Seeking Nebbiolo

[Tvrtko_C]

a bottle of the 2010 Anno Primo. I reckon its best days are still to come?

Probably, and I haven’t had the vintage since its release some three years ago IRRC, but these tend to drink great as soon as they are released (he holds them back for quite a bit, too). If you open it now, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to hate it .
Just one of the fabulous things about the Alto Piemonte. Sure, there have been times when I thought oh what a pity, perhaps this was a touch too young, but generally even the very best wines and the most structured ones seem to drink great throughout. No need for all that “Grandpa’s ultratraditional Barolo simply needs another 47 years”, and climate change still isn’t driving the alcohol levels well north of 14°. For the time being, that is. Which means, warmer vintages, in a relative sense, aren’t necessarily horrible news .

[Tvrtko_C]

something like a more consonant-heavy version of Otto

While I appreciate the humour , and I only know Otto virtually from around here (although I certainly hope that we can actually drink together some day), somehow I find it unlikely that there is anyone even remotely like him . I’m just an old tired uncle who’s had a couple of decent bottles over the years

[Noah_C]

I don’t really bother with the Langhe Nebbiolo category: for every decent Langhe Nebbiolo, there are dozens of Coste della Sesia or Colline Novaresi that are as good and probably much better

Produttori di Barbaresco makes a very nice Langhe Nebbiolo.

[IlkkaL]

2004 Collis Breclemae

In a very strong range, the Breclemae is the one that marks the sweet spot for me. They smashed it out of the park in both 2003 (a little more open-knit) and 2004 (a little cooler and tighter, more of an Ice Queen feel to it ). Young, at least from my stash, but also kind of irresistible already.

I could have used this information last week! The retailer in question had and still has some of that 2003 left. I guess I need to place a new order really soon, although I suppose most customers are focusing on the B&B section and Tuscany rather than this small corner…

a bottle of the 2010 Anno Primo. I reckon its best days are still to come?

Probably, and I haven’t had the vintage since its release some three years ago IRRC, but these tend to drink great as soon as they are released (he holds them back for quite a bit, too). If you open it now, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to hate it .
Just one of the fabulous things about the Alto Piemonte. Sure, there have been times when I thought oh what a pity, perhaps this was a touch too young, but generally even the very best wines and the most structured ones seem to drink great throughout. No need for all that “Grandpa’s ultratraditional Barolo simply needs another 47 years”, and climate change still isn’t driving the alcohol levels well north of 14°. For the time being, that is. Which means, warmer vintages, in a relative sense, aren’t necessarily horrible news .

Very good intel right here, sounds a bit like a Valtellina kind of a thing then, even if Valtellina generally is lighter still.

something like a more consonant-heavy version of Otto

While I appreciate the humour , and I only know Otto virtually from around here (although I certainly hope that we can actually drink together some day), somehow I find it unlikely that there is anyone even remotely like him . I’m just an old tired uncle who’s had a couple of decent bottles over the years

Otto certainly is not tired when it comes to the frequency he attends wine tastings with. But knowing him pretty well by now I agree, he is a true unicorn. Nevertheless, you know who to contact if you ever come to Helsinki and want to drink some wine.

[Otto_Forsberg]

Lucky buggers. Only had the Bianca, but that wasn’t shabby either

FWIW, the guys at Ferrando recently confirmed that 1962 was the first vintage of Etichetta Nera ever made. So yes, it was made. And what’s best - I purchased it for a song!

something like a more consonant-heavy version of Otto

Laughed out loud at this.

While I appreciate the humour , and I only know Otto virtually from around here (although I certainly hope that we can actually drink together some day)

Definitely a wish I share!

I’m just an old tired uncle who’s had a couple of decent bottles over the years >

I have a fleeting feeling that you might have made a minor understatement around the word “couple”. If there is an obscure wine I’ve had and am enthusiastic about, it invariably turns out that you either own or have tasted something close to a continuous 15-vintage vertical of the said wine, or at least have followed the producer for the past 20 years. And as if that wouldn’t be enough, you can even proceed to namedrop one or two similar producers nobody’s even heard of that make even better wines.

