PIEDMONT 2013, DAY 3 - VISIT TO CASTELLO DI NEIVE - Neive, Barbaresco, Piedmont, Italy (19/6/2013)
Our last visit of the trip was to the mediaeval Castello di Neive, where we were given a tour through the beautiful grounds of the castle by Italo Stupino, part of the family team that owns and runs the place.
Castello di Neive is woven into the history of wine-production in Babaresco, with the Stupino family actually having bought the famous Santa Stefano plot generations back even before grapes were planted there. Today, they seemed to be embracing technology and modernity with open arms – after a leisurely tasting, we drove down with Italo to a factory-like facility in the outskirts of town where they will shifting the wine-production to in the coming months.
The tasting experience itself was a bit of a mixed bag. We did not get to try many of the Nebbiolo wines, so it was hard to gauge how they do at the top-end. The one that we did, the 2007 Santa Stefano Riserva, was quite good. Rather softer and more approachable in style than I remembered from a prior bottles of older vintages that I had in the past, but very yummy. The other wines, however, while decent, were nothing much to shout about. I though they all had a certain commercial friendliness to them, but maybe just lacked a touch of character.
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2006 Castello di Neive Metodo Classico - Italy, Piedmont, Piemonte DOC
A really unusual blanc de noir sparkler from Piedmont, this was nice refreshing start to the tasting after a long, hot day. The nose showed pleasant scents of white peach, red apples and red berries along with some floral notes and an edge of lime and mineral. Nice. The palate was very fresh and lively, rather more citrusy on the nose, with flavours of limes and lemons and green apples trailing off into a little minerally tail. It had a good sense of definition to it and a nicely fine mousse too. Simple, but this was quite nice to drink. I kinda like this. (89 pts.) -
2011 Castello di Neive Langhe Arneis Montebertotto - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
I found this very pleasing. It had lovely aromatics, with white peach and musk white flowers, some tropical nuances and brighter scents of sweet citrus – very pretty. It was very fresh and lively on the palate too, with more of those sweet lemons on the attack opening up into all sorts of perfumy tropical notes on the midpalate. A touch guava, a drift of white flowers and just a hint of brought it to very fresh, lively finish. Nothing really complex, but this was a clean, cool, very pleasing wine that makes a great summer drink. (90 pts.) -
2009 Castello di Neive Barbera d’Alba Superiore - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d’Alba
Very ordinary. This had a deep, ripe nose, with pretty decent aromas of dark fruited blackberries with some sweet spice and a shading of oak. Unfortunately, a whiff of glycerol knocked it somewhat. The palate was sweet and lush, with big flavours of blackberries and plums topped up tons of spice. Round tannins and soft acidity led into a rather grapey finish. Pleasant enough, but quite simple, and the finish was rather short and slightly watery finish. A pleasant quaffer, but not much more. (87 pts.) -
2010 Castello di Neive Langhe Pinot Nero I Cortini - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
This was really decent. It had a pretty nose, not quite Burgundian, but very attractive, with sweet morello cherries with a wreathe of floral perfume and a touch of earth. The palate showed a sweet, fruity attack; very vareitally correct, with a nicely pure expression raspberries and cherries with a touch of bramble. Sweet, supple acidity led into a decent, if just a slightly shorter finish that carried a touch of structure. A bit one-dimensional at the moment, but this was pretty well made. It should shed some puppy fat and gain some complexity over the next 4-5 years too. (90 pts.) -
2007 Castello di Neive Barbaresco Riserva Santo Stefano - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
A class apart from every other wine in the tasting, this was a quite a lovely, generous young Barbaresco. It had a very open, expressive nose, with lovely dark fruit aromas of cassis and bluberry, some earthy meaty aromas, sprigs of brambly spice and herb, lots of floral character and, finally, some mineral accents chasing behind. The palate was very full on the attack, with more of those ripe blueberry and cassis tones picked up on the nose, followed by a little trial of mineral and spice underneath. There was a plush feminity to the fruit, but it was quite powerful and muscular beneath that. In fact this was quite a deep, weighty wine; rather thick-bodied, but still supported by a structure of decent acidity and beautifully shaped, sweet tannins that a firm, slightly mouthcoating feel to them, especially towards the finish. Here, it was not quite long, but decent enough – very fresh, clean, with lovely pure fruit and a kiss of spice lingering at the end. A very nice drink indeed. This should be lovely in 8-10 years. 92+ (92 pts.) -
2009 Castello di Neive Langhe Albarossa - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Pretty good. This nosed somewhat like a ripe, rather rustic Nebbiolo, with dark notes of plums and violet flowers backed-up by forest floor, meat and a touch of something balsamic. The palate was certainly big and weighty, with deep draws of black plums and cassis, but it was also nicely balanced by sweet citrus acidity that almost had a hint of mandarin oranges at points. It was so juicy and fresh indeed that you could hardly guess at the 15.5% alcohol, with only the thick plushness of the wine giving any hint of at all. Finish was decent enough, very juicy and fleshy, with black fruit met by a touch of meat and earth at the finish. Pretty good, and unlike the Babaresco that preceded it, this was pretty softly structured and will probably drink well in couple of years or so. (91 pts.)
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