2006 Icardi Barbaresco Montubert

• By Antonio Galloni
  Piedmont Comes Of Age (Oct 2009), (See more on Vinous...)

  (Icardi Barbaresco Montubert) Login and sign up and see review text.

RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  8/31/2013, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 90 points

  (Icardi Barbaresco Montubert) Medium dark red violet color with pale meniscus; appealing, lifted, dried cherry, tar, tart berry, licorice nose; tasty, tart red berry, cranberry palate with medium acidity; needs 5-plus years; medium-plus finish

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  8/13/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (MONTUBERT Icardi) 2006 Barbaresco Dear Friends, 2006 will provide many highlights in the environs of Alba but this wine really opened my eyes for the price. This is the finest Montubert ever made by Icardi - they are finally making a serious attempt to push this wine to the forefront of their portfolio and it is even better than many past efforts of their Barolo Parej. With a decided slant back (toward tradition) and away from the ultra-modern style that alienated a wide segment of the public, Icardi has grown up and the 2006 Montubert is the first offspring of this new mentality. I believe it is going to win a large continent of fans. Maybe it was the evolving palate preference of Icardi's owner but the 2006 Montubert tones down the neon lights in a vintage where it was very easy to shine them with full force. The wine leans toward purity and varietal reflection but it does so with very deep, bursting fruit and a predilection for clean, rose-tinged Nebbiolo. I applaud this style as it is neither modern nor old-school - it is a style almost all of us will appreciate as it takes the roto-fermenter world of the early-mid-1990s and graduates it to a doctorate program where a certain excited restraint is the order of the day, not manipulation. While still quite large in scale and teeming with cherry red fruit, the massive oak use of the past is gone in favor of a moderate use of quercous vessels that give the wine a structure - not a personality. From 50-70 year old vines, the result here reminds me (in general) of 1999. The fruit is certainly very ripe but it stays the course without the overdone quality of a vintage like 1997 or 2003. While I'm the first to stand in line for a cerebral Nebbiolo-based experience, there are also times when you want to share a terrific bottle of Barbaresco without the pomp and circumstance associated with something like 1989 Giacosa - this wine fits the bill. It is one to celebrate and not to fuss over, although it will leave many rival wines in the dust. The 2006 Montubert begs to be consumed now for its freshness and impact but it will last for the next decade or more without batting an eye. Kudos to Icardi for bringing their old-vine fruit into the year 2009 while listening to a public tired of smoke and mirrors. From the Icardi's: "Contrary to what you may read, not all of Barbaresco saw rain in 2006 - for us it was a very, very good year - more typical of a classic year than not. Although we did get some rain in Sept, there was plenty of sun in October during the Nebbiolo harvest. We picked a little later than normal but overall, not much worry at all - the kind of vintage we like with fresh and full fruit that stays on the palate". Sounds good to me. 2006 Icardi Barbaresco "Montubert" Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy3020