2008 Fontanabianca BARBARESCO "Bordini" (Piemonte, Italy)

Jaysus!  This was like putting a skinny badger in your mouth.  Fiercely tannic and unfriendly.  I kept the bottle open, uncorked, for a full 24 hours to see if it softened a bit, and it did, but not by much.  If you have this, forget about it for 10 years, and maybe -- maybe -- it will come around.  If you don't have it, don't get it.

Color is a deceptively unsaturated medium dark ruby garnet.  The first night, the nose was all dry underbrush and scorchiness.  Little fruit.  Night two, it was a bit better.  Dry gravel, minerals, and tart cherry on the nose.  In the mouth, the first thing that hits isn't the flavor but the texture: very aggressive tannin puckers the mouth before it can register any flavors!  On night one, I got nothing but tannin. On night two, I at least got some cherry fruit to go along with the "dried leaves"/scorchy trademark of an overextracted wine.  I'm not sure this will ever come around.  I can't give it a letter grade.  Let's just say "?" I got this for $29.99 from WTSO.com, making it a bad value and making me feel foolish.

2007 Oberto Marco BAROLO "Ciabot Berton" (Piemonte, Italy)

This is a fragrant, richly fruity, varietally-true Nebbiolo.  It's drinking wonderfully now, but should improve over the next two years, and then hold nicely for a few more.

Medium ruby color with a distinct brickish tinge.  Classic Nebbiolo nose of slightly sourish cherry and dried cherry, couples with some gravelly earthiness and a nice cedary streak.  The fireworks really kick in in the mouth, where it's got that quiet but surprising power that Barolos can have.  Tons of liquid minerals but they seem in harmony with the chokecherry fruit.  Very full, but with no heat, and pretty decent acidity to keep things lively.  Long, lip-smacking finish.  Maybe not the most complex Barolo I've ever had, but a real treat.  A-.  Was $27.99 from WTSO.com a few months ago.  Imported  by Superior Wines, Cranford, NJ.

2008 Vallana SPANNA COLLINE NOVARESI (Piemonte, Italy)

This is excellent.  Shows classic Nebbiolo character, in a medium-bodied, soft, and ready-to-drink style.  I'm glad to see this old-line producer (whose Spannas from the 60s and 70s are legendary) is back on line.

Medium ruby-garnet.  Fragrant nose, with textbook winey cherry/dried cherry fruit together with a nice mildly mushroomy, earthy underbrush component.  Focused, vibrant, earthy-cherry fruit in a bone dry, medium-bodied format, with excellent, zingy acids and just a barely discernible bit of tannin becoming noticeable in the finish.  B+.  I don't know how much this cost, since my brother gave it to me, but it seems to be selling in the $14 - $18 range from various retailers I've seen on the Internet, which would make it a very good value.  Imported by Michael Skurnick Wines, Syosset, NY.  

PS, there's a good article in Tom Maresca's blog about the younger generation of this family working hard to bring the estate back to its former glory.

2007 Stroppiana BAROLO "Gabutti Bussia" (Piemonte, Italy)

An excellent, vigorous, big, exuberant wine.  Lots going on and packed with aromas and flavor.

Very dark black ruby with a brickish tinge.  Intense, complex nose of moist, warm earth, deep-toned chokecherry syrup, smoke, and with a whiff of balsamic vinegar (yes, there was a bit of volatile acidity, but it only added to the complexity of the wine, at least at this point).  Intensely earthy in the mouth, with tons of mineral-infused moist gravelly notes framing dark cherries and graphite.  Very full-bodied, with correspondingly large amounts of tannin and a high level of acidity.  Even with the v.a. I see this aging well for another 5 years.  A.  Imported by Superior Wines, Cranford NJ, it was $29.99 from WTSO.com a few months ago.  That's a good price for a Barolo this good.

2007 Rainoldi GRUMELLO (Valtellina, Lombardy, Italy)

A light, fragrant, high-altitude mountain Nebbiolo.  Very typical of this region (when done right).

Very mature color: light garnet/ruby with lots of amber at the rim.  Nose and flavors, however, are still very much alive.  Fragrant, high-toned, earthy/minerally nose with loads of winey-cherry and pomegranate fruit.  Ripe, earthy, flavorful, but lean in the mouth.  Lots of minerally cherry fruit builds after an initially earthy entry and leaves slowly.  Good acids, and surprisingly full body.  Lengthy, lean finish.  A decent value at $18.99 from Zachys.com.  B+, but you have to like this unique style.  Imported by Wine Warehouse, Commerce, Cal.

