Had this tonight. Just great. I’m far from a Nebbiolo expert. I drink maybe 50 bottles a year, but with it’s deep rich spiced cherry fruit, this has me reminiscing of the one and only time I’ve had a Bartolo Mascarello Barolo. Simply a great wine. Open for business, yet in its early stages of drinking.
2011 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montefico- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (5/22/2022)
This pours medium ruby in the glass. The nose is very expressive and moderately complex showing gorgeous classic nebbiolo notes of dark cherry, cherry licorice, spiced cherry, orange pekoe tea, earl grey tea, new leather, chai tea, and rosemary. Over time the nose becomes more floral showing rose petal and peonies. The palate is fabulous entering on deep cherry, cherry licorice, turning to medium plus tannin, and medium plus acid. The finish is long replaying the cherry and tea notes of the nose. Amazing stuff. I may even be underrating it a tad. I have to admit that the power of this wine combined with the traditional winemaking style make this extraordinarily compelling today. Drinking in a great spot, but I have little doubt about its longevity. (94 pts.)
Thank you for this. I have been seeing a few sceptical notes on PdB riservas, questioning the ageability, but yours does the opposite. I don’t have any 2011 but I have a good few from 2013, 2014 and especially 2016 that it would be a bummer if they all matured too quickly.
Not sure who or why anyone would be skeptical about ageability on PdB Riservas. I just had a '62 on Saturday that was fresh as a daisy and singing, WOTN.
This. Produttoris are among some of the longest-lived Barbarescos I know and I can’t remember anybody questioning the ageability of PdB Riservas. All the older ones that I’ve had have been beautiful, yet to go downhill.
I just had a '62 on Saturday that was fresh as a daisy and singing, WOTN.
As an aside, IIRC these older Riservas were basically the same thing as “normale” before 1967, which is when they began bottling their Riserva wines as single-Cru bottles. If they just could keep the wine in barrels for an extended time (this often going hand-in-hand with a better vintage), they could label the bottle as Riserva or even Riserva Speciale instead of the regular Barbaresco. In most vintages they didn’t make multiple different bottlings, but instead bottled everything as either “Normale”, “Riserva” or “Riserva Speciale”. For example I’m not sure if there ever was 1962 PdB “normale”.
Ageability of the current Produttori wines discussed here https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2418681#p2418681 4 years ago, off the back of an interview with the winemaker. Note Rich’s post that I’ve linked directly to above, recounting where Vacca acknowledges differences between the modern era and those wines.
Thank you! There’s this, there are others that I follow on social media and sort of think know their stuff even if they might have different tastes to me, and then there is the sort of experience I had with the Rio Sordo 2016 last Friday: I really loved it, but it tasted far more ready to drink than any other 2016 I have had. To its merit on the night, but doesn’t really say “go ahead and lay me down for 15-20 more years”.
There is also one reviewer on CT “MOTZ” who wrote some critical reviews of the 2016 Riservas (Asili and Montefico). Their primary complaints were too-high ABV and some unacceptable levels of greenness in the wine. Not sure what to make of that since nobody else commented the same.
I don’t know if MOTZ posts here… but they’ve had some absolute hair up their whatever about 2016 Piedmont wines. Lots and lots of negative notes posted on CT. Clearly their prerogative, but it doesn’t track with my experience at all.
There’s clearly a difference between the old era PdB wines and the current era (say since 2000). We had an email exchange with Aldo a few years ago after a tasting in which a few of the wines seemed to be on the downslide (I think they were 05’s and 07’s, but I’m not certain). He indicated that in the modern era, with climate change, etc, that all bets are off, and that a number of years perhaps shouldn’t be socked away forever. There are still classic years now and then that will still age like the old days.
With regard to 2011, I have found them extremely enjoyable over the last 2-3 years–somewhat earlier than some of the “classic” years. I would regard them as sort of a mid-range aging vintage–not going to fall apart anytime soon, but maybe not one to expect to be stellar in 40 years. I know there’s a wide range of opinions on PdB ageability, with some folks with extensive experience, but if that experience is mostly based upon the older era wines, it may not reflect the current reality. I think Aldo’s input has been quite helpful (although you have to also realize he’s like most any other winemaker, tending to enjoy his wines at a much younger age than most consumers/collectors).
Going back to my visit to PdB in 2018, the 2009 vintage is the one I would be really careful about. Even back then it was advancing quickly - much more so than 2005 and 2007.
Agree with your take on 2009. I buy the normale in most vintages (riservas occasionally), but went light on 2009 and agree with your early maturing/advancing. I drank the few I had.
FWIW, I am currently sipping on a 2013 Ovello and having my mouth tanned like fine leather. Holy cow this is nowhere close to drinkable. But, you know, science!
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