
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6. Proprieta Sperino Uvaggio DOC: Coste della Sesia Rosso (65% Nebbiolo, 20% Vespolina,
15% Croatina; 12.5%) 2005: Med.color; more pungent/tarry bit tighter/closed some floral/
spicy/violets bit perfumed nose; fairly rich more pungent/tarry/licorice some floral/violets/
spicy flavor; long bit hard/tannic rather tarry/licorice/Nebb very slight grapey/earthy
finish; needs several yrs; speaks more of the tarry Nebb character and less overt grapiness
than the '04; quite interesting expression of Nebb. $30.00
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7. Proprieta Sperino DOC:Lessona (13%; Nebbiolo) 2004: Med.light color; more pungent/smokey bit
WWII beacon/ozone somewhat tarry/licorice light floral/violets/lilacs very perfumed/
aromatic nose; tart fairly floral/perfumed slight tarry/licorice/pungent spicy/perfumed talc/
aromatic bit tannic/bitey lovely flavor; very long/lingering floral/lilacs/violets/Nebb
slight tarry/pungent/licorice bit tannic finish; needs 2-5 yrs yet; speaks of Nebb loud &
clear; a beautiful rendition of Nebb; these aromatics are exactly what make Nebb such an
exciting variety. Slightly pricey at $55.00
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8. Castelli Estate Sangiovese GreenVlly/RussianRvrVlly (13%) 2005: Very dark color; very strong
toasty/smokey/pencilly/oak slight licorice/black cherry/bing cherry/Sangio nose; tart
somewhat rich/lush very strong toasty/charred/oak/pungent bit hard/tannic some spicy/black
cherry/Sangio flavor; med.long rich/lush strong toasty/charred/oak bit tannic slight cherry/
black cherry/Sangio finish w/ some tannins; needs several yrs; hit a bit too hard w/ new
oak that covers up much of the Sangio character; but shows some good potential for Sangio.
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9. Castelli Estate Nebbiolo GreenVlly/RussianRvrVlly (13%; MasanobuFukuoka) 2005: Med.dark
color; lovely floral/aromatic/perfumed/lilacs some celery seed/herbal slight tarry/pungent
bit spicy/cinammon nose; tart some tannic/hard bit herbal/celery seed somewhat floral/
perfumed/lilacs slight pungent/tarry flavor; long bit hard/tannic lightly floral/aromatic/
perfumed light pungent/tarry lightly herbal finish; still needs several yrs; quite a nice
expression of Nebb and shows lots of the potential Nebb has in Calif.
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10. ClendenenFamilyVnyds Nebbiolo BriccoBuonNatale BienNacidoVnyd/SantaMariaVlly (13.5%)
2000: Med.light color; rather pungent/floral/violets almost Pinotish/ABC light pungent/
tarry bit toasty/oak slight earthy/dusty/Gattinara-like nose; tart light bit thin/lean/
astringent tannic/hard light floral/lilacs/tarry flavor; med.long some toasty/oak light
floral/Nebb/lilacs slight tarry bit hard/tannic/astringent finish; speaks some of Nebb but
mostly of ABC winemaking; much like a Gattinara or NebbLanghe; bit pricey at $35.00
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11. ClendenenFamilyVnyds Nebbiolo BriccoBuonNatale BienNacidoVnyd/SantaMariaVlly (13.5%)
2001: Med.dark color; more lush/tarry/pungent somewhat toasty/oak some blackberry/grapey/
boysenberry light Nebb/floral nose; bit softer/less tannic rather hard/astringent somewhat
lush/grapey slight floral/tarry rather toasty/pencilly/oak flavor; med.long some grapey/
blackberry slight floral/Nebb finish w/ bit of a tannic bite; only whispers of Nebb and
rather resembles ABC Pinot. Prefer to the '00. $35.00
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12. Adelaida Nebbiolo Invecchiato GlenRose vnyd/PasoRobles (U/U; 205 cs; 15.5%) 2004: Med.light
color; rather strong/toasty/oak somewhat alcoholic/PR jammy some licorice/chocolaty
fairly overripe nose; soft rather overripe/PR jammy/alcoholic cherry/chocolate/grapey
strong toasty/oak flavor; med.long overripe/jammy/grapey pretty toasty/oak/charred finish
w/ light tannins; speaks mostly of overripe Paso red and very little of Nebb. $35.00
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More pontifications from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. BlauFrankisch: I've had plenty of Austrian BF and a handful of WashState Lembergers, but
don't think I've ever tried an Italian version. This one certainly spoke of BF aromatics
and had the earthy/dusty character you find in many Lembergers, but it seemed on the
hard/austere side and more earthy character than I usually find in BF. Interesting grape.
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2. Ruche/Ruchet: I was first introduced by this (then) nearly extinct Piedmonte variety by
DarrellCorti when he brought in a bunch from Scarpa. The Ruchet and Freisa impressed me
mightly because of their very fragrant/perfumed aromatics, redolant of alpine strawberries.
And they didn't have that nasty character you find in most Piedmonte Nebbiolo. Both varieties
