In late 2024 we were going to have a BYOP (Bring Your Own Port) tasting at my friend’s residence. On my way there I stopped at my offsite storage to pick up and double-decant my Porty contribution; however, it turned out that there was a Borgogno Rivata winemaker tasting at the same time in the offsite tasting room, and they invited me to quickly taste the wines they were tasting.
As I had about an hour of extra time, I tasted through the wines (and a few extras as well) while I was double-decanting my Vintage Port off the deposit. The Borgogno Rivatas were really lovely wines; the Barolo was quite unsurprisingly a very promising and thoroughly impressive effort. However, my absolute favorite was the Pelaverga, which was not only beautifully aromatic (as seems to be quite typical of the variety), but also surprisingly structured for the variety as well. Definitely a wine worth seeking out!
No pictures to show, since I was in a hurry to leave for the next tasting!
- NV Vincent d'Astrée Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne (7.12.2024)
Labeled "Assemblage" as it is a NV-blend, not a single-vintage bottling. 100% Chardonnay. Fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. Disgorged in October 2023. 12% alcohol, dosage 2 g/l.
Pale, youthful whitish-green color. The nose feels youthful, crisp and fresh with aromas of ripe Granny Smith apple, some white peach, light leesy notes of autolysis and a hint of slivered almonds. The wine feels fresh, open-knit and balanced on the palate with a medium body and more or less bone-dry flavors of leesy yeast and crunchy Golden Delicious apple, some salinity, a little bit of chalky minerality and a little bit of juicy citrus fruit. A very fine and silky-smooth mousse with good, rather high acidity. The finish is ripe yet dry and pretty crisp with flavors of zesty citrus fruits, some leesy tones, a little bit of chalky minerality and a hint of white peach.
A youthful, nice and quite linear Blanc de Blancs. Quite drinkable already, but not showing much depth or complexity. Thoroughly enjoyable, but pretty harmless. I hope the wine would pick up some depth and complexity with additional aging.
(89 points) - 2022 Borgogno Rivata Langhe Rosso - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (7.12.2024)
100% organically farmed Pelaverga from a 60 yo vineyard. Fermented spontaneously, macerated with the skins for 20 days. Aged in concrete tanks for 18 months. 13,5% alcohol. Total production 3285 bottles.
Youthful, luminous, fully translucent ruby-red color. The nose feels youthful, fresh and fruit-forward with aromas of strawberries, some brambly raspberries, light white pepper tones, a little bit of black raspberry marmalade and a perfumed hint of crushed rose petals. The wine feels dry, firm and so bright on the palate with a light-to-medium body and crunchy flavors of brambly raspberries, some wild strawberries and dark forest fruits, light stony mineral notes, a little bit of tart cranberry, a floral hint of roses and a faint touch of farmhouse funk. The wine is high in acidity with surprisingly ample and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is dry, crunchy and quite grippy with a moderately long aftertaste of wild strawberries and brambly raspberries, some peppery tones, a little bit of phenolic funk, light perfumed notes of roses, a hint of gravelly minerality and a touch of sour cherry bitterness.
As it almost invariably seems to be with Pelaverga, also this wine was wonderfully expressive, fragrant and fruit-driven with a lovely, slightly spicy undertone. However, unlike most Pelavergas, this wine was not only crunchy with high acidity, but also packed a surprisingly hefty amount of tannic grip, making the wine feel more like a light-bodied Nebbiolo than just a simple, delicate weekday red. It's hard to say whether the wine has stuffing to really age, but this was really fantastic right now as a firm and quite structure-driven example of Pelaverga. A superb combination of playful liveliness and quite dead-serious, structure-driven style. Really a beautiful wine, highly recommended.
(94 points) - 2022 Borgogno Rivata Barbera d'Alba - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (7.12.2024)
100% organically farmed Barbera from 30-yo vineyards in Roero. Fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins for 20 days stainless steel tanks. Aged in old oak cask (50%) and concrete tanks (50%) for 12 months. 13,5% alcohol.