2007 Rivetti Massimo BARBARESCO "Froi" (Piemonte, Italy)

This is an elegant, pure-tasting, lighter-styled Nebbiolo.

Medium-light ruby color with the beginnings of some amber at the rim.  Light-intensity nose of dried cherries, black cherry, and sandalwood.  The flavors are more intense than the nose would lead you to believe.  An intense, linear attack of dried dark cherry, old barrels, dark slightly-bitter minerals, and lightly-scorched gravel that is not heavy but clings to the palate a long time.  A fair amount of fine-grained tannin provides texture.  Moderate acidity.  B+.  This is drinking well now and will continue to drink well, or possibly improve, over the next 1-3 years.  Was $19.99 from Wines Til Sold Out, making it an extremely good value for a solid Barbaresco.  Imported by Superior Wines, Cranford, NJ.

2007 Cavalier Bartolomeo BAROLO "Solanotto Altenasso" (Piemonte, Italy)

This is a very good Barolo that was -- surprisingly for a Barolo -- a good buy.  Big, fairly open, identifiably Nebbiolo, and nicely structured.

Deep, dark ruby color with just the barest hint of amber at the edge of the rim.  Extroverted nose of winey dark cherries, balsamic notes (including a bit of volatile acidity, though not enough to worry about), spiced balsa wood, and loamy earth.  In other words, pretty complex.  Burly and mouthfilling, it's got a boatload of tannin, but is showing lots of flavor right now:  deeply minerally black cherry and loads of dark, schisty earth.  Leaves the mouth reluctantly, with puckery tannins and acid, as well as long-lasting dark minerals.  Very full-bodied.  Kind of like a loud, gregarious 6'5" defensive lineman.  B+.  Got this for $24.99 from Wines Til Sold Out (wtso.com).  Imported by Superior Wines, Crannford, NY.

2009 Monchiero LANGHE NEBBIOLO (Piemonte, Italy)

Tasted blind, I'm not sure I'd be able to place this as a Nebbiolo.  But knowing what it is, I can see some varietal character, but in a youthful, simple style.

Light, bright ruby red color.  Straightforward fruity aromas of cherry, plum, and a little strawberry.  A bit more depth and grip than the light color and bouncy, fruity nose would lead you to expect.  Good acids and noticeable tannin, but little complexity.  Clingy flavors of dark cherry and some roasted herbal resin.  Fun to drink.  But tastes like it's from very young vines.  B. Was $16 and change at Arrowine in Arlington. (I've got to get out more . . .  seems like Arrowine is the only place I ever have time to do any wine shopping.)  Imported by Scoperta Importing Co., Cleveland Heights, OH.

Short notes on wines from my brother's visit

My brother Angy (Angelo) was visiting over the weekend.  Drank some good stuff and cooked some good Italian food.  Here are the quick notes from memory (I didn't have time in all the activity to take contemporaneous, detailed notes).

2006 Nino Negri VALTELLINA SUPERIORE "Quadrio" (Lombardy, Italy) -- Nebbiolos from the Valtellina are an inconsistent lot.  At their best, they are fragrant, lean, lighter versions of the more familiar Nebs from Piemonte.  At their worst, they are just plain thin.  Not sure if it's a tendency to overcrop in this region or just the difficulty of growing Nebbiolo in the Alpine foothills.  This was a good one.  Classic Nebbiolo nose of piercing dried cherry, laced with the stoney minerals this region can display.  ($20 from Houston Wine Merchant.)

2005 Nicolas Joly SAVENNIERES "Les Clos Sacres" (Loire Valley) -- Try as I might I just haven't been able to get into dry Chenin Blancs.  I don't get the allure.  Even this biodynamically grown version from one of the region's most respected winemakers wasn't all that pleasurable.  Pungent nose showing some intensely-petrolly (verging on nail polish) scents overpowering some ripe guava fruit.  Some oxidation showed though in the back half of the palate, which is disappointing given this wine's reputation to age for a few years.