are still rather scarce in Piedmonte. 'Tis a shame. They're virtually unknown in Calif
(RandallGrahm grows/makes Freisa). 'Tis a deep shame, because Calif could make world-class
Ruche and Freisa. It'd blow the sox off'n the PinotNoir market if they did. Assuming you
did the marketing right and they did a movie on Ruchet.
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3. Lesona: Never had any Lesona wines before, from up in the Piedmonte foothills just West
of Gattinara. I was directed to try this producer by DarrellCorti. I was fairly impressed
by these wines. They don't have that nasty character you find in most Piedmonte Nebbiolo.
Maybe Nebbiolo is a variety that shows its best character when blended w/ another variety?
Yeah..I know...you're not supposed to blend Nebbiolo.
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4. EmilioCastelli: I had met Emilio out here in CyberSpace some 4-5 yrs ago from his posts.
He'd always chime in when the subject of Nebb came up. I knew he'd taken the crazy step
to plant Nebb (we're assured by many wine authorities that Nebb is a failure in Calif and
will never amount to a hill of beans) in Calif, which immediately picqued my interest.
Anyone violating conventional wisdom is my hero. Emilio, who hails from the LakeComo area
of Italy, has planted over 10 yrs ago a small Nebb/Lampia vnyd over in GreenVlly in Western
SonomaCnty, just to the East of Occidental. Pretty cool (as in cold) growing area.
So afore FamilyWineMakers last Fall, Susan & I made arrangements to visit Emilio & Laura
at their home where his vnyd is located. Emilio is not yet commercial, but is building
(should be completed by now) a straw-bale wnry there on the property. His tiny Nebb vnyd
is right in front of their house. It is one of the ugliest/scrawniest vnyds I've ever done
see'd in Calif. An advocate of MasanobuFukuoka (careful pronouncing that name after you've
had a bit of wine!!) farming techniques, these vines look to be struggling for their life.
And conventional wisdom tells us that the vines must struggle to make great wine.
I liked both of Emilio's wines, though thought the oak covered up a lot of the Sangio
character. But the Nebb rang true to Nebbiolo and better than most Calif Nebb.
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5. Nebb in Calif: I've followed Nebbiolo in Calif from the very start; MartinBros in
PasoRobles. Their first Nebb was in '82, made from a vnyd East of Paso in the SanJoaquin
Vlly. Interesting/tasty red but didn't speak much of Nebb. Most of the Nebb then planted
in Calif was the lesser NebbioloFino clone, in the SanJoaquinVlly. Not an ideal area for
Nebb methinks.
NickMartin put in the first planting of NebbLampia there on their property in EastSide
Paso in '86, just to the North of their present tasting room. When I tasted w/ Nick in
Spring of '98, I liked his first Estate Nebb quite a bit. It was the first glimpse that
Nebb could produce great wine in Calif. Much like GaryEberle's Syrah gave the first clue
for Syrah in Calif ten yrs earlier. It wasn't great Nebb, but it indicated some potential
for the variety.
But it really wasn't for another ten yrs that there was really much in the way of Calif
Nebb. And I've been impressed by some produced since then. The early IlPodere's (Jim
Clendenen) were unthrilling at release, but some aged into lovely wines, thank you. The
first Palminas were really quite good. And still are. SashiMoorman has done a great job
w/ Stolpman grapes. Alas, they've pulled most of the Nebb there at Stolpman. Tragic, it is.
Adam first Novy Nebb, from Stolpman grapes, indicates he;s definitely on the right track.
Alas, MrParker has proclaimed Nebbiolo a colossal failure in Calif. Fortunately, there
are some Calif winemakers who aren't buying into that. Nebb is somewhat like Pinot... it
has some beautiful/wonderful aromatics. Alas, the tannin management seems a big problem.
But I'm convinced that someday truly great/world-class Nebbs will come from Calif. Much
like back in the early '70's (by crackey), when there was much weeping & wailing & gnashing
of teeth that Pinot would never succeed in Calif because it lack the terroir of RedBurg
and tastes different than RedBurg. Eventually Calif Nebb, once it's accepted that it doesn't
have to taste like Piedmonte Barolo, will be recognized for making great Nebb and clean the
clocks of those Piedmonte guys. It will happen...trust me. An exciting future lies ahead.
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6. As I like to say: Drinking Piedmonte Nebbiolo is like stuffing lilac petals up one nostril,
violet petals up the other nostril, sealing both nostrils with a plug of flaming hot tar;
then sticking out your tongue betwixt the jaws of a vice and torquing that sucker down...
there's some pleasurable thing involved but also a lot of pain.
Tom

