Barolo threeways in France - three producers and three vintages...

In the same vein as the last blog - Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons threeways - I took a few bottles of Barolo with me on holiday and decided that opening them all together was the way forward...

The trio di Barolo...

The three wines are ones I know well and that I buy every vintage:

Marcarini - is a slightly more commercial producer that the other two who could be classed as artisanal and cult in similar ways. All are traditional in terms of their non-use of new oak but there are differences too. Marcarini also makes a La Serra which, to me, is a little less structured but good.

Bartolo Mascarello - A producer whose wines I have loved for a while, old bottles can be variable but from 2005 I believe these are firmly at the top of the tree. The 2005 and 2008 being exceptional in vintages (especially 2005) where not everyone shone. The attitude is traditional in wood use but also the blending of vineyards (Cannubi - San Lorenzo , Rue and Rocche di La Morra - as per the label). Ken Vastola's site - www.finewinegeek.com - has a great section on Bartolo - info can be found here.

Cappellano - My experience is a little less here than the others but both the Pie Rupestris and Pie Franco are serious. Whenever I have had the wines I have found them to be powerfully poised and elegant as well as built to last. The same site as above has Cappellano info HERE. The Chinato is not to be overlooked if you can find it!

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"Protocol" - all wines were cool and just opened and tasted (PNP = popped 'n' poured). Then double decanted (DD) before the second tasting and thereafter served from bottle nice and cool.

Barolo Brunate 2004, Marcarini

PNP - Clean, heady, slightly spiced nose with red fruits and some black backbone. Full, rich and intense. The palate is more structured and drier. Quite bold structure and good grip, nice tannins that are big but not hard, good length. Good wine.

Post DD + 2 hours - Still a little heady and hi-toned, good though. This is a wine that is not either young or mature and possibly suffers as a result. The tannins are certainly the boldest of the three. This is good, very good even, but not stacking up on pure quality with the other two.

20 hours after first opening - Holding up very well and whilst still a little "hi" it has a good balance of fruit and tannin with nice acidity. I think I'll try to leave the last bottles and a magnum of this that I have for at least 5 years, as I feel it will age very well and mellowness might be a good thing. 19/25.

Barolo Pie Rupestris 2008, Cappellano

PNP - Clean, more animal than the Marcarini. Richness? Yes, but also with lovely farmyard character but then more leather aromas, tea and lots of complexity. The fruit is nicely bruised in places, the acidity is more a feature of the wine than the tannin, which is there, but not overpowering. Nice start.

Post DD + 2 hours - Very good, somewhere between the other two in terms of profile, not the fruit purity of the Bartolo, not the tannin of the Marcarini. The sweet leather and tan element are superb, the fruit has tightened up a bit, clearly young but with an old soul. I like this, for the purists for sure.

20 hours after first opening - Lovely lifted nose, still on the leather side but also cured meats and saline, a serious wine that has good degraded sweetness and a great ability to age, I foresee this being a tertiary style of wine. Despite all these "animal" descriptors there is a red berry fruit lurking as well. Really lovely. 20-21+/25

Barolo 2009, Bartolo Mascarello

PNP - Such lovely poise, this has real precision and is more on the fruit than the others, there is a little spice there, the palate is a little softer and lighter but still true, this smacks of a tender attitude to a vintage that is not a blockbuster, good start.

Post DD + 2 hours - This saw comfortably the biggest change of the wines, the elegant but slightly scrawny, almost light red fruit has gone, replaced by a darker, sweeter and fuller character. I hate lazy analogies of red Burgundy but here's one coming; it is like a lesser vintage Volnay that has turned into a young Morey-Saint-Denis from a great year. The only possible criticism I might be able to make is that it is not so obviously Barolo. The wine is just a different animal post the double-decant and time.  

20 hours after first opening - The only wine to be tighter now than after DD+2hours, the nose is classy but a touch subdued, the extravagance of the second tasting has gone on the nose but there is a lovely rich tarry-ness to the palate with a good, marked acidity too. Somehow it is less of a showstopper now but more of a Barolo. 21-22/25

Conclusion: This was a really fun way to do things and I look forward to just drinking the last third of each later without making notes. The styles are different as well as the vintages. I will certainly continue to buy all three.

Barolo 2008's a cracking tasting and nice surprise

Last Tuesday in the private dining room at Zucca I joined a small selection of merchants/brokers to taste through twenty 2008 Barolos (is it supposed to be Baroli?) hosted by my "Barolo Guru". I had been looking forward to this for some time. I am lucky to drink and buy a lot of great Barolo, and given the age-ability of the wine I am trying to buy as much as possible now whilst it still offers great value, but this was especially exciting as it was a vertical of several producers. As a bit of a precursor; the vintage had a reputation as a good but not great vintage, more delicate and classical than 2006, less flashy and more genuine than 2007. As ever the proof would be in the tasting. we tasted in flights of two or three wines, moving loosely from Barolo/La Morra to Castiglione Fallettto to Monforte and then Serralunga, but in places this changed to keep producers wines together.
So, to the tasting, and up first was Marcarini, a producer who's wines I follow personally. I have had great wines from the 1970's, especially Brunate '70 which is a gem, they appeared to lose their way in the 90's like quite a few producers but since 2004 they have been on great form.

