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Nebbiolo Outed
Article By: Bill Nesto, MW
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a winter evening so cold that your sneezes turn into
snowflakes. Stoke
a fire in the fireplace until it crackles louder than you
can talk. Slice
open and roast some chestnuts. Set them on a metal pan near
the fire where they can stay warm. Strip
game of feather or fur. Braise,
roast or barbecue. Position
root vegetables (potatoes, onions, etc. ), squash (acorn is
preferred), and mushrooms (portobellos are fine) around the
sizzling meat. Roll
out a wheel of aged Parmigiano Reggiano. Break into
bite-sized portions. Position
the dining table near the fire and cover with a white table
cloth. Position large crystal balloon goblets at every
setting. Place
hand-made, bone-handled cutlery at every
setting. Position
and light candles. Insert
CD of a Puccini opera; hit PLAY. Decant
a cellar-temperature, WINE X, preferably at least
five-years-old. One older than 1O years might have sediment
in the bottle. Pour WINE X off the sediment into a glass
pitcher. The wine, young or old, must sit for at least one
hour. While
the wine breathes, go out, capture three friends, bind them
securely onto the ski rack, and motor them back home. They
can be male or female. They must be hungry. Once
at home, unbind them, position them at the table and pour
out WINE X. Begin
the dinner.
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QUESTION
What is Wine X? Nebbiolo is a red grape variety that makes just about the heartiest, most tannic red varietal wine on the planet. It hails from the hills and mountains of northwest Italy. Consumers are most likely to have experienced it labeled under the appellation names, Barolo or Barbaresco. When lipstick has not been applied, ie, the wine has not been doctored or aggressively manipulated, Nebbiolo wine is pale garnet in color, even when just released. Looking at the wine against a white background, a color typical of overmature wine, a pale tinge of orange-red rings the wine's edge on the glass. But don't be fooled by Nebbiolo's whimpy, older-than-it-should-look color. Fine Nebbiolo packs a punch as strong as any pitch-black Screaming Eagle, lives as long as any brawny Hermitage (once called , the "manliest" of wines), and makes a roasted wild game cower in its presence. Once the cork is pulled, the wine can greet you with disappointing vegetal or animal smells - or nothing at all. The reason for decanting it an hour or two before is to give oxygen to the nose, and hence, to let it "breathe". In. Then out. In. Then out. Just kidding! It doesn't breathe like we do. Pour an inch or so of Nebbiolo into your glass. Bring it up to our nose. The large bulbous glass of my recipe allows you to spin a little wine up near the top of the rim and then back down again. This action gives the wine more oxygen. It also increases the surface area exposed to the air releasing more volatile aromas. The wine "breathes" more. The wine's nose can wake up or bad smells can play themselves out and disappear. The wine smells nice. Cherry is the dominant scent. Any permutation of the smell of various flowers, underbrush, root vegetables, mushrooms, Indian spices, leather, and tar provides background scenery for the cherry. As is often the case with Pinot Noir, the smell of a Nebbiolo can amplify and becomes more complex if you age it for ten or even twenty years in its bottle. Now pour some of the pale red stuff into your mouth. The first thing you notice is that the wine has no sugar. The next thing, you realize is that it has plenty of alcohol. The greatest examples have levels of 13. 