I posted earlier about breaking my wine drinking rut, so on advice of some of the Italian wine geeks here I bought a few bottles of Barolos and Barbarescos. Tonight I opened the first one. I haven’t had much experience with the Nebbiolo grape, but count me as intrigued…
2003 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco- Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (4/6/2010)
Opened at cellar temp and left to aerate for ~1.5 hrs. The wine’s aromas are apparent even a few feet away. There are musky, red cranberry aromas with a backbone of dry cedar. In the mouth there is a great rush of acid then waves of fine but very coating tannins. The fruit gets a little lost, but there is a fine progression in the mouth from entry, to mid-palate weight to the tannins slowly receding to the long, juicy finish.
Edit: With some additional air time (and now with food), the tannins seems to have mellowed out
Thanks for the note, have not had any '03s as it was a hot year but sounds like there is more acid than I would have expected. Interestingly I tried to order some '03 Cantina del Pino Ovello bottles about six months back at the killer price of $14.99 per, and turned out to be an “error” in inventory on the website. Well, click on through the winesearcher link above and the deal is back. Unbelievable that this store has still not updated its inventory/website. Sorry for the rant on your thread, back to the '03 Barbaresco…
I hope I do not sound like a school teacher, but the 2003 vintage in Piemonte is a very difficult one, very hot vintage. Some producers already harvested in August 1½ month before the usual hardest. Together with the 2002 vintage, much rain, the 2003 is an “avoid” vintage. Not saying that the vintage is bad, I have tasted several great 2002 and 2003 but NOT at the same lavel as the other vintages. Best vintages is, after 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Have not tasted Barbaresco 2007 yet, still approx 95% of the producers has not released the 2007 yet.
Thanks for your input. Some other people mentioned the same thing about the 2003 vintage, but the price was right and if Cantina del Pino has been a consistent producer, they should have produced a decent bottle in 03. If things only go upward from 03, then count me as excited about the wines from the “good” vintages.
but the 2003 vintage in Piemonte is a very difficult one, very hot vintage. Some producers already harvested in August 1½ month before the usual hardest. Together with the 2002 vintage, much rain, the 2003 is an “avoid” vintage. Not saying that the vintage is bad, I have tasted several great 2002 and 2003 but NOT at the same lavel as the other vintages. Best vintages is, after 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Have not tasted Barbaresco 2007 yet, still approx 95% of the producers has not released the 2007 yet.
