wineflock-2004 Piedmont

The matasar's let some of us into their home to taste a bunch of Nebbiolos from the great 04 vintage. The theme was kept relatively open so that we could get a decent sampling and a feel for the vintage overall.

• 1978 Prunotto Barolo Riserva Cannubi 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: took a while to really get going, and was singing by the end of the dinner with very pretty and deep tones of red cherries, herbs, red florals, bits of dried rose petals, tobacco, berries, and various spice tones. This really transformed over the evening and wasn't showing as much depth at first, but really seemed to sneak up on you when it was revisited
  
  taste: wonderful medium+ acidity still very much exists with lovely and delicately balanced tones of juniper, dried rose petals, soft cherry tones, tobacco, and various spice tones. Very light on its feet and deceiving acidity. Gained some weight on the revisit and had more of a silky character
  
  overall: an absolute beauty. This took on more weight towards the end of the night and transformed from an extremely good wine to a very captivating wine. This possessed a lot of nuance that took some time to shine through. Very aromatic, this also had a medium rust red color to it along with some browning at the rim. This said Cannubi riserva, so that's what I'm assuming this to be

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• 1988 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: Real good depth that has a real fresh nose to it with wild strawberries, bits of tar, perfumes, various red and purple florals, bits of berries, and a touch of herbal spices creep in. Very heady and perfumed, this has a springtime quality to the nose that is very attractive
  
  taste: A real lively and pretty feel with good medium+ acidity and tones of fresh picked strawberries, red cherries, herbs, tar, juniper and thyme. Very fresh on the palate with real good acidity, this comes off very well on the palate
  
  overall: This had a real nice lighter red hue in the glass. The color was much more vibrant then would be expected from a 20 yr old Barolo. Well balanced on the nose and palate, this was drinking in a great place and can easily hold for a while longer

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• 2004 Sottimano Barbaresco Currá 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  nose: soft, tight, and nuanced nose of roasted herbs, tar, red cherries, red florals and spice tones. Very good depth, but doesn't seem to be giving up too much at this time. Excellent underlying material
  
  taste: high acidity and tannins as would be expected with round tones of red cherries, sweet tones of roasted herbs, spices, roses and a touch of oak on the back end of the palate. The acidity and tannins mute some of the tones right now
  
  overall: group no9 my no8. This is obviously very young and in need of time. What is there is very nice already and just needs some time to coax it out. Has a long term view to it and will need patience. It showed fairly well all things considered, and there is a lot to like about this looking forward

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• 2004 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra 90 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: fairly modern on the nose with oak striking me right off the bat along with tones of cinnamon, rich red cherries, various spice tones and a good dose of mint. Good depth, but the oak is a bit much right now, its not overblown, but it certainly is there for me
  
  taste: very big tannins and acidity at this young stage with tones of mint, cinnamon, oak, and various berry tones. The oak is a bit bothersome as its certainly there and sneaks up on the back end of the palate
  
  overall: group no8, my no9. The oak was a bit much for me at this stage. More that it was an annoyance as opposed to being big and overblown oak. This was one of two Clerico Ginestras in the lineup, and this one had been decanted for a couple of hours before the tasting. It just needs a good amount of nap time to let the oak integrate and let everything else come to the forefront

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• 2004 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin Ginestra 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: fairly tight nose, but what is showing is extremely good with rich tones of roasted herbs, thyme, sage, berries, rich red cherries, bits of rose petals, and some oak tones along with some whisps of perfumes. Very good depth and showing the modern influence, but not as much as the previous bottle
  
  taste: Elegant feel with a real polish to it with big tannins and acidity as would be expected from a barolo. Rich and deep with delicious tones of rose petals, red cherries, wild herbs, sage, berries, and some tones of oak
  
  overall: group no3, my no4. This bottle was popped and poured for the tasting. This showed much better then the bottle that was decanted, not entirely sure what that says about it, but it is what it is. This showed off a lot more of the richness and power that Clerico can bring. This didn't show as much obvious oak for me as the decanted bottle, so one would assume that it will integrate with time.

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• 2004 Nino Negri Sfursat 5 Stelle 92 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Sforzato di Valtellina

  nose: very interesting nose with strawberries, perfumes, wild flowers, herbs, roses, and a good dose of red cherries. There is a robustness to the tones with an elegance at the same time and very good depth that adds an extra layer
  
  taste: excellent medium+ acidity and good tannins firm this up with richer tones of red cherries, stawberriees, herbs, and wild flowers. Doesn't have as much elegance on the palate as it does on the nose, most likely this is due to the youth of the wine
  
  overall: group no6, my no5. Its all about relevance as to why it was one of the lower placed wines, this is still an extremely good wine and showed a different side to it then the barolos that had been part of this. Certainly seemed to be from a different area as it brought a different set and style of aromas and flavors. Is perfect with food right now, and can age very well

