The last 3 nights I’ve been chipping away at an 03 Luigi Dessilani ‘Riserva’ [Colline Novaresi] and this spanna is incredibly tannic, the fine grained grippy types, like from a persimmon skin. 13% abv, with some sediment/cloudiness, although generally a lighter dusky brownish red hue. The nose is promising with floral, figs, and truffle/nutty notes to me. The palate is a touch underfruited though, and time is not on its side. Perhaps this is what those hard 1975 Medocs tasted like circa 1990. Maybe this hot year meant the grape skins were just too thick and tough. On the back of the palate, a hint of band aid too. The label states this got 7 months in barrique, 3 of which were in French oak, which seems surprising for an old school house like Dessilani. I found this best on day 1, and in my ledger maybe a B or B- overall. Still, I like the producer, which I don’t see often, and will keep on buying though, after a magical experience with a 1997. I’m not sure what ‘riserva’ really means here in the context of this DOC. I find their gilt yet understated labels to be very classy fwiw.
Cute heading!