Tom
As ever, a thought provoking voice from the pulpit.

I'm a huge nebbiolo fan, but very much interested in hearing what other areas can do. Whilst the voice of Parker carries much (commercial) weight, I'm glad there are mavericks and pig-headed folk out there who'll go and do their own thing regardless. Only by their experimentation and thus acquired experience, will the full potential be known. I thik one of the problems is it's taste profile is so different to the reds that wineries usually put out, so perhaps the new stars will take time for a sabbatical in Piemonte itself, in the way that so many have done in Bordeaux over the years.

To add to your amusing (but at times oh so real) summary of nebbiolo, it's also the cause of much frustration - years before it's ready and by that time it's over the hill. Yet also it's surprises can be immensely rewarding and it's successes are right up at the height of the drinking pleasures I've experienced. I'm happy to cut it a little slack.

regards

Ian

Tom
As ever, a thought provoking voice from the pulpit.
I'm a huge nebbiolo fan, but very much interested in hearing what other areas can do. Whilst the voice of Parker carries much (commercial) weight, I'm glad there are mavericks and pig-headed folk out there who'll go and do their own thing regardless. Only by their experimentation and thus acquired experience, will the full potential be known. I thik one of the problems is it's taste profile is so different to the reds that wineries usually put out, so perhaps the new stars will take time for a sabbatical in Piemonte itself, in the way that so many have done in Bordeaux over the years.
To add to your amusing (but at times oh so real) summary of nebbiolo, it's also the cause of much frustration - years before it's ready and by that time it's over the hill. Yet also it's surprises can be immensely rewarding and it's successes are right up at the height of the drinking pleasures I've experienced. I'm happy to cut it a little slack.
regards
Ian

