TN: 2009 Harrington Nebbiolo (USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles)

Surprisingly excellent Nebbiolo built to drink young-ish from Paso Robles of all places. Great energy and complexity, and infinitely more balanced than the black Rhone-style wines from Paso. Even the color is right for young Nebbiolo, a translucent maroon rather than black-purple or salmon-pink.

  • 2009 Harrington Nebbiolo - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (12/18/2011)
    True to type Nebbiolo from the Templeton Gap of Paso Robles, calcareous soil and sand substrates. Immediately aromatic with olives, raspberry, tar, sandalwood and spicey/floral notes. Not at all candied or oaky–it’s the work of a Pinot producer with a light hand. Med high acidity, medium/full body, driven by fresh fruit. Not as intense as Barolo, but cut from the same varietal cloth and lower in alcohol (14.2%) than many Barolo/Barbaresco. Tannins are mild for Nebbiolo, meaning firm and building as it’s consumed in a more general context. Finishes with the typical retronasal Nebbiolo perfume, tar and spice (anise). Pleasureable to drink now, but seems like it will handle 3-5 years in the cellar comfortable. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Uhhhhhh??? “retronasal”??? What the heck does that mean, Greg???

As for “not as intense as Barolo”…guess I would argue otherwise. It seems much more intense than most Baroli I ever try.
But you’re right, Greg. This is an awfully nice expression of Nebb from PasoRobles. Speaks strongly of Nebbiolo. Maybe not quite as strong
on the floral/violets/lilacs/delicate side as many Piedmont versions; but clearly Nebbiolo. One of my Calif favorites.
I find it interesting that much of the interest in Nebb in Calif is coming from Pinot producers (Pax, Adam, Brian). Coincidence?? Or maybe that
Pinot producers are such a bull-headed/cantankerous/know-it-all lot they feel they can make great Calif Nebb??
Tom

Who is behind this outfit?

Mike, it’s the winery of Bryan Harrington, and the winery is in San Francisco. I work for the winery part-time. Most of the production over the past 10 years has been single-vineyard Pinot Noir, but Bryan branched out to Nebbiolo starting in 2008. This year we’ve been making a lot of different varieties in addition to Pinot and Nebbiolo - Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, Fiano, Charbono, Lagrein, Teraldego, and Tannat.

Ken,
Where be these grapes from???
Tom

Have had a number of very good California Nebbiolos, not sure why more aren’t focusing on this grape instead of Sangiovese (which I’ve never had a great example of from here).

Tom, the Grenache Blanc and Tannat are from the Westside of Paso Robles. The Fiano, Charbono, Lagrein, and Teraldego are all from a vineyard near Hecker Pass in Santa Clara Valley. And although you didn’t ask about the Chardonnay, that’s from Coastview Vineyard in Monterey County.

Retronasal . . . . I guess that might just be another way of saying finish. It’s the lingering aromas in the back of my throat rather than the ones I snuffle up through my nose. But it’s definitely more than the lingering sweet/sour/salt/bitter/umami flavor part of the finish.

By intensity, I mean face smashing tannin, acid and weight of a young (probably ripe vintage and/or modern) Barolo. This Harrington Nebbiolo had plenty of flavor concentration/intensity, but not the searing painful aspects of Barolo. It’s highly drinkable, yet warrants contemplation.

I hear you on the Pinot producers–they make just about everything better, especially tricky varietals and “easy” grapes that can be turned over-the-top by heavy handed treatment (i.e. Syrah).

+1 to that. It seems like the climate on the coast should be good for it given the moderating ocean and long growing season, provided desired soil type is available.

Hmmm interesting. And $32 isn’t a bad price.

Last week Bryan, Ken and I made a detour to Soquel Vineyard because they make a Neb from Luna Mata Vyd. (one of the 2 sources Bryan uses). We got to try a barrel sample of their Luna Mata Sangio and holy smokes was that good. I think credit goes more to the vineyard, but still…

The only other time I’ve been impressed by a CA Sangio was a Ridge bottling that Allan Bree popped this year. '97 or '98. Mediocre young and middle aged, but came around surprisingly well.

Just a heads up to those looking to try the Harrington '09 Nebbiolo, Invino has it up @ $20 per bottle for one of their periodic inventory clean up sales. (Funny an inventory cleaning type of site has its own inventory dumps.) PM if you’d like an invite. I’ve reupped on a few bottles since I only picked up a pair initially.