Piemonte Visit ... end of summer 2023
Piemonte Alba area
Tasted August 23, 2023 - September 25, 2023 by Stanrocks with 120 views
Introduction
Damn Hot outside... really at the peak of heat wave, around 35/37 Celsius all the way around ... very hard to keep up tasting in those conditions, but still inside the cellars it was ok.
Difficult to park as there are no trees whatsoever in the area, it's quite strange that most roads and parkings are just unsheltered ! I believe the vines have became so important most trees have been cut or eradicated... a good sign of monoculture, single culture that has done a bad job along the years. So please guys in the city council, please do plant trees alongside roads and parking areas. Inside the cities, and at the bottom of the hills, you might find some, but for a quick picnic it was quite difficult and hard to bear.
Anyways, this being said again a great experience and super driven wines !
Flight 1 - Rocche Costamagna Visit (8 notes)
At the estate,
After visiting the guys in Barbaresco, quit warm in the tasting room, wines were kept at good temperature in Eurocave.
With company from a young American lady visiting the area, not in the business, but we chatted a bit and after a few sips, everything went smoothly ! Very nice line up
Tasting at the estate with a young American lady, not in the business, quite shy, but like a young wine, she opened up after a while and got carried away with the wines and discussion ! Wine is a catalyst of good vibes and new friendship !
Nose of Peach, stone fruit, classic and fragrant, technically well made and showing !
palate is med acidity, but zingy enough, with easy drinkability, well made again !
Pitty as the wine is a very good companion for local food, in a less fancy way as Nebbiolo, and still shows interest as it differs a lot from Barbera !
Nose here is black fruit all over the place, cassis, blackberry...
palate is a bit tonic still, its' quite young, but it has a nice fruit, it's simple and well made again ! Good price point ! less than 10 €
The nose shows integrated oak, floral notes, crimson notes, meaning a ripe but not bold style of aromas...
The palate is vibrant, fresh, with vivid acidity, and soft integrated tannins, it shows age with a mix of red fruits and berries ! Excellent
The Roccardo 2021 shows a lot of licorice, smoke, and perfumy Nebbiolo Character, it's very fresh on the palate with a bold tannic structure, long and sapid. It's ok to drink now, but better keep the 21's and drink the 20's which are riper IMO.
Great QPR Nebbiolo, keep 6/12 months to a good reward
Lovely nose of rose, and balsamic notes, refined, perfumy, and elegant, quite simple in a way but spot on in an another one.
The palate is elegant, light and a bit thin, but so velvety and refined that it does not matter to have a big bold structure here, it stays in the palate and shows nice mineral texture in a lifted fruity ending ! Good
I cannot get enough of the Costamagna wine snow that I know them well, they never disappoint !
Nice toasty nose, with lightly cooked red berries, not overripe, dried tomatoes, and some herbs... very nice
Palate is extremely elegant and fresh, light a s a feather, with grippy texture, great acidity, super balanced ! What Else ?
Opened wine, art the estate, no need to breathe more, all the marker from La Morra and Annunziatta in its niceness, mint, eucalypt, refined, and elegant nose
palate is vibrant, fruit forward and driven, with a light core inherent to the area and estate, Soft mild tannins, grippy texture, no harsh... It's light but good and vibrant ! Great Wine here too, on a warm vintage which annunziat and La Morra sometimes does not handle well !
A plot called Bricco Francesco within the Cru Annunziatta, upper part of the hill if I remember well.
It's just the same as Annunziata 17 with plus everything, so more mint, more eucalypt, high intensity in the glass, lots of aromas, Profumo, really ethereal wine
Palate is vibrant again, with an extra grip here, longer and tasteful, savory tannins, light density, long aftertaste of berries and mint... Fantastic wine ! Drinkable still and will keep easily 5/10
Flight 2 - Cortese visit (8 notes)
Gabrielle just arrived from Hollidays, opened the bottles for whoever came that day, a French couple next to me, and a restaurant owner form Torino arrived later. Tasting room was super cold due to AC problem, but regarding the weather outside it did help a bit. Considering those wines need a lot of air, it d been better to be the afternoon guests or next day :) Nah it was just Wonderfull as always.
So it was basically the range available now. 2016 Riserva being released already if I recall well, but not opened there.