So if that’s what makes a man an old tired uncle, I guess one day an old tired uncle I’ll be!

Produttori di Barbaresco makes a very nice Langhe Nebbiolo.

Nah. Have had it a good number of times and can’t get any thrill out of it. Yes, it’s a good Langhe Nebbiolo, but if their regular Barbaresco costs the same as many other producers’ Langhe Nebbiolo (i.e. not that much more), yet is at completely another quality level altogether, what’s the use of buying it? At that price point I’d rather have a rewarding, well-made Dolcetto or Freisa or Grignolino rather than a simple Nebbiolo made from fruit that didn’t make the cut into Barbaresco.

[Laurent_Gibet]

2004 Collis Breclemae

In a very strong range, the Breclemae is the one that marks the sweet spot for me. They smashed it out of the park in both 2003 (a little more open-knit) and 2004 (a little cooler and tighter, more of an Ice Queen feel to it ). Young, at least from my stash, but also kind of irresistible already.

Horizontale Haut-Piémont - october 2012 - Report by Pierre Citerne :

_13. Italie : Ghemme - Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo « Anno Primo » 2006
(Issu de 3 vignes : Carella, Baraggiola, Valera et Cavenago, élevage en grands foudres d’au moins 20 mois)
A l’ouverture : DS14 - PR14 - PS16,5 .
Après 5 heures d’aération : DS16 - PC14/14,5 - LG14,5 - MS13,5.
Robe dépouillée. Expression atténuée par un côté lactique persistant. La fraîcheur et la tenue sont de bon aloi, mais l’ensemble demeure linéaire et manque d’éclat aromatique.

15. Italie : Ghemme - Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo « Collis Breclemoe » 2004
    (Le plus grand vignoble appartenant à Cantalupo, exposé Sud/Sud-Ouest à une altitude de 280-310 mètres d’altitude, s’étend sur plus de dix hectares. Le vignoble tire son nom du village de Breclema et du château des Comtes de Biandrate, situé au pied de la colline, entre les villes actuelles de Ghemme et de Romagnano sesia. Elevage de 30 mois en grands foudres)
    A l’ouverture : DS(13) - PR? - PS14.
    Après 5 heures d’aération : DS15,5 - PC(ED) - LG15 - MS(ED?).
    Bien difficile à appréhender. Problème de netteté aromatique, impression de vieille futaille, de moisi, peut-être de liège… l’ensemble semble heurté, dissocié, avec une acidité volatile saillante._
    One shot for me … wines to be tasted again … Diversity is a chance

What does IRRC stand for ?

[Tom_Taylor]

2004 Collis Breclemae

In a very strong range, the Breclemae is the one that marks the sweet spot for me. They smashed it out of the park in both 2003 (a little more open-knit) and 2004 (a little cooler and tighter, more of an Ice Queen feel to it ). Young, at least from my stash, but also kind of irresistible already.

Horizontale Haut-Piémont - october 2012 - Report by Pierre Citerne :

_13. Italie : Ghemme - Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo « Anno Primo » 2006
(Issu de 3 vignes : Carella, Baraggiola, Valera et Cavenago, élevage en grands foudres d’au moins 20 mois)
A l’ouverture : DS14 - PR14 - PS16,5 .
Après 5 heures d’aération : DS16 - PC14/14,5 - LG14,5 - MS13,5.
Robe dépouillée. Expression atténuée par un côté lactique persistant. La fraîcheur et la tenue sont de bon aloi, mais l’ensemble demeure linéaire et manque d’éclat aromatique.

15. Italie : Ghemme - Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo « Collis Breclemoe » 2004
    (Le plus grand vignoble appartenant à Cantalupo, exposé Sud/Sud-Ouest à une altitude de 280-310 mètres d’altitude, s’étend sur plus de dix hectares. Le vignoble tire son nom du village de Breclema et du château des Comtes de Biandrate, situé au pied de la colline, entre les villes actuelles de Ghemme et de Romagnano sesia. Elevage de 30 mois en grands foudres)
    A l’ouverture : DS(13) - PR? - PS14.
    Après 5 heures d’aération : DS15,5 - PC(ED) - LG15 - MS(ED?).
    Bien difficile à appréhender. Problème de netteté aromatique, impression de vieille futaille, de moisi, peut-être de liège… l’ensemble semble heurté, dissocié, avec une acidité volatile saillante._
    One shot for me … wines to be tasted again … Diversity is a chance

What does IRRC stand for ?

