Community Tasting Note

• Motz wrote: 91 points

  October 31, 2021 - Tasted over three days.
  
  First day, sampling from a Bordeaux stem, my preference for Barolo and Barbaresco. Light perfume, particularly for a highly-praised Asili from any producer, along with a pronounced alcohol jolt. The attack and middle are quite juicy, yet strikingly lean. The back turns astringent, with an ascorbic acid-like element (not ripe gritty tannins), which transitions to a disappointingly bitter and notably clipped finish.
  
  On the second day, tasting from a Burgundy stem tamed the intrusive alcohol to a limited extent. Otherwise, no change from the first day.
  
  Back to a Bordeaux stem for the last glass on the third day. Met with the same let down as the previous two days.
  
  Overall, I found three notable detractions. The 15 abv is intrusive. It might have elevated the bouquet while in barrel, or a year or two back, but it does not at all now. The wine weakens from attack to finish, and with great wines, the opposite is true. The astringent element at the back is not ripe tannin; its is greenness. This may be the result of excessive pressing, but more likely has a basis in phenolic ripeness, the stems and pips less ripe than the berries.
  
  Is there a chance this was an off bottle? Sure, there is a chance, but it is not likely. Nothing suggested this was an off bottle.
  
  Is there a chance that this was completely locked down? Again, this is possible, but highly unlikely. Closed down wines might show obtrusive alcohol, but they do not feature thinness and bitterness at the back and throughout the finish.
  
  This wine is not the equal of the same producer's 'Normale' label. The finest example of exceptional 2016 Barbaresco and Barolo that I have crossed paths with is Vietti's 'Castiglione' label. This Asili is nowhere close to that level of quality. 90-91.

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14 Comments

• drwine2001 commented:

  10/31/21, 11:30 AM - Motz-This is definitely a contrarian review that goes against the grain of all the praise heaped on the 2016 Produttori wines. I take it seriously, though, since you have spent a good bit of time analyzing the wine and your observations. We will be tasting all nine crus from this vintage shortly, and now I am even more interested to see how they show at this early juncture. Thank you for posting this provocative note.

• uve commented:

  10/31/21, 12:19 PM - Another really interesting and detailed tasting note, Motz!! I’m lucky enough to have this one and the Vietti Castiglione in my cellar, so I look forward to comparing them in the future.

• ex-sommelier commented:

  10/31/21, 12:46 PM - Thanks for the early look at this. Count me as a vote for just too young. While the 15abv is concerning, this does sound like a fairly standard note for a shutdown barolo/barbaresco, and no surprise at 5 years old. My recent normale 16 was in a similar place as you describe here. The lovely texture and perfume of earlier bottles turned lean and herbal. I would disagree that these are not features of a shutdown Nebbiolo. I was tempted to open one early though so I'm glad I saw this!

• joostentamara commented:

  10/31/21, 1:44 PM - This wine costs a fraction of the Vietti Barolo. This is great qpr anyway. I don't see the point in over analysing such a young wine.

• uve commented:

  10/31/21, 1:51 PM - It costs more than the Vietti Castiglione - in the UK it does anyway.

• joostentamara commented:

  10/31/21, 2:01 PM - I just payed 38€ in Barbaresco at the estate. It is a crazy market. I don't like that at all. It is just wine.
  But evidently it is difficult to stay cool in wineland.
  But it makes me understand the tastingnote an comments better. 🤣
  I saw that the Vietti Barolo Castiglione costs about 63€ and the Produttori Barbaresco Asili about 55€ in the Netherlands. The difference in price is not as much as I thought indeed.

• Motz commented:

  10/31/21, 4:44 PM - Good evening to all. Thank you for the commentary and feedback. In the US, the Vietti Castiglione is $15 to $20 more affordable than this wine.
  