2000 Giuseppi Quintarelli VALPOLICELLA (Veneto, Italy) -- From one of Italy's most revered and iconoclastic old-school winemakers, this cult Valpo absolutely ROCKED.  Every sniff and sip was different as this wine went through an amazing metamorphosis.  Plums, berries, smoke, earth, humus, baking spices, peat, this list of flavors and smells went on until we killed it.  Was $70 from Houston Wine Merchant.  Outrageously pricey for a Valpo, I know, but I hadn't had a Quintarelli wine since I was living in NYC in the 80s, and when I saw it just before Angy's trip, I had to get it.  (Sorry, 1999 shown.)


2007 Storybook Mountain Vineyards ZINFANDEL "Mayacamas Range" (Napa Valley, Cal.) -- I vacillate between Storybook and Ridge as my favorite Zin producer, but I guess I have to give a slight edge to Storybook.  The purity, elegance, and understatedly firm structure is unique among California Zins.  This one was a real treat, showing ridiculously pure cherry/black raspberry fruit, excellent stony minerality, and no noticeable oak intruding on any of its inherent virtues.  Fantastic balance, texture, and length.  Was around $30 at Spec's on Smith a couple of months ago . . . not sure if they have any left.

Wines at my brother's house

2008 Domaine Henri Darnat MEURSAULT "Clos du Domaine" -- Very tight but nicely concentrated. Nose was earthy, smoky, apply. Leaner style, but showed very good presence in back half of the palate, as well as good length and acidity. Very elegant. Will keep and improve for a few years. Got this from WinesTilSoldOut.com awhile back.

2008 Vallana SPANNA COLLINE NOVARESE -- My first wine of the new era of Vallana's presence in the U.S. after a long absence. This wasn't bad, but not up to the Spannas this producer cranked out in the 1960s and 70s. Earthy Nebbiolo fruit on the nose, but with a slight shoe polish, funky prune note detracting a bit. Medium concentration, but with some nice earthy cherry fruit. Decent finish.

2009 CHAD Carneros PINOT NOIR -- From WineAccess.com, this was an excellent value. Classic Cal. Pinot Noir with rich but focused sappy, earthy cherry fruit. Good concentration, with good acids too. Loads of cherry fruit with earthy minerals and some toasty oak. Yummy. Not sure who makes this, but it's good!

2006 Produttori di Barbaresco BARBARESCO (Piemonte, Italy)

This was a very good Barbaresco that is drinking well now but will benefit from 1-2 more years of cellaring.

Medium dark ruby garnet with just a bit of nascent orange at the rim. Medium intensity, slightly disjointed nose of earthy cherries, rose petals, and schisty gravel. Intense, clingy flavors of winey, earthy cherries and dark liquid minerals. Lots of puckery tannin throughout the finish. Comes across as lean but flavorful. Very long finish. 88. Was $29.99 from Zachys in NY.

Grandma, Nonno, and Molly's visit -- night 4

Polpetonne alla Toscana with two great wines I have enjoyed before and wanted to share with M&D:

2005 Chante Cigale CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE (Southern Rhone, France) -- I have reviewed this wine previously, and it remains very very good. Medium dark black ruby. Elegant, intensely minerally nose, with warm, dry gravel scents, incense, iodine, and dry blackberry extract. Dark and tannic, with deep-toned, iodine-rich blackberry fruit. Long finish coats the mouth with soft tannin on the physical side and clinging minerals on the taste side. Very nice. Drink in the next 2-3 years. 89.

2004 Renato Ratti BAROLO Rocche "Marcenasco" (Piemonte, Italy) -- Previously reviewed here, this remains a great Barolo. Dark black ruby with a hint of amber at the rim. Rich nose of dark cherries, cherry liqueur, and smoky earth. Soft, but with a dense concentration of dark cherry and dried cherry fruit. Fair amount of tannin in the back half of the palate. An excellent Barolo for drinking with special meals over the next 2-4 years. 91.

Grandma, Nonno, and Molly's visit -- night 2

2007 Darting Durkheimer Nonnengarten GEWURZTRAMINER Kabinett (Rheinpfalz, Germany) -- A relatively rare German Gewurz (Grandma's favorite grape?). A lilting and light nose of sweet, musky, tropical fruit, ripe pear and a teeny bit of Gewurz lychee nut. Gentler fruit (pear, grapefruit, guava) coats the mouth, but with a light texture, leaving a clean, lingering finish with the barest hint of bitterness. Slightly sweet, light bodied (only 9.5%). Terrific aperitif style Gewurz. 87. $20 at Spec's on Smith.