Youthful, quite deep and somewhat translucent black ruby color. The nose feels juicy, youthful and quite fruit-forward with aromas of blueberries and black raspberries, some licorice, light cherry tones, a little bit of savory spice and a hint of blackberry. The wine feels dry, youthful and crunchy on the palate with a light-to-medium body and bright flavors of fresh cranberries and redcurrants, some sour cherry bitterness, light blueberry tones, a little bit of gravelly minerality, a hint of tart lingonberry and a touch of licorice root along with a suggestion of primary sweetness. The structure relies mostly on the brisk acidity, but the medium tannins feel relatively grippy - which is more than most Barberas show. The finish is long, dry and gently grippy with a crunchy aftertaste of tart lingonberries and cranberries, some brambly raspberry tones, a little bit of stony minerality, light blueberry notes, a hint of licorice root and a touch of sweet primary fruit.
A tasty, somewhat straightforward but also still enjoyably serious and balanced effort for a Barbera. While not a particularly tannic wine, the wine does show more tannic grip one normally sees in Barberas - which adds a nice sense of firmness to the overall feel. At the moment the wine is super youthful, but fortunately not too candied and sweet-toned in primary fruit qualities. Tasty and serious stuff with some upside; I can see the wine improving even from a few years of aging, which should take the wine out from the super youthful phase. However, most likely the wine should benefit from aging at least up to 10 years of age. Drink soon or let the wine age - there isn't any hurry with this one.
(90 points) - 2021 Borgogno Rivata Langhe Nebbiolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (7.12.2024)
100% organically farmed Nebbiolo from 40-yo vineyards. Fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins in stainless steel tanks. Aged in old oak casks (50%) and concrete tanks (50%) for 6 months. 14% alcohol.
Quite translucent and rather youthful ruby-red color with a broad, pale brick-red rim. The nose feels savory and bit understated with light yet varietally correct aromas of fresh cherries and sweet strawberries, some earthy tones, a little bit of pipe tobacco, light raspberry juice notes and hints of floral highlights. The wine feels moderately ripe, rather dry and somewhat sweet-toned on the palate with a medium body and flavors of wizened cherries and ripe strawberries, some juicy raspberry tones, a little bit of pipe tobacco, light earthy notes, a hint of pomegranate juice and a faint touch of ripe tomato. The structure relies both on the moderately high acidity and quite grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is long, ripe and quite grippy with a sunny aftertaste of sweet cherries and juicy strawberries, some black raspberry tones, a little bit of gravelly minerality and a hint of pomegranate juice.
A pleasant and quite balanced but also somewhat very basic and predictable everyday Nebbiolo with a somewhat underwhelming nose and flavors that are lacking both in depth and breadth. This is very easily identifiable as a Nebbiolo, but it lacks the nuance, depth and complexity that make this variety so great. True to the 2021 vintage, the wine sports an impressive sense of structure, so hopefully that will help the wine to age and also pick up some complexity as it ages. I'm not the biggest fan of Barbera, whereas I like Nebbiolo a lot, but I have to admit I enjoyed the 2022 Borgogno Rivata Barbera more than this one.
(88 points) - 2019 Borgogno Rivata Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo (7.12.2024)
100% organically farmed Nebbiolo from 20-yo vineyards in La Morra. Fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins in old oak. Aged in old oak casks for 24 months. 14,5% alcohol.
Quite translucent and somewhat dark pomegranate-red color with a thin, pale brick-red rim. The nose feels open, dark-toned and rather sweetish with fragrant and pretty attractive aromas of black cherries and black raspberries, some red licorice, light boysenberry tones, a little bit of pipe tobacco, a hint of dusty old wood, a touch of stony minerality and a whiff of floral lift. The wine feels juicy and quite ripe yet still dry on the palate with a rather full body and quite intense flavors of black raspberries and sweet black cherries, some licorice root, light dusty old wood, a little bit of boysenberry, a hint of sun-baked earth and a fragrant touch of exotic spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. The overall feel is firm and impressively structured yet not aggressive with the rather high acidity and noticeably grippy but not tough tannins. The finish is juicy, tannic and slightly warm with a long aftertaste of juicy raspberries and black cherries, some soft red plums, a little bit of pipe tobacco, light boysenberry tones, a hint of licorice root and a touch of roasted fennel.