Thanks for the compliment, Ian.
Actually, I don't think there were really a lot of Californians who went to Bordeaux to learn to make Cabernet. Most of them just
sort of did it on there own. I think there was much more sabbaticals taken to Burgundy and the RhoneVlly than Bdx.
And, if I were suggesting where an aspiring Calif Nebb winemaker go for a sabatical, I'd probably send them to the Valtelline than Piedmonte. I think that's a much better model for Calif. Maybe Lesona now.
As you well know, Nebbiolo can be so frustrating. I sometimes just want to throw up my hands in despair and avoid them forever. And then I'll hit one that reminds me, once again, why Nebbiolo is such a great grape. Sometimes you gotta kiss a lot of frogs to find that prince.
Tom

Tom,

FYI the Piedirosso from La Sibilla sees no oak whatsoever. I'm also a bit perplexed by your 'goat' reference as I've never found Brett in the wine and I hate Brett. I find it reminiscent of Loire Cabernet Franc, which is weird given where it comes from. Ungrafted vines.

Tom,

FYI the Piedirosso from La Sibilla sees no oak whatsoever. I'm also a bit perplexed by your 'goat' reference as I've never found Brett in the wine and I hate Brett. I find it reminiscent of Loire Cabernet Franc, which is weird given where it comes from. Ungrafted vines.

Oliver,
The LaSibilla had a pungent/smokey character that I associated w/ toasted oak, so I assumed that's what was in it. It just
struck me as a SouthernItalian wine made in an international style (whatever that is).
In a lot of hot-climate red wines, I find a certain smell and flavor I associate with the Utter's goat pen, about 30' outside my
open bedroom window on a hot/humid Kansas summer night. You have to have been there. But it's definitely not brett.
Tom

Tom,

Smoky aromas seem to me typical of volcanic soils, and this wine is grown in volcanic sand.

Besides, you should know me better than that. I hate 'international style' wines, and I think overt oak is a defect.

Pax Mahle in the newsletter for his initial Wind Gap release disclosed that he has a Nebbiolo from the limestone hills of western Paso Robles in the pipeline. So the experiments continue, but I'm still in the "Not Proven" camp.

Like the writeup, Tom, but disagree about good nebbiolo coming out of California, soon, or in the future. We Americans have been schooled to accept that CA is a "Mediterranean climate", however this does not equal an alpine disposition which, to my mind, the best nebbiolo needs to succeed. I'm thinking: where can you put this? Coastal belts are probably too cool to ripen this late-ripener well, the Sierras might have an edge, but then it could probably ripen too well there. Does Renaissance have any in their high-altitude site? Instead of looking for examples from the new world, be interesting to see what could come out of other alpine zones like Austria or Jura/Savoie.

Like the writeup, Tom, but disagree about good nebbiolo coming out of California, soon, or in the future. We Americans have been schooled to accept that CA is a "Mediterranean climate", however this does not equal an alpine disposition which, to my mind, the best nebbiolo needs to succeed. I'm thinking: where can you put this? Coastal belts are probably too cool to ripen this late-ripener well, the Sierras might have an edge, but then it could probably ripen too well there. Does Renaissance have any in their high-altitude site? Instead of looking for examples from the new world, be interesting to see what could come out of other alpine zones like Austria or Jura/Savoie.

I think Calif's success w/ Pinot & Syrah in cold-climate zones...StaRitaHills, SantaLuciaHighlands, far SonomaCoast.. has
extinguished the "Mediterranean climate" notion...at least in my head.
I'm not sure I agree w/ "alpine" for Nebbiolo. Certainly it does well in the Valtelline. Not sure I'd characterize Piedmonte as "alpine" though.
If it's granatic soils rather than an alpine environment, then there some of that in higher parts of ElDoradoCnty, where SteveEdmunds gets some Gamay. Jeez....I'd love the see him do an ElDorado Nebbiolo. Jeez...I'd even help him market it. Jeez...that's exactly what Steve needs...another wine/varietal that he can't sell!!
Where Emilio grows his Nebb out in GreenVlly, near Occidental, is pretty darn cold. Alas, the frosts did him in this year.
I'm optomistic for Calif. But maybe you're right & it needs an alpine climate.
Tom