TBH I never was super fan of Langhe Chardonnay, but they make sense in a way, as they were planted in the 90's and now they are getting more interesting,and they are here ! But still... the real grapes locally are more Erbaluce, or Cortese and Arneis of course.
Nose : Light toast, vanilla, light reduction (trendy, everybody likes that no ? )
Palates is easy, "sweet" as soft, mild, with a round and fresh mouthfeel, a bit rich and oily ending... good wine still
That one on warmer years always reminded me of a good Californian chardonnay with a ripe peachy, and buttery character. The terra-cotta and diverse containers is now changing a bit the style into some in between styles, but still in a cool vintage it has some 14 ish alcohol level !
The wine is in a strange state right now, showing exquisite nose, complex minreality, and deep notes of balsamic, medicinal herbs, sage, perfumy mint and euclypt... evolving and changing most of the time
On the other end, the palate is tight and a bit strict tannins in the mouthfeel, with long and savory taste, salivating and freshly intriguing. It is a dissociated wine so far, with a perfect Nebbiolo nose, great acidity and tannins, but does not opens up and stays on the closed side on the palate... Probably leaving it another 5 would be best to soften again....
Still a fantastic nose of Rabaja, ... only for that the wine is worth the try ! It is again lovely !
Well balanced and aromatically intense, with black fruits, pear, a really fresh touch to it
Palate is savory, fresh, spicy, good, easy, drinkable, balanced and light for a Dolcetto, stunner at price point ! 12 ish € Italy
Nose of strawberries, red berries, sweet spices, quite fragrant and appealing, god those warm vintages do good to Barbera !
Palate is sharp and bright acidity, a bit tight, very young, with freshly crushed strawberry taste, juicy, elegant and kicking wine ! Nice
Maybe a bit pricey, at 20 € but it is quiet an effort for an entry level Barbera...
Still it is never overwhelming, and the lift is here still, with black berries, a bit wild, gamey, savory nose of dried tomatoes and oak flavors.
palates is vibrant, med + length, and juicy, fresh, with lots of fruit, it is salivating and linear, a quite well made expression of Barbera, no sign of age here, just a linear savory salivating finish.
This a seriously austere wine, not for the faint hearted ones, oak lovers and easy wines go away from that one, it is a pure expression of restrained Nebbiolo, but with age, time will tell !!!
The nose is exquisite, perfumy, fragrant of rose petals, licorice and eucalypt, it is absolutely gorgeous
Palate is tight and tannins are strict and firm, here it needs Time, the bottle just opened needs a lot of air, it's a serious wine, linear, sharp, with high acidity and very firm, but shows a lot of perfume and fruit character as well. Needs to get together and air !
Nose is fragrant with spices, pepper, Tar, white stone fruits, peach, which is very surprising considering the variety but I believe it lifts the freshness and lightens the wine in a way, a bit of reduction, again the winery opened its doors just that day after summer holidays, so wines were freshly opened !
Palate is vibrant, very sharp, laser like acidity, refreshing and the high tension is here, it is again a very specific style, with high level of tannins, it ll soften within time and moreover opening if you guys are in a hurry. Give it at least 2/3 hours or next day is always better !
very Good wine ! again from Trifolera mainly and a bit of Rabat young vines.
Nose is perfumy and fragrant, ethereal, with mint, eucalypt, dried tomatoes, super expressive, intense !!! beauty
Palate is absolutely gorgeous, super linear, laser like and sharp with racy acidity, it s a racing car ! elegant, long and salivating, extremely easy to drink strangely ! when aerated in the palate tannins would show a little more, but just sipping it flows just so easily. Fluid nectar long and sapid, umami etc ! Racy !
Flight 3 - Fiorenzo Nada Visit (4 notes)
With Danilo Nada, always a nice discussion about his memories of vintages, year around, 2020 was a long harvest, with 104 mm of rain September 10th and then 2 days of wind... Saving a warm and dry vintage.
2021 is considered excellent, close to 2001, very dry with 80 mm of rain just when needed, hail storms as a classic element, starting from the Tanaro river and going up to the Rombone Hill... luckily stepped just in time, but only 6 tons per hectare due to green harvest. or thinning
The wines made by Danilo are of a rare breed, with a light side that make them enjoyable young, and still they can age marvelously, on top of that he can do really very age worthy tannic wines, with just letting the terroir speak for itself I believe.
