My first bottle in 4.5 years, the wine has not changed much during that time. Decanted one hour before dinner and consumed over three nights, this is a gentle, balanced food wine and not for cocktails, and is a wonderful 12.5% ABV. Translucent red, delicate aromas of red fruits and bitter orange, slight forest aromas, mid-weight, savory, with silky tannins and a hint of sweetness and a long sour cherry, mineral, bittersweet finish. Excellent QPR. Drink to 2028.
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Another tasty wine in my exploration of alto piemonte. Enjoyed with bread and cheese. On the light side of nebbiolo. I enjoyed it though I would rank the Cantalupo Ghemme Anno Primo and the Monsecco Gattinara higher, though they are more expensive.
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Translucent, medium-deep and beautifully translucent raspberry red color. Surprisingly youthful and even slightly lactic nose with aromas of blueberry yoghurt, bilberry pie, some fresh blackberry tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light licorice notes and a hint of earthy sous-bois. The wine is fresh, youthful and quite primary on the palate with dry and somewhat tough flavors of raspberry quark, some dark cherry, a little bit of blueberry, light earthy tones, a hint of herbal spice and a touch of bitter almond. The wine feels quite tannic with very pronounced, crunchy acidity. The finish is dry, long and quite grippy with fresh and savory flavors of brambly black raspberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of tart chokeberry notes, light lactic notes of blueberry yoghurt and a hint of sanguine gamey character.
A wonderfully vibrant and structured, but also weirdly youthful and lactic Boca. According to the importer, this was a bottle from a recent batch, which made us wonder whether this wine was from the same lot as the other ones I (and many others) had tasted before? Whereas the previous 2011 Bocas have been very youthful in their own way, they've always felt appropriate for their age, whereas this particular bottle felt almost atypically youthful with very weird lactic overall character. All in all the wine was good, but the lactic character distracted from the pleasure somewhat and the overall feel wasn't as wonderful as it had been previously with this wine. I wonder if this was just an off bottle, or if there was something else going on?
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Aromatics: Lavender, flowers, and berries. Bright cherries and cranberries. Smoky and mineral with cool fruit, roses, and bloody sensation. Gentle yet firm tannin. Excellent alto piemonte nebbiolo.
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A gentle decant one hour before serving allowed this wine to open up nicely. Light translucent red; delicate aromas of fresh raspberries, cranberry, and citrus give way to hints of leather and underbrush; mid-weight mouthfeel is heftier than the aromatics; savory, with silky tannins and a hint of sweetness; raw steak notes reminiscent of an Etna; savory, ethereal, with a long sour cherry, mineral, bittersweet finish. Excellent QPR. Drink to 2025. A food wine.
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My previous tasting notes still apply. A savory, a bit tough and wonderfully serious northern Piedmontese red. Lovely complexity here. Drinking nicely now but feels like it could benefit from further aging. Recommended.
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A blend of Nebbiolo (65%), Vespolina (20%) and Uva Rara (15%). Vinified in cement, blended together and aged for 2 years in medium-to-large oak casks. Aged for further 2 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol. Served blind.
Luminous, translucent medium-deep ruby red color. Aromatic and fragrant, yet somehow slightly restrained nose with attractive, delicate aromas of licorice, smoke, gravelly earth, sour cherries, some crunchy dark forest fruits, a light iron note of gamey meat and a hint of mushroomy sous-bois. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and somewhat austere yet still quite approachable on the palate with savory flavors of sour cherries, gamey meat, a little bit of juicy dark berries, a hint of earthy and slightly dirty rustic character, a hint of blood and a touch of animal. Although the wine is moderately tannic with some noticeable grip, the structure relies more on the bright acidity. The finish is grippy and meaty with quite savory and even umami flavors of sour cherries, licorice, some herbal bitterness, a hint of gamey blood and a touch of crowberries.
A nice, savory and somewhat austere, yet very rewarding Nebbiolo-driven blend that feels like it is rustic yet really sophisticated and stylish at the same time. Although the wine lacks the weight and impressive quality of its southern cousins, Barolo and Barbaresco, it has still this air of grace surrounding it, which seems to be an inherent quality of well-made Nebbiolo. Probably won't be as long-lived as the best Nebbiolos, but this will still survive years in a cellar. Although the wine really doesn't seem primary, it feels still quite young and I can imagine this will feel young for many more years to come. It is wonderful already, but will develop further for at least 10 more years. Very nice.
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7/20/2023 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 90 Points
My first bottle in 4.5 years, the wine has not changed much during that time. Decanted one hour before dinner and consumed over three nights, this is a gentle, balanced food wine and not for cocktails, and is a wonderful 12.5% ABV. Translucent red, delicate aromas of red fruits and bitter orange, slight forest aromas, mid-weight, savory, with silky tannins and a hint of sweetness and a long sour cherry, mineral, bittersweet finish. Excellent QPR. Drink to 2028.
