TN: 2014 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Ovello...makes me sad

[Max_S1]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the 17 and 18 Produttori normale?

Tonight’s wines. Will let you know how it goes either later this evening or tomorrow.

Talk about lucky!

[michaelfm]

Bondonio sub-PdB Riserva? Wow, things have changed.

Seems like an Australian thing. Neither of these prices are attractive on an international scale although in fairness taxes are a significant part of it.

150ish Aud (olek) vs 170ish (PdB Riserva) Aud for 19s and 16/17s respectively.

(105 vs 120 usd /euro)


As others have noted GdM offers very sharp prices on (some) of his wines (well under us retail)

[Joseph_Grassa]

Has anyone had a chance to compare the 17 and 18 Produttori normale?

Tonight’s wines. Will let you know how it goes either later this evening or tomorrow.

Talk about lucky!

18 is very good and more enjoyable than the 17 right now. It is more expressive, but I don’t know if it has the structure for the same longevity as the 16 and 17. The abv is up at 15% compared to the 16 and 17 at 14.5%.

The tannins on the 17 are a bit too pronounced. The key difference for me with the 16 was the acidity.

All 3 are excellent and high qpr imo, but I will give another run at the remainder tomorrow and report back if there are any changes.

[Max_S1]

18 is very good and more enjoyable than the 17 right now. It is more expressive, but I don’t know if it has the structure for the same longevity as the 16 and 17. The abv is up at 15% compared to the 16 and 17 at 14.5%.

The tannins on the 17 are a bit too pronounced. The key difference for me with the 16 was the acidity.

All 3 are excellent and high qpr imo, but I will give another run at the remainder tomorrow and report back if there are any changes.

Thanks Joseph, very much appreciate your thoughts. I’m probably going to buy a few of both vintages, I think my main concern is that one or the other wouldn’t be worth more than a bottle to try it.

[Noah_C]

I haven’t loved the wines I’ve had from some of Produttori’s “lesser” single vineyards, and would also prefer the normale to those at a cheaper price.

I’m curious how people would rank, or at least describe, the different PdB vineyards. I haven’t had enough of them to know how they all compare. I’m sure Rabaja, Asili, Montestefano are up there. My impression is that Ovello is sort of middle of the pack, but I’ve always really enjoyed it. What do others think?

[Howard_Cooper]

I recall single vineyard bottles from PdB at just under €20 in Alba, which was probably ~ 15 years ago.

If you’re getting the standard Barbaresco for $30 I’d say that’s decent value and $25 is good value (in vintages that suit the buyer). It’s the single vineyard wines that for me have edged out of value, even on the numbers quoted for 2017 vintage. Whilst some of that is people taking the profit they can in the supply chain, the prices have also elevated in Italy. Still good wines - but no longer the bargain they were (IMO).

So… what bargains are left in Barbaresco (IYO)? La Ca’Növa? I liked the normale, although not as much as PdB, but haven’t tried any of my Montefico or Montestefano yet. Any others you’d recommend?

Try Vajra Barolo

I very much like the wines from Vajra. It would be interesting to try the Albe side by side in a few vintages with the Produttori Normale and see which provides the better value.

[Joseph_Grassa]

So… what bargains are left in Barbaresco (IYO)? La Ca’Növa? I liked the normale, although not as much as PdB, but haven’t tried any of my Montefico or Montestefano yet. Any others you’d recommend?

Try Vajra Barolo

I very much like the wines from Vajra. It would be interesting to try the Albe side by side in a few vintages with the Produttori Normale and see which provides the better value.

I did a sbs with the 2016s back in March. I didn’t take formal notes, but I slightly favored the PdB. It had more power and structure, while the Albe I felt was much more finesse. I would love to do a sbs on some lesser vintages.

[John_Morris]

Tonight’s wines. Will let you know how it goes either later this evening or tomorrow.

Talk about lucky!

18 is very good and more enjoyable than the 17 right now. It is more expressive, but I don’t know if it has the structure for the same longevity as the 16 and 17. The abv is up at 15% compared to the 16 and 17 at 14.5%.