5% and higher. The high alcohol is the result of late picking. If the capricious Piedmont autumn remains sunny and warm, the grapes continue to ripen late into the season, into early November. Maximum flavor and high alcohol in the wine is the result. With all that alcohol, the wine, particularly when young, will initially taste fiery. Before you can say boo, the wine changes from being fiery to incredibly tart. And before you can say boo again, drying tannins lay siege to the mouth. It is because of these tannins that strong tasting meats best accompany the wine. Chewing and releasing flavors of the meat dilutes and buffers the attack of the tannins. The rich unctuousness of the high alcohol combines with the wine's fruit. These flavors balance the flavors of the meat. The wine's acidity cuts the meat's fat. The result harmonizes with the Puccini opera. What an experience! Older Nebbiolos are less fiery and astringent. They accompany more delicately flavored foods such as chicken and veal. But Nebbiolo is "not over, until it's over". What distinguishes a fine Nebbiolo from all other varietal wines is its finish - how the taste of the wine remains in the mouth after a swallow. It lasts and lasts and lasts. The finish is composed of the lingering scents that waft up from the through into the nose, and the lingering textures, mostly astringent, that occupy the entire mouth and throat. Barolos and Barbarescos are the most expensive Nebbiolos, costing over $4O each. Less expensive versions come with other appellation names on the label: Gattinara, Ghemme, Carema, Langhe Nebbiolo, Lessona, Nebbiolo d'Alba, Roero, Sizzano, Valtellina Superiore, Valtellina, etc. These are a bit lighter and less dense on the palate, and shorter lived with respect to aging in bottle. Recently, in Italy, I sampled a range of Nebbiolos, selected for me by the Enoteca Italiana. Housed in Siena's De'Medici fortress, the Enoteca Italiana maintains a library of wines produced in all regions of Italy. In order to become part of the library, the wines must satisfy the palates of trained tasters. Most of the wines described on the next page are available in the US market. All the wines were fine examples of their type and vintage. I have expressed my personal preference by giving them a point score based on a maximum positive rating of 2O points. A wine with a score of ten is a technically perfect but anonymous wine. A wine that scores 15 or above is a unique and exceptional wine. Hence most of my scores range between 1O and 15. In each case in sequence, I list the name of the producer, the distinctive name or brand of the wine, the appellation, description of the appearance of the wine, description of the wine's smell, description of the wine's palate, description of the wine's finish, maturity assessment, and my personal point score. BREZZA,
BRICCO SARMASSA, BAROLO DOCG,
2OO1 Pale
garnet with orange-red rim; red fruits, prosciutto,
indian spice; moderate weight, hot in back of the
throat, moderate tannins; hot cherry candy finish;
can be appreciated now but can improve. 13.5
points BAVA,
"CADODO", MONFERRATO DOC,
2OOO Light
ruby with ruby rim; slightly vegetal, young wine
smell, red fruits, cherry, indian spice; hot, thick
and fruity on the palate; hot, raisiny, chocolatey,
and tart finish; young but meant to be young. 12.5
points BAVA,
SCARRONE, "CONTRABBASO", BAROLO DOCG,
2OOO Light
red with orange rim; strong aromatic red fruits,
smoke, tar; thick and tannic with good acidity;
game, mushroom and smoke in the finish; drinking
well but will improve. 14.5 points MICHELE
CHIARLO, CEREQUIO, BAROLO DOCG,
2OO1 Light
to medium garnet with orange rim; burnt fruits,
gamey, a little reduced, vegetal; young and
impenetrably hard in the mouth, very tart; acid,
hard tannins and heat form a balance in the finish;
immature, needs 5 to 1O years of aging. 15.5
points MICHELE
CHIARLO, TORTONIANO, BAROLO DOCG,
2OO1 Pale
garnet with orange rim; light red fruits, sour
