Absolutely stunning wine. Nose is ethereal with subdued red fruit aromas, leather, alpine herbs, black tea, and soil. On the palette it’s very savory with silky tannins and screaming acidity even after almost 20 years in bottle. The fruit is pretty secondary at this point but to me that only added to the complexity of the wine. Drank it over two days and on the second day it was pretty dead I would recommend drinking it all in one night if you are going to pull the cork. Wish I had more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
100% Nebbiolo harvested on October 22nd, 2005 from the old (average vineyard age is 50 years) 4-hectare Rocce Rosse vineyard - named after the red rocks in the soil - found in the rocky Valtellina subzone of Sassella. Following a few days of cold-soak, the wine is fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins for 35 days in old 5000-liter casks made of oak, acacia and chestnut. Typically aged for 4 years in old, untoasted 5500-liter botti casks made of oak, acacia and chestnut and a year in concrete tanks. Made only in exceptional vintages - in other vintages the fruit gets declassified to the 2nd wine, Valtellina Superiore or Rosso di Valtellina. Total production 10616 bottles, 960 magnums and 92 double magnums. 13% alcohol. Double-decanted approximately two hours prior to tasting the wine.
Luminous, pale-to-medium-deep garnet color with a slightly evolved brick-red hue. The nose feels quite fragrant but also rather savory and non-fruity with aromas of game and loose tobacco, some sour cherry tones, a little bit of crunchy cranberry and rowanberry, light pine tar nuances, a hint of brambly raspberry, an autumnal touch of damp leaves and a whiff of turmeric. The wine feels crunchy, quite angular and rather lean on the palate with a light-to-medium body and somewhat evolved yet relatively bitter flavors of wizened sour cherries and lingonberry juice, some raisiny tones, a little bit of tart cranberry, light stony mineral notes, a hint of wizened figs and a touch of ripe red plum. The noticeably high acidity lends great intensity to the flavors, but also seems to accentuate the bitterness in the sour cherry and lingonberry tones. The tannins don't feel particularly ample, but they are still somewhat grippy and gritty. The finish is long, dry and somewhat grippy with a savory aftertaste of tart lingonberries and quite pronounced sour cherry bitterness, some crunchy cranberry, a little bit of tar, light sweeter nuances of wizened figs, a hint of earth and a touch of rowanberry.
It's remarkable how very similar this wine was with the 2009 vintage that we tasted at the same time. I'd say this wine showed a bit more evolution with the slightly sweeter dried-fruit flavors, but at the same time the overall feel was even slightly leaner and more austere - and the 2009 vintage was pretty lean to begin with - so any sense of resolution from the aging was basically nullified with the somewhat angular and quite bitter overall character. I was honestly quite surprised how little evolution this wine showed - it came across as still surprisingly youthful and almost backward despite its almost 18 years of age! These Arpepe single-vineyard bottlings seem to call for 20 to 25 years of aging, minimum, before they really start to open up and become approachable. This was a lovely yet also very lean wine that is - still - more about aging potential rather than immediate accessibility. Great stuff - especially if you're willing to wait for longer! Expect the score to go up as the wine ages more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Pours a medium garnet. Rose petals, tarragon, older leather, oregano, anise cooked red cherries, cooked strawberries on the nose. The palate is VERY herbal - thyme, parsley and the tarragon note from the nose, as well as roses, wet stone, anise, fennel seed and black pepper. Pretty fruit backward, at least on the palate - just some subtle red fruit notes.
Medium body, medium tannin with a long (1 minute +) subtle finish. Elegant. Drinking very nicely right now; but can age another five years at least.
