Greg dal Piaz calling it like he sees it. Straight fire. Great read.
A very interesting account, with no punches pulled. There are few people’s palate I respect more, and no one I respect more on Piemontese wines.
It does seem true that many critics are incapable of making negative comments about regional vintage performance.
This was a breath of fresh air, even if I don’t know squat about Nebbiolo. 
Thanks for sharing. Great read
As Dr. Miller and his Sierra Car Crash showed, great reviews make for cheap, fun travel.
Definitely a fair and well thought out review.
I tasted the 2012’s just before bottling with Marta Rinaldi. At one point she asked me with a slight smile “what do you think”. I don’t recall my exact response - I’m sure it was mildly complimentary - but her’s surprised me… she said “not my favorite. I like classic vintages like 2008 or 2010 - 2012 doesn’t really do much for me.” Definitely not your typical “the current vintage is the best” response. fwiw, I had a similar response at Cavallotto from Alfio in regards to 2007 and 2009 - and Freisa in general - “I just don’t love it” - so must be typical regional honesty.
I haven’t yet had the bottled 2012’s - I pick mine up in 2 weeks - but am definitely surprised to see all the 95/96pt scores across many of the well-known tasters. Maybe the bottled wines turned out shockingly good, but it would be hard to believe a 2012 Rinaldi would be as good as a 2010 Brovia single-vineyard, as the scores would indicate.
Blunt and appreciated.
Thanks for the link. I had lost track of where Greg was these days. Glad to re-connect with his views/notes/knowledge.
One can only wonder at how many Piedmont producers dal Piaz will now be persona non grata.
Suck up and get welcomed with open arms?
Great report. Thanks for posting this. Well done Gregory
Absolutely not. But it will limit access. And then too you will likely be accused of grandstanding and trying to make a name for yourself. We’ve seen that happen, haven’t we?
Producers who don’t want to hear the unvarnished truth are living in a fog. I understand the passion that goes into this craft and less than stellar reviews affect sales and bruise egos. In the end it is more about a poor vintage than poor winemaking. When the fog clears its seems nobody has competitive edge so what’s the point of acting out?
The top wines of the top producers always have a competitive advantage in that they have established customer bases that will buy in all but the most disastrous vintages. It’s not about seeing clearly, but rather selling out product to make way for the following year. A.G. was critical of 2009 Brunello and I’m still seeing a lot of it on the shelves.
His top scoring wines are 1 point lower in 2012 versus 2011. What a disaster!
The difference is between his impressions and seemingly those of the majority of critics whom he feels aren’t being very critical.
I can’t speak to what the critics are saying as I don’t pay attention to them anymore. There are different differences of opinion in the trade about the two vintages. Some strongly prefer the 2012s to the 2011s. I have a friend who just traveled through the Langhe for a week tasting over 100 wines from both vintages and he prefers 2012. Always good to have different viewpoints.
Greg does have a great palate, and I’ve had the pleasure of drinking with him and a group of like-minded Nebbiolo lovers on numerous occasions over the past decade.
My only hesitance here is in how this message is received and “translated” by the buying public. Let’s use 2009 as a recent example - a lot of folks who only chase the “best” dismissed the entire vintage as unworthy, yet wines like these can be a nice addition to your cellar while you wait for more classic vintages to mature. And given the market’s poor reception to them, the added benefit is that you can also find these wines at close-out prices. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
The close out prices are another reason why the producers resent criticism. It makes it hard to justify top dollar wholesale pricing with subsequent vintages.
I was in Barolo at the beginning of last April. I did not taste a lot of wines, but from what I have tasted I liked 2012 more than the 2011.