1969 Nino Negri Valtellina Superiore - Sassella

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 93 points

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  6/8/2019 - forceberry wrote: 93 Points

  12,5% alcohol.
  
  Quite translucent, evolved cherry red color with a developed mahogany core that turns brick-orange towards the rim. Aged, tertiary bouquet with complex aromas of smoke-cured meat, some soy sauce, a little bit of dried dark berries, light floral notes of dried flowers, a hint of sous-bois and a touch of beef jerky. The wine is aged, complex and savory on the palate with medium body and complex, silky tertiary flavors of wizened dark berries, tart cranberries, some dried sour cherries, a little bit of beef jerky, light notes of tobacco, a hint of herbal bitterness and an umami touch of meat consommé. Moderately high in acidity with textural medium tannins that slowly pile up on the gums. The finish is intense, somewhat grippy and very complex with persistent flavors of soy sauce, beef jerky, some dried black cherries and dark berries, a little bit of tangy salinity, a hint of tobacco and a touch of tart lingonberry.
  
  A beautifully evolved, complex and very tertiary Lombardian Nebbiolo. In a wonderful phase right now: the wine is very developed, but yet to start on downhill. Most likely the wine has been years - perhaps even decades - on its plateau of maturity, but it still keeps on hanging. Pretty instantly recognizable as an old Nebbiolo, but quite hard to tell apart from old Barolo and Barbaresco and almost impossible to tell apart from old Alto Piemonte. I guess the wine is less about sense of place and more about the varietal typicity - it is hard to make an old wine as pretty as this from other varieties than Nebbiolo. Nothing mind-blowing, just a darn enjoyable example of how Nebbiolos even from Valtellina can easily survive for 50 years. Ridiculously good value at 25€.

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