The tannins on the 17 are a bit too pronounced. The key difference for me with the 16 was the acidity.

All 3 are excellent and high qpr imo, but I will give another run at the remainder tomorrow and report back if there are any changes.

Prompted in part by this thread, I opened an '18 normale last night. My experience was pretty similar to yours.

I was surprised at how fruity it was popped and poured – a burst of strawberries with floral notes when first opened. I poured part of it into a quartino decanter and enjoyed it for an hour or so outside on a very warm night with a steak off the grill. The alcohol was not conspicuous. (I kept the bottle and the quartino in the refrigerator much of the time to keep the temperature in check.)

The '18 was really chuggable – more like the Produttori Langhe Nebbiolo in a typical year than their usual base Barbaresco. I was surprised to find I’d gone through a half bottle on my own.

The '18 was much more forward than the '16 was at this stage. That was pretty awkward and tight two years ago. I find it hard to judge these wines shortly after release. I suspect there is more depth and structure to the '18 than was on display last night, but it doesn’t seem like it has the aging potential of the '16. I haven’t tried the '17.

[ErlendFA]

Try Vajra Barolo

I very much like the wines from Vajra. It would be interesting to try the Albe side by side in a few vintages with the Produttori Normale and see which provides the better value.

I did a sbs with the 2016s back in March. I didn’t take formal notes, but I slightly favored the PdB. It had more power and structure, while the Albe I felt was much more finesse. I would love to do a sbs on some lesser vintages.

2016 Vajra Albe can be approached now?

[Joseph_Grassa]

I very much like the wines from Vajra. It would be interesting to try the Albe side by side in a few vintages with the Produttori Normale and see which provides the better value.

I did a sbs with the 2016s back in March. I didn’t take formal notes, but I slightly favored the PdB. It had more power and structure, while the Albe I felt was much more finesse. I would love to do a sbs on some lesser vintages.

2016 Vajra Albe can be approached now?

I think very much so. I actually didn’t think it needed as much air as many of the CT notes are suggesting either. I bought 6 so I don’t plan on opening another until around 2030, but if I had 12 I would probably open one more before letting them sleep. The 16s I have had from Piedmont have all been really vibrant and pretty approachable with varying amounts of air.

[Michae1_P0wers]

I very much like the wines from Vajra. It would be interesting to try the Albe side by side in a few vintages with the Produttori Normale and see which provides the better value.

I did a sbs with the 2016s back in March. I didn’t take formal notes, but I slightly favored the PdB. It had more power and structure, while the Albe I felt was much more finesse. I would love to do a sbs on some lesser vintages.

2016 Vajra Albe can be approached now?

I had three bottles lof the '16 Albe last year and each was drinking great; wide open. Haven’t had one since December of last year so it may have closed up since. The 2016 Azelia Barolo normale, for instance, was open last year but a bottle this March had tightened up significantly.

[F.Daner]

Michael- we had our last 16 Albe in April and best one yet. Wide open and just terrific. Wish I had bought 2 cases. We’ve had the same experience with the Azelia and agree that seems to be shutting down.

As for the PDB Riserva’s Zachy’s has the 17’s on sale for $59-64 along with a few other 16 and 17 Piedmont and Tuscany gems. Happy hunting:

https://www.zachys.com/2022-loss-leader-sale/italy-piedmont.html?dm_i=1%2C1XYGC%2C55HF%2C64RT0D%2CHVVH&utm_campaign=834461_Loss+Leader+Sale+-+Final+Hours&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Zachys+Wine+%26+Liquor

I did a sbs with the 2016s back in March. I didn’t take formal notes, but I slightly favored the PdB. It had more power and structure, while the Albe I felt was much more finesse. I would love to do a sbs on some lesser vintages.

2016 Vajra Albe can be approached now?

I had three bottles lof the '16 Albe last year and each was drinking great; wide open. Haven’t had one since December of last year so it may have closed up since. The 2016 Azelia Barolo normale, for instance, was open last year but a bottle this March had tightened up significantly.