1) Barolo La Serra, Marcarini - Very fresh, good very light red colour, raspberry and black pepper on the nose, floral, good structure, ripe and good tannins, lively, pretty and impressive. A good start and the sort of style I expected. 17 out of 20 (2014-2024)

2) Barolo Brunate, Marcarini - A little darker than La Serra as expected, a little closed on the nose, on the palate more masculine and savoury that La Serra, a sleeper, I like this, very Brunate, more muscular, good ripe, big tannins. 16.5-17.5 out of 20 (2016-2038)

The next producer - Francesco Rinaldi - is another that I have stared to follow having tasted the 2006's, there is no relation to Guiseppe (wines 6 & 7). Great to be able to compare so many Brunate's, a site I follow closely.

3) Barolo Brunate, Francesco Rinaldi - A pale but true colour, hint of brown, leather, spice, slightly oxidative style, malty and balsamic on the nose then the fruit comes through, complex and easy to misjudge, not for the Barolo newcomer, I'll buy this. 17-18 out of 20 (2015-2030)

Next reducer is Marengo, not one I know well, more modern in approach.

4) Barolo Brunate, Marengo - Lush, easy fruit, quite high toned, smooth clean finish, not my style but a good wine, a little too polished. 16-16.5 out of 20 (2014-2028)

Vietti are a big name in Barolo, they make good Barbera too. They are very good at ripe fruit but the approach to new oak is not to my style, I was looking forward to being proved wrong.

5) Barolo Brunate, Vietti - Focussed but slightly dump on the nose, classy nose, high toned and a little too polished, big but ripe tannins, for those that like this style this is impressive. 16-17 out of 20 (2016-2026)

Giuseppe Rinaldi is a legend in Barolo, and amongst the top three producers in my book, he is relatively little known outside the region and hardcore fans as he produces so little and like the great Burgundians the wines are snapped up by fans and disappear to be drunk by Barolo lovers later in life. He is very traditional in approach, old oak etc and also a believer in blending. Both wines he makes are a blend of two vineyards to get balance. This is a different approach from other ultra-traditional producers like Bartolo Mascarello (all vineyards into one wine) and Giacomo Conterno (2 single vineyard wines). Buy whatever you can find. So the wines...

6) Barolo Brunate Le Coste, Giuseppe Rinaldi - An instant step up in quality, brine and blackberry, bacon, liquorice, richness but so much fruit density, stunning frankly. Very true to the house style and proves this is a very fine vintage. 18-19 out of 20 (2018-2040)

7) Barolo Brunate Cannubi San Lorenzo, Giuseppe Rinaldi - more red fruited than the Brunate, sweet leather, good tannin but love the acidity, freshness and lift, serious quality. 18-18.5 out of 20 (2016-2034)

Brezza was next, not a producer I know well. You see their Barbera around a fair bit...

8) Barolo Bricco Sarmassa, Brezza - Really unfortunate to come between G.Rinaldi and Bartolo Mascarello, even so it showed well if not excitingly, very well made, integrated and balanced. 16-17 out of 20 (2014-2024)

Little needs be said about Bartolo Mascarello that hasn't been said before. Ultra-traditional, all vineyards blended to make one Barolo, very old oak. Maria Teresa now runs the show and arguably makes even better wines than her father. The results since 2004 or may be 2005 are great, superb.

9) Barolo, Bartolo Mascarello - On balance this probably just pipped the whole tasting for its seamless elegance and balance, feminine red fruit but lots of structure under it too, you could drink it now the balance is so good. 18-19.25 out of 20 (2016-2038)

Brovia have some how stayed a little under the radar. I always buy the Villero as it is arguably their best all round wine. I was delighted to get to taste the two below though because they show how well this house portrays the terroir. We are in Castiglione Fallettto now.