That Nebbiolo is for drinking you can tell, as it shows licorice, and flowers on the nose, and palate is just refined, and elegant, with subtlety and really nothing harsh here, one would expect just more power or a baby Barbersco, not the point here, just a great Nebbiolo :)
Manzola is always the lighter of the 3 Crus here, but not the least interesting and according to vintage it can be one of the most interesting crus around !
Its nose is minty and eucalyptus driven, so fresh and vibrant !
The salinity is the biggest asset of the palate, with high level of firm tannins, the wine is long and sapid, salty... It's really softer version of the two others, but with a true soul, salinity is its trademark with a driven acidity !
Small hidden estate, the Nada's are quite a family, I need to try Danilo's uncle Ado to get a more precise expression of this secluded area within the Barbaresco/Tre Stelle hills...
That 2020 shows even more mint and eucalypt than the Manzola, intense !
When the palate is tighter, it is so well rounded tannins that the acidity feels almost like lacking here, but it is so well balanced I trust the wine too have its fair amount of acidity still ! It's just rounded and such fruit driven that it eclipses the austerity ! Very drinkable and "cellarable"
Excellent wine !
I have upgraded my marks for sure, but again all the winemakers I have met lately have also upgraded their craft ! they are just reaching limits in their quality research !
It just amazes me how the wines can be both age worthy and show so well in their youth, it is a sign of great viticulture, terroir understanding, vintage reading and sense of place ! hats of to all of them !
Trombone 20 is a beast, but in a soft glove, intense mint aromas, with a rush of alcohol here, dark fruits, sage, aromatic herbs, dusty oak flavors, just complex
palate is just perfect, I m speechless, as this is so long and salivating, it's 37° C outside (like a 100 F) , and burning ! like a yellowish air curtain is enveloping the place, it really feels like suffocating, and yet I want to drink a 14.5 alcohol wine from 3 years ago ! Damn that sure is talent !
Very Long wine !
Flight 4 - Oddero's Barolo (6 notes)
A fantastic estate, with all around prices ands wines.
Damn Hot outside... really at the peak of heat wave, around 35/37 Celsius all the way around ... very hard to keep up tasting in those conditions, but still inside the cellars it was ok. Met up a couple of nice fellas around, sommelier's from NYC, Danish wine lovers, etc...
On that very day, They learned they had a 100 pointer from Monica Larner of RP ... geez that was certainly strange. That wine may skyrocket now, as it never felt a 100 pointer to me.
Great Visit at the estate and following we discussed with Pietro and Maria Cristina Oddero over their choices of vinification, and viticulture. Josh who I exchange sometimes about the Piemonte region, from Word on the Grapevine believes 2017 has been a turning point in their style... I honestly have more difficulties to figure out when, as I know the wines for a long time, and even some previous vintages were amazing. Like the Rionda 2013. The Barolo 18 is a must have in that vintage, probably because also the Crus were not released and ended up in that blend !
Few facts, viticulture is organic since ... IDK, but reds are, and whites are sustainable, whatever this may means ...
35 Ha total, which is quite big in the area, with 16,5 of Nebbiolo only !
10 crus or areas within the MGA, and only 5 make it into a single Cru ! now 11 areas with addition of Monvigliero.
List of crus, crazy names, such as Vigna Rionda, Rocche di Castglione, Bussia, Brunate, Villero...
Villero is the only one made with old methods of emerged cap ... all the other Baroli or Barbaresco are made with top cap and remontage.
Barolo is house wine, 35 000 bottles, with 45 % Bricco Chiesa, then Cappalot, Fiasc, a little bit of San Biaggio too... It is a real La Morra blend, from mostly less elevated vineyards.
Nebbiolo is made from San Biaggio, Roggeri, Gallina (Barbaresco) and spends 12 months in Botti Grande, a wonderful light style, but with still depth and complexity ! I store and drink some of it along the years too... Love it
Villero is an all time favorite as for the Castiglione Falleto wine area, it is subtle and refined, with salty tannins, and great depth, finesse and extremely balanced. It is very approachable when young, and sure has a potential for long aging. A bit like the Brunate but with the extra salty, freshness from the Serravalian area and marl soils.