If I recall correctly

[jnbrown]

Recently opened a 2018 Vietti Perbacco Langhe which seems popular here.
I don’t get it, it did not align with the notes on CT.
I got the typical acid and tannins but barely anything else, no stuffing. Near the bottom of the glass it got a little better but not much.
I came up with a list to try and explain this:

1. I admit my taste and smell is not the best due to age and allergies. But I can taste food ok in general.
2. It was too soon to open it, but others that opened at the same time or before are getting much more out of it.
3. It was an off bottle, but no reason to think so other than the lack of flavor.
4. I did not let it breathe, I typically like to taste a wine upon opening and follow it for an hour or more. In this case I saved half a bottle and had it the next day but it did not help.

I am thinking that Langhe is just too light / thin for me and I need to consider Barolo instead but I don’t have the patience to let it age or deep pockets to buy an older vintage.
I do remember liking some Barolo from Costco some years ago. I have also had some Nebbiolo from California that where quite good but are rare to come by.

[Tim_Heaton]

Recently opened a 2018 Vietti Perbacco Langhe which seems popular here.
I don’t get it, it did not align with the notes on CT.
I got the typical acid and tannins but barely anything else, no stuffing. Near the bottom of the glass it got a little better but not much.
I came up with a list to try and explain this:

1. I admit my taste and smell is not the best due to age and allergies. But I can taste food ok in general.
2. It was too soon to open it, but others that opened at the same time or before are getting much more out of it.
3. It was an off bottle, but no reason to think so other than the lack of flavor.
4. I did not let it breathe, I typically like to taste a wine upon opening and follow it for an hour or more. In this case I saved half a bottle and had it the next day but it did not help.

I am thinking that Langhe is just too light / thin for me and I need to consider Barolo instead but I don’t have the patience to let it age or deep pockets to buy an older vintage.
I do remember liking some Barolo from Costco some years ago. I have also had some Nebbiolo from California that where quite good but are rare to come by.

thanks for sharing. Having had it some weeks ago, I think you may enjoy the 2016 Kirkland Barolo, should you live near a Costco that has some in stock.

[IlkkaL]

Recently opened a 2018 Vietti Perbacco Langhe which seems popular here.
I don’t get it, it did not align with the notes on CT.
I got the typical acid and tannins but barely anything else, no stuffing. Near the bottom of the glass it got a little better but not much.
I came up with a list to try and explain this:

1. I admit my taste and smell is not the best due to age and allergies. But I can taste food ok in general.
2. It was too soon to open it, but others that opened at the same time or before are getting much more out of it.
3. It was an off bottle, but no reason to think so other than the lack of flavor.
4. I did not let it breathe, I typically like to taste a wine upon opening and follow it for an hour or more. In this case I saved half a bottle and had it the next day but it did not help.

I am thinking that Langhe is just too light / thin for me and I need to consider Barolo instead but I don’t have the patience to let it age or deep pockets to buy an older vintage.
I do remember liking some Barolo from Costco some years ago. I have also had some Nebbiolo from California that where quite good but are rare to come by.

In my experience both this and Produttori’s Langhe Nebbiolo can be decent wines but there are certainly more interesting Nebbiolos out there without going up to the Barolo/Barbaresco price levels. Of course purely from value perspective these two can be praiseworthy among Piemonte wines that are widely available.

