There was an excellent thread recently about the virtues or otherwise of Nebbiolo d’Albas. Had a great meal last night at a local restaurant and the Somm insisted I try this with my pork loin.
This is everything I look for in Neb - transparent red fruits, very lifted and pure, almost Burgundian nuances. There is a veritable rose garden interspersing the crunchy red fruits. The palate is really well integrated, bright and juicy, with a nice darker, firmer edge to the finish. Young it is but quite slurpable now. So good after the bottle was gone we opted for another glass each.
Sounds really good Kent. Count me as one who really enjoys Nebbiolo Langhe / Nebbiolo d’Alba from better producers. I don’t have many Barolos and Barbarescos with sufficient age, and price is a barrier for backfilling, but it’s also so much easier to open one of these with a simple meal. Much less worry about whether it’s ready, is the pairing right, etc.
However, it looks like this particular wine is only available from one retailer per W-S Pro, and at $42 for the 2017. Lots of good entry level Nebbiolo available here for under $30, and some under $20.
Was around 100 Aussie pesos ($US75) on the wine list which I thought was pretty fair. Not sure of retail here, but that’s about the mark for langhe Nebs here. Massolino, Albino Rocca, Cavallotto and Vietti Perbacco are often on rotation at home.
I was long in the camp of Ceretto skeptics but I’ve had quite a few of their wines from the past ten vintages or so and I have totally rethought my opinion of them. I believe they are now entirely (or nearly) bio-dynamic as well.
Hi Kent, yes, that was my understanding. I believe there may have been an ideological change with the passing of the torch between generations. Whatever the case, recent 06 and 08 vintage wines were pretty much ideal Nebbiolo to my traditionalist palate.