10) Barolo Rocche, Brovia - In its savoury nature there was a cord of connection between this and the Brunate from F.Rinaldi. It is for those that like fruit which is combined with earthy notes. A strange combination of brine notes and almost anchovy aroma was delicious to me. 17-18.25 out of 20 (2013-2032)

11) Barolo Ca' Mia, Brovia - Red black fruit is a contrast to the Rocche, this is more lush, sweeter fruited, couldn't be more interesting as a pair, more obviously appreciable may be, great stuff. 17 out of 20 (2013-2028)

The next wine was from Roberto Conterno of Giacomo Conterno and was a wine I took along purely for interest. Cerretta is a new holding for Roberto. From 1978-2007 Cascina Francia (bought in 1974) was the vineyard all their wines came from. This new acquisition which went through in June 2008 will see a Barolo in time, almost certainly from 2010. In the meantime the 2008 and 2009 will be released as Langhe Nebbiolo - 2008 after 2 years in Botti and 2009 after 3 years, ultimatley the Barolo will have 4 years as Cascina Francia does.

12) Langhe Nebbiolo Cerretta, Giacomo Conterno - I have tasted this several times and it always reminds me of Volnay as a "Barolo" very feminine but with structure, it will be a fascinating wine to follow. 17-17.5 out of (2014- 2024)

Elio Grasso is a more modern producer and not one I know well, I was excited to taste thought as I have seen good reviews. I struggled with them and would like to re-assess at some stage.

13) Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera, Elio Grasso - The fruit was lifted and clear to see it just didn't make me think of Barolo and/or Nebbiolo at all, good wine but.... "16" out of 20 (2013-2027)

14) Barolo Ginestra Casa Mate, Elio Grasso - My note simply says "a bit blunt, not great", may be I need to re-taste but I didn't really see what the game was here. "15-16" out of 20 (2014-2024)

These were to be the very first Clerico wines I have tried, I tasted with an open mind as I have read good things of the estate but not of the 2008's from them.

15) Barolo Pajana, Domenico Clerico - The inital aroma was of violets but then there was a thinness on the palate, I found the wines, stripped and clumsy, like it had had the fruit taken away and too much extraction put in its place, disappointing. 13-14 out of 20 (2013-2020)

16) Barolo Ciabot mentin Ginestra, Domenico Clerico - Much better than the Pajana, decent if a little dried out by oak, strange lack of balance but at least it was Barolo. 15-16 out of 20 (2014-2014)

Fratelli Alessandria are based in Verduno (very north of Barolo as a whole region) and have holdings in the town's top Nebbiolo vineyard Monvigliero. I had not tasted any of their wines before.

17) Barolo Monvigliero, Fretti Alesandria - Arguably the most interesting of all the wines on show in that the style was very unique. A very old style of wine, a dash sherried and oxidative but in a good way. An almond and medicinal note on the nose, this is Barolo for those that love Islay Whisky (I do), fascinating, I might just have to buy a 6pack. 16-17.25 out of 20 (2013-2021)

Guido Porro is a producer I have a tiny bit of experience with, two bottles worth in fact. I bought a case of each of the two vineyards below but from the very different 2006 vintage. He is making a very pure and traditional clean style of Barolo with very fine aromatics and at a rather "bonkersly" low price!

18) Barolo Lazzariasco, Guido Porro - This is a very aromatic, lifted red and black fruited style, there is very good definition and focus, a good structure and much complexity...impressive, the character is similar to the 2006 (a good thing) but the structure a little more finessed (that's just the vintage). 17 out of 20 (2016-2030)

19) Barolo Santa Caterina, Guido Porro - Good again, a little more subdued than the Lazzariasco but as with that wine the DNA was the same as the 2006 I tried recently. 16.5 out of 20 (2014- 2030)

We had just two more wines sadly the Massolino was corked, you could kind of see a nice structure through it but nothing more, a shame. The very last wine was from Cappellano - a very very top producer who is totally uncompromising in when he releases his wines and also in the fact that he does not let his wine get reviewed/scored at all.

20) Barolo Margheria, Massolino (corked)

21) Barolo Pie Rupestris 2007, Cappellano - Very very impressive for having the fruit and full lushness of character that you get from 2007 but also a genuine structure and age-ablilty that make this a very classy wine. I had the 2004 of this recently and it was very classical but closed down, this is a producer to follow when you can find the wines. 17.5-18.25 out of 20 (2014-2030)

Overall impressions of 2008 and where it "fits":
I was very impressed by the wines, particularly the traditional ones, this is my preference but also I think this approach worked best with the vintage. There is a delicacy to these wines but many are also keepers, I think the run of vintages below are all worth buying (I have/will be) as they will be fascinating to watch over the next 20-30 years. Whether 2009 manages to include itself in this run will be interesting as it is reputed to be of less interest if very good for Barbera, we will see this time next year. 2010 however is thought to be of potentially legendary quality...very exciting. My personal ranking of the last five vintages is below from my varied experience of each vintage.

2004 - 19 - classic balanced, legendary potential.

2005 - 16-18 mixed with some very fine wines, very good in Barbaresco I hear.

2006 - 17.5-18.5 - very fine, masculine, balance the key.