[jnbrown]

Recently opened a 2018 Vietti Perbacco Langhe which seems popular here.
I don’t get it, it did not align with the notes on CT.
I got the typical acid and tannins but barely anything else, no stuffing. Near the bottom of the glass it got a little better but not much.
I came up with a list to try and explain this:

1. I admit my taste and smell is not the best due to age and allergies. But I can taste food ok in general.
2. It was too soon to open it, but others that opened at the same time or before are getting much more out of it.
3. It was an off bottle, but no reason to think so other than the lack of flavor.
4. I did not let it breathe, I typically like to taste a wine upon opening and follow it for an hour or more. In this case I saved half a bottle and had it the next day but it did not help.

I am thinking that Langhe is just too light / thin for me and I need to consider Barolo instead but I don’t have the patience to let it age or deep pockets to buy an older vintage.
I do remember liking some Barolo from Costco some years ago. I have also had some Nebbiolo from California that where quite good but are rare to come by.

thanks for sharing. Having had it some weeks ago, I think you may enjoy the 2016 Kirkland Barolo, should you live near a Costco that has some in stock.

Tim - Thanks for the tip. I will look for it. I have not had many Kirkland wines but remember a CDP years ago that was good.

[Dan_A]

Recently opened a 2018 Vietti Perbacco Langhe which seems popular here.
I don’t get it, it did not align with the notes on CT.
I got the typical acid and tannins but barely anything else, no stuffing. Near the bottom of the glass it got a little better but not much.
I came up with a list to try and explain this:

1. I admit my taste and smell is not the best due to age and allergies. But I can taste food ok in general.
2. It was too soon to open it, but others that opened at the same time or before are getting much more out of it.
3. It was an off bottle, but no reason to think so other than the lack of flavor.
4. I did not let it breathe, I typically like to taste a wine upon opening and follow it for an hour or more. In this case I saved half a bottle and had it the next day but it did not help.

I am thinking that Langhe is just too light / thin for me and I need to consider Barolo instead but I don’t have the patience to let it age or deep pockets to buy an older vintage.
I do remember liking some Barolo from Costco some years ago. I have also had some Nebbiolo from California that where quite good but are rare to come by.

I’ve had the same experience with that Perbacco which left me a little flat. I was able to find the prior vintage which was better but still not pleasurable drinking mostly acid and red fruit with little depth.

[jnbrown]

Recently opened a 2018 Vietti Perbacco Langhe which seems popular here.
I don’t get it, it did not align with the notes on CT.
I got the typical acid and tannins but barely anything else, no stuffing. Near the bottom of the glass it got a little better but not much.
I came up with a list to try and explain this:

1. I admit my taste and smell is not the best due to age and allergies. But I can taste food ok in general.
2. It was too soon to open it, but others that opened at the same time or before are getting much more out of it.
3. It was an off bottle, but no reason to think so other than the lack of flavor.
4. I did not let it breathe, I typically like to taste a wine upon opening and follow it for an hour or more. In this case I saved half a bottle and had it the next day but it did not help.

I am thinking that Langhe is just too light / thin for me and I need to consider Barolo instead but I don’t have the patience to let it age or deep pockets to buy an older vintage.
I do remember liking some Barolo from Costco some years ago. I have also had some Nebbiolo from California that where quite good but are rare to come by.

I’ve had the same experience with that Perbacco which left me a little flat. I was able to find the prior vintage which was better but still not pleasurable drinking mostly acid and red fruit with little depth.

Thanks for confirming that I am not the only one on this.

[Mikael_OB]

Continuing the drift…

Perbacco - I’ve mostly been disappointed. PdB on the other hand is not such a bad thing, at a favorable price point.

However I have to say that there are quite a few Lange Nebbiolo wines that really delivers, are very very good. Try any of the following LN:

• F. Principiano (had the la coste 2010 after 10-11 years)
• Sandri - the bar is set high
• Sottimano
• Cavallotto
• M. di Gresy LN Martinenga

Quite serious wines, better/more enjoyable than a lot of Barolo/barbaresco wines out there.

[jnbrown]

Continuing the drift…

Perbacco - I’ve mostly been disappointed. PdB on the other hand is not such a bad thing, at a favorable price point.