Rionda always shows well, and distinctive from Mondoca Or Rocche, Mondoca is always the most retrained wine, less approachable, a real Monforte hard to get.
Rocche di Castglione, I sadly have very little experience with that one, and it is a difficult cru fore me so far from every producer, I always felt it was very tight and even more hard to get than. the Mondoca... Bussia is a big area and a lot of wines are uneven here.
Last thing, Riserva here usually come from Vigna Rionda or Mondoca (Bussia) ...
Everything here is very well crafted, and thought through...
Emerging in a very self conscious sense of prime quality. Rush in the Nebbiolo if you like light style Nebbiolo, with lots of finesse, and elegance. So is the Barolo.
All the wines are to look for, and drinkable. Enjoy the ride
From Bricco Chiesa, Cappalot, Fiasc (the famous Scavino one) and Monvigliero for 18 and 19 ... :)
The nose is pronounced with black olives, tapenade, sage, old oak, blood orange, licorice, ... complex and intricate
The palate is grippy and a bit dry but the overall balance thanks to high level of acidity is tremendous, its is drinking so easily, fluid wine, with orange and velvety feel !
Excellent again
tasted at the estate the day Larner gave it a 100... a bit carried away Miss Monica ???
Nose is already evoluted, opened for a bit I guess, maybe a slight oxydation on that one, but still shows ripe smoked fruits, Brunello touch, with mint, dusty oak, oyster shell, a dark minerilty in that wine !
On the palate it is a bit tight and oaky, but the linearity and length are tremendous, the wine shows orange, thyme, high level of extremely refined tannins, the acidity balances a distinguished wine wich lingers in a very long anise finish ! extremely fresh and salivating !
Most winemakers in mildly warm areas may have a look at those for Climate Change purposes... This one is good too !
the nose of freshly crushed fruits mixes with spices, and pepper, a bit in a Northern Rhône Syrah style, licorice and violets, Nice
The palate is fairly tannic, with M+ tannins, and feels just a bit dry due to youth, but it shows nice fruit, with a lovely salty savory finish, it's quite salivating and food like wine. Price point in Europe makes it a not to miss wine.
Nose of smoke, roasted nuts, a bit warm, and Brunello like, means a bit "outdated" and warm... strange here, as 2021 was rather a cool vintage, so maybe the Wien was opened for a while, I did not ask... don't know why
Palate is M+/H acidity, grippy and zingy, with orange/oak flavors, more modern I'd say, like most Barbera nowadays, not bad, put considering the price point, the Dolcetto is the real deal to me here. Or obviously the next one, Nebbiolo ! boom
I know some tasters find that one a bit too light but man, it reminds me of some of the best Burgundy regional, from top producers... who needs tannins, and power when elegance and fruit combines, in a perfectly enjoyable and balanced wine.
Nose of oyster, marine, cranberries, dried tomatoes, and rose after aeration, it is fragrant and interesting, quite complex...
Palates is salty, a bit light, almost too light, with M+ tannins, but it needs air to develop, and show a M+/L length with lots of saltines and salivating ... altogether a very nice Nebbiolo
Anyways, this is one to look after, if you like elegant, and fragrant refreshen wines.
Nose of floral crimson flowers, the nose is "crimson" to me if it makes any sense to anybody IDK ? balsamic, dry oak, oyster, mint eucalypt, all th register... It's crazy how lately and during this trip most Barbes smelled like mint and eucalypt to me, when Barolo were more on the fruit side... and floral... anyways, it's an exquisite and complex nose
Palate is tight with high level of grippy and sharp tannins. Quite warm, high alcohol for sure, but not overwhelming and will surely integrate, but what makes the mark is the subtlety within the power and the length, it is outrageously long and freshly vibrant. Really great wine, but leave it 5 at least years, it'll come together perfectly at around 10/12 like the 2009 we had in 2022 I m pretty sure about that.
I might give it a 93ish along the way
Closing
A great time again in Piemonte on my way back from Norton Italy, it was fun to taste those incredible Nebbiolo based wines, mostly, after all the whites and wines from Sudtirol which are very very different in style and approach.
I m getting there, year after year !