2007 - 16-17.5 - showy and more forward, enjoyable if not profound.

2008 - 17-18 - very under-rated and like 06 very true if feminine to 06's masculine style.

A great tasting!

Not bad for a Monday

A rather unusually good Monday night with a couple of colleagues/friends and a mate at No1 Lombard Street – we were very well looked after by Matt, great food, service and care for the wines, but I am afraid this will be all about the wines rather than food.

We started with Delamotte Blanc de Blancs 2002 which has just been released, it is tight right now as you would expect and really want it to be. Still delicious it is best kept another 2 years before being in no rush to drink, at about the same price as Grand Marque NV this is a great Champagne. We then moved on to Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon 2004 from Domaine Leflaive, decanted, this was great, I wondered how open it would be, it was at a lovely stage, gunflint on the nose and then good fruit – I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

One of the main reasons for the gathering was to show some great older Piedmont wines, these were supplied by my mate and Barolo Guru. All three were in immaculate condition and showed three things brilliantly: A fully mature Barolo, then a great Barbaresco and great Barolo, the latter two alongside each other was a great contrast…and so to the wines:
Barolo Brunate 1964, Marcarini - Brick red hue, lovely nose with a hint of ginger, it is developed but not tired at all a great bottle for the age. Lovely. I have had a lot of luck with older Marcarini including 1978 Brunate and 1970 Brunate...this made it three from three! Barbaresco Santo Stefano 86, Bruno Giacosa - Very good colour right to the rim, the nose was more Grand Cru Red Burg like than Piedmont, perfumed, gorgeous, rich but pretty, very good indeed, we agreed that it was at its peak, very elegant. Barolo Cascina Francia 87, Giacomo Conterno - A savoury, powerful wine with dark fruits, delicious, brooding, a dash of "frazzles" about the nose. Brilliant to compare it to the Giacosa, so different. Youthful colour. As good a 1987 as I have had from anybody anywhere (that’s not damming it with faint praise I hope).

We then had a pair of Sauternes de Fargues 05 which was balanced and very good, nothing like the intensity of the 2001 I have had recently but at this young age that’s a good thing, really drinkable. Alongside it we had a half of Doisy Daene 83 which showed really well, a little bit of marmalade and at a lovely stage but probably not worth keeping any longer than this (or may be that is just the format?). And that was that, a realy fun and relaxed evening of great wine and good food…will be doing it again…

Barolo 2004 dinner at Zucca

2004 Barolo Dinner – Zucca - Tuesday 7^th July 2015

This was an invite I was more than a little delighted to accept. Get to Zucca for several dishes and with them review a load of Barolo 2004's. Just my sort of thing. 2004 is a great vintage for Piedmont and most specifically for Barolo. It is the first of the run of exciting "even numbered" vintages. For me a small summary would be:

2004: Superb overall balance and grace, top wines certainly need time but the balance is such that enjoyment earlier is not hard. Long lived with a wide drinking window.

2006: Uber-classical, structured and masculine vintage that is brilliantly uncompromising at times, wines of quality here are worth waiting 15 years plus for and many wines will be 30-40 year wines.

2008: A little like the younger talented sister of 2006, a big mistake to overlook this vintage, still classical but with a wider drinking window and a lovely sweetness.

2010: Potentially a little like 2004 with 25% of 2006 added, so very exciting. It has been the most hyped of all the vintages and that can of course lead to disappointments.

I still firmly believe that in Piedmont, as in Burgundy, you find the producers you like and buy the wines every year. Anyway enough waffle...

This was dinner of wine merchants and brokers full of much loud comment and no lack of opinion, topics in and well outside of wine all got a good airing. This all cumulated in a game of "Cards against humanity" - a great laugh but possibly a game to play with those you know, or that know you rather than any strangers...

We kicked off with a rather splendid looking magnum of Soave Classico La Rocca 2011 from Pieropan that our organiser kindly brought along. I like these wines a lot, unpretentious, balanced and just so good. This was waxy, oily with some lovely lemon fruit and what feels like just a little sweetness, delicious. I never new the mags came in totally different bottles.

We were off an running on the food as well. One of the very few downsides of this dinner was that Sam (ZuccaSam) couldn't make it…his team though did us well as ever. The menu was as below, I've put a pic or two at the bottom of the blog.

Baccala, Tomato and Olive

Pork ribs with Porcini and Cauliflower

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Agnolotti in Brodo

Maltagliati, Pork and Radicchio

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Grilled Veal Chop, Summer Griolles and Spinach

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Formaggio - Toma, Gorgonzola Dolce, Hazelnuts and Honey

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Chocolate Semifredddo, Pecan ice cream and a Caramel

The format for the Barolos was to serve them in flights with the more traditional wines first (1 & 2) and the more modern to follow. Refreshingly there were no modern monsters on display, 2004 is probably in the phase when many of the more modern producers were starting to moderate the use of barriques etc…anyhow...