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7/22/2022 - chefdilletante wrote:
Bright red fruit, good acid. Charming. A bit of drying tannin on the finish but this is ready to drink.
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8/9/2020 - chefdilletante wrote:
Nose is cherry with a whiff of alcohol. Cherry sustained through palate. Overall, tannins resolved and sweet.
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7/24/2019 - scott w Likes this wine:
Bright raspberry and hints of cherry, nicely balanced between acid tannin and fruit. Hard to beat for the price.
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5/10/2019 - nschmidt Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another tasty wine in my exploration of alto piemonte. Enjoyed with bread and cheese. On the light side of nebbiolo. I enjoyed it though I would rank the Cantalupo Ghemme Anno Primo and the Monsecco Gattinara higher, though they are more expensive.
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11/22/2018 - forceberry wrote: 89 Points
13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Translucent, medium-deep and beautifully translucent raspberry red color. Surprisingly youthful and even slightly lactic nose with aromas of blueberry yoghurt, bilberry pie, some fresh blackberry tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light licorice notes and a hint of earthy sous-bois. The wine is fresh, youthful and quite primary on the palate with dry and somewhat tough flavors of raspberry quark, some dark cherry, a little bit of blueberry, light earthy tones, a hint of herbal spice and a touch of bitter almond. The wine feels quite tannic with very pronounced, crunchy acidity. The finish is dry, long and quite grippy with fresh and savory flavors of brambly black raspberries, some sour cherry bitterness, a little bit of tart chokeberry notes, light lactic notes of blueberry yoghurt and a hint of sanguine gamey character.
A wonderfully vibrant and structured, but also weirdly youthful and lactic Boca. According to the importer, this was a bottle from a recent batch, which made us wonder whether this wine was from the same lot as the other ones I (and many others) had tasted before? Whereas the previous 2011 Bocas have been very youthful in their own way, they've always felt appropriate for their age, whereas this particular bottle felt almost atypically youthful with very weird lactic overall character. All in all the wine was good, but the lactic character distracted from the pleasure somewhat and the overall feel wasn't as wonderful as it had been previously with this wine. I wonder if this was just an off bottle, or if there was something else going on?
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11/13/2018 - ElGreco Likes this wine: 91 Points
Aromatics: Lavender, flowers, and berries. Bright cherries and cranberries. Smoky and mineral with cool fruit, roses, and bloody sensation. Gentle yet firm tannin. Excellent alto piemonte nebbiolo.
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10/19/2018 - PaulusLoZebra Likes this wine: 91 Points
A gentle decant one hour before serving allowed this wine to open up nicely. Light translucent red; delicate aromas of fresh raspberries, cranberry, and citrus give way to hints of leather and underbrush; mid-weight mouthfeel is heftier than the aromatics; savory, with silky tannins and a hint of sweetness; raw steak notes reminiscent of an Etna; savory, ethereal, with a long sour cherry, mineral, bittersweet finish. Excellent QPR. Drink to 2025. A food wine.
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4/12/2018 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
Tasted blind.
My previous tasting notes still apply. A savory, a bit tough and wonderfully serious northern Piedmontese red. Lovely complexity here. Drinking nicely now but feels like it could benefit from further aging. Recommended.
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12/9/2017 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
My previous tasting notes still apply. A very nice Northern Piedmontese red. Priced according to its quality at 25€.
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12/5/2017 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
A blend of Nebbiolo (65%), Vespolina (20%) and Uva Rara (15%). Vinified in cement, blended together and aged for 2 years in medium-to-large oak casks. Aged for further 2 years in bottles before release. 13% alcohol. Served blind.
Luminous, translucent medium-deep ruby red color. Aromatic and fragrant, yet somehow slightly restrained nose with attractive, delicate aromas of licorice, smoke, gravelly earth, sour cherries, some crunchy dark forest fruits, a light iron note of gamey meat and a hint of mushroomy sous-bois. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and somewhat austere yet still quite approachable on the palate with savory flavors of sour cherries, gamey meat, a little bit of juicy dark berries, a hint of earthy and slightly dirty rustic character, a hint of blood and a touch of animal. Although the wine is moderately tannic with some noticeable grip, the structure relies more on the bright acidity. The finish is grippy and meaty with quite savory and even umami flavors of sour cherries, licorice, some herbal bitterness, a hint of gamey blood and a touch of crowberries.
A nice, savory and somewhat austere, yet very rewarding Nebbiolo-driven blend that feels like it is rustic yet really sophisticated and stylish at the same time. Although the wine lacks the weight and impressive quality of its southern cousins, Barolo and Barbaresco, it has still this air of grace surrounding it, which seems to be an inherent quality of well-made Nebbiolo. Probably won't be as long-lived as the best Nebbiolos, but this will still survive years in a cellar. Although the wine really doesn't seem primary, it feels still quite young and I can imagine this will feel young for many more years to come. It is wonderful already, but will develop further for at least 10 more years. Very nice.
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