2012 Le Piane Boca- Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Boca (3/1/2018)
I only had a small taste (OK, two tastes) at a walk around tasting, but I was captivated by this wine. The red fruit and florals of Nebbiolo were supplemented by a spiciness that filled in the gaps where Nebbiolo tannins might barge through. It still had the structure on the back end, but (I presume) the 15% Vespolina added a forward element that made the wine so pleasing to drink. This was a fun wine to discover, and I hope to follow over several years, as well as many more vintages.
I had this tonight too and it was surprisingly tasty. Not sure I’m a buyer at ~75/btl but it was really nice. I didn’t think the plinius was really worth the extra tariff.
I just had an '11 that was outstanding. Not sure if primarily the winemaking style, the vintage, the added Vespolina or a combo of all the above, but this wine was quite full bodied compared to many Nebb and thus was very pleasurable to drink all through dinner and after. Local place has it on sale for $50 so i went back and grabbed a few more bottles.
Contrasted to the Maggiorina bottling which is a lot lighter, the Boca is a powerhouse.
I visited the winery and Christoph last fall - a truly wonderful person making some interesting wine. My flight to Malepnsa was early so I arrived early - and Christoph invited me to join him and two Austrian winemaker friends for lunch. Afterwards tasted his great wines. If you enjoyed the 2012, really keep an eye out for the 2013!
Different expressions of high(er) altitude nebbiolo (and mixes). I don’t know what difference is worth to you, but to me, I like 'em both. They are different itches to be scratched.