I opened an 07 Domenico Clerico ‘Arte’ rosso [Langhe] and enjoyed it over 3 nights, with seared tuna on the last. It got better with time. This is a mostly nebbiolo blend (90% from 20 yr old vines in the Ginestra area and 10% undisclosed barbera) that gets French barrique aging. I’ve had this since near release but had never gotten around to trying it – 2007 was a year I bought broadly across many regions if they were good, as the year it marked a life event. D-C make a scant 500-600 cs of this, with a surprising 15% bottled in magnums, which explained why comments on WB were scarce/nonexistent. The hue is a medium garnet, medium bodied, with a sneaky 14% abv. On the nose I get Frangelica, rhubarb, and then red roses. The oak is all soaked up, and if a critique of the ‘Barolo Boys’, I haven’t had enough examples to get warned off yet (well other than a too young Altare barbera last year). One interesting thing - the cork suggests that the winemakers expect it to age - it’s a 1/4 to 3/8" longer than most of the cru classe Bdx corks sitting in a basket near my fireplace. Sediment is very light in the last glass, and it keeps well over 3 days, so despite being a mere ‘Langhe’ DOC, I’d expect this to keep on going with no issues. I like it, would repurchase, and in my ledger it gets an A-. To be fair, I should mention the tannins; they are fine grained but plentiful, hardly softening at all over 3 days. If one likes a structured, firm wine this might suit.
The dog managed to break the glass platter above while I was trying to get everything on the grill.
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I bet there was a “Bad Dog!” after the save…Arte is not for the oak-averse. With age, the tannins soften, but the wood treatment always seems to stick with it (for my tastes). I haven’t bought since the '98 vintage but did drink many of the earlier vintages including a magnum of the '85, which was an affirmation of why I don’t really need too many magnums in the cellar.
Cheers,
fred