Flight 1

2004 Barolo Rocche, Brovia

2004 Barolo Villero, Brovia

2004 Barolo Bussia, G. Fenocchio

The Rocche was lovely - clean and bright but still with good intensity. Very much on the red fruit end of the spectrum, some saline but essentially just pure and fresh. The Villero immediately had a darker fruit type, much more salinity and was a little more masculine, my notes rather unhelpfully just say "I like this…propper!". Then the change from Brovia to Fenocchio who one hears has been on great form of late, especially in 2010 and 2011. This had a slightly odd nose of Islay whisky, peatiness, then a heady cherry fruit before lacking stuffing. The nose and initial palate I can see as just a phase but the lack of a middle is a little more of a concern, it was perfectly good but just a little incomplete.    

Flight 2
2004 Barolo Brunate (mag), Marcarini

2004 Barolo Monprivato, G. Mascarello
The Marcarini Brunate, which I always buy, showed well. Good clarity, roses, some cherry fruit and then a good saline edge, slightly drier in a nice grippy way, this is focussed rather than fleshy, should age nicely but good from now. The Monprivato was a wine I was really looking forward to trying. A couple of people had had this recently and seemed a little disappointed with this particular bottle. It has a slightly caramel-like nose which I thought was odd. The palate was strange but not unpleasant - judgement deferred.

Flight 3

2004 Barolo Bricco Fiasco, Azelia

2004 Barolo Big ’d Big (mag), Rocche dei Manzoni

Bricco Fiasco was a little glossy but good on the nose, the plate did show a little more saturated dark fruit of the modern style with an almost shortbread note as well, there was richness and overall enjoyment. The Big 'd had a full nose, quite extracted but not too much, a little iodine. The palate was impressive, succulent and sweet enough to carry off the generous texture, nice wine.

Flight 4
2004 Barolo Bricco Ambrogio, Scavino

2004 Barolo Rocche dell' Annunziata Riserva, Scavino
I was not familiar with the Ambrogio, it had dark, quite rich fruit with a little soy, it was quite straightforward but very enjoyable. The Annunziata was both opulent, rich and also serious, good savoury notes and a wine that will need time. 

Flight 5
2004 Barolo Lazzarito, Vietti
2004 Barolo Rocche, R. Voerzio

I had a good bottle of the Lazzarito 2007 in Piedmont recently and this was also lovely, good for just drinking now really, quite open and opulent. The Rocche from Voerzio was rich and full with a lot of texture and more dense than flamboyant at this stage.

Conclusions: I think this was a very encouraging tasting, there was a lot of good fruit and most wines were well balanced and starting to struct their stuff, there was a certain consistency of quality of not necessarily an overriding vintage character (yet). When you consider that this was mostly good to very good second tier producers (no Bartolo,  Rinaldi, Giacosa or Conterno) I think it is all the more encouraging.

A big thank you to Alastair for bring this together and to everyone for their bottles

There was one more wine - 2014 Terlaner Classico - which is a blend of 60% Pinot Blanc, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Sauvignon Blanc, it was almost spritzy and served as a good end of evening lift!

Agnolotti in Brodo

Baccala, Tomato and Olive

Grilled Veal Chop, Summer Griolles and Spinach

Team Meal at Egon's place

I have been crap at attending the fairly regular team meals so was delighted to be able to make one even if it was to be hosted in South London (I had my jabs and made sure my passport was to hand). Joe "Egon" Muller (@mulleredreview) was our very able host. The rough brief was bring two bottles of wine (or a mag, or both). Over the week we'd made sure that all the bases where covered so we had fizz (more of that in a minute), a few whites and then red with a dessert wine too. The other crucial point is that everything is served blind, we didn't spend forever trying to work things out.
So to kick us off: Ben (@BRPym) served us up the fizz, Conterto Reggiano Lambrusco 2011, clearly sparkling red and a dry one and that as not what we were expecting and to be honest the dry finish and lack of sweetness all round left us all a bit stranded, I felt it may be some southern french scenario, others, Banyuls or some such. I think serving it first may not have been ideal. It was interesting but no more than that, definitely what a tannic red with sparkling water may taste like, no points (not that there were any on offer) to any of the tasters.
Time for some whites now and I was up first, my bottle was Bourgogne Aligote Raisins Dores 2008 from Lafarge. This seemed a tricky shout and nobody guessed Aligote (why would they) and nobody guessed Burgundy. It seemed to go down well. I bought a case after visiting Lafarge in November 2009. There is a grapefruit character and a tart acidity. I cracking "smaller" wine and from 50 yr old vines if my memory serves me correctly. Next into the glass was Valentina's offering and this had guesses (and they were guesses) from mostly Italy but anything from Vermentino to Soave, it turned out to be Muller Thurgau 2010 from Kettmeir in Alto Adige. A really balanced wine that drank excellently with the superb haddock wrapped in streaky bacon and served with asparagus and lemon mayonnaise. Now it was Luke "Lulu" Lupton's turn to produce a white and I think it was the white of the night. I guessed it might not be that old (wrong) and that the colour came from Furmint in Hungary (kind of not bad), Guido (@guyseddon) had a sensible punt at white Rioja, it turned out to be Musar White 2001. Really delicious, an almost Savvenieres-like nose that gave way to nutty, almond palate and was dry but not fiercely so. Really an excellent bottle...must look out for some.

