Archive: Italy: Piedmont: Red
Albino Rocca 1999 Barbaresco Vigneto Loreto ($60). Elegant and smooth, with polished plum and red berry fruit, accented with cinnamon and chalky mineral notes – all on a full-bodied, tannic frame. Tasty now, but just a preview of where this wine is going. Best after a few more years bottle age, then enjoy for a decade or more. (Splurge Wine, 08/02)
Boroli
2005 Barbera d’Alba Quattro Fratelli ($16). Teriffic concentration and depth, with aromatic black currant and blackberry flavors laced with smoke, bittersweet chocolate, earth and sweet tobacco. Long, full finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. (Weekend Wine 12/07)
2004 Barolo Cerequio ($80). Black currant and blackberry fruit is laced with integrated earthy and mushroom notes and picks up silky, spicy vanilla and toast notes through the long, smooth finish. Ready to drink now and over the next decade. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-06-11)
2000 Barbera d’Alba Superiore Bricco 4 Fratelli ($16). Delicious and easy to drink, with juicy black plum and cherry fruit, racy acidity and an appealing mineral kick. Ready to drink now. (Wine Tasting 04/05)
Ceretto 1996 Barbaresco Asij ($42). We were lucky enough to stumble across this wine at a restaurant recently. It was wine list priced at $75, and we were feeling splurgy, so we ordered it. And wow, it was incredible. Beautifully balanced, showing ripe blackberry and plum fruit, with layers of earth, nutmeg and smoke – this is an elegant wine from the enchanting bouquet to the velvety finish. And it hasn’t even completely hit its stride yet. It should continue to improve in the bottle for another few years. (Splurge Wine, 08/02)
Coppo 1999 Barbera d’Asti Camp du Rouss ($16). Easily the best of the bunch. With exotic notes of smoke, berry and chocolate that begin in the bouquet and continue on the palate. Full bodied and delicious, with big but well-integrated tannins. Lush finish that lingers on and on. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. (Wine by the Glass, 08/02)
Damilano 2000 Barolo Liste ($70). A “wow” wine and worth every lira. Or Euro. Whatever. With an intoxicating fresh bouquet laced with floral and earthy accents. Ripe blackberry and plum fruit is ripe and complex, picking up an array of accents including wet earth, sage, bacon, mineral and spicy oak. Generous, lingering finish. Needs more time in the bottle – drink after 2008 and then for another 10-15 years. (Wine Tasting 04/05)
Gaja
2004 Langhe Conteisa($225). This is “declassified” Barolo made by one of the legends of the region; the 8% Barbera addition makes it outside the Barolo regulations — sort of a “super Piedmont” if you will. (Langhe is the official classification — the name of the larger region that covers Piedmont and more in the northwest.) Deeply concentrated blackberry and dark plum aromas and flavors are layered with rose, cardamom and mineral, with a silky texture and finish supported by a firm tannic structure. A few hours of decanting make this one drinkable now, but best after a few more years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-06-11)1998 Langhe Costa Russi ($340). Just a beautiful wine – balanced, complex and lush. Ripe, deep berry flavors are deftly integrated with warm spices, espresso, toasty oak, and anise. Full bodied and delicious. Awfully tempting now, but best from 2006 to 2016 and beyond. (Italian Connection 10/04)
1998 Barbaresco ($175). We were lucky enough to get a small taste of this incredible (and pricey) wine recently. If $175 isn’t out of your price range, we highly recommend it! Ripe and voluptuous, showing off waves of red cherry and berry fruit, with beautiful earth, spice, and mineral accents. Deliciously long finish. Wonderful now and should continue to improve in the bottle for another decade. (Splurge Wine, 08/02)
1996 Langhe Sperss ($175). Full bodied, with impressive tannic structure. Offers meaty blackberry and dried cherry fruit layered with smoke, tobacco, leather and dried herbs. A powerful, very dry wine. Best from 2006 to 2016 and beyond. (Italian Connection 10/04)
1999 Barbaresco
($185). Beautifully focused bright red cherry and berry fruit is laced with baking spices, toasty oak, and milk chocolate. Silky tannins. Lovely, lingering finish. Delicious now and over the next ten years. (Italian Connection 10/04)
Giacomo Conterno 1999 Barbera d’Alba Cascina Francia ($28). Tasty, with medium-bodied fruit that includes juicy red cherry and blackberry. Good earthiness and spice on the finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. (Wine by the Glass, 08/02)
Icardi 2003 Dolcetto d’Alba Rousori ($19). Light- to medium-bodied, with smooth red berry fruit laced with touches of bittersweet chocolate and roasted herbs. Ready to drink now. (Wine Tasting 04/05)
L’Ardi 2007 Dolcetto d’Acqui ($11). Tangy red cherry and berry flavors stay bright through a smooth, fruity finish, with slight tea leaf and mineral notes. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2008-10-22)
Marchesi di Barolo 1997 Barolo ($45). We recently opened another bottle of this wine and were bowled over (again!) at the complex bouquet of rose and cherry fruit, the elegant composition of ripe fruit, toasted nut, and mineral notes. This wine is wonderful now, but will really be at its peak in another two or three years. After that, it should drink beautifully for four or five more. (Winery Spotlight, 06/02) Locate this wine online or in your area.
