TNs: A quartet of 2001 Produttori Riservas

[Bob_Hughes]

I opened the Pora and Ovello tonight to pair with my wife’s pizza, but decided to also include the TNs from Montestefano and Paje that I tried 2+ months ago for a “broader” look at the vintage.

• 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Ovello - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (9/5/2014)
  Popped & poured - dark translucent ruby at the core, lightening out to brick on the rim. Red fruits and spice box on the nose, with a secondary tar nuance as well. Nice legs.

Sweet & sour cherry fruit on the palate, lengthy finish, with a tannic bite you can feel on your enamel, but all in, pretty drinkable, albeit young and primary right now. The kind of wine that should be much better with food.

• 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Pora - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (9/5/2014)
  Popped & poured; a shade or two lighter than the Ovello. The nose seems more primary here, with cool menthol and ripe red fruit on the nose.

Tasty, but more buttoned down on the palate than the Ovello - the tannin is more overt here, the finish not quite as long. Like the Ovello, this also demands food, but this is showing younger and it will be interesting to check out a glass of this tomorrow as well.

• 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Montestefano - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (6/27/2014)
  A shade lighter in color than the Paje; nose is fairly reticent on this popped & poured wine right now.

Surprisingly more accessible/less tannic at the outset (especially so given how shut down the nose was). Still young, but very cohesive right now, although you can still feel this wine on your enamel as you savor the finish.

I like this better tonight upon opening, but this is also a youngster with a lot of potential for further nuance/improvement.

• 2001 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Paje - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco (6/27/2014)
  Dark translucent ruby in the glass; nose is still primary, with sweet/ripe cherry fruit & menthol.

Sweet & sour cherry on the palate, nice acidity, tannic but not aggressively so. Really coats the palate, and has a lengthy finish. If you like your Nebbiolo on the young side, it wouldn’t be a crime to try one now, but at least IMO this wine will clearly be better in another five or so years.

Popped & poured; FWIW, with the exception of Pora, this is usually my least favorite cru, and I like this wine quite a bit right now.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

Much appreciated, I would have guessed these would be in the early phase of a glorious drinking window rather than still reticent.

[g.colangelo]

I compared six of these almost a year ago. First the following four blind:
Montefico, Ovello, Paje, Rio Sordo,
and a while later
Asili and Montestefano.

In the blind comparison the Rio Sordo showed best, drinking beautifully, followed by Paje, which also was quite open.
Montefico was brutally tannic and unapproachable (it became drinkable only about a week later). Ovello was somewhat in the middle (the leftovers were still fine 18 days after opening!).
In the second tasting, both showed their class, with Montestefano performing better on day one, and Asili becoming more open and gaining in precision on day two,

(My notes are on CT, handle: gilrbo)