TNs: '98 Nebbiolo & Shortribs

WINE TALK
1

Kind of a dreary, rainy day here, so I’ve got some short ribs simmering in a bottle of the 2007 Produttori Nebbiolo Langhe with sea salt, onions, and garlic. Should be ready to go in about an hour, so I opened up two '98’s to pair with the food at 1:30 - not decanted, just poured off a small taste to ensure they weren’t corked, then left them uncorked in the cellar for the rest of the afternoon for a little oxygenation. First up:

1998 Mauro Veglio Barolo Vigneto Arborina
Deep translucent red in the glass, lightening out around the rim - I noticed this before, but this wine has some serious legs. A reticent nose of menthol and red fruits. Initially smooth on entry, but this wine has a tannic bite that makes you pay attention. Nice lengthy finish that I just noticed as I am typing this. Showing very young right now, but we’ll see in a bit if the food tames this somewhat. 14% alcohol per the label.

2

Next up, the 1998 Giacosa Barbaresco Asili.
Lighter red in the glass than the Veglio, with a more pronounced & nuanced nose featuring sweet cherry fruit and herbs/underbrush (what’s the Italian word for garrigue?). Very expansive on the palate, and really emphasizing the fruit right now. Probably somewhat of a waste to drink this wine so young, and it’s clear there is a lot more to come here in the future, but it is very “pretty” right now, and if straight-ahead fruit is your game, I could see this wine being right in your wheelhouse. Very elegant - 14% alcohol, bottle # 0279.

3

Very nice wines, Bob. I’ll be opening some older Italians tonight with homemade baked ziti.

4

Sounds great,bad Bob…but how did you get those ribs to simmer in the bottle?

5

[thankyou.gif]

That’s the spirit,P.

6

It’s like the pear brandy stuff. If you put the {pig|cow} in the bottle when it’s small enough then feed it in there and butcher it in there, the ribs are already in the bottle.

7

Yeah, I did think about how that was worded, but in the end, I was too busy sucking down the vino to be bothered correcting it [wink.gif]

BTW, the Giacosa really showed nicely with some air and the short ribs - great on the palate already, and the nose will be sure to develop with additional age. CT tells me I still have three mags of this wine, and I think I will be very happy about that around 2025 (assuming, of course, that I am still around to enjoy them!).

8

Did the Veglio ever show any better? I’ve not been too impressed with the few examples of their wines that I’ve had.

9

Thanks for the notes, Bob, particularly on the Asili. I have a couple of bottles of that stashed away and it’s nice to hear that my instinct to leave it stashed is sound.

10

Ken, I think it’s just too young. I’ve got a few, so I think next time I will try a multi-hour decant instead of the slow-O route to see if the results are any different, but it’s possible that the best answer may be to just revisit this again in five years. FWIW, at least to my palate, the oak was not an issue for this wine, and I thought the wine was fairly harmonious, but there was just not a lot of bouquet at this point.