2015 Produttori & Friends

Nella Kitchen & Bar, Los Olivos, CA
Tasted Thursday, January 12, 2023 by JonnyG with 235 views

Introduction

Thanks to the generosity of a good friend, we were treated to a full horizontal of the 2015 Produttori Riservas, along with a number of wonderful bonus bottles and some superb, truffle-focused cuisine.

Flight 1 - A Champagne Starter (1 Note)

Served alongside an extraordinary ahi tuna tartare topped with creme fraiche, chives and delectable Osetra caviar.

Flight 2 - Our First Trio of 2015 Produttoris (3 Notes)

Beautifully paired with a squash and swiss cheese fondue featuring hazelnuts and black truffle.

  • 2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Pora 94 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Thsi bottle really resonated with me, and was the most accessible of its flight. Expressive nose evidencing great typicity, with licorice and raspberry notes in the lead, some earthiness too. Medium bodied but intense and powerful. Sour cherry, licorice and a slight green streak. Sweet tannins. Seamless with food. I see real upside from here.

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  • 2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Pajè 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    Muted raspberry and licorice aromatics on the shy nose. Medium bodied.
    Dark fruit. Some earth and iron. Restrained and tannic, clearly in need of more aeration, or better yet more bottle age. Nonetheless elevated nicely accompanying the food. Very long finish.

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  • 2015 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Ovello 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    I struggled with this bottle, though my views were decidedly off-center relative to the enthusiastic reception received from others in attendance. A yeasty nose with bitter chocolate notes, presumably oak-derived, and I perceived more oak on the palate, which i found distracting. A tannic wine, with plenty of dark fruit. A thread of volatility provided some lift.

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Flight 3 - The Next Three 2015 Produttoris (3 Notes)

A counterintuitive but successful pairing: seared Hokkaido scallops, Colfiorito lentils from Umbria, carrots and more black truffle.

Flight 4 - Our Final Three 2015 Produttoris (3 Notes)

White truffle risotto (drops the mike).

Flight 5 - Two Older Asili Bottlings (2 Notes)

Accompanied by pan seared foie gras with chantarelle and leek sauce and even more black truffle.

Flight 6 - A Pair of Fiorina from the 70's (2 Notes)

Paired with roasted elk tenderloin, spinach, potatoes and (you guessed it) black truffle.

Flight 7 - Our Final Two Nebbiolo Bottles of the Evening (2 Notes)

Served with a bonus dish of local venison tenderloin (and no more black truffle).

  • 1988 Gaja Barbaresco 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

    A fine showing, though some mild VA was an unfortunate aspect of the wine. Apart from that, there was plenty of complexity, with sweet red fruit, fully resolved tannins and a touch of well-integrated oak. I would drink up.

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  • 2003 Palmina Nebbiolo Sisquoc Vineyard 91 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

    Served blind, this New World Nebbiolo showed pretty well. Fleshy and rich, with a bit more oak than I would like, and a sort of sawdust phenomenon in terms of the wine's texture.

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Closing

I drew a few conclusions from this highly enjoyable and educational tasting. Unsurprisingly, there are no substitutes for ample aeration (we fell short on this count) and thoughtful food pairings (here, we excelled). I found the 2015 bottlings to be tremendous overall, with little to no signs of the vintage's heat. Lastly, I am a humbled novice in terms of trying to understand the varied terroir comprising these crus, and look forward to learning more, including via delicious trial and error tastings going forward.

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