Great pairing with pizzocheri alla valtellinese
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark garnet color Aroma is herbal, terragon, cooked black fruit, rose Taste black cherry, strawberry, tarragon, anis, spicy black pepper, rose High acid Med plus tannins
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Aroma: Red fruits, with some berries and a subtle rose note. Palate: Not as crystalline or interesting as the 2005 Grumello Buon Consiglio. The cool berry fruit is very appreciated as are some dry, leathery herbs. The tannins are quite subdued at this point. Very nice dry finish which screams for food. Nothing terribly striking with the exception of the wonderful Valtellina acidity. Complexity is lacking here considering some of the other stablemates from Ar.Pe.Pe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank in a wine store in Biarritz. Barnyard funk and dirt on the nose. Palate was earthy and savoury with bramble fruits. Tannins have been resolved. It drank like a mature beaune red from burgundy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
At home in Sonoma. Some Italian to break the monotony of tasting USA wines. Drank from bottle over a few hours. Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium intensity, with aromas of forest floor earth, cool stones minerality, wild red berries, sour red cherries. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), puckery high tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sour red cherries, red plums, brambly red berries, crunchy cool stones minerality, savoury forest floor earth, pine resin and sap. Long finish. Very good quality. Lots of cool Nebbiolo feel and expression of terroir. Many more years of life ahead for this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Transparent ruby. A savory and earth driven nose with soil, tobacco, iron, and savory more than fruit driven. Dark cherry and fruit bordering on plum, with bay leaf, and subtle florals: more violet than rose, all with a strong sense of minerality. Deceptively powerful in a mid weighted body with depth and a sense of sappiness to the fruit. Very well balanced. The ripeness of the fruit is held in check by its acidity and earthy, savory components. On the back end with some time some menthol and balsamic notes fan out into the finish. There is a weightlessness to its power and an ease to drinking this complicated wine that belies its seriousness and nuanced structure. Everything comes to gather nicely into a youthful, promising wine. I would love to drink this with a rabbit or cinghiale ragout pasta. Outstanding. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Unsurprising barnyard funk with each pour, which quickly blew off to reveal a shy nose and somewhat austere fruit. Air time helped, but the wine remained somewhat thin. Glad I tried it but wouldn’t relish another go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Naso limpido, fragrante ed elegante di piccoli frutti rossi, ribes, fragola, ciliegia selvatica e fiori disidratati (viola), chiodo di garofano; balsamico di erbe officinali e di montagna. Al palato la quintessenza dell'equilibrio, con nerbo e struttura, acidità e mineralità ma senza uno spigolo fuori posto: come un accordo con leggere dissonanze che si risolvono in consonanze per comporre una magnifica armonia. Beva irresistibile. Lungo. aromatico e ancora balsamico il finale. Perfettamente pronto e bevibile, ma senz'altro anche da aspettare per comprenderne l'evoluzione. Riflettevo sul fatto che se l'avessi bevuto alla cieca, per grazia ad eleganza, avrei potuto tranquillamente scambiarlo per un grande Pinot noir di Borgogna, senza che questo nulla tolga al suo essere una tipica espressione del territorio e del vitigno di provenienza.
8/6/2023 - Brutnature1999 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Absolutely stunning wine. Nose is ethereal with subdued red fruit aromas, leather, alpine herbs, black tea, and soil. On the palette it’s very savory with silky tannins and screaming acidity even after almost 20 years in bottle. The fruit is pretty secondary at this point but to me that only added to the complexity of the wine. Drank it over two days and on the second day it was pretty dead I would recommend drinking it all in one night if you are going to pull the cork. Wish I had more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/22/2023 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
100% Nebbiolo harvested on October 22nd, 2005 from the old (average vineyard age is 50 years) 4-hectare Rocce Rosse vineyard - named after the red rocks in the soil - found in the rocky Valtellina subzone of Sassella. Following a few days of cold-soak, the wine is fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins for 35 days in old 5000-liter casks made of oak, acacia and chestnut. Typically aged for 4 years in old, untoasted 5500-liter botti casks made of oak, acacia and chestnut and a year in concrete tanks. Made only in exceptional vintages - in other vintages the fruit gets declassified to the 2nd wine, Valtellina Superiore or Rosso di Valtellina. Total production 10616 bottles, 960 magnums and 92 double magnums. 13% alcohol. Double-decanted approximately two hours prior to tasting the wine.
Luminous, pale-to-medium-deep garnet color with a slightly evolved brick-red hue. The nose feels quite fragrant but also rather savory and non-fruity with aromas of game and loose tobacco, some sour cherry tones, a little bit of crunchy cranberry and rowanberry, light pine tar nuances, a hint of brambly raspberry, an autumnal touch of damp leaves and a whiff of turmeric. The wine feels crunchy, quite angular and rather lean on the palate with a light-to-medium body and somewhat evolved yet relatively bitter flavors of wizened sour cherries and lingonberry juice, some raisiny tones, a little bit of tart cranberry, light stony mineral notes, a hint of wizened figs and a touch of ripe red plum. The noticeably high acidity lends great intensity to the flavors, but also seems to accentuate the bitterness in the sour cherry and lingonberry tones. The tannins don't feel particularly ample, but they are still somewhat grippy and gritty. The finish is long, dry and somewhat grippy with a savory aftertaste of tart lingonberries and quite pronounced sour cherry bitterness, some crunchy cranberry, a little bit of tar, light sweeter nuances of wizened figs, a hint of earth and a touch of rowanberry.
It's remarkable how very similar this wine was with the 2009 vintage that we tasted at the same time. I'd say this wine showed a bit more evolution with the slightly sweeter dried-fruit flavors, but at the same time the overall feel was even slightly leaner and more austere - and the 2009 vintage was pretty lean to begin with - so any sense of resolution from the aging was basically nullified with the somewhat angular and quite bitter overall character. I was honestly quite surprised how little evolution this wine showed - it came across as still surprisingly youthful and almost backward despite its almost 18 years of age! These Arpepe single-vineyard bottlings seem to call for 20 to 25 years of aging, minimum, before they really start to open up and become approachable. This was a lovely yet also very lean wine that is - still - more about aging potential rather than immediate accessibility. Great stuff - especially if you're willing to wait for longer! Expect the score to go up as the wine ages more.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2022 - AlphaMikeFoxtrot Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pours a medium garnet. Rose petals, tarragon, older leather, oregano, anise cooked red cherries, cooked strawberries on the nose. The palate is VERY herbal - thyme, parsley and the tarragon note from the nose, as well as roses, wet stone, anise, fennel seed and black pepper. Pretty fruit backward, at least on the palate - just some subtle red fruit notes.
