TN: Two disappointing Barbareschi: Rizzi 05 and Musso 99

WINE TALK
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Two wines I had high hopes for, tasted over the past 10 days:

Rizzi 2005 Pajore I was blown away by the 04 Pajore when I tasted it out of tank in December 2005. A bottle of that Greg dal Piaz scared up (the 04s weren’t imported to the US) seemed fully mature in July. This 05 was somewhat similar. The nose offered classic nebbiolo rose hips and dried strawberries. In the mouth, it was unusually accessible for a current release – surprisingly so for an 05. So much so that it seemed more like a Langhe nebbiolo than a Barbaresco in depth and complexity. Not sure what to make of this. At $42 or so, I’d like to like it more. 88 points.

Musso 1999 Rio Sordo I was quite taken with this when it was young, and Whole Foods had it for $30. This had a brickish hue and was pulling back considerably at the edge. On the nose, it showed a little classic black licorice in the nose, but not much else. In the mouth, it was quite tannic and showed signs of heading over the hill: a faint oxidative note and some coffee hints. A major disappointment given the vintage and how good the wine drank when young. 83 points. I’ll have to check another bottle to see if this is an anomaly.

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Re: the Musso, could this be another sign that Suckling’s right [wink.gif]

John, I’ve had that wine a few times, and while it never impressed me as a wine that would age, I think you may be right in speculating that it was a flawed bottle. I think I may have one or two left, and I will try to dig one out when I get a chance.

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I’d be very interested to hear your impressions, Bob.

What did Suckling say about it?

Incidently, I also had a 2001 Rizzi Boito recently that seemed like it was fully mature – again, a shock. That had been stored in someone’s apartment without temperature control for two years or so, though, so that may have affected it.

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John, I was alluding to the comments Suckling made recently about the '99 Barbaresco’s falling apart and in need of drinking up - it wasn’t a comment specifically about the Musso, more about the vintage. AS you might imagine, it provoked some lively discussion in a thread on Antonio’s folder at the EBob board.

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I was at Rizzi’s winery this summer. The 05s, whether Barolo or Barbe, are drink now wines. They did not have the backbone for aging. That was repeated to me by multiple vintners. I bought several of his(Rizzi’s) 04’s along with an 01 which I shipped home, but only one of the 05s which I had with dinner one night there.

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I have only limited experience with the 05s, but I gathered the reputation was that the best of the 05s are more structured and better keepers than the 04s. I’m interested it that was not your experience.

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John;

Not at all. The 04 vintage in the Lange was exceptional with most winmakers saying it produced the best fruit since one of the great 70s harvest.

Most all winemakers, I visited many, said to put the 04s away for at least 15 years. Drink the 05s now. The overall growing season in 05 just didn’t provide the structure for long lived wines, but made for pleasant ones. Enjoy 05s young was the consistent message. I tasted well over 100 wines, barolo and barbes combined. From my experience I believe the producers were right on in their recommendations.