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Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 1991 and 2003 (based on 124 user opinions) |
Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 1 note) - hiding notes with no text | | Tasted by drunkstar on 6/21/2010 & rated 88 points: Bigger and Bolshier than I might have expected. Enjoyed it but still past it's heyday (2126 views) |
| Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Producer Website Source: VinConnect (VinConnect.com)
The Ceretto winery has made a name for itself as one of Piedmont’s most enterprising innovators. Not only do they produce great wines that elegantly express the Langhe and Roero regions, but their reach extends to contemporary art, gastronomy, culture, and tourism. Yet before these roles, Ceretto was known for being one of the first to understand the greatness of the crus that create exceptional wines like Barolo and Barbaresco.
Riccardo Ceretto bought vineyards in Piedmont in the 1930s, but it was his sons Bruno and Marcello who realized the land’s potential and expanded the family holdings. In the 1960s, his sons (known as the “Barolo Brothers”) bought select parcels of land that have come to be recognized as among the most prestigious vineyards of Barolo and Barbaresco, such as Cannubi and Bricco Rocche.
Ceretto wines are known for their authentic expressions of the nuances of terroir. The family is famous for their top-rated single-vineyard (“cru”) Barolo and Barbaresco wines, such as Barolo Bricco Rocche, Barolo Prapò, Barolo Brunate, Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo, Barbaresco Bernardot, and Barbaresco Asili. They were one of the first in Piedmont to adapt new winemaking technologies starting in the 1970s, such as using stainless steel fermentation tanks and regulated temperature control. Ceretto also crafts excellent bottlings of other reds, whites, and dessert wines. In fact, the Barolo brothers proved to be intuitive once again when they began producing a charming white in a land famous for its reds: the Langhe DOC Arneis Blangé, which has proven to be widely successful, surprising many.
The third generation of the Ceretto legacy proves the winery’s longevity and the family’s entrepreneurial spirit. Bruno’s children Roberta and Federico, and Marcello’s children Lisa and Alessandro not only continue the family name of producing top-quality wines known worldwide, but they excel in marketing and business development that extend the winery’s influence. In the past 20 years, they have initiated several projects that show both their passion for making wine, and their appreciation for fine food, art and architecture.
For example, in 2005, together with chef Enrico Crippa they launched Piedmont’s most ambitious restaurant ever (Piazza Duomo), which was eventually awarded three Michelin stars in less than 7 years. Among their contemporary art initiatives, they renovated a small chapel in their vineyards that was fancifully painted in bold colors by world-renowned artists David Tremlett and Sol LeWitt. And in architecture, they commissioned some of Barolo region’s most stunning, well-known architectural landmarks such as the glass Cube in the vineyard at Bricco Rocche and the giant, futuristic Acino (“grape”) at the Monsordo estate just outside Alba, where visitors are welcomed for tasting and tours seven days a week.NebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links: Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerPrapòPrapò is a 8.33 ha. vineyard/ 5.52 Barolo MGA of the Serralunga d’Alba municipality. On weinlagen-infoItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only) On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)BaroloRegional History: The wines of Piedmont are noted as far back as Pliny's Natural History. Due to geographic and political isolation, Piedmont was without a natural port for most of its history, which made exportation treacherous and expensive. This left the Piedmontese with little incentive to expand production. Sixteenth-century records show a mere 14% of the Bassa Langa under vine -- most of that low-lying and farmed polyculturally. In the nineteenth century the Marchesa Falletti, a frenchwoman by birth, brought eonologist Louis Oudart from Champagne to create the first dry wines in Piemonte. Along with work in experimental vineyards at Castello Grinzane conducted by Camilo Cavour -- later Conte di Cavour, leader of the Risorgimento and first Prime Minister of Italy -- this was the birth of modern wine in the Piedmont. At the heart of the region and her reputation are Alba and the Langhe Hills. This series of weathered outcroppings south of the Tanaro River is of maritime origin and composed mainly of limestone, sand and clay, known as terra bianca. In these soils -located mainly around the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco -- the ancient allobrogica, now Nebbiolo, achieves its renowned fineness and power.
map of Barolo DOCG
An interesting thread on Traditional vs. Modern Barolo producers: https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=106291 |
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