cherry and cedar in the nose; hot and rich but then
sour and bitter in the mouth; strong bitter and
astringent tannins in the finish; almost mature,
will hold for 1O years. 12.5 points FONTANAFREDDA,
"LAZZARITO", VIGNA LA DELIZIA, BAROLO DOCG,
1999 Light
to medium garnet-brown with orange rim; slight
musty (cork?) nose, ripe - perhaps overripe - red
fruits, mushroom and bacon in the nose; thick,
full, delicious, complex on the palate; clean
finish, elegant, tart, fine tannins; a complex wine
that need 5 years. 14 points FONTANAFREDDA,
"LA ROSA", VIGNA LA ROSA, BAROLO DOCG,
1999 Light
to medium garnet with garnet-orange rim; vegetal at
first, then gamey, leather, red fruits, and tobacco
smells; rounder and softer than Lazzarito; drying,
fine tannins, long aromatic finish, very complex;
needs 5 to 1O years. 15 points FONTANAFREDDA,
SERRALUNGA D'ALBA, BAROLO DOCG,
2OOO Pale
garnet-brown with orange rim; red fruits, spicy,
deceptively open and ready to drink in the nose;
classic, hot, spicy, prickly, acid in the mouth;
drying, hot, tart, spicy, long finish, fine
aromatics; beginning to open but will age for 1O to
2O years. 16 points PRUNOTTO,
BUSSIA, BAROLO DOCG, 2OOO
Light to medium garnet with orange rim; a whiff of
rotten eggs at first then red fruits, eggplant and
tobacco; substantial, rich and thick in the mouth;
finishes hot, tart, with substantial tannins and
cherry accents; needs 5 years but will be great. 15
points PRUNOTTO,
BRIC TUROT, BARBARESCO DOCG,
2OOO
Medium to light garnet-brown with red-orange rim;
strong red fruits, youthful, cinnamon hots, tar;
thick, sweet character, fine dusty tannins; super
long finish, great tannins; great future. 16
points OBERTO,
LOGHERO, ROERO DOC SUPERIORE,
2OO1 Light
garnet-brown with brown-orange rim; flat nose,
port-like, alcoholic; round; hot, bitter finish;
mature but can hold for 1O years. 12.5
points OBERTO,
NEBBIOLO D'ALBA DOC, 2OO2
Pale red-garnet with orange rim; red fruits, slight
musty note, tobacco; light on the palate; tart,
bitter and tannic finish; needs 5 years. 12
points RATTI,
OCHETTI, NEBBIOLO D'ALBA DOC,
2OO3 Light
to medium garnet-ruby with ruby rim;
bottled-out-of-tank smell, clean, simple, modern,
cherry-scented, tobacco; round, substantial, hot;
tannic, some bitterness in the finish; needs 5
years. 12.5 points TERRE
DEL BAROLO, NEBBIOLO D'ALBA DOC,
2OO3 Pale
red with orange rim; mute red fruits, vegetal,
simple; moderate weight, alcoholic; very hot
finish; needs 5 years. 12 points GIGI
ROSSO, ARIONE, BAROLO DOCG,
2OO1 Light
to medium garnet with red rim; tight red fruit
nose, young, red hot cherry candies; substantial,
thick, complex tannins; lingering sweet fine
tannins, tobacco in the finish; young, needs 5 to
1O years. 14 points BIANCHI,
VIGNETO VALTERANA, GATTINARA DOCG,
1999 Light
to medium garnet with red rim; nice red fruit nose,
slight mustiness; easy to drink, lower alcohol than
other wines in tasting; substantial tannins, very
drying; drinking well. 12 points BIANCHI,
GHEMME DOCG. 1999
Light to medium garnet with red rim; delicate
cherry nose, clean; spicy, round, sweet tannins;
fine tannic quality, lingering; needs 5 years. 13
points NEGRO,
SUDISFÀ, ROERO DOC,
2OO1 Light
to medium garnet with orange rim; complex baked
cherry nose, tar, Barbaresco-like; round,
alcoholic, very tannic, austere; long tannic
finish; needs 5 years of aging. 14
points NEGRO,
PRACHIOSSO, ROERO DOC, 2OO2
Light to medium garnet-ruby with ruby rim; nice
cherry fruit nose, tobacco, vegetal; easier to
drink than the 2OO1, well made; tannic, good drying
tannins in the finish; good now. 12.5
points TERRA
DA VINO, PODERI SCARRONE, BAROLO DOCG,
2OO1 Light
to medium garnet with garnet-orange rim; round
simple nose, red fruits, tobacco; tart, lacks
complexity; nice finish, vanilla, tannic; okay now
but better in 3 years. 12. 5 points |