A very harmonious, stylish and classically styled Barolo; a considerable improvement from the rather ho-hum Langhe Nebbiolo. Very structured and dead-serious, yet still quite approachable for such a young Barolo - at least if you can tolerate a healthy amount of grippy Nebbiolo tannins. Very promising - I can see this evolving and improving beautifully for over a few decades. Although enjoyable already now, I'd say this wine won't be in its optimal drinking window in the next 5 years. Terrific stuff, diggin' this big time.
(93 points) - 2014 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru (7.12.2024)
100% Pinot Noir from 1er Cru Poissenots. Fermented and macerated for three weeks in open-top fermentors, then aged for 18 months in 228-liter oak pièces (roughly 1/3 new). 13% alcohol.
Rather translucent and somewhat evolved cherry-red color with a slightly murky pomegranate hue. The nose feels moderately ripe and slightly evolved with aromas of juicy raspberries and cherries, some spicy Pinosity, a little bit of wizened dark berry character, light floral notes of dried flowers, a hint of oak spice and a succulent touch of sweet black cherry. The wine feels dry, firm and quite acid-driven on the palate with a medium body and crunchy flavors of tart lingonberries, some toasty oak spice, a little bit of ripe cranberry, light brambly notes of black raspberries, hints of sour cherries and woody bitterness and a tough of gravelly minerality. The wine is high in acidity with somewhat grippy medium tannins. The finish is dry, crunchy and somewhat grippy with a rather long aftertaste of tart lingonberries and fresh cranberries, some toasty notes of sweet oak spice, a little bit of gravelly minerality, light bitter notes of sour cherries and extracted wood, a hint of brambly raspberry and a touch of earth.
A nice and quite balanced 1er Cru Gevrey-Chambertin where the age is starting to show a bit, yet the wine comes across as still a bit too youthful - the structure could resolve some more and the toasty oak tones shine through the relatively light, acid-driven fruit department a bit more than I'd care for. Despite showing a tiny bit of age, I'd say there is still a lot of room for further improvement and the wine could use another 10 years or so sideways, just to resolve the structure a bit more and integrate those oak tones a bit better with the fruit. Enjoyable stuff, but maybe still slightly awkward at the moment. Let the wine wait.
(91 points) - NV Eve's Cidery Essence - USA, New York, Finger Lakes (7.12.2024)
To my understanding this is a blend of multiple vintages, but the bottle didn't tell which. Although the cidery's website gives some information on the ciders, I couldn't find a matching description as the bottle said 12% alcohol - and none of the NVs listed on the website had 12% ABV. Anyways, the wine is made by freezing freshly pressed apple juice over the winter; as water freezes, the sugar and acid contents concentrate. Fermented either in stainless steel or used oak - depending on the vintage.
Luminous golden-yellow color. The nose feels sweet, rich and very appley with bold aromas of apple sauce and freshly pressed apple juice, some spicy tones, a little bit of quince jam and a faint hint of orange marmalade. The wine feels lush, moderately viscous and slightly tingly on the palate with a full body and sweet flavors of apple jam and honey, some raisiny notes of Sultanas, a little bit of nuttiness, light spicy nuances and a hint of orange marmalade. The medium-plus acidity keeps the wine somewhat in balance, but could be a tad higher. The finish is rich, sweet and slightly sticky with a rather long aftertaste of apple jam, some Sultana raisins, a little bit of orange marmalade, light spicy nuances and a hint of balancing bitterness.
A sophisticated, tasty and enjoyably intensely-flavored ice cider. The acidity could be a bit higher as the overall feel is a bit soft and unctuous for the genre - I've accustomed to ice ciders showing almost piercing levels of acidity that make them feel brisk and zippy despite the luscious levels of residual sugar sweetness, whereas this was quite soft and gentle, lacking the structure and freshness I tend to expect from ice ciders. However, the overall feel was still pretty balanced and showed a little bit of developed complexity. Pleasant, well-made stuff. Recommended.
(92 points)
Posted from CellarTracker