  To ex-sommelier specifically. Shutdown Barolo and Barbaresco, with which I have considerable experience, per my tasting notes, and prior to joining CT, does not show greenness. I specifically mentioned the same vintage Vietti Castiglione in my note here as a comparison, as that wine has shutdown, but is not lean and green...just massively tannic (which some might call 'mean'). Regarding the 2016 'Normale' PdB, I have tasted it twice, both times, if I recall correctly, alongside the Vietti, and it is not that wine's equal. Also noteworthy: I am not tanninphobic, and I regularly taste Left Bank Bordeaux, Barolo, and Barbaresco when young...for science, of course. Anyway, just offering a bit of context.
  
  Science experiments rule!
  
  Cheers to all!

• SARED commented:

  10/31/21, 5:08 PM - I'd vote for both it being shut down, and also these Riservas being higher alcohol than some of us expected. My lone experience is with the '16 Montestefano.. a complex wine but really big alcohol.

• Vinomazing commented:

  11/1/21, 10:03 PM - Gadzooks…Those price differences around the world are quite amazing, had no idea. This was prob the scarcest in US and went from $80 to $120, crazy if you compare with 2014’s at $55 and 2013’s even less. Hoping and confident it will shine and come together in the far future. Truly appreciate the early open and reporting in Mr Motz!

• Motz commented:

  11/2/21, 4:02 PM - Given the discussion here, my newly entered note on the same vintage Montefico might be of interest.

• SARED commented:

  11/2/21, 6:01 PM - I bought a '16 Asili to check in. Not sure if its actually worth checking in though as I feel '16 as a vintage is just so shut down these days!
  
  P.S. I agree with Castiglione being great in '16.. but am shocked that Asili isn't rising to 50-100% above that level!

• Motz commented:

  11/3/21, 6:48 AM - Hello SARED. I am a fan of PdB, which has consistently produced top-quality wines for very low tariffs compared to competitors of equal quality. I do not know what to think about the greenness in this Asili, and in the Montefico, but it is there.
  
  I am not surprised, however, that the pro reviewers touted this vintage, without paying attention to the greenness. A profession that once was wine reviewing has morphed into paid marketing for overtly fruit forward, over-oaked, over-extracted, high alcohol offerings.
  
  Cheers!

• drwine2001 commented:

  11/3/21, 10:17 AM - Motz-Since green notes (e.g., menthol or mint) are common in mature Nebbiolo and often add to the aromatic allure, perhaps the question is not "whether" they are present but "to what extent". It is plausible that when the fruit enters a muted phase, these other cooler elements seem more prominent. From my experience with the 2016 normale, I believe that the wines have enough of everything else to eventually regain their balance, but that is purely conjecture on my part. The painful experience with 2011 red Burgundy demonstrates that even the most experienced tasters can miss fatal green flaws until well after the wines have been bottled, sold, and delivered to the cellars of unsuspecting enophiles. Time will tell whether you are at the leading edge of a similar phenomenon.

• Motz commented:

  11/3/21, 1:17 PM - drwine2001: I have an answer, which requires qualifying remarks. I thoroughly enjoy mint and menthol in aged Nebbiolo, and in other varieties and blends, such as Left Bank Bordeaux, and traditionally styled Bordeaux tributes from around the globe. More importantly, only traditionally styled Left Bank Bordeaux holds a closer place in my (wine) heart than Barbaresco and Barolo (followed by Burgundy and the north Rhone). Put differently, I am a huge fan of Cabernet Sauvignon imparted (ripe) greenness (and Syrah imparted green peppercorns). This is why, I have specifically mentioned biting, bitter, greenness in my notes on these two 2016 PdB offerings. Unripe greenness, the result under ripe berries, or under ripe pips and stems. (Obtrusive oak can also impart intense bitterness, but that is not the case with these 2016 PdBs.) I think tannins are often misinterpreted as green, but only under ripe tannins impart greenness, regardless of original source (pips, stems, skins, etc). I disagree with what seems to be a fairly widely held belief that locked down Nebbiolo (or other big reds), can present biting greenness, and that greenness eventually integrates.
  
  I hope this answers your question.

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