Marchesi di Gresy 2005 Dolcetto d’Alba Monte Aribaldo ($17). Fresh red berry, cherry and floral aromas and flavors stay bright and smooth through the long, mineral-laced finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. (Wine Tasting 04/08) Locate this wine online or in your area.
Michele Chiarlo
2006 Barbera d’Asti Superiore Nizza La Court ($46). Slick, concentrated and mouthwatering, with black fruits — blackberry, plum, black raspberry — laced with mineral, toast and roasted coffee notes on the long, slightly earthy finish. Ready to drink now and over the next four or five years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-08-27)2005 Barolo Cerequio ($100). Built to age and offering elegant, complex, mixed red berry fruit supported by tightly-wound tannins and finishing with touches of vanilla, toast, mint and floral notes. Needs time to come together. Drink from 2014 and over the next 10+ years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-08-16)1999 Barbera d’Asti Superiore ($12). Blackberry and dried cherry fruit are accented with cola and subtle spicy notes. Easy to drink, medium bodied, and nicely balanced. Ready to drink now. (Wine by the Glass, 08/02) Locate this wine online or in your area.
1997 Barbaresco Asili ($46). An incredible value, if you can find it anywhere near this price. Loads of concentrated fruit that includes black cherry and blackberry, along with smoky and mineral notes that emerge on the generous finish. Awfully good now, and will be even better over the next ten years. (Splurge Wine, 08/02) Locate this wine online or in your area.
2004 Barolo Cerequio ($103). Wild strawberry aromas and flavors are accented with anise, floral, delicate mushroom notes, mineral and fresh tobacco notes, with a long, silky length and chalky tannins. Best after 2012 and over the next 15-20 years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-06-11)
Pio Cesare 2006 Dolcetto d’Alba ($19). Round and smooth, with ripe black cherry and berry fruit laced with licorice and a touch of toasted almond. Classic Dolcetto. Ready to drink now. (Wine Tasting 04/08) Locate this wine online or in your area.
Prunotto 2006 Dolcetto d’Alba ($17). Light and crisp, with blackberry aromas and flavors that pick up a touch of mineral on the finish. Ready to drink now. (Wine Tasting 04/08) Locate this wine online or in your area.
Roberto Voerzio 2004 Barolo Cerequio ($275). Full-bodied but refined, with intense blackberry, black currant and floral notes, with firm but smooth tannins and a rich, silky, mineral-laced length. Pretty enough to be considered approachable in the short term, but the complexity it will gain over time makes it worth the wait. Drink after 2014. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-06-11)
Stefano Farina 1995 Barolo (mid $20s). Give me wine. No one should ever struggle over what to give me for my birthday, Christmas, or any other gift-giving occasion. Just give me wine. Wine also makes the perfect gift for regifting. This weekend I popped the cork on a bottle of wine I recently received for my birthday. Paired with a tomato-based chicken and green olive stew served over white rice, I very much enjoyed this Barolo, a bright red wine that was smooth and berrylicious. Well done my gift-giving friends. (Weekend Wine, 04/00)
Vigne Regali 2006 Dolcetto d’Acqui L’Ardì ($12). What a nice surprise! Tangy, delicate red berry and cherry fruit, with some depth and sweet earth, and a bright finish. A nice partner for a traditional Italian pizza — nothing fancy, just some ham and cheese. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area. (Picks & Nibbles 05/08)