Medium body, medium tannin with a long (1 minute +) subtle finish. Elegant. Drinking very nicely right now; but can age another five years at least.
Great pairing with pizzocheri alla valtellinese
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2022 - GhengisTron Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark garnet color
Aroma is herbal, terragon, cooked black fruit, rose
Taste black cherry, strawberry, tarragon, anis, spicy black pepper, rose
High acid
Med plus tannins
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/26/2021 - SeaSea Likes this wine:
Quick double decant before restaurant. Not much sediment. Delightful and elegant, Burgundian Nebbiolo, Many years ahead.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/29/2020 - ElGreco Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aroma: Red fruits, with some berries and a subtle rose note.
Palate: Not as crystalline or interesting as the 2005 Grumello Buon Consiglio. The cool berry fruit is very appreciated as are some dry, leathery herbs. The tannins are quite subdued at this point. Very nice dry finish which screams for food. Nothing terribly striking with the exception of the wonderful Valtellina acidity. Complexity is lacking here considering some of the other stablemates from Ar.Pe.Pe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/21/2019 - soyhead wrote:
nose - nutty, balsamic
mouth - complex - chestnut, cherry, potpourri of red fruit, complexity reminiscent of an older bordeaux. impressed
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2018 - Burgnick wrote: 90 Points
Drank in a wine store in Biarritz. Barnyard funk and dirt on the nose. Palate was earthy and savoury with bramble fruits. Tannins have been resolved. It drank like a mature beaune red from burgundy.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/27/2018 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 93 Points
At home in Sonoma. Some Italian to break the monotony of tasting USA wines. Drank from bottle over a few hours.
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium intensity, with aromas of forest floor earth, cool stones minerality, wild red berries, sour red cherries. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), puckery high tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sour red cherries, red plums, brambly red berries, crunchy cool stones minerality, savoury forest floor earth, pine resin and sap. Long finish.
Very good quality. Lots of cool Nebbiolo feel and expression of terroir. Many more years of life ahead for this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2018 - cct wrote: 93 Points
Transparent ruby. A savory and earth driven nose with soil, tobacco, iron, and savory more than fruit driven. Dark cherry and fruit bordering on plum, with bay leaf, and subtle florals: more violet than rose, all with a strong sense of minerality. Deceptively powerful in a mid weighted body with depth and a sense of sappiness to the fruit. Very well balanced. The ripeness of the fruit is held in check by its acidity and earthy, savory components. On the back end with some time some menthol and balsamic notes fan out into the finish. There is a weightlessness to its power and an ease to drinking this complicated wine that belies its seriousness and nuanced structure. Everything comes to gather nicely into a youthful, promising wine. I would love to drink this with a rabbit or cinghiale ragout pasta. Outstanding. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/24/2018 - JonnyG wrote: 90 Points
Unsurprising barnyard funk with each pour, which quickly blew off to reveal a shy nose and somewhat austere fruit. Air time helped, but the wine remained somewhat thin. Glad I tried it but wouldn’t relish another go.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/3/2018 - michael_cooke Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow, wine of the year so far!
Pale, orange rim.
Roses, tar, leather, tobacco, orange peel.
Rippling tannins.
So complex, so good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (3)
12/15/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Nebbiolo Tasting (Biondivino, San Francisco): Moderately aromatic, red fruit; lighter bodied, high acid, elegant. 90-91
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2017 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
More cherry-plum and macerated fruit than the Buon, less aromatic; soft, but long, good bones, close second behind the Buon. 92+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2017 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 87 Points
Serious youthful wine. Needs plenty of time I'd say. Even after decanting and with food, this is still taught and rather unforthcoming.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2016 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fantastic nose of violets, tar, plums, and berries. High tannins with red berries and menthol on the palate. Good finish. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2016 - Bluespolo wrote: 94 Points
Naso limpido, fragrante ed elegante di piccoli frutti rossi, ribes, fragola, ciliegia selvatica e fiori disidratati (viola), chiodo di garofano; balsamico di erbe officinali e di montagna. Al palato la quintessenza dell'equilibrio, con nerbo e struttura, acidità e mineralità ma senza uno spigolo fuori posto: come un accordo con leggere dissonanze che si risolvono in consonanze per comporre una magnifica armonia. Beva irresistibile. Lungo. aromatico e ancora balsamico il finale.
Perfettamente pronto e bevibile, ma senz'altro anche da aspettare per comprenderne l'evoluzione.
Riflettevo sul fatto che se l'avessi bevuto alla cieca, per grazia ad eleganza, avrei potuto tranquillamente scambiarlo per un grande Pinot noir di Borgogna, senza che questo nulla tolga al suo essere una tipica espressione del territorio e del vitigno di provenienza.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)