Plenty to drink!

Sensing that DJ Lulu was keen to get to the iPod we now moved on to the first red. This was probably one of the worst blind performances all things considered but I like to think we were wrong for solid reasons. The wine was clearly a class act, dense but not too dense in colour there was age but not old age. So the first main mistake was arguing over where in the Rhone it cam from. Lulu did point out it was may be not saturated enough in colour to be northern Rhone. Anyway I guessed 05 northern Rhone not wanting to change my mind. It was Clos Vougeot 2002 by F.Lamarche, a very impressive and generous bottle from Guy. Now the defence; 2002's are rich, big and have a from my experience a large gamey element with density. On top of this Clos Vougeot is one of the more masculine expressions of Burgundy. We loved the wine just put the jigsaw together wrong. Several people recently have said how Clos Vougeot needs possibly the most patience of any Grand Cru to show itself and this doesn't dispel that theory. The excellent stew and dumplings with mash and green beans hit the table and so did my red which was a magnum of Barolo Brunate 2004 by Marcarini. The two paired well. Knowing what I am like Piedmont was quickly nominated so then it was a matter of vintage with a couple of people getting 2004, it seemed popular and showed well, there is good grip which makes it much better with sturdy food now but that will mellow with time. Egon was up next and showed a wine that we didn't discuss for very long or not as far as I can remember anyway. I was a very difficult glass to get the age of, I think I said 2002 or 2004 as I felt it was a decent Bordeaux rather than much more than that. It turned out to be Pavie 1999, Egon was very disappointed in a "I'd never buy it these days" sort of way and I know where he's coming from it is impressive but two problems for me, firstly, it is not exciting and it needs to be at that level and secondly it is stuck in a "primary fruit time warp". there is no obvious reason why it will evolve, I feel it will continue to be one dimensional and then will just fade, I could be wrong but...We next swapped banks in Bordeaux and had Mr Pym's Talbot 1996. I was still on the other bank and couldn't get Gazin out of my head, who knows why. Most others seemed in agreement about it being St.Estephe. It was a decent claret, no more or less than that, very honest. Next up before we broke for a quick smoke was Lulu's Barolo Brunate, Bricco Roche Ceretto 2004. Ceretto are a more modern producer but this was very high-toned and had an almost sweaty feel, we all agreed it was rather charmless sadly. It certainly wasn't corked but at the same time it probably wasn't a good bottle, it struck me as a little strained, volume turned up too high.
I decided on a bit more Pavie 1999 (the good if slightly same-ish fruit - meeoooww - working well) with a Sancho Panza Belicoso from Egon's humidor. This is a lovely mellow pyramid that is almost always balanced and very underrated.
Back indoors Lulu was "in charge" of the iPod and M C Hammer appeared to have got his trousers out. We had one more red before the tart and it was a really good one. I can now not even nearly remember what I though it was but it was certainly impressive. It turned out to be Pintia 2005 under the same ownership as Vega Sicilia. When it comes to Ribera I have a convenient and professional bias to all things Domino de Pingus but you can not deny how exceptional the wines of Vega Sicilia and Pintia are (al be it that Pintia is actually from Toro). This was youthful but not too young, impressive. And so to pudding and a Sauternes - de Malle 2003 - I though it was slightly "higher up the tree" name but from 2005, it was very good, I can't remember what the other guesses were. De Malle seemed to have made a rich 2003 but not one that is in any way burnt...impressive and good value. A cracking evening was over; may impressive wines seen off, very few shinning examples of blind tasting skill but then they are a rarity. Excellently hosted! All I know is that I'll need more glasses for when I host mine especially if Mossy & Mr Bird (@Burdhound) can make it!!

Pym and Muller take things seriously as usual!

Amazingly Egon is not Northern!

DJ Lulu has a snooze!

What's the world coming to? A picture of people picturing the line-up!

Barolo at Zucca with friends...

