I felt like checking in on a 2004 Produttori, and this was handy, so it got the call. Thirty minutes of air was all it got before we started trying it, and it showed well from the first sip. All the expected rose, dark cherry and earth notes were there, and it was not forbiddingly tannic. Ninety minutes later the aromatics were much more pronounced, and thankfully the tannins had not become more assertive. We finished the last bits about three hours after opening, and the wine pretty much showed the same face the entire time.
I had a similar experience this weekend with 04 Vietti Castiglione Barolo, althought the tannins were perhaps a bit more pronounced than your description…
Thanks for the note David, and I would add some support to 04 PdB’s drinking pretty well at present, have had the Rabaja and Ovello over the last 12 mos and never did the thought ‘opened too soon’ occur to me.
Pat–have heard the same sentiment in my posts on the 2005 Produttori wines. But I find I tend to prefer them at this age, and find at 15-20 years they sometimes lose their freshness and perfume. Perhaps then at 25-30 they turn into something etherial, but I haven’t had enough at that age to pass reliable judgment. (I do love Barolos at that age, though.)
My comment was based on a recent bottle of the 04 normale, which was hard and charmless for my palate. I should say that if someone likes them at this stage, that’s all well and good of course.
I have a big gap in my PdB experience-- I’ve had several bottles from the 70’s in recent years that were magical (a 70 Rabaja and a 71 Ovello in particular) and various bottles from the 80’s that were great.
But everything else has been from 2000-2010, and none of these have seemed “ready”. But maybe I don’t understand Nebbiolo.
Well this bottle was neither hard nor charmless. Fully mature it was not, and I have more 2004 Produttori wines to let age longer. It was a very good data paint that says 15 years of age is likely to be a good time to really start drinking these.
I’m glad to know it’s drinking well, but I like them with more age, and since I don’t have many 2004s to play with, I’ll go along with drink after 15+ years note on my bottles.
Part of this is what we are taking about in the Fear of Drinking Windows thread-- I rarely think a wine is over the hill, but I’ve opened oceans of wine that wasn’t ready yet. Hold (that’s what I’m telling myself).
Also, are the 2004s maturing faster than the 2000 Produttori Riservas? I ask as we had 2 bottles of the 2000s not too long ago and both were tough work on day 1 even with a good decant (day 2 showed my bottle improved).
I think everyone’s tolerance for tannins may be different. I haven’t had a tough 2000 in several years from anywhere in the world. for me the primary determinant of whether it’s “too early” is whether the wine is shut down and the fruit seeming dead. If it’s thru this stage, then I’m less concerned about the tannins. that being said, if I’m missing something glorious down the line, then I understand the comments, but I’ve been chasing wine since the mid 70’s and have had a little while to make up my mind on these things. (one last comment is that I haven’t had a 2004 for perhaps a year. My take was that the 05’s were more ready than the 04’s. the 04’s were still enjoyable, but seemed younger than the 05’s).
Pat, not picking on you here, but I can’t fathom anyone thinking that the 2000 Produttori’s are still too young - in fact, when you have one side-by-side with either a '99 or a 2001, the difference in their current maturity level is striking.
I won’t go as far as to say they no longer have any upside, but at least IMO, the 2000 Produttori crus are clearly on their plateau of maturity.
Here’s my note:
2000 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Moccagatta - 12/17/2015
Decanted for sediment back into the bottle 4 hours before dinner… Wow, this is medieval. Bone-dry and very austere, with a rustic texture, this was hard work on the first night, so I saved half for another night.
Day 2: Lovely mentholated and balsamic scents, medicinal profile. Wonderfully bright and savory on the palate, with some compelling sweet notes on the long, tangy finish. Mouthfilling, spicy and a bit roasted even with terrific overall intensity. 92-93 pts, but this could go higher if more nuance and elegance develops in the cellar.
One more thought: while I’ve had some young Nebbiolo that I’ve really enjoyed (like a few of the 07 Produttori Riservas on release), I definitely don’t get much out of the grape until it’s shed most of its tannin. I don’t dislike tannin per se, but if I find it’s masking the fruit and making the texture coarse, I prefer more age. Many grapes are much more giving when young than Nebbiolo.
Like the 00 Moccagatta-- it was just no fun on day 1 and the other chap felt the same way even though Piemonte is his favorite wine region.
>>>>>Many grapes are much more giving when young than Nebbiolo.<<<<<
No argument here
I am hosting a Produttori tasting that is primarily focused on the '99 and 2001 vintages, but according to CT, I do have a few bottles of the 2000 Moccagatta, so assuming I can locate it, I will insert that into the tasting as well.
And while I"m probably preaching to the choir here, the vineyards are also important differentiators. In a hot/ripe vintage like 2000, I’m going to guess that spots like Moccagatta and Montestefano will show best. I have had the 2000 Pora on a number of occasions in the past (a “warmer” site), and that wines borders on overripeness to the point where (at least for me), while drinkable, it certainly isn’t pleasurable.
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