However I have to say that there are quite a few Lange Nebbiolo wines that really delivers, are very very good. Try any of the following LN:

• F. Principiano (had the la coste 2010 after 10-11 years)
• Sandri - the bar is set high
• Sottimano
• Cavallotto
• M. di Gresy LN Martinenga

Quite serious wines, better/more enjoyable than a lot of Barolo/barbaresco wines out there.

Mikael,

Thanks for the list. Those are pretty tough to find around here (SoCal)
My local shop has PDB 2017 for a good price so I think I will try that next.

[Mikael_OB]

Continuing the drift…

Perbacco - I’ve mostly been disappointed. PdB on the other hand is not such a bad thing, at a favorable price point.

However I have to say that there are quite a few Lange Nebbiolo wines that really delivers, are very very good. Try any of the following LN:

• F. Principiano (had the la coste 2010 after 10-11 years)
• Sandri - the bar is set high
• Sottimano
• Cavallotto
• M. di Gresy LN Martinenga

Quite serious wines, better/more enjoyable than a lot of Barolo/barbaresco wines out there.

Mikael,

Thanks for the list. Those are pretty tough to find around here (SoCal)
My local shop has PDB 2017 for a good price so I think I will try that next.

Of course, go with what you have available and it’s usually enjoyable wine. Didn’t try the PdB’s 2017 but most of the LN as well as Barolo/Barbaresco wines have been underwhelming. Even if 2018 might not be one of the best vintages I found a lot of true immediate joy in a lot of 2018. So if that’s available, I think it’s work giving a try. Maybe open the two vintages next to each other could be fun.

[Jim_Stewart]

A couple of not expensive, softer, ready relatively younger, tasty Nebbiolo that I have enjoyed are the basic Reverdito Barolo (~$30) and Paitin Nebbiolo Langhe “Starda” (~$20)

[Vince_T]

Continuing the drift…

Perbacco - I’ve mostly been disappointed. PdB on the other hand is not such a bad thing, at a favorable price point.

However I have to say that there are quite a few Lange Nebbiolo wines that really delivers, are very very good. Try any of the following LN:

• F. Principiano (had the la coste 2010 after 10-11 years)
• Sandri - the bar is set high
• Sottimano
• Cavallotto
• M. di Gresy LN Martinenga

Quite serious wines, better/more enjoyable than a lot of Barolo/barbaresco wines out there.

Mikael,

Thanks for the list. Those are pretty tough to find around here (SoCal)
My local shop has PDB 2017 for a good price so I think I will try that next.

Of course, go with what you have available and it’s usually enjoyable wine. Didn’t try the PdB’s 2017 but most of the LN as well as Barolo/Barbaresco wines have been underwhelming. Even if 2018 might not be one of the best vintages I found a lot of true immediate joy in a lot of 2018. So if that’s available, I think it’s work giving a try. Maybe open the two vintages next to each other could be fun.

Costco for a while had 2017 for a great price. I thought it was ok but not anywhere near 2015 or 2016. There was an ascendant astringency that took over on day 2.

[Tom_Taylor]

Year in and year out my favorite LN is from Roagna, technically it is labeled as Langhe Rosso. If memory serves me correctly it is a blend of 20-25 year old Nebbiolo vines from their holdings in “Pira” in Barolo and “Pora” in Barbaresco. This is one of the more expensive wines in this category, current vintage of 2015 is $40-$45, but well worth it in my opinion.

[Gregory_Dal_Piaz]

Year in and year out my favorite LN is from Roagna, technically it is labeled as Langhe Rosso. If memory serves me correctly it is a blend of 20-25 year old Nebbiolo vines from their holdings in “Pira” in Barolo and “Pora” in Barbaresco. This is one of the more expensive wines in this category, current vintage of 2015 is $40-$45, but well worth it in my opinion.

This so far outclasses almost all LN, that I consider more of a Super Piedmont. Nice jump in price, as I have been paying 30-25 through the 2013 vintage. Thill a tremendous value, It’s a remarkable wine and an excellent recommendation. It’s from young vines in Paje in Barbaresco, not the Pora vines, but blended with Pira. I think Luca has been saying 20-25 years of age for a decade!