Last Tuesday I hosted a Giacomo Conterno dinner at my favourite (and brilliant value) restaurant Zucca (www.zuccalondon.com). Lots of people will have been but if you haven't then go. Great wine list, value and range, as long as you like Italian wines! I had arranged this dinner for a few reasons; I love the place, I love the Conterno wines (and wanted to show why), I wanted to see a few customers all at once and ask them to bring a friend (for which read potential customer) and lastly I see myself as a bit of an evangelist for Piedmont and Barolo in particular.

There are 7 producers in Piedmont that I aim to buy every year and these are (in rough priority order): Giacomo Conterno, Bartolo Mascarello, G.Rinaldi, F.Rinaldi, Brovia (esp. Villero), Marcarini (esp Brunate) and from Barbaresco, Produttori del Barbaresco (great list of these at Zucca). These are all traditional in their approach, which reflects my preference for this style of Barolo (and wine in general) and the preferred style of my Barolo "Mentor".

Right, so on to the evening in question. All the wines had been double decanted out of the bottle and back in at about 1pm that day. After a couple of bottles of Prosecco and with everyone calmly assembled we embarked on the food. A three part starter of Tuna “crudo”, San Daniele & Mozzarella Trapanese (this is brilliant, Mozzarella with almonds, tomatoes etc). I will admit here that I am no guru on food and wine matching, I follow a few rules but basically wines I like seem to work with food I like. The two wines we had were Roberto's (Conterno, Giacomo's grandson, the headman and winemaker at Cantina Giacomo Conterno) Barbera: Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia 2008 (from magnum, I love magnums!) and Barbera d'Alba Cerreta 2008. Brief background here. The Cascina Francia vineyard was bought in 1974 and from 1978 to 2008 (when Roberto bought Cerreta halfway through the vintage) was responsible for all the estates production (Barbera, Barolo Cascina Francia and Barolo Monfortino) before 1974 the estate used to buy in grapes. So the wines, as I expected the Cascina Francia showed a more savoury serious edge and a greater depth, this is a wine that will age in my opinion in a similar time frame to southern Rhone reds, it is great now but will attain more complexity over the next 3-7 years and beyond. The Cerreta over which Roberto had little experience in the vineyard was softer, more ready (the bottle vs magnum will have exaggerated this too), more feminine and with redder fruits. In general the Cerreta was preferred now but ultimately for me the Cascina Francia will eclipse the Cerreta in 2-3 years. Both great but different which after all is what it is about?

Next up was Ravioli of asparagus & ricotta with in some ways the most interesting wine of the night, Langhe Nebbiolo Cerreta 2008, this wine from the same vineyard as the second Barbera could easily have been released as a Barolo but with Roberto, being the perfectionist he is, it was never going to be released as such so in the same way as a Burgundian might release any wine as Bourgogne Rouge this was released as Langhe Nebbiolo. In time I am sure it will be Barolo but when is not yet clear (I hope to find out in 2 weeks when I visit). As it was released as a Langhe it was bottled and therefore released after just 2 years (like the Barbera) rather after 4-5 years as for a Barolo. The colour was pale, Nebbiolo is big on structure but a thin skinned variety more like Pinot Noir than most, and the nose was so pretty and red fruited with a really fragrant, refined edge to it. A real crowd pleaser but in a non-frivolous way. If this ends up being the only time it is a non Barolo then it'll be a collectors piece, either way it is a wonderful wine. The Ravoli was superbly fresh and lifted.

I suppose you could say things got serious now, food wise I was very impressed with the Lamb breast, cannellini, spinach & salsa verde which was fresh but with a good amount of fat (I am a firm "fat is flavour" believer) and a great sounding board for the wines. These were two vintages - 2005 & 2006 - of Barolo Cascina Francia. This is essentially the main wine of the estate. The Barolo Monfortino is sometimes made from the top selection of this vineyard in some years. From 2000 onwards it was made in 2000, 2001, 2002 (controversially but wonderfully), 2004, 2005(?), 2006(?), not 2007, after that not yet known. Roberto firmly believes Monfortino does not "work" in the vintages with heat spikes like 2003 or 2007.

The Cascina Francia is a wonderful vineyard of 14 hectares with 9 planted with Nebbiolo. There is arguably no stronger link between a producer and a vineyard in Piedmont, think monopole like La Tache for Domaine de la Romanee Conti for example. These two wines were very different, purely because the vintages are so different. The 2005 was comfortably the more open wine showing well all ready, I think over time this will be proved as one of those wines that is good young and old and doesn't go into its shell too much in between. A really good wine to decant on a friday morning and sample over a weekend to get the idea of Barolo. The 2006 is a classical, dense wine with refined but big structure and the long-haul. This is for the classists out there (if I am sounding biased I have bought a lot, in my terms, of 2006 Baroli). The comparison was fascinating and the wines opened up more and more in glass. I was delighted with how they showed.