2006 Rainoldi SASSELLA Valtellina Superiore (Lombardy, Italy) -- Disappointing. In my view the main flaw in the Nebbiolo wines from the Valtellina is that they are frequently maddeningly thin. Like this one. Medium-light ruby garnet. With lots of airing, it exhibited a medium intensity nose of spiced cherries, balsa wood, and crushed stones. Medium-light bodied, with refreshing, focused, if somewhat thinnish flavors -- cherry fruit and an earthy, woodsy component. Still a little tannin present, which actually helps give the wine some textural interest. 85. Drink soon. $16.99 from Zachys.com (NY).

A bunch of great wines drunk with Angy and Susan

My brother Angy and his wife Susan were visiting for several days from Connecticut (which answers the question, who ever comes to Houston in summer for vacation?). To try to revive them from heat shock, we opened up several great bottles. But I was feeling too hot myself to do any serious analysis, so these are just quick impressions from memory.

First, the whites. A 2007 Domaine Weinbach SYLVANER Reserve ($17 at Spec's/Smith) was well-balanced but did not have inspiring depth or complexity. Sylvaner is a rather neutral tasting grape, so I guess I shouldn't have expected more than what I got, even from a great estate. The 2007 Domaine de la Rossignole SANCERRE "Cuvée Vieilles Vignes" ($19 at Spec's/Weslayan) was excellent: super crisp, lemony, and redolent of chalky minerals. None of the herbal, grassy side of Sauvignon Blanc on display. Finally, the 2007 Jacky Preys TOURAINE "Cuvée de Fie Gris Vieille Vigne" (ordered direct from North Berkeley Imports, which no longer ships to Texas thanks to the Texas wine police) was excellent and unique, bone dry and round, with a unique pumpernickel/rye bread component along with minerals and pear fruit.

A 2009 Lucien Crochet SANCERRE Pinot Rosé was a star, with unbelievable freshness, and a light mouthfeel yet with persistent ripe, crisp fruit.

Now for the sick reds we had. The 2008 Jean-Paul Brun MOULIN A VENT "Terres Dorées" was utterly classic Beaujolais, juxtaposing great freshness and lightness with very intense cherry fruit and crushed stone flavors. The 2004 Perticaia MONTEFALCO SAGRANTINO (previously reviewed) was holding beautifully, displaying soft, lush, mouthcoating fruit and crushed sandstone notes but with good balance and structure. A 2004 Nino Negri INFERNO "Mazér ($34 at Houston Wine Merchant) was a really fine example of a textbook Valtellina Nebbiolo, with a lightish color, and a lithe, austere mouthfeel serving as the delivery system for rose-scented intensely cherryish fruit.

And then there was the king: the 2004 Renatto Ratti BAROLO "Rocche" ($69 at Spec's on Weslayan) was mind-blowing, old fashioned Barolo, the likes of which I haven't drunk in literally decades. Ridiculously rich and complex nose, which featured ripe chokecherry liqueur fruit and a constantly-evolving, earthy, peat-like like component, and staggering length, richness, and balance. This will likely age for several more years, but I can't imagine it getting any better than it is now (keep in mind that my personal tastes veer decidedly toward younger rather than more aged wines). The contrast in this Nebbiolo with the Valtellina Neb from Negri of the same vintage was really instructive.

No scores, but the Sancerre Rosé, Moulin a Vent, Inferno, Sagrantino, and (especially) the Barolo, would all have been 90+ wines for sure.

2004 Travaglini GATTINARA (Piemonte, Italy)

A decently-made Nebbiolo from a long-underachieving appellation in northern Piemonte. Unlike many of its more expensive and prestigious neighbors to the south in the Barolo and Barbaresco DOC, whose growers have all seemed to have changed over to a bland, no-doubt-technologically-sound modern method of making Nebbiolo based wines that strip Nebbiolo of the characterisitics that made it great, you can actually discern -- if you concentrate -- that this wine was made from the Nebbiolo grape.

From the region where Nebbiolo is locally called "Spanna" near the city of Turin, Gattinara used to be an amazing wine in the hands of long-gone masters such as Antonio Vallana, and the still-around-but-resting-on-its-laurels house of Luigi Dessilani. Travaglini has never been at the pinnacle of Gattinara producers, but was usually a dependable if unexciting wine. I think the fact that good Gattinaras are so rare in this country may have made me a bit more lenient in my assessment than usual, but anyway . . .

