TN: Castelli Nebbiolo Estate '17....(short/boring)

WINE TALK
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Tried this last night w/ Sue’s lobster risotto:

  1. Castelli Nebbiolo Estate GreenRiver of RRV/SonomasCnty (14.2%; 48 mo. in neutral Fr.oak; 75 cs; www.CastelliVineyards.com) Emilio&Laura Castelli/Sebastapol 2017: Med.dark color; very strong Nebb/floral/lilacs/violets/rose petal very slight tarry/pungent light pencilly/oak slight earthy beautifully aromatic some complex nose; fairly tart/tang very strong lilacs/violets/Nebb/bit rose petal very perfumed lightly tarry/pungent/road tar/licorice quite structured rather savory complex flavor w/ modest ripe/chewey tannins; very long/lingering quite floral/Nebb/lilacs/violets slight tarry/licorice/pungent structured savory fairly complex finish w/ modest chewey tannins; a beautiful expression of Calif Nebb & one of Emilio’s best yet; should go out at least 10 yrs; very fairly priced at $35.00

More dippacarp from TheBloodyPulpit:

  1. I have, of course, followed Emilio’s Nebbs from the very start. It is always a no-brainer purchase for me. At our NEB confabs, it has consistently been on of the best.
    He has a tiny plot of Nebb on his home property, farmed by Fukuoka. Several yrs ago, he took over the farming of BrentWalker’s vnyd who had planted Nebb at Emilio’s request. Now those grapes are included in his Estate Nebb.
    This would not be mistaken for a B/B and doesn’t have the soaring aromatics those wines show. Nor does it have the hard tannins those wines also show. But it is far better than most Langhe Nebbs. If anything, it resembles a Valtelline Sforzato Nebb in weight & texture.
    This was just released less than a month ago and is, alas, already sold-out. You snooze/you loose. But this is one of his best yet.
    Tom
1 Like
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Just took delivery of my 4 today. I’ll let them settle down and then give one a whirl. Thanks for the note.

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You done/did good, Matt. Don’t think you’ll be disappointed. The '10 Estate on tap for tonight.
Tom

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All the Castelli’s I bought on BerserkerDay have been cooked/heat damaged.

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Did you contact them Adam?

1 Like
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No, I have not.

First one I opened right after I got it, so thought it was just an off one - it can happen. Then this summer I opened another one and it was better, but still showed signs of damage. And then the last one I opened just a few nights ago.

But I can’t be entirely sure the last two didn’t happen in my cellar after that heat spell we had.

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I’ve been a fan of this wine in previous vintages thank to being introduced by Tom Hill. Just tried the 2017:

Medium ruby, very forward Nebbiolo character on nose and palate, maybe more so the latter, but with plenty of structure. Very pungent on the nose with more cherry and tarry/tannic grip on the palate. Cherry, bay leaf, tobacco/cigar, cherry pit. Grippy tannins, well structured, but tannins tending towards bitterness with some tar and leather interest. Day 2 it was pretty much the same. Should be good for years. Excellent, 4 (out of 5).