I think some of the misconceptions of Barolo (and this spreads to the other wines of Piedmont as happens with human nature wanting to simplify things) is that the wines are massive, dense and "need" time. In many cases the Baroli and Barbaresci do reward patience and take time to be at their optimal but they are wonderful in youth, the comparison with Burgundy and Pinot Noir is far more accurate than anything else. I would suggest people experiment there are many wonderful producers and all sorts of levels.

I haven't really mentioned much about the conversation but it roared like a rampant fire to make it a memorable evening, before we knew it 7pm had become 11pm. A wonderful evening. If you are interested in something similar? Let me know.

Wines in Wales

I am very late in posting this but there we go!

Our annual family trip down to Wales (back in May!) for a week is always great chance to try lots of bottles especially with my "Cousin -in-law" Cynan who loves his wine, having contributed lots of the below, and cooks amazing food!

24-5-14

CNDP VV Blanc 2011, Tardieu-laurent

Lovely, a bit of oak but "in check", richness of white fruits and a little sweet toffee, so drinkable.

Les Carmes-Haut-Brion 2004

Good nose or classical cedar, black fruit and gravel…the palate is a little dry now and a little foursquare. The sweetness does not last. having had this a few times I am ever so slightly disappointed by it's balance now.

25-5-14

La Roche Blanche 2013 Muscadet Cotes de Grandieu sur lie, Domaine Herbauges

Very taut and mineral, white fruit may be but mostly stones and acidity. The screw cap closure I think makes it even more exaggerated would be interesting if decanted. Decent though.

Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2007, Vincent Dampt

In good shape with an unctuous nutty (unsalted) texture. Needs food really as there is a slight side of oxidation without it.

CNDP VV Blanc 2011, Tardieu-laurent

Lovely again, a bit of oak but in check, richness of white fruits and a little sweet toffee, so drinkable. Very good with cheese and still balanced at a warmer temperature. Fond of this!

Chorey-Les-Beaune Piece du Chapitre 2004, Domaine Tollot-Beaut

Nice wine with elegance and not at all forced, slightly lifted green/red fruit, not amazing but a decent 2004.

Chorey-Les-Beaune Piece du Chapitre 2007, Domaine Tollot-Beaut

A more decadent fruit than the 2004, more black amongst the red, good and enjoyable, nicely balanced, I like this.

Les Carmes-Haut-Brion 2004

The end of the bottle from the day before, a little drier but still ok.

Barbaresco 2006, Produttori del Barbaresco

Lovely, gentle for 2006 with a nice fragrance, there is the grip you expect of 2006 but it is not a waste to drink now.

Barolo Brunate 2006, Marcarini

Quite a silky wine for a 2006, so more "Brunate" in style than it is 2006 in style. Good texture and not pronounced tannin. I liked this also.

26-5-14

Ardeche Chardonnay 2012, Louis Latour

Fine, a little oxidative and flabby but decent enough, unexciting.

Passopisciaro 2006 Double magnum

Crunchy red bruised fruit, a lovely nervousness and life, lifted, not light in flavour but not dense in texture. Great minerality and if anything even better on day 2. You can tell the Contrada’s (the single vineyard sites that until 2008 went into the generic wine) are in here.

27-5-14

Que Bonito Cacareaba 2004, Benjamin Romeo

Oranges and Melons with delicious unctuousness. There is some acidity but it is very soft, almost a creamy texture with some botrytis. Entering a slightly lifeless stage. my last bottle gone, always meant to leave one for decades but...

Barolo Villero 2007, Brovia

Understated lightness as though they have picked very early to avoid the heat, there is almost a spritz, it was fine to drink but I am not sure it’s quite right. Second time I have had it and I remain unconvinced.

Passopisciaro 2006 Dmag

Again and getting better if anything!

Recioto della Valpolicella 2010, Tesauro

Lots of dark cherry and a few forest fruits then intensity of viscosity and chocolate, long, intense but not without refinement and class. Good.

28-5-14

Que Bonito Cacareaba 2004, Benjamin Romeo

The last little bit - good!

Barolo Cannubbio 2007, Francesco Rinaldi

Quite dense and structured, not too warm. There is focus and I really think this estate did well in 2007.

Recioto della Valpolicella 2010, Tesauro

Good again not oxidised at all despite half open bottle from previous evening.

29-5-14

El Aprendiz "Albarinblanco" 2013, Leyenda del Paramo - Very clean and focussed, crisp and zippy, almost Gruner like! makes you hungry! 

Le Rocchette Barbera d"Asti 2010, Tenuta Olim Bauda - good wine this with that tell tale cool(er) vintage Barbera cleanness, has precision and very food friendly...

I am sure there are bottles I have missed!