TN: '08 Tempier Rosé + Italians

WINE TALK
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Some wines we drank at the beach over Memorial Day weekend. We didn’t take any notes-- these are our general impressions.

  • 2008 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé - France, Provence, Bandol (5/25/2009)
    With robiola due latti and truffle honey. I’ve never enjoyed Tempier rosé more than I enjoyed this bottle of '08. Pale salmon pink with a hint of copper. Smells like chalk… raspberries… stone fruits… and mostly, like clean laundry blowing in a garrigue-scented Provencal breeze. There’s a sense of place and a sense of grape here that I just don’t get from the other rosés I’ve been drinking (and loving) non-stop for the past few weeks. Moderate acid (low compared to the screeching Txakolinas) and more body than the typical rosé, with a pronounced finish. Unequivocally worth double or triple what I pay for other rosés.


  • 2000 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (5/25/2009)
    Slightly maderized nose and bricked color that worried me at first, but as it opened up, we fell in love with this tarry, floral wine. The palate was well-structured with a good balance of acid and tannin. Lots of sediment. We didn’t take notes, but what stood out about this wine was how absolutely superb it was with food. Equally delicious with rich mushroom cannelloni and grilled salmon panzanella. I’m convinced the bottle was off, yet somehow, it was still delicious. Go figure.


  • 2000 Giacomo Brezza & Figli Barolo Cannubi - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (5/25/2009)
    We found this on a restaurant’s list for $65, which seemed like a steal. And it was! Splash decanted. Ruby in color with slight bricking. A bit closed at first, but it opened up within an hour and it was lovely. Leather, plum, anise, roses. Very elegant and balanced on the palate. I have nowhere near enough experience with Barolo to venture a guess as to how long this wine will continue to improve, but it’s accessible and enjoyable right now.
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Thanks for the notes. Sounds like some nice experiences. Glad the Produttori was working for you. Was the color making you think it was off? Were you in control of the storage?

Jason

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The color was surprising, but no-- it was definitely the nose, which smelled distinctly like Sherry at first. A little caramel, a little soy sauce, both of which faded as the wine opened up. I looked up CT notes when we got home, and the notes there are reasonably consistent with each other but totally dissimilar to our bottle. I’m not complaining-- whatever happened to this bottle, it worked beautifully with our meals.

Re: storage, we’ve had it in a temperature controlled unit since we bought it, but it was a couple of vintages old when I found it in a local store.

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From Produttori I haven’t had the 00 normale but have had a couple of the 00 cru wines and based on those and the general trackrecord for the normale, I wouldn’t expect the bottle to seem over the hill yet by any stretch. 2000 was a warmish vintage and forward but (caveat again, I haven’t had the wine) I would expect it to go at least another 5-10 years if well cellared, maybe longer. The 01, though a better year, is to my tastes still several years from ready to drink.

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Josh, I have an '00 Ovello. Have you had that one? I considered opening it this weekend too, but I didn’t really have a sense for whether it would be enjoyable yet.

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Good to hear about the '08 Tempier rosé. I was able to get 6 more '07s to get me through the next couple of weeks until the '08s arrive in Manila.

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I haven’t had the Ovello, and haven’t drunk as many Ovellos as some of the other Crus overall, but I’ve had 00 Montestefano, Asili and Rabaja. I would imagine it will drink pretty well given some air and some food, 00 is a quite forward year. I also imagine it will be better in 5 years but, meh, 00 Produttoris are not trophy wines, I doubt it will be shut down and there is no harm in trying it now. I’ve been drinking 98 and 00 Barolo & Barbaresco at will and sampling a few 01’s (with good results so far… 01 Cavallotto, Produttori and Scavino have been rocking lately) but am more leery of 96 and 99, I’ve had a number of shut down wines and am giving them time.

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This thread needs Rico… that guy has drunk every bottle of Nebbiolo you can name at least 3x in the last year!

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Noel, I will be curious to hear your thoughts on how the '08 compares to the '07.

Josh… Rico? Tyler Rico?

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Nope. Colorado Rico. He hasn’t made his way here yet if I’m not mistaken.

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And the reason for that is…

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