2003 Piedmont Party
Troy & Gina's
Tasted Saturday, March 15, 2014 by tastark with 618 views
Introduction
This was a retrospective tasting of 12 different Barbaresco and Barolo bottlings from the 2003 vintage. Given the difficult conditions in 2003, this tasting was a true test of both winemaker and terroir. The tasting was loosely structured.
By the end of the evening, it became clear that producer mattered most, followed by vineyard location. There was not a large distinction between so-called "modern" Piemonte winemakers and "traditional" ones, but rather their practices in the vineyards and at the sorting table had more of an affect than whether they fermented and aged in botti versus stainless steel and barriques. Barolo seemed to do a little better than Barbaresco, which makes sense given that Barolo's grapes ripen slower than Barbaresco's - a huge advantage in a warm vintage.
2010 Borgo Maragliano Francesco Galliano Blanc de Blanc 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Loazzolo
A phenomenal little blanc de blanc from Piemonte made via méthode traditionnelle and 100% Chardonnay. I was truly blown away by the quality of this wine for the price. A nice rich yellow color and fine mousse greats you in the glass. The nose if rich and luxurious, with hints of peach and apricot. On the palette this is very fine wine, if a bit boisterous. I really enjoyed this wine.
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2003 Boroli Barolo 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The first wine of the night and quite a surprise. I was not expecting anything great from this wine, but the location of the vines in the cooler parts of Brunella (where Oderro makes its Dolcetto!) actually turned out to be a blessing from this hot vintage. This was a wonderful example of Barolo from a difficult year. Nice, well integrated tannins and dark, linear fruit. A good, if somewhat short, finish. I'll not hesitate to try this producer again.
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2003 Roccheviberti Barolo Vigneti Rocche 86 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This bottle was enjoyable, but not very special. The color and body were both light. The nose was a bit maderized. On the palette, there were nice fruit notes of plum and even strawberry, but they were fading. The finish was short. Not a bad effort in a difficult vintage, but there are better options.
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2003 Fontanafredda Barolo Serralunga d'Alba 79 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This bottle was the worst of the show. It was extremely cooked, and not as a result of improper storage. The vintage was hot, but FF has so much land and raw material available it should be able to produce good wine every year. This year, as in many years, it did not. Someone suggested the bottle might have been flawed, but the consensus among the 12 people in attendance (nearly all of whom are wine professionals and experienced tasters with knowledge of various wine faults) is that it was not.
The nose was incredibly stewed and had a touch of barnyard. Not entirely off-putting, but not super enjoyable, either. The fruit was present at first, but quickly faded into a bitter, tannic note. The finish was short and not particularly pleasant.
There are much better options in 2003.
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2003 Paolo Scavino Barolo Carobric 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
For me, this was tied with the Francesco Rinaldi Cannubbio for wine of the night. Always one of the elegant wines of Scavino, this year was no exception.
The color was garnet/ruby as expected, with very very faint bricking at the edge. A strong dose of rose petal came through on the nose. The palette expressed gentle red fruits mixed with a touch of tar and leather. The finish was long with nicely integrated tannins.
In short, exactly what you'd expect and desire from a well made Barolo from prime terroir.
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2003 Sottimano Barbaresco Currá 87 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
I expected and deeply wanted to love this wine. Sottimano is one of the best producers in Barbaresco and Andrea is a meticulous farmer and wine maker, but I think the odds were just stacked against him in 2003 to such an extent that even someone as brilliant as he just couldn't overcome all the challenges.
Which is not to say this isn't a good wine - it surely is. It just paled in comparison to the other wines of the evening. Both his bottlings, did.
As for the wine itself, the nose was stewed and maderized; definitely showing the heat of the vintage and the fact that Barbarseco ripens faster than Barolo. On the palette, the wine was dense and tannic. Too tannic, even for Nebbiolo. A large dose of vanilla covered what little fruit remained in the bottle. The finish was chewy and bitter.
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2003 Sottimano Barbaresco Cottá 86 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Like the 2003 Currá, I really wanted to love this wine, but it fell short even more so than the Currá. I attribute that to the fact that Cottá lies more directly in the path of the mid-day sun than Currá, which did not help it through the hot 2003 growing season.
Like it's sibling, the nose was stewed and maderized and showed the heat of the vintage. On the palette, the wine was dense and tannic. A large dose of vanilla covered what little fruit remained in the bottle. The finish was chewy and bitter.
Do not let this note deter you from Sottimano's wines. They are usually brilliant. This was just a very difficult vintage.
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2003 Pio Cesare Barbaresco 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
After the disappointment of the Sottimano Barbarescos from 2003, I was not expecting much from this wine. Then again, Pio Cesare has a lot of land to work with and a long history of producing quality wines.
Thus, I was pleasantly surprised to find a very well developed Barbaresco in the glass. The bricking along the rim suggests this wine might not have too many years in front of it, but there is still a tannic bite at the end, so who knows? Wonderful nose of rose petal and tobacco. The fruit on the palette is a little muted, but very pleasant. A very fine showing.
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2003 Pio Cesare Barolo 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
My love affair with fermented grape juice began with this wine, though it was a different vintage, so Pio Cesare Barolo will always hold a special place in my heart. I was hopeful that PC would produce a good wine, even in this tough vintage, and I was not disappointed. Even though this was not the best wine of the evening, it was certainly a contender, at least for me.
It had everything you would expect; a haunting bouquet of dark fruit framed by tobacco, tar and leather. On the palette the wine was piercing and dark; brooding one might say. The finish was long and pleasantly tannic.
The love affair continues...
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2003 Prunotto Barbaresco 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Hands down the best Barbaresco of the evening, in my opinion. This was the perfect example of why some call Barbaresco the "Queen" to Barolo's "King." It was feminine and linear, with a wonderfully delicate and perfumed nose. The body was medium and full of red fruits kissed with brown sugar and molasses. The finish was long and tannic.
I very much enjoyed this wine.
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2003 Prunotto Barolo Bussia 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This wine was a contender, but for some reason did not rise to the top. Prunotto's holdings in Bussia are a good example of high altitude Monforte fruit.
In the glass the wine was ruby, fading to a very slight garnet. The nose smelled of mocha with a touch of licorice. The palate was smooth with hints of stewed plum, vanilla and tar. The finishes showed off well integrated cocoa powder tannins.
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2003 Francesco Rinaldi e Figli Barolo Cannubbio 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tied for WOTN for me, and maybe even the winner as it seemed to hold up better in the glass over the course of the evening.
A wonderfully deep garnet color with a fragrant nose of roses, anise and leather. The palette was complex and focused, the tannins well integrated. What a great wine from a fantastic producer.
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2003 E. Pira & Figli (Chiara Boschis) Barolo Cannubi 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
I was looking forward to this wine, but given the location of Ms. Boschis's vines in central Cannubi (a low lying vineyard) I was not expecting great things from this incredibly hot vintage.
The wine was well made. The care she took was evident, but I think the vintage got the best of her, as it did many in 2003. The color was deep for Barolo. The nose was pleasant and typical, but not exceptional. Same on the palette. In the end, this was a very good, but not great, wine.
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2012 Saracco Moscato d'Asti 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Moscato d'Asti
By far one of the best producers of Moscato d'Asti. This was the perfect foil to the huge tannins and dark red fruit stuck to my teeth, lips and gums after a night of drinking 12 different Barolo and Barbaresco bottlings. It was light, refreshingly sweet, and perfectly cleansing. It paired beautifully with a traditional Italian ricotta pie. My go-to producer for Moscato.
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