Medium-light ruby garnet. Somewhat shy nose of smoky, earthy, winey dried cherries. Has a weightiness in the mouth that contrasts with its light color and shy nose. Not a lot of initial, upfront fruit, but building weight in the cherry skins, minerally, peppery finish. A fair amount of tannin coats the mouth, but I wouldn't wait for it to drop out because I think this wine is fairly advanced in its evolution. 86. Was $24.99 on sale at Randall's on Weslayan. Imported by Palm Bay Imports.

2005 Bruno Giacosa NEBBIOLO D'ALBA (Piemonte, Italy)

This Nebbiolo, from a highly-regarded producer, was a bit disappointing given the reputation of the producer and the quality of the 2005 vintage in northern Italy.

Eye: Medium ruby-garnet color.

Nose: Medium intensity nose of eucalyptus, chokecherries, and stony minerals.

Mouth: Medium-bodied and quite tannic in the mouth, with intense minerality but only moderate intensity of chokecherry fruit, with a touch of old wine barrels scent. Long, fairly peppery and somewhat astringent finish. Identifiably Nebbiolo, but kind of bony and spare.

Score: 84.

Cellar or drink? While the astringency and tannin would seem to require a bit of ageing, the advanced color and lack of fruit concentration seem to indicate that ageing won't help much, if at all. Drink up.

Price/store: Was $25 at Spec's on Smith.

2001 Triacca VALTELLINA SUPERIORE RISERVA "La Gatta" (Lombardy, Italy)

In the early 1980s, Nebbiolo wines from the four towns comprising the Valtellina (Inferno, Grumella, Sassella, and Valgella) used to be some of my favorites -- they were cheap (always under $10), they were great examples of a lighter, leaner style of Nebbiolo, and, at least in NYC, where I lived, they were fairly widely available. Until I saw this one, I hadn't seen a Valtellina wine in literally decades.

This wine was very light and lean, but had correct Nebbiolo scents and flavors.

Very light ruby/garnet, with a hint of amber at the rim. Sweet, candied cherries and lemons on the nose, with a backdrop of smoky stones. Medium-light bodied, but with persistent flavors tart cherries, old oak barrels, and minerals, leading to a fairly long, but lean and somewhat tannic finish. It would be nice to age this to have the tannin drop out, but I think that the fruit is on the decline, so drink this now. 86. Was about $30 at Spec's on Smith. On its merits, definitely not worth the price, but for a personal trip down memory lane, not bad.

2001 Marchesi di Barolo BAROLO (Piemonte, Italy)

This was so cheap for a Barolo -- $18 at Kroger's at Buffalo Speedway -- that I had to try it. It wasn't bad, but, objectively speaking, it wasn't worth the money.

Medium light garnet color. The first night I opened it, the nose and flavors were very tight and closed. I put it under a Vacu-vin closure and then didn't get around to re-tasting it until 4 days later. It was much better then. Lots of chokecherry and menthol on the nose. Not very concentrated, but correct Nebbiolo flavors (winey cherries & minerals). Pretty good finish. Would have been good if it were a generic Nebbiolo d'Alba appellation, but for a Barolo, it was disappointing. 86.

1997 Antonio Vallana "Colline Novaresi" SPANNA

Antonio Vallana was one of my favorite Italian producers back in the 80s, and I recently found and reviewed two older vintages of his Boca D.O.C. wines here and here. They weren't quite up to the old standards, and neither is this one.

1997 was a highly touted vintage in Northern Italy, so I was expecting a wine of substantial concentration and still a bit on the youthful side. But this wine showed significant browning at the edges. It was also quite fragrant, but definitely showed up the funky/earthy side of the Spanna (Nebbiolo) grape, with chokecherry and barnyardy, earthy scents competing for attention. Earthy, evolved flavors with cherries again, with noticeable acidity. I would drink this up, as any more aging will only play up the earthiness and acidity. 84.

1993 Antonio Vallana Boca (Piemonte, Italy)

This was holding up better than the 1989 Boca, reviewed a few days ago. Remarkably youthful color for a 13-year old wine. Nose of sweet & sour cherries, pewter, warm earth, and, if you think hard enough, a little of that Nebbiolo dried rose petal fragrance. Fresh, medium-bodied flavors, with winey sweet/sour cherries, metallic minerals, and a bit of barnyard. Lively, but not unpleasant acidity. Nicely done, in a rustic and lighter style for a Nebbiolo-based wine. 86. $13.99 from The Rare Wine Company.