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• 2004 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbaresco Vürsù Vigneto Starderi 91 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  nose: rich and robust nose of fresh berries, oak, roasted herbs, red cherries, perfumes and some bits of violets and spice tones. Good depth and has an amped up feel to it, but isn't over the top
  
  taste: Big chewy tannins exist presently with medium/high acidity and robust tones of spices, violets, roasted herbs, red cherries and deep fresh berry tones with oak on the back end. More fuller bodied then the other Nebbioli in the tasting
  
  overall: group no4, my no7. I wouldn't call this spoofulated, but it is very modern (as was the other starderi in the tasting). This was one of two Vursu Starderis in the tasting and both pretty much showed relatively similar with this one being a bit less. Not really my style of barolo, but is far from as bad as past La Spinettas have been with regards to the oak

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• 2004 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: has a real sweet nose with really good depth and succulent tones of cinnamon, thyme, red cherries, fresh picked roses, wild flowers and a good heaping of herbs. Very pretty on the nose that has a more feminine style to it
  
  taste: excellent medium/high acidity and a real tasty medium feel with good tannins and pretty tones of red cherries, allspice, thyme, herbs, wild flowers, and bits of fresh picked roses. Lovely depth and flows well across the palate despite being as young as it is
  
  overall: group no1, my no3. As with everything else, this is quite young. Very perfumed at this stage and has a real good feel to it. Well worth getting a few bottles of this as it should become an extremely pretty barolo as it ages. Needs some time, and comes off as possibly being an earlier drinking wine, but should also last a good while too

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• 2004 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 94 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  nose: extremely deep nose filled with roasted herbs, red cherries, roses, sweet tones of perfumes, some tar, and fresh picked berry tones. Melds well together and has a very demure style to it that doesn't necessarily jump right at you
  
  taste: Very pretty and lovely feel on the palate with high acidity and sweet tannins with beautiful tones of tar, red cherries, roses, red florals, and a good amount of roasted herbs. Excellent depth and showing some good layering already
  
  overall: group no2, my no1. This was lovely. Quite surprised to see a traditional barolo fare as well as it did in a blind lineup. This was my bottle and I decanted it for a good 6-7 hours before putting a vacu-vin on it to take to the dinner. This is in need of good downtime and is quite attractive and shows off what I enjoy from a traditional barolo. Subtle and nuanced with a very pretty side to it, it will certainly reward patience and has along distance runner written all over it

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• 2004 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbaresco Vürsù Vigneto Starderi 92 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  nose: big and extracted nose with tones of oak, spices, rich red cherry tones, mint, herbs, and a good dose of tart sour berries. Very big nose and showing off the style with good depth as well
  
  taste: Full bodied, rich, and extracted with tones of oak, red cherries, roasted herbs, sour berries and some spice tones. Medium+ acidity and chewy tannins give this a spine. The oak is certainly there as are some of the other signs of this being a modern producer
  
  overall: group no5, my no6. This was the second Vursu Starderi that was in the tasting. Not sure if one was decanted and the other wasn't, they both showed fairly similar in the tasting and are quite modern. As before, this isn't as overdone as previous La Spinettas have been, but there isn't mistaking the modern style at all

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• 2004 Travaglini Gattinara 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Gattinara

  nose: very pretty and delicate nose of cinnamon, mint, red cherries, rose petals, fresh picked roses, red florals, spice tones, perfumes and bits of sage. Has a very feminine touch to it, and has a cooler sense to it then the other nebbiolos that were in the blind portion of the tasting
  
  taste: Soft, pretty, and feminine with good medium/high acidity and good tannins to back it up. Lovely tones of red cherries, cinnamon, spices, roasted herbs, and fresh picked berries all balance out very well together
  
  overall: group no7, my no2. It should be noted that this note came from when the wine was in a chardonnay glass as that was what I had left as all of my other pinot glasses were used up. When I had another pour into a pinot glass, it lacked a bit of depth that the chardonnay glass gave it. This was a very nice wine even in the pinot glass as it had a cooler sense to it then the barolos and barbarescos did. It definitely showed that it was from a different area of Piedmont, and reflected that. It also showed off its tweener styling with some of the oak influenced tones, along with what one would expect from a more traditional nebbiolo

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• 1976 Domaine du Mas Blanc (Docteur Parcé) Banyuls Collita 91 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Banyuls

  nose: excellent depth with a real rich nose of sour cherries, sweet chocolate, raisins, and a good bit of sour fruits. Very pungent and there is a good richness to it, but its tempered some with the age
  
  taste: really good medium feel with tasty tones of sour cherries, cranberries, sour red fruits, sweet tones of chocolate and some bits of raisins
  
  overall: a real treat. I haven't had much banyuls and was really intrigued by it. This was at the end of the night, so my notes aren't as on point as my other ones are. This has a good life ahead of it still, but also showed off the age in the glass as it had a tawny color to it that is see through

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A really good night. The duplicates made things interesting to see if there was much difference between bottles and decanting vs no-real decanting. The matasars kindly made some wonderful beef and barolo to go with the theme